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Kami-99
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"You wanna dig out my tush-crystal, Yukine?!"
The contents of this article and/or its subpages contain manga spoilers.

Gods ( (かみ) Kami?) are spiritual beings venerated in the Shinto religion.

Description[]

Kami are believed to embody or inhabit elements of the landscape such as mountains and the sea, or forces of nature such as landslides or lightning.[1][2] According to Tenjin, kami can be thought of as nature itself merely imitating human form.[3] In some cases, kami can be the spirit of a human[4] who was deified postmortem.[5]

Dual Natures[]

Kami are said to be of two opposite minds. The Nigi-mitama ( (にぎ) (みたま) Nigimitama?, "Serene Spirit") is the peaceful side of the kami, capable of bestowing blessings to humans. The Ara-mitama ( (あら) () (たま) Aramitama?, "Raging Spirit") or Aratama ( (あら) (たま) Aratama?) is the assertive, violent side of the kami, capable of causing great destruction to the human world. Generally, humans attempt to calm the wrath of the ara-mitama through worship so that the nigi-mitama may appear.[6][7][8]

Tsuyu introduces the concept of the divine nature ( (かみ) (さが) kami no saga?), which seems to refer generally to the innate impulses that kami are subject to as a result of their dual spirits. According to her, it is the responsibility of the shinki to guide how their god makes use of their divine nature by teaching them of good, evil, and the workings of the human world.[5] However, according to Kiun, shinki must act as a tool to serve the will of both the god's serene and raging spirits– although he appears to draw a boundary for the latter if it were to cause destruction for human lives.[9]

Appearance[]

Many, but not all, gods are identical to humans in appearance. Notable exceptions include: Inari, who has fox ears and tails (but still looks mostly human); Stationmaster Tama, who is the spirit of a calico cat;[10] and Kunimi's unnamed first master, who appeared in the form of a palm-sized, faceless paper doll.[11] Gods also differ in physical age. For example, Yato was born as a child[12] but aged until he reached approximately his early twenties. Similarly, Ebisu has aged from a child[11][13] to his mid-thirties or forties.[14] Bishamonten has the appearance of a woman in her late twenties, and Tenjin that of an elderly man.

Notably, some gods have a second form they can assume. Ōkuninushi can transform into a giant spider,[15] Takemikazuchi into a lightning dragon,[16] and Yatagarasu into a three-legged crow.[17]

Duties[]

Gods are born from and through any wish made by humans. Deceased spirits can be deified through wishes, mostly in order to soothe them and prevent them from cursing humans, such as Rabo[citation needed] and Tenjin.[5]

Gods must fulfill the wishes of humans, having different natures (such as war, poverty, learning, marriage, economy, etc.). Their original wishes can be put into categories, such as conceding wishes related to fortune, calamity (dark wishes), etc. The latter isn't definite as Yato, a god of calamity who murdered people, tried to move away from that and redefine himself as a God of Fortune who prevented threats. Going as far as to show that they aren't so connected to their birth wish and can become a different kind of God than they were before.

As protectors of human fortune, gods must kill ayakashi, corrupted spirits that influence negative feelings in humans, causing them to partake in negative behaviors such as aggression and violence.

Responsibilities of a God to Their Shinki[]

After naming a shinki, the god bears the responsibility of taking the burden of all the emotions the shinki has and sins they commit. The burden the god bears is in the form of stabbing pain on the back of their neck. Other than stabbing pain, the area of the god's neck can also become infected by impurities, called blight. If the shinki continues to commit sin and no action is taken against it, the blight will spread all over the god's body, causing the god to slowly degrade and die.[18]

A god is expected to provide basic necessities and comfort for the shinki, such as shelter, clothing, food, and drink.[19] In some cases, it is also necessary to train shinki if they are still new to the Far Shore.[20] Bishamonten and Ebisu provide a salary and a certain number of paid vacation days for their shinki,[21][22] implying that this practice may be standard at least among popular gods. Heaven provides surveys for shinki to file complaints about their masters, including any instances where the god fails to meet these responsibilities. In this case, the god can be punished by the heavens.[22]

God's Greatest Secret[]

The God's Greatest Secret ( (かみ) () (ごと) Kami no Himegoto?) is a shinki's true name from when they were human. When a god names a shinki, they see fragments of the shinki's memories.[12][5] The name bestowed by the god seals these memories,[23] and it falls on the god to keep them secret. If a shinki learns their real name, the posthumous name given by the god is destroyed and the shinki becomes corrupted by negative thoughts caused by the memories of their own untimely death. Notably, it appears that gods naturally have a strong aversion against revealing the Secret to shinki, although this instinct can be ignored should they choose to.[5]

Skills & Abilities[]

Gods have common abilities, including:

  • Creation of shinki: Gods can take in wandering souls of humans who have died through tragic accidents or before they were ready to die, bestowing them new names. The souls - now shinki - can transform into objects or animals, though their form and specific abilities will depend on the master.[24] They can use the shinki to slay humans, ayakashi,[25] shinki,[26][27] or other gods.
  • Divine Possession ( (かみ) (がか) Kamigakari?): Gods are capable of controlling a human body by temporarily substituting/taking over the soul.[14]
Shrine teleportation-27

Yato teleports to Takama-ga-hara.

  • Teleportation: Once gods have their own shrines, their connection to Heaven allows them to freely teleport themselves and others between Takama-ga-hara and the living realm.[14][28] Even without a shrine, Yato has been shown to be able to teleport to different locations on the Near Shore through a phone call.[25]
  • Near invulnerability: Most means of killing a human do not work on a god. For example: Yato got struck with a large blow using an iron bar and bled, but woke up the next day fine and healthy. He was poisoned with a strong fertilizer, got shot by bullets and an arrow at his head, burning him alive and even drowning him by throwing him off a cliff. However, none of these had any effect on him aside from temporary pain.[29] Gods also seem to be invulnerable to shinki techniques, although this has only been stated in references to particular abilities rather than as a general rule. The spell Rourou is shown not to work on gods,[30] and it is said that borderlines are not enough to kill a god[16] (although they can be used in tandem to entrap one.[27]

A God's Death[]

Humans[]

Gods are born to fulfill the wishes of humans, so they naturally fade away when they stop receiving wishes and therefore lose their purpose.[14]

This doesn't necessarily mean that a God needs a large amount of followers to remember them in order for them to survive. For example, Yato has survived for centuries through his lifeline, Father, who possesses human bodies and continues to remember Yato. It it currently thought that if Father were to die, Yato would die with him.[citation needed]

Ayakashi and Blight[]

Gods can be killed by ayakashi attacking and blighting them to death.[25] Gods can also be killed by their shinki who have turned into ayakashi, be it through sin-caused blight[18] or revelation of the God's Greatest Secret.[5] Gods who name ayakashi without using the Word are also subject to this outcome, though it is extremely rare for gods to do such a thing.[31]

Shinki[]

Although shinki cannot kill a god using techniques such as borderlines[16] or spells[30] shinki can likely kill gods when wielded in their vessel form by their own master. Although an example of this has not been shown directly, Yato is said to have used the Stray to kill gods.[citation needed] It is possible that the explosion that killed Ebisu was caused by a shinki.[32] Yato also intends to use Yukine to kill Bishamonten.[33]

Illness[]

Gods can in fact get ill, though this seems to be due to the condition of their shinki. While, at times, shinki feel sad or upset or angry, it doesn't immediately blight the god but does make them feel lethargic. For example: Bishamonten felt dizzy and nauseous when her child shinki started to cry,[34] and Yato felt a pain in his heart when Yukine was distressed by the thought of Hiyori forgetting them;[35] Mayu has also stated that Yukine's state of mind affects Yato's well-being.[36] This may imply that while sins can blight the god which can spread and kill a god, negative emotions such as sadness and anger can hurt and make a god feel ill, but nothing more.

There are special medicines to suppress illness for a god. Kugaha, who has acted as Bishamon's doctor, often gave her medicine to make her feel better[35] and even temporarily make her blight go away.[37] Similarly, the previous Ebisu used to inject himself with a "sedative" drug which temporarily staved away his blight.[38]

Reincarnation[]

Even if a god is killed, the god will be resurrected through reincarnation as long as they are remembered by one or more human.[citation needed] While it does seem that the new incarnations retain their base personality and many of their habits, they do not retain memories from their previous life[13] and there are still subtle differences. For example, one reincarnation of Ebisu was interested in skiing while the next was completely disinterested[11] – but most, if not all, incarnations of Ebisu shared the habit of burying important things in a particular spot in their yard.[39]

Heavenly Gods[]

Main article: Heaven

Amatsukami ( (あま) (かみ) Amatsukami?, "Heavenly Gods") are gods who are loyal to Heaven. As gods can be born from any wish, they can still exist without being recognized by Heaven; however, unrecognized gods lack certain privileges afforded to those who are loyal. To be accepted by the Heavens, gods are firstly required to show proof that they have their own shrines.[14] It is also expected that they maintain loyalty to Amaterasu.[40] Once accepted, they can attend Divine Councils,[31] have their own plot of land in Takama-ga-hara, sell merchandise without getting into trouble, and freely travel between Takama-ga-hara and Nakatsukuni using their shrine.[14]

List of Known Gods[]

References[]

  1. Chapter 87: The Way to Darkness (Vol 22)
  2. Chapter 99: Spring and Snow (Vol 25)
  3. Chapter 79: Near Love, Far Love (Vol 20)
  4. Chapter 89: Echoes of the Word (Vol 23)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Chapter 47: Taboo (Vol 12)
  6. Wikipedia: Kami
  7. Wikipedia: Mitama
  8. Mimusubi: Nigimitama and Aramitama
  9. Chapter 67: Mine (Vol 17)
  10. Chapter 58: Messy Entanglements, Crossed Signals (Vol 15)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Chapter 73: If You Hear a Scream (Vol 19)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Chapter 46: Children at Play (Vol 12)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Chapter 38: Because I Promised (Vol 10)
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Chapter 25: When Sleeping Gods Are Provoked (Vol 7)
  15. Chapter 33: Wielder of an Iron Will (Vol 9)
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Chapter 66: Smoldering Sparks (Vol 17)
  17. Chapter 98: Natural Law (Vol 25)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Chapter 11: A Name (Vol 3)
  19. Chapter 1: The Man in the Sweatsuit (Vol 1)
  20. Chapter 5: Borderline (Vol 2)
  21. Volume 20: Getting Off on the Right Foot (Atrocious Manga omake)
  22. 22.0 22.1 Stray Stories Chapter 2: A Story of Exploring the Mind of a Shinki (Vol 1)
  23. Chapter 55: Cut x Off (Vol 14)
  24. Chapter 4: A Few Godly Perspectives (Vol 2)
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Chapter 3: Like Snow (Vol 1)
  26. Chapter 19: Prayer (Vol 5)
  27. 27.0 27.1 Chapter 20: Prayerful Oath (Vol 6)
  28. Chapter 18: Drawn Swords (Vol 5)
  29. Stray Stories Chapter 6: A Story of Conforming to Temporary Stereotypes (Vol 1)
  30. 30.0 30.1 Chapter 48: You, My Dear One (Vol 13)
  31. 31.0 31.1 Chapter 29: The Affairs of Three Realms (Vol 8)
  32. Chapter 35: Death (Vol 9)
  33. Chapter 21: Don't Go—Stay With Me (Vol 6)
  34. Chapter 16: Hell (Vol 5)
  35. 35.0 35.1 Chapter 14: Her Memories (Vol 4)
  36. Chapter 12: To Cut, or Not To Cut (Vol 4)
  37. Chapter 17: In Search of a Place to Go (Vol 5)
  38. Chapter 28: God of Calamity (Vol 8)
  39. Chapter 86: Box (Vol 22)
  40. Chapter 57: Where Loyalties Lie (Vol 15)
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