A Flame Haze (フレイムヘイズ Fureimuheizu) is a former human that has made a contract with a Crimson Lord to gain power. A Flame Haze's duty is to protect the balance of the world and prevent the spread of Distortions, which means destroying all Denizens that devour people to take away their Power of Existence.
In a sense, a Flame Haze refers to both the contracted Crimson Lord and the former human contractor, who combine and become a single entity.[1]
Epithet[]
Common Epithets[]
- Swaying Flame (炎の揺らぎ Honō no Yuragi) - Named after the illusory scene of Crimson Realm that all human contractors caught a glimpse of while the contract is being made. This name becomes the origin of the term "Flame Haze".
- Hunter (討ち手 Uchite, other meanings : seizer, vanquisher or punisher) - The "common" term for Flame Haze. Mathilde Saint-Omer adopted this epithet and created her own title with Alastor's approval.
Cynical Epithets[]
- Tool of Destruction (討滅の道具 Tōmetsu no Dōgu) - Flame Haze, like Torch and Mystes, are also viewed by Crimson Denizens as mere objects or tools for their contracted Crimson Lords to hunt them down.
- Tool of Brethren Killer (同胞殺しの道具 Dōhōgoroshi no Dōgu) - Brethren killers refer to the Crimson Lords who create Flame Haze or "tools" to hunt Denizens and protect the balance of both worlds.
Others[]
- Avenger (復讐者 Fukushūsha)
- Vengeful Demon (復讐鬼 Fukushūki) - As retribution is the main cause for humans to become Flame Haze, thus this name refers to most of Flame Haze who made a contract in order to take revenge on Crimson Denizens.
- Destroyer (討滅者 Tōmetsusha, other meaning: Those who hunt and destroy)
- User of Extraordinary Powers (異能の遣い手 Inō no Tsukaite) or One with Extraordinary Powers (異能者 Inōsha)- The extraordinary powers refers to the Crimson Lords' unique powers given to their contractors.
Characteristics[]
Humans become Flame Haze by making contracts with Crimson Lords who fear the spread of Distortions and have resolved to killing their brethren to prevent it. When the contract is made, the human loses the past, present and future they once had and accepts the Lord's existence, acting as their Vessel. The Lord then dwells with the Flame Haze's body. The Flame Haze's physical age becomes fixed and they become immortal,[2] due to becoming displaced from the flow of the world and time. In exchange, they are granted power by the Lord.[3] A Flame Haze's abilities are characteristically shaped by their own mentality.[4]
A great majority of the humans who became Flame Haze did so because of hatred toward or a desire for revenge against Crimson Denizens after falling victim to them in some way. Though they are all meant to destroy Denizens, as the great majority of them are avengers, they usually act alone in order to prioritize their own personal matters. This leads to a weak sense of solidarity, and Flame Haze can even have fights with each other over a difference in opinion.[2] Shana would be an exception among Flame Haze, as she became one on her own volition and had not suffered loss due to Denizens. It is also seen as heretical to fight solely to save humans from Denizens, like Yurii Chvojka had done.[5][6]
Flame Haze generally look down upon Torches and Mystes because they are merely shells.
A Flame Haze can be distinguished by the following details:
- Crimson Lord in Contract - A Flame Haze creates a contract with a single Crimson Lord which stays until the death of the Flame Haze or when the bond of the contract is frayed by an external event.
- Title (称号 Shōgō) - Just like the title of a Crimson Lord or Denizen, a Flame Haze goes by a title which describes his or her ability in general. This title is unique among Crimson Lords but not among Flame Haze who underwent the contract with the same Crimson Lord. A Flame Haze usually goes by the title of "[verb] + -er/-or of [noun]" like Margery Daw's title "Chanter of Elegies" or Wilhelmina Carmel's title "Manipulator of Objects". According to the Light Novels, however, there are some mentions of Flame Haze who do not follow this rule.
- Divine Vessel (神器 Jingi) - To contain the immense amount of Power of Existence, the contracted Crimson Lord has to stay in a hibernate-like state in order to reside within the contractor's body. A Flame Haze carries a Divine Vessel which the Crimson Lord uses to watch, hear, and communicate with his/her contractor. It comes in a variety of shapes and forms. If the Divine Vessel is damaged, it can be repaired given the Power of Existence.
- Color of Flame (炎の色 Honō no Iro) - A Flame Haze shares the color of flame of the Crimson Lord he/she enters a contract with. This flame can be seen when a Flame Haze casts a Fuzetsu or Unrestricted Spells. Most Flame Haze possess a single color of flame with exceptions, like Outreniaia and Vetcherniaia (aurora-colored). Also, there are Flame Haze whose "flame" isn't flame itself, but lightning; Sophie Sawallisch is an example of this.
Trivia[]
- Most Flame Haze are named after composers, conductors or musicians in real life; only a few Flame Haze are not in this category.
- There are naming rules for Flame Haze's titles when written in Japanese, although these are lost in foreign language translation. The author (via Friagne in Q&A session) apologetically explains that this is only from a meta-level point of view; it is not actual rules known to the characters in the story.
- Titles will always have seven morae. Morae (or On when referred to in Japanese poetry, like haiku) is used in Japanese as the basis of the sound system; it is a basic timing unit in the phonology equal to or shorter than a syllable. For example, Tōkyō (
東京 ) has 2 syllables, but on the other hand has 4 morae/on (To-u-kyo-u). When a hiragana is represented by a pair of symbols each pair or "digraph" e.g. "kyo" (きょ) it equates to a single mora. - Only one or two kanji before "no" (の) and only one kanji before "te" (手).
- The only exception is the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter (炎髪灼眼の討ち手 Enpatsu Shakugan no Uchite) which have twelve morae and four kanji before "no" (の).
- As shown in the story, there are two types of titles, namely Pattern A and Pattern B. Most titles follows Pattern A and there exists only four Pattern B titles in the story: Wilhelmina Carmel, Karl Berwald/Chiara Toscana, Singer who Disperses Darkness and Nam. In meta-level, this is due to substantially fewer Japanese verbs that fit Pattern B.
- In Japanese, Flame Haze's titles are written inside white corner brackets (『...』). Interestingly, the brackets are also used for Treasure Tool and Mystes' names, e.g., 『炎髪灼眼の討ち手』,『贄殿遮那』and『永遠の恋人』. This is because Flame Haze are also considered "tools" that Crimson Lords use for hunting Crimson Denizens that consume humans.
- Titles will always have seven morae. Morae (or On when referred to in Japanese poetry, like haiku) is used in Japanese as the basis of the sound system; it is a basic timing unit in the phonology equal to or shorter than a syllable. For example, Tōkyō (
| Pattern | Arrangement
(numbers are morae counts) |
Description | Example | In hiragana | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 123 の 56 手 | Noun (3 morae) + no + Verb (2 morae) + te | Margery Daw | ||
| B | 1234 の 6 手 | Noun (4 morae) + no + Verb (1 mora) + te | Wilhelmina Carmel | ||
| B (special case) | 1234 の 6 手 | Noun (4 morae) + no + Verb (1 mora) + shu | Nam |
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana Final DVD Volume 1 booklet
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shakugan no Shana Guide Book Nyūmon-hen page 13
- ↑ Dengeki G's Festival! Vol.8 Page 15
- ↑ Dengeki G's Festival! Vol.8/Shakugan no Shana Secrets
- ↑ Anime Shakugan no Shana II no Subete page 62
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana Final Guidebook page 19