Oni in popular culture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of appearances made by oni (Japanese ogres) in various works of popular fiction. For information on oni in traditional Japanese culture, please see the main article.
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[edit] Oni in animation and comics
- In Japan, the game of hide and seek has the one seeking be the "oni" instead of being "it". This is referenced in the short anime film Kakurenbo, in which fox children play tag for the entire movie, but it is not explained until the end, when the oni that had been chasing them turns into a small child in a fox mask and says "Now you're it".
- The Blue Spirit, a dual-dao sword-wielding vigilante character on the asian-influenced Avatar: The Last Airbender, wears a dark blue oni mask to hide his identity.
- In Dragonball Z anime filler, when the main character, Goku, accidentally falls into Hell, he meets up with the aka-oni (Red ogre) and the ao-oni (Blue ogre) named Gozu and Mezu. The characters also affix "oni" to the end of each of their sentences.
- There is a character named Oni in the anime and manga series Naruto[citation needed]. The 2nd Curse Seal forms of Sakon & Ukon are modeled after Oni. Zabuza Momochi, an early Naruto villain, is called the "Kirigakure no Kijin" which translates to "Oni-God of the Hidden Mist (Village)", or the "Oni-God Hidden in Mist". The "Ki" in Kijin is the Sino-Japanese reading of the Kanji for Oni. Also in Naruto, Tayuya uses her flute to fight with three oni/demons.
- The anime series Digimon provides many references to mythical beasts. The Digimon Ogremon, though named after an Ogre, is most obviously an Oni in design. Fugamon & Hyougamon bare stronger resemblances to the Oni.
- The Pokémon Electabuzz is vaguely based on an oni, most prominently, its horns and stripes.
- A number of oni play rather promiment roles in the manga and anime YuYu Hakusho, especially in the tournaments of the latter part of the series. In addition, there is a character named Jorge, whom is often called "Ogre" in the English dub and "Oni" in the Japanese dub, and in the second episode Yusukes mother says she had a dream that he was beating up ogres in the English dub, and oni, in the Japanese, and it shows a cartoony version of Yusuke standing ontop of a pile of oni. All the workers in Koenma Jr.'s office are oni.
- In the Japanese anime InuYasha, many of the Youkai the main characters face are oni, including one of Naraku's incarnations, Goshinki.
- In the anime Ranma ½, oni appear several times throughout the series, including the tiny Oni who hops around possessing bodies. The oni can be knocked out of the body with a sharp blow (to the head).
- In the manga "Sengoku Nights", the main character is the reincarnation of an Oni and he inadvertently becomes victim of chases by his past life's victims.
- One of the hardest levels of difficulty in some Dance Dance Revolution games is called Oni, and is available only for certain songs and in certain versions (ie: Butterfly in Ultramix 3 has an Oni difficulty)
- A series of the cartoon series Jackie Chan Adventures involves finding nine Oni Masks, each containing a powerful Demon General with power over his own deadly tribe of Shadowkahn (Shadow Warriors).
- In an episode of the Japanese cartoon Doraemon, a European man who got stuck in medieval Japan supposedly started the Oni myth when he 'terrorised' the Japanese in order to get food. The story was related to the Momotaro legend.
- In an episode and chapter of the anime/manga Sgt. Frog, Kururu invents a gun that can turn people into Oni. When Natsumi is transformed, she has a similar speech pattern as Lum from Urusei Yatsura.
- In the anime Black Cat, the character Eve refers to herself as an oni throughout the series.
- The anime and manga series Urusei Yatsura features a race of oni-like aliens also called Oni.
- The basis of the manga/anime Hell Teacher Nūbē revolves around a teacher who is forced to absorb an Oni, making it become his left hand and using it as his trump card weapon! The series does go into other aspects of Oni myth as others appear amidst the yōkai in the series.
- On an episode of Adult Swim's The Venture Bros., Dr. Venture returns from a trip in Japan with a Oni spirit following him around. The spirit, which only he and Dr. Orpheus can see, tries to lead them to a motel to bring Dr. Venture and an ex-girlfriend back together.
- In the Super Sentai series Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, the main villains of the series, the Ogre Tribe Org, are a race of Oni that feed on Earth's pollution. Their Power Rangers: Wild Force counterparts are also called Orgs.
- In Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle Syaoran, Sakura, Fay, Kurogane, and Mokona wind up in a world that is terrorized by Oni every night. It should be noted, however, that the Oni here differ from their folklore counterparts.
[edit] Oni in computer and videogames
- In the popular videogame Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the characters Moloch and Drahmin are oni from the Netherealm.
- In the popular videogame Katamari Damacy, it is possible to roll up Oni Island and Oni Rock when rolling around the world. The rocks appear to be seals around the island, which resembles a cave in an ancient legend where a great oni was sealed with warded rocks. You can also roll up three oni, the gods of thunder lightning and rain, in both Katamari Damacy and We ♥ Katamari, in the final and cloud level respectively.
- In the popular Capcom based franchise: Onimusha, Oni was depicted as the divine races from the mystic realm, that hold up their seem aged, prolonged war against their evil nemesis- The Genma/Demon Race, whom plot to annihilate the mortal realm with their destructive power.
- When Link puts on the Fierce Deity's Mask in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, he is known by several fans as Oni Link.
- The American video game "Oni" is named to reflect the fighting tenacity of Konoko, the protagonist.
- In the CORPG Guild Wars an Oni is an enemy monster.
- In Ōkami, the enemies are composed of numerous varieties of Oni, having the proper differing skin colors.
- In the fighting game Touhou Suimusou/Immaterial and Missing Power, the final boss, Suika Ibuki, is an Oni.
- In the MMORPG City of Villains, there is a Mastermind power called "Ninjas". In that power set, the third summoning power is an Oni.
[edit] Oni in film and literature
- In "The Weeping Demon" segment of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, the central character encounters a person that resembles a traditional oni.
- In the live-action Tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Hibiki, the "Riders" are always referred to as "Oni" and have suits with horns and Oni-like appearances to them.
[edit] Oni in roleplaying and card games
- Oni are a part of the Shadowlands in the collectible card game Legend of the Five Rings and the roleplaying game based on it.
- In the Kamigawa Block of the tcg Magic: the Gathering, the oni are shown as a type of evil demonic spirits.
- In the Japanese game of tag, the person who is "it" is referred to as the "oni."
