Lunatic Magpie
Excitable Attacker
Here are 5 of the most USELESS characters ever all crammed into one series that is otherwise pretty good. (That series being Nurarihyon no Mago and the 5 characters belonging to the Kiyojūji Paranormal Investigation Squad.)
These 5 don't really contribute to the actual story at all. They're just there for filler stuff between action and to be rescued, protected, and make things more complicated when they can't keep their noses out of yokai/onmyoji business, and they just so happen to zero in on where the next big battle will be without meaning to. Only time they ever helped was when they made 1000 paper cranes as an offering to the shrine god (*cough*yokai*cough*) behind the hospital where Natsumi was in critical condition after being cursed by a yokai. Their prayers gave that god the strength to heal her.
Kiyotsugu
>> The "brains" of the operation
>> Knowledgeable on yokai (and still decides to go poking around)
>> Rich kid
>> Forceful personality which leaves little to no room for argument
>> Ironically, the only one in the group to never see yokai activity during investigations
Kana Ienaga
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
>> Classic damsel in distress
>> Possible romantic interest to main character
Jirō Shima
>> The overenthusiastic follower
>> Hopeless crush in Tsurara and quick to agree with her
Natsumi Torii
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
Saori Maki
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
>> Always doing her makeup
The USEFUL members that are always rescuing/protecting them are:
Rikuo Nura
>> Main character
>> 1/4 yokai with both known and latent talent to boast about
>> 3rd Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan with a Hyakki Yakō (literally, "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" ) at his beck and call
>> Mostly in the group to ensure the heads of the useless members remain attached and to shoo away yokai in the areas investigated
Tsurara Oikawa
>> Attendant to Rikuo (part of his Night Parade)
>> Yuki Onna (human disguise on left, true form on right)
>> Possible romantic interest to main character
>> Occasional damsel in distress but certainly not useless
>> Helps Rikuo with the yokai-shooing
Yura Keikain
>> Talented Onmyōji
>> Expected to be the 28th head of the Keikain Clan
>> Can summon 4 (later 5) shikigami at once, which is impressive even to seasoned veterans
These 5 don't really contribute to the actual story at all. They're just there for filler stuff between action and to be rescued, protected, and make things more complicated when they can't keep their noses out of yokai/onmyoji business, and they just so happen to zero in on where the next big battle will be without meaning to. Only time they ever helped was when they made 1000 paper cranes as an offering to the shrine god (*cough*yokai*cough*) behind the hospital where Natsumi was in critical condition after being cursed by a yokai. Their prayers gave that god the strength to heal her.
Kiyotsugu
>> The "brains" of the operation
>> Knowledgeable on yokai (and still decides to go poking around)
>> Rich kid
>> Forceful personality which leaves little to no room for argument
>> Ironically, the only one in the group to never see yokai activity during investigations
Kana Ienaga
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
>> Classic damsel in distress
>> Possible romantic interest to main character
Jirō Shima
>> The overenthusiastic follower
>> Hopeless crush in Tsurara and quick to agree with her
Natsumi Torii
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
Saori Maki
>> Bulldozed by Kiyotsugu into attending investigations
>> Always doing her makeup
The USEFUL members that are always rescuing/protecting them are:
Rikuo Nura
>> Main character
>> 1/4 yokai with both known and latent talent to boast about
>> 3rd Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan with a Hyakki Yakō (literally, "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" ) at his beck and call
>> Mostly in the group to ensure the heads of the useless members remain attached and to shoo away yokai in the areas investigated
Tsurara Oikawa
>> Attendant to Rikuo (part of his Night Parade)
>> Yuki Onna (human disguise on left, true form on right)
>> Possible romantic interest to main character
>> Occasional damsel in distress but certainly not useless
>> Helps Rikuo with the yokai-shooing
Yura Keikain
>> Talented Onmyōji
>> Expected to be the 28th head of the Keikain Clan
>> Can summon 4 (later 5) shikigami at once, which is impressive even to seasoned veterans
