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Yumekui-baku (Japanese: 夢喰い獏 "Dream Eaters"), also known simply as baku, are a kind of youkai in Inazuma.

Overview[]

Appearance[]

In their original form, yumekui-baku are small and round, with squishy, colorful bodies and curly tails. They also have small eyes, short limbs, and droopy noses, which causes some to compare them to tapirs or boars.[1] They are often seen floating; this seems to be their primary mode of movement.

In human form, they tend to have large, pointed ears.

Powers and Abilities[]

Yumekui-baku are able to enter and influence the dreams of humans and other youkai.[2] They also consume these dreams for sustenance, a characteristic that is unique to their kind.[3] Their dream-metabolism seems to resemble human digestion; it takes time and energy to break down the dreams, continuous consumption causes a feeling of satiety, and eating a nightmare (a dream filled with negative emotions) can cause indigestion. A baku needs to be in their own dream to digest dreams.[4] When a dream is consumed, its owner loses all memory of it.

To a yumekui-baku, each dream has its own distinctive flavor, but in general, positive dreams tend to taste "pleasant, warm, and delicately sweet," while nightmares can taste bitter, acidic, or metallic.[5] Particularly strong nightmares act as toxins — consuming one may cause nausea, fatigue, acute physical pain (like "the sensation of being cut or burned"), coma, and possibly even death.[2][6] The baku may also suffer mental side effects, depending on their ability to understand the emotions involved. For example, Mizuki, who has dedicated years to studying the human mind, feels every negative emotion she consumes from her patients, whereas most other baku barely even notice them.[7]

The yumekui-baku have an unwritten rule among their kind, which is to never eat a good dream without the owner's permission, as it is known to cause mental instability to the owner.[4][8] As a result, most baku do not know what good dreams taste like.[5]

Yumekui-baku are also capable of creating dreams,[9] implanting thoughts,[7] and even entering the subconscious of a wakeful host, if it has been dissociated from their conscious mind.[10] They may also be able to extract dreams without consuming them,[1] or affect them in other ways.

Most yumekui-baku have little to no combat ability.[2]

History[]

The yumekui-baku are known as lesser youkai, and are thus less famous than the kitsune, oni, or tengu. They are traditionally depicted as "benevolent and carefree" beings who are always ready to help others, but have no wants of their own.[11] In the prime days of the youkai, they seem to have lived quiet lives, spending their time farming and weaving "to make ends meet" while sometimes offering their dream-eating services to those in need. They are said to have played similarly quiet roles at the Hyakumonogatari Taikai, such as serving drinks or simply sitting attentively in the audience.[12]

During the Cataclysm, the yumekui-baku went into hiding as they were ill-suited to battle. Some still feel guilty over not being able to fight alongside their fellow youkai.[13] The baku re-emerged after the calamity to assist in the recovery efforts, working themselves to the bone to extract the nightmares that plagued everyone who fought against the Abyss. Some sustained great illness or injury from overexerting themselves.[2]

In the present day, the yumekui-baku are gradually integrating into human society. One of their more prominent members, Yumemizuki Mizuki, has recently become a major shareholder of Aisa Bathhouse, and now works as a clinical psychologist there along with a number of her kin.

Known Yumekui-Baku[]

Playable Characters[]

Yumemizuki MizukiAnemo Mizuki

Other Characters[]

4 Characters match the category selection:

Trivia[]

  • All yumekui-baku seem to have the belly stripe characteristic of the Malayan tapir.
  • Yumekui-baku cannot access the dreams of people in Sumeru, as the Dendro Archon holds authority over all dreams within Sumeru's borders.[14]

Etymology[]

  • The yumekui-baku are based on the Japanese baku, a yōkai of the same name.

Other Languages[]

LanguageOfficial Name
EnglishYumekui-baku
Chinese
(Simplified)
食梦貘
Shímèng Mò
Chinese
(Traditional)
食夢貘
Shímèng Mò
Japanese夢喰い獏
Yumekui Baku
Korean바쿠
Baku
SpanishBaku
FrenchBaku dévoreurs de rêves
RussianЮмэкуй-баку
Yumekuy-baku
Thaiบากุเขมือบฝัน
VietnameseYumekui-baku
GermanYumekui-Baku
IndonesianYumekui-baku
PortugueseYumekui-baku
TurkishYumekui-baku
ItalianYumekui-baku

Change History[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Book: Glimpses of Mysterious Inazuma, Vol. 2
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Yumemizuki Mizuki's Character Story: Character Story 2
  3. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: More About Yumemizuki Mizuki: I
  4. 4.0 4.1 Story Quest, Yumemizuki Mizuki, Tapirus Somniator Chapter: Act I - Dream Eater's Melancholia, Part 1: Encounter in the Realm of Dreams
  5. 5.0 5.1 Yumemizuki Mizuki's Character Story: Vision
  6. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: More About Yumemizuki Mizuki: IV
  7. 7.0 7.1 Story Quest, Yumemizuki Mizuki, Tapirus Somniator Chapter: Act I - Dream Eater's Melancholia, Part 2: Crisis at the Aisa Bathhouse
  8. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: About Us: Sweet Dreams
  9. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: Birthday
  10. Story Quest, Yumemizuki Mizuki, Tapirus Somniator Chapter: Act I - Dream Eater's Melancholia, Part 3: A Deceit Called Happiness
  11. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Character Story: Character Story 4
  12. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Character Story: Character Story 1
  13. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: More About Yumemizuki Mizuki: II
  14. Yumemizuki Mizuki's Voice-Over: About Nahida