Red-Clothed

Biodata

Power Progression

Classification and Formation

Red-Clothed are vastly stronger than ordinary ghosts and Vengeful Spirits. Early encounters establish that ordinary ghost remnants have virtually no ability to resist one, while even multiple Vengeful Spirits can be overwhelmed by a Red-Clothed opponent 126 337.

Most known Red-Clothed are born from extreme resentment, cruelty, and aggression. Their instinctive response toward other ghosts is often to tear them apart and devour them 322. However, this is not absolute: the Suicide Intervention Operator became Red-Clothed through his compassion and his determination to bear the suffering of those he failed to save 578.

A Door Pusher becomes Red-Clothed directly after death, unlike ordinary Vengeful Spirits that must meet the requirements for evolution 418. Every Door Pusher is Red-Clothed, but not every Red-Clothed possesses a Door 1175.

Appearance

The red clothing is the clearest visual indicator separating a Red-Clothed from an ordinary Vengeful Spirit. Their garments are manifestations of resentment, hatred, and despair made visible as blood-red color 690 1129.

• Their clothing may be blood-red, partially red, tattered, or formed from more grotesque materials such as overlapping human faces 272 1129.
• Blood threads frequently emerge from their bodies and clothing; these threads may behave like living extensions of the spirit 347 560.
• Individual forms vary drastically, from nearly human appearances to distorted, monstrous bodies 578 665.
• Their presence can directly provoke the deepest fear hidden in a living person’s heart 768.

Abilities & Traits

Blood Threads

A fully transformed Red-Clothed can control blood threads, which are connected to its heart and form a core part of its body 560 1161.

• Blood threads can bind, cut, restrain, or manipulate targets.
• They may form chains capable of attacking or dragging victims away 460.
• Blood threads can remain behind after a spirit’s destruction and may constitute part of a Red-Clothed’s body 347.
• The heart required for a Vengeful Spirit’s transformation is itself composed of blood threads 1161.

Personal Traits

Every Red-Clothed possesses at least one special ability linked to the obsession that remained at death. The number of traits does not directly determine overall strength 690.

• Sharpness — The Headless Female Ghost’s blood threads can cut with blade-like force 667.
• Pain — Xu Yin becomes stronger through injury and suffering 667 690.
• Shapeshifting — Xiong Qing’s blood-thread body could reorganize and alter its form 667.
• Curses — Red High Heels can weaken, burn, and consume curses 667 1090.
• Binding — Zhang Ya and Dr. Gao could restrict the Shadow’s movements despite its intangible body 691.

Using a special ability has a cost; stronger abilities demand a greater price from their user 925.

Anchoring and Mobility

Red-Clothed have far greater freedom than lesser ghosts. While an Obsession cannot leave its anchor and an ordinary Vengeful Spirit can only leave briefly, a Red-Clothed may remain away from its anchor for long periods or locate a new one 690.

Known Red-Clothed

• Zhang Ya — Chen Ge’s strongest Red-Clothed for much of the story. She defeated two Red-Clothed simultaneously and later surpassed the Red-Clothed limit at the Spirit Medium School 464 925 926.
• Xu Yin — Began showing partial red staining after consuming the Tall Thin Ghost, later completed his transformation into a true Red-Clothed 272 692.
• Men Nan — A Door Pusher who became Red-Clothed directly after death; he commands Blood Mist and possesses extensive knowledge of ghost hierarchy 418 460.
• Xiao Bu — A Red-Clothed little girl and Door Pusher connected to Liwan Town. Within Liwan Town’s World Behind the Door, she can wield top-tier Red-Clothed strength 565 1129 1175.
• Red High Heels — A bandage-wrapped Red-Clothed whose curse-based abilities allow her to neutralize and consume powerful curses 667 1090.
• Bai Qiulin — Developed from Half-Red-Clothed status after inheriting Xiong Qing’s heart, then became a full Red-Clothed after resolving his past 692 1164.
• Foul Stench — Initially appeared docile and harmless within Chen Ge’s Haunted House, but was later revealed to be a hidden Red-Clothed 890.
• Red Raincoat Woman — A Red-Clothed driven by the obsession of finding her missing child; her maternal fixation can override her otherwise violent nature 514 556.
• Suicide Intervention Operator — A rare Red-Clothed whose transformation originated from kindness rather than hatred, though resentment later pushed him toward vengeance 574 578.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• The Red-Clothed classification is first introduced through Zhang Ya’s Black Phone entry, immediately establishing a power gap between ordinary ghosts and higher entities 126.
• Xu Yin’s gradual transformation provides the first documented example of a Vengeful Spirit evolving toward Red-Clothed status 272 372 692.
• Chen Ge begins actively recruiting and negotiating with Red-Clothed spirits to close the out-of-control Door in Liwan Town 544 565.
• Zhang Ya’s arrival at the Spirit Medium School redefines the hierarchy by revealing a power beyond even top-tier Red-Clothed 925 926.
• By the time of Chen Ge’s later Haunted House recruitment efforts, he can summon ten Red-Clothed employees at once 1164.

Trivia

• Zhang Ya has an exclusive page in the Black Phone, whereas Xu Yin remains listed on the normal employee roster even after becoming Red-Clothed 126 690.
• The Black Phone recognizes Yan Danian as the strongest ghost beneath the Red-Clothed level, despite Yan Danian’s ability to imprison ghosts in paintings 307.
• A Red-Clothed’s red attire is a visible sign of the resentment and despair that envelops it, but its exact form and abilities remain unique to the individual 560 690.