Shiki’s family, the Ryougi, were members of the Demon Hunter Organization. Their special skill involves creating two separate and distinct personalities within themselves. When a child is born, he or she is given a single name written in two different kanji, each one relating to each personality.
Shiki’s mother and father are unnamed. While she has an older brother, Kaname Ryougi, he was unable to manifest a second personality within himself, thus making him ineligible to succeed as the head of the family. Due to Shiki’s success in manifesting her second persona and her older brother’s inability to do so, she was chosen as the next head of the family and began her training in combat.