Minions of Coonjo

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Minions of Coonjo
Coonjo's minions in episode 1 of Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka
Relations Coonjo (leader)
Allies Each other, Coonjo, Aobozu
Enemies Kotaro Ushiwaka, Nyudo
Played by Masashi Amenomori, Takashi Taguchi, Masayuki Kato (voices)[1]
First appearance Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka
episode 1, "The Birth of Kotaro"
Latest appearance Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka
episode 3, "The Jigokudani Trap"
Leave it to us, lady Coonjo. (お任せください、コーンジョさま。)
„ 

— One of Coonjo's minions accepts her orders (Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka episode 1, "The Birth of Kotaro")

Numerous unnamed minions of Coonjo (コーンジョの手下,   Kōnjo no teshita) appear in the 1974 Toho yokai series, Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka. Between ten and eleven total minions appear in the show's introductory three-episode arc, attacking humanity at the wishes of their master Coonjo, and are later aided by the yokai Aobozu to exact revenge on Kotaro Ushiwaka.

Name

Coonjo's minions are never referred to by name, though they are noted to comprise the Yokai Clan (妖怪一族,   Yōkai Ichizoku) in episodes 1 and 2. The 2016 publication Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia names them numerically as minion of Coonjo 1 (コーンジョの手下1,   Kōnjo no teshita ichi) through 9 (コーンジョの手下9,   Kōnjo no teshita kyū),[2] though they are listed irrespective of the order in which they appeared. Peculiarly, three of the yokai which appear in episode 3 are collectively named "minion of Coonjo 7" (コーンジョの手下7,   Kōnjo no teshita shichi), while a blue-headed yokai who first appears in episode 1 is placed at the bottom of the list as minion 9.

Design

Seven individual yokai appear in episode 1. Their leader, designated "minion of Coonjo 1" by the Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia, has a bulbous head with tan skin and a bushy mustache and eyebrows. He wears a kimono which has a blue top section with white polka dots and a yellow plaid-like bottom half, separated by a cream colored belt, or obi. The second in command, minion of Coonjo 2, has a mostly blue body with an orange and brown midsection and light-colored face.

Minion 3 has a mostly brown body with raised sections on his chest. He has a lighter humanlike head with dark lines extending from beneath his eyes and an orange circular protrusion on his forehead. The upper half of Minion 4's body is a light orange color, while his legs and feet are a darker brown. He has pronounced abs and sports a black strip running down the center of his chest. His face somewhat resembles an imp, with a snout-like mouth and pointed ears. Minion 5 appears similar to a cyclops, with a bald head and large single eye in the center of his face. He wears a red and yellow kimono with a white belt and black vest-like garment draped over top. Minion 6, though only briefly seen, has a dark gray face and body with four eyes, a large gaping mouth, black hair and a single horn atop his head. Finally, minion 9 has a completely blue body with a large rounded nose and horns extending from either side of his face. In episode 2, minions 2, 4 and 9 reappear with numerous white bandages covering parts of their bodies.

Four more yokai appear in episode 3 of the series, three of which are referred to by the collective name "minions of Coonjo 7." The first of these resembles a Nurarihyon from Japanese folklore, with a massive forehead, comparatively smaller facial features and a grey beard. He wears the same red and yellow kimono as minion 5, though without the black vest piece. The second has a wide brown head with a gaping mouth and wears an entirely white garment. The third has the same four-eyed head as minion 6, but instead wears a green and black kimono with a white belt. Minion 8 has a mostly brown body with clawed green hands and a face which greatly resembles a frog. He has a single white tuft of hair which hangs from atop his head.

History

A group of Coonjo's minions are confronted by Kotaro Ushiwaka in "The Birth of Kotaro"

Showa era

Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka

"The Birth of Kotaro"

Coonjo gathered seven of her minions at a secluded gorge, where she ordered them to attack humanity. In a small village, the earth began to shake and a red haze overtook the area. As the citizens panicked, six of the minions appeared from a cloud of smoke and launched their attack. Suddenly, a blinding light cut through the haze and a yellow figure appeared in the distance. Proclaiming himself as Kotaro Ushiwaka, the hero challenged the attackers, leaping into the air and striking one in the head with a Hurricane Kick. Kotaro slashed through the minions with his naginata, defeating each of them. Her plans foiled, Coonjo swore revenge against the mysterious hero.

Aobozu, Coonjo and three of her minions confront Nyudo in "The Yokai Clan's Grudge"
"The Yokai Clan's Grudge"
Aobozu, Coonjo and her minions hold Nyudo hostage in "The Jigokudani Trap"

Following their defeat at the hands of Kotaro Ushiwaka, three surviving minions returned to a furious Coonjo, who summoned the yokai Aobozu to aid them. As Kotaro met a beggar and supposed yokai hunter named Nyudo, Coonjo and the yokai confronted Nyudo. In actuality afraid of yokai, Nyudo panicked and reached for his club, but it disappeared to reveal Aobozu standing before him. Kotaro, who had jumped into a tree after having a boulder thrown at him by Nyudo, threw the tip of his naginata at Coonjo, thus revealing himself. Descending from his perch, Kotaro fought with Aobozu and the other minions, but easily dispatched them. Again enraged, Coonjo charged at Kotaro with her sword, but was driven off by a flash of light created by his blades.

"The Jigokudani Trap"

As Kotaro hiked through the mountains of Jigokudani, he heard the cries of Nyudo, who had been taken hostage by Coonjo, Aobozu and a new group of minions. Kotaro leapt into action, cutting Nyudo down from a pole he was hanging from. However, as Nyudo hit the ground, he was teleported a short distance away to where Coonjo and the others had ran. As Coonjo taunted Kotaro, Aobozu and another of the minions grabbed and disarmed him, but were kicked away. Kotaro grabbed a rope off of the ground and used it to pull Coonjo's sword toward him. He again engaged Aobozu, who was now wielding Kotaro's naginata, but managed to regain his weapon and take the yokai out with a slash of the blade. As he finished off the remaining three minions, Nyudo kicked at Coonjo, who angrily teleported away. Coonjo, now lost of her yokai minions, again swore her revenge against Kotaro and his newfound partner.

Filmography

Gallery

Main article: Minions of Coonjo/Gallery.

Trivia

  • While the four-eyed minion seen in episode 1 appears during the gathering at the start of the episode, he is seemingly not present for the subsequent attack on the village. Furthermore, in episode 3, another minion using the same head piece appears, but wearing different clothing. Whether this was intended to be the same surviving yokai from episode 1 or a different character altogether is unclear.

References

This is a list of references for Minions of Coonjo. 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. "Good Morning! Kid's Show: Go! Kotaro Ushiwaka". Super Variety Laboratory. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 149. ISBN 4-096-82090-3. Check date values in: |date= (help)

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