Part 31: Okami Artbook 1
Characters
Evil Rao
"Your enemies can be closer than you expect. By the time Ammy had arrived in Sei-an City, Rao had already been murdered by Ninetails.
Disguising herself as Rao, the demon was able to take Queen Himiko's life as well."
Tobi
[The writing on him reads "Mind Your Body; Preserve Your Life"]
"This cursed label is a guardian of Oni Island. Its duty was to trap any intruders. One day, however, Tobi met a traveller, and they became good friends.
When the traveller mentioned that she was on a quest to rid Oni Island of the various evil creatures that dwell there, Tobi disappeared, unable to perform his duty."
Enemies
Tube Foxes
"These demons are also known as 'Hankou*' and they look like foxes. With special powers of their own, they will obey only the commands of powerful mystics. When used properly, they can being their controller great fortune. If summoned without adequate control, however, they can bring about disease and poor crop yields."
*I have no idea. A quick google search reveals nothing. A dictionary search however, comes up with it mean 'criminals/thieves'. I'm not too sure on that definition, but it makes sense, considering that foxes are traditionally thought of as trickster figures.
Evil Rao
"Ninetails in the form of the priestess Rao. After deceiving and murdering the real Rao, Ninetails took her form in order to infiltrate the city and find a divine weapon called the "Fox Rods".
Red Ogre
"A demon that wears a metal mask and wields two giant clubs. The flaming red hue of his skin strikes fear into the hearts of those who look upon him. However, the Red Ogre is notoriously shy, and if one were to remove his mask, his face would turn a much brighter red as he flees."
Blue Ogre
"As fearsome as the Red Ogre, the Blue Ogre carries a giant sickle in each hand. One famous legend says that lightning strikes cause Blue Ogres to bare their fangs."
Demon-Lord of Oni Island - Nine Tails
"The demon leader of Oni Island. By manipulating both light and dark forces, he throws all who oppose him into a pit of despair. It has long been said that elder fox demons can gain untold spiritual powers through age, but Ninetails' power is in a league of its own."
Location Art
Oni Island Summit
Artist's Note posted:
Befitting the demons' stronghold, I have it a very sinister atmosphere. [The arena is actually a ritual altar]
Concept Art
Tube Foxes
"Sorrowful Demons covered in scars."
Director's Notes posted:
Much like the 'Eight Canine Warriors', the tube foxes are "economised" characters that share the same animations as Amaterasu. [Thanks to the efforts of our lead programmer, they became mini-bosses]. Each fox has a differently-coloured face, which is reflected later in Ninetails' tails as well.
Changing the subject slighty, I understand that the general public doesn't exactly appreciate the animals' (and Ammy's), ahem, "calls of nature", but I happen to like them. Faeces and urine are a part of life! Don't deny it!
Evil Rao
Artist's Notes posted:
[In Rao's human form] her right eye is hidden beneath her hair because her true form, that of Ninetails, is missing that eye. We also modelled her with a properly missing eye, but that detail was never specifically revealed ingame. The real Rao shows both her eyes, and wears blue beads around her neck. I wonder if anyone noticed?
Mock-up of "True Rao" with "Demon Rao" for comparison.
Red and Blue Ogres
Artist's Note posted:
The design has a touch of surrealism that I really like. I think the feel of the Red and Blue Ogres was brought out really well.
(Unmasked)
Artist's Note posted:
This is them in their weaker forms. The original designs were a little different from how they turned out, and I remember taking a liking to the 3D modelled faces.
Tobi
Artist's Notes posted:
The Oni Island race game initially involved chasing a ball of light, but since that was a little boring, someone said: "I want a mystic label*, make me a mystic label". I decided to make him the label that Rao holds.**
**It's easy to overlook, but his design is also used for the prayer slips used by Rao to get into the sunken ship.
Ninetails
Artist's Note posted:
This demon is another very famous characte in ancient legends, so its inclusion in Okami was decided early on. However, I remember having a lot of trouble with its design. One day, I was suddenly struck by the thought of an arrogant, excessively flashy character that fancies itself a god, and that revelation quickly lead to the white and red body, the battle in the heavenly realms, the ability to use brush skills, and other such characteristics.
For some reason, they can't seem to make up their minds on what gender Ninetails is. The book calls it a "he" when talking about the demon itself, and "she" when it was in the form of Rao and Evil Rao.
Nine Tails Miscellanea
Here are some blurry screen shots of the tails' heads when in Rao's form.
As mentioned in the artist's note, Ninetails models itself in the image of a god, and serves as a fitting foil to Amaterasu.
For instance, not only does it try to look divine by having red swirls on a white body (as all divine things in this game have), but it also acquire a Divine Instrument too.
Remember the Fox Rods?
They look very much like either panpipes or bamboo paint tubes.
Then there is Ninetails appearing in a constellation (very much like one of the brush gods), and the image of its tails on the moon, which is a dark mirror of Ammy's fiery swirls on the sun.
(Image Source)If it comes from, or is affiliated with the moon in this game (aside from Yumigami - the brush god) that's generally a bad sign.
And, as was mentioned in the notes, the arena is a replica of the "heavenly realm" where Ammy speaks to the brush gods.
As featured in the video, it also has the power to use the Celestial Brush, and use variations on Ammy's own powers, such as cherry bombs (but with Ninetails' colouration), and galestorm.
And it doesn't just use brush techniques, it also uses some of the same moves as her, such as her ability to charge her sword, and the dash move. And then there's the sword, which is a nine-pronged version of Ammy's "Seven Strike", and yes, it's called "Nine Strike" for those interested.
