Aobozu

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Article

Aobozu
Aobozu in episode 2 of Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka
Height 1.74 metersYM100M,[1]
1.75 metersYMSW,[2]
1.65 metersYMAWG[3]
Weight 60 kilogramsYM100M-YMSW,[4]
62 kilogramsYMAWG[3]
Allies Other yokaiYM100M-AWG, TGYW;
Coonjo, minions of CoonjoG!KU
Enemies DaimonYMSW; Kotaro Ushiwaka, NyudoG!KU; Yasunori Kato, KikaiTGYW
Played by Masashi Amenomori (voice)G!KU[5]
First appearance Latest appearance
Yokai Monsters:
100 Monsters
The Great Yokai War
What is thy bidding, lady Coonjo? (コーンジョさま、御用は)
„ 

— Aobozu, upon being summoned by Coonjo (Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka episode 2, "The Yokai Clan's Grudge")

Aobozu ( (あお) (ぼう) (),   Aobōzu, lit. blue priest) is a kind of Japanese yokai, or folklore creature. They appear in the 1968 films Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters and Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, the 1969 film Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts, episodes 2 and 3 of the 1974 Toho tokusatsu series Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, and Spook Warfare's loose 2005 remake: The Great Yokai War.

Name

Aobozu's name is derived from the Japanese words ao (青), meaning "blue," and bōzu (坊主), meaning "priest." While Aobozu does not have any one consistent appearance across tales, a common depiction is a blue humanoid figure resembling a priest, thus inspiring its name. While his name is not spoken in Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, the book Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia confirms the character's identity.[6]

Development

Aobozu's head in the Yokai Monsters series was originally modeled by Fuminori Ohashi for the Yama Inugami in the 1958 Daiei film Suzunosuke Akado: Defeat the Demon-Faced Gang,[7] and was also reused for a demon in 1961's Buddha.

Design

In Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, Aobozu somewhat resembles a human with a bald head and mostly blue skin, but with a reddish-white chest and hands and brown feet.

History

Showa era

Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters

To be added.

Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare

To be added.

Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts

To be added.

Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka

"The Yokai Clan's Grudge"
Aobozu kneels before Coonjo in "The Yokai Clan's Grudge"

Following the first defeat of her loyal minions at the hands of Kotaro Ushiwaka, Dark Clan leader Coonjo summoned Aobozu to aid in a counterattack against the hero. Aobozu appeared alongside Coonjo and three of her minions to confront the strongman yokai Nyudo, who attempted to fight back against them. Aobozu kicked Nyudo to the ground and Coonjo prepared to finish him off with her sword, but she was struck with the tip of a naginata that had been thrown at her. Kotaro, who was perched in a nearby tree, leaped down before the band of evildoers, revealing his presence. Coonjo's subordinates charged at the hero, but were outmatched in hand-to-hand combat and finished off with slashes from Kotaro's naginata. The downed Aobozu and minions teleported away, while Kotaro drove Coonjo off with a blinding flash of light reflected off of his naginata blade; infuriated by the defeat, Coonjo swore revenge.

Aobozu, Coonjo and her minions surround a restrained Nyudo in "The Jigokudani Trap"
"The Jigokudani Trap"

Later, as Kotaro was hiking through the mountains of Jigokudani, he was drawn to a nearby plateau by the panicked screams of Nyudo. There, he saw a tied up Nyudo surrounded by Coonjo, Aobozu, and a new group of minions. Kotaro leaped into action, slicing Nyudo's restraints. However, as Nyudo fell to the ground, he was revealed to be nothing more than a rock, with the real Nyudo sitting a short distance away in the custody of Coonjo and her minions; Kotaro had fallen into a trap. As Coonjo taunted Kotaro, he appeared to surrender but lashed out when Aobozu and another of her servants attempted to restrain him. Kotaro, disarmed of his naginata by Aobozu, reached for a nearby rope and pulled Coonjo's sword from her hands. He engaged Aobozu in combat, managing to retrieve his naginata before finishing the yokai off once and for all. Kotaro defeated the remaining minions and freed Nyudo, leaving Coonjo to again seek vengeance against the duo.

Heisei era

The Great Yokai War

To be added.

Abilities

Weapons

Aobozu typically carries a staff in the Yokai Monsters series, though he rarely used it as a weapon.

In Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, Aobozu wields a spear- or staff-like weapon with a bladed tip. In episode 3 of the series, he disarms Kotaro and wields his naginata for a short period.

Teleportation

In episode 3 of Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, Aobozu, like Coonjo's other minions, appears to possess some form of teleportation, disappearing from Jigokudani and being transported to a grassy field to fight with Kotaro.

Weaknesses

Aobozu was not shown to be a particularly skilled combatant in Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka, being easily dispatched by Kotaro in both of their battles.

Filmography

Gallery

Main article: Aobozu/Gallery.

External links

References

This is a list of references for Aobozu. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. Tsutsumi & Okubo et al. 2005, p. 57.
  2. Tsutsumi & Okubo et al. 2005, p. 72.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Tsutsumi & Okubo et al. 2005, p. 85.
  4. Tsutsumi & Okubo et al. 2005, pp. 57, 72.
  5. "Good Morning! Kid's Show: Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka". Super Variety Laboratory. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 149. ISBN 4-096-82090-3.
  7. Matsunomoto 1996, p. 108.

Bibliography

Comments

Showing 1 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

Loading comments...
Daiei
Era Icon - Toho.png
Kadokawa
Era Icon - Showa.png
Era Icon - Heisei.png
Kaiju