Yuri's Group is a compact of hunters that arose out of support groups for Iraq War veterans. They primarily hunt the Begotten.
Overview[]
On the surface, the Yuri Kochiyama Group is a group of pacifists who run support groups and only grudgingly hunt monsters. At least, that’s a common perception. It’s inaccurate, and only addresses the group in an idealistic sense. They got their name from an anti-war activist, because at first, many of their support group attendees came home shocked from Iraq War. But they quickly found that they had other charges.
The group was born in the early 1990s as a handful of Los Angeles support group organizers began noticing patterns in survivors’ stories, suspicious discrepancies, and odd supernatural elements, which occurred time after time. Monsters. Specifically, a monster. This serpent king occurred in enough stories, acting the same way, that it simply couldn’t be a coincidence. It didn’t match up with any specific pop culture event. And the organizers curiously picked at the stories, trying to suss out not just commonalities, but if any truth was to be had. And there was.
This serpent king existed; it was a man living in the sewers, stalking, and terrorizing people. The police laughed it off, even with pictures. A group of the organizers even followed him into the sewer, but each time, he’d vanish. Research stumbled upon research, and the group made head way when they finally saw him in his true form. They saw the monster, and in a moment of raw courage, they killed the Beast.
They’ve since organized and expanded into other regions, putting representatives in many support groups all over the US and a few other places. They look for signs of monsters, and they do what they can to stop them. Their group solidified, however, as they began capturing the monsters. They questioned the monsters and found that many of these Beasts believed they were teaching through pain, fear, and triblation. While the group acknowledges that agenda, they wholeheartedly reject it. Yes, a person can find strength from pain. But the results of the pain are still very real. You may find strength in losing an arm in a war. That’s more than made up for when you no longer have a hand to use,or when you wake up in tears because of the trauma. People can learn without pain. No man, no Beast has the right to “teach” without a student’s consent.
Almost every member of Yuri’s Group fights with a cell of other hunters, providing expertise in identifying and supporting victims. Only rarely do cells exist only of Yuri’s Group members
Purpose[]
Primarily, Yuri’s Group fights Beasts. This is far from exclusive, however. Any monster which creates enough survivors will attract their attention eventually. Blood-addicted vampire ghouls, shell-shocked werewolf victims, and former possession victims all draw attention. Unlike many other hunters, Yuri’s Group very rarely deals with monsters that exclusively kill their victims. They will if confronted, but as they primarily hunt through support groups, no survivors mean no support group attendance. The group views these monsters as victimizers of the worst caliber. They have massive power differentials with their victims, and often completely rob agency in their assaults. Some Members will try to rehabilitate and reform monsters, but unfortunately, that’s almost never practical. Immediate victims’ needs must come first, and these kinds of monsters simply cannot be helped with the immediacy necessary.
Organization[]
Rehabilitators do everything in their power to rehabilitate monsters. This is of course not always possible. But they stick by two major philosophies. First, monsters will set good examples for one another if they prove successful in rehabilitation. Second, that monsters will request help if they see help there. Again, these are ideals. But at least one major support group exists in Los Angeles for monsters attempting to reject their natures.
Dark Angels are hunters and defenders first and foremost. They patrol, escorting survivors to look for repeat offenders. When they find these offenders, they make short work of them. These members specialize in urban warfare tactics and espionage, often setting themselves up as victims to attack monsters at their weakest points.
Doctors focus primarily on the actual act of rehabilitation, helping victims come to terms with what has happened to them, repairing any potential damage, and to move on with their lives. While they’ll participate in the hunt, their greatest priority is to the victims themselves, diminishing damage and providing comfort wherever possible. When they do hunt, how-ever, they’re utterly ruthless. They carry with them the memories of countless tear-filled confessions, and people begging for death. Of anyone in Yuri’s Group, they’re the least capable off or getting the hurt these monsters cause.
Reference[]
HTV: Hunter: Tooth and Nail, p. 30-31