
Genma
The Genma (Japanese 幻魔) are a race of demons and the primary antagonists in the Onimusha series.
They were born out of chaos by the demon god Fortinbras, who also created mankind for the Genma to prey upon. They were later embroiled in a great war with another mystical race known as the Oni, but when the original Oni God of Darkness was destroyed and Fortinbras' godly power was sealed within the Omen Star, the war ended in a stalemate, forcing the Oni and Genma to come to an uneasy, albeit temporary truce.
The Genma are a diverse race of creatures that come in all manner of hellish forms. Some are naturally occurring phenomena, whereas others have been manufactured by demon scientists, most notably the eminent Guildenstern. Most Genma only follow a basic level of intelligence, with an instinct for death and destruction. However, there are rare breeds of Genma who possess their own cognition and personality. There are also cases of humans who have been resurrected as Genma, such as the infamous demon lord Nobunaga Oda and his vassal Ranmaru Mori.
Genma society was built upon a three-level class system determined by the strength and intelligence every Genma. Low class Genma are among the weakest and possess minimal intelligence. They exist primarily as basic footsoldiers, and obey orders from higher-class Genma without question, even at the risk of their own lives. Those considered Low Class Genma include Zombie Warriors, Three-Eyes, Bazuu, Musaid and Zorm. Middle class Genma are at least intelligent enough to speak in somewhat broken sentences, and primarily exhibit behaviors similar to rabid animals.
While it is difficult to be certain, Middle Class Genma likely include Genma such as Baguwassha, Dordo, and Ouija. High Class Genma were known to be extremely rare, with their only being a 1 in 100,000 average chance of one being born. These Genma are extremely intelligent and stand below only Fortinbras in authority within the Genma Hierarchy. Such examples of High Class Genma are Guildenstern, Gogandantess, Claudius, Rosencrantz and Ophelia.