Yato (夜ト Yatō?) is one of the three protagonists of the series. Currently, he considers himself a God of Fortune, although in the past he has been labeled as being a God of War, a God of Calamity and the God of Depravity.
Appearance
Yato appears to be a VERY handsome young man who looks to be in his early twenties. He has sharp blue eyes and dark hair that is purple in the manga, but appears to be dark blue with purple streaks in light in the anime. His height is 176cm and he weighs 53kg. He is often seen wearing a navy tracksuit that has a small golden crown on the right side. He wears a pair of brown leather boots that go over his tracksuit. Yato also wears a faded blue scarf (nicknamed 'fluffy fluff scarf' by Yato himself) with tears along it around his neck. Yato's blue eyes which change in appearance depending on the emotions he feels - typically, when he is serious or angry they are slitted and reminiscent of a cat.In flashbacks of him "being" Yaboku, he is seen with a mini ponytail wearing a man kimono.
Personality
Yato is shown to be a character who is typically very playful and childish with a sneaky side to him. Yato's real name is Yaboku, which is the name he was given as a God of Calamity. Yato is very caring of those around him, even though that may not be seen so easily when first meeting him. He's very brave, risking his life for Yukine, in order to prove his point. Yato's main goals appear to be becoming extremely popular as a God, which seems to be quite a sore point for him. He will leave his number anywhere and everywhere, and is shown to be writing on different surfaces - like bathrooms, trains and walls that are easily seen. When he does do jobs, he will often either be slaying phantoms or babysitting (and similar jobs). He's very humble, creative, and very out going when it comes to being himself. He's very childish to say the least. There are times when Yato appears very serious and mysterious, for instance when he meets with Nora. Yato can also be crude and unpredictable, although it is hinted that he can also be a cruel and merciless person. This is strongly implied by Kofuku, who introduces the rumor that he once killed a Shinki and several humans (according to Daikoku, this happened a long time ago, where the rule was "kill or be killed"). This rumor was later strengthened by Bishamonten's anger towards Yato -- as it was her Shinki that he killed. Yato eventually confirms this himself to Yukine, adding that he did it "Because he wanted to." These actions might have been motivated by his need to at least exist in people's memories. (However, it was later revealed Yato was actually asked to kill by Bishamonten's lead Shinki.) Yato is seen to have a very low tolerance for weak-spirited people, and if they want to commit suicide he has little motivation to help them. This is mostly because Shinki, like Yukine, did not experience a full human life, and because they died from an accident, killing them at a young state. This low tolerance usually causes those around him to become upset.
Yato also appears very materialistic when it comes to money, when Hiyori mentions her job request he claims he'll definitely do it because he intends to keep her money and holds his bottle full of coins. He also tends to spend his money on drinking, gambling, and buying good luck trinkets, much to Yukine's dismay, to the point where he has even stolen money from Yukine, as shown in Chapter 24. In fact, in Chapter 41, when he opted to use his money to make Hiyori happy by going to Capypaland, Yukine was so happy because Yato was using his money to make someone else happy that he shed tears, causing Hiyori to pity him.
Yato will often indulge in fantasies of himself being a very successful God with more followers than any other God and lots of shrine maidens at his fingertips.Despite his aloof and often idiotic personality, Yato is a God that is seen to be quite wise and very serious when the situation requires it.
In the past, when Yato was considered to be a God of Calamity, his nature was extremely ruthless and cruel. However, his personality seems to have altered to a more optimistic standard through Sakura's influence. Due to Sakura's influence, he becomes more reluctant to murder and even in the present when he is forced to take on less savory jobs by his father that involve murdering people (usually other murderers or sinful people) he regrets it and wants to cut himself off from killing people. He also used to be much stronger in the past, according to Rabō.
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Yato as the God of Depravity
In Chapter 40, Fujisaki Kouto revealed that Yato is a "God of Depravity," meaning that Yato only knows how to steal and not to give, and that those people around him will suffer terribly.
Yato has expressed in Chapter 52 that his greatest wish is to simply be beside Yukine and Hiyori but understands that his Father will do whatever he can to prevent that. This shows that Yato's true desire may not simply be in being remembered and a God of Fortune but also to be with the ones he loves and to make them happy. In fact, he does show a great loyalty towards those he loves and cares for. He was angered when Hiyori was kidnapped and believed Bishamon to be behind it, to the point where he challenged her and was devastated when Yukine sacrificed himself to save Yato from Bishamon (though Yukine survived and became a hafuri vessel because of his sacrifice). He also cried when Ebisu, who acknowledged him as a God capable of making others happy, died and reincarnated and apologized sincerely to the reincarnated Ebisu, despite Ebisu saying he did nothing wrong. In fact, he cares so much for Yukine and Hiyori that he refused to tell them about his past and more about himself, including his real name, for fear that if he did they would hate and abandon him, especially since he is a god that is easily forgotten by others and, as Father has stated, has always been abandoned because he is a God of Calamity. This caused some strain on his relationship with Yukine since Yukine at times felt inferior to Nora, though Yato alleviates these fears when he releases Nora and tells Yukine to be his guidepost and light the way for him.
Relationships
Friends/Allies
Hiyori Iki
Hiyori and Yato are very close friends and throughout the series have gotten closer. Yato cares for her greatly, and when being told that cutting his ties with her could solve her problem, he is reluctant, but it appears he is willing to do it to help her, only for Hiyori to refuse. Despite the fact Yato should be helping Hiyori with her soul leaking issue, Hiyori also helps Yato out on more than one occasion. Yato, on the other hand, offers guidance to Hiyori when she's unsure about her academic future and whether she should become a doctor and inherit her family's hospital. Romantic feelings have been hinted between the two, but mainly from Yato (both in the manga and anime). After receiving his small shrine from Hiyori, there he vowed, albeit in a state of inebriation, that he will make Hiyori the happiest girl in the world. During his and Ebisu's encounter with Izanami that his image of Izanami is Hiyori, and Ebisu says that Izanami is seen differently by each person, taking the form of the person they are most comfortable with (note that Izanami was actually a mixture of Hiyori and Sakura). Hiyori is also the one to save him from Izanami after saying his "real" name. When Hiyori was about to turn into an Ayakashi in the Hospital Arc, Hiyori asks Yato to kill her. Yato refuses to do so because she has a precious life with people who care deeply about her. During the matchmaking ceremony, Kofuku playfully ties his and Hiyori's plaques together, hinting at a potential romantic relationship. However, it's stated that any match Kofuku makes usually ends in misfortune and disaster, so this may be an indication of future hardships between them.
Yukine
When first introduced, Yukine is rather cold towards Yato, and he seems to enjoy putting Yato down. As Yukine continues to sting Yato and cause problems for him, he refuses to get rid of Yukine and puts up with the pain, until Daikoku steps in to punish Yukine. Hiyori states that Yato is like a father to Yukine and that he had done so much for him, putting up with his sins and blights he didn't want to let him go, greatly affecting him. This may relate to how Yukine had his own issues with his father so the fact Yato acted like a father had a profound effect on him. After that, Yukine becomes less cold against Yato, showing more loyalty and care to his master. This was shown especially when Yukine had fed himself to save Yato from Bishamon; it blessed himself to save Bishamon from Yato. It was only a rare honor to protect the sacred ship, even to the loyal Shinki who wanted to put his own name. However, it is known that there are still some minor battles because of some misconceptions about not telling the true name of Nora or Yato. After Yato tells Yukine about the past and everything about his father, he vows to help Yato to never kill anyone again and help him become the God of Fortune by killing the cataclysm before he strikes. To do this, Yukine is very strict against Yato and plans daily routines of killing at least 100 phantoms, and he gives up spending money with his lucky charms. He wants to be really grateful to him (as Yato has pointed out) and to be successful as a Fortune God, although he is still pretty sweet to Yato. The above is the safety of the master of number one priority, and this implies that the only way to protect Yato is to be ready to let Bishamon die Yato also says that Yukine is "even better" as Yukine and Yukine's relationship is often referred to as "my child" as a father and son calling him "atonement" and "joy and pride" a face ".
Kofuku
Kofuku is Yato’s trusted friend despite being introduced as his girlfriend. This trust is displayed when Yato tells Hiyori to come to Kofuku should anything happen to him. Kofuku supports Yato throughout the story; this support ranges from actively aiding battles, using her ability to create phantom vents that serve as an escape mechanism for Yato, to more passive support activities such as letting Yato and his Shinki crash at her house or betting against him in tough situations (which, as a goddess of poverty, increases Yato’s luck).
Daikoku
Daikoku can be a little rough with Yato sometimes. He doesn't like it when Yato is too close to Kofuku or when he's crashing over at their house doing nothing. Yato playfully calls him "Mom" while acting like a freeloader son. Despite of their antics, they're actually very close friends. During Yomi arc, Kazuma actually refers to Daikoku as Yato's "best friend". He was also one of the Shinki to attend Yato's purification ceremony when Yukine had to be punished. They first met each other when Daikoku approached the Calamity God to ask him to sever his ties between him and Daigo. After Yato did so, Daikoku thanked him and said he would forever be in his favor.
Sakura
Sakura was Yato's first true Shinki. Yato first met Sakura under a cherry blossom tree when she asked Yato to give her a name. Their short relationship was a happy and life-changing experience for Yato, which ended abruptly when she transformed into a Karma Ayakashi. Sakura showed the young Yato a different path of life than the one given by his father. Yato's "name", goal to become a God of Fortune and current personality is because of his time with Sakura. Overall, she could be seen to have served as a motherly figure for him. Yato still mourns her death every spring when the cherry blossom trees bloom.
Neutral/Allies
Bishamonten
Bishamonten has a hate for Yato and seeks revenge for Yato killing her Shinki. She has spent decades hunting him, always desiring to end him and anyone who happens to be acquainted with him. Her hatred of him drives her to be reckless and rash in many occasions. After the truth behind the slaughter of the Ma clan is made known to her, she lets go of her grudge against him, albeit the two still have a rocky relationship. She later reveals that the cause of her hatred toward Yato is that such an unknown God like him saved her life twice and she feels guilty for not being able to save two of her Shinki clans. While the two still exchange barbs and punches with each other, they are more civil and have even worked to attain common goals. Some tensions reemerge when she learns Yato is related to the sorcerer that caused both Ebisu and Tsuguha's death, but she has referred to him as one of her few allies. Yato has recently gone so far as to talk back against the Heavens in order to protect her, showing he does actually care for her as a friend despite their rivalry. Yato refers to her as "psycho bitch" ("crazy chick" in the anime), but also as his "drinking buddy".
Kazuma
Kazuma sees Yato as his benefactor due to the fact that Kazuma requested Yato to kill the Ma clan to prevent Bishamon from dying, sparking Bishamonten's vendetta against Yato. Ever since, Kazuma has felt indebted to Yato, doing things like supporting his strange antics or attending Yukine's purification, all of it behind Bishamon's back. The fact that Kazuma was willing to risk his precious relationship with Bishamon for this proves how much Kazuma appreciates Yato. In chapter 58, Yato refers to Kazuma as his benefactor for taking care of him over the years just as how Kazuma referred to him as his benefactor by killing the Ma clan. Yato also defends Kazuma's attempt to forcefully solicit information from Yukine by saying he was only doing it to protect his master, Bishamon.
Mayu
Mayu is Yato's previous Shinki before Yukine. While she served under Yato, her name was Tomone and she took the form of a small dagger. Mayu often complains about Yato and about how miserable she was when she lived with him. Now serving Tenjin, Mayu is still a valuable ally for Yato and also risked her life to purify Yukine to save him.
Tenjin
Tenjin is the God of Academics and has many shrines over the country. While homeless, Yato sometimes sleeps in Tenjin's shrines to stay safe from phantoms since shrines are sacred grounds. Tenjin likes to tease Yato and his way of living, often bragging about how much money and worshippers he has compared to him. Nonetheless, he does give Yato jobs so that he can earn some money, even though Yato claims it's just stupid jobs he doesn't want to do himself. He has also helped Yato on a few occasions, the most significant case being when he allowed Yato to use his shrine to access Takamagahara to rescue Hiyori when she was kidnapped by Kugaha.
Ebisu
Yato first met the God of Fortune Ebisu when he asked Yato to sell Yukine to him because he was interested in getting a Blessed Regalia. He even suggested sharing Yukine, implying that he became a stray. Yukine ended up rejecting the offer after he became Yato's guidepost. Afterwards, the two met once again when Nora told Yato that Father wanted him to save Ebisu from the underworld. Because of this, Yato became Ebisu's bodyguard of sorts in the Underworld. There, Ebisu told him that he believed Yato could be the kind of God that could bring happiness to other people, inspiring Yato to become a God of Fortune. Likewise, Yato inspired Ebisu to value his own life and his present incarnation, instead of throwing many of his lives away to attain a goal. Even though their time together was short, their new friendship was enough to prompt Yato to decide to save Ebisu because he wanted to, and not because his father told him so.
After Ebisu reincarnates, Yato is at first apprehensive of the new Ebisu and tells him to go away. However, he later takes him to the Olive Ken, a restaurant the previous Ebisu frequented. The two remain close throughout the series and they meet frequently to discuss current matters. Yato is often very protective of little Ebisu, making sure his shoes are always tied so that he doesn't trip, or that he values his life over his goals. Despite Ebisu's young age, Yato also confides some of his insecurities to him, who in turn gives him advice when Yato has some identity crisis in his new path as a God of Fortune.
Enemies
Nora
Yato is one of the many gods who have made Nora their Shinki, calling her Hiiro only when necessary. They also have the same "father", whom Yato has served in his early years. It is not known if Yato is the first god to claim her as Shinki, but it shown in the manga that the two have long been together since Yato was still a child. They have killed many people and Shinki before, and Nora was also the Shinki Yato used in killing the "ma" clan of Shinki claimed by Bishamon. Even when he has Yukine, he still uses Nora, which causes some tension between the two. Nora claims to care for Yato but ultimately disregards his feelings and frequently toys with his mind by saying how he should cut ties with Yukine since she is more useful and how human bonds are weak and people will forget him. She has even sickened Ayakashi on him as a way of punishing him. Yato himself does not like working with her, which he is forced to do by Father but has little choice in the matter. He has even stated he much prefers working with Yukine. Later on, Yato finally releases her of being his Shinki.
Father
Father is the one who gave birth to Yato through his wishes. He often ordered him and Nora to kill several humans and bring back their ears, which Yato was happy to do because Father praised him for his actions. Father seems to view Yato as a tool and does not care for his feelings, as he told Yato to tell Sakura the God's greatest secret to turn her into an Ayakashi and kill her, because she was changing Yato into a kinder person who began to think twice about his killing. Father has lived for several years through divine possession and it is through him that Yato is still alive because if a God is forgotten they die and Father is the only human who has been able to remember Yato for several years. Father enjoys teasing Yato as shown when he teased about kissing Hiyori much to Yato's chagrin. He also frequently gives Yato jobs to do which involve mass murder causing Yato to disappear for long periods of time, worrying his friends. He does not care for Yato's feelings and tries to sever his relations with other people as shown through his manipulation in the murder of Sakura and in threatening Hiyori and manipulating Ayakashi to attack her family's hospital, causing everyone to go on a rampage and bombarding her family with lawsuits. Yato wishes to be free of Father's control but fears that should he end Father's life that he himself will cease to exist. Yato despises his father for the way he uses him to kill people and fulfill his means but has no choice but to conceal his identity lest he lose his "lifeline". It is even shown in chapter 60 that he used to beat up and abuse Yato in the past but Yato is incapable of doing anything against him.
Takemikazuchi
The two do not get along. Takemikazuchi was the one who murdered Ebisu so Yato is not happy at all to see him. Takemikazuchi loves to ridicule Yato and pretend he doesn't exist but is shown to be extremely jealous over the fact Yato has a blessed Shinki but not himself, especially since his lead Shinki Kiun is extremely hesistant with the idea of becoming one. He even humiliated Yato and Yukine by making them bow during the banquet which was something disgraceful for a God and his Shinki to do. He tried to spark a fight with Yato but Yukine erected a shield and proved to be superior. Takemikazuchi's desire for a blessed Shinki also comes from his role as a war God and his love for battles and disregard for people's lives, especially since he couldn't imagine how strong Kiun would be if he was a blessed Shinki since he is already one of the strongest Shinki of heaven but still lost to Kazuma who was only a nail in the beginning. He seems to want to make an enemy of Yato since he recognizes Yato as a powerful enemy and since in order to have a blessed Shinki one needs a powerful enemy. The fact that he is related to Nora and by extension Father further complicates and foreshadows the strong possibility of him being a powerful enemy in the future. This is later on proven true in chapter 61, when he orders Kiun to ignore the search for Bishamonten in order to fight Yato.
Kiun
Like with Takemikazuchi, Yato does not like Kiun because he murdered Ebisu. This is made further evident in Chapter 57 when Kiun comes to ask if Yato is on heaven's side. Yato considers not because of what they did to Ebisu and despite wanting to be a God openly states how much doesn't like heaven and how he might even rebel against them including the main goddess. However, when Kiun tells Yato if he rejects that his status as a God will be removed and his shrine taken away and how he will be reduced to a cult leader Yato quickly changes his mind, much to Yukine's Hiyori's and Ebisu's annoyance. Despite this, it is evident the two still do not trust each other and Yato makes sure to keep his guard up with both Takemikazuchi and Kiun. It is clear he will be enemies with both of them in the near future.
Skills & Abilities
- Rend (Zan): Using his Shinki, Yato is able to use this ability to exorcise and destroy Ayakashis. This ability is first seen when Yato uses Tomone to destroy the Ayakashi outside Mutsumi's school.
- Master Swordsman: Since Yato is a God of War he is very skilled in the art of combat, such as swordsmanship.This is clearly proven when he has fought against Takemikazuchi (who is known for his amazing skills in combat), and won, as shown in chapter 67 of the manga.
- Severance (Zetsu): Yato, using his Shinki, has the ability to sever the ties of people, be it with other humans, gods, or specific memories in general. It has been implied that he specializes in this ability.
- Teleportation: Yato is able to teleport to any location he has an active connection to. If he is currently on the phone with someone, he is able to teleport to the caller's location. Also, once he has his own shrine, his shrine's connection to Heaven allows him to teleport there freely. This ability is used by Yato in order to get from job to job more quickly. He has also used this ability to reach Hiyori quickly when she calls him. Three notable examples of this ability are when she expresses her doubt of his godhood, when she claims to have found a Shinki for him, and when she calls during the attack on Iki General Hospital.
- Divine Possession: Yato is capable of controlling human body by temporarilly substituting/taking over the soul. As possession is performed one could catch sight of two visual notable changes: the possessed person will have little golden crown sitting on his/her head and Yato's eyes.
Known Shinki
| Given Name | Vessel
Name |
Human Name | Weapon Name | Status | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiiro | Hi | Hiiro | Hiki | Released | Katana with a wooden hilt, the blade of which can turn into water |
| Sakura | Ou | Sakura | Ouki | Deceased | Kusungobu |
| Tomo | Han | Tomone | Hanki | Released | Dagger |
| Yuki | Setsu | Yukine | Sekki | Current | Katana with bandages as hilt Katana and wakizashi set with bandages as hilt (as a Blessed Regalia) |
- Unnamed male Shinki (status unclear), seen in a flashback in God of Calamity.
- Unnamed Shinki (status unclear), mentioned in chapter 63.5.
Trivia
- It is revealed that Yato's real name is actually Yaboku (夜卜?). Yaboku contains the kanji ya (夜 night) and boku (卜 divination). Sakura mistakenly read 卜 as the katakana ト to because of the similarities, thus giving the well known alias name Yato.
- His English theme song is "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds.
- Yato's expressions and portrayal often mimic that of a cat. His pupils are also shown as a slit much of the time, especially when he's angry.
- His exact age is unknown, however historical references in flashback chapters date the earliest ones to the Heian era, which would make Yato at least 1000 years old.
- He is shown to be a skilled tailor in both Shuuishuu and the main continuity. In Shuuishuu he gives Yukine a hand-made sweater and gives Hiyori a hand-made dress. In the main series, he works a loom to make formal attire for both himself and Yukine for Kamuhakari.
- In episode 12, he has shown talent as an artist. This seems to be true in the manga, considering he did sell doujinshi in the past and was shown drawing a fairly accurate picture of Hiyori in chapter 53, albeit with wings and naked.
- Yato has rather sweaty hands, as both Tomone/Mayu and Yukine have complained about how sweaty his hands are. He is shown to be rather sensitive about this topic.
- He is shown cross dressing in chapters 48 and 52.
- His character song is Tsukiyo no Fune.
- Yato refers the thing around his neck as 'Fluffy Fluff Scarf'.
- Yato seems to have athazagoraphobia which is the fear of being forgotten, ignored, or replaced. This makes sense because if he were forgotten, ignored, or replaced, he would disappear.
- Yato seems to have a perverted side, as shown when he drew a picture of Hiyori naked with wings in chapter 53 and when he groped Sakura in chapter 46 of the manga.
- After saving Bishamon, Yato is known in Heaven as Amagiri no Mikoto which means "He who rends Heaven" (Chapter 72).
- He was also believed to be part of the organisation called "Nudist".