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Tsuchigumo

Tsuchigumo

(土蜘蛛, Tsuchigumo)

Personal Data

Gender

Gender Male Male

Birthdate

Astrological Sign Sagittarius December 1

Species

Yōkai

Height

750 cm7.5 m <br />24.606 ft <br />295.276 in <br />

Weight

1,400 kg3,086.471 lb <br />

Voice Actors

Japanese

Jūrōta Kosugi

Debut

Manga

Nurarihyon no Mago Chapter #82

Appears in

Anime and Manga

Tsuchigumo known as "an ayakashi one must never encounter,"[1] is a Kyoto yōkai who holds no real alliance to Hagoromo Gitsune. He is often likened to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and plague.

Appearance[]

A monstrous figure with multiple arms, Tsuchigumo towers over yōkai and human alike. Though he originally had six arms[2], by the time he faces Rikuo, he is down to four - which is further reduced to three after his defeat. He has long red hair and his face has the appearance of a gruesome horned mask.

Personality[]

He seeks a good fight and a strong opponent, regardless of race, size, or gender. Finding a worthy adversary drives him into a frenzy, and those who can best him in battle (or even just significantly wound him) earn his respect. He treats potential opponents as fodder until they prove themselves, but once he gets serious, he is an abominable force. He also appears to have a masochistic streak, as evidenced by his behavior when Rikuo shatters one of his arms and his desire to try and withstand Hiruko's ultimate technique despite Yura's warning to the contrary.

History[]

Hidemoto tricks tsuchigumo

Hidemoto tricks Tsuchigumo into being sealed

1,000 years ago, Tsuchigumo first battled the Nue. He continued to exist through the Genpei War (roughly 800 years ago) and the Sengoku era (roughly 500 years ago), both of which he claims left him bored.[3] 400 years ago, following Hagoromo Gitsune's death, Tsuchigumo rampaged through Kyōto for about a month before growing tired of everything. Hidemoto tricked him into entering a deep sleep and sealed him beneath Sōkoku-ji.[4]

Synopsis[]

Kyōto Arc[]

Once Hagoromo Gitsune removes the seal from Sōkoku-ji, she and her followers are surprised when Tsuchigumo leaps out from beneath it. She automatically assumes he will join her ranks, but he asserts that he has no real reason to follow her - unless he'll be able to fight strong opponents in the process. Kidōmaru assures him that strong opponents will be coming, leading Tsuchigumo to join the Kyōto yōkai. Shortly after Rikuo's forces arrive in Kyōto, Tsuchigumo senses them to be the "strong fighters" of whom he had been informed and decimates them. When Rikuo continues to get up despite being badly injured and reverting to human form, Tsuchigumo takes Tsurara captive as bait to ensure that Rikuo will return to battle him again after growing stronger.

When their second battle occurs, Rikuo performs his matoi technique with Tsurara, slicing off one of Tsuchigumo's arms. The latter then goes into a frenzy at having found a strong opponent and creates a boxing ring-like enclosure out of reinforced spider silk, in which he traps Rikuo and himself. Their battle resumes, and Tsuchigumo is surprised that Rikuo can withstand his attacks. Eventually, the fight ends when Rikuo uses matoi with Itaku and slices Tsuchigumo's body down the middle. This isn't enough to kill him, however, but he is satisfied with the sheer amount of damage Rikuo was able to inflict - comparing the fight to the time he battled the Nue. After providing Rikuo with the information on the Nue's true identity, Tsuchigumo stitches up his body and decides to sleep until the Nue's birth.

He later reappears once the Nue has been born and prevents Ryūji from sealing it while it is still in its infant stage. After the Nue is fully revived, Tsuchigumo engages it in battle but is easily defeated and subsequently dragged into the depths of hell.

Tsuchigumo resurfaces at the ruins of Nijō Castle and, upon noticing Yura, asks her about the war against Seimei. Satisfied upon learning that it hasn't begun yet, Tsuchigumo decides to go back to his home in Aso, Kyushu to bathe in an onsen and restore his arms to their original number. As it has been a thousand years since he was last home, he abducts Yura, taking her with him as a guide. When they arrive in Kyushu, both are stunned by how eerily quiet and decrepit the area seems. They are soon accosted by Hiruko riding a monstrous snake shikigami - who Tsuchigumo manages to pummel hard enough that even Hiruko is startled upon seeing the resulting blood. The battle between them comes to a head when Hiruko decides to use his ultimate technique to wipe out both Tsuchigumo and his passenger. Upon realizing the nature of Hiruko's technique, Yura unsuccessfully tries to convince Tsuchigumo to flee. Instead, Tsuchigumo opts to take the attack head-on - and one of his dismembered arms can be seen lying on the ground afterward.[5] A short time later, a group of Tsuchigumo from the Tsukumo Yakō chide him for his choice of actions and for having left a thousand years ago - however, Tsuchigumo himself appears to have been severely affected by Hiruko's technique.

Weapons & Abilities[]

Tsuchigumo attacks primarily through close combat. He uses his massive body to mow down opponents with brute force, making it easy for him to decimate large groups in a short span of time. While he prefers to pummel his opponents, he can also kick and stomp if needed. His multiple arms allow him to carry things as heavy as pillars with ease and use them as bludgeons. Additionally, despite appearances, he is quite agile in combat. His species is known to draw power from the earth, therefore being capable of gaining power if he sets foot on the ground, and can recover if he buries himself, although severe wounds take a considerable time. He states that he is weaker when reduced on his number of arms.

Abilities[]

  • Spider Web: He is capable of spitting large amounts of strong spider silk from his mouth, which can be used to create enclosures. This silk is incredibly resilient and elastic and can even withstand Tsuchigumo's own attacks. It appears to be weak against ice, however, as Tsurara's attack managed to damage it.

Techniques[]

  • Revolving Asura Arm (回転阿修羅腕, kaiten ashura kaina) is a technique whereby Tsuchigumo spins his entire body to accumulate a massive amount of torque energy. This energy is then released as a downward punch which makes use of the sheer momentum of Tsuchigumo's body. The technique is strong enough to significantly injure a shikigami even larger than Tsuchigumo himself.

Trivia[]

  • He tied with Masatsugu for 43rd place in the second character popularity poll with 60 votes.
  • Tsuchigumo despises having to rely on the Earth to give himself strength. It's the reason he's always squatting and standing on his toes.

References[]

  1. Nurarihyon no Mago manga; Chapter 94, page 17
  2. Nurarihyon no Mago manga; Chapter 193
  3. Nurarihyon no Mago manga; Chapter 111, page 8
  4. Nurarihyon no Mago manga; Chapter 95, page 11
  5. Nurarihyon no Mago manga; Chapter 195, page 6
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