The essential episodes of Kemono Jihen
Watch these 12 in order and you've got Kemono Jihen — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Kohachi Inugami, a detective specializing in supernatural matters, is hired to investigate some animal mutilations in a rural village. His investigation leads to an unusual boy, nicknamed “Dorotabo,” who is ostracized by the other villagers.
- 02
Kabane meets Akira and Shiki, two other Kemono who work for Inugami, and he and Shiki get off to a rocky start. The office is called out to deal with an incident where a mother and her son are set upon by a supernatural infestation in their home.
- 03
Superintendent Inari of the Shinjuku Police Station, a kitsune Kemono herself, asks Kabane to come to her station to introduce himself. But when Inari asks to see his lifestone, it becomes evident that she has an ulterior motive for the visit.
- 04
The office members help a love-stricken client track down the object of his affection, and Kabane learns a lesson about love. Akira decides to pattern himself after Kabane, and the two are assigned to investigate a deadly case on the Shibuya River.
- 05
A longtime acquaintance of Inugami, the vampire Mihai, has been staying at the office. Kabane and the others unexpectedly end up in an arm-wrestling competition with him, but are outclassed by the extraordinary vampiric power that he possesses.
- 06
Kabane, Shiki and Akira embark on a dangerous mission set up by Mihai, breaking into a company controlled by a trio of kanonba (mosquito Kemono) sisters to investigate it. When discovered, they must fight it out, but something comes over Shiki.
- 07
In search of a lead on Shiki’s parents, Kabane and the others head to his hometown of Kinshigo, where they meet up with his uncle, Akio Tademaru. The others don’t know what to say to Shiki when he learns about his parents, but then Nobimaru turns up.
- 08
Shiki corners the man who tormented his mother. However, at the last moment, he is attacked by a pack of Kemono and finds himself in a pinch. Separated from Inugami, Kabane and Shiki are surrounded, and must confront the pack of Kemono themselves.
- 09
Kabane and company leave Shiki and his family in the care of Ohana-basan, a vet who also sees Kemono patients, and return to the office, where they head out on a new case—parts of women’s faces are being stolen, and Kon ends up tagging along as well.
- 10
When Akira runs away from the office over a trivial dispute, he unexpectedly bumps into his long-lost brother, Yui. Akira is delighted, but Yui behaves strangely, as little by little, the events of the past in their snowy home village are unraveled.
- 11
Kabane and the others try to bring Akira home from the ice castle, but are stopped by the power of Yui’s nullstone, and Akira is overcome with shock at the turn of events. Meanwhile, Inari and Nobimaru secretly go into action to claim the nullstone.
- 12
Nobimaru has a tough battle against Yui, who is using the power of the nullstone, until Kabane leaps in to help him. Kabane uses Nobimaru’s tactic and gives his all to beat Yui’s freezing power, as the battle over the nullstone finally reaches its climax!
