Tengu in popular culture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of appearances made by tengu (a kind of supernatural being) in various works of popular fiction. For information on tengu in traditional Japanese culture, please see the main article.
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[edit] Tengu in film, live-action television, and literature
- Oto Island natives dressed as the more humanlike representations of tengu perform a ceremonial dance in the 1954 film Godzilla.
- The Great Yokai War features an enormous green ōtengu (translated as "great goblin") who guards a magic sword and fights with a wind-producing magic fan.
- A tengu prince named Goranu is the love interest in Kara Dalkey's novels Little Sister and The Heavenward Path.
- Tengu feature in Wen Spencer's novels Tinker and Wolf Who Rules.
- Graham Masterton's 1983 book Tengu features a tengu as an instrument of revenge.
- Ninja Sentai Kakuranger features a tengu monster; the footage also appears in an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
- In Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, the primary antagonist Ivan Ooze creates bird creatures called "Tengu Warriors" to combat the Rangers. These creatures later appeared in the television series as a wedding gift to Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd from Rita's brother, Rito Revolto.
- In Jay Russell's novel Celestial Dogs, tengu and various other demons of Japanese origin descend on Hollywood.
- Jirō Osaragi wrote a novel, Kurama Tengu, about a rebellious mask-wearing samurai who goes by that name. Actor Kanjurō Arashi appeared in a series of films based on the novel.
[edit] Tengu in animation and comics
- The manga Tactics features a tengu who is described as demonic and wicked; yet he also willingly assists the protagonist, a Shinto priest.
- In the anime movie Tatsu no Ko Tarou (龍の子太郎 lit. Taro the Dragon`s Son) tengu are very prevalent in the movie and one specific red tengu is essential to the movie's plot.
- In episode 9, Beatbox Bandits, of the anime TV series Samurai Champloo, Mugen has to deliver the head of a wanted man to officials in the next town and come back before the sun goes down. Mugen sets out with the head and thinking he is being followed by the Tengu the checkpoint guards spoke of. Following the chase, Mugen realizes that he's become lost and as he tries to work his way through a marijuana field, he falls into a trap.
- A zashiki-warashi who appears in Clamp's series xxxHolic has a group of surfboard-riding karasu-tengu as her guardians.
- Urusei Yatsura, a manga and anime series known for re imagining Japanese folktales with a sci-fi bent, features a "Princess Kurama" entombed in a suspended animation capsule on Mount Kurama, attended by tengu. (This is also a parody of Snow White.) Princess Kurama wears black feathers, and her tengu are small humanoid crow creatures.
- In the Japanese version of Megaman NT Warrior, There is a NetNavi named TenguMan, who is operated by Fuuten Roushi.
- The term "Tengu" is used many times throughout Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, although it is normally used as a catch-all term for demon (for example, kappa are referred to as kappa-tengu, and rat demons are nezumi-tengu). The true Shredder was also described as a tengu.
- In the anime and manga Naruto, the Uchiha clan and the character Sasuke Uchiha have various subtle references to Tengu. These include it's name and images on Walls and scrolls, and Sasuke bearing several features of tengu found on some of the earlier chapter covers. He also takes the appearance of Tengu (Black Wings, White Hair) when he activates Level 2 of his Curse Seal. Statues of Tengu are also seen in Konoha's Fire Temple.
[edit] Tengu in role-playing, computer and video games
- A floating tengu head is the protagonist in the Famicom game Abarenbou Tengu.
- In .hack//G.U., Antares wears a mask based on the Tengu.
- In Mega Man 8 and Mega Man & Bass, one of the Robot Masters is named Tengu Man.
- In Namco x Capcom, one of the original low-level enemies is a tengu.
- In Ōkami, there are various tengu enemies, two of which are crow tengu and great tengu.
- Aya Shameimaru, a female tengu, is a playable character in two recent games of Touhou.
- In the Japanese version of the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night game, there is an obtainable tengu familiar to help Alucard.
- The plant-like Pokémon Nuzleaf and Shiftry is partly based on the tengu.
- The Dungeons & Dragons monster Kenku is a bird-like humanoid which is also based on the tengu.
- Takuma Sakazaki, of the Art of Fighting and King of Fighters series, assumes the identity of "Mr. Karate" upon donning his tengu mask.
- In the roguelike games NetHack and Angband, tengu appear as minor demons whose defining characteristic is the ability to teleport at will.
- In the MUD Imperian, the Sundered Heavens, monsters shaped like black kittens with raven wings are referred to as "tengu".
- Tengu appear in Metal Gear Solid 2 as the game's final foot soldiers, referred to as 'Arsenal Tengu.'
- In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, there is a clan of ninjas called the "Tengu clan".
- In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne/Lucifer's Call, tengu called Koppa, Karasu and Kurama appear as adversaries and party members (excepting Kurama, who is only ever a party member). They are depicted as winged men. Karasu also appear in the Shin Megami Tensei spin-off Digital Devil Saga as adversaries.
- The mini-game 'Kung 2' in EyeToy: Play 2 has a tengu as a boss character.
Other games in which tengu appear include:
- Dead or Alive 2
- Earth & Beyond
- Ragnarok Online
- Guild Wars
- Lufia II
- Megaman Battle Network 6
- Shadow Hearts: Covenant
- Blade of Honor