Family

The term Family was first used by Seiko Ayase to describe the social network that gathers around her granddaughter Momo: schoolmates from Kami High who are welcome at the Ayase home, the people Seiko takes in as residents, and the wider set of acquaintances tied to them. The bond took shape once Momo and Okarun set out to recover his missing kintama, a quest that kept drawing in new companions along the way. A running motif is that after clearing each major crisis, the whole crew, plus any new allies, sits around the dinner table eating whatever Seiko has cooked, an occasion that often introduces the latest addition to the fold.

During the Kintama Hunt Saga, the group's core assembled rapidly. A bet between Momo and Okarun over ghosts versus aliens backfired when she gained psychic powers after a Serpo abduction and he was cursed by Turbo Granny. With Seiko's guidance they lifted the curse, and soon Aira Shiratori, who had died and been revived through Acrobatic Silky's aura, joined them after a clash with that yokai. Repelling the Serpo and its hired Dover Demon and Nessie cemented the early team, and the recovering Dover Demon, then Momo's childhood friend Jiji, were folded in. The Cursed House Arc pitted them against the Kito Family and the Tsuchinoko in Byakuja Village, where the Evil Eye possessed Jiji, a problem only partly tamed by hot water. Through the Kaiju and Space Globalists arcs they gained Kinta Sakata and the alien Bamora, then fought off the invading Kur, with Reiko Kashima ultimately annihilating the alien main force.

Later arcs deepened their trials. The Onbusuman and Danmara arcs centered on freeing Rin Sawaki from a spirit and chasing the last kintama into a cursed diorama ruled by the Fairy-Tale Card, an ordeal that left Momo shrunken and cost the group Turbo Granny, who severed ties once her powers were returned. In the Ultimate Yokai Saga, the friends formalized as the History and Culture Research Club, helped Koki Yukishiro against her blackmailer Murakami, and journeyed toward Shimane to cure Momo. Ambushes by the Kito Family, a Typhoon Human, and the Black Paladins' Red Baron and Reptilian followed. The Shimane confrontation lifted Momo's curse but left her with amnesia, setting up the Six Curses Arc, where Okarun works to rebuild their relationship while Rin and Koki have their powers stolen by the Black Paladins.

At the heart of the group are Momo Ayase and Okarun, joined by Seiko Ayase, who shelters and names the Family. Recurring members include Aira Shiratori, Jiji, Kinta Sakata, Bamora, Rin Sawaki, and Koki Yukishiro, along with the alien Mantisian and the Serpo ally nicknamed Rokuro. Turbo Granny counted among them until reclaiming her powers and departing. The Evil Eye, sealed within Jiji, and various rescued guests such as Taro, Hana, and the Dover Demon round out the household tied to the Ayase residence.