Needle Village

The Village of Needles (針の村 Shin no Mura in Japanese, also pronounced alternately as Hari no Mura in the anime) also known merely as Shin, is a village in Japan that becomes a target for Masamune Nakatsukasa's hunt for human souls.

Location

Looking at the appearance of the buildings and surrounding area, and the fact that the villagers use Yen as their currency, the Village of Needles seems to be located in Japan.

Appearance

A small rural village amongst the mountains and forests of the Japanese countryside, the village gets its name from the countless needles protruding out of the roofs of every house. At the centre of the village is a small square containing a statue of the village's guardian deity.

History

“	That Star Clan guy...why did he come here? Did he come to attack the village again?	”
—Ryōku, Chapter 7

The village has the unfortunate history of being one of the victims of the actions of the Star Clan, a vicious group of killers who did anything for money. Because of this, the villagers are still hostile towards any Star Clan member they see, shown by their reaction to Black☆Star's arrival at the village. Because the villagers' souls are consumed with hatred and fear towards the Star Clan, they become easy prey to Masamune's soul possession ability, which is why he attacks the village and possesses Ryōku.

Part in the Story

As DWMA receives word that Masamune is going to attack the Village of Needles, Tsubaki, determined to stop her brother, along with Black☆Star, arrive at the village to engage with him. However, upon entering the village, the villagers recognize Black☆Star's Star Clan heritage and chase him out. Soon after, Masamune appears before Ryōku, a boy determined to defend the village from the Star Clan, but is also afraid of them. Masamune, seeing the weakness and fear in the boy's soul, possesses him, and is about to kill the rest of the villagers for their souls when Black☆Star and Tsubaki intervene.

After incapacitating the possessed Ryōku and breaking Masamune's hold on him, Tsubaki sends her consciousness into her brother's Weapon form, and fights him in there, whilst Black☆Star sits and waits, ignoring the beating he is receiving from the villagers. Although Black☆Star does not react when the villagers attack him, when they start trying to attack the unconscious Tsubaki, he stops them and threatens to kill them.

Finally, Tsubaki returns, having defeated Masamune. Her emotional moment with Black☆Star, however, is broken when the villagers still attack him. Black☆Star, annoyed, kicks one of the villagers far away and runs off. The villagers tell him never to come back, and Black☆Star replies, 'As if anyone would want to come out here to the sticks, anyway!! I hope your village collapses, assholes!!'

Trivia

The guardian statue at Shin

• The statue of the village's guardian deity bears an uncanny resemblance to the real-life Tower of the Sun in Osaka, Japan.