Highlights
- Tsugaru in Undead Girl Murder Farce is a half-Oni, created by injecting Oni DNA into a human. He struggles to maintain his humanity as the Oni part of his body takes over.
- In Japanese Mythology, Oni are monstrous entities that prey on humans and are often depicted as denizens of Hell. They are known for their strength and occasionally come to the mortal realm.
- While Tsugaru and the Mythological Oni have different origins, they share some similarities such as their color-coded appearances, superhuman strength, and role as protectors. However, Tsugaru is not a typical Oni.
Amidst hordes of Western monsters, there are two Japanese supernatural creatures in Undead Girl Murder Farce, the undead detective Aya Rindo, and her easygoing assistant, Tsugaru Shinuchi. While it’s certainly interesting to talk about “The Head in a Cage” Aya Rindo, this article will focus on Tsugaru instead, particularly regarding his roots in Japanese Mythology as an Oni.
While Tsugaru clearly does not represent the traditional Oni, there are still some similarities between the two. So let’s use this chance to dive deeper into what is an Oni in Japanese Mythology and how it inspires the Oni in Undead Girl Murder Farce.
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The Oni in Undead Girl Murder Farce
Tsugaru Shinuchi is actually not a real Oni. Ironically, he used to be a human who specialized in hunting Oni. Unfortunately for him, he was kidnapped and became the test subject of the main antagonist of this series, Professor Moriarty. The professor injected the DNA of Oni into Tsugaru, turning him into a half-Oni. As if that’s not tragic enough, the Oni part of his body quickly takes over the human side. Leave alone, Tsugaru will turn into a full Oni and lose his sanity.
Halfway through the story, however, the Professor reveals that Tsugaru is not the only Oni that he created. As a matter of fact, Tsugaru is simply the failed prototype for the real Oni-human hybrid. Once the professor gathered enough data from Tsugaru and the other failed subjects who lost their lives during the experiment, he finally found the perfect formula for a true half-Oni. The fruit of his experiments is none other than the deranged young man who used to go by the moniker Jack The Ripper.
Unlike Tsugaru whose humanity is on the verge of being taken over completely by the Oni’s side of his body, Jack achieved a perfect balance between Oni and Human. That means Jack doesn’t have to worry about turning into a full Oni. That said, the professor doesn’t seem to feel satisfied with what he’s done to Jack. He wants to turn him into the perfect being. And that is the reason why his group is constantly hunting for strong creatures. He wants to incorporate those creatures’ DNA into Jack’s body, thus making him the first true chimera in the world.
The Myth of Blue Oni and Red Oni
Unlike the fantastical world of Undead Girl Murder Farce, the Oni in Japanese Mythology is rather straightforward. There’s no half-Oni or pursuit to create a chimera between Oni and the other supernatural beings. An Oni is simply a monstrous entity that likes to devour unsuspecting humans. They are often depicted as the denizens of Hell, working for the God of Hell, Enma. Their job is mainly to torture the sinners in Hell, but they also act as the de facto soldiers of Hell.
The ones that are often mentioned in Japanese folklore, however, are the Onis who appeared in the mortal realm. They are usually depicted as strong, giant creatures who live in mountains and caves. They will occasionally come down to prey on unsuspecting men and will either devour them or make them work as servants.
There are numerous tales about brave samurai fighting against Oni in Japanese Mythology. The most famous one is the story about a samurai named Minamoto no Raiko who managed to behead Shuten-Doji, the King of Oni. It may be nothing more than a fantastical myth, but one of the National Treasures of Japan is actually a sword that is said to be used by Raiko to sever Shuten-Dohji’s head. A beautiful katana called Dojigiri.
Unlike the Western demons, Japanese Oni comes in different colors, though the ones that are often depicted in folktales come in either red or blue. Red Oni is usually the wild and rowdy one, while the Blue Oni is usually more cunning and calm. By the way, this is also where the trope called “Red Oni Blue Oni” comes from. A trope that describes two characters that are close to each other but have different personalities and different approaches to solving a problem, such as Goku and Vegeta or Naruto and Sasuke.
In modern stories, however, Oni is often presented in a more lighthearted tone as a good-natured being. Not only that, they are often depicted as a guardian or a protector, rather than the evil incarnate like their ancestors. That is why many buildings in Japan have roof tiles with the face of Oni carved into them to represent protection against evil, sort of like Gargoyle in the Western world.
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The Similarities Between The Myth And The Anime
Truth be told, there are not many similarities between the half-Oni Tsugaru and his folklore counterpart. After all, both have a completely different origin story and live in a different world with a different way of life. There are, however, some notable characteristics that appear in both the Mythological Oni and Tsugaru and Jack.
The most glaring similarity is the color-coded Oni. Tsugaru has blue hair with blue lines running down from his face to the rest of his body, and he also wears a blue coat. Jack, on the other hand, has red hair with red lines running down from his face to the rest of his body, and he usually wears a red vest. It’s a clear nod to the myth of Red and Blue Oni, although the personalities are reversed, with the blue Tsugaru being the wild one while the red Jack is the calm and collected one.
The mythological Oni is said to possess superhuman strength, and they are also a master of magic. Some of them even wield the power of fire and lightning. Unfortunately for the half-onis in Undead Girl Murder Farce, the only thing that they inherited from the mythical Oni is their super strength.
The last characteristic that the half-Onis from this series get from their ancestors is their role as guardians. After all, Tsugaru’s main job is to protect Aya, while Jack is one of the soldiers working under the professor. They will fight against any incoming threat, but their main duty is to protect their masters.
There are still so many mysteries surrounding Tsugaru and the rest of the cast that haven't been touched upon in the first season of Undead Girl Murder Farce. Hopefully, there will be more information about them in the next season. One thing’s for sure, Tsugaru is not your typical Oni.
Undead Girl Murder Farce is available to stream on Crunchyroll.