X-Laws

The X-Laws(X・法律, X-LAWS) are a paramilitary organization found in Shaman King, founded by Luchist Lasso, their purpose is to eradicate all evil and suffering.

About
The X-Laws are currently led by the Iron Maiden Jeanne, whose ideals and strength instill an almost-religious sense of reverence into them. However, their "de facto" leader is Jeanne's second-in-command, Marco. The X-Laws obey him without question and his authority to act is overruled only by Jeanne herself.

In the manga, the members are grouped into units of three, which are also fully functional combat squads. In the Shaman Fight, the X-Laws have fielded three such teams in the Shaman Fight. Of the three, X-I is the most successful, advancing to the semi-finals before dropping out.

The division of the X-Laws into teams exists only in the manga. In the anime, the X-Laws work as a collective group rather than splitting up into distinct teams of three. Regardless, both incarnations are equally united in their loyalty to Jeanne and hatred of Hao.

Ideologies
The X-Laws aim to eradicate all human evil and suffering through any means necessary, and view Hao as the embodiment of this evil. Therefore, their ultimate goal is to kill him, a cause to which they are fanatically devoted to. As a result, the X-Laws often tend to use extreme methods to achieve their goals, even sacrificing their lives to do so, reasoning that the ends justify their means. Many X-Law members are ex-military personnel, and as such are highly trained and disciplined. Furthermore, almost all have suffered some loss at the hands of Hao, and as such are fanatically opposed to him. As a paramilitary organization, the X-Laws also keep a large storehouse of weapons and equipment, which they see as essential for the inevitable (as they believe) upcoming war that they will wage with Hao.

Abilities and Powers

 * See More: Archangels

As one of the three leading factions in the Shaman Tournament, all the members of the X-Laws wield considerable power. In general, their members use firearms as mediums to summon their spirits, which are pseudo-mechanical angelic entities called Archangels. Archangels are Seirei class spirits with the ability to shatter other spirits, and are named after angels in the Judeo-Christian religion.


 * See More: Cargo Ship X

The X-Laws have their very own Cargo-Ship that they brought with them to the island were the second round of the Shaman Fights were held. It is equipped with bedrooms for all of their members and have a large weapon storage were they also keep their spare Archangels, such a Zelel and Azazel.

Gate of Babylon
The events concerning the Gate of Babylon occur in the anime only.

The ultimate purpose of the X-Laws is the opening of the Gate of Babylon, which is supposedly able to seal away the great shaman Hao. Midway through the series, the Gate of Babylon was introduced to the protagonists, who were puzzled by its meaning.

When the gate is opened, anything and everything within a sizable radius is completely consumed by the Gate, which is actually a gigantic portal. Once through, the trapped will be forced to wander the bizarre environment for eternity. At first, the entire X-Laws, Jeanne, and the protagonists were engulfed by the portal and trapped. However, Hao simply breaks out of the powerful prison as if it were wet tissue paper. The prison then proceeds to crumble as Hao breaks out, releasing all the trapped occupants. Hao then has the Spirit of Fire devour Shamash, rendering Jeanne powerless.

Trivia

 * In the Japanese anime they have their own theme music is called Messenger of Justice(正義の使者,Seigi no shisha).
 * The Roman Number "X" in their name is Roman numerology and refers to the ten commandments of god.
 * A running gag in the manga is that the members will often do an X sign with their bodies and yelling out: "X!" while being talked about, or having strong emotions.