Crow

The Crow is a bird centered around many folklore, especially in the Native American legends. It is often considered a symbol of both life and death.

Legend
In stories told in Native American folklore, the crow held the power to guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife, along with other assortments of mystical abilities, used as a symbol between both life and death. However, the crows possessed another role: to bring a soul from the land of the dead back to the land of the living, in order to seek retribution, or justice, or to right to the wrongs passed over in the world.

In the supernatural world, the crow can be seen as an omen, foreshadowing either good or bad events. as those revived by the crow are, in a sense, immortal, and therefore, cannot be killed by normal means. Even weapons that can kill an immortal being are useless, and even if they body was destroyed completely, it would be reforged from the ashes. That being said, the crow is a link for the revived between the land of the living and the dead. If the link is severed, then they will lose any power given to them, and are subsequently vulnerable.

Powers
The crow possesses a great number of abilities, such as the power to retrieve souls from the afterlife, and then return them to the realm of the living, and subsequently granting them inhuman abilities and strengths, such as regeneration, enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and even telepathy and empathy. Some even possess the power to transform into a crow themselves. However, some reborn are not so lucky, and live off of borrowed time, suffering from either decay or continue to rot. Issei revealed new powers presented to him by the crow, carrying black wings that enable him to fly, or even move about in a intangible, shadow like form.

The crow revives souls of the dead for the purpose of presenting them a form of closure by taking vengeance on those who have wronged them. Should the soul abandon their purpose, the crow strips them of their power, and two fates befall them: either they will revert back to being a corpse with signs of rotting and rigor mortise beginning to take effect, or they will continue to wander the world as a restless spirit. It is also possible for the reborn to lose their power after believing they have fulfilled their task, lacking their previous strength and lose their regenerative abilities.

The most common way, and the only way, to kill a reborn is to sever the link that keeps them in this world: the crow. By injuring the crow, the reborn will lose their regenerative abilities, and by killing the bird outright, they will lose all of their powers, physical strength and all. That being said, these crows are far more sturdier than regular ones, and can survive even being hit with a hatchet, or shot by a gun.

Eric Draven
A rock-guitarist who was killed on the night before Halloween, having caught a group of mobsters in the act of killing and murdering his soon-to-be wife. He was brought back by the crow a year later to exact his revenge against them.

Ashe Corven
A mechanic that was murdered alongside his son after the latter witnessed a group of gangsters committing murder. Their corpses were tossed into the sea, but the crow revived him soon afterward. Aiding him in his quest is a young girl named Sarah, who helped his predecessor, Eric Draven. His power was stolen by Judah when he drank the crow's blood, but he succeeded in avenging his son after the crows took Judah's soul after his ascension. Though his quest was completed, Ashe continued to wander the world as a restless spirit, as punishment for trying to save Sarah's life after falling in love with her.

Alex Corvis
A young man framed for the murder of his girlfriend, and put to death via electric chair. Shortly after his execution, the crow revived him in order to find and bring justice to both himself and his girlfriend, who was killed after witnessing something that she was not supposed to. He manages to find aid in the detective, the only person to believe that he was not responsible for the murder, and his lover's girlfriend.

Jimmy Cuervo
An ex-convict who was hung by his brother-figure Luc, a member of a Satanic Biker gang called the Four Horsemen, along with his girlfriend, Lily "Ignites the Dawn." He had previously killed a football player when he tried to strangle a girl at a local party, and while he had not meant to, the incident still weighs heavily on him. He was not well-liked by the townsfolk, but Lily was the one who believed in him. After being brought back by the crow, Cuervo hunts down Luc, who is attempting to become a vessel for Satan.

Issei Hyoudou
A highschool graduate who was murdered alongside his girlfriend by the Soprano mafia. He was an infamous pervert in Kuoh, having been corrupted by an old man who spoke tales about the wonders of a woman's body. In his last year of middle school, a girl named Mira Heathcliff arrived in town, which he soon developed a crush over. In his second year of high school, she approached him and asked if he would be her friend, though many were displeased, even with Issei being beaten by a group of students who warned him to stay away from her. However, this did not stop either of them, and on graduation day, Issei proposed to her. Nearly a year after their marriage, Issei and his wife are killed on Christmas Eve. A year later, Issei is brought back by the crow. Aided by the mysterious Undertaker, he begins his quest for revenge, not knowing the world that awaits him.

Trivia

 * The crow has been the subject of many works: the most famous being author Edgar Allen Poe's work, the Telltale Heart. Edgar's book mysterious came to life as a result of the power of Annihilation Maker, a Sacred Gear that lied dormant within him. When a murder is carried out by an inhuman creature, Edgar is aided by mysterious crows, who often give him hints about the creature itself.
 * The crow is a central creature in the comic series "The Crow," and in the movie series, television series, and in the novels.
 * All reborn sport a sort of "mask" to signify their status, wearing white face paint with black lips and markings over their eyes. Issei Hyoudou strays from this tradition, wearing a bone-like crow mask over his face.