info Anime Nura:rise of the yokai clan

Nura Group

The biggest yōkai faction in eastern Japan, they use the character for fear (畏) as their symbol and rule over the Kanto area. Shiibashi describes them as a yakuza yōkai group,^[1] with Nurarihyon as their leader. There are about ten thousand yōkai who are considered members of the Nura group, and the group itself has been in decline since the death of the second head, Nura Rihan (Rikuo's father).

[edit] Nura Main House

The main house for the Nura Group, located in Ukiyoe Town. It is a large, old-style Japanese mansion which is home to Rikuo, Nurarihyon and much of the main cast. It also serves as a meeting place for the heads of other yōkai clans under the Nura banner.

Rikuo Nura (奴良 リクオ Nura Rikuo^?) Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama and Eri Kitamura (Young)

Rikuo is the title character and main protagonist of the series, an average 12-year old boy who inherited 1/4 of his grandfather's yōkai blood. In times of impending danger his yōkai blood awakens and he switches into his night form to become the Master of the yōkai (the master of all spirits) but later on due to constant transformation, he is able to transform anytime at night. His yōkai form is confident, strong and inspires "Fear" amongst his allies leading many to join him. Rikuo is destined to take over as the Third Master of yōkai from his grandfather, though the main conflict for the first portion of the series lies in his rejection of the idea. As a child, Rikuo respected and looked up to yōkai, playing pranks on members of the Nura house and often declaring he would become more yōkai-like and take over as the Third.^[2] However, after a discussion at school, he came to realize the evil nature of yōkai deeds and decided to set himself firmly on the path of living a strictly human life. Since then, he has attempted to become more like a normal human by doing all sorts of good deeds. Even though he appreciates all that his yōkai underlings do for him, he is nevertheless desperate to prevent his school friends from learning of his connection to yōkai. After being tested by Gyūki he decides to take the position of Young Head and saves both humans and yōkai.

He is seemingly weak but very clever, easily manipulating one of the council members into isolating himself during a meeting and rationalizing against the dissolving of the Gyūki Group. He can only transform at night or in darkness^[3] and reverts to normal in sunlight. Though originally, he had no recollection of changing to his "Night" form, by the time he faced Gyūki, he was well aware of his other half and admitted that he'd been pretending to have no recollection of it in order to distance himself from the world of yōkai.^[4] Later, he is shown interacting and communicating with his "Night" form. Together they plan to form a Hyakki Yakō of their own.

He decides to leave the human side of things to his "Day" form and handle the yōkai-side of things. After losing to his grandfather, he is taken to the yōkai village to train and finally learns what type of demon he is and how to gain his Fear abilities. He has departed for Kyoto to face Hagoromo Gitsune to save Yura and avenge his father. He is undergoes a 3-day training with Gyūki to surpass "Himself" after losing to Tsuchigumo. In this training he learns how to use first form of Matoi with Zen. He seems to get stronger when his "Day" and "Night" blood mix. But now it seems as though night Rikuo and day Rikuo are one being and are not a split personality.^[5] His primary weapon is the Spirit Blade Nenekirimaru, which was designed to only harm yōkai. But it broke when he tried to slash Abe no Seimei. Rikuo then asked one of the Keikain's to create a better blade for him, which the Keikain agreed and is currently forging it. For the time being, Rikuo's current weapon is a broken tree branch he picked up when he was still training in the Tonoo Village, and has used the branch on occasions to successfully defeat some yōkai with it. He was also able to defeat both of Kidoumaru's yōkai bodyguards with it when Kidoumaru was leaving the Tonoo Village after a failed alliance attempt with the village's leader.

The Hundred Tales clan starts rising again right after the Kyoto arc. In an attempt to defeat him they reveal that he is a yokai to humans and spread the tale that Japan will be destroyed unless he is killed.

• Techniques
  • Meikyō Shisui - Makes the enemy unaware of his presence, and shifts him to the enemy's blind spot. If Rikuo's fear is cut, the technique is dissipated.
  • Ōgi Meikyō Shisui, Sakura - Uses a superior yōkai sake poured into a large sakazuki cup. Burns an opponent. So long as the water continues to ripple, the flames will continue until his opponent is reduced to ash.
  • Kyōka Suigetsu - Distorts his enemy's perception of him by creating an illusion akin to an afterimage.
  • Matoi - Meaning "demon clad", it is a technique whereby a commander 'clothes' himself in the fear of his Hyakki Yakō. Referred to as The Sacred Act of a Hyakki Yakō, this technique was created by Rikuo's father, and can only be performed by half-yokai, as it requires the commander to have a 'human heart' to understand his subordinates. Each time the technique is performed with a new yōkai, a marking will appear on Rikuo's back as a means of symbolizing the trust between him and the member of his Hyakki Yakō. The technique has multiple forms with one being the Fear Cannon, which uses his hyakki's fear in a concentrated one-hit attack. Currently, he has performed this technique with five yōkai:

Zen - His fear coats Rikuo's sword with the poison of his wings. Represented by a pair of wing-like black markings. Rikuo performs Matoi with him during Gyuuki's training.

Yuki Onna - Her fear coats Rikuo's sword in swirling patches of ice that freeze whatever they touch. Represented by a pair of snowflake-shaped markings. He performs Matoi with her while fighting Tsuchigumo, leading her to initially think that it is a power exclusive to herself and 'Rikuo-sama'.

Itaku - His fear envelops Rikuo's sword and changes it into a larger version of Itaku's own scythe. Represented by a whirlwind-shaped swirl marking. He performs Matoi with him to defeat Tsuchigumo.

Kurotabou - His fear envelops around Rikuo like a kimono. Rikuo have the ability to use Kurotabou's weapon ability. He shows Rikuo how to perform the second form of Matoi while fighting Kidomaru.

Shouei - His fear enlarges Rikuo's sword several times and has a large baboon claw holding the base of the blade. He performs Matoi with him to defeat Tooryanse the slasher.

Nurarihyon (ぬらりひょん^?) Voiced by: Chikao Ōtsuka and Kōji Yusa (young)

Nurarihyon is Rikuo's grandfather, known as the master of all spirits or as the Supreme Commander. It is said that he plays pranks and hates humans, but he doesn't really hate them - rather, he doesn't believe humans should interfere in yōkai affairs. He dislikes the fact that Rikuo goes to school and acts human but respects his wishes.

400 years ago, he fell in love with Yōhime and fought with the Hagoromo-Gitsune in Kyoto when Hagoromo-Gitsune kidnapped Yōhime to eat her liver. At first things looked grim for Nurarihyon, but when Hagoromo-Gitsune mocked him, Nurarihyon finally was able to slash Hagoromo-Gitsune's current body host, saving Yōhime. But Hagoromo survived the slash and fled to the roof where Nurarihyon followed her. They then clashed again for the second time, this time on the roof with both being equally matched. It was only when Keikain Hidemoto arrived and tip the balance of scales in favor of Nurarihyon by helping Nurarihyon battle Hagoromo-Gitsune. Both defeated Hagoromo-Gitsune but before the host Hagoromo-Gitsune was residing in, she was able to puncture through Nurarihyon and took his heart and consumed it to restore a bit of her strength which left a gaping hole in Nurarihyon's chest and caused Nurarihyon's life span to decrease. When Nurarihyon was in his prime, he and Keikain Hidemoto were considered friends. Even in his old age, he can easily best "Night" Rikuo and Muchi. Normal demons feel so much "Fear" that he is invisible to them until he strikes, that is his "Meikyō Shisui". He appeared during the final battle with Hagoromo-Gitsune in Kyoto to assist Rikuo. After returning from Kyoto, Nurarihyon officially retired as leader and commander of the Nura clan, allowing Rikuo to succeed him as head of the clan.

Rihan Nura (奴良 鯉伴 Nura Rihan^?) Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Rikuo's father and the second head of the Nura group. The son of Nurarihyon and Yohime, he is a hanyō (half yōkai) and the Nura group's power reached its peak under his leadership. Mostly because of his wife, Yamabuki Otome encouraging him. Like Rikuo, Rihan has a choice when he was younger to either embrace him human side or his demon side. He chose to embrace his demon side which allowed him to use his demon powers at all times. However, he didn't want Rikuo to know about the yakuza aspect of the yōkai world, and raised the boy in such a way as to prevent him from learning of it. He was killed by Hagoromo Gitsune when Rikuo was young.

It was later revealed that before he married his second wife, Rihan fell in love with and wedded Yamabuki Otome, a beautiful ayakashi. However, due to Hagoromo-Gitsune's curse on Nurarihyon (that his youkai bloodline would die out), they couldn't have children. Blaming it on herself, Yamabuki Otome eventually left Rihan a poem grieving her infertility and disappeared, presumably dead. In a scheme to get rid of Rihan and to revive Hagoromo-Gitsune, Abe no Seimei and Sanmoto Gorouzaemon revived Yamabuki Otome as a child or her younger self, so Hagoromo-Gitsune could possess her body and fabricate her memories. As her form resembled his late first wife, Rihan got close to her. It was only then when Rihan turned his back from Hagoromo-Gitsune that she recited Yamabuki Otome's farewell poem (The 'key' to his death) and slashed him from behind, killing Rihan with young Rikuo witnessing his father's death.

Yōhime (珱姫^?) Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima

A human noblewoman 400 years ago with the power to heal sickness/injuries. She became Nurarihyon's wife (and thus is Rikuo's grandmother). Her father took advantage of the people's desire for healing by charging exorbitant fees that only the wealthy could afford. Yōhime herself is kind but sheltered and only saw the outside world after meeting Nurarihyon, who spirited her away from her family's home to give her a taste of the real world. She was targeted and kidnapped by Hagoromo-Gitsune, but was rescued by Nurarihyon after a grueling battle. After their son Rihan is born, she worries constantly about her husband and prefers he not get involved in unnecessary fights.

Nura Wakana (奴良 若菜 Nura Wakana^?) Voiced by: Risa Mizuno

Rikuo's mother, 30 years old. She is human, but lives in the Nura mansion and gets along with the yōkai who also live there, as if they were just human beings themselves.

Yuki-Onna (雪女^?, lit. Snow Woman) Voiced by: Yui Horie

Yuki-Onna is Rikuo's trusted attendant and part of Rikuo's new "Hyakki Yakō" who follows him to school disguised as Tsurara Oikawa (及川 氷麗 Oikawa Tsurara^?), a normal schoolgirl. She is affectionate towards Rikuo and even gets jealous when other girls pay him attention. This is also reinforced by the fact that other characters express how bad a situation would become if Tsurara were to see what other female characters did to Rikuo. She also admires Rikuo's yōkai form, because she finds him very reliable and magnificent. She is overprotective of Rikuo when he is his "day" or human form and expresses great concern for his well being, which is the reason why she is always around him at school (which causes misunderstandings and concern on Kana's part). She also acts as a cook and, though her food is delicious, most of the time it is chilled or cold. She is the daughter of Setsura. She is oblivious to the fact that Shima has a crush on her.

She also has a fear of Yura as she is an onmyōji and a rivalry with Kana (going so far as to nearly freeze her), however she protects Kana as her death would sadden Rikuo. She goes to Kyoto to protect the Investigation group along with Aotabō. Later, she rejoins Rikuo but is kidnapped by Tsuchigumo. She is later freed by Rikuo and performs Matoi with him, becoming the second of his subordinates to do so. After the defeat of Hagoromo Gitsune, and Abe No Seimei's departure from Kyoto, Yuki-Onna returns to the Nura main house. When Rikuo becomes the new Head of the Nura Clan, Yuki-Onna is 'promoted' into the elite class of the family, becoming one of the clan's new subcommanders under Rikuo. As a result of her new position, she is given command over one of the clan's territories (which was under her mother's supervision) and is currently working to build up her own 'clan' and gain subordinates in order to strength Rikuo's Hyakki Yakō. Yuki-Onna 'clan' currently consists of demons that appear from bowls for shaved ice and demons who served under her mother.

• Techniques
  • Noroi no Fubuki (cursed blizzard) - Freezes an opponent.
  • Yuki Geshou

Karasu Tengu (カラス天狗^?, lit. crow-tengu) Voiced by: Junji Majima

A yōkai of the Karasu Tengu Clan. He is the adviser to Nurarihyon, often serving as a messenger and loyally follows the Nura Clan. He appears as a small crow-styled tengu and was strong enough to fly while carrying a 9-year old Rikuo. Four hundred years ago, during Nurarihyon's prime, Karasu Tengu appeared as a much larger anthropomorphic crow and fought on the front lines. The Sanbagarasu are his children.

The Sanbagarasu (三羽鴉^?, lit. Crow Trio)

Three tengu yōkai siblings who are children of Karasu Tengu. They frequently serve as a means of information collection and report to their father regularly. They are also known to act of their own accord if Rikuo or the Nura Clan is in danger. Each of them has two forms: that of an anthropomorphic crow and that of a winged human.

• Kuroumaru (黒羽丸^?) - He seems to be the leader of the three karasu tengus. He wears a samurai-like warrior armor.Voiced by: Hiro Shimono
• Tosakamaru (トサカ丸^?) - the blond tengu with a mohawk.Voiced by: Miyu Irino
• Sasami (ささ美^?) - the long-haired tengu who wears glasses and the only female of the Sanbagarasu (as revealed in an omake in volume 6). She was disgusted by Mezumaru attacking the women's baths. She wields a pair of short whips as weapons.Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu

Aotabō (青田坊^?)/Kurata (倉田^?) Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

The degenerate priest who wears the iron blue robe and the physically strongest yōkai in the Nura household. He used to be a monk who killed many warriors. He has fists that can crush rock and palms that can fit a person's head. He was enlightened by a holy man, leading to him protecting children. The holy man once stated it is up to him whether he became a human again or a raging god. He almost became a human but chose the path of a raging god by killing a group of people who were torturing the children he had wished to protect. He has a skull necklace that when removed allows him to fight at his full potential. At full potential,he have power that can kill Shoukera,a head of the Kyoto Yokai in one strike. He is also the leader of a biker gang called the Blood Night Hyakki Yakō. He is often seen with Kurotabō and the two are known as the assault officers of the Nura House. Part of Rikuo's new "Hyakki Yakō" he goes Kyoto along with Yuki-Onna in order to protect Rikuo's classmates. He fought and managed to kill Shōkera. After Rikuo becomes head of the Nura clan, Aotabo is promoted into the elite class of the family and becomes one of the Rikuo's territorial commanders.

Kurotabō (黒田坊^?) Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi

The Assassin and Destruction Monk & Master of the hidden blade, he is often seen with Aotabō and the two are known as the assault officers of the Nura House. He is a demon created by children as their protector.In his human form he dresses like a businessman, and he also saved Torii from her curse as repayment for helping him. Part of Rikuo's new "Hyakki Yakō", he travels with him to Kyoto. He helps currently fighting Ibaraki Dōji with Ryūji and Mamiru and later teaches Rikuo the second form of Matoi. Rikuo remains fused with him while fighting the Hagoromo-Gitsune, until firing Kurotabō's fear as a distraction in order to close in on the Fox. After Rikuo becomes head of the Nura clan, Kurotabō is promoted into the elite class of the family and becomes one of Rikuo's territorial commanders. Later, Kurotabō again saves Torii from a Yokai that had her trapped in a subway. During that incident it is revealed that he was once the supreme general of the Hundred Tales Clan, before joining the Nura clan under Rihan. He had been manipulated by Sanmoto Gorouzaemon into believing that he had been created by him. he later comes to his senses and defeats Sanmoto Gorouzaemon by performing Matoi with Rihan.

• Techniques
  • Anki Kuroenbu - Shoots a variety of weapons from his sleeve.

Kubinashi (首無^?, lit. Neckless) Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

As his name would imply, his head floats above his shoulders and he has no neck. He is one of Rikuo's demon guardians and frequently takes care of laundry around the Nura mansion. He fights using thread/string that entangles the target the more it struggles, which can become as strong as chains by imbuing it with his "fear." When he was alive, he and a friend were toyed with and killed by yōkai. As a result, he became a yōkai himself in order to exact revenge. After Rikuo becomes head of the Nura clan, Kubinashi is promoted into the elite class of the family and becomes one of Rikuo's territorial commanders.

Prior to meeting (and being defeated by) Rihan Nura, he was well known as Jōshū no Gensatsushi (lit. "the string assassin of Hitachi Province") and went around killing yōkai. Though Rihan originally intended to kill him, Kubinashi was protected by Kejōrō and ended up joining Rihan's Hyakki Yakō.

In Kyoto, after the Nura Clan's forces are devastated by Tsuchigumo, Kubinashi goes back to his old murderous ways and becomes determined to single-handedly take down the Kyoto yōkai and ultimately Hagoromo-Gitsune herself. He is confronted by Ibaraki Douji at the 6th seal of Ryuuenji and is nearly killed trying to fight alone. Kejourou literally knocks sense into him and they battle Ibaraki Douji together with slightly more success. Ultimately, however, they are rescued by Kappa and Yura when things take a turn for the worse.

• Techniques
  • "Ayatori" String Technique, Rasenjin (cat's cradle: spiral blade)
  • "Ayatori" String Technique, Kusari Gumo
  • "Ayatori" String Technique, Jyakou Yaiba (cat's cradle: slithering blade)

Kappa (河童 lit. River Child^?) Voiced by: Masahito Yabe

A kappa yōkai in the Nura clan whose domain is the fear of water and one of Rikuo's demon guardians, he love cucumbers. He fights extremely well near water and fights in a ninja suit. Part of Rikuo's new "Hyakki Yakō", he is traveling to Kyoto. He appear to save Kubinashi and Kejōrō.

Technique

• Kappa Ninpō:Toori Nuke Shinobi Ike
• Mizuchidama

Jami (邪魅 lit. Wicked Charm^?) Voiced by: Yū Asakawa

A yōkai who protects the descendant of his lord, he was a loyal samurai who was betrayed by his lord's wife out of jealousy but as he died from a flood while being trapped in prison he was so concerned over protecting him, he became a yōkai. Part of Rikuo's new "Hyakki Yakō", he is currently fighting alongside the Nura household against Kyoto yōkai. He fought Tsuchigumo.

Kejōrō (毛倡妓^?) Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu

A demon who uses her hair to fight, she serves as one of Rikuo's Guardians and most frequently handles kitchen duties around the Nura mansion. The members of the Kiyo Cross Squad frequently mistake her to be Rikuo's older sister. After Rikuo was beaten at the first seal in Kyoto and went to recover and train, she kept the Hyakki Yakō motivated with the idea of not being a disappointment for Rikuo's return. She has a history with Kubinashi, and had previously traveled together with him, even offering her life to save his when he lost to Nura Rihan, the late second head and Rikuo's father. She is also closest to Kubinashi out of all the yōkai in the series, and they are used to fighting as a team. She was once known as Kino. During the Kyoto attack, she was almost killed by Kidomaru until she was saved by Kappa and Yura. After Rikuo becomes head of the Nura clan, Kejōrō is promoted into the elite class of the family and becomes one of Rikuo's territorial commanders.

Techniques

• • Midaregami, Asobi Onna no Mai (unraveled hair, dance of the courtesan)

Oboro-guruma (朧車^?, lit. Oboro-vehicle)

One of the demons who live in Nura's house. Nurarihyon's vehicle.

Natto Kid (納豆小僧 Nattō Kozō^?) Voiced by: Satomi Arai

One of the yōkai who live in Nura's house. As his name implies, his head is in the form of a natto and smells like one.some yokai seem to find this displeasing.

Tofu Kid (豆腐小僧 Tōfu Kozō^?) Voiced by: Sayuri Furukawa

One of the yōkai who live in the Nura mansion. He has only one eye. Along with Natto Kid, he often played with Rikuo when he was a child.

Setsura (雪麗^?) Voiced by: Yui Horie

Another yuki-onna who was part of Nurarihyon's Hyakki Yakō 400 years ago. Her solution to things she didn't like was to freeze them. She is Tsurara's mother and had an unrequited love for Nurarihyon, which resulted in her greatly disliking his eventual wife, Yōhime. At the final battle with Hagoromo-Gitsune, she had a death match with Ibaraki-dōji.^[1]

^{IMAGE OF ALL NURA CLAN}