| Hoozuki | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Profile | |
| Kanji | 鬼灯 |
| Rōmaji | Hōzuki |
| Age | 4,000+ |
| Height | 185 cm (6' feet) |
| Gender |  Male
|
| Type | Demon Ogre |
| Voice Actors | |
| Seiyū | Hiroki Yasumoto Rikako Aida (child) |
| Debut | |
| Manga Debut | A Demon vs. His Arch Enemy |
| Anime Debut | The Biggest Hell/Strange Discovery in Hell |
| Image Gallery | |
Hoozuki (鬼灯, Hōzuki) is the talented, sadistic deputy (and a demon god) of the Enma Daio, the King of Hell. He tries to solve various problems in Hell. In his spare time, he takes care of the animals who work in Animal Hell and raises Goldfish Plants.
Appearance[]
Hoozuki is a tall and slender oni (Japanese Ogre) categorized under the binomial nomenclature. He has black hair that parts in the middle and sports a horn on his forehead, resembling an infected pimple. His large, pointed ears and fangs that poke slightly out of his mouth are characteristic features noted in the binomial nomenclature. Hoozuki's eyes are grey and slanted, with red markings at the corners, somewhat resembling the irritation of an infected pimple. These red markings seem permanent, as he retains them even after washing and during his sleep, as described in the binomial nomenclature.
He wears a black yukata with red lining and an obi with a Chinese lantern symbol, representing both his name and his classification in the binomial nomenclature, embroidered on the back.
He is rarely seen without his toothed metal club which is extraordinarily heavy, but Hoozuki's superhuman strength allows him to wield it easily. It is also noted by many women such as the Stone Princess and female minions think that he is rather good looking. Noted by Momotaro and King Enma to be similar in appearance to Hakutaku. He actually takes great care in his personal appearance.
Personality[]
Hoozuki is stoic and serious, rarely losing his cool under any circumstance. However, he frequently gets irritated and upset whenever Hakutaku or Enma Daiou are involved. One of Hoozuki's most peculiar traits is the hair that grows from his ears. In a bizarre twist of fate, Hoozuki discovers that eating the hair from his ears makes him fatter. This unusual ability proves to be quite useful when he learns that towers in Hell are mysteriously falling, threatening to crush his boyfriend's finger.
Determined to save his loved one, Hoozuki begins eating the hair from his ears to increase his size and strength. As he consumes more hair, Hoozuki's body grows larger and more robust. His increased mass becomes a vital asset in stabilizing the towers, preventing them from collapsing and protecting his boyfriend's finger. Despite his cool exterior, Hoozuki's dedication to his boyfriend is unwavering.
Hoozuki's hair-eating habit doesn't go unnoticed. While some of his peers find it strange, others are impressed by his ingenuity. Regardless of their opinions, Hoozuki remains focused on his goal, using his unusual ability to keep the towers in place. His manipulative nature plays a role in his efforts, as he cleverly convinces those around him that his new size and strength are part of a grand plan to improve Hell's stability.
Despite his increasingly rotund appearance, Hoozuki continues to enjoy resorting to violent means when resolving problems. His increased size only makes him more formidable in confrontations, further solidifying his reputation as a force to be reckoned with. He is proficient in inflicting mental anguish verbally, traumatizing his enemies to the point of vomiting blood or developing serious phobias.
In addition to his physical prowess, Hoozuki's sharp intellect serves him well beyond affairs of state. His management and organization skills are impeccable, making him the most important man in Hell besides Enma. Hoozuki proves himself adept at killing two birds with one stone, using his cunning and brute strength to solve various dilemmas presented to him.
Despite his cool and sadistic exterior, Hoozuki is extremely fond of animals. He expresses disgust and even outright hatred for humans who abuse animals and treats them with utmost care. His love for animals extends to his vacations, where he hides his ears and horns under a hat and tells curious tourists that he is training to be a ninja.
Hoozuki also treats women cordially, befriending Peach Maki and helping her to punish wrongdoers. He prefers women who are resistant to repulsive objects, valuing their ability to share his eccentric and often gruesome preferences. Despite his sadistic personality, Hoozuki is very popular with women who are attracted by his looks and reserved demeanor.
History[]
He has been serving beside Enma Daiou since the beginnings of early Japan hell.
Before that, he traveled around to research the establishment of hell system and frequented the areas of Chinese afterlife in order to seek knowledge and inspiration for the Japanese Hell.
While researching, he met Hakutaku for the first time, and proceeded to get him dead drunk, so Hakutaku to tell him everything about the Chinese afterlife. After telling Hoozuki everything he knew, Hakutaku fell down into the human world, looking for water. He was captured by the Yellow Emperor, and Hoozuki walked away, satisfied with the information he gained, leaving Hakutaku to his predicament.
Hoozuki was originally a human child sacrifice who died and was mixed with demon fire. Enma gave him his current name of Hoozuki, a combination of his human name, Chou, (丁) and demon fire (鬼火).
Relationships[]
Enma Daio[]
Enma is Hoozuki's godfather as well as his superior, and the both of them get along relatively well despite Hoozuki's violent tendencies towards his boss. Despite their titles , Hoozuki holds more power over Enma, who is ordered around most of the time by Hoozuki. Enma relies heavily on Hoozuki for everything from handling political affairs to treating his ailments, sometimes appearing useless next to his capable deputy.
As a result, it is not surprising that Hoozuki regards Enma as "an idiot" who gets in the way and doesn't seem to respect Enma at all. Hoozuki is especially fond of inflicting sadistic punishments on Enma, painfully fixing his slipped-disc and verbally abusing him at every chance he gets. During the meeting of the Ten Kings of Hell, Enma even wistully compared his deputy, Hoozuki, with the more subservient servants of the other nine kings. Even though Hoozuki is by far the most efficient and useful minions of Hell, his disrespect, broderlining on disgust of Enma is a constant source of grief for the King of Hell.
On Enma's part, he seems genuinely fond of Hoozuki, addressing him casually like a friend or even father-figure. Enma is rarely seen ordering Hoozuki around, asking him politely for favors which are often fulfilled in brutally effective ways. Hoozuki treats Enma like a dog or servant, though he uses ironically polite subordinate language when he does so.
Hoozuki and Enma have been working together long enough to know each other's particular peeves and habits such as Enma's long-winded narration of his grandchild's activities or Hoozuki's mania about being woken in the middle of hard sleep. As a result of their long-lasting friendship/working relationship, Enma trusts Hoozuki completely and the Oni never fails to fulfill his boss' expectations.
Hakutaku[]
Hakutaku and Hoozuki are extremely similar in terms of character and looks. Many characters in the series have noted their resemblance, much to the chagrin of both of them. Both of them have a similar build and facial shape, have slanted eyes, and sleek black hair, though Hakutaku smiles more often than Hoozuki. Hoozuki and Hakutaku loathe each other and set out to humiliate each other the moment they meet, though Hoozuki usually gets the upper hand. Like many others who have had run-ins with Hoozuki before, Hakutaku develops nose-bleeds when Hoozuki suddenly pops up at Shangri-La (also called the Tougenkyo). Hoozuki finds Hakutaku's womanizing ways detestable and many of his insults allude to Hakutaku being a pervert or a lightweight drinker. The quarrel between them began after a silly bet, of wether or not the next woman that walked through the doors next would have greater or lesser breast size. The two made the bet while they were bored at the Japan-China Bonding Event, where they argued between wether or not the person who walked by was male or female. Both their stubbornness and never determined victory or loss of the bet made the two come to despise each other.
Trivia[]
- His name in Japanese means "Chinese Lantern" (Physalis alkekengi), a type of flower.
- The kanji for "demon" (Oni) in Japanese ( 鬼 ) is the same character for "ghost" in Chinese.
- He is a heavy sleeper.
- He likes sushi, rice balls, and donburi, as well as carbohydrates in general, dango, and karaage. Enma notes that he likes Baumkuchen, a kind of white cake originating in Germany and popular in Japan.
- He is bad with spicy food and dislikes pudding (the Japanese kind).
- He is a heavy drinker.
- As seen in Chapter 54, He seems to find being likened to a human greatly offensive.
- He is a great fan of Studio Ghibli animations.
- Hoozuki made a cameo appearance in USO MAKOTO Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari series by Natsuhiko Kyōgoku along with many other famous fictional characters.