Beauty from scars: a Mukuro essay
Title: Beauty from scars
Subject: Mukuro, Yû Yû Hakusho.
Author: kohaku_hoshi
SPOILERS FOR THE MAKAI ARC & MANGA
Background on Mukuro
Mukuro is one of the three Warlords of the Makai, also the most mysterious, in fact, she was believed to be a male because she always hid her face under wards and hid her body under baggy clothing. Mukuro has a sad past starting with her being abandoned at birth in the anime, and being a slave before she was even old enough to understand what slavery was. In the manga, shortly after she was born, she was surgically modified to become a better sex slave for her "father," an obese man named Chikou. He used her as a group toy - each year on her birthday, giving her a new surgical wound to use in his raping of her. He also used to have her reply to him as he was raping her, things like "you'd love it if I could cut your head off so that I could thrust into your neck!" to that she'd have to reply that she'd love it. he also altered her memories, bringing her visions of love and flowers, so that she's stay with him, and become attached. It haunted her even after she had run away, to the point Hiei commented about it and got a hole in his gut for his trouble.
When she was seven, she poured acid on herself to escape his attentions, and was thrown out with the chamber pots. By this time, half of her body and face was melted away by the acid, and both of her right limbs were partially replaced by metal. She threw herself into the river, and yet she would not drown. After that, she tried to break her shackles, but her efforts were futile. Mukuro kept her shackles as a reminder, even after she became strong enough to rival Raizen, and further on. They were kept intact until Hiei's truthful words to her. He told her that she could no longer hold onto her past like this anymore, so he broke them, and he collapsed, Mukuro taking him into her arms. She realized that through Hiei, her hatred had been purged and now she could enjoy her peace, as shown in the last episode, a peaceful life not fighting, but instead doing service to others (the humans that had wandered into the Makai.)
First Impressions
I first saw Mukuro when I was looking up info in the YYH cast. I thought it was kind of cool one of the Warlords of the Makai was female, and I instantly liked her, being attracted to female characters who are strong. Her scarred appearance also intrigued me, and I set off to find out why she was like that. When I found out about her ugly past, I was instantly a fan, having had a very difficult, unloved, abandoned past myself. I saw an idol, a strong woman that had gone through the horrific things and was haunted by her past, driving her to become the strongest woman alive. Her mystery also intrugued me; I was eager for anything about Mukuro, I even had a custom Mukuro plush made to commemorate my idolization of her.
Mukuro, you're beautiful inside.
I understand her anger and drive to become strong, and I understand so well the desperation as she tried in vain to break her shackles. Keeping them to remind herself that she's not good enough until she becomes the strongest, and feeling so weak and vulnerable inside herself, thus Mukuro was unable to let go of her past. When she decided to show both her body and consciousness to Hiei, she was beginning to open up. As Hiei broke her shackles, signifying she was finally free, I nearly cried.
Adore thy Queen
Mukuro is most certainly one of the strongest characters in anime altogether, and possibly the strongest female character in all of animedom. Her powers include some kind of psychic power - the one she uses to 'read' Hiei's memories just by touching his body. She can also shoot energy from her fists, and clearly showed this in the battle between her and Hiei. She can cut space. Moving her arm, the space where she pointed is sliced by a white line. The landscape starts looking as if seen on a broken mirror. She is also capable of holding, and tearing Hiei's Dragon in two. When Mukuro took a defensive stand, Kurama said, "It seems she will try to hold it with her hands." She used both her hands and feet to keep the Dragon's mouth open, until she managed to tear it in two. She clearly has tremendous powers.
Hatred of this marred beauty.
-"Mukuro is ugly!" it is true she is half marred by scars, but she is beautiful both inside, and out. What's left of her is a perfect female form.
-Mukuro steals MY Hiei!" The canon implications of Mukuro and Hiei - especially in the manga - as a couple are far greater than any proof of Kurama and Hiei being together. In fact, Togashi-sensei himself had intended for them to be romantically involved, but stopped just short of that because of an uproar from female fans who wanted Hiei paired with Kurama, or with - God, forbid - their own character..
-"Mukuro is a bitch!" Besides her punching Hiei for bringing up the subject of brooding on her birthday about the man who brutally raped her as a child, there are no points to prove it. Mukuro takes him into her arms as an open gesture, and a "bitch" clearly couldn't manage it.
Conclusion: Mukuro and Myself
At the end of the series, when I see Mukuro with Hiei, I always want to hear more of her story - to see if she truly finds happiness or not. However, in my heart, I feel that she does. Of her newly relieved position of power and her relationship with Hiei, perhaps I'll write more on that another day. I hope that one day I can liberate myself as she did - find happiness, and become whole.
Subject: Mukuro, Yû Yû Hakusho.
Author: kohaku_hoshi
SPOILERS FOR THE MAKAI ARC & MANGA
Background on Mukuro
Mukuro is one of the three Warlords of the Makai, also the most mysterious, in fact, she was believed to be a male because she always hid her face under wards and hid her body under baggy clothing. Mukuro has a sad past starting with her being abandoned at birth in the anime, and being a slave before she was even old enough to understand what slavery was. In the manga, shortly after she was born, she was surgically modified to become a better sex slave for her "father," an obese man named Chikou. He used her as a group toy - each year on her birthday, giving her a new surgical wound to use in his raping of her. He also used to have her reply to him as he was raping her, things like "you'd love it if I could cut your head off so that I could thrust into your neck!" to that she'd have to reply that she'd love it. he also altered her memories, bringing her visions of love and flowers, so that she's stay with him, and become attached. It haunted her even after she had run away, to the point Hiei commented about it and got a hole in his gut for his trouble.
When she was seven, she poured acid on herself to escape his attentions, and was thrown out with the chamber pots. By this time, half of her body and face was melted away by the acid, and both of her right limbs were partially replaced by metal. She threw herself into the river, and yet she would not drown. After that, she tried to break her shackles, but her efforts were futile. Mukuro kept her shackles as a reminder, even after she became strong enough to rival Raizen, and further on. They were kept intact until Hiei's truthful words to her. He told her that she could no longer hold onto her past like this anymore, so he broke them, and he collapsed, Mukuro taking him into her arms. She realized that through Hiei, her hatred had been purged and now she could enjoy her peace, as shown in the last episode, a peaceful life not fighting, but instead doing service to others (the humans that had wandered into the Makai.)
First Impressions
I first saw Mukuro when I was looking up info in the YYH cast. I thought it was kind of cool one of the Warlords of the Makai was female, and I instantly liked her, being attracted to female characters who are strong. Her scarred appearance also intrigued me, and I set off to find out why she was like that. When I found out about her ugly past, I was instantly a fan, having had a very difficult, unloved, abandoned past myself. I saw an idol, a strong woman that had gone through the horrific things and was haunted by her past, driving her to become the strongest woman alive. Her mystery also intrugued me; I was eager for anything about Mukuro, I even had a custom Mukuro plush made to commemorate my idolization of her.
Mukuro, you're beautiful inside.
I understand her anger and drive to become strong, and I understand so well the desperation as she tried in vain to break her shackles. Keeping them to remind herself that she's not good enough until she becomes the strongest, and feeling so weak and vulnerable inside herself, thus Mukuro was unable to let go of her past. When she decided to show both her body and consciousness to Hiei, she was beginning to open up. As Hiei broke her shackles, signifying she was finally free, I nearly cried.
Adore thy Queen
Mukuro is most certainly one of the strongest characters in anime altogether, and possibly the strongest female character in all of animedom. Her powers include some kind of psychic power - the one she uses to 'read' Hiei's memories just by touching his body. She can also shoot energy from her fists, and clearly showed this in the battle between her and Hiei. She can cut space. Moving her arm, the space where she pointed is sliced by a white line. The landscape starts looking as if seen on a broken mirror. She is also capable of holding, and tearing Hiei's Dragon in two. When Mukuro took a defensive stand, Kurama said, "It seems she will try to hold it with her hands." She used both her hands and feet to keep the Dragon's mouth open, until she managed to tear it in two. She clearly has tremendous powers.
Hatred of this marred beauty.
-"Mukuro is ugly!" it is true she is half marred by scars, but she is beautiful both inside, and out. What's left of her is a perfect female form.
-Mukuro steals MY Hiei!" The canon implications of Mukuro and Hiei - especially in the manga - as a couple are far greater than any proof of Kurama and Hiei being together. In fact, Togashi-sensei himself had intended for them to be romantically involved, but stopped just short of that because of an uproar from female fans who wanted Hiei paired with Kurama, or with - God, forbid - their own character..
-"Mukuro is a bitch!" Besides her punching Hiei for bringing up the subject of brooding on her birthday about the man who brutally raped her as a child, there are no points to prove it. Mukuro takes him into her arms as an open gesture, and a "bitch" clearly couldn't manage it.
Conclusion: Mukuro and Myself
At the end of the series, when I see Mukuro with Hiei, I always want to hear more of her story - to see if she truly finds happiness or not. However, in my heart, I feel that she does. Of her newly relieved position of power and her relationship with Hiei, perhaps I'll write more on that another day. I hope that one day I can liberate myself as she did - find happiness, and become whole.