Mitsume Yazura is a three-eyed, eight-faced yokai, born when the souls of various beasts combined. Their reward could be anything, but it must have both plot and character related aspects. Yatsu-no-kami is a serpent god with a horn made of countless blades protruding from its foreheard. The Giant Toad is, as its name implies, a yokai in the form of an enormous toad. On one side feudal lords wage war against each another, and on the other the spirits of nature struggle to survive against encroaching humans. However, before he goes they tell him to journey west in hopes of lifting his curse. The hero has learned the secrets of the outside world, but their community is still suffering. Karasu Tengu, giant Tengu with wings like a crow's, has been known to humans since ancient times. They’re no longer the person they once were, but that doesn’t free them from their responsibility to their community. These allies help the hero mentally prepare for the massive change they’re about to experience by giving them a lasting connection to their community and their old self. They’re heading for the Deer God’s forest, and Ashitaka must stop Lady Eboshi from following them (The Road Back). These yokai feature elongated necks, although they are indistinguishable from regular humans when their neck is reteracted. Or is it because it confirms that without knowing this my character arc is right on track! If they overcome this challenge, they’ll have passed a critical test of the hero’s character arc. This is their home and community, and it gives the reader a baseline from which to judge their later growth. Toxic slime has a malleable body that is very resistant to attacks, so the key to repelling one is to aim for its glowing core. From there, they’ll often receive aid from a spiritual guide or from another powerful source that helps transport them home, often in the nick of time before the conflict of the Outer Journey reaches its head. Fuki is one of the four demons said to have been employed by Fujiwara no Chikata. Still, Lady Eboshi is bent on killing the Deer God once and for all. As soon as he loses his head the Deer God becomes a massive demon, consuming and killing everything it touches. It should reveal the answer they set out to find after the First Threshold. Despite how useful Campbell’s work is on its own, there have been some important additions that have not only clarified his ideas, but added new and unique interpretations. This man-eating yokai takes the shape of a snake with a woman's head. She and the wolves take him to the Deer God’s forest, where the Deer God heals him. This understanding of the hero’s Inner Journey is incredibly valuable, because almost all writers will wonder how to write a hero at some point. Ashitaka is loyal to his mission to preserve the spirituality of the forests, San resents humankind and Lady Eboshi is a self-starter only looking out for the advancement of human industry. They’ve resolved the story’s conflict and put their reward to work, helping their society proper. In the Taiheiki, Fujiwara no Chikata is described as a very powerful noble of the Heian period, who controlled the region surrounding the border of Iga and Ise. What journey does your story’s hero go on? You can find his Hero’s Journey at work in nearly every myth, novel, movie, and play out there—and, despite Campbell’s views, there’s absolutely no requirement for the hero character to be male or female. Their journeys are always ones of service and self-sacrifice. He gets caught up in a battle with samurai and discovers his cursed arm gives him increased strength, and a traveling monk tells him to seek the mountain of the Deer God to find answers. Ashitaka’s time in his ordinary world is short. Not all Yokai in the game are immediately hostile, and some are even friendly. ... Konaki-Ji ji is a yokai from the Shikoku region who takes the form of an old man. This much like the traditional First Plot Point of the Three Act Structure. Yokai taking the form of armored skeletons. At the First Threshold, the hero begins their Outer Journey, setting off from their community into the unknown world. Hellish hags are demons with a frightful countenance, and can be found living in Yomi, the Japanese underworld. When he is about to leave, however, the wolf-princess Mononoke arrives intent on killing Lady Eboshi. If you’re wondering how to write a hero of your own, Ashitaka’s journey is a great example of the hero’s character arc in action. This is the Climax of their story, where all the threads of both the Outer and Inner Journey meet. Eventually Ashitaka gives up, leaving the Deer God’s forest and Mononoke behind. Enemies in Nioh are varied and challenging, ranging from human rogues, samurai, and bandits to supernatural entities known as Yokai. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site. The final phase of the hero’s character arc sees them return to their community. The stages of that progression, the natural stages of life and growth, make up the Hero’s Journey.” — Christopher Vogler. The Snowclops are one-eyed yokai that leave behind bizarre tracks in the snow- a trail of single footprints that ends abruptly. While Eboshi hates San and the forest spirits, she keeps a garden in her town. As you might imagine, Ashitaka gets caught up between these wars, both sympathetic to the humans but deeply reverent towards the spirits. What does their society need to grow and prosper? A Tatarimokke is formed when a large number of resentful spirits coalesce to form a giant owl. Lady from the Devil May Cry series hefts around the Kalina Ann, a full-fledged machinegun/rocket launcher that happens to be larger than she is tall. Her care for the garden implies that her intention is not to ravage nature to no end, but rather to help her own people. In the process he realizes Mononoke has gone to war with the humans, and that one of the other leaders of the nature spirits is horribly wounded. However, Lady Eboshi shows him another side of the Ironworks; not only is it a shelter for the sick, but it provides safe haven for people who otherwise would face terrible abuse from those more powerful than them. The elders talk about how their bloodline is weakening, and how all the human kingdoms outside their isolated village are in decay as well. Whenever someone asks me how to write a hero, I immediately point them towards Joseph Campbell. They are formed when the elemental power of fire, water, wind, lightning or earth coalesces around the will of a dead soul. A Kamaitachi is said to ride the wind, slashing at its victim with biting gales. The Nuppeppo is a yokai that resembles a lump of flesh. Nausicaä (ナウシカ Naushika, pronounced [na.uɕika]) 1 is the princess of the Valley of the Wind. Here they’ll learn a lot about themselves, and will come face to face with the conflict they were warned about in the Call. Magatsu warriors are armored warriors and corpses that have transformed into yokai via the power of the spirit stones. In Princess Mononoke, Lady Eboshi kills the forest spirit, which is a sort of Physical God. Eventually, if they’re to succeed in the hero’s character arc, they’ll realize they must return. Once the hero has faced the first threshold and stepped outside their ordinary world, they’ve begun the next phase of the hero’s character arc. WB. Though he kills the boar, he is now cursed. Itsumade is a birdlike yokai of unknown origin. Just old-fashioned good fun: “a pig’s gotta fly” is Porco’s motto – watch him soar through the clouds! Under the influence of Spirit Stones, they metamorphose into gigantic yokai that prey on humans. Let me know in the comments! It’s finally time for them to share their newfound knowledge and skills. The plot of the story moves more quickly when Ashitaka finally reaches the Ironworks. Here they’re introduced to the conflict and pushed to engage with it. Also missing: Tesso ( the one that looks like a rat that farts all the time ) and the yokai which holds a crystal like a baby in her arms and cries and has a huge purple AOE that depletes your ki (lol sorry i dont remember the name). That evening, Ashitaka meets with the elders of his village (Meeting with the Mentor) and they tell him the curse will eat away at him, eventually killing him. The Oboroguruma is a yokai in the form of an ox carriage. This portion of their journey is all about learning. The conflict of the Outer Journey will reach a turning point, and the psychological conflict of the Inner Journey will as well. The Nightmare Bringer is thoroughly governed by its feelings of loathing, amplified a hundredfold by all the resentment absorbed into its body. In the process he enters the demon’s path and it touches his arm. Finally the hero has returned. I’ve found that many writers pick up on these character arcs subconsciously over the years, and many are shocked it’s actually an official structure when they find out! The world around Ashitaka was decaying because humans and nature were at war, so his Hero’s Journey ties into a quest to unite the two. “Heroes are symbols of the soul in transformation, and of the journey each person takes through life. Whatever it is, this stage helps push the hero to recognize reality by showing them another example of the conflict, both Inner and Outer, that they’re being called to face. Upon reaching the forest, Ashitaka saves Mononoke from certain death, but cannot stop Lady Eboshi, who kills the Deer God and steals his head. This is the hero’s darkest moment, when they’re unsure what all of this has been for and if they’re really capable of fulfilling the hero’s role. The Refusal of the Call is the immediate follow up from the Call to Adventure. Without that crucial step, their hero’s character arc is incomplete. Though appearing to be a young boy, Haku is actually a river spirit -- the "God of the Swift Amber River" (or "Spirit of the Kohaku River" in the English dub). Waira have giant bodies with a single sharp claw on each of their forelegs. This page lists all the enemies encountered in the game during exploration. They’ll likely be beat down a lot at this stage as the story shows them their weaknesses and forces them to grow. At this stage the hero is often ignorant of the outside world, but still feels a certain level of discontent.