Black Roses

Black Roses
Name	Black Roses
Name (JP)	黒 (くろ) 薔 (ば) 薇 (ら) Kurobara
Basic Info
Fantasy Race	Black Roses
Members
Current Members	Victoria Shion Liddell

The Black Roses (黒 (くろ) 薔 (ば) 薇 (ら) , Kurobara) are a species from Jun Mochizuki's Crimson-Shell. They are the failed creations of a mad scientist, called Roses — humans that were mutated with Seed of the Premier Rose and gained unique abilities.

SPOILER WARNING!
This article contains plot and/or ending details for Crimson-Shell.
Read at your own risk.

Black Roses can't live very long, need to periodically feed on someone's life force in order to survive, and sooner or later, they perish, infected by a terrifying illness called the Black Spot.

The Black Roses planned their infiltration into the Red Rose Headquarters in hopes of acquiring the Crimson Rose's Seed, rumored to grant eternal youth and immortality, so that they may save their comrades from the Black Spot. In order to do that, they had to obtain a secret elixir that is alleged to remain in the Madman's old Laboratory, located in the Red Rose mansion.

Black Spot

The Black Spot (黒点 (こくてん) , Kokuten) is an unavoidable illness that all Black Roses acquire and eventually die from. None of the disease's symptoms were revealed in the story, and no afflicted characters were named.

Jet Rose

The mark of a Jet Rose.

The Jet Rose (漆黒の薔薇 (ジェットローズ) , Jettorōzu) is known as the leader and top brass of the Black Roses, due to being more powerful than a reguler Black Rose, and very compatible with the Seed of the Premier Rose. A Jet Rose is marked with a special diamond-shaped rose mark on their chest to differentiate them from lesser Black Roses. They also have same abilities and weaknessess as Black Roses, but enhanced far above the others.

Victoria's fake Jet Rose mark.

The only known Jet Rose is Shion Liddell, who infiltrated the Crimson-Shell Division under the guise of a new Red Rose member in pursuit of Claudia's Seed. However, while attempting to buy him time, Victoria pretended to be the Jet Rose, revealing a fake mark that was painted on her chest.

Powers and Abilities

Victoria feeding on a human's life force.

• Enhanced Durability and Strength - Black Roses have a body stronger than that of humans
• Roses - Black Roses have a seemingly unlimited supply of thorn covered vines — refered to as roses — at their disposal, which can ensnare, pierce, and pin down enemies.
• Life Leeching - In order to survive, Black Roses must leech the life of humans through the use of their roses to survive. 
• Poison - They are able to produce a poison which turns all those who come into contact with it into Victims; mindless and grotesque former humans who attack indiscriminately, and can be controlled by the stronger Black Roses.

Known Members

Shion Liddell

Victoria

History

Leading a team of researchers, a genius scientist labeled as a madman created a special flower, known as the Premier Rose, and implanted its seeds into abducted humans in an attempt to create mutated beings with superhuman abilities. The Madman succeeded in creating strong mutants labeled as monsters — the Black Roses — and continued his experiments to further enhance them and use them as weapons. However, these Roses had a fatal flaw — all of them needed to feed on someone's life force in order to survive, and would eventually succumb to a deadly disease known as Black Spot.

Having no memories prior to the research, the Black Roses saw the Madman as a father figure, and even as a god — they couldn't disobey him, and didn't even feel like doing so.

Shion displaying his ability as a Black Rose.

Further into the research, a different mutation happened, creating the Crimson Rose. Unlike the Black Roses, the Crimson Rose didn't get infected with Black Spot, and could live without devouring other humans. Still, the Madman dubbed her as a "defective failure". The other researchers then theorized that the Madman tried to keep the powers of the Crimson Rose for himself, claiming that he called her a failure so that he could deceive them, leaving them with the defective Black Roses.

Soon after, the Madman disappeared leaving no trace behind, abandoning his colleagues and research. The Black Roses felt betrayed and brokenhearted as their father figure left them behind, while the remaining researchers were in even more of a panic because they lost the monsters' deterrent, and didn't know what to do with them. One of the grand chief officers then took the Black Roses and escaped from the Organization, saying that the decision to get rid of them was "too cruel".

The Laboratory was shut down and locked away, but it still contained all the research material in it, as well as a secret elixir that could suppress and kill a Rose, attracting the eye of the fugitive Black roses.

Appearances

Manga Appearances

• Sprout I: Prologue of Prologue (First Appearance)
• Sprout II: Whisper of Thorn
• Sprout III: Invitation to a Nightmare
• Sprout IV: His Eaten Mind
• Sprout V: A Jet Rose's Ridicule
• Sprout VI: Epilogue of Prologue

(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.

Trivia

• Fang's character model seems to have been inspired by an unnamed male Black Rose who is seen in Shion's flashback.

Navigation

v - e - t	Crimson-Shell
Characters	Main: Claudia • Shion Liddell • Xeno Crimson-Shell Division: Baines • Gerhardt Bathler • Les • Melissa • Robin Wingfield • Ruskin • Victoria • Wilhelm Others: The Madman
Terminology	Objects: Crimson-Shell • Death Scythe Species & Factions: Black Roses • Crimson Rose • Crimson-Shell Division • Premier Rose • Roses • Thorns Locations: Red Rose Headquarters • The Secret Laboratory Miscellaneous: Victims
Manga	1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • Volume • Author's Note
Author	Jun Mochizuki