Diabolo

is a Japanese manga series by Kaoru Ohashi and Kei Kusunoki. It was serialized by Shueisha from 2001 to 2003. Plot Diabolo revolves around teenagers in Japan being converted to followers of the "Diabolo" by a secret society, in exchange for the fulfillment of their wishes. Teens who have made a pact with the Devil begin to go crazy at age 17, often manifesting in acts of brutality and homicide, and upon turning 18 reach a point of no return to their original selves. The phenomenon is a mystery to the adult world and media, who try to ascertain the origin of mass teen violence. There are six great spirits (also teenagers) that serve the Devil, each of which has a hand in destroying the world. The main characters, Ren and Rai, use their own Devil-given powers to stop them while searching for their cousin Mio, saving other teenagers from their pacts, and racing against their approaching 18th birthdays. It describes its plot as "The age where the ensured bend to temptation and slowly fall from human to devil." Characters Main characters Rai An orphan who became friends with Ren as a young child. On his seventeenth birthday he gained the power of "Ultimate Defense," making him invulnerable to any attack. After that, he left the orphanage to find Ren, confronting him with the knowledge of their pact with the Diabolo (memories which Ren had suppressed) and the hope that Mio might still be alive. Later, Rai (who has become one with the demon Nebiros) reveals his secret obsession, jealousy, and love-hate relationship with Ren, who had been oblivious to these feelings all along. Rai is the more serious and solemn of the pair, though he does conceal many of his true feelings with a smile.