Hoshin Engi

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Hoshin Engi

First volume of Hoshin Engi (VIZ Media rendition)
仙界伝 封神演義
(Senkai-den Hōshin Engi)
Genre Fantasy
Novel
Author Tsutomu Ano
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Manga
Author Ryu Fujisaki
Publisher Flag of Japan Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump
Original run 1996 – 2000
Volumes 23
TV anime: [1]
Director Junji Nishimura
Studio Studio Deen
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Original run 3 July 1999 – 25 December 1999
Episodes 26

Hoshin Engi (仙界伝 封神演義 Senkai-den Hōshin Engi?), also known as Soul Hunter, is a Japanese manga series by Ryu Fujisaki. Hoshin Engi was inspired by an ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. The story involves the Chinese mythology and history of China, in particular the last members of the In (Yin Dynasty) and the plot to overthrow them.

The manga series was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from 1996–2000 and compiled in 23 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. VIZ Media has acquired the rights to the manga, with bimonthly releases starting June 5, 2007. [2] Also of note is that the manga has been re-released and re-compiled into fewer larger volumes with new cover art, illustrations and afterwords. The 18 Kanzenban volumes were released periodically between July 2005 and June 2006 in Japan only.

The story has been adapted into an anime series, broadcasted on Japanese TV in 1999 and released in North America on DVD as Soul Hunter in 2001. It is 26 episodes in length.

Characters from the series appear in Jump Ultimate Stars.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story is set in legendary China. A beautiful female fox spirit named Dakki So is controlling the emperor Chuu-oh and the ruling In (Yin) dynasty, and is using her power over him to do evil in the nation. An immortal-in-training named Taikoubou is chosen by the great immortal sages for the Houshin Project — to seal away or destroy the evil demons that infest the world. In the course of his adventures, Taikoubou gathers other powerful companions and sets out to seal away the demons and eventually destroy Dakki herself.

There are significant plot differences between the novel, manga series and anime.

[edit] Manga plot

The 23 manga book series follows the adventures of Taikobo and his trusty "Reiju" ('Spirit Beast' or 'Riding Beast') Supushan. Taikobo was given a mission by Genshitenson (Taikobo's mentor and the leader of the Sennin World - Konrong) to complete the Hoshin Project.

The goal of the Hoshin Project, as explained by Genshitenson, is to trap Dakki and her minions in a 'middle' world between the Sennin World and the Human world, renamed 'Shin' (Deity or Gods) World (Named 'Shinkai' in the English version). Taikobo's mission is to hunt down the 365 people whose names were written on the Hoshin Scroll. As Taikobo defeats and seals off each of the 365 people on the scroll, their souls are instantly transported to the Hoshindai (a floating island made to trap souls) and sealed there for all times.

At first, Taikobo refused to take up such a troublesome mission but when threatened with expulsion from Konrong, he quickly relented. After that, he was given a "Paope" (magical weapons that harness spiritual energy and environmental elements) - Dashinben (打神鞭) (a Wind element weapon) as well as Suppushan (a flying, talking Hippo).

Upon leaving Konrong, Taikobo and Supushan immediately met up with the first person listed on the Houshin Scroll, the all powerful Shinkohyo and his Riding Beast - Kokutenko. After a short battle between the two Doushi, in which Taikoubou was easily defeated, Taikoubou came to a realisation that there was no way he could take on all 365 minions on his own. That's why he set off searching for strong fighters to join him on his quest to rid the world of Dakki. Taikoubou soon met up and joined forces with Nataku, Raishinshi, Ko Tenka and Youzen.

As the series progress and due to several failed attempts at killing Dakki, Taikoubou slowly realises that there is no hope in disrupting Dakki's strangle hold on the Yin Dynasty or her influence over Chuuoh. As such, he abandoned the kingdom and requested that Ki Sho form a new Monarchy to rival the Yin, renamed the Sho Dynasty with their new emperor - Buoh. Taikoubou then became the Military advisor to Ki Sho, helping the Western Army conquer the lands once owned by Yin.

Bunchuu, the senior advisor to the emperor Chuuoh in the country of Yin and also a Doushi, sees Taikoubou as an obstacle and sent out some of his best Doushis companions to attack Taikoubou and company. The ensuing fights between the two groups eventually lead to the involvement of almost all members of the 2 Sennin Worlds - Konron (where Taikoubou originates) and Kingoto (where Bunchuu learnt his arts). At the climax of the Sennin war, both worlds were completely destroyed with hundreds of souls sealed into the Houshin Dai. And though Bunchuu was eventually defeated, Taikoubou lost many friends and his home in the process.

Eventually, after Taikoubou and the Sho army successfully defeated Chuuoh and officially declared the fall of the Yin Dynasty, Taikoubou and company decided to leave the Human world and return to what's left of the Sennin world. It is then revealed to him that there is possibly a third Sennin World, one that belongs to Dakki, and is probably where she and the last of her minions fled to when the Yin country was finally conquered.

Genshitenson also reveals to Taikoubou that the real goal of Houshin Project isn't just about defeating Dakki, it is about defeating the eternal being supporting Dakki throughout all her chaos years - Jyoka, one of the ancients.

The ultimate enemy of Houshin Engi - Jyoka is a "Jui Que", one of 5 aliens which landed on the Earth millions of years ago. Jyoka had a dream to recreate her home world on Earth (which had self-destructed some time ago), but the other aliens disagreed and enclosed her in a glass cage. Later, she was able to move about in her "soul" form and direct the trend of history to her liking. This is when she met up with Dakki and the two started working together to make Jyoka's dream come true. Each time history diverts from what Jyoka wants it to become, she completely destroys the civilisation that existed and started all over again, like a child moulding a perfect sand castle. No one really knows how many civilisations Jyoka had destroyed throughout time in her pursuit to perfectly replicate her old home, but when asked why she's trying to do this, Jyoka simply wonders if her home planet had not made those simple mistakes that led to its own destruction, what would have happened then.

After hearing the ultimate truth, the Sennins retaliated against Jyoka. Soon, she finally decided to destroy Earth once and for all, and find another world in order to replicate her old home. The battles raged for a while before the deceased Taikoubou (who had 'died' recently) reappeared in front of his comrades again. This time, it is revealed that he was once one of the "Jui Que" as well, the last of the 5 aliens and was left on this earth for the sole purpose of killing Jyoka once and for all. Using the energy of his friends as well as those souls trapped in the Houshin Dai, Taikoubou (now renamed 'Fukki') was finally able to defeat Jyoka and release the world from her influences.

Just prior to this happening, Dakki somehow managed to take over Jyoka's body for a time and merged with the life energies of the Earth, becoming the mother of all life. In Taikoubou's second dying stage, Dakki came and saved his life.

[edit] Anime plot

The 26-episode storyline follows the young (72 years old) "doushi" (Apprentice to a Sennin) Taikoubou as he is told to go from the Sennin (Immortal) world to Earth (and specifically Yin China) to hunt down 365 renegade evil spirits in order to bring down the fall of Queen Dakki, a Fox spirit who has enslaved the Emperor.

Taikoubou recruits Nataku, a human/weapon hybrid, and Raishinshi, a would-be vigilante, in his quest to hunt down Dakki. He also rides a talking hippopotamus named Suppushan, who remains the most popular character of the series.

Ki Shou, the Lord of the West, is a man who is unwittingly destined to found the Shou dynasty. Imprisoned for trying to stop Dakki's evil, he suffers a grevous wrong when his son is murdered and served to him as a meal. Escaping from his captors, he returns with an army to overthrow the Yin with the help of Taikoubou.

In the midst of this historical drama, the Immortal High Council is plotting some form of magical spell that requires the capturing of many souls that they deliberately lie about the purpose of the Houshin Project to young Taikoubou.

[edit] Science and Technology

The Houshin Engi world is extremely anachronistic and features both primitive and futuristic levels of technology.

Paopei are very versatile instruments created by Sennin. The Seven Super Paopei were the ones left from the Original People, and all the rest are copies made from those. Paopei can only be used by Sendou, those born with Sennin bones which are trained to be used to power paopei. If someone born with these bones is not trained, then they become a Tennin, and the potential of their skeleton creates almost super natural strength or speed; however, they would never be able to use a Paopei. It is possible to transplant Sennin bones into a normal human, as in the case with Younin, but it does not appear to be a common practice. There are such beings as "human Paopei," that is, a living being created from a paopei. They all have a core they are built around, and can take extensive damage and be rebuilt so long as the core remains intact.

Besides paopei, there are spells, an ancient form a magic rarely used by the time series takes place. The only ones seen in the series are the peaches that can turn water into sake, Youzen's transformation technique, and Nentou's various fighting and healing abilities.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Konron (Gun Lun)

Taikoubou (太公望 Tai Gong Wang?, Kyou Shiga, Jiang Ziya)
The protagonist of the series. He is a disciple at Konronsan and Genshitenson's best pupil. He received the Houshin project from Genshitenson, and became a strategist to defeat the collapsing Yin Dynasty and to help the Buou of the Shuu. Although he wears very strange clothes, he has the sharpest mind in Konron. Taikoubou was the son of the leader of the Kyou tribe, and was named Ryo Bou, but he lost his parents in a Yin human hunt. After twelve years on earth, he became a disciple, and with 30 years of study, attained Senin level power. Though, Taikoubou is still an average Senin with a low rank, he is the personal disciple of the leader of Konronsan, Genshitenson, so his position in the Senkai (spirit world) is high. At the beginning of the story, he receives an antenna-shaped Paopei called 'Dashinben.' (Later, because of the Orb of Revival, the Dashinben gets an upgrade, a larger shape and improved abilities.) Eventually, he gets the paopei 'Kyokouki' that can absorb Konronsan's energy for recovery, and the super paopei, 'Taikyokuzu,' that negates all other paopei's power and can heal injuries. Basically, his speciality is fighting by wits, and using cleverness to swindle his enemies, so that sometimes even his allies boo him. His constant companion, main ally, and mode of transportation is the spirit beast, Suupuushan. Taikoubou's real age is at least 72 years old, and contrary to his boyish appearance, love of peaches and sweet things, and dislike of shots and medicine, his speech and mannerisms are that of an old man. His personality is aloof, and he has a strong belief in a peaceful human world. Additionally, he is left-handed, but during the fight with Inkou (the older) he lost his left arm up to the elbow. Soon after, he received an artificial arm created by Taiitsu Shinjin.
Although Taikoubou is often criticized by other characters for being very 'un-protagonist-like,' he was voted first in a Jump magazine character poll twice. From time to time, the author changes his drawing into a simple shape, with a circle and two points for a head and a stick figure like body. The last volume of the Kanzenban came with a limited edition plush toy of this form.
Suupuushan (四不象 Sibuxiang?)
The long suffering flying mount of Taikoubou, Suupuusyan is his servant and a faithful follower of the Immortal despite all of their troubles. He is genuinely good-hearted and often speaks of his family's folk wisdom. He looks like a hippopotamus with gray hair and a yellow cape who is always holding a blue sphere during the whole anime, except for the last 2 episodes when it's revealed the purpose of it.
Nataku (哪吒 Nezha?)
A living human-paopei (divine superweapon) hybrid, he has once been dead and revived with the aid of Taiitsu built via lotus plant. He exists largely to fight and is more "directed" by Taikoubou (provided that he actually listens), albeit at times that became hazardous to Taikoubou's health as Nataku has no qualms about shooting his weapons at people. He can fly thanks to his special paopei, Fuukarin, boots which have a metal wheel under each one. His weapons are his iron bracelets Kenkonen which work as homing missiles and hit the target with tremendous impact. Throughout the manga Nataku gets several "up grades", namely from Taiitsu who gives him new weapons. Towards the end, Nataku becomes paopei "customized" and had the super paopei Kinkousen (previously wielded by Chou Koumei).
Nataku may seem cold and emotionless, but he has a serious grudge against his father who was responsible for destroying the grave his mother made for him when he died. Or that's what Nataku says...he has had many chances to kill his father, but never did. Nataku also has a soft spot for his mother, and also for Kou Hiko's fourth son Tenshou, who he took care of after most of his family died.
Youzen (楊戩 Yang Jian?)
A disciple at Konronsan. Actually, he is the son of the leader of Kingoutou, Tsuutenkyoushu and a youkai senin. He surpassed his teacher and has power equal to a senin, but because he does not want to take a student, remains one himself. His senin name is Kenseijirou Shinkun. He is a person of extreme confidence and takes great pride in his appearance. At first, he doubted Taikoubou's strength, and proposed a test, but finally approved of his means and became an ally. He has the ability to change into the body of any living thing, although his favorite transformation is that of Dakki. When transforming into a doushi or senin, he can use the other's paopei, but if they are a higher level, he cannot copy them perfectly. Because of his ability to transform without using paopei, even the Seninkai call him the genius disciple. Halfway through the series, he learns how to use a partial transformation and only change part of his body. This way, he can use a number of paopei at one time. When he becomes hanyoutai, his strength is increased. His own paopei are 'Sansentou,' a giant fork shaped weapon that can release a shock wave, and 'Koutenken' a paopei with the appearance of a dog which lives in his sleeve and can be called to attack enemies or used as a riding mount to fly. Towards the end, he obtained the super paopei 'Rikukonhan,' which wraps up enemies so that not even their soul escapes. After the final battle, he founded the new Seninkai.
Bukichi (武吉?)
A tennendoushi who used to be a woodcutter in Seiki. He proclaims himself as Taikoubou's disciple. His aspiration to become Taikoubou's disciple was quickly refused, but later, he saves Taikoubou's life, and eventually travels together with him. His personality is natural and true to himself. His eyesight is 10.0, can perceive infra-red light, and can see in the dark. He has the ability to run on water. When he is overly emotional, his fighting strength increases a surprising amount, even enough to injure senin. He has had an abundance of unusual part time jobs, including elephant trainer and bird breeder. Although no one except sendou should be able to touch paopei, Bukichi is seen many times coming into contact with them.
Raishinshi (雷震子 Leizhenzi?)
As an infant, he was saved by Ki Shou and became his 100th child. He only had one senin bone, however, he became the disciple of the eccentric Konronsan senin, Unchuushi. Under his modifications, Raishinshi's skin became black, and he grew the wind and lighting controlling, wing-shaped paopei, Tensouyoku, from his back. With that power, he successfully escaped from Unchuushi's tyrannical experiments, and thought to return to his father, but concerned with his current form, he instead gained fame as thief for the people, during which he fought and lost to Taikoubou. At this chance, he disbanded his group of thieves, and after training in Konronsan, he participated in the Shuu revolution.
Because he was busy having his wings remodeled (increasing power and upgrading to three pairs), he has proportionately less screen time than other characters. However, toward the final battle, his number of appearances increase. In the manga version, by the time of his father's, Ki Shou's, death, they had not met, but in the anime they are reunited. Raishinshi is a comedy relief type character with a hot temper.
Kou Hiko (黄飛虎 Huang Fei-Hu?, Buseiou, Wucheng Wang)
Originally, the Yin's Chinkoku Buseiou. He is the father of Kou Tenka and Kou Tensyou. His superhuman is strength is such that he can destroy even paopei with his bare hands. His body can endure very strong poisons, and he has the force of will to withstand mind control by a super paopei, as he is a tennendoushi (a human with senin bones). For generations, his ancestors served the Yin, so he was loyal to Chuuou, but could not withstand Dakki's conniving. He met Taikoubou who came to defeat Dakki, and they immediately trusted and respected one other. Some years later, Hiko lost his wife, Kashi and his sister, Koushi, to Dakki's schemes and decided to leave the Yin. After which, he was appointed Kaikoku Buseiou by Ki Shou of the Shuu. He has a rough and cheerful personality. Before he left for the Shuu, he was friends with Bunchuu, however, afterwards, they were irreconcilable and ended up fighting during the Sennin war, during which Hiko was houshined.
Kou Tenka (黄天化 Huang Tian-Hua?)
  • Voiced by: Isao Yamazashi
A disciple at Konronsan, and Kou Hiko's second son. One of the Juunisen, Seikyo Doutoku Shinkun, discovered and recruited him as a doushi. He appeared to save his father, who was being chased by pursuers from the Yin rebellion. He has his father's upstanding spirit and fighting skills, but his mother's, Kashi's, black hair. He uses the inflection, "-sa" at the end of a sentence, and is always smoking a cigarette. He is master of the lightsaber like paopei, 'Bakuya no Houken,' and later receives a fire-emitting, boomerang paopei called 'Karyuuhyou,' and the tiny 'Sanshintei.' Lastly, he could use the 'Bakuya no Houken 2,' which has a blade on either side of the handle. Because of his absolute self confidence in close combat, and too much of a warrior's spirit, he extremely hates to lose. As a result of a cursed wound received from one of Chou Koumei's youkai senin subordinates, his life was shortened. He fought Chuuou in order to avenge his mother, but the moment he defeated him, he lost his resolve. Immediately after, he was run through by the sword of a nameless soldier and houshined. He has a rough attitude and would jump to conclusions.
Kou Tenshou (黄天祥?)
Kou Hiko's fourth and youngest son, a Tennendoushi who inherited his father's strengths. He views Nataku as a friend and older brother, perhaps ignorant of the destructive tendencies Nataku possesses. After his mother, aunt, father and brother die, Tenshou closed himself off, until Nataku told him that he would take care of Tenshou, and that he would never lose or die. At first, Tenshou used a spear for a weapon, but after his father's death, switched to using Hitou.
Tou Sengyoku (鄧蝉玉?)
Originally a doushi from Kingoutou, she was dispatched by Bunchuu as a spy. As a result of falling in love with Dokouson, she turned traitor and joined with the Shuu along with her father, Toukyuukou. The wrong impression is a violent, wholeheartedly bright young girl. She is not good at telling things like hippos or Capybaras, but she gets along with Suupuushan and calls Dokouson 'Honey.' Her Paopei, 'Gokouseki,' has the ability that once thrown, it will always hit its target, and give them the appearance of wearing too much make-up, but there was a limiter that suppressed its power to 1/5. When the limiter was cancelled, its destructive power increased. After the final battle, she got her wish and married a reluctant Dokouson.
Igo (韋護?)
The disciple of one of the Juunisen, Doukou Tenson. There is little known about him before he came to the Seninkai. He likes bad puns and sake. However, he is more serious than he appears. His sense of touch is finely attuned, and he uses that in order to fight. His paopei, 'Goumasho' is a boring, blunt weapon, like a rounded club, which transforms into a sharp edged sword. The side of him that comes out from being around Taikoubou is mercenary like and lazy.
Ryuukitsu Koushu
A pure blooded Sennyo (a child of two Sennin parents), she can only live in the pure air of the Sennin world, and as the air of the human world is poisonous to her, she rarely descends there. She weilds the water paopei, Muroken Konmou, and is constantly surrounded by a protective water veil. She is said to be at a very high level, comparable to Dakki or Bunchuu, but because of her condition, she does not fight often.
Nentou Doujin
A former member of the Juunisen who left Konron 500 years before the beginning of the series during a staged fight with Genshitenson. By leaving the Sennin world, he was able to hunt down Jyoka in secret. He can fight both with and without paopei, and can even stop a super paopei with his bare hands. He cares very deeply about his half-sister, Ryuukitsu Koushu, to the point that other characters comment on his devotion.

Fujiryuu re-used an earlier design he made for the game "The Great Sennin World War" and recolored the character to create Nentou.

Suu Kokuko (崇黒虎?)
He does not have a paopei, as he trained in martial arts while in Konron (although he did use a sword to duel Buseiou), and his reijyu, Shinyou, is the leader of all birds, therefore, he also has the power to control them. He has a strange way of talking, and is a character that goes at his own pace.

Taiitsu Shinjin (Taiyu Zhenren)

Taiitsu Shinjin is the machine-crazy Sennin who is responsible for putting the Reijyu into Inshi's (Li Sei's wife, and Nataku's mother) stomach, creating the birth of the paopei human Nataku; in a sense, he is Nataku's father. Despite that, Taiitsu is "bullied" by Nataku for repair of his broken paopei, or demanding new paopei (however, Taiitsu still seems to view Nataku as a son, and cares deeply for him). Even though Taiitsu is rather weak, he is acknowledged as one of the Juunisen because of his ability to create paopei; many things like the Koukinrikushi (the flying robot paopei) and Konron 2 were made by Taiitsu. Although he has made many paopei, his main one is a nutshell-like protection paopei (its main use is to shut Nataku in whenever he disobeys him).

Taiitsu also provides some of the comic relief in the story in that he is scared of heights, and that he will always look for the camera and look into it while talking.

Fugen Shinjin

Fugen is Taikoubou's kind-hearted friend from when the two did their training together, and he is a person very much like Taikoubou, in that he does not wish for anyone to get hurt, even if it means the sacrifice of himself. In battle, he always aims for negotiation, and is always smiling even in dire situations. Fugen is also the one who gave Taikoubou a straight fishhook, saying that the fish shouldn't suffer just for the sake of Taikoubou thinking. He is a Sennin well-versed in chemistry, and his paopei is one which controls the atoms. He is one of the Konron Juunisen, the one who replaced Nentou Doujin after his faked death.
Fugen lives for Taikoubou alone, deciding years ago that he wouldn't allow Taikoubou to die, no matter what. He was killed in the Great Sennin War, and Taikoubou is later seen crying.

Gyokutei Shinjin

Gyokutei Shinjin is the stereotype "cool" guy, and takes everything too seriously. He is Youzen's master, and one of the few people Youzen sees as being above him, even when Youzen's abilities surpass Gyokutei's. He was killed by Outenkun in the Great Sennin War while protecting Youzen. Gyokutei's paopei is of a slicing type, being able to cut at high speeds. He is one of the Konron Juunisen.

Doutoku Shikun

Doutoku is a Sennin obsessed with sports, and also the master of Kou Tenka. He wields the Bakuya no Houken 2, the same as Tenka's lightsabre-like paopei, except double-ended. Before his death in the Great Sennin War, he entrusts Youzen with his paopei, to give to Tenka. He is one of the Konron Juunisen.

Unchuushi

Raishinshi's master, Unchuushi is one of the freaks of the Sennin World (along with Doutoku and Taiitsu). He likes biology to the point of obsession, and regularly performs experiments on people. Raishinshi is one of the best examples, being given the apricot which would give him wings, then having his wings made bigger and multiplied when asleep. Unchuushi was overjoyed when he found a parasitic paopei on himself, finally given the chance to experiment with his own body.

[edit] Kingou

Tsuuten Kyoushu (通天教主?)
One of the Sandai Sennin (along with Genshi Tenson and Taijou Roukun) and leader of the Kingoutou Youkais. He wields the Super Paopei, Rikukonhan. It is revealed during the course of the series that Youzen is his son, whom he traded with Genshi Tenson for Ou Eki in order to ease tensions between Kingou and Konron.
Chou Koumei (趙公明 Zhao Gongming?)
One of the Sankyou Sennin, a plant based Youkai known for his fabulousness. He has the Super Paopei Kinkousen, which has the appearance of a pair of gardening shears. It's attack releases seven rainbow dragons when fully utilized. He also created the Bakuryuusaku, a projection paopei that took him 1000 years to develop. He uses random French phrases in his speech, and is often seen holding a wine glass. His houshin is remarkably gorgeous, including a circle of light and a choir of cherub angels.
The Unshou Sanshimai (雲霄三姉妹?)
Chou Koumei's three younger sisters, Venus, Queen and Madonna. Their real names are Unshou, Keishou, and Hekishou, but they refuse to be called by that. They use the paopei Kinkousen, Kongenkinto, Khyuukyokkukougajin, Kyodaibaopeerobo, and the Mysterious Veil. Venus is in (very unrequited) love with Taikoubou, and Madonna is constantly eating. They have the appearance of hideous old witches trying to pass as beautiful women.
The Juutenkun
The parallel organization to Konron's Juunisen. The Jittenkun is a group of ten yokai sennin, headed by Outenkun.

[edit] Shuu (Zhou)

Ki Shou (姫昌 Ji Chang?)
A benevolent and decent man who rules the West of China. He had 26 wives and 100 children. He is reluctant to turn on his Emperor, despite the absolute evil that the man engages in until his son's murder. He died of self induced starvation because he could not bring himself to eat after learning that he had eaten his eldest son (in the form of hamburgers).
Ki Hakuyuukou (姫伯邑考 Ji Bo-Yi-Kao?)
  • Voiced by: Kōichi Asuka
Ki Shou's oldest son. He is true to himself, capable and handsome, but in order to save Ki Shou, he went to the capitol of the In, Chouka, and was killed by Dakki and made into hamburgers.
Ki Hatsu (Ji Fa)
Ki Shou's second oldest son. He is a gambler, pervert, and idiot, but also capable of ruling a country justly. After his father Ki Shou died, Hatsu took on the throne, leading the Shou to victory against the Yin. When first introduced, Hatsu was a pervert deep in debt, but at the end, he was a king who the people greatly admire and like.
Yuukyou
Yuukyou is one of the few left of the Kyou clan, a relative of Taikoubou. After helping Ki Hatsu win the battle in Bokuya, she stayed in Chouka, and eventually became his wife.
Nan Kyuukatsu (南宮适 Nan-Gung Hua?)
A general of the Shuu. After Kou Hiko came to the Shuu, he dropped to the No. 2 position, so they clashed all the time, but after Hiko's death, Nan Kyuukatsu became depressed and missed their competition. He is a very hot blooded man.
Yinshi (殷氏 Yin Ji?)
Wife of Li Sei and mother of Nataku, Mokutaku and Kentaku. She is pictured as a somewhat beautiful woman, but with no spectacular intellectual abilities. In fact, we could say Yinshi is air headed and doesn't think much. She loves Nataku but refuses to understand both her son's and her husband's mistakes. She doesn't seem to be bothered by Li Sei's hatred towards Nataku, nor to the latter's attempts at killing his father. She is Nataku's weak point and some enemies took advantage of this weakness on various occasions. Not much is seen of Yinshi during the anime or the manga.

[edit] In (Yin)

Chuu Ou (紂王 Zhou Wang?)
The last Emperor of the Yin dynasty. Chuu Ou, originally a good emperor with only weakness in woman, obeys almost all of Dakki's whims. His moments of sanity are rare and only Bunchuu's influence managed to have an effect upon him. He is the husband of Kyouhi and Koushi (actually, his harem consists of almost 200 women)and father of Yinxiao and Yinhon. Before Dakki put him under his control, the Emperor cared about the people and his family but after the misfortunate marriage with the fox youkai, he lost all his senses. It is said Chuu pocesses Herculean-like strength and has been know to easily wrestle lions and bulls with his bare hands.
So Dakki (蘇妲己 Su Da-Ji?)
Overtaking Dakki So's body (a young woman who was brought to the imperial palace to be Chuu Ou's 200th wife) Dakki the Sennyo bewitched the Emperor with the aid of her spell of Temptation. Chuu Ou became nothing but a puppet in her hands, doing exactly as Dakki pleased and having very rare moments of sanity. The vixen demon is 5000 years old, very beautiful and intelligent to the point when she could be labeled as "genius". In the manga, her character is more complex, but in the anime, she is pictured as the evil, selfish Empress who wants nothing but power and cares only about herself and her two sisters (not blood related, however) Ou Kijin and Kou Kibi.
She is capable of using multiple paopeis at once (ex: two fans, the Veil of Temptation). Her most important paopei is the Veil of Temptation and she is rarely seen without it. It emits a strong scent which affects all men and bring them under control. In order to resist the spell, one needs an iron will. After her descend into the Human World, she took many names (Ou Shi, Bakki) and seduced the leaders, living in luxury. At first, she was content to throw extravagant and expensive parties, but after several hundreds of years, she mastered the Temptation spell and began her reign of cruelty.
Dakki obviously enjoys other people's torment. She even built torture devices like the Houraku or the Taibon (a pit full of poisonous snakes). She is a very good actress and is capable of hiding her emotions. Another ability would be her good knowledge of human psychology. In the manga, when Chuu Ou's first wife was imprisoned, Dakki knew the woman couldn't stand the pressure any longer and allowed the guard to give the true empress anything she wished for, knowing that she'll ask for a dagger in order to commit suicide. She predicted Bunchuu's reaction when Kou Hikou left Chouka. Bunchuu and Hikou were friends and Bunchuu would rather kill Hikou himself than let Dakki decide how and when it would be done.
She shows sympathy only to her sisters and to her adopted son, Ou Eki/Ou Tenkun. Cruel as Dakki might be, she is not be entirely evil in the end. In the manga the reason Dakki worked for Jyoka was at first due to her desire for power. But after she learned about the Ancients and that they fused with the planet, she was deeply affected and so her secret goal became to obtain Jyoka's body so she too may become one with the world. In this way she was able to save Taikoubou at the end.
Ou Kijin (王貴人?)
The youngest of Dakki's sisters, she is 1000 years old and a youkai sennin. Her true form is that of a stone lute. Ou Kijin can be hot headed and this gets her into trouble twice in the manga. The youkai sennin is smart, but she's eventually outwitted by Taikobou. She has an older sister, Kou Kibi, to which she shows affection, especially in the anime, where they can often be seen together. Kijin has the Shiju Hagoromo, made by Tsuuten Kyoushu from the silk of a poison moth. In the anime, she has a foul-smelling green dust, which she can ignite and cause great damage (she has the hagoromo in the anime too, but it seems it's for decorative purposes only, because she doesn't use it at all).
Kou Kibi (胡喜媚?)
One of Dakki's sisters. Although she's far older than Kijin, she's very childish to the point of being creepy. Her real form is that of a bird (a time bird, whose feathers can turn anyone they touch younger and younger until they are nothing). She acts silly most of the time and doesn't understand much, but is caring towards her elder and younger sister (in the manga, she saves Ou Kijin after she lost a battle and returned to her original form). She has a major crush on Suupuusyan and even surrendered her Nyoi Hagoromo to Taikobou in order to prevent him from hurting Suupuu (of course, that was one of Taikobou's tricks). She has a transformation ability which rivals Youzen's. With the aid of her Hagoromo, she can transform into anyone, even Dakki.
Bunchuu (聞仲?) (Chinese name - Wen Zhong)
The Yin military strategist, he has been protecting the Yin because of a promise he made to his comrade Shuushi, a lively young woman he once trained with. Bunchuu has been the Yin's strategist and protector for 300 years and he had 30 emperors under his care. He was a disciple of T-san and became the second strongest under T-san. Determined to protect the Yin Dynasty, he was a formidable enemy. In the anime, he was the first who killed Dakki, after the Yin dynasty had fallen. His only close friend was Hiko, whose death prompted him to render his obsession meaningless and subsequently chose to end his own life. Bunchuu's end is very impressive in the manga: his spirit travels back to Chouka and he bows one last time to Emperor Chu Ou. Then, he travels to the Yin burial grounds and sees the spirit of Shuushi, who thanks him for "doing such a great job" with the dynasty. Bunchuu's spirit is seen later in the Houshindai, when he told to his follower Chou Kei to find his own path.
In the anime however, Bunchuu doesn't die. After Dakki is defeated, he flies off on his spiritual beast. When asked where are they going, he answers: "Who knows?"
Kashi (Chinese name - Jia Shi)
Wife of Buseiou and mother of his four children. Kashi is considered to be one of China's most beautiful and graceful women. Her beauty is renowed and reached even Chuu Ou's ear, triggering the unfortunate events that led to her tragic death. She loves her husband deeply and takes great pride in being his wife. In the anime, she took care of the princes while their mother was imprisoned and even went out to face Dakki, in hope of getting Kyouhi freed. She is pictured as being a kind, loving and at the same time strong woman, who endangered herself for the sake of the princes, whom she considered "the country's future".
In the manga, her character gets less scenes and her most important one is when she visits her sister-in-law and falls into Dakki's trap (chapter 26).
Unlike the manga, in the anime her soul is sent to the Houshindai.
Koushi (Chinese name - Huang Shi)
In the novel, she was called "Concubine Huang" and was one of many Chuu Ou's wives. She is the younger sister of Buseiou Kou Hikou. In the manga, she was confided to the imperial harem, but in the anime, she seems to be free to go wherever she wants. Koushi is an admirable character: she tried (in vain) to save the Empress from the soldiers who came to arrest her and even blocked their way in a desperate attempt to prevent them from taking away the Empress. She was the one who took the two princes and placed them in Kashi's care. She is very close to Kashi and tried to protect her from the Emperor's eyes; she was outraged when she died because Chuu Ou violated the rite between an Emperor and his vassals. Realising that Dakki will hold her as a hostage against her brother, she threw herself off the balcony and granted Kou Hikou his freedom.
Unlike the manga, in the anime her soul was sent to the Houshindai.
Kyouhi (Chinese name - Jiang Fei)
The lovely daughter of the King of the East, she was considered the most beautiful woman in the empire by her husband (that is, before he saw Dakki and Kashi). Mother of the two princes and legal wife of the Emperor. After Dakki appeared and took over the Emperor's mind, the Empress became very depressed and could often be found crying. After her father was killed, she was accused of treason and imprisoned. Her royal pride and perhaps desperation determined her to commit suicide in her cell. In the anime, Kyouhi not only looks totally different from her manga counterpart, but she's a more lively character. Described by Buseiou as being one of "the most refined ladies of the country" she was a kind, fair and generous person, loved by her people. At the end of Houshin Engi, there are some family scenes from the life of the royal couple. She always stood by her husband's side and they were shown having a happy marriage. But after Dakki showed up, Kyouhi became sad and placed a lot of pressure on her son, Inchao's shoulders, because she wanted him to become a good emperor and an honorable man, "just like his father". After Dakki accused her of plotting to kill the Emperor, she is imprisoned. Meanwhile, Kashi takes care of her children, thus becoming Dakki's next target. When she found out about Kashi's summoning, Kyouhi foresaw Dakki's plan and tried to stop her by ordering her servant to go and call Buseiou immediately. Buseiou and Bunchuu tried to make a plan to save the Empress, but failed to present something viable in time. Dakki convinced the Emperor to set his wife free and summoned her to the throne room. Kyouhi defies Dakki, but in the end, she is forced by the Emperor to accept her gift. The gift proves to be a dagger that sticks to the hand magically. Scared, Kyouhi hides the dagger from the inquiring Emperor, but eventually she unwillingly reveals the dagger. Framed, she sees no other way out and stabs herself with the dagger. Her last request was for Buseiou to take care of her children.
Both the manga and the anime Kyouhis were sent to the Houshin Dai. The only difference was that the manga Kyouhi's human soul flew to the platform of souls, determining Taikobou to return to the Sennin World to investigate. Also, in the manga, her name changes into Kyoushi after the first half of the manga.
Shinkouhyou (申公豹 Shen-Gong Bao?)
The most powerful doushi under Dakki's Allies. At the beginning of the manga, he prefers to stay outside of the affair, as to watch it from an angle, and see how things turn out. He is also the first doushi listed on the Houshin, and is also the first to confront Taikobou (and asks him with an air of excitement if he is on the list to begin with). He, like Taikobou, has a spirit beast named Koutenko. Shinkyohyou's only paopei is the Raishinben; which he as only used against Taikobou. Raishinben's power was so tremendous that when Shinkyohyou first used it, he himself said that he was shocked at it's abilities. Towards the middle of the series, he decides to side with Dakki, and persuades Chuuo's eldest son to fight for the Yin. Shinkyohou was the only doushi on the Houshin list that did not get sent to Houshindai, and was still on Earth with Taikobou in the last chapter.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hoshin Engi (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia, retrieved 2007-10-02
  2. ^ Viz acquires rights to Hoshin Engi, Anime News Network

[edit] External links