Brave Force

Performing as hayashi, the group accepts jobs centered on driving away malevolent spirits through heavy metal charged enough to stir the dead. Beyond that, little has been recorded about them. Seiko vouches for the authenticity of their work to Momo, yet they rank just shy of the fame that would let even a renowned spirit medium place their faces on sight. Since none of them possess any spiritual sensitivity, Seiko notes it would be wrong to call them spirit mediums, and that very absence of perception actually helps during ceremonies, shielding them from possession or assault by the violent spirits they take on. The anime adaptation renames the band HAYASii.

Seiko initially recruited the band to expel the Evil Eye from Jiji. Partway through the set, Jiji, now feeling sorry for the yokai, begged that it be left unharmed, so Seiko respected his plea and called the gig off, logging it as cancelled. The musicians did better on a subsequent assignment. Charged with releasing an Onbusuman that had bound itself to Rin Sawaki, they performed atop a dashi as a swarm of school spirits pursued them, raising a shielding barrier around the float while it rolled through the streets. After the singer was knocked out, Rin stepped in on vocals, and the mission came off successfully.

The lineup takes its cues from the Japanese rock outfit X Japan, and several member names tip a hat to that group. For Episode 18's English dub, Toshiro's part on Hunting Soul was sung by DragonForce's Marc Hudson, and Hideji's guitar came from Marty Friedman, once of Megadeth. Kensuke Ushio handled composition of the whole piece. For the Japanese-language release, Kisho Taniyama of GRANRODEO supplied Toshiro's vocals.