Part 61: Verse 1: Costumes & Accessories

No video for this because good god, that would take me forever. Hope you like reading!


Moon of Mahaa Kalaa
Braces blessed by Shiva, the indian goddess of destruction. Said to have been crafted by the witch Yaksi while serving the Vijayanagara Empire, legend states the braces have the power to repel an enemy's attack. Yaksi was purported to have been invincible, as her mastery of this technique allowed her to nullify any attack, no matter what the strength.


Gaze of Despair
Cursed braces containing the soul of Musso Koroni, an ancient African goddess said to be the goddess of discord. Placing these braces upon one's arms is said to be an affront to Paradiso, summoning upon it's wearer the wrath of the heavens. During the witch hunts, the Malinese witch Karaba, was forced into these gauntlets, in which she was brutally murdered by angels.

I've used these two extensively throughout the LP. The references and specific usage are covered in the NSIC 17 extras video.


Evil Harvest Rosary
Magical beads crafted by the witch Akko while in the service of the ancient Japanese queen Himiko. When its user dodges incoming danger, the beads will launch a magical counter-strike against the attacker. While the attack is incredibly powerful, it sucks the emotional strength from its user, stripping them of the ability to activate Witch Time.

This was covered in the NSIC 07 update, but here it is again:

The term rosary is probably most commonly associated with the Catholic Marian devotion of repeated sequences of prayer. It can also refer to the beads used to count the prayers. However, the Evil Harvest Rosary (EHR) seems to be modeled on Zen Buddhist prayer beads. Prayer beads serve to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions.



The structure of prayer beads can vary depending on the religion. Buddhist beads use the Japa Mala which usually has 108 beads, or 27 beads counted four times. The number 108 has special religious significance in both Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Traditional Buddhist thought believes that people have 108 afflictions. There are six senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness) multiplied by three reactions (positive, negative, or indifference) making 18 "feelings." Each of these feelings can be either "attached to pleasure or detached from pleasure" making 36 "passions", each of which may be manifested in the past, present, or future. All the combinations of all these things makes a total of 108, which are represented in the prayer beads.



Various type of materials are used to make mala beads such as seeds of the rudraksha tree, beads made from the wood of the tulasi plant, animal bone, wood or seeds from the Bodhi tree or seeds of the lotus plant. Semi-precious stones like carnelian and amethyst is also used. Another commonly used material is sandalwood. Note that the Bodhi tree is significant in Buddhism as it is the sacred fig tree under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved enlightenment.


_{Himiko, Queen of Yamataikoku, ruled from 189 CE – 248 CE}

The description for the EHR mentions two names; Akko and Himiko. A cursory google search doesn't provide anything useful for Akko, unless you count magical girl anime and references to Acre, but Himiko is a different story. Himiko is an obscure shaman queen of Yamataikoku in ancient Wa (Japan). Shamanism is the practice of using altered states of consciousness to encounter, influence and interact with the spirits, both benevolent and malevolent. I suppose that in that regard, she could be considered a witch. Himiko is not documented in neither of the two oldest Japanese history records (Kojiki "Records of Ancient Matters", 712, and Nihon Shoki "Chronicles of Japan", 720). It is possible that despite knowing about Himiko, she was purposefully not included by the authors. One exception to this is in Nihon Shoki, where she is mentioned by title (the King/Queen/ruler of Wa), but not by her name.


_{Queen Himiko's sorrow}

Himiko here could possibly be a reference to one of Kamiya's other games, Okami. Set in an alternative ancient Japan called Nippon, the Himiko in Okami is the Queen of Sei'an City, which is covered with a cloud of paralysing poisonous mist. Upon entering Sei'an, Okami Amaterasu (Ammy), the protaganist, is shocked to discover that despite the citizens' suffering, Himiko is doing nothing to help her people. When Ammy is finally able to meet Himiko, it is revealed that she has been praying fervently for Ammy's arrival. Himiko's appearance in the game could be described as shaman-like, a possible link to her real-life counterpart.


Sergey's Lover
Made by Matryona, a witch from the principality of Moscow, this brace allows the user to call upon the strength of the demon to which they are contracted, and divide themselves into multiple beings. By using this treasured item, Matryona was able to face several foes at once during battle. Her exploits have recently come back into vogue, leading her to become the model for the Russian Matryoshka folk dolls.

The usage and references were covered in the NSIC 04 update.


Pulley's Butterfly
It is said that long ago, the witch Turandot crafted this treasure while in the service of the Queen of Lhasa, hoping that the butterfly would give users divine protection. Butterflies of Protection flutter around the bracelet's user, absorbing attacks on their behalf before breaking up.

Turandot here is a reference to the Italian opera of the same name written by Giacomo Puccini. The name Turan-Dokht is Persian in origin, meaning "the daughter of Turan". Turan is a region of Central Asia which used to be part of the Persian Empire, and "dokht" is a contraction for dokhtar (meaning daughter). Puccini based his opera on his reading of Turandot, by Carlo Gozzi, but was initially inspired by Friedrich Schiller's adaption of the play. Gozzi's version was derived from French orientalist François Pétis de la Croix's publication of Les Mille et un jours (5 vols, Paris, 1710-1712).


_{Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)}

The original story is based on the book Haft-Peykar, written in the 12th century by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. Haft-Peykar, or the The Seven Beauties, is the story of a king who discovers seven princess locked in a fabled palace. Each one of these princesses originates from a different empire, and each has her own dome that corresponds to said empire. The king visits one princess each day of the week.

Now, here's where the link gets a bit shaky. I can't seem to find the exact link between Haft-Peykar and The Book of One Thousand and One Days, although one tenuous source mentions that in Haft-Peykar, there was a Russian princess who decided that there was no man worthy of her, and locked herself away, waiting for a man who could find her and solve her riddles, which is similar to the plot of Turandot. Given that this is the only online source that mentions this, I can't give this too much credence. However, I can't find much of a link otherwise (and an English translation of Haft-Peykar doesn't seem to exist online), so let's just roll with that.

Pétis de la Croix's publication of Les Mille et un jours was translated from a Persian collection of stories known as The Book of One Thousand and One Days, the sister work to the more well-known The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Aladdin? Sinbad the Sailor, anyone?). The story of Turandot can be found under 'Prince Khalaf and the Princess of China'. It's a pretty long read, because if you're familiar with One Thousand and One Nights, they like to have stories within stories.



The story is set in China, where the Prince of Persia, Calàf, seeks the hand of the proud Chinese Princess Turandot. In order to marry her, he has to solve three riddles correctly; an incorrect answer will result in death. Although Calàf passes the test, the Princess is still reluctant to marry him. He offers her an out: if she guesses his real name, he will agree to die. Long story short, she guesses correctly, but they marry anyway because she likes the cut of his gib (but also hates him):


Nessun Dorma (None shall sleep) is one of the famous pieces from the opera, sung by the Prince as he is anticipating his victory over the Princess.

Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, and while Tibet never had a king, Songtsän Gampo conquered the whole Tibetan region and became leader of the Tibetan Empire in the mid 7th century. He then married two Princesses: Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of China. So, in that sense, I guess these two could be counted as queens. Bhrikuti was considered to be an incarnation of Tara, so in that sense, she could be considered a witch. _{but not really}

Don't even ask me about the butterflies, I don't know how they fit into the mythology on this accessory. It's probably just another use of the butterfly motif that Umbran Witches have.

As for the accessory itself, I already covered its usage in Angel Slayer. To recap:

If you have at least 4 orbs of magic, you can summon Butterflies of Protection by pressing P + K. This produces 5 butterflies, each which can take 100 points of damage for you. The butterflies disappear once they've taken a hit, and if an attack does more than 500 points of damage, all the butterflies disappear. Using Pulley's Butterfly uses up magic, at a rate of one orb every 2 seconds.

It should be noted that the amount of damage each butterfly takes is scaled for each difficulty; So on Normal, each butterfly can take 100 points of damage, while on Hard each one takes 200 points. On NSIC it's 300 points of damage.

It's not ever mentioned anywhere in the game, but you can cancel the Pulley's Butterfly effect by pressing P + K again. Activating/deactivating the Butterflies can be Dodge-Offset, along with any accessory that requires P + K to activate.

Using Pulley's Butterfly negates your ability to use Bat Within/Moth Within, as the butterflies will take the hit for you before you can bat/moth. Which means using Pulley's Butterfly with Jeanne is pretty much useless.

When this accessory is equipped on Zero, he will only summon two butterflies, as the other two slots are taken up by his Little Devils. Remember how Zero gets the Infernal Communicator accessory effects without having to equip the accessory? Yeah, this will inhibit your ability to summon a full set of Butterflies of Protection and shadows from Sergey's Lover.


Infernal Communicator
Used to summon the infamous band of demon youth known as the "Little Devils," this item allows communication with these residents of Purgatorio. By using this magical device, one is able to temporarily contract the "Little Devils," calling upon their power to attack one's foes.

Once activated using P + K, the Infernal Communicator summons five Little Devils which hover around Bayonetta when idle. Pressing P or K will command the Devils to attack a locked on enemy. They strike once, then return to Bayonetta, unable to attack again until they return to position. Each Little Devil strike scores five combo points, and the accessory uses magic at a rate of one orb every two seconds, the same as Pulley's Butterfly.

Honestly, I have no idea when you'd use this one. The Devils don't do much damage, and can only stagger smaller enemies. Sure, you could Dodge-Offset this one, but why bother?


Star of Dineta
American Navajo legends states that these braces were crafted by the witch known as Tenaldooshi. They allow their user to replenish their vitality by taunting an enemy. Turquoise, shunned as a source of magical power, is still in use today in Navajo talismans.


_{The Yenaldooshi as it appears in Ben 10}

Tenaldooshi in the description here is a corruption of the word "yenaldooshi", a type of witch from Navajo mythology. The Navajo are the largest federally recognised tribe in the US, consisting of 300,048 enrolled members. Yenaldooshi are skin-walkers - shapeshifting witches who wear coyote skins and travel at night. They gain their powers by killing a close relative, and practice cannibalism and necrophilia. It is also said that they create pollen from the bones of infants, which cause sickness and death when sprinkled on sleeping families.



The word turquoise dates back to the 16th century and is derived from an Old French word for "Turkish", because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey. It's got a long history as a pretty green-blue rock that was used a lot in jewellery for many cultures, such as Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs and Persians. It's one of the oldest gems known to man, and was believed to have many magical properties, such as the ability to change colour with the wearer's health and protect him or her from untoward forces. The Navajo tribe, along with the Pueblo and Apache tribes, also cherished turquoise for its amuletic use.

This accessory is kinda useless in the main game, because if you're getting hit that badly and trying to taunt to get health back, you'll probably die first. Plus your time ranking will go to shit. You should only really be using this in the Lost Chapter. It replenishes health at 100HP with a short taunt, and 400HP with a long taunt. Other than that, nothing cool about this accessory.


Selene's Light
An ancient brace crafted by the Egyptian witch Cleopatra. When its wearer is attacked, Witch Time will be instantly triggered, expending Magical Power. As leader of the Egyptian practitioners of magic, Cleopatra developed this guard to assist those who had trouble grasping the finer points of Witch Time.


_{Bust of Cleopatra VII Philopator}

We all know who Cleopatra is; she was that Egyptian queen who seduced Julius Caesar and was super-hot. Except not quite! Cleopatra was actually from a Greek family, and apparently she wasn't all that attractive either. She did embrace her Egyptian kingdom though, learning the language unlike her predecessors and also presenting herself as the reincarnation of Isis. Cleo is also well-known for committing suicide via an asp to her breast. However, the Cleopatra in the accessory is actually Cleopatra's daughter, named Cleopatra Selene II. Her father was Mark Antony, and she was a fraternal twin along with her brother Alexander Helios. Selene is also the Greek goddess of the moon.

As an accessory, it really does what it says. If you get hit, it automatically triggers Witch Time at the expense of four orbs of magic. If you don't have enough magic, you don't get any Witch Time. More often than not, the amount of Witch Time is just enough to get out of your stagger animation, rendering the Witch Time almost useless. I honestly don't know when you'd use this accessory, because if you're getting hit that much, you're also losing magic, and thus reducing the changes of Witch Time you get.

However, unlike Witch time from a Perfect Parry, this accessory does work on Non Stop Infinite Climax difficulty. You will get torn up very quickly on this difficulty, though, so I wouldn't recommend it.


Eternal Testimony
A treasured article worn only by the elders of the Umbra Witches, these bracelets are both incredibly powerful and symbols of status. Said to have been crafted by the ancient and universally feared witch queen Aizen, slipping this onto one's arms would allow one to regenerate their magical powers. Legend states that the strange crow's head on the braces is actually Aizen transformed, and she will severely punish anyone who attempts to use the braces that she deems unworthy.

Googling for 'Aizen' gives me a lot of anime pages, so I think that's probably not it. The Bayonetta wiki suggests that this name probably comes from a Buddhist deity named Ragaraja. Originally a Hindu deity, he was adapted into Mahayana Buddhism, with his Sanskrit name translating to Àiran Míngwáng (literally "Lustful Tinted Wisdom King") in Chinese. In Japan, he is especially venerated in the Shingon and Tendai schools, and his name is pronounced Aizen Myo'o.


_Ragaraja

He is portrayed as a red-skinned man, with a fearsome appearance and flaming hair that represents lust and passion. A lion's head is usually seen in his hair, and he can be depicted with two, four, or six arms, with six being the most common. Those six arms hold a bell, a vajra, an unopened lotus flower, a bow, arrows, and one holding something that we cannot see. This hidden item is said to only be known by advanced practitioners. Ragaraja represents the state at which sexual excitement or agitation can be channelled towards enlightenment and passionate love can become compassion for all living things.

This is a hidden accessory, unlocked by collecting 50 Umbran Tears of Blood. It costs 500,000 halos, and when equipped, always gives you a minimum of two orbs of magic. It's a good accessory to use on the Space Harrier verses, but its use is otherwise limited.

You can also unlock this at the cheat phones in Chapter 2. The accessory cheat phone is located next to the phone closet to the stairs, close to the front of the car. It requires two million halos. The code is UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, RB/R1


Bracelet of Time
Eva, a truly extraordinary witch, entered into contract with a legendary dark Knight, and then faced the amassed armies of Inferno. These bracelets were made by her hand, and those wearing them are said to become true masters of Witch Time at their very will.

There isn't much to this one. Equip it, and it takes away your ability to taunt, but allows you to trigger Witch Time at will at the expense of one orb every half second. You unlock this by finishing the game in three hours or less on Normal or higher, which isn't too hard. Just skip all alfheims and any fights that don't fence you in an area. And play on Normal, because why would you want to try and unlock this on higher difficulties? This accessory will set you back 200,000 halos.

Witch Time, of course, is a fundamental part of playing Bayonetta (except on NSIC). You can do all sorts of fun stuff, shown to great effect in this video. I've also managed to stumble on a glitch that I haven't been able to recreate since recording it. If you figure out the trick, let me know!

You can also unlock this with three million halos at the cheat phone in Chapter 2. The code is UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LT/L2


Climax Brace
A mysterious treasure that pushes all who use it to a climax in power. Where, when, and how is was made all remain a mystery; however, it is said to have come from a different dimension. Its incredible power is feared both by angels and demons, who have reached a mutual understanding that it's power is not to be unleashed on the battlefield, no matter what conflict arises.

Unlocked when you collect all 101 Umbran Tears of Blood, so this includes all in-game achievements and Crows. I've already shown off this accessory in the Rodin video, it puts you in "Boss Mode" - let loose, get your hair down and Wicked Weave the hell out of everything. You can't record your scores on the online leaderboards if you use this at all in a chapter, and I'm not sure whether you can abuse this to grind for Sai-Fung either. You can't use it in the Lost Chapter, but you will still have the visual effects of it. Best used to kill Rodin and costs 500,000 halos.

You can also unlock this with five million halos at the cheat phone in Chapter 2. The code is UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, RT/R2


Immortal Marionette
Nicknamed Bloody for her ruthless tactics in battle, these decorative braces were crafted by the feared witch, Mary. Especially proficient at fighting, Mary was said to unleash her techniques like an unstoppable flowing river. Those who wear these braces are said to become masterful fighters, as if they were marionettes being controlled by Mary herself.


_{Mary I, Queen of England (1553-1558)}

While Bloody Mary is the name of a "game" used to freak out young teens, it's also the nickname of Mary I, Queen of England, thanks to her relentless persecution of Protestants during her reign. All told, she burned 283 at the stake, and it was so unpopular that Philip, the King, was warned that they could cause a revolt among the people. Bloody Mary also references the Marionette enemies in Devil May Cry, in both name and design.

This accessory has a special slot, around the waist, dedicated to it. It's the accessory that explains away the automatic mode of the game. What it does is allow you to randomly mash buttons and win. A person who isn't any good at video games could feasibly play Bayonetta with this accessory on, it's supposed to make the game accessible. You know, if you're one of the many people who want to play Bayonetta for the story.

It's automatically equipped if you're playing on Easy or Very Easy, and you can buy for 100,000 halos in The Gates of Hell once you've finished the game on either difficulty. The catch is, if you use this accessory on any difficulty above Easy, you get half combo points recorded. So yes, this will completely ruin your score on Normal and higher.

I'll let Platinum Games show it off a little better.



Umbran Komachi

Show off your oriental graces in this elegant kimono known as the Umbran Komachi.

PE Uniform

A standard PE uniform that accentuates any girl's feminine attributes. This piece stresses function as well as exquisite style.

d'Arc

A piece from the ready-to-wear collection of Jeanne's beloved Italian fashion brand, "d'Arc". A perfect, stylish match to a sophisticated woman's slender figure.

Formal

The battle uniform of the Umbra Witches. The strong, tightly-woven hair forming this bodysuit repels all attacks. But in the hands of the seemingly mild-mannered school teacher Jeanne, the suit allows her to transform into the powerful Cutie J! Defending her city, and her beloved students, she cuts through evil with her crimson blade, Bloody Moon!

Those distant, here[sic] the sound...
Those close by, see the spectacle...

Evil doers fear final justice, because the Platinum Knight has arrived to defend the weak and innocent! CUTIE J IS HERE!

Various

A bodysuit set for the woman who wants to experience different facets of herself. Open the door to a new tomorrow and unlock the self-confident woman within.

Old

A nostalgically faithful reproduction of a dress that was in vogue 500 years ago. Wearing this will make you feel young again. Enter a fashion time warp!

Umbra

Training is a hard and long pursuit, and for those going down this road, we offer the training uniform worn by beautiful, young witches. Take a trip down memory lane to the first day you wore these clothes and the feelings of nervous excitement they created.

Nun

Bayonetta: For times when the refined woman is posing as a nun, this authentic costume will allow you to blend right in. With this genuine article draped across your body, you may very well be invited to join a convent!
Jeanne: Cosplay is an experience that once you've tried, you will never forget. Which is why we are offering an authentic nun's costume. This won't be the last time you cosplay, we swear, so throw off those inhibitions and join the club!

Queen

Want to become the kind of girl that can score a direct hit straight to a guy's heart? Show a little skin and get everyone's attention, because today you are Queen of the Witches!