ocean wrote:
Readydaer wrote:
Zanmu Nippaku from the 19th mainline Touhou game, Touhou Juuouen: Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghost, is
SO
DANG
COOL
what are you talking about?
a character from a videogame. Zanmu is an oni, a type of Japanese demon/ogre (anthropomorphized as a human female, albeit with small horns on her head) who was once a human monk, and has the power to control the Buddhist concept of nothingness. When she was human, she lived during the Sengoku Period, a time of much conflict and bloodshed. She thought it odd how monks were not supposed to kill and yet the highest honor in the time was to bring your enemies's heads on sticks, so she decided to kill spirits, which she thought would make her a savior.
When she realized that her path, especially the absorption of spirits, led to the loss of human status, she found the strength and wisdom to accept this and descended into Hell of her own free will, without waiting for the fall. In Hell, Zanmu soon won the respect and trust of the local oni with her talents and eloquence. The fact that she herself became one of them only helped the former monk. Although they are known for being arrogant and bossy, Zammu was not one like that. The intelligent ones gained power in Hell not by force, but by wisdom and the ability to conduct dialogue.
She was one of those who advocated the separation of the Former Hell , old and poorly functioning, as well as the creation of a new Hell. Lackluster villains can be controlled with sheer power, but smarter villains require a more subtle approach. Zanmu has mastered this art to perfection - she has the power to restore order even in quite difficult cases.
Modern Hell is perfectly balanced - the villains themselves unwittingly maintain order in this system. Zanmu can rightfully be proud of her work.
she also has a really awesome final boss theme called "The Deviants' Unobstructed Light ~ Kingdom of Nothingness"
her title is King of the Silent Bliss of Nirvana (she is not royalty)
if I remembered how to embed images here I'd show her
TL;DR a human monk decided to absorb spirits to better align with her time's culture, which resulted in her becoming an oni in Hell, but she got to the top of that metaphorical corporate ladder to become a terrifyingly intelligent leader.
OH and she's also the target of her servant's lesbian pining
I fricking LOVE Touhou
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My god. jelly donuts are so scary.