A Contractor (Hei) using his powers.
Contractors are individuals who have gained superhuman powers due to the appearance of the Hell's Gate and Heaven's Gate.
Overview
Known Contractors have a very wide array of powers, and each Contractor appears to have a power unique to him or herself. When a Contractor's powers are used, his or her eyes glow red and a blue glow occasionally surrounds its body. This phenomenon is called Lancelnoptchrotron radiation.[1] A star corresponding to them also shows increased activity when they use their powers. After using their ability, Contractors experience the need to perform Obeisance, which is an often bizarre, obsessive compulsive "payment" for the use of their powers. According to Alma, the biggest difference between normal humans and Contractors is the structure of their minds: Contractors decide rationally. She compares them to how some humans have succeed by discarding emotion but not their intentions. Contractors do not generally dream, though there are rare exceptions.[2]
In fact, Contractors are fully capable of experiencing emotions, but that those feelings do not play a prominent role in their thought processes. They are described as being totally rational, and totally amoral. The general rule seems to be that they feel no guilt, and they cannot form or retain social bonds. A normal Contractor cares, in essence, only about their own well-being, and everything is reduced to a cost/benefit analysis: Any other issues like laws, emotions, or the question of the sanctity of human life are irrelevant.
Becoming a Contractor
How a person becomes a Contractor hasn't been revealed. There are no signs which identify a person's transformation into a Contractor, which is sudden. Their personality and behaviour patterns change drastically.[3] Shion Pavlichenko was born as a Contractor, and Suou became one after she absorbed Hei's powers but all other Contractors have become what they are via unknown means. In Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden it is revealed that Contractors are defects that emerge when humans are unable to become Dolls.
Regressors
While it is unclear how it can happen, it is possible for a Contractor to lose their powers, with Havoc being the only known example. She lost her powers and in exchange lived a normal life for several years. Havoc was able to regain their powers by being within close proximity of the Gate.[4] Others exist in a state called Moratoria, where they do not have control of their powers and exhibit normal emotional behaviour.[5]
Link to Hell's Gate
According to PANDORA scientist Robert Schroeder, if the Hell's Gate is destroyed, all Contractors will melt down and vanish, comparing them to sugar cubes in a cup of tea.[6]
Place in Society
The existence of Contractors is kept a secret from the general public by most governments around the world, with many people who have encountered one having their memory erased. There is a dedicated unit within the Japanese police to deal with Contractor related crimes. However, Contractors are well-known to the higher echelons of society and in the criminal underworld. In addition to not feeling guilt or having a conscience, many Contractors have an ability which makes them effective as a killer or spy and they are regularly employed in that role.[7] Various groups supporting and opposing Contractors exist. While the Saturn Ring project aims to wipe out Contractors, Evening Primrose is a group of Contractors opposing this secret Syndicate project.[6] Alma created The Fraternal Order of the Holy Gate as a place where Contractors could feel pride.[2]
Known Contractors
According to Eric Nishijima, there are thousands of Contractors in existence.[6] Known Contractors include:
| Contractor | Ability | Obeisance |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail Croft | Induced Hallucination | Licking skin |
| Alma | Shape-Shifting | Aging |
| Amagiri | Concussive Blasts | Consuming boiled eggs |
| Amber (February) | Chronokinesis | Aging backwards |
| Amitabh Kapoor | Human Possession | Smelling an old piece of cloth (Contract Paid) |
| April | Atmospheric Pressure Manipulation | Drinking alcoholic beverages |
| August 7 | Magic (Space Distortion) | Revealing the tricks of magicians |
| Bai (Xing) | Molecular Manipulation | Sleeping |
| Bertha | Sound Resonance Manipulation | Ingesting something to regurgitate it |
| Black Dandelion | "Black Flower" Creation | Being forgotten |
| Brita | Human Teleportation | Kissing someone |
| Dale | Self Liquification | unknown |
| Dash | Super Speed | unknown |
| Genma Shizume | Material Armor | Moxibustion treatment |
| Goran | Super Speed | Eating hamburgers |
| Harvest | Matter Disintegration | Swallowing round things |
| Havoc | Vacuum Creation | Drinking the blood of children |
| Hei | Electric (Molecular) Manipulation | none |
| Ilya Sokoloff | Brain Asphyxiation | Drawing |
| Itzhak | Doll Spectre Retrieval | Writing poetry |
| Jean | Material Transportation | Arranging small stones in a line and ruining it |
| Louis | Gravity Nullification | Breaking his fingers |
| Luc | Air-Weapon Creation | Creasing the corners of every page in a book |
| Mai Kashiwagi | Pyrokinesis | Humming a song |
| Maki | Remote Spontaneous Combustion | Drinking hot liquids |
| Mao (Ricardo) | Animal Possession | unknown (Contract Paid) |
| Michiru | Hydrokinesis | Cooking |
| Mina Hazuki | Weapon Energizing | Kissing men |
| Musik (Mikata Misa) | Contractor Power Theft | unknown |
| Nick Hillman | Electrokinesis | Placing victim's shoes upside-down next to each other |
| November 11 | Liquid Induces Cryokinesis | Smoking a cigarette |
| Parcel | Spatial Teleportation | Wearing fake animal ears |
| Paul | Object Explosion | Eating flowers |
| Shihoko Kishida | Internal Organ Rupture | Temporarily regaining human feelings |
| Shion Pavlichenko | Near-Perfect Duplication | Losing control over his legs |
| Shizuma Shinoh | Hydrokinesis | Making himself vomit |
| Suou Pavlichenko | PTRD-41 Rifle Materialization | Folding origami |
| Tanya Akulova | Insect Manipulation | Pulling strands of her hair |
| Top-rope | Rope Manipulation | unknown |
| Wei Zhijun | Blood Induced Matter Transportation | Shedding his own blood |
| Shichi (Claude) | Mind Control | Eating a flower petal |
| Xiao Jie | Gravity Manipulation | Stripping |
References
| v · e | Gate Phenomena | |
| Gates: | Heaven's Gate • Hell's Gate | |
| Objects: | Flowers From Hell's Gate • Meteor Fragment • Jupiter / Saturn Ring | |
| Incidents: | Heaven's War • Solar Maximum | |
| Related Articles: | Contractors • Dolls • Mitaka Documents • PANDORA • Hoshimi • Izanami | |