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 used by Exorcists chosen by the Innocence to wield them (they appear to them in a form of a humanoid or animal-like creature). Each piece of innocence is different and is specifically created for their use. Innocence is somewhat sentient and can make up it's own mind who it will use as a host or something else.

One part of the Black Order's agenda is to find all of the Innocence shards as well as their compatible users to defeat the Earl and his followers. The Innocence is the only thing that can destroy Akuma without destroying its soul, and hurt the Earl and members of the Noah Family, the Noah and Earl have the ability to destroy shards of Innocence by crushing them in their hands. At least 16 pieces of Innocence have been destroyed by them so far.

If a piece of Innocence has decided that the one using it has sinned or will not recognize the current user anymore as it's master, the exorcist will become a Fallen One. This is where the Innocence completely takes over an exorcist's body and turns it into a monster, destroying everything surrounding it. There is no current cure for this and eventually the one afflicted will burn out and die in 24 hours. Allen managed to stop Suman, a fallen one, by removing the Innocence itself from him but by then Suman's mind was already dead and he had become a comatose, non-responsive person.

History
The Innocence was originally a golden cube, inscribed with what is described by Hevlaska as an ancient prophecy: ''Our descendants, We have battled the darkness, and they are a dying breed. There will be calamity in the future, so we leave behind this message here in order to help you.'' It is revealed that the cube was made by people who had fought the Millennium Earl, and in the process the world was destroyed by a great flood, where only Noah and his family survived. The Innocence was eventually scattered into 109 pieces around the world.

Synchronization Rate
The power of Innocence is determined on how much an exorcist is in sync with his weapon. The higher the synchronization rate, the better and more powerful the weapon is. Also, Exorcists who have achieved a certain sync rate with their Innocence can advance it to Level Two if necessary. This can allow them to access more powerful skills that cannot be used at basic invocation. Most exorcists have a synchro rate of about eighty or more. Generals are the only ones that can bring their rates up to one hundred percent and beyond that. Those who can exceed a 100% sync rate will be capable of becoming general. Syncro-ratio that goes above 100% is called the Critical Point (臨界者, Rinkai-sha).

If a sync rate falls below ten percent it is too dangerous for user to use the weapon, and when the syncro-ratio reaches 0% the exorcist becomes a Fallen One.

Innocence types
There are three known types of Innocence:

Equipment type
Equipment type (装備型, Sōbi-gata) 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, Kisei-gata) 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
An Innocence that the Millennium Earl refers to as Apocryphos, and is apparently neither human nor an Accommodator. It is an independent Innocence that 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. It is also shown to be able to erase the memories of others, though if their will is strong enough they can resist temporarily, in addition to the ability to absorb others, as it stated its current goal was 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 sentiently. 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.