Oni (myth): Difference between revisions

The name of Bungie's game '''[[Oni]]''' was intended as a reference to the game's inspiration, [[Ghost in the Shell]], though it turned out that the Japanese kanji 鬼 does not accurately translate as "ghost" (see {{SectionLink||Connections to the game}} for the full story). First we'll look at the actual meaning of the word by examining the myths of oni in Japanese folklore, then we'll consider some ways in which these true meanings of the word might appear in the game.

Many people give the translation for "oni" as "demon", but below we examine more accurate terms for the various depictions of oni in Japanese stories. On the whole, it will be seen that a modern oni is always some kind of minor evil ''in the flesh'' that afflicts, threatens, or sometimes even ignores humans. This is in contrast to the usual use of the word "demon" in English, which refers to the fallen angels in the Bible, who are immaterial and who can possess humans. In fact, a much closer translation, looking at the Eastern depictions of an oni, would be "ogre", "beast" or "monster", but not "demon", which more closely corresponds to the Japanese word "akuma" ("evil being").

In traditional Buddhist-Japanese mythology, the oni are the exact counterparts of Christian imps (or devils with a small D). Some would guard the gates of Buddhist hell, while others would hunt down bad people and bring them ''to'' hell, and others would actually torture the bad people ''in'' hell. It's exactly what Christian imps do, so it's a pretty exact analogy. Recurrent features of oni were somewhat improbable skin color, two small horns on the forehead, a big club (imps have forks instead), and they were dressed in tiger skins. The iron club is called a kanabō.

Before the influence of Buddhism, oni may have been depicted as immaterial spirits like the [[wp:Yūrei|yurei]], which needed to be driven out through [[wp:Onmyōdō|yin-yang magic]]. Instead of being the "official enforcers of the underworld", they would infest sacred places and prey on humans. However, the concept of oni eventually crystallized into a more solid form.

An example is found in [http://web.archive.org/web/20090814100526/http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/mibu/eng/pages/plays/tales.html#Anchor-Ogre-43793 one of the stories] of the demon hunter Raiko. While in Kyoto, he and his five greatest knights hear tell of an oni that preys on travelers near the great gate Rashoumon, the southern gate on the main road through Kyoto. One of his retainers, Watanabe, volunteers to see if this is true, and if so, slay the oni and hang a talisman with all of their names on the gate's handle. Sure enough, he encounters an oni there, but only succeeds in severing one of its arms and driving it off.

Occasionally people of exceptional size and/or strength can be described as "oni". The most notable such figure in Japanese folklore is (Saitō) Musashibō Benkei, a warrior monk who lived in the late twelfth century. Though this is probably not a historically accurate depiction, Benkei is often described as a hulking monster of a man, with lots of hair and muscle.

Beyond the heavily exaggerated Oniwakamura myth, the oni theme persists in depictions of Benkei's adolescence, most notably in the [https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/japan/griffis/benkeibell.html Mii-dera bell episode], where he playfully stole a large bell from a rival monastery. In the picture at right, Benkei is shown carrying the huge bell on his back, using his ''kanabō'' (iron club), a traditional weapon of the oni, for leverage.

As seen in contemporary anime, Japan's view of the oni has mellowed somewhat; oni might simply be immortal, aloof, selfish beings, superior to humans but with no clear intentions about them. In some cases they are clearly depicted like Western ogres.

A classic modern example of oni is found in [[wp:Urusei Yatsura|Urusei Yatsura]], where Lum (pictured below) and her relatives are aliens (an alien race literally called "Oni") who are sent to (fairly benevolently) conquer Earth. Their powers include flying, breathing fire, and shocking electrically. Lum has the typical two horns of an oni, but they're mostly hidden by her hair.

Occasionally the modern take on oni is a bit more satirical, as in the case of George Saotome from [[wp:YuYu Hakusho|Yu Yu Hakusho]], who appears to be a traditional monstrous oni in tiger skins, but who is actually a mild-mannered, harried office worker assisting the ruler of Spirit World. In [[wp:Dragon Ball Z|Dragon Ball Z]], while traveling through the afterlife, Goku accidentally falls into Hell and encounters Goz and Mez, who challenge him to physical competitions (you see, Hell is an eternal gym class). They display the traditional red and blue coloring and have one and two horns, as well as carrying kanabō. Their names come directly from [https://yokai.com/mezu/ this Gozu and Mezu].

*[http://www.sonic.net/~anomaly/oniko/eprofile.htm Oniko's Gallery]; draws the connections between Buddhist oni and the ones in contemporary anime

It appears that one definition of "oni" that Hardy leaned towards was "monster". If one searches [[Quotes/Speech|Oni's dialogue]] for "monster", a theme develops from the five occurrences of the term.

First, Barabas is described as a '''monster''' (see "Barabas" section below to see how Hardy applied myths about the oni to Barabas). Then Konoko describes Muro and his men as '''monsters''', fearful that the Chrysalis will do the same to her. During her attack on the TCTF HQ, Konoko tells an unnamed NPC that she was made into a '''monster''' when she was implanted with the Chrysalis. But Konoko has not fully decided whether she is any better than Muro and his men until the point at which the player has to decide whether to kill Griffin. Each scenario, sparing him and killing him, uses the word "monster". If she spares Griffin, Konoko says that she won't be "the '''monster''' you thought I would be". If she kills Griffin, Konoko puts the blame on him for her actions, calling ''him'' a '''monster''' for what he did to her.

The plot of [[:Category:Dark Horse comics|Dark Horse's comic book series]] incorporates the originally-understood meaning of "oni", "ghosts". Thus, in the synopsis for [https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/00-238/Rockstar-Games-Oni-1-of-3 issue #1], "Syndicate thieves have been spreading rumors of a ghost-like entity that attacks them after successful jobs and steals their loot." In issues [https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/00-244/Rockstar-Games-Oni-2-of-3 #2] and [https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/00-252/Rockstar-Games-Oni-3-of-3 #3], "mysterious 'ghosts' are plaguing Syndicate operations, and Agent Konoko, while investigating the Syndicate, finds out what these 'ghosts' are."

Bungie West might have been acknowledging what is probably the most common translation given for "oni" (even if it's not the most accurate), "demon", when they named one of Konoko's super moves "Devil Spin Kick".

As TV Tropes explains [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedOniBlueOni here], oni are most often depicted as red and blue. Over time, personalities were associated with these colors and used as character tropes. Normally the red-oni character is the fiery one and the blue-oni character is the cool, collected one. It's probably worth noting here that Konoko's Daodan aura is blue and Muro's is red ;-)

As a Portuguese article states, "It is also said that a man with anger will transform into an oni. Japanese folklore also says that a wife of great jealousy will become a Hannya, that is, a female oni. [...] The Buddhist oni is not always an evil force; in the Buddhist legends there are stories of monks who, after death, became oni in order to protect their temples from disasters. The belief in oni reached its zenith in the 18th and 19th centuries."

Incidentally, mukade are large centipedes native to Japan. Pagan mythology depicts giant versions of these things alongside gods, dragons and other beasts. As opposed to e.g. dragons, the Mukade were irredeemably vile, so of all the beast-gods they're the most likely to fall in the category of oni, super-oni even.... See [[Mukade]]'s page for more.

The Japanese have a saying, "oni ni kanabo", "like an oni with its iron club". The phrase conveys the concept of an already strong entity equipped with a weapon to make it even stronger. [[Barabas]] is represented as a very strong fighter, and on top of that, he has the game's biggest weapon in his hands when Konoko first confronts him.

But there's more. Barabas also possesses a regenerative ability, an occasional attribute of oni, as well as horns, and to top it all off, <u>he's guarding a gate</u>, as many oni do in folk tales. Coincidence?

Mythical oni have long been associated with thunder and lightning, and it's theorized that lightning gods, raijin, are just oni in another package (see the images of them in Wikipedia's [[wp:Raijin|Raijin article]]). As Noriko Reider's ''[https://archive.org/details/JapaneseDemonLore Japanese Demon Lore]'' states (p. 177), "For ancient and medieval Japanese cultures, […] oni were believed to be the very substance of thunder and lightning. Oni were the cause behind epidemics that killed people by the tens of thousands." Remind us again, who's our favorite epidemic-causing lightning god in Oni?

The [[Iron Demon]] is a demon too, at least in name. The "Iron" may be a reference to the kanabo, discussed in the "Barabas" section above. The Dark Horse comic runs the risk of being ''too'' on the nose by also equipping the Iron Demon with a ''[[:Image:Oni_Comic_Issue_1_p22.jpg|literal iron club]]''.

==Alternate universe titles for Oni==

Alternatively, it may have made sense to call the project "Dǎo Dàn Guǐ" 捣蛋鬼 (which is Chinese for "troublemaker", or "trouble-making spirit". Appropriately echoing Shirow's "[[Ghost in the Shell|Kōkaku Kidōtai]]", such a title would have emphasized the historical source of the "oni" kanji 鬼 (referencing a language where "ghost" actually ''was'' its primary meaning), and it would also have highlighted Oni's core concept (the [[Daodan]] Chrysalis), which breaks every balance and sends the world tumbling into uncertainty.

 

 

Apparently it was deemed that "Oni" was catchier and snappier (and spookier?) as a title. Admittedly, "Dǎo Dàn Guǐ" (or even "Yōkai") doesn't exactly roll off the tongue for a non-otaku, whereas "oni" is mainstream enough to have a [[wp:Oni|Wikipedia article in English]], so it's one of those Japanese words that sound exotic yet "work" without a translation. The deep ambiguity of the "Oni" title - not clearly meaning "ghost" or "demon", and not even clearly singular or plural - was another possible plus.

 

If Bungie had settled for an English translation of "Dǎo Dàn Guǐ" instead, we could have known Oni as "Rebel Spirit(s)". Or "Stirring Demon(s)". Or "[[Restless Souls]]".