The post-Uprising Japan has been rebuilt with the Bushido doctrine as their main ideological foundation, the bushi fighting caste being the society’s main guides. A nation built upon the Way of the Samurai is not an easy prey for anyone, no matter how powerful they may be, and every member of the JSA, the Japanese Secessionist Army, is willing to give their lives to prove it, and drag every enemy possible with them into death.
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KUROSHI RIDER, ARAGOTO SENKENBUTAI RIKUGUN-SHŌI
A mystery wrapped up in motorcycle exhaust, that’s Kuroshi Rider (黒死ライダー), A.K.A. the Black Death, the most dreaded officer in the Aragoto squadron.
No one knows who hides behind that helmet, but many whisper of the revenant of Asuka Kisaragi, MIA—assumed KIA—during the fight for Kofuku. Kuroshi Rider showed up in her black getup, wielding a scythe with her enhanced prosthetic arm, right before the Kanadzuchi assault.
She led the Aragoto in a death-dash into the mouth of Hell, under some of the harshest crossfire the unit had even seen, and succeeded in maiming the StateEmpire attack—ultimately saving Okinawa Island for an independent Japan.
The biker’s bravery and skill reminded many of the missing Jun-i Kisaragi, only more ruthless, more single-minded in her advance. Those who have ridden into battle alongside the Black Death claim to have seen her be pierced by bullets like her body was made of smoke.
Some bikers swear her visor hides no face at all; that she’s a yūrei, a phantom doomed to fight for the Aragoto until she can wash away her guilt at failing in the fateful battle that devastated the cradle of Bōsōzoku culture. Others believe Asuka Kisaragi simply recovered from her injuries and elected to don the helmet as penitence for the inevitable defeat at Kofuku. She certainly resembles a vengeful apparition as she shreds the asphalt on her bike, drawing sparks from the ground with her scythe. If not a ghost, then perhaps she’s the Grim Reaper on wheels.
KEMPEITAI
At a glance, one might think the role of the Kempeitai, its very raison d’être, must have been drastically altered since the Uprising. They were, after all, a clandestine organization created to infiltrate the Yu Jing military and take revenge against its abuse of Japanese troops. Their goals ostensibly achieved, they have now become an active element in the defense of their nation. The Kempeitai has adopted the trappings and responsibilities of a military police even as their true authority reaches far beyond them, up to and including counter-intelligence and extrajudicial operations.
Their job is to root out and suppress all activities considered anti-Japanese, a term interpreted so broadly it covers not only spies, collaborationists and foreign agents, but anyone suspect of furthering a pro-Yu Jing agenda or harboring sentiments contrary to national autonomy and the Emperor. The Kempeitai are in charge of counter-guerrilla and retaliation operations, but they are not above deploying alongside the rank and file on ongoing military engagements, which they can assume control of if need be. The unit has accumulated a fearsome measure of power, in part due to the fact that any Kempeitai agent has the prerogative to arrest military officers up to three ranks above himself on suspicion of disloyalty. Enhanced interrogations and summary executions are common practice for them. As the responsibilities of the Kempeitai have expanded, so has their reputation worsened, but the purpose of the unit hasn’t budged since its inception under the yoke of the StateEmpire: to pursue the enemies of Japan and eliminate them with ferocious implacability.
KEISOTSU BUTAI
The post-Uprising Japanese society, so strongly influenced by the kuge orthodoxy that exalts bushi warriorship and its devotion to self-betterment, offers few avenues of social advancement more expedient than military service. For those on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, the most practical enlistment options are the Keisotsu Infantry Regiments (Butai). The Keisotsu are the backbone of the Japanese armed forces and the crux of their operational doctrine.
The word Keisotsu is a title of honor that translates as ‘excellent soldier,’ a credit to the level of commitment expected of these foot soldiers. Mindful of their pivotal role in the defense of their nation, Keisotsu are eager to risk their lives on the front-lines, always under the command of their bushi superiors. And risk their lives they do, given the staggering casualty rates suffered by Keisotsu regiments deployed in one ‘hot spot’ after another. But new recruits know the risks are not without their rewards: the unparalleled honor of serving their Emperor and championing the cause of their nation’s freedom and—equally importantly—guaranteed social promotion for as long as they survive the gauntlet of fire.
RYUKEN UNIT-9
The Ryuken Unit-9 was created during the Uprising to serve as a Special Operations force proficient in covert and forward tactical support. As an autonomous JSA found its legs outside the StateEmpire’s power structure, it necessitated an overhaul to reallocate its newly constrained resources. The first clashes of the Uprising highlighted the JSA’s need for a tactical asset that could afford its shock troops an opportunity to close the distance with their enemies in order to exploit their superior close-combat capabilities.
The Ryuken (a word that uses the characters for ‘dragon’ and ‘sword’) was raised to address this need as a multi-purpose unit capable of both providing close-range support alongside assault troops on the advance or, alternatively, hanging back and pelting enemy positions with fire. The biggest recruiting pool for the Ryuken were the survivors from the demobilized Raiden regiment. Due to their role as specialist support, the Raiden were scattered across a number of StateEmpire Army holdings and fell easy prey to retaliatory imprisonment as the Uprising spread. There were also dealings with ninja clans loyal to the Emperor, some of whom provided the instructors the Ryuken so sorely needed to train its agents for vanguard operations. Ryuken operatives receive training in incursion, sabotage, and early hostile contact, as well as espionage and clandestine data collection. Due to the critical importance of their role, members of Unit-9 are directly accountable to the JSA Special Operations command, but otherwise exercise full discretion with regards to the requisition of materiel and transport for their mission. Ryuken enjoy a special status even among elite units, a position accompanied by what other officers see as an enviable degree of autonomy. However, many bushi look down on the Ryuken precisely because their operatives and officers are allowed to flout standard procedure and proper chain of command.
DAIYŌKAI DENGEKITAI
“We don’t have their full technical specs but, after what we’ve seen on the battlefield, we can certify that the Daiyōkai boast an unbeatable power. They are a force of nature, the very incarnation of Japanese courage and willpower.”
Review of the Daiyōkai Dengekitai published by Sabot! in the first days of the Uprising.
The loss of Kuraimori, the powerhouse of Japanese industry, crippled the Ten No Bushi program that developed military technology for the JSA. Evacuation of researchers along with samples of their work was a priority, but not everything could be saved.
Most projects had to be put into indefinite hiatus due to the loss of data and the absence of suitable high-tech R&D facilities. One of the projects affected was the Kikuchiyo Program, a prototype high-capacity, ultra-heavy, powered armor left behind during the evacuation.
Despite the loss of the prototype, the JSA deemed the project a priority in order to respond to fluctuating operational needs, boost troop morale, and prove to the civilian population that an independent Nippon could bounce back. The kickstarted Kikuchiyo program used the salvaged data to produce a new prototype, less cutting-edge but more adapted to the diminished productive capacity of the infant nation.
Although the new armor failed to meet the original’s benchmarks, the resulting technology was still impressive even to the project’s developers, who managed to start production of viable prototypes in record time. As the war of independence against the StateEmpire kept escalating, the prototypes had to undergo testing under real combat conditions.
As a result, even before mass-scale production this armor had already distinguished itself in the defense of the Rutsubo orbital factories in the rings of the twin planets Castor and Pollux in Human Edge. The factory corridors, too narrow for O-Yoroi to navigate, were a perfect showroom for the imposing demeanor, toughness, and destructive potential of units equipped with the Kikuchiyo prototype.
Once the troops tasked with the defense of Rutsubo started telling their stories, an air of legend started to surround the powered armor, which received the call sign Daiyōkai (大妖怪, “Great Demon”). A dramatic name, to be sure, but one endorsed by this metallic samurai’s track record of destruction and triumph.
ONIWABAN
Oniwaban means “the one in the garden” or “the gardener.” During the Tokugawa shogunate each shogun had a personal gardener at his service that belonged to the elite class of a ninja clan. The Oniwaban was the link between the shogun and the ninjas. In the palace the official position of gardener was due to their extensive plant knowledge used to make potent poisons.
The Oniwaban were territorial clan leaders, with groups of ninjas available at their orders to fulfill the personal orders of the Emperor.
Currently, recent unofficial and unconfirmed reports discuss the presence of the Oniwaban in the Japanese Secessionist Army, describing them as superior level Ninjas, better prepared, and more skilled. Apparently, as well as carrying out supervision and coordination tasks, the Oniwaban also carry out the most complex operations personally.
The physical appearance and true identity of these operatives are both unknown, changing them as they see fit. It is believed that when one of them definitively dies, when both their body and Cube are destroyed, it is substituted by another who takes on the same name as its predecessor, thus giving the sensation of total continuity and immortality.
Nevertheless, all of this is nothing more than just fictitious stories. The existence of an elite within the Ninjas is, just like the actual Ninjas themselves, an approach that belongs to the past. Complete nonsense in such a modern society like the Nipponese one.
The good citizens of the Great Japan should trust the good criteria of the Party and let the myth of the Oniwaban disappear in the mists of time...
KUGE DELEGATES
Kuge Delegates are representatives of an industrial and social elite, the aristocracy of a free, independent Japan. Mostly executives and commercial agents, these delegates are the primary mechanism by which the kuge apply their considerable influence.
A sort of shadow government, the kuge—a name for the ancient courtesan nobility of Kyoto—comprise members of the handful of great dynasties that steer the most important keiretsu, the beating hearts of the Japanese economy. The Japanese constitution has officially abolished the nobility and its privileges—at least for the time being—but these pillars of the community are still a broadly recognized social circle.
With the Uprising, the kuge became the de facto economic leaders of sovereign Japan, but they also hold various positions at the upper echelons of military and political leadership. The kuge have crafted a new Japan and their delegates will safeguard their interests and make their wishes known and obeyed—nothing will loosen their grip on their new nation.
