Oni (Japanese: 鬼 Oni) are a kind of youkai in Inazuma. According to Shiki Taishou, the oni clans value their principles and pride very much.[1]
Since the events of the cataclysm, the blood of the oni has diluted with each passing day.[2]
Overview[]
Appearance[]
Oni have long horns[3] and have larger physical builds than most humans.[4] In the long distant past, the oni had completely blue or crimson skin color without any markings, although as they continued to reproduce with humans, their skin became similar to theirs, so oni typically paint markings on their skin and horns to indicate which tribe they hailed from. This signified how diluted the blood of the oni had become today.[2]
Judging by the appearance of the Oni Mask and the guard of the Maguu Kenki, the Oni of Old used to have crooked faces and fangs.
Powers and Abilities[]
Oni are particularly powerful in terms of raw strength, as shown with Itto's appearance and combat style. It is said that an Oni Mask possesses immense power.[2]
One of the oni's weaknesses are beans, which is lethal to them in large amounts. For part-oni, they do not suffer as much due to their oni blood being significantly thinned, but Itto is a lone exception to this.
History[]
Early History[]
The oni are some of Inazuma's inhabitants, although they lived a mostly secluded lifestyle as humans feared them. An Inazuman fairytale speaks of two oni; a blue oni, who preferred seclusion, and a crimson oni, who wished to socialize with humans. The crimson oni's initial attempts to interact with humans ended in failure, but they still wished to befriend the humans. The blue oni then proposed a solution in which he would perform "evil" acts and have the crimson oni scare him off. The plan worked and the crimson oni began to interact with humans. Seeing this, the blue oni left. Eventually, the crimson oni searched for the blue oni; upon realizing that the blue oni was purposely avoiding him, the crimson oni left behind a letter and they reunited during a village festival, albeit away from the village.
Onis are more versed in the story as it held a hidden truth that most people were unaware of - the oni, being the proud race they were, wanted the Shogun's protection, but in order to do so, they had to have a good relationship with the humans. People at the time did not discern between oni, so they treated all of them the same, which was mostly exacerbated by the blue oni continually clashing with the humans, while the crimson oni tried to maintain good relationships with them. As a result, the two tribes met and issued a pact - the blue oni would help the crimson oni integrate with humans as long as the crimson oni would treat humans respectfully, not use their strength for malicious intents and obtain the respect of the humans.
As the blue oni remained in a life of seclusion, they were eventually thought to have died off.
The Cataclysm[]
500 years before the start of the game, the cataclysm erupted throughout Teyvat; Mikoshi Chiyo, one of Ei's friends, was swallowed by a beast of sin. While she broke out, she was corrupted by its influence and rebelled against the Shogunate, prompting Ei to cut her sword arm and one horn off, but she was spared and fled into the forests. Chiyo's son, Iwakura Michihiro, was shamed by his mother's actions and led a life of seclusion in Konda Village until he met Teruyo of the Yougou Tengu.
Present Day[]
In the current day, the crimson and blue oni tribes continue to exist; Arataki Itto is the current representative of the crimson oni. The blue oni were also revealed to have survived, albeit in extremely poor conditions, forcing one of them, Takuya, to join a vagrant group for supplies. During Itto's Story Quest, he manages to connect to Takuya and now learning of their suffering, pledges to assist the blue oni tribe however he can after being released from jail. The Traveler informed Granny Oni of this, who began making preparations to help the blue oni.
Known Onis[]
Playable Characters[]
IttoOther Characters[]
8 Characters match the category selection:
Known Members[]
Unknown Time Period[]
- Ao of the Blue Oni: initiated the pact between the Blue Oni and the Crimson Oni.
- Aka of the Crimson Oni: initiated the pact between the Crimson Oni and the Blue Oni.
- Arataki of the Front Gate: A legendary martial artist.
- Twin Oni of Tokaku: Two female oni bandits who were defeated by the Black Fox Itaru, one of the kitsune, and later joined her side.[4]
- Four Oni of Ogata: Four oni that trespassed on Chinju Forest, only to be deceived by Ioroi.[5]
- Arakawa Kouji.
500 Years Ago[]
- Mikoshi Clan
- Mikoshi Chiyo (Torachiyo): Iwakura Michihiro's mother, eventually rebelled against the Shogun Baal but was defeated.[6][7]
- Iwakura Michihiro: Part-oni and Chiyo's biological son.[10]
- Ako Domeki: Deathless Oni of Seirai.
Present Day[]
- Arataki Itto: Crimson Oni descendant.
- Takuya: Blue Oni descendant.
Note: It is unclear whether the following characters have actual oni lineage, but they are associated with oni through their epithets.
- Yanagiha Arashi: The Violet Oni.
- Okazaki Toraemon: The Crimson Oni.
Trivia[]
- It is said that the Maguu Kenki mask is inspired by a famous oni,[11] supposedly Iwakura Michihiro.
Oni mask from Maguu Kenki
- In Japanese mythology, oni are a kind of horned ogre-like creature, usually portrayed as demonic evil spirits.
- Oni are supposedly allergic to beans.[3]
- This might be a reference to the real-world Japanese holiday Setsubun, where beans are believed to have the ability to purify one's home and are thrown at people disguised as oni to ward off evil spirits and bring in good fortune for the upcoming year.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Oni | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鬼 Guǐ | Oni[※][※] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鬼 Guǐ | |
| Japanese | 鬼 Oni | Oni |
| Korean | 오니 Oni | — |
| Spanish | Oni | — |
| French | Oni | — |
| Russian | Óни Óni | — |
| Thai | โอนิ Oni | — |
| Vietnamese | Oni | — |
| German | Oni | — |
| Indonesian | Oni | — |
| Portuguese | Oni | — |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ Web Event: Yummy! Barbecue Under the Stars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Weapon Ascension Material: Mask of the One-Horned
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NPC Dialogue: Yukio
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Book: New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune, Vol. 3
- ↑ Event Eight Locales Over Mountains and Seas World Quest: Eight Locales Over Mountains and Seas
- ↑ Weapon: Hakushin Ring describes her as an "oni maiden"
- ↑ Weapon Ascension Material: Mask of the Kijin
- ↑ Weapon Ascension Material: Mask of the Tiger's Bite
- ↑ Weapon Ascension Material: Mask of the Wicked Lieutenant
- ↑ Artifact Set: Emblem of Severed Fate
- ↑ Archive, Living Beings, Enemies and Monsters, Automatons: Maguu Kenki