Part 36: Okami Artbook 1

The Ark of Yamato Characters


The Celestials - Azumi, Hakuba, Sado, Marko


"During the time of myths that has been long since forgotten, there resided the Celestials in the realm of Takamagahara*, the Higher Celestial Plain.
When darkness threatended Takamagahara, the Celestials boarded the metal ark constructed by the Moon Tribe, and rode it down into the lower realms.

Unbeknownst to these Celestials, a few demons had already managed to conceal themselves inside the ark. On their way to the lower realms, the demons ate every last one of the Celestials.

Four spirit forms, discovered on the restored ark, are all that remains of the heavenly race."

* _{Heaven - the realm of the gods}

Waka


Remember what I said about characters with blond hair?

Enemies

Yami - Emperor of Eternal Darkness

First Form


"There are very few written records of the Dark Lord, and not much is known about him. One record merely describes his as 'that which destroys all', and describes a long battle between him and the God of Sunlight."

Second Form


"Unlike other demons, the Dark Lord has never been represented in the form of an animal, a human, or any object, and his tre form is therefore shrouded in mystery.
The only hint at to his true appearance is in an image scroll that depicts him as a 'sphere engraved with unearthly patterns'.

Third Form


"Whether telling of a god or a demon, legends tend to clearly define their subjects' interests and personalities, but none of the legends describing the Dark Lord offer any such insight.

His nondescript exterior gives little indication as to his thoughts or intent."

Fourth Form


"Gen, the foremost expert on mechanical devices in Nippon, has written: 'The Dark Lord is the forefather of all mechanical devices'. This may explain the distinction between the Dark Lord and other demons."

Final Form


"In this image scroll drawn by Issun, the Celestial Envoy, the Dark Lord is drawn as an open clawed hand.

This change of form was said to come about when the God of Sunlight cornered the Dark Lord, but the conclusion of that epic battle was, unfortunately, not recorded."

Locations

Ark of Yamato - exterior


Ark of Yamato - interior


Notice that it shows the twin owl demons above one of the portals, suggesting that they were planned to be fought at one stage. They were probably removed because of the nature of the fight - having to aided by Oki or Shiranui.

Concept Art

The Celestials


* _{Silene from "Devilman".}


Yami

* <sub>Goddamnit Capcom! Do I have to do all the work for you? It's from a scroll from the Shinju-an (which translates as Pearl) Hermitage, which depicts demons causing mayhem, and apparently fleeing from an ominous, massive, reddish-orange sphere:

The full scroll can be found here.</sub>

This is the only image of "foetus" Yami in the whole book. It is more noticeably embryonic in the concept art than in the final game, though ingame, it has a blue version of Ammy's markings.



Outside of Okami, Yami made a cameo as the final boss of, Capcom vs Tatsunoko: Ultimate All Stars, fighting much the same as he does in Okami.

Yami as he appears in Capcom vs Tatsunoko


First Form


Fourth Form


Final Form


The biggest difference is that he skips his second and third forms, and his boss music is entirely original:
Yami Phase 1:
Yami Phase 2:

Though the music for his third form, is "The Sun Rises", the same as in Okami.

He is directly referenced in Bayonetta, Hideki Kamiya's other work, as the source for the Golem monster - a shape-shifting set of magical blocks that surround a core (which functions as its weak-point).
He was even animated by the same person who animated Yami.


Hand Form