The Black Hawks

The Black Hawks is a military unit mostly comprised of powerful Warsfeil, where they serve as the Barsburg Imperial Army's 'trump card'. They are led by Ayanami, who was the Barsburg Army's field-marshal. The Black Hawks' job is to protect the Barsburg Empire from any threat, even at the cost of their own lives.

The Black Hawks have been shown to be feared by many of the soldiers to the point where human soldiers refuse to fight alongside them, as Warsfeil are thought of as monsters because of their abilities, and some of them kill even Barsburg soldiers when they think they block their way during a war (e.g. Hyuuga) or when they think they are at fault (e.g. Ayanami).

When The Black Hawks are first introduced, the group consists of six members: Ayanami, Hyuuga, Katsuragi, Haruse, Konatsu and Kuroyuri. However, in the ongoing manga, new members are Shuri Oak, Yukinami, Suzunami and arguably Teito Klein, though Teito has since defected and Shuri is disliked by the other Black Hawks.

Uniform and Members
The standard Black Hawk uniform consists of a black, or dark blue, ankle-length overcoat with golden trimmings on the chest, sleeve cuffs and neck guard. They wear black trousers, knee-length, black, buckled boots and white gloves. They also wear plain white shirts under their overcoats and have a small half mantle hanging off the left shoulder emblazoned with the Barsburg military insignia and a golden shoulder board on the right.

Founders

 * Ayanami
 * Hyuuga
 * Katsuragi (deceased)
 * Yukikaze (deceased)

Post-Raggs War members

 * Kuroyuri (retired)
 * Haruse (retired)
 * Konatsu Warren

Post-series start members

 * Shuri Oak (not officially accepted as a member, unknown if he remained active)
 * Yukinami (unknown if he remained active)
 * Suzunami (unknown if he remained active)
 * Teito Klein (defected)

Alliance
It is shown that they obey Chairman Miroku's secret order (on the surface), but it's unknown whether it is due to the fact that Ayanami is grateful to Miroku for helping him in his career or the group is officially under Miroku's supervision.

Admission
Keeping with the Black Hawks's status as the "trump card" of the Imperial Army, they are selected on their skill and fighting ability, with only the strongest being allowed to join. It is shown that normally people apply to join the Black Hawks via application, but exceptional members have been scouted.

Criteria
A quality that is thought of as a necessity is being a Warsfeil, being able to manipulate a form of dark magic, though this has been side-stepped by Konatsu, who is a normal human, and Yuki, Suzu and Teito, who are only able to wield Zaiphon. Those who are not Warsfeil must be able to more than make up for this disadvantage.

Weaponry
Only a select few of the Black Hawks are armed with swords, the swords vary in style but all have the same purpose of channelling Zaiphon at an opponent.

Origin
While there is no official date given for when the group was formed it is widely presumed to be several years before the war with Raggs.

"I've heard that the Emperor of Barsburg decided to keep a unit of powerful Warsfeil alive for moments of emergency instead of executing them: the dreaded Black Hawks!"

- A soldier of Antwort

The manga reveals that an Emperor (sometimes translated as King) of the Barsburg Empire (unknown if it's Wolfram Eifeler Barsburg) ordered the execution of all Warsfeil in the kingdom so there is no possibility that they could use their abilities against him. However, he decided to keep a small group alive, consisting of the most powerful Warsfeil, under the instruction that they serve him whenever their help is needed in return for their lives.

Three powerful Warsfeil (Ayanami, Hyuuga, and Katsuragi) and Ayanami's deceased begleiter Yukikaze (whose species is still unknown and who has not been confirmed to be a Warsfeil) founded the Black Hawks.

During the War with Raggs
It is shown that the King of Barsburg ordered the Black Hawks to go after and kill the King of Raggs and the other royal family members to retrieve the Eye of Mikhail possessed by them.

Post Raggs War
Since then, the membership of the Black Hawks has apparently changed, with the group gaining and losing associates. Ayanami, Hyuuga, Katsuragi and Yukikaze are thought to be the earliest members of the group, and the first three fought in the Raggs War. The group's youngest member, Kuroyuri, seems to have joined the Black Hawks after the Raggs War. Haruse is thought to have joined a year or so after Kuroyuri, as the youngster was shown to have not aged much when the pair met. Konatsu joined after Haruse, and it seems that he has not been a member for very long when the series starts.

After Ayanami's Death
In the wake of their leader's and Katsuragi's demises, Haruse and Kuroyuri retired and the Black Hawks presumably disbanded.

Manga Synopsis
In chronological order:
 * Wars Attacks
 * Infiltration by the Black Hawks
 * Military raid on the Barsburg Church (anime only)
 * Antwort War
 * Hawkzile Race
 * Battle at Hohburg Fortress
 * Verloren's Revival

Trivia

 * The Black Hawks are the second organisation with the colour Black in their name, the other being their counterparts: the Black Beast Squadron.
 * A Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin engine military helicopter.
 * If Kuroyuri (whose gender is unknown) is female, he/she would be the only female member of the Black Hawks.