some of the main inspirations going into the creation of Trese. Tan also named the anime film Ghost in the Shell as a major source of inspiration for Trese. Characters Main characters Alexandra Trese – A woman who works as a private detective and specializes in crimes perpetrated by supernatural beings of the Underworld, to which she has a deep connection. She is the proprietor of The Diabolical, a night club that serves the "best kapeng barako" in the street where it stands, which was originally run by Alexandra's grandfather. She is usually dressed in black garb and is often seen working in her trademark outfit a black button-down Chinese-inspired trenchcoat. For weapons, Alexandra uses guns and a magical kris blade called Sinag, which was created by Anton from the soul of Trese's twin sister who had died at birth. Trese appears to have a very complex relationship with her father, Anton. Her psionic potential was revealed at her young age and started aiding her father in investigating the mysteries as a young teenager. She finished her initiation rites within 3 years. Trese was initially conceived as a male character named Anton Trese. The initial design for the character by Kajo Baldisimo was a "tough guy" who wields a stingray tail as a weapon. Budjette Tan suggested to make Trese as a woman after he felt that the character was "so typical" and remarked that it would be "very cliché to see another tough guy fighting monsters". Kambal (Crispin & Basilio) – Alexandra Trese's mysterious and imposing personal bodyguards that are often seen floating and wearing black suits. Each sports a unique diamond-shaped mask, a happy face and a sad face. To tell them apart when they don't have their masks on, Kajo gave the happy-faced Kambal a long haircut and the sad-faced Kambal, a short one. The short-haired Kambal wearing the sad-faced mask is the eldest of the Kambal and is referred to as "Kuya" throughout the first several books until he is finally given the name "Crispin" in Book 6. The younger Kambal with the happy-faced mask and long hair, Basilio, is the more playful of the two. The true nature of their existence is initially unknown until it is later revealed that the Kambal were born from a woman and a Bukidnon war god, making them demi-gods, although their father aims to consume them in order to