Kabane

The Kabane (カバネ, lit. corpse) are zombie-like humanoids that roam Hinomoto and possibly the rest of the world. They are extremely aggressive but seem to conserve some form of human wit, able to recognize threats, targets and form basic strategies towards their goals.

Origin
At present the Kabane's origins are entirely unknown. It seems most of the general populace considers them a curse, or at least something supernatural. However, Ikoma and Takumi have hypothesized that it seems more akin to a virus, something Ikoma had the morbid pleasure of discovering firsthand after being bit and infected. That being said, it does seem that there are more people attempting to look into the Kabane, as both state that Kongōkaku is the prime location for Kabane related study and research.

Physiology
Kabane maintain their general human shapes upon transformation, though that seems to be the extend of what remains. Their skin darkens to a cold gray, their veins seem to glow with a molten yellow, and their eyes blacken to the point where only their pupils gain a menacing red glow. It is unknown if the coloration is simply a mutation or if they carry actual molten iron in their veins, as their heart radiates an extremely bright molten color and is surrounded by a hardened iron cage that is extremely resistant to conventional steam weapons.

Their skin seems to be extremely tough, as they produce sharp sparks whenever pierced with another object, typically in blue coloration. They lack any sort of fear of death, as they will not shy from flames, gunfire, and even Hayajiro. They have maintained some form of human intelligence however, as they have shown to be capable of basic ambushing, utilizing simple weapons and even hijacking the Fusōjō in order to breach Aragane's west gate. Likewise, they seem to recognize weak spots, as one is observed crashing himself in suicidal fashion against the Kōtetsujō's water tank. Whether this is a remnant of their human selves or just instinct is undetermined.

The exact strength of a Kabane is hard to measure; they are easily capable of tearing human flesh away by the chunk with their bites, swinging and hoisting up grown adults with a single hand, holding on to speeding Hayajiro without a problem, damaging and sometimes tearing away steel doors, and even damaging extremely thick steel plating with nothing but running headfirst into it - however, they have been seen to be pushed aside and physically resisted and pushed aside by normal humans, and the force from bullets seems to be able to knock them back. A fair assessment could be that they lack the fine motor skills to gauge their own force and restraint at different times, as Ikoma has noted that he doesn't know his own strength soon after becoming a Kabaneri.

They are also extremely quick on their feet, and being able to jump enormous distances through the air.

Trivia
- It appears Kabane can be killed by beheading them, as Mumei showed when she beheaded one with her heels.

- It appears that Kabane do feel sympathy towards their own, when Mumei beheaded an Kabane to distract others it was shown that the Kabane clearly felt angry towards Mumei. It is not clear why they feel anger from this but it could be same reason why bees attack en masses on an intruder, meaning hive mind like operation that becomes hostile if one of it's own is attacked/killed.