Innocence

Innocence (イノセンス, Inosensu), also known as Anti-Akuma Weapon (対アクマ武器, Tai akuma buki) when invoked by an Accommodator and as the Crystal of God (神の結晶, Kami no kesshō) by those who first used it seven thousand years ago, is the power source that drives the Black Order. Innocence is also the weapon that Exorcists (エクソシスト, Ekusoshisuto) use to defeat and purify Akuma.

Overview
Innocence is a substance of unknown composition known by the ancient civilization that first cultivated it as the "Crystal of God". It can bond with certain humans, known as Accommodators, to form an "Anti-Akuma Weapon", the only kind of weapon on earth that can purify Akuma, saving the souls that are bound to them from being destroyed by the Dark Matter that gives them their power.



Innocence, being the polar opposite of Dark Matter, the Earl of Millennium's chosen weapon that gives him, the Noah Family and his Akuma their powers, is also the only substance that can damage the Noah and their Memory. Conversely, this means that the Noah have the power to destroy Innocence.

Innocence is, to a level, sentient, capable of recognizing those who are and who are not Accommodators, and capable of punishing Exorcists who turn their back on God, as it was seen with the case of Suman Dark, who became a Fallen One after betraying the Black Order and the will of the Innocence. Innocence can also be rather single-minded when it comes to destroying an Akuma, Allen Walker's parasitic type Innocence taking over his body several times (twice against his conscious will and once while he was unconscious ) to try to defeat what it recognized as "threats".

History
Approximately seven thousand years ago, an ancient civilization used the Innocence to defeat the Noah Family battle, with the wielder of the Heart of the Innocence killing the Earl of Millennium's first incarnation. The battle, though, was so great, that the earth was destroyed in what the ancient civilization called the "Three Days of Darkness", or the Biblical "Great Flood" from the Old Testament.

The ancient civilization, prophesizing the return of the Earl and the Noah, left behind the Innocence for future generations to find, leaving instructions in one particular piece of Innocence, the Cube wielded by Hevlaska, which began:

"To the future generations... We are the ones who triumphed over darkness, and the ones who shall soon meet their end. Yet impending doom awaits in the future. Thus, we bring salvation to thee. Here, we leave a message..."

- The Ancient Civilization to the Future Generations

After the Earl returned, as the prophecy within the Cube said he would, the New World Alliance established the Black Order, charging it with finding the 109 shards of Innocence, the Accommodators who were to wield it, and to prepare for the battle that would come once again.

Synchronization Rate
The power of the Exorcist and their Anti-Akuma Weapon is determined by the Accommodator and Innocence's synchronization rate, or the numerical value that is the reflection of an Accommodator's bond with their Innocence. A lower synchronization rate indicates that an Accommodator will have a harder time invoking their Innocence, which can place the Accommodator and those around them in danger.

Hevlaska, using her own Innocence, the Cube, is the only being capable of determening an Exorcist's synchronization rate with their Innocence, just as she is the only being capable of forcing an Accommodator and an Innocence to attempt a synchronization.

When a synchronization rate falls to ten percent or below, it becomes too dangerous for an Exorcist to continue wielding their Innocence, and once it reaches or falls below zero, the person in question becomes a Fallen One. Those who reach and/or exceed the one hundred percent synchronization limit, or the critical point (臨界者 (りんかいしゃ), rin kaisha), however, reach new levels of power and can unlock powerful new abilities. Rank-wise, Exorcists who exceed the critical point stand to become Generals in the Black Order.

Generally, Exorcists who wield parasitic type Innocence have a higher synchronization rate, or at least have an easier time of increasing their synchronization rate, than equipment types. This is becaues parasitic type Innocence forms a symbiotic relationship with its Accommodator, becoming part of their anatomy to the point where attacking simply becoems another movement, while equipment types must develop their own style early on in order to fight properly.

Innocence types
There are three known types of Innocence:

Equipment type
Equipment type (装備型 (そうびタイプ), Sō bi taipu) Innocence is the most common form Innocence takes. Innocence of this type typically takes the form of an otherwise common item which, through a special forging process, has had the shard of Innocence of an Accommodator merged with it. Despite being the most common, equipment type Innocence is often the most difficult to control, as the Accommodator must use the Innocence like a tool to make it do what they want, unlike the parasitic type who simply lash out with the part of their body that is their Innocence.

Crystal type
A new type of Innocence, a crystal type (結晶型 (けっしょうタイプ), Kesshō taipu) Innocence is the evolved form of the equipment type. Instead of using an item, crystal type Innocence uses the blood of the Accommodator to form the weapon most suited to their fighting style; because it is made of the Accommodator's blood, as long as the Accommodator has blood in their body, the Innocence can repair itself. Unlike its predecessor, the crystal type does not require that the Accommodator use physical commands and motions; it responds to subconscious cues and thoughts.

When an equipment type is ready to turn into a crystal type, the equipment form turns into a black cube that liquifies upon being touched; the Exorcist then injests the liquid, and after the Innocence runs thorugh the Accommodator's body, it bursts from their skin at particular points, opening permanent wounds on their bodies in the form of stigmata that allow the blood to flow and form their weapons. It is not known if this more integrated Innocence form will affect the life of the Exorcist, as is seen with the parasitic type.

Parasitic type
Parasitic type (寄生型 (きせいタイプ), Ki sei taipu) Innocence is a rare form of Innocence. Anti-Akuma Weapons invoked from this type are typically made from part of the Accommodator's body, such as a limb, as the Innocence is actually infused with the body of the Accommodator. Though the Innocence-infused area in question is not made of tissues that are actually apart of the human body, the body still recognizes them as being a part of its physical structure. Typically, Exorcists who have parasitic type Innocence have higher synchronization rates; this is because the Innocence is actually part of the Accommodator's body and, thus, they share a closer connection. Parastic type Innocence also has the advantage of being able to heal the Accommodator's body should they be infected by the Akuma Blood Virus, though, after excessive exposure to Akuma blood oil, even parasitic type Exorcists will start to display signs of being infected. Parasitic type Exorcists require a large amount of food for each meal, as the Innocence drains their energy stores rapidly. The Innocence also puts a great strain on their bodies, shortening their life-spans.

Apocryphos
Apocryphos is an independient, sentient Innocence that has been conscious and active for over seven thousand years. It exists solely to protect the Heart. The full extent of its powers is unknown, but it does seem to have a will of its own and is capable of taking human form, having hidden itself away within Central, in the Vatican, as an unnamed Cardinal for at least the last several years. It has stated its current goal is to absorb Allen.

Heart of Innocence
The Heart of Innocence (ハート, Hāto) is a shard of Innocence that contains the source of power of all Innocence shards. It is unknown what exactly it looks like, but it has been speculated that the Heart holds much more power than an ordinary Innocence shard and reacts in even stranger ways than usual. However, should the Heart be destroyed, every other piece of remaining Innocence would shatter along with it. Currently, both the Earl and the Order are trying to find the person who has it and or where it is. The side that finds it first would hold a large advantage over the other, and finding it is one of the key agendas of both sides.

Lenalee Lee was thought to be the wielder of the Heart because of the way it protected her after her first battle with a Level 3 Akuma. However, this was because it was the first case of an Innocence acting to protect its Accommodator. When Allen Walker's Innocence restored his heart in a similar fashion, it raised doubts to Lenalee's case, though her evolution to crystal restored hope that the Dark Boots were the Heart.

The Earl has his own thoughts on the matter. He believes that the Heart is sentient and is influencing other Innocences to make a "dummy Heart" in order to mask its true identity.

So far Lenalee and Allen's Innocence are the only Innocence believed to be the "Heart of Innocence", though Allen's case has come into question given his attack by Apocryphos. Despite this Apocryphos has stated that the "Heart" is worried about Allen.