“ | I never would have dreamed this is how a god lives. Drifting around town like some kind of bum, sleeping out on the stone steps of some old shrine just to avoid attention and digging through garbage everyday just to find some food. | „ |
~ Yukine's initial attitude over his life with Yato |
Yukine is the tritagonist of the anime/manga series Noragami. He is Yato's Regalia, a type of weapon used by gods to kill Phantoms, as well as his exemplar. Initially, he is deeply dissatisfied with his life as a Regalia, but he soon comes to terms with it after committing many sins, with some help from Hiyori Iki. Eventually, after nearly being killed by Bishamonten, he becomes a Blessed Vessel after proving his loyalty to Yato. So far, he is one of only two Blessed Vessels shown in the series, the other being Kazuma.
He is voiced by Yuki Kaiji in the Japanese version of the anime and Micah Solusod in the English version, the former of whom also voices Eren Yeager, Alibaba Saluja and Issei Hyoudou.
Appearance[]
Yukine has the form of a teenager with a youthful face. He has bright golden-orange eyes and relatively long blond hair that extends to the the bottom of his ears. Yukine is shorter than both Yato and Hiyori at only 155 cm. Upon his first summoning, Yukine wore a simple white robe and white socks. He is later depicted with a blue hoodie over a purple shirt, loose dark grey jeans, a white and teal snow cap, and light grey shoes.
In Episode 05 of the anime, he changes his attire to a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a green knee-length jacket with orange inner lining and a fur-rimmed hood. In shinki form, he turns into a long silver katana with the handle wrapped in white bandages, the bandages still extending loosely to the blade. After he is shattered by Bishamonten, he transforms into a set of two katana. The new second blade is shorter than the first but has the same design.
Personality[]
Yukine is first portrayed in the manga as being a bit cold and cruel, although in the anime his coldness is toned down. He is clearly upset and annoyed at the fact that he died and became Yato's weapon, complaining about staying with someone like him. As a result of this and the fact that people cannot see him well, Yukine takes advantage of this and other people, stealing money, clothes, and even betraying Hiyori, which causes Yato to nearly die due to his immoral acts. However, Yukine seems to feel jealous over others who are alive, upset about the fact that he is dead and cannot make friends and learn what other students do. He is also apparently afraid of the dark.
When Yato is forced to punish Yukine, Yukine confesses all of his sins and apologizes sincerely, and escapes the temptation that hurts Yato as his Regalia. Yukine is visibly more upbeat after his punishment, befriending Hiyori more and requesting to learn what she does in school. Yukine is also more diligent in his work as Yato's Regalia, working part time for Daikoku to earn money for the two of them, as well as to atone for his past mistakes.
Despite this, Yukine is still a bit sarcastic and occasionally yells at Yato when he is upset, especially after one of his few friends, Suzuha, dies. In the manga, when Yato was missing, Yukine starts to be more reserved, refusing to worry about Yato, as to suppress his feelings so he won't hurt Yato via negative feelings. He instead busies himself learning how to become a better Regalia from Kazuma and tutoring from Hiyori.
It has been shown many times how insecure Yukine truly is, especially when the subject of Nora comes up. Despite being Yato's Blessed Shinki, he feels inferior to Hiiro and is jealous of her because she has been Yato's Shinki for much longer than him and even knew Yato's real name before he learns. He was relieved when he saw Yato release Hiiro as his Regalia.
Skills and Abilities[]
Yukine is a very powerful Regalia. He was able to create a Boundary on his first try which Yato commented was unheard of. Even Kazuma had to practice for a long time before he was able to create a decent Boundary. He's strong enough to warrant Ebisu and Yato's father's attention and praise to the point where they've both announced their desire to claim Yukine as their own Shinki. Yato becomes worried about the latter's intentions and suggests that he and Yukine move to his small plot of land in Takamagahara.
- Rend (Zan) is a skill he obtains as Yato's sacred weapon Sekki. When Yato uses Rend, he is able to slay and exterminate phantoms.
- Severance (Zetsu) is a skill he obtains as Yato's sacred weapon Sekki. When Yato uses Severance, he is able to cut off the bonds between a human and things/other people. He uses this skill to sever the bonds between Yusuke Urasawa and Kofuku.
- Borderline (Kyoukai) is an ability Regalias are available to use. Using his fingers, Yukine can draw a line and create a "borderline" that prevents any Phantom from coming past it, which is one of his only defensive mechanisms.
- Restraint: Yukine has the ability to cast a binding restraint on a target. This ability appears to take the form of invisible chains. According to Daikoku, only Blessed Regalia (such as Yukine and Kazuma) can use this ability. This ability greatly affects the other shinkis that are not Blessed Regalias because of superiority. Nevertheless, when a Blessed Regalia loses his confidence and is plagued by insecurity, attempts to use this severely weakens them; like when Yukine was almost defeated by Kugaha with this they can also be defeated in a boundary battle.
- Spell/Chant/Song is a skill he obtained from his training with Kazuma. It enables him to cast spells that can be used as a protection or to attack; like Yukine used in dousing the flames in the manga. It can also summon spirits like Nora used in the manga.
Trivia[]
- Yukine shares his English voice actor (Micah Solusod) with Soul Eater Evans who, like Yukine, can turn into a living weapon.
Gallery[]
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Gods Shinkis Humans |