| Cold-Blooded Umewakamaru! | |
 | |
| Kanji | 梅若丸、無残! |
| Romaji | Umewakamaru, Muzu! |
| Season | 1 |
| Episode No. | 8 |
| Adapted From | Chapters 15, 16 |
| Arc | Gyūki Arc |
| Airdate | |
|---|---|
| Japanese | August 24, 2010 |
| Music | |
| Opening | Fast Forward |
| Ending | Sparky☆Start |
| Chronology | |
| Previous Episode | Darkness Moves on the Night of the New Moon |
| Next Episode | Gyūki's Beloved Nura Clan |
| List of Nurarihyon no Mago Episodes | |
Cold-Blooded Umewakamaru! (梅若丸、無残!, Umewakamaru, Muzu!) is the eighth episode of the Nurarihyon no Mago anime.
Summary[]
A flashback to the previous episode shows Rikuo walking up the stairs of Mount Nejireme and confronting Gyūki. Rikuo asks Gyūki what he’s thinking. Gyūki reveals he had been waiting for his arrival and that he is just like Supreme Commander Nurarihyon, able to appear wherever he wants elusively. Rikuo asks why Gyūki wants to kill him, even though his prudence causes him to move at a snail's pace, and if he ordered Kyūso to do so too. Gyūki ignores his question and asks him if his day form recognizes him. Rikuo asks Gyūki why he's so concerned about himself, to which Gyūki pulls out his sword, putting it up against Rikuo's neck. Rikuo appears in front of Gyūki's face, claiming he too had been wishing his human form would recognize him since he became aware of his blood. Rikuo pulls out his own sword and the two initiate a sword fight. Rikuo declares that he will become the Third Heir of the Nura Clan and puts his sword up against Gyūki's neck, claiming he could cut his neck if he felt like it. Gyūki fends him off and two end up putting their swords up against each others necks. Gyūki demands Rikuo answer his questions or else he will cut off his ears and arms. Illusions of Hebidayu and Kyūso appear around them, questioning Rikuo if he is ready to take on his position as Third Heir. The illusions attempt to attack Rikuo, but Rikuo slices them and they disappear. Rikuo asks Gyūki what he will do after he kills him. Gyūki claims he will kill himself after killing him. The two deliver their coup de graces on each other. In a lightning flash, severe bleeding can be seen among them.
The scene switches to Kyōto several centuries earlier, in a time when the area was struck frequently by natural disasters and war, causing the city to become impoverished, as narrated by Gyūki. Gyūki introduces Yoshidano Shosho Korefusa, a high-ranking noble and his wife, Hanako. Hanako had been unable to conceive a child, so they had set out for a Hiyoshi Gongen shrine in the province of Ōmi to pray for a blessing from the miracle shrine. For a while, Hanako remained barren until one night, during her sleep. A pink orb from the shrine floats its way into Kyōto into Hanako's mouth. The next day, Hanako tells Korefusa of her dream last night, where she claims she experienced a scent of plums one moment during her sleep. The two treat it as an omen for their first child.
Sure enough, the following spring, a baby boy was born, naming him Umewakamaru. As a 7-year-old, Umewakamaru is seen to be living in a happy family. Suddenly, his father, having been involved in a political strife, passes away. Umewakamaru, carried by Hanako in front of a camp fire, promises to train hard and protect her when he grows up.
Umewakamaru training.
Hanako remarried in order to survive. Umewakamaru was thus sent to the monastery at Mount Hiei, where he trained hard under his promise to protect his parents. He was seen as a talented prodigy. As a 12-year-old, having been informed of Hanako's illness, Umewakamaru became so obsessed with seeing his mother that he abandoned his studies and his future, running away from the monastery.
Umewakamaru facing the original Gyūki.
Having ran off for so long, Umewakamaru becomes exhausted under the hot sun and rests under a tree next to a road. Two women, claiming to be Hanako's attendants, wake him up and feed him a peach. They tell him that Hanako is resting in a mansion on Mount Nejireme and guide him there. In the middle of the stairs up Mount Nejireme, the two women leave him as prey for a yōkai. Desparate to see his mother again, Umewakamaru runs away from the yōkai onto a cliff. The yōkai, having read his mind, shows Umewakamaru his mouth, where Hanako can be seen getting swallowed. Crying and screaming, Umewakamaru jumps into the yōkai's mouth, letting it swallow him as the two women stare at him from far off, laughing at him. Suddenly the yōkai falls off the cliff and gets stabbed through a tree top. The two women call the yōkai, revealing it to be the original Gyūki. After their calls, a figure bursts out of the former yōkai's corpse in front of the two women, revealed as Umewakamaru holding his mother’s corpse. He curses the gods, Buddha, and the world that took his parents away from him, promising to become a demon that wreaks havoc on humans to mourn the loss of his parents. The two women, desperate to live, pretend to be grateful to Umewakamaru for exterminating the original Gyūki. Umewakamaru does not accept the women's gratitude and consumes them as they scream.
Since then, Umewakamaru had constantly been attacking humans and gathering the yōkai in the area, whom began to recognize him as Gyūki. Several centuries later, after Gyūki had long forgotten about his parents, his clan was confronted by a Hyakki Yakō, led by a younger Supreme Commander Nurarihyon. A fog envelops the path of the Hyakki Yakōas they approach Mount Nejireme. There, the Hyakki Yakō, including the original Yuki Onna (Setsura), original Aotabō and original Nurarihyon are seen easily slaughtering the Gyūki Clan yōkai in large numbers. A larger Karasu Tengu is seen battling Gyūki and his minions. The battle lasted for three days and three nights until Supreme Commander Nurarihyon trounced Gyūki.
Nurarihyon exchanging sakazuki with Gyūki.
After the battle Nurarihyon visits Gyūki in his partially destroyed mansion, revealing himself in the same spot where his grandson would reveal himself. Gyūki, just like in his encounter with Rikuo, is seen sitting in front of the Buddha statue. Nurarihyon praises Gyūki for his strength and talent and gives him an offer to join his clan. Gyūki, shocked at his offer, turns around to look at him. Nurarihyon says he’ll give him two days to decide. Two days later, Gyūki finds the Nura Clan partying at the foot of the mountain. The yōkai stare at him as he approaches Nurarihyon. Setsura tries to guard him, but Nurarihyon calls her off. Gyūki exchanges sakazuki with Nurarihyon, pledging his loyalty to the Nura Clan. Narrating the event, Gyūki claims Nurarihyon tested him by throwing himself at him, beating him, then acknowledging him. Nurarihyon is seen saying something to Gyūki, something Gyūki professes he will never forget.
Next episode preview[]
Rikuo's human form asks his yōkai form what his age is. His yōkai form replies that yōkai don't concern themselves with age. His human form reminds him that they'll become old like their grandpa Nurarihyon someday. His yōkai form yells at his human form not to say that. His human form has proven his point right in that even his yōkai form worries about aging.
Characters in order of appearance[]
- Rikuo Nura
- Gyūki
- Hebidayu (illusion)
- Kyūso (illusion)
- Yoshidano Shosho Korefusa (flashback)
- Hanako (flashback)
- Original Gyūki (flashback)
- Setsura (flashback)
- Nurarihyon (flashback)
- Ōmukade (flashback)
- Karasu Tengu (flashback)
- Gozumaru (flashback)
- Mezumaru (flashback)
- Hitotsume Nyūdō (flashback)
- Mokugyo Daruma (flashback)
- Gagoze (flashback)
- Hihi (flashback)
Trivia[]
- Gagoze does not appear among the illusions attempting to attack Rikuo. The anime series had not mentioned the storyline within the first chapter of the manga series until Episode 14. However, he still appears among Supreme Commander Nurarihyon’s Hyakki Yakō.
- The misnaming of the series as Nurarihyon: Rise of the Yokai Clan is avoided in this episode's next episode announcement on the version subtitled by Viz Media, unlike within the two preceding episodes and the two following episodes. However, when the next episode is announced, the subtitles are displayed as such:
Next time on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan:<BR />"Gyuki's Beloved Nura Clan" This indicates misuse of XHTML coding which, if done correctly, would otherwise allow the subtitles to be properly displayed like this:Next time on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan:
"Gyuki's Beloved Nura Clan"