"The sword and shield of humanity is us." –The Organization

The Organization refers to the unnamed group that creates and commands the claymores.

Headquartered in the town of Staff, in the eastern region of Sutare.^[1]

Mode of Operation

Yoma-infested towns contact the Organization, which dispatches one or more claymores to exterminate the Yoma. In the case of awakened beings, an awakened being hunting party is sent.

Upon completion of a job, a man in black collects the fee.^[2] Towns that fail to pay receive no further help, and will be left at the mercy of the yoma. Teresa, after completing a job, hints to a villager that the Organization itself may send yoma to the towns that fail to pay, and that such towns are doomed.^[3] It was also noted that Dietrich mentioned to the Seven Ghosts (sans Miria) about her home town that was destroyed. She explained that the village chief and a man in black were arguing over something at that time. Shortly after, the village was atttacked by yoma and awakened beings. Later on, Deneve deduced from what she heard from Miria that the Organization is secretly creating male half-yoma and half-human beings. This was later confirmed after the claymores in the northern path took down the facility that were turning males into half-yoma and half-human creatures.

Claymores who break the rules (killing a human, desertion) are hunted down and usually executed. In less time-pressed situations, troublemakers and/or the half-awakened (Paburo Hunting Party, Northern Campaign) may be sent on suicide missions.

The more discerning claymores, such as Miria, eventually suspect the Organization of sinister motives, though most claymores are either unwilling or unable to act on the matter.

Claymores

Orphan girls, bought by the Organization, undergo a painful medical operation (yoma flesh-and-blood implant), leaving a stigmata on their abdomen. The girls later endure brutal training and tests to prove their mettle. Clare is unique as being the only voluntary claymore.

Those who successfully join the ranks of the 47 claymores are expected to be unwaveringly loyal to the Organization, and adhere to its rules without exception.

Known Special Positions

• The Organization's Eye
• Claymore No. 10

Administration

The Organization's management is relatively unknown beyond the agents that act as handlers for the Claymores, passing on assignments, equipment and money to the Claymores.

Handlers

From Claymore Databook 1: "Their primary function is to serve as messengers for new orders, allocate equipment to soldiers, and monitor that soldiers are following the Organization's precepts, in addition to the responsibility of collecting fees after missions are completed."

Though they don't wear standard uniform, all handlers are usually identifiable by their all-black apparel. Known handlers are Rubel, Ermita, Orsay and Rado (Men in Black).

Retrieval Squad

Dae, while not a known handler, appears to be in a division of the Organization calls the Retrieval Squad, which collects specimens such as the flesh of awakened beings for research.

Elders

The highest ranked Organization member seen so far is Rimuto, who has been seen giving orders to handlers and even some claymores directly.

Miria's Hypothesis

Miria hypothesizes that the Organization creates yoma. Further, she speculates that Island World of Claymore is actually a testing ground for the creation of awakened beings. She reveals across the ocean "an even greater land outside of this one," where two sides have been at war for over a hundred years.^[4] One side, the Dragon's Kin, employed nonhuman creatures with "extremely tough skin," referred to as the "Draconic Tribe."^[5] The other side, in an effort to defeat the Dragon's Kins and Draconic Tribe, created the Organization to develop a weapon—awakened beings; claymores are just one step in the process.

The first male claymores were sent to the battlefield and awakened upon encountering the Draconic Tribe. Once they awakened, they couldn't turn back so they were left on the battlefield to continue fighting until they died. So the Organization continued research on the island to make awakened beings that could revert back to human form, which resulted in Luciela and Rafaela as well as Alicia and Beth.

The End

Upon Hysteria and Roxanne's death and Cassandra's departure, Miria, Helen and Deneve venture into the Organization's headquarters. They find the place deserted and the three split up.

Miria opens a secret passage and encounters two specimens. Rimuto, the only Organization member who did not flee upon the awakening of the three former No. 1 warriors, informs her that both were dragon's kin, the larger one being an "awakened" dragon's kin. He explains that both were around a hundred years old and kept alive as dead dragon's kin decayed very rapidly. He explains further that the Organization operated by taking bits of flesh from both specimens and merging them into a form that didn't decay easily. This mass was then implanted into humans' brains, parasitizing them and turning them into yoma. As such, yoma were essentially half-dragon's kin; claymores, a quarter. The resulting yoma craved for human flesh, allowing the Organization the cover to run its claymore program.

Miria counters that the cardinal rule of claymores in killing humans was a farce after all, since yoma were simply humans who were infected by the Organization. She cuts the life support system of the two specimens, leading them to decay rapidly. She, then, proceeds to behead Rimuto and later raises his head in front of all surviving warriors to signify the end of the Organization's reign over the island.^[6]

Status of the Current Generation of Claymores

• * - part of a group 3 of Claymores sent to search for Renee
• ** - part of Dietrich's Awakened Being Hunting Party.
• *** - Unknown warrior or/and fate.

References