The Kihetai (鬼兵隊, lit. Army of Demon Soldiers) is an Jouishishi extremist group, whose main goal was to overthrow the Bakufu and destroy the "rotten" world at any cost. Having overthrown the Bakufu, their current goal is to put an end to the Tendoshu's control of the country, later supporting humanity to end Utsuro's chaos.
Originally an army of volunteers founded by Takasugi Shinsuke during the last years of the Joui War, the Kiheitai used to consist of young men who wanted to participate in the war. One of these soldiers was Hiraga Saburou, the son of Hiraga Gengai. After the samurai had lost the war, numerous Kiheitai members, including Saburou, were executed in a post-war purge by the Bakufu. As a result, the group went underground and became more Jouishishi-extreme. Since then, it focused on overthrowing the Bakufu by any methods possible and became wanted criminals.
