Orochi

Manga artist's rendition of the Yamata no Orochi

This article is about the Japanese mythological monster. For the supercar, see Mitsuoka Orochi. You might also be interested in the Oroch people of Eastern Siberia.

Yamata no Orochi (八岐大蛇; often called Orochi in English) is a monster in Japanese mythology.

Orochi is alternately described as an eight-headed snake, dragon, or even a Japanese version of the Lernaean Hydra. It is one of the best-known monsters in Japanese myth. It was slain by the god Susanoo after he was cast out of Heaven. Though a number of Japanese literatures describe Orochi as a gigantic serpent, some medieval sources describe it as a dragon.

Stories told about Orochi all seem to agree that it was truly magnificent and terrible, and that it had multiple heads and a gigantic body that was said to stretch across eight hills and valleys. Some sources offer that the number eight may be indicative of simply an indiscriminate large number, and that Orochi might be much more massive than some may think. Some also believe that it may have possessed only seven heads and may have been smaller.

The sinister Orochi is said to have dominated the Izumo province in Japan, and to have demanded virgin sacrifices. When Susanoo came upon this area, he met an old couple. They told him that their daughter was to be sacrificed to Orochi. Some versions of this story say that they had already sacrificed seven other girls to the creature. The daughter in question here was named Kushinada, and since she was a beautiful and kind young girl Susanoo fell in love with her. He told the couple that he would rescue Kushinada if he was allowed to marry her. The couple agreed at once.

Susanoo turned Kushinada into a comb and put her in his hair. He then put out eight barrels of either pears or sake (depending on the version) which the dragon drank with relish, making it fall asleep, and Susanoo proceeded to cut off all of Orochi's heads. He found the sword, Ame-no-Murakumo (later named Kusanagi), in one of the serpent's many tails. In some versions, Kusanagi is called Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, 'The Grass-Cutting Sword', and this sword was given to Amaterasu, Susanoo's sister, the Sun Goddess, as a gift of reconciliation. She then gave it to her descendant on Earth, Ninigi-no-Mikoto; from that point on it is said that it has been kept as one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Yamato.

Orochi in popular culture

The demon Orochi makes frequent appearances in tokusatsu and anime, especially Japanese console role-playing games and other video games. There are variations on the original legend: 8-headed snake, rampaging swordsman, etc. (Yasakani, Hasshaku, Hakeshu, Yagami, Yata, and some other names are SNK's spin on their adaption to the legend.)

In both The Three Treasures and Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Susanoo fights and kills the Orochi.
In The Eight-Headed Giant Serpent Strikes Back, a biomechanical version of the Orochi was sent by aliens to destroy modern-day Earth starting with Japan.
The Orochi is a boss monster in the role-playing game Dragon Quest III. In the game, Orochi is a five-headed fire-breathing dragon, who was terrorizing the island of Zipangu. Orochi also reappeared in some of the later Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior games. Most notably the two games, Dragon Warrior Monsters and Dragon Warrior Monsters 2.
The Orochi was inspiration for Orochimon from Digimon, an eight-headed, dragon-like Digimon.
In Shaman King, Tokagero's Oversoul abilities are related to the Orochi, with his Giant Oversoul form called Yamata no Orochi.
In Yamato Takeru, the title hero fights with the evil Tsukuyomi, who becomes the ravaging Yamata no Orochi.
In the animated series Blue Seed, Orochi is the first of the Aragami, a race of plant-based demon-beings, to appear. The series has several references to the Kusanagi legend and the legend of Susanoo.
The Orochi is a character in King of Fighters.
In the action game Otogi, the Yamata no Orochi was a demon that the main character Raiko had to escape from when he was exiting the Underworld.
In the anime series Naruto, Orochimaru (大蛇丸) is one of the villains.
In the anime series Kannazuki no Miko, the god of darkness is named Orochi.
In the Koei game Samurai Warriors, Nobunaga Oda's 5th Weapon is "Orochi" and is described as "The blade that was used to slay Orochi, the great serpent"
introduces Orochi Hellbeast, a towering, demonic-like creature from the Netherrealm.
In Final Fantasy, the Yamatano Orochi is a multi-headed enemy fought in random encounters. In Final Fantasy II, Yamatano Orochi is a multi-headed, draconic boss fought in the Soul of Rebirth version of Pandaemonium.
The Orochi in Ranma 1/2 is seen as a wine lover and a pervert. To stop it off, the characters potray themselves as girls and lures it into an trap with alcohol similar to the original legend.
The Orochi makes an appearance in the video game Ōkami as a boss.
In Golden Sun, the Orochi is portrayed as an invincible chinese dragon that has to be weakened by light orbs before it can be killed. The storyline is nearly identical to that of the myth except that Kushinada is not turned into a comb and the dragon was killed by the heros, not Susano. The sword "Cloud brand" is also a reference to the Kusanagi no Tsurugi.
In the game Mega Man Zero, there is a mechaniloid boss called Orochi-Arm Metalcore.

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