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Kusuriuri
Kusuriuri
Vital statistics
Name Kusuriuri
Gender Male
Race Unknown; possibly kitsune (fox)
Status Alive
Relationship Exorcist
Story Bake Neko , mononoke (spin off)

Kusuriuri is the main protagonist of the anime Mononoke.

A mysterious, wandering man with a vast knowledge of the supernatural, Kusuriuri (薬売り - literally translated as "Medicine Seller") lives a nomadic lifestyle, dedicating himself to bringing the end of the Mononoke, spirits that are known to transform into powerful monsters after being influenced by human emotions and actions.

Appearance[]

Kusuriuri is slightly taller in height compared to other people.

He has a very pale complexion, pointy ears that are akin to a fox, short eyebrows, and light blue eyes. He has ash blonde hair in which he keeps most tucked inside his purple bandanna, whereas a good chunk of it can be seen hanging down freely from the sides of his face in tassels.

His eyes are outlined by red markings with the ones underneath forming the appearances of teardrops. While it may appear that he is always seen smirking, it is actually because of the purple mark that's painted on his upper lip. He also appears to possess a pair of sharp, almost canine-like teeth.

His outfit consists of a light, teal-colored kimono with psychedelic pictures on the ends of his sleeves and a dark red obi wrap with swirling gold marks on his waist. On his neck are several necklaces with intricate, small jewelry, including a golden amulet. He wears black, billowing pants underneath that drop just below his knees and his lower legs are wrapped with leg bandages. Kusuriuri also wears a pair of red socks, with his main footwear being a pair of wooden geta sandals with two teeth.

Kusuriuri is most commonly seen carrying around a large wooden box filled with medicine and holy tools, which includes paper ofuda charms, scales that detect a supernatural presence, and a secret collection of feudal pornography (called shunga in Japan).

The large box also seems to hold a smaller, albeit personal box that contains a strange, powerful sword that is used to slay Mononoke (demons in the English dub version); the sword he carries is also enchanted, so that in order to use it, Kusuriuri must find the Katachi (physical shape), Makoto (truth or origin of something), and Kotowari (reasoning behind an action) of a particular mononoke he wishes to exorcise.

Once the sword has been unsheathed, he transforms into a mystical and powerful being that is more or less an inverted version of himself. This being wears a golden kimono with a bright red obi wrap and dark purple pants. His hair is long, unrestrained, and white, and his skin turns into a dark tan. The being's eyes are red with black sclera, and the simplistic red markings on his face become more detailed and wrap around the being's entire body with a golden color. He also wears large circle earrings with bangles hanging on it.

Personality[]

Kusuriuri is, in a literal sense, a walking contradiction. He claims to be "uninteresting" to other people, yet his strange appearance makes him stick out when in a crowd, making for easy identification (strangely enough, he had been mistaken for a delivery man or merely a merchant of some sorts on several occasions). He doesn't reveal much of his own history, but his profession involves revealing the history of others in order to identify the Mononoke he hunts.

Generally seen as calm and cool-headed even in dire situations, Kusuriuri is also seen as observant and analytic, careful to scrutinize every detail of a larger scenario. His moods range from the usual deadpan manner he is often seen with, to slight amusement and irritation if pushed. In extreme cases, he can exert a moment of intense emotion, but that is rare and far in-between. He is also revealed to be a pervert as he has several "marriage charms" and pornography books in his possession and gets embarrassed when it is brought up. Kusuriuri is also quick-witted and somewhat snarky in response, and to those who generally get on his nerves, or don't believe in the mononoke, he resorts to subtly insulting them. However, those who accept the unknown and him overall are treated kindlier, like Kayo.

In Mononoke, the spinoff/sequel to Bake Neko focusing more on Kusuriuri, it is revealed in the three-episode Umibozu arc that his worst fear is discovering a place in the world that does not have form, truth, or reasoning at all, thus causing him to lose his reason to exist.

Trivia[]

  • Kusuriuri's seiyuu in the Japanese dub is Takahiro Sakurai, while his English VA is Andrew Francis, who voices various roles in anime.
  • It is slightly implied that Kusuriuri might be a kitsune (Japanese fox) because of his supernatural abilities, his pronounced canine teeth, the appearance of his alter "self", and, in Mononoke, a white fox mask in the Noppera-boh episode arc. The fox mask has the same markings that Kusuriuri has.
  • It is possible that he is left-handed, as both of his forms wield the sword of exorcism with their left hand.
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