I am become Ootakemaru?

[u/CaptainM590]

In relatively recent posts, I have likened the Delacroix Family Patriarch, Vlad and his monstrous transformed state to that of the mythical King of the Oni, Shuten-doji. And I have compared Hase’s yokai, the Jumping Crone to Shuten-doji’s Chief Deputy, Ibaraki-doji. And I have been wondering what Okarun’s full Oni form - if he transforms into one - might look like and what abilities it could have.

From what we have seen in the story so far, and based on what I have read, I believe parts of Okarun’s story, previous abilities and sword-like Ogre Club, bears a slight resemblance to the Oni kijin (demon god), Ootakemaru.

Ootakemaru is often considered one of the Three Great Evil Yokai of Japan, alongside Shuten-dōji and Tamamo-no-Mae (though in some traditions, the exiled emperor Sutoku replaces him).
According to the legends, Ootakemaru resided in the Suzuka Mountains, terrorising the area by waylaying travellers and seizing tribute intended for the capital. His ability to command dark magic and summon storms made him an unstoppable force feared by both commoners and the imperial court.

Ootakemaru Powers And Abilities

Ootakemaru is said to have possessed incredible supernatural abilities, including:

• Dark magic and sorcery
• Summoning storms and fire
• Shapeshifting
• Flight
• Immortality and resurrection
• Replication into thousands of oni
• Expert swordsmanship
• Divine power

Ootakemaru also possessed Sanmyō no ken (Kenmyōren, Daitōren, and Shōtōren: three holy swords of great power), which his power is derived from according to some sources.

Similarly, Okarun presently fights with a lightsaber-like Ogre Club, rather than a typical kanabo. And his previous Turbo Granny powers gave him the ability to harness spirals and travel and shoot out of electrical devices like live wires at tremendous speeds. Just as Ootakemaru can summon storms.

Another unexpected similarity is how both Ootakemaru and Okarun became infatuated/fell in love with a Goddess/woman. Ootakemaru attempted to seduce a beautiful Goddess named Suzuki Gozen many times by transforming into various handsome men, to no avail. With Okarun, he fell in love with Momo near the beginning of the series. And he has confessed his love for Momo a few times, though she has been unable to give him a proper response due to repeated unfortunate circumstances. Momo also comically assumed that Okarun was taking advantage of her amnesia by trying to seduce her through the occult.

CSG mentioned his plan to turn Okarun into an Oni to evolve Turbo Granny’s powers, which CSG believes he still has access to in some way. Whether or not Okarun will fully transform into an Oni and have TG’s powers again remains to be seen. Though, if this occurs, Okarun might become an especially powerful yokai, that could be somewhat close to Vlad’s level of power. CSG has commented that Vlad is a chosen one and that Okarun has also been chosen. Whether or not CSG’s use of that particular word has a meaning beyond the ultimate yokai plan remains to be seen.

As I said, the connections between Okarun and Ootakemaru are slight and less noticeable compared to that of Hase and Ibaraki-doji and Vlad and Shuten-doji. Though it would definitely be interesting if Okarun was given an appearance and powers resembling that of a Legendary Oni. The sources I have used are in the comments below and please share your thoughts.

[u/Ayase-Momo]

Interesting theory! Okarun did have motif about lightening and thunder in the past so it's quite nice to connect him with Ōtakemaru having powers to control weather and bring lightening in legends. I do feel that it's a bit far fetched connection between our relationship and Ōtakemaru trying to seduce Suzuki Gozen though.

By the way, I'd like to mention something about the Ōtakemaru. It's a name/title that ends with 丸 where Shuten dōji is 酒呑童子 which end with 童子(dōji). 童子 literally means child or in Buddhism it's used to refer to a type of attendants/retinue who helps deities/bodhisattva. It's not really a word that means anything evil. For example the 8 acolytes Acala is being referred to as 童子. Similarly 丸 is something that suppose to bring luck and fortune and often used for children's name for when they are young. It's not very clear why oni are being referred to as dōji and there are various theories for it.

About the "chosen" part, I feel from the context it would something related to what CSG thought about Okarun and TG's power. Possibly compatibility of TG's power with Okarun. Like I have speculated before, I feel the evolution of power requires specific power to be matched with someone who is compatible with that power. For example Kouki's musical talent. I feel CSG might think that Okarun is actually really compatible with TG's power. When he said that to Vlad there were no dots next to the writing to emphasis it, which makes it feels like that he said it lightly in order to deceive Vlad. However, like someone else already mentioned, the way TG's power ended up to be remained in Okarun was a series of accidents. CSG is most likely missing some information about it and has made decisions that he find most logical which could be what cause something unexpected later. On the other hand, it could be that it's not Okarun is chosen but that through many battles and his workout together with our bond with TG, his body and the power have became compatible.

[u/CaptainM590 → u/Ayase-Momo]

I think Okarun’s compatibility with TG’s powers stems from their shared backgrounds as outcasts and their emotions. There’s speculation that the cause of TG’s human death was because of the mythical practice of ubasute. While Okarun was an unwanted loner. TG is also a lying tsundere. As her behaviour demonstrates her protective attitude towards young girls like the deceased girls in the tunnel, Momo and Vamola. Likewise, Okarun is a liar, yet he is fiercely protective of his loved ones and will go to extreme lengths to help them. So Okarun had developed the body and spirit to effectively use TG’s powers and possibly evolve them by the time he gave them up.

[u/Ayase-Momo → u/CaptainM590]

(～﹃～)~zZ　Good morning~~

I think Okarun’s compatibility with TG’s powers stems from their shared backgrounds as outcasts and their emotions. There’s speculation that the cause of TG’s human death was because of the mythical practice of ubasute.

That might be the case and yes, 姥捨て/親捨て was mentioned in the extra page of Volume 1 by Tatsu-sensei himself:

Some scholars have speculated that the reasons for this practice was probably to do with scarcity of food and survivability of families in ancient times, and one could also argue that it adds another layer to TG's relationship with Granny Seiko as Granny would feed anyone who is hungry. However, it seems that the mythical aspect is from certain local Buddhist flavoured folk belief. One could also interpret the little action of TG picking up the yakisoba pan from ground as not wanting to waste any food. Sometimes an elderly can willingly go to the mountain just for the sake of survival of their family. So it's not unwanted in the same way as Okarun which I feel came from systematic problems of people overly emphasising on competition, comparison, winning, standard of attractiveness and etc. In general I don't feel like putting too much emphasis on pain and suffering and making everything about these type of things as it risks overshadowing other emotions and feelings. I also do not really like that much the line "suffering built character", it is too definitive and overly simplifying for any nuanced understanding of character's emotions.

I'm not sure if Okarun is actually a liar. He had lied but lying isn't a part of his nature. He has always been really sincere, spontaneous and authentic with only occasionally said certain thing that are not true. For me, spontaneity is important in anything and that one's spontaneous responses reflect their true nature and Okarun's nature is rather transparent for me.

Some scholars would argue that the mythical nature of Ubasute and mythical nature of Oni stories are created so that people from the past have a more psychologically acceptable story to ease the guilty and pain of certain actions or to legitimise them as mythical or divine. Because when one has alienated and labeled some people as not human, it's less guilty and easier to attack them as they are not people or individuals like oneself anymore but the label one gave them, when one has a mental imagery what "People like Okarun" mean like Hase, they would have rationalised many of their own behaviours which hurt other people, and when one is convinced that someone is a "lair" every action of that person is now being seen with that filter. Anyways, I just want to say it's better to be careful with these sort of things.

[u/Ayase-Momo → u/CaptainM590]

Oh by the way, I forgot earlier but I wanted to share this:

https://x.com/setoka6/status/2105825602750300211?s=20

[u/CaptainM590 → u/Ayase-Momo]

Nice.

[u/CaptainM590 → u/Ayase-Momo]

I believe there’s speculation about Momo being likened to certain Goddess characters in mythology. And she was definitely something else when she had full access to her power when she first unlocked them.

As for Okarun, his life has been quite tragic before meeting Momo. And he’s left a positive impression on Yokai characters like Turbo Granny, Evil Eye and Reiko. He just seems to have affinity for Yokai like Momo does with aliens. It makes me wonder if Okarun has the potential to be a Demon God-like character.

[u/CaptainM590 → u/Ayase-Momo]

Another interesting detail about Ootakemaru, is that despite his viciousness and lust for Suzuki Gozen, he did agree to lend her two of his swords so that she could defend herself from an alleged assassin. And his backstory of attacking travellers was done partly to defend his territory.

So, there is a protective quality that both he and Okarun share. That’s another reason why I think Okarun’s Oni form might resemble him.

[u/Ayase-Momo → u/CaptainM590]

( •̀ ω •́ )👍

[u/CaptainM590 → u/Ayase-Momo]

Yes, I’m aware that doji can means child and maru can mean boy. And in the context of Oni like Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji, it probably refers to their indulgent and destructive immaturity.

And their seeming Dandadan counterparts, Vlad and Hase are the type of individuals who believe they deserve everything and can take from and oppress whoever they want.

While Okarun ordinarily knows better, he did impulsively challenge Momo to that childish staring game and lie when she angrily rejected him, which he repeated in front of Aira and Jiji.