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Rabō (蠃蚌 (らぼう) Rabō?) is one of the main antagonists of the anime. He is a God of Calamity known to have fought alongside Yato in the past. Though initially an anime-only character, he later appears in two chapters of Stray Stories Volume 3, which reveal his first meeting with Yato and the Stray.

Appearance[]

Rabō is a tall god with bright yellow eyes resembling a hawk's and shoulder-length silver/grey hair. In the anime, he only has a right eye, wearing a black beak-like mask with an eye insignia similar to those of the Stray's over the empty left socket. He wears a white kariginu with one sleeve loose over layered black and red hitoe, and purple kyahan (leg-wraps) over a red hakama. His kariginu is tied with a teal-colored sash. In Awase Kagami, he has both eyes and does not wear a mask; however, he does wear a mask on the cover art.

When channeling ayakashi, his mask is worn in the middle, and his left eye has a black sclera and red pupil.

Personality[]

Anime[]

Rabō appears to be a cautious and careful character. He carefully gauges an enemy's strength and abilities before he will personally engage in combat. He enjoys letting himself get seen very briefly, as to hint to his presence and put his target on edge. He is also a cold character, killing humans, phantoms, and gods alike (regardless of whether it's a job or a personal grudge).

Manga[]

The manga special Awase Kagami, set during Rabō's past, shows a lighter, more amicable and even playful side to his personality, as he expresses admiration towards Yato for his combat strength and invites him to drink. Rabō shows disdain and confusion towards the growing worship of foreign gods such as Bishamonten, partially due to his own followers declining as a result. He is very self-aware of his own nature, remarking that Yato's heart is 'pure and true', unlike his own, which he says is 'shrouded in darkness'. He is resigned to his fate as a God of Calamity, but expresses regret towards it, similarly to in Episode 12 of the anime. It is implied he has the desire to change his fate, shown by the final page of the manga special, where he accepts Nora's offer to fight against it.

History[]

Rabō was originally a human, however, he was reborn as a god after evil wishes were made upon his death so that he may kill again. He is a God of Calamity, and it is known that he used to take up jobs of killing phantoms, humans, and even other gods. He has awoken to fill his original position, by taking up murder requests. He also used to work with Yato to kill.

Skills & Abilities[]

  • Teleportation: Like most gods, he is able to teleport from different places in order to complete his objectives quicker. He is, however, able to teleport much quicker than Yato.
  • Summoning and Storing Ayakashi: It appears that he is able to capture a number of different phantoms and store them in a jar-like object, from which he can easily release them again.
  • Water Manipulation: Rabō was able to manipulate water and attack Yato. however, this may be an ability from his Shinki, Reiki.
    • Rabō has also used this ability to create water clones that appear to explode when they take damage.
    • Rabō can also imprison enemies in a water sphere which they can't break from the inside.
  • Hypnosis: During his fight with Yato that he is capable of hypnotizing his opponent. This was presented when he kept on saying "remember" to Yato; it almost seemed like Yato was falling unconscious until Yukine shouted Yato's name.
  • Ayakashi Absorption: Rabō has the ability to merge with phantoms as seen by him performing a chant then absorbing a storm into his left eye socket.

Known Shinki[]

  • 零姫 Furuhime / 零器 Reiki - Reiki's vessel form is a tachi with a dark red scabbard. Similarly to Hikki, Nora's sword form when used by Yato, Reiki can use a number of water-related abilities.
  • 櫛姫 Kushihime / 櫛器 Shitsuki? (Awase Kagami) - Rabō's only other known shinki, appearing as a naginata in vessel form.

Trivia[]

  • There have been many misconceptions that Rabō is actually Kugaha, Bishamonten's shinki, however, this is not the case.
  • He's very similar to Naraku, the main antagonist of the anime and manga InuYasha. Rabō in the final battle against Yato fuses with Ayakahis as Naraku fuses with Yōkais. Rabō has a past with Yato, and Naraku has a past with Inuyasha, and the context is almost the same since both of the past are in the Feudal Era.
  • In the anime, his mask covers his left eye. However, in his manga cameo and the 2021 special rerelease of Awase Kagami's cover, both drawn by Adachitoka, his mask covers his right eye. The reason for this is unknown, but concept art included with the Awase Kagami rerelease show that his mask was initially drawn this way. It is unknown whether this implies that the manga and anime versions of Rabō are separate. It may also imply that Rabō used the mask with Nora in the past, as he is shown on the cover with the past versions of Nora and Yato.
  • The name of Rabō's shinki Kushihime is likely a reference to the wife of Susanoo, Kushinada-hime, whose myth about being transformed into a comb by her husband may be the inspiration for the concept of shinki.

References

Navigation[]

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