Reaper
From The World Ends With You
Reapers are recruited from Players who have survived previous runs of the game. Any such player, provided they are strong enough, may choose to become a Reaper if they wish.
Reapers are able to move between the Realground and the Underground without anybody really noticing. While on the RG, reapers do not possess their wings and cannot use their powers. Reapers are permitted to live normal lives on the RG within certain constraints, although they must report for duty in the UG whenever required. The lifespan of a Reaper is determined by the number of Players they successfully Erase (their "Score"). Reapers can also be Erased by players as part of the game. A new Reaper has around a 2 week lifespan in which to erase their first Player. The majority of Reapers are eventually erased before they can rise very high in the organisation, either directly by Players or by their lifespan running out.
All Reapers have the power to create Noise. Reapers have their own pins which they use to create different forms of Noise; they must also make use of a resource called "Soul". Most Noise will not attack players who have a Pact. Taboo Noise, however, freely attack anybody, Player or Reaper. Reapers can instantly erase any Noise that they themselves created. Reapers can make Pacts and work together like players; they can also project their Shadow onto the alternate plane to fight Noise - or groups of players - alone, but they are less effective in this case.
All Reapers are forbidden from attacking players directly except in exceptional circumstances. One such exceptional circumstance is an Emergency Call (EC) - an alert to an event that affects the safety of the entire Game. In this case, all Reapers - even Support Reapers - may directly engage players.
The symbol for the Reapers is a very stylized skull and crossbones, the crossbones showing up on two pins throughout the game. Reapers are subdivided into three broad categories: officers, harriers, and support.
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[edit] Support
Support Reapers are the lowest ranking Reapers. They create challenges within the game exactly as instructed by the Game Master. Usually, this involves maintaining special walls separating the different districts of Shibuya, informing players of the requirements to destroy certain walls, and lowering the walls when the requirements are met. Like all Reapers, they have the power to create Noise, but usually only as part of the challenges required to remove walls. It appears that a large number of these Reapers have identical appearance, or they are able to exist simultaneously in more than one place on the RG. It is unknown whether Support Reapers have names, although 777 has two named Tenho and BJ.
It is not clear which Reapers are able to create Walls. Tenho and Konishi demonstrate the ability to create Walls in the game; BJ guards numerous walls, but doesn't clearly create any. 777 and Uzuki both ask Tenho to create walls for them, implying that they are either unable to do so or choose not to (presumably because creating and maintaining a wall requires some expenditure of effort or energy).
[edit] Harrier
Harrier reapers are mid-ranking reapers who are permitted to act independently (within a few constraints) in order to erase Players during the game. Usually, the Game Master will specify when and where Harriers may act. Due to the rule that Reapers may not normally attack players directly, Harriers must summon Noise to attack the players. The Harrier reapers in the game are Uzuki Yashiro and Kōki Kariya.
It is possible for a new Reaper to join directly as a Harrier (Beat may do this).
[edit] Officer
Officers are the highest-ranking Reapers in the Game. They organize and supervise the entire Game. There are multiple different ranks of Officers. Reapers earn the rank of Officer by successfully erasing players and behaving well in the games.
Officers of the rank of Game Master and above have the ability to transform their own bodies into Noise, which they use when directly attacking players.
- The Game Master: the Reaper responsible for a single run of the game. His duty is to set up each day of the game: he sets the mission, briefs the Harriers on their activities for the day, determines which routes in Shibuya will be available and briefs Support reapers on the positioning and rules for Walls that day. On the last day of the game, the Game Master must fight the players directly: this is the only normal case when a Reaper may attack players directly. Usually, the Game Master will specify only that the players must defeat him, triumphing in a limited combat, but he takes the risk that the players may go further and actually erase him.
- The Conductor: the Conductor is the highest ranking Reaper officer. He oversees the entire running of the game, according to the wishes of the Composer. He also organises the lower ranking Reapers and is responsible for recruiting and managing new Reapers. It is also his duty to deal with collecting entry fees and dealing with the surviving Players at the end of each game. The Conductor has the power to collect entry fees from exiting players, and - in order to earn the rank of Conductor - must also have been a powerful combatant. However, he alone does not have the power to restore a Player to life. Like the rank of Game Master, a Reaper earns the rank of Conductor through good performance.
[edit] Beyond the Reapers
The very highest ranks involved in running the game are not normally considered to be Reapers as such, but they operate closely with that organisation, and can be recruited from exceptional Reapers.
- The Composer defines the entire game. Every one of the rules above, including the supernatural abilities of the Reapers, is set by the Composer. The Composer also usually assists with overseeing the game, and rectifying any issues that the lower ranks cannot deal with. This includes restoring Players to life, which only the Composer is powerful enough to do; it also includes creating the fundamental Pins used by Players and Reapers. The Composer normally only dialogs directly with the Conductor; lesser Reapers generally do not contact him. An exceptionally skilled Reaper can rise to become Composer, although this requires the existing Composer to be defeated first, which is exceptionally difficult, but not impossible. The Composer has god-like powers in the UG, and significant power in the RG, also.
- The Producer has even greater power than the Composer; however, he is not permitted to use it freely. The Producer is an Angel, sent to ensure the fair and reasonable running of the Game. He is not permitted to directly intervene in the running of the game, although this does not guarantee that he does not do so. No Reaper, not even the Composer, can advance to the rank of Producer by normal means; instead, Angels are recruited directly from the exceptional Players who survive the game, and may then become Producer via a process within that plane.
[edit] Reaper Sports
As part of Reaper training, Reapers are introduced to at least four "sports" which appear to be games which Harriers (and above) are permitted to play with Players as part of the Game. These are:
- Reaper Sport 1: Russian Roulette. This is never seen in the game.
- Reaper Sport 2: Hide and Seek. Exactly as the real-life equivalent, although affected by the supernatural powers of Players and Reapers.
- Reaper Sport 3: Player Hunt. A simple contest between two Reapers to see who can erase the most Players in a given time.
- Reaper Sport 4: Tag. Again, exactly as the real-life equivalent.
