Jinrou

Jinrou
	;
Status	Sub-type of Shiki
anime debut	Episode 1

Overview

A jinrou (人狼) is a sub-species of Shiki. Otherwise known as a werewolf, they can move around in daylight, unlike shiki. Their appearance gives them more resemblance to humans, but they're created the same way as ordinary shiki. They are called werewolves by Sunako because in movies a vampire often has a familiar werewolf servant. Werewolves breathe, have a pulse, can walk under sunlight, and can exist on ordinary human food. Their physical abilities are heightened, their 5 senses are many times sharper than humans only after drinking human blood and unlike shiki they never die.

Creation

A jinrou is created the same way as ordinary shiki where they're humans bitten multiple times by other shiki before transitioning. However what differentiates a jinrou's creation from a shiki is that it happens much faster than ordinary shiki transition that Tatsumi the first jinrou to appear in the series likens it to a transformation rather than resurrection for normal shiki. In fact it's because of this the jinrous are in a technical sense alive as they transformed before fully dying from the blood drainage despite being immortal like normal shiki. As with ordinary shiki resurrection, the humans becoming jinrou must have an aspect about them that makes them transform though to a much greater degree than for those becoming ordinary shiki. This can be seen for the prominent jinrou that appeared in the series as Natsuno's outward aloofness but hidden heroism, Tatsumi's dark sadistic attitude but caring side towards Sunako, and Seishin's strong morals against killing but deep resentment towards people's expectations of him. It's because of these rare traits and factors that humans with special aspects that would make them stand out in comparison to others humans that would cause them to transform into Jinrou instead of shiki is incredibly rare as Tatsumi noted he only knew of five people in Japan that are jinrou when talking to Natsuno about the latter's disposition in the human-shiki status quo. There are of course jinrou overseas as well, such as the one that turned Sunako.

Nature

Physiology

What makes jinrou superior to normal shiki is that they transform into such as humans before dying so thus their bodies are much better than both humans and shiki though because they also have immortality their appearances are presumed to stay the same upon transformation. As they transformed before dying unlike normal shiki, the pigmentation of jinrou are much darker than shiki though paler than humans. It's also because of this factor that Jinrou possesses a pulse and breathing and thus they can suffocate as shown when Natsuno almost lost consciousness when Tatsumi choked him hard enough and they can most likely drown as well. Also while the eyes of shiki completely distorts where their sclera darkens into a black color, the sclera for jinrou only gains a darker hue while retaining the white color and their pupils stay the same color. Though because jinrou are in a sense shiki, their eyes will gain the same red irises when they experience bouts of emotional upheval and are hungry as well. They will presumably grow fangs from their canines as well. Also because a jinrou transforms rather than resurrects, their bodies move much better than ordinary shiki as their cells are more fresh. Also because they too possess accelerated healing, their cellular regeneration are much greater than normal humans allowing jinrou to retain little to no scars from any injury they obtain. Though in the case of Natsuno's fight with Tatumi where he gains a couple of bruises and cuts that didn't disappear right away, it's presumed that strong attacks in rapid succession can leave behind scars on a jinrou before their healing can make them disappear as they are in between the the living status of humans and the undead status of shiki. Due to having greater power and more resemblance to humans, Tatsumi went on to call Jinrou the perfect vampires and Shiki as failures.

Psychology

Because jinrou transforms into such much faster than a shiki resurrecting, their minds are much more closer to a human rather than a shiki, this allows them better cover in a mass of humans compared to a shiki. Like in the case of Tatsumi, jinrou can display great darkness in their behavior, though unlike shiki, jinrou can cover up such things much better. Also because jinrou transforms before fully dying, they have better restraint over themselves than ordinary shiki where they're remorseless like shiki but they're as careful as humans. In the case of Tatsumi's and Yoshie's roles among the shiki, they can be seen as leaders, both have more authority and duty than normal shiki. Because they're not as carefree as shiki, jinrou are far more mature and smarter than their normal counterparts and thus are better planners along with displaying more patience. This can be seen as Natsuno quietly planned the destruction of the shiki alongside Toshio while maintaining complete calmness in his actions as opposed to shiki being recklessly impulsive that led to the war between the humans and shiki. In fact it can be seen that the only moment of true anger and emotional outburst displayed by a jinrou is when Tatsumi was angered by Natsuno's calmness towards his disposition that can lead to the exposure of shiki while almost all the shiki in the series were impulsive and showed more outburst than normal. It can be presumed that a jinrou's emotions and personalities are also heightened in the same manner as shiki though to a lesser extent as they have more restraint due to being alive rather than undead.

Food

Because jinrou are technically living shiki they are able survive on normal human food rather just blood for normal shiki. This is shown when Tatsumi was able to drink coffee like a human when ordinary shiki can only consume human blood. However their source of strength are also blood like shiki and if they don't consume Human blood after their transformation, they will get weaker.

Powers & Abilities

Immortality: The supernatural ability of eternal life and youth. Once a human transforms into a jinrou, all conventional illnesses, diseases, viruses, other fatalities are unable to affect them. Their bodies are also presumed to unaging as well.
Healing Factor: The supernatural ability to heal all illnesses, injuries, and wounds at superhuman speed. A jinrou can heal faster than ordinary human metabolism but powerful attacks happening in rapid succession can leave behind some scars though it's presumed they'll eventually fade away faster than human scars due to having a faster healing rate.
Hypnotism: Jinrous have ability to control and manipulate the body, mind, and soul of an animal or person though only after biting them. A jinrou can also cancel out the hypnotism a normal shiki places on a human by biting them and hypnotizing the human themselves though it's unknown whether normal shiki can do so as well since Natsuno is the only shiki/jinrou who showed this ability.
Levitation: Ability which allows to fly in short time.
Voice-induced Manipulation: The supernatural ability allows to speak in hight distances.
Superhuman Speed: The supernatural ability to jump, leap, move and run at a superhuman velocity.
Superhuman Senses: The supernatural ability to hear, see, smell, and taste beyond the human extent. They are also known for being able to see in total darkness
Superhuman Strength: Jinrous are much stronger than both humans and ordinary shiki. A jinrou who had drank human blood is much stronger than jinrous who hasn't where Tatstumi was able to crush a plastic cup in his bare hand with one grip and snapped a wooden coffee table in half with a stomp along with nearly choking Natsuno to unconsciousness.
Superhuman Durability: Jinrous can take much more damage to their bodies than humans or shiki. This can be seen in that Tatsumi was able to hold the upper hand for most of the time during his fight with Natsuno just after being shot multiple times by mundane guns and falling into a river.
Daytime Walking: The ability that truly makes jinrous far superior to shikis is that a jinrou can operate during the daytime hours without suffering any consequences which allows them greater coverage in human populated areas while shiki can only operate at night.

Weakness

Circulatory System Destruction: Toshio discovered in his experimentation with his shiki wife that only by destroying the circulatory system that controls a shiki's blood flow can they be killed which also means Jinrou can only be killed by such a way as well.
- Decapitation: The act of dismembering or removing the head of a Jinrou's will result in permanent death.
- Heart Impalement: If a Jinrou is staked in the heart with a wooden stake it results in permanent death. Also just by destroying through other methods can kill them like being staked as in the manga Tatsumi and Natsuno died by such.
Starvation: While a jinrou can't die from a lack of blood intake like normal shiki can, they will weaken without consuming blood in a while.
Explosion: A jinrou can be killed by being near or at the center of an explosion as Yoshie died by a suicidal bombing in the manga and both Tatsumi and Natsuno died by a explosion caused by the latter.
Invitation: A jinrou can't enter a house owned by humans unless they are invited in first though this occurrence only happened when Tatsumi visited Natsuno's house and he had asked Natsuno's father for an invitation first before stepping in though the same force field didn't appear to stop the older jinrou from getting in first so it's unknown whether jinrous truly share this weakness with the regular shiki.
Silver

Known Werewolves

Trivia

The turning of a Jinrou is faster than that of a Shiki, Tatsumi calls it a transformation rather than a resurrection.
The literal translation of Jinrou is werewolf. The first kanji means person and the second means wolf.