Yamata no Orochi
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This article concerns an upcoming subject, and will be updated with new information as it arises. |
Yamata no Orochi (
Name
Yamata no Orochi's name literally translates from Japanese as "Giant Eight Branched Snake," though by convention the English translation is typically given as "Big Snake of Eight Branches." While the creature's name is typically spelled in kanji characters, in Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon it includes a furigana katakana spelling above the kanji, as is the case for most of the characters in the film. While the most common kanji spelling for the creature's name is 八岐大蛇, which is the spelling used in both The Three Treasures and Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, it is also sometimes spelled as 八俣遠呂智 or 八俣遠呂知, both of which are also read Yamata no Orochi. The creature is often referred to as just Orochi (大蛇 Orochi) for short, an archaic reading of the two kanji which together mean "giant snake" and are typically otherwise read as daija.
In the English dub and subtitles for Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and in the end credits of the English version of Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, Yamata no Orochi's name is translated as the "Eight-Headed Dragon."
Design
In The Three Treasures, Orochi looks like a giant snake with eight heads, with eight small tails extending from the main one. Its scales are gray in color. In Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, Orochi now has a more draconic appearance with a bulky body and stubby legs. It is red with multiple yellow horns on its heads and small spikes sticking out from the sides of a single large tail. In Brush of the God, Orochi has an almost slug-like body shape with purple scales covering its back and most of its heads. Unlike its previous appearance, it is missing three heads with grey stumps where they would be. Additionally, one of the intact heads is grey and seemingly lifeless. Each head has spikes and horns that vary in color and shape. Yellow scales run down each of Orochi's necks down to its tail. Black claw-like structures line the sides of its limbless body while its underside is red.
History
Showa era
The Three Treasures
Orochi in the Showa era has the same mythological origins as Orochi from mythology, and his role in the film is a description of that event. The Earth Deities would consume a child of him each year when he rose from a lake. Susano managed to trap Orochi's heads in a tree after consuming eight vats of sake set out for him, forcing the serpent to attack with his tails. Susano stabbed his sword twice into Orochi's tail twice, causing the monster to die, allowing the storm god to retrieve the sword Murakumo.
Heisei era
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon
Orochi was the god Tsukuyomi, Lord of the Underworld, and God of the Moon, who transformed into this monstrous form 10,000 years ago and used it to attack Earth. All of this was done in jealousy of his sister Amaterasu, Goddess of Heaven and the Sun. He destroyed cities and mountains until he was stopped by his brother Susano, God of Storms and the Sea; his father then banished him from Earth in a prison of ice. Thousands of years later, Tsukuyomi returned to Earth and was revived thanks to his servant, a transformed sentient broken fang who died soon afterward. After breaking free on the Moon, he raised his castle but was bested by Yamato Takeru and Oto, who held the 'spirits' of his two siblings. Angered, Tsukuyomi transformed into Orochi to kill Yamato Takeru and Oto, but they were saved by Amano Shiratori, the servant of the Sun Goddess. However, Orochi threw the two into outer space via a blast, but Takeru fused with Oto and two sacred treasures to become Utsuno Ikusagami. Utsuno Ikusagami fought Orochi and won. Tsukuyomi was trapped on the Moon, sealed into Takeru's pendant and cast into space on the orders of Susano who said that, upon his return, Tsukuyomi would be reformed.
Millennium era
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
- Main article: King Ghidorah/GMK.
According to Mitsuaki Takeda, King Ghidorah was known in ancient times as Yamata no Orochi. He fought Godzilla in an underdeveloped form, sporting only three heads out of eight.
Reiwa era
Brush of the God
To be added.
MonsterVerse
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Residing at Monarch Outpost 91 at Mount Fuji in Japan, Titanus Yamata no Orochi was one of the many Titans who began to attack humanity under the direction of King Ghidorah. After its emergence, it swam southeast to menace a cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean.[6] It was later pacified when Madison Russell activated the Orca at Fenway Park.
Abilities
Orochi
Flamethrowers
In Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, Orochi is able to spit a concentrated beam of fire from each of its eight heads.
Durability
In spite of being severely punished and the loss of most heads, Orochi can still stay steadfast. Orochi lasted a fair amount of time despite being overpowered.
Tsukuyomi
Godhood
Tsukuyomi is a god and presumably has various supernatural abilities based on that fact. Before he was only defeated by his brother, a fellow god, and by Takeru, who was given the power to counter his.
Immortality
As a god, Tsukuyomi is immune to the withering effects of time. He also survived being trapped in ice for millennia and both of his defeats.
Calm Spirit
The counterforce to Takeru's 'Wild Spirit', manifests as beams from his eyes. Its power is unknown, but Susano said it was impossible to defeat him without the Wild Spirit to defeat his Calm Spirit. Presumably, only his siblings could match his power and only his father and older gods surpassed it.
Materialization
Tsukuyomi manifested his armor and raised a castle of complex architecture from the Earth through only his will. These creations were not illusions and real to the point they could survive his absence.
Teleportation
Tsukuyomi teleported from the Moon to Earth, he also teleported out of his armor when he transformed into Orochi.
Transformation
Tsukuyomi can shapeshift; he used this power to become Orochi and, given that his servants' powers stemmed from him, he can presumably take on the appearance of others.
Selected filmography
- The Three Treasures (1959)
- Cheers, Mr. Awamori! (1961) [prop]
- Yamata no Orochi's Counterattack (1985)
- Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994)
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) [mentioned]
- Shin Godzilla (2016) [mentioned]
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) [mentioned, computer screen]
- Brush of the God (2023)
Comics
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time #1 (2016)
The Godzilla Comic Raids Again
In this comic by a series of illustrators including Hurricane Ryu Hariken, Orochi appears as an opponent of Godzilla.
Godzilla: Rage Across Time
In 1274, the Nebulans joined forces with the Mongols to invade Japan. Two monsters under the aliens' control, Gigan and Megalon, led the offensive. Japan's greatest warriors, Gorou Suda and Akio traveled to the Shobijin Temple in the hopes of awakening a force powerful enough to save their country. After killing the Heikegani guarding the temple, the duo faced Yamata no Orochi. The Shobijin then appeared before them, advising them to control the dragon instead of destroying him. They blessed one of Akio's arrows, which she fired at one of the monster's heads. Though the resulting explosion pacified Orochi, it also awakened the dreaded Godzilla. The Shobijin presented Suda with a statue of Orochi which would allow him to direct the monster. Before he could do so, however, Godzilla confronted Orochi and quickly killed him with his atomic breath. With no other option, Akio shot Godzilla with another enchanted arrow to get his attention, allowing her and Suda to lure him towards Gigan and Megalon.
Gallery
- Main article: Yamata no Orochi/Gallery.
Roar
Orochi's roars were later mixed with King Ghidorah's roars in Rebirth of Mothra III. The roars were later reused for Godzilla's growls in Godzilla 2000: Millennium with a reverbed effect.
|
Trivia
- Operation Yashiori, the Japanese government's final plan to defeat Godzilla in Shin Godzilla, is named after the type of sake Susano used to put Yamata no Orochi to sleep in Japanese mythology.
- Standing at 300 meters tall when upright, the Orochi who appeared in The Three Treasures is one of the tallest monsters ever to appear in a film produced by Toho, tying with Godzilla Earth, who also stands at 300 meters.
- In early trailers for Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, Orochi sported heads similar to those of the Showa King Ghidorah.[7]
Video
|
References
This is a list of references for Yamata no Orochi. 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]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comments
Showing 95 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...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
