Muraki Kazutaka (Yami no Matsuei)
Muraki Kazutaka
Author: thedemonprist and lyrebird
Spoilers: Nagasaki, King of Swords, Kyoto.
Email: the.demonprist AT gmail.com | lyrebird AT gmail.com
Personal Website: Peaceful Chaos | LB*M
Mystery. Madness. Murder. Mayhem. No other character in YnM fandom arouses such intense hatred and rabid fangirling as Muraki Kazutaka does.
What's the appeal?
Muraki is the kind of character you either love to love or love to hate; there is no in-between ground. For those who love him, the appeal is strongly tied to his exotic appearance: he fits the "bishounen" category with his silvery-white hair, seductive gaze and polished dress. Those who hate him point to his reprehensible behaviour towards the Shinigami and mortals.
Behavior-wise, it's the enigmatic personas he exhibits which fascinate many YnM fans. One side - the side most often seen - is that of the cool yet seductive manipulator who is highly skilled in pulling other people's strings for his own advantage. But evidence suggests that there still lingers within Muraki a shard of decent humanity, and it is the glimpses of this polar opposite which many fans find most interesting.
The not-so-good doctor
We first encounter Muraki at the start of the Nagasaki arc. In the anime, Tsuzuki enters a church (possibly the Catholic church Oura Tenshudo [1])to find Muraki kneeling before an altar, sunlight falling on him from the stained glass windows - and a strikingly poignant tear falling down his cheek when he stands and sees Tsuzuki. In the manga, he provides first aid when a child collapses in the square (a scene also repeated in the anime). In both, he's dressed in white from head to toe: shirt, trenchcoat, trousers, shoes - a colour associated with purity and cleanliness in most Western traditions.
Both scenes establish an impression of benevolence, kindness, selfless duty to humanity. The church scene also implies that he is pious and a believer in God - presumably someone of strong moral fibre who follows Christian values. He is also drawn in a way to maximise his appeal: tall, broad-shouldered, handsome. In the anime he's given a gorgeous voice, silken yet deep (by Japanese voice actor Hayami Sho [2]). It’s the kind of voice that makes one go weak at the knees; the kind of voice that sounds deliciously erotic even while reading aloud something as mundane as the phone directory.
All the symbolism serves as a distraction, for Muraki is big trouble. Ironically, white in some Eastern cultures means death. And Muraki dishes out almost as much of that as he does medicine! Such is the life of a doctor moonlighting as a serial killer/sorcerer in his free time.
The inspiration for Muraki could have come from a combination of sources. Gothic horror no doubt inspired the vampirism inherent, and the Dr. Frankenstein elements that make him so creepy and malevolent. There are also elements taken from the Western concept of the Romantic hero [3]. These were not virtuous people, sensible and rational, working for the good of others. They were selfish individualists striving toward an imaginative vision (possibly delusion) of their own making, uncaring of the consequences of their actions on others, and even themselves. Their lives are a constant battle, a clash between the hostile world and their own self-generated vision.
Muraki's vision, as explained most eloquently in Nagasaki, is to defeat death. He rails against humanity's ultimate fate, automatically pitting him against the entire JuOhCho administration which oversees 'death' - the passage of souls from the world of the living to the afterlife and their pending judgement (i.e., which section of the non-smoking or smoking afterlife a person winds up in). To hear Muraki talk, one might almost think that he really does feel some sort of regret, or guilt, at his inability to become the perfect, invincible doctor:
"Being a surgeon only brings me suffering every day. The limits of medicine, human's fragile existence... The lives I couldn't save - this is my regret, my remorse, my anger. No matter how many I save, I still lose to 'death.' Just what is the reason for a doctor's existence? I don't know anymore. Since that time, I've gone mad. Since I understood the limits of human life, I've changed into a murdering killer desiring the power of darkness, craving human flesh. (Nagasaki arc)
It's an extreme example of the "If you can't beat them, join them" philosophy.
In the context of YnM, in which most of the characters are trying their utmost to repress or atone for the pain and anguish they've suffered in the past, Muraki appears to be the complete opposite. He represses nothing. He allows himself to be utterly consumed by his pain and anguish, letting that inner chaos drive him in his pursuits. While the other characters seek to find acceptance and redemption in the relationships they establish with others, Muraki allows his pain to overwhelm him to the exclusion of all else. It’s even been suggested by a few fans that in addition to the energy-absorbing ability he possesses, he also has latent empathetic talents similar to Hisoka’s - a possible source for much of that suffering Muraki claims, especially if as a beginning sorcerer he had not yet learned to control such a power. Such an influx of constant misery during his profession as a doctor could also have had its hand in marinating Muraki’s madness.
He makes others suffer, and ultimately he suffers as well. His Icarus-like quest is doomed to fail, for he underestimates the powers he is dealing with and doesn’t seem to have any true comprehension of the monstrosity of his actions. In a sense, he is the ultimate puppet - too caught up in the threads of his own hatred and ambition to consciously change his ways.
Sadistic and seductive
Muraki fits several of the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder [4]. He shows a seemingly reckless disregard for his own safety, and that of others. He shows an astonishing lack of remorse for the crimes he has done. He is deceitful and manipulative in almost all of his dealings - Professor Satomi, Kakyouin the shipping magnate and his daughter Tsubaki, Maria Won (aka Maria Wong, per the manga) and her stepmother. He is arrogant and vain, with an inflated sense of his own self-worth.
One can easily assume that he is readily intelligent and successful (even if that success is achieved by socially unacceptable means). To achieve his position, he must be extremely ambitious, highly motivated, and focused to the point of stubbornness if not obsession. He is also extremely charismatic - we see schoolgirls and nurses admiring him in the Kyoto arc, the workers on the cruise ship speak well of him, and even the servants at Kokakurou ask after him when he doesn't return one night.
Part of his charisma is the seductive menace he radiates. We see him blatantly invade Tsuzuki's physical space in the anime, more than once, to retrieve a book, flirt with an offering of roses, and threaten retaliation for refusal of a date. In the manga, the menace is more subtle, but there is still plenty of space-invading - Muraki talks to Tsuzuki about life and death with a bluntness that rouses Tsuzuki's suspicion and later, in the secreted areas of the Queen Camellia, physically pins Tsuzuki to the floor. In both, Muraki's behaviour stretches the boundaries of what could be considered inappropriate - Tsuzuki is bewildered, but he cannot find fault. He's left puzzled, much like us - uneasy but unable to pinpoint why.
Muraki's overtly sexual behaviour is an intrinsic part of his appeal to fans. It is symptomatic of his arrogance and confidence, as well as his hunger for spiritual energy. He uses his sex appeal as a weapon to manipulate others. Tsuzuki is the main target of such attention - we see Muraki gleefully using his charms to embarrass, confuse, and infuriate Tsuzuki into taking rash action. A stellar example of one such incident takes place in the anime towards the end of the King of Swords arc. Onboard the sinking cruise ship, Muraki calmly relates to Tsuzuki with a slyly taunting edge how the whole fiasco came into being. Tsuzuki snaps like a twig and charges him - a fatal error, as Muraki simply dodges the punch and captures Tsuzuki in his embrace in one smooth movement! Such scenes have a definite erotic edge mixed with unsettling creepiness, and in the manga this even combines humour with the mix:
Muraki: Besides, Tsuzuki-san, you didn't think that I couldn't have died so simply, ne?
Tsuzuki Well...even your pulse disappeared...
Muraki: Oh, my. Were you a little concerned for me, Tsuzuki-san?
Tsuzuki: WAS NOT!!! Idiot! What's the idea of attacking in the dark? Coward! That's what I hate about you!!
Muraki: It couldn't be helped, ne? In order to completely recover, I needed to drink spiritual energy. If I told you, would you honestly let me drink it? Taking it directly by the mouth is the best way, still...we haven't known each for long. Such actions might be too hasty.
Tsuzuki: Evil person.
Muraki: "But still...your spiritual energy is the very best. Thick and sweet...even just a little makes my body rage. Ah, I remember our first meeting by the skyline of Nagasaki's Mount Inasa, in that beautiful foreign city. I thought watching you was enough. But since seeing your beautiful hair, body - I've wanted to touch them. So even though I do that now...I want you. My desire keeps escalating, driving me crazy. You, a man. Your power and body. Everything..."
(King of Swords)
The element of vampirism in the imagery evoked by Muraki's words suggests that to Muraki, sexual lust and lust for spiritual energy are inseparable. His lust is a sign of his own insatiable desire for power. As the most powerful of all the Shinigami, Tsuzuki is the one Muraki pursues with an intensity reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote pursuing the Road Runner.
Even when Muraki's desire for Tsuzuki shifts from lustful admiration of his beauty to desiring Tsuzuki's body for experimentation, the eroticism persists - in the manga, he tastes Tsuzuki's tears before attempting to decapitate him and licks the blood from his knife. In the anime, we see him kiss an unresisting/oblivious Tsuzuki after he 'flies' him out of Meifu. Tsuzuki is no longer aware of his surroundings, but his level of consciousness doesn't affect Muraki's behaviour - the melding of the cannibalistic with the erotic persists.
In Muraki's encounter with Hisoka, there is an ugly sadistic overtone to his sexual attention. Muraki kills Hisoka by an elaborate method - raping him, then writing a curse on his skin that led to a painful death over three years. We can infer that energy drainage probably occurred - in the Nagasaki arc he explains how he can draw on the energy of others. However, the use of force in disempowering and manipulating another is very much the main purpose.
The sadism is emotional as well as physical. As an empath unaccustomed to physical contact, Hisoka has no idea how to deal with the involuntary arousal associated with the rape, much less understand the pain and dark emotions coming from his attacker.
"So no one would suspect murder, I didn't kill you right away. I stole your memory of that night, slowly letting the curse entice you toward death."
Dragged you down when you tried to escape
Stripped off your clothes
Wrote the cursed secret words (Nagasaki arc)
However, there are other elements to the encounter that make it the one of the most confrontational and controversial scenes in the series. The viewer is invited to see the scene as sensual, even beautiful - from Muraki's words it is clear that he also finds pleasure in Hisoka's physical beauty:
Come. Let's continue that night on the cushion of sakura, embracing under the moonlight...
Come boy...into my hand.
Ivory skin, gem-like eyes.
You that night was as beautiful as a blossoming sakura in the darkness...
The anime shows this graphically - with the viewer as voyeur, sakura petals fall prettily as Muraki rapes Hisoka by moonlight, a scene made all the more menacing because it takes place in virtual shadowing, thus the details are left up to the imagination.
It's an extremely disturbing scene - all the more so for the jarring dichotomy between Muraki's eroticism combined with Hisoka's agony.
So why kill Hisoka in such a sadistic manner? We do not see him bestow the same gruesome treatment upon the rest of his victims in canon. His own physical attractiveness notwithstanding, what made Hisoka unlucky enough to be so 'special'?
The manga suggests a warped kindred element to the rape - a grotesque self-hatred that is projected outwards to perpetuate itself through another victim:
Those dear to me are those who I wish to cruelly crush underfoot. (Nagasaki)
(Muraki to Hisoka during the poker game) "A copy cannot beat the original." (King of Swords)
"The curse carved onto your body, permeating to your bones and tissue, even if you were reduced to a cell, it would still return. My little puppet that dances by my whim. In a sense, you are a reproduction of me." (King of Swords)
To speak of the curse as existing in every cell - implying that it is part of his genetic material - may be grandiose thinking on Muraki's part, as well as a means of confusing and unsettling his opponent. As an example of Muraki's thought processes, it suggests he relates to Hisoka as a reproduction or a clone. Could it be that Hisoka reminded Muraki of either himself at that age, or of his despised half-brother Saki (note the resemblance between Hisoka, young Muraki, and Saki in anime and manga)? Maybe this physical likeness triggered unwelcome memories for Muraki. Fans have often wondered if Muraki has been raped himself, and suffered similar disempowerment, which would certainly spur him to take his anger, frustration and humiliation out on others by re-enacting the same deed.
Sowing the seeds of madness
To understand how such a terrible deviation could have been created in Muraki’s mind it's necessary to know some background on Kazutaka's past. We know Muraki comes from a long line of doctors. We know his mother collected antique dolls.
The manga alludes to his mother's emotional abuse. By treating her only child as a perfect possession instead of a fallible human being with feelings, she helped to sow the seeds of Muraki's sociopathic nature:
Mother: Come. Come here, Kazutaka-san. Such a good child. You are so pretty and cute.
Child Muraki: Mother, where's Veronica?
Mother: Your silver hair, like a bright, frozen moon. Beautiful eyes, like a lake filled with the full moon. White skin like the finest bisque. Ah...
Child Muraki: My nutcracker, Veronica!! What did you do with her, Mother? You didn't. You threw Veronica away?
Mother: You are the best in my "collection," Kazutaka-san.
(Kyoto arc)
Muraki uses similar words to describe Hisoka and other victims such as Tsubaki and Maria Won/Wong, suggesting that he is re-enacting his relationship with his mother in his dealings with them. Some fans speculate that Muraki's mother may have sexually abused him in the same way - but there is no firm canon evidence.
It's not known how Kazutaka's father behaved towards his son. Muraki himself raises the possibility of even more family insanity by referring to his father (in the manga) as "slightly mad," though this may be more a derogatory reference than a diagnosis. Possibly he was the type of person to regard his child more as an 'heir to the empire' rather than a unique person in his own right, which would explain in part why Kazutaka kept the line of family physicians going by becoming one himself (the tradition of children following in their parents' career footsteps notwithstanding).
Muraki's father was also prone to adultery. It might be assumed that the relationship between both parents was distant, and the marriage existed for the sake of convenience. No doubt Kazutaka picked up on the relations between his parents, which would have affected the way he was brought up.
Muraki's family has an interest in prolonging human life, which originates from the time Muraki's grandfather found Tsuzuki:
Satomi: This bug-filled failed project...why did you give birth to it, Yukitaka-hakase? [Muraki’s grandfather] (Kyoto arc)
This is the theria.net [5] translation. The Senshigakuen [6] translation reads "Why did you bear this kind of defective, failed work, Doctor Yukitaka?" suggesting that Muraki is the 'failed work.'
It's possible that as part of the family research, Kazutaka (the Muraki we know) experimented on himself, or was the subject of experimentation, maybe even while in the womb. This could explain his unusual physical appearance. Muraki does admit to drinking poisons to bolster his immune system:
Muraki: Since I was a child, in order to build a resistance to poison, I always drank fatal dosages of poison. Mixing it little by little into my food and drink, my body grew used to it. Due to that, my body is no longer affected by any type of poison.
Tsuzuki: Poison? Why do such a thing?
Muraki: Well, it was necessary...let's say.
(King of Swords)
His artificial eye may also be the result of an experiment on himself. In the manga, he refers to it as "this repugnant mechanical eye" - something he loathes but is resigned to live with.
Through his upbringing, self-experimentation and career as a surgeon, Muraki has trained himself to regard the human body as a living machine. Emotions, including his own, have been pushed aside in his quest for the perfect body.
However, Muraki has yet another reason for his unstable mental state: Saki.
Muraki: The child from a patient who my slightly mad father made advances to - that was my older brother of the same age, Shidou Saki. Just like that, I had a brother. That was also a shock, but more than anything the thing that I couldn't forgive - the fact that the same day that my mother conceived me, Father got the patient pregnant. Despite that, I made an effort to speak freely with you...Saki.
(Kyoto arc)
It's not clear why Kazutaka's father suddenly decided to bring Saki home. Perhaps Saki's mother suddenly passed on and left no other surviving relatives? Kazutaka's father would have had little choice then but to take on full support for the illegitimate son he'd begotten; the shame of the scandal had it become public knowledge could have damaged his professional reputation. By that time, Kazutaka was probably accustomed enough to his mother's oddities that he had come to accept his 'role' as her favorite 'doll.' Suddenly confronting another pretty young boy similar to himself, he may have felt afraid of the possibility that he might be replaced - thrown out - by the newcomer.
Being the 'proper' little boy as he was taught, and maybe spurred by loneliness, Kazutaka tried to befriend Saki, if for no other reason than to please his parents.
There is a key difference in how the anime and manga present the deaths of Kazutaka's parents. In the anime, Muraki's father, then mother, are said to die shortly after each other. Muraki sees Saki showing a peculiar smile at the funeral - an implication that he was involved in their deaths. Later the boys confront each other, and Saki threatens Muraki with a katana. A servant kills Saki with a shotgun, but Muraki still wishes he had the satisfaction of murdering Saki himself.
In the manga, Muraki blames Saki for all the suffering he has experienced without elaborating Saki's misdeeds in detail. We're left to fill in the gaps ourselves:
Muraki: Shidou, it's your fault my family fragmented, until you even hurt the person dearest to me. Do you remember? The first time that you came to my house. Even now I can clearly recall it. The day that a demon was born before me!
It is unclear who the dearest person is - some suggest it may be Ukyou (the mystery girlfriend).
Muraki: ...you stole everything from me! These 16 years, I've come to live only so that I can subdue you myself! Go ahead and watch me from there. Go ahead and sneer at me! THIS TIME!! With my hand I'LL KILL YOU!!! I'LL JUST KILL YOU!!!!
Muraki: This time for sure, I'll achieve my true freedom!
(Kyoto arc)
The 'kukukuku' laughter has been edited out (and the essay is still over the word limit). Suffice it to say, the closer Muraki gets to achieving his vengeance, the more irrational and delusional he becomes. The hatred has poisoned his mind.
If we take Muraki's date of birth and the publication date of Kyoto arc as a rough guide, Muraki would have been in his late teens when Saki died. So if one suspects that Muraki has been sexually assaulted in his past, then Saki is a likely culprit. He regards Saki with particular venom, more than anyone else in his family. He even goes to the trouble of preserving Saki's head and spinal cord. (In his late teens? He must have been a prodigy.)
However, it is irrational for Muraki to blame everything on Saki. Muraki has made choices that have shaped the person he is now. Oriya, Muraki’s close friend, points out that Muraki's hate is too broad to confine to a single person:
Oriya: His hatred is deep-rooted. He cursed his parents...the world...God...and then himself, too...and he keeps hating. You can't win against his hatred.
And earlier, he thinks...
Oriya: Arrogantly cool-headed. You were always looking at people with scornful eyes. At that time, you only showed your face once. Even now, your ephemeral smile is like a broken down marionette. I understand...you can't just live that way. But if that's so...then what was our time together? Muraki? In the end, I couldn't shift your point of view by even one millimeter.
(Kyoto arc)
Oriya has obviously tried to change Muraki's ways, without success. They are revealed to be friends from college (though it’s been speculated that their friendship dates further back than that), and share a frank relationship. Muraki imposes on Oriya without shame - and Oriya allows him to enjoy the comforts of his hospitality without charge, even taking advantage of his friend’s homicidal tendencies to rid himself of troublesome employees:
Muraki: ...of course, it's certainly up to you what you want to do with the women you've bought. After that, let me be the one to take care of 'ending' it. But it's because of people like me...that your business can continue, Oriya. From generation to generation, the head of the Mibu family who runs the Geisha house isn't one to let go of customers, I expect. No matter how violent they are."
Oriya: "...humph. It's not like I'm in this business because I like it. The only reason you can come and go from here is because you're my best friend. If you weren't, you would be instantly banned from entering." (Kyoto arc)
It seems to be the most 'normal' of Muraki's relationships. Perhaps he knows nothing can be gained by manipulating Oriya. Maybe Oriya gives him what he wants without the need for such games. Oriya’s presence throughout the storyline is subtle yet significant. At first glance, he appears to be the more submissive of the two, yet whenever Muraki tests the boundaries, Oriya doesn’t hesitate with the smackdown.
Oriya: [bursting in] "EE------------HH!! That's far enough Muraki."
(Muraki has brought Tsuzuki to Kokakurou and has him pinned to the floor)
Oriya: "This is a traditional and socially established high class restaurant!!!"
Muraki: "Oriya!?"
Oriya: "Within the sight of my eyes, I will not allow such things as this!!! Oriya Kick!!!"
Muraki: "Y-Y-You're mistaken, Oriya"
Oriya: Silence, animal
(Kyoto arc)
That Oriya cares for Muraki, even after all that Muraki has done, is still evident, as he provides a safe haven from discovery and distracts the other Shinigami when they come looking for Tsuzuki to buy Muraki time. Muraki seems to care for Oriya in return when he says his partings at the Sagano shrine in Kyoto.
Muraki: "Once it's all over...I will disappear. It's all right...I will not cause you any further trouble. I wish you well on my request. Good-bye, Oriya..."
Oriya also recalls something Muraki asked him during their days at school:
Muraki (youth): Oriya...If I was to die before you...
Muraki (youth): Even if it's false...
Muraki (youth): Would you cry even one tear for me...?
(Kyoto arc)
The former statement implies that Muraki is well aware of his imposition on Oriya (and dare we say, regrets it?): the latter implies that Muraki seeks reassurance that someone does care about him, madness and all, when most other people would turn him away. Muraki strikes many of his fans as having an inner insecure child part of himself that needs constant reassurance, but his sociopathic nature hides such neediness to prevent further damage to his already-battered emotional self. Over the duration of their relationship, Oriya has been 'trained' to recognize specific aspects of Muraki and deal with them accordingly, which is how he seems able to instinctively handle his friend with a consummate grace that no one else is capable of.
How deep this unusual friendship goes is unclear - some believe there is a silent, mutually reciprocated (if unacknowledged) love, and there are fans who appreciate the bond but regard it as an intimate loyalty between equals. Still, even their relationship, whether platonic or romantic, is not enough to sway Muraki from his destructive plans.
Mayhem and motivations
A problem in analysing Muraki's character has been coming to grips with his unbalanced mental state. He says a great deal, but his reliability as a narrator becomes extremely questionable by Kyoto arc.
In Nagasaki and King of Swords, there is at least some type of consistency and internal logic at work. He calls himself crazy, but he still has enough mental focus to manipulate others. In Nagasaki, he claims to be after spiritual power. He manipulates Maria Won/Wong to kill, while he absorbs the victims' spiritual energy by proxy. He also attempts to use Hisoka as bait - sadistically torturing and reminding him of their 'sensual meeting three years ago' - in order to lure Tsuzuki to him and absorb his power.
(To Tsuzuki) "Shall I tear apart your body before the boy's eyes? I would like to see your dear partner trembling in fear when I drink your fresh blood with your boiled heart. Ah, look, we need to hurry. The red moon demands a sacrifice."
My power will be completed when I get the 'negative power' of the Shinigami.
This is when I shall be changed into the perfect body--
(Nagasaki arc)
There are references to red moons and sacrifice as well, which has led to speculation that his actions may be part of some occult ritual - perhaps an offering to appease/summon a demonic spirit.
Under the red full moon that bewilders people
Is where the monster who baths in the blood of killed people exist
Where I am.
(Nagasaki arc)
There is debate about how literally one should take his statements, with its gory imagery of cannibalism and blood lust. Does he truly believe that eating the dead body of his victim enables him to acquire the qualities of the victim (a belief in some societies which practice cannibalism)? Or is he using such dramatic statements for shock value? Is this a sign of his delusional thinking that becomes more florid by Kyoto arc?
In King of Swords, Muraki's in trouble, and he has to go into damage control. His lucrative organ trafficking network on the Queen Camellia is under threat: Kakyouin, the shipping magnate, wants out; and a politician is attempting to blackmail them. So all the events that occur - the bizarre deaths, Tsubaki being hypnotised to believe she is possessed - are part of his elaborate plan to destroy all the evidence of his involvement and get away without paying the consequences. The psychic vampire references are not as much in sight, but there is the recurring theme of manipulating a victim by hypnotic suggestion to kill on his behalf - in this case Tsubaki (brainwashed into believing she was possessed by her unwilling heart donor Eileen, aka Irene in the anime). He even stage-managed his own 'murder' - quite a daring exercise, considering that a medical student was on board to conduct an autopsy - showing a reckless disregard for his own safety, since autopsies usually involve a good deal of dissection to find cause of death!
When he confronts Tsuzuki on the Queen Camellia, there are more references to lust and spiritual power. In the anime, there are several near-kisses in which their lips are millimetres apart. In the manga, Muraki manages to bite Tsuzuki's neck during a violent fight to revive himself from suspended animation - another vampiric reference. But his main purpose is to save his own skin. Toying with the Shinigami for sadistic pleasure is an added bonus.
By Kyoto, his motivations become extremely disorganised and nonsensical. He hasn't evolved, but his regression is quite spectacular, as Muraki does much more ranting and raving than he previously did in either Nagasaki or King of Swords.
We learn from Watari that he received orders from the director of his hospital in Tokyo to come to Shion Dai University in Tokyo to assist Professor Satomi with his research on cellular regeneration and cloning. And he does, providing tissue samples and promising Tsuzuki as experimental guinea pig. But even Satomi has his limits:
Satomi: If you have no conscience, then I'll say something, Muraki-kun!!! There's something wrong with you!!! You're mad!!! Come to your senses!!! There are things that can't be done with a human's power!! Such as pulling the strings in the human matter of life and death like a god. Don't you know what kind of horrible sin that is!!?
Muraki: I don't know, sensei. The Japanese notion of a sin is a "stain." With water, you can rinse a stain clean. Isn't it often said that virtuous types look like fools? "You can atone for however many sins," ne? It's precisely that way! Any time you commit a sin, you can rinse yourself clean of that sin at any time. Those times I bleach myself and am reborn.
Muraki: I'll commit a sin once more. And again and again! And again and again!!! THAT INDEED IS MY REASON FOR BEING. EVIDENCE OF BEING---!!! And then I shall be reborn into a higher existence! I commit a sin. Then at any time, I rinse myself clean and I am reborn. That's the whole program carved within my DNA!!!
(Kyoto arc)
Muraki lives to sin, or so he says, without conscience or pity. Perhaps he is referring to the ultimate sin - to be like God in manipulating life and death.
But the DNA reference makes little sense, even as metaphor. Is the rebirth literal? Is he going to live forever, sinning and being reborn, repeating the cycle for eternity? Cloning himself perhaps? What about his goal to achieve the perfect body? Where did that go? Or is he totally unhinged, delusional and manic - too caught up in his ravings to realise he has lost track of his original purpose?
His plan to bring Saki back to life by the whole head transplantation onto Tsuzuki's body is more absurd than horrific. If Tsuzuki's body is so perfect, then why give it to Saki? It will be extremely difficult to kill him with Tsuzuki's amazing regenerative abilities. In canon, we see how quickly Tsuzuki's body heals - would it be even possible to decapitate Tsuzuki fast enough in view of his rapid recuperative powers? Then again, maybe this is all part of the reason he has been sent to Kyoto - to perform more human experiments to prolong life and defeat death. The head transplantation may be one of many experiments in their research on immortality - one with a personal significance for Muraki in view of his choice of subject.
For all his delusional plans, Muraki did have incredible power under his command. There are references to him as an angel - Satomi and Tsubaki call him an angel; Hisoka says that if he is an angel, his name is Destruction. There is a consensus that he is something more than a normal human. He easily summons demons to wreak destruction on his behalf. He placed a curse on a girl to turn her into a giant centipede. He cursed Hisoka to die an agonising death over three years. He was able to enter Meifu and pluck Tsuzuki out with feathered wings of white. Pretty. But where does his power come from?
The most popular explanation is that it is demonic, either by direct ancestry, demonic possession, or part of a contract. Muraki makes several intriguing references to himself and Tsuzuki being alike:
"You are forever mine, my brother Shinigami!!
I am you and you are me - "
We are wandering beasts, thirsting of ambition, yearning for the moistness of blood, born from the womb of the same woman...
(Nagasaki arc)
By Kyoto, it becomes even more concrete, a bizarre mix of the scientific and the occult:
"We are the "same kind." As a consequence of the genetic manipulation that went against natural reason, we were born with an imitation "life." If you trace the path of things living in chaos's darkness, it's just more darkness. We can't run...you and I. We are the proof of the sins that people committed. We are the sons of one who wore the detestable brand on its forehead--BECAUSE WE ARE THE "DESCENDENTS OF DARKNESS."
Some fans have taken the above to mean that Muraki actually has demonic ancestry, like Tsuzuki (although Tsuzuki’s clear origins also remain a mystery). Others have dismissed it as a sign that Muraki was unhinged - by Kyoto, he is clearly irrational, verging on nonsensical in word and deed. These may or may not be embellished references to their shared past of bloodshed and violence. Such ambiguity has been a fertile ground for fanfic speculation.
Regardless of the source, it is this power which saves him from Touda's flames in the Shion University lab fire. Muraki states he feels the peaceful coldness of death, yet Hisoka still bears the curse marks by the end of Kyoto. So his fate is not certain.
Hisoka: "Just before Tatsumi-san's shadow swallowed us...I sensed it. A huge flock of light took him in. A blinding, evil, fiercesome, hot light.
Much later during the GenSouKai chaos, we see Oriya wondering just where Muraki is all this time, and what’s happened to him...if he’s still alive, what’s he doing, and how will it affect the future...?
Love and lust
No essay on Muraki would be complete without having tackled the issue of sex, and by association, love. Does Muraki, somewhere in the depths of his psyche, feel anything besides lust for another person? His vehemence that he is not capable of love at all might actually indicate otherwise, a smokescreen for his true feelings, since he is incapable of admitting that vulnerability to himself, much less to others.
Muraki: "Isn't that so? We men don't have a different feeling that women call love. Our behavior is more base."
(King of Swords)
Muraki certainly feels lust as shown by his vivid harassment of Tsuzuki and from the mangaka’s own words concerning Muraki's preferences [7]:
Actually, speaking of that, I got a question asking me whether or not the Doctor liked guys, so I'll answer that here. A) Either guys or girls are OK. If it's a target that draws his interest, he doesn't care whether they're female or male. To the point, he's inconsistent. (Laugh) However, he did have a childhood girlfriend. He's just a difficult guy to understand.
Love...at first glance wouldn't seem possible. But many fans do think that Muraki is capable of giving and receiving love - however, because of the crippling extent of his madness, he can't process or express those sentiments in a healthy manner. He interprets such human emotions as weakness, which is anathema to his obsession with perfection.
To openly acknowledge his feelings as 'love' or as anything else that constitutes a recognition of human emotion would be an admission of weakness and a threat to the manipulative controlling persona Muraki has established for himself. He explains his close ties with the few others he has by resorting to excuses that they either fascinate him on an aesthetic level, or serve his purposes as 'toys,' pieces to be manipulated at his whims. With that in mind, let’s look at his significant others.
Muraki’s four significant sexual/emotional relationships depicted in the series are as follows: Hisoka, Ukyou, Oriya, and Tsuzuki.
His relationship with Hisoka is definitely not loving. If Muraki does feel anything for Hisoka, it’s a very bizarre and twisted type of affection.
Next is Ukyou, the mystery girlfriend. Popular assumption among many fans is that she is his fiancee. Muraki does seem to harbor a good deal of affection towards her - he clues several people, among them Tsubaki and Tsuzuki, in on their relationship, becomes melodramatic when she cancels a dinner date, and expresses the first genuine regret for her in the series after being stabbed by Tsuzuki:
Muraki: "Ukyou, please forgive me. In the end, I couldn't help you. I couldn't do anything...for you. I no longer have any place to return to. Goodbye, Ukyou."
Muraki: "-please...please stay well..."
(Kyoto arc)
It’s been suggested that part of Muraki's grief over his 'failure' to defeat death indicates that Ukyou suffers from a chronic degenerative illness. Since up till now Muraki's extreme crusade to become the perfect doctor has seemed megalomaniacal at best, this adds a new potential dimension to his work, as a personal interest gives him more of a sympathetic motivation.
Then there’s Oriya. Their friendship makes it easy to suppose that something more is going on between them, especially when Oriya doesn’t seem terribly bothered by the fact that Muraki is involved in some way with Ukyou and helps himself to Kokakurou’s prostitutes. A romantic relationship between Oriya and Muraki is perhaps more feasible than one between Muraki and Ukyou by virtue of the fact that Oriya is privy to a good deal of his friend's secrets, whereas Ukyou is very likely still in the dark about Muraki’s skeletons. Oriya knows Muraki more intimately and accepts him wholly for the most part, though he disapproves of the extremes his friend goes to in order to achieve his goals. About the only way Muraki could come halfway close to learning how to love would be if he were paired with someone who was adequately equipped (mentally and physically) to keep his delusions and hatred in close check - which is why Oriya is paired with Muraki in a romantic context in many fanfics.
Still, when you take into consideration that Muraki's relationships revolve around him exerting power over another, and the implication that he sees Oriya as an equal and is wary of embarking on an intimate relationship with such a person, it's possible that their friendship has remained, canonically speaking, just that.
How does one explain Tsuzuki?
In Gavin de Becker's book The Gift of Fear [8], he states two fundamental truths. First, everyone wants to be accepted; rejection is universally feared by all. Second, the key to understanding how an adversary's mind works is to accept that the adversary is just like you in his/her basic needs and wants. Considering how easy it is for Muraki to manipulate Tsuzuki’s reactions, and how accurately Tsuzuki relates to Muraki, one can see how these principles affect these two characters. In a way, they are each other's polar opposite, and thus by that definition equals.
Tsuzuki: "You might say that I who have become a dog to Meifu am the same as him. Tsuzuki: "The reason vampires have been hated and feared since the distance past is because they live by eating other humans. It is the association of eating one's own kind."
Tsuzuki: Those eyes. As a doctor he was too idealistic. The end of those people who despair over their own weakness until insanity takes hold. With such a pitiful deep-rooted delusion, it won't end with death.
Tsuzuki: "In this world...there are many 'Dracula' who can easily 'devour' other people for their own desires, Chief. It has been said that Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" was modeled after real humans. Any person has the seed to become a vampire. Any one."
Tsuzuki: In this world, how many people have the right to criticize Muraki's actions?
Tsuzuki: "There is even one right here."
Tsuzuki: Inside myself lives a vampire-
(Nagasaki arc)
Tsuzuki’s penchant for vitriolic self-castigation aside, he seems to relate to Muraki, and Muraki to him. Muraki also exhibits what appears to be jealousy upon seeing Tsuzuki bonding with Hisoka:
Muraki: "....lovely ties of friendship? How repulsive."
{Matsushita-sensei: Jealous? Sensei.}
This is contrary to Muraki's claims that he feels nothing aside from 'dark emotions. Yet his self-denial of affection extends to Tsuzuki as well, though perhaps not by conscious mandate. Some believe Muraki does love Tsuzuki in a fraternal fashion because he is able to empathise to some degree with Tsuzuki's angst and suffering - something he seldom shows to his victims. Tsuzuki is driven to pursue him to seek justice on Hisoka's behalf, but may also sense a chance at redemption for both of them.
Madness and murder aside, canon supports the concept of Muraki and Tsuzuki as 'opposite equals.'
What does it all mean?
The ongoing fascination with Muraki stems from his fluidity as a character. You can take his words, actions, and history any way you like and twist them as you please to suit whatever purpose you have in mind. Some like exploring the mad doctor side, the sadism/masochism, delusions and dreams that drove him. Others prefer to focus on his childhood angst or his friendship/romance with either Oriya or Ukyou. And still others see him as The Villain, eternally stalking Tsuzuki and Hisoka.
Whatever your preference, there is much room for angst and horror and humour and smut. He is puzzling and exciting enough for there to be as many interpretations of his character as there are fans - each with equally valid and contradictory viewpoints. That fluidity is ultimately why Muraki is so much fun to write.
Oh, and he's also sex on legs. Just ask the Muraki fangirls.
Thanks to theria.net and senshigakuen.com for translations!
References:
1. Mikan albums - Oura Tenshudo, Nagasaki
2. Sho Hayami fanclub - Show Up
3. Introduction to the Romantic Era in English Poetry
4. Wikipedia - Antisocial Personality Disorder/Sociopath
5. Theria.net - YnM part 23
6. Senshigakuen.com - YnM part 23
7. Aural Illusions
8. The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
Other reading:
Essay on Muraki's sexuality by pennypaperbrain - http://katcom.squidkitty.org/Muraki_sexuality.html
deadly_passions - LJ community for Muraki fans
Recs (Muraki is a sexual person, so it's virtually impossible to come across a fic without a shippy vibe of one sort or another)
General - nil pairings or too many to remember
One-Thirteen (series) by Leareth
The Exorcism of Demons by Akasha
The First Death by Evil Asian Genius
Muraki/Oriya
Forged In Pain, Sheathed By Need by Xandria
Eternal Roundabout by Demonprist (self rec alert!)
The Book of Destiny by olympia_m
Muraki/Tsuzuki
Two People on Opposite Sides of the River by E. Liddell
Seduced by Moonlight (series) by Ariss Tenoh
The Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Nightspore
Muraki/Saki
Corrupting Purity by Jeril Dragonsoul
Muraki/Ukyou
Because the Dead so Soon Grow Cold by Falstaff
Muraki/Watari
Degrees of Separation by Bonnejeane and Laekin
ETA - link now fixed
Muraki/Hisoka
Everlasting, Youthful Grace by YaoiKitten
Catharsis? by Katsue Fox
Fly by Rinoa Redcloak
If anyone would like to suggest any others, please let us know.
Quote from The Moon by Shelley
Author: thedemonprist and lyrebird
Spoilers: Nagasaki, King of Swords, Kyoto.
Email: the.demonprist AT gmail.com | lyrebird AT gmail.com
Personal Website: Peaceful Chaos | LB*M
Mystery. Madness. Murder. Mayhem. No other character in YnM fandom arouses such intense hatred and rabid fangirling as Muraki Kazutaka does.
What's the appeal?
Muraki is the kind of character you either love to love or love to hate; there is no in-between ground. For those who love him, the appeal is strongly tied to his exotic appearance: he fits the "bishounen" category with his silvery-white hair, seductive gaze and polished dress. Those who hate him point to his reprehensible behaviour towards the Shinigami and mortals.
Behavior-wise, it's the enigmatic personas he exhibits which fascinate many YnM fans. One side - the side most often seen - is that of the cool yet seductive manipulator who is highly skilled in pulling other people's strings for his own advantage. But evidence suggests that there still lingers within Muraki a shard of decent humanity, and it is the glimpses of this polar opposite which many fans find most interesting.
The not-so-good doctor
We first encounter Muraki at the start of the Nagasaki arc. In the anime, Tsuzuki enters a church (possibly the Catholic church Oura Tenshudo [1])to find Muraki kneeling before an altar, sunlight falling on him from the stained glass windows - and a strikingly poignant tear falling down his cheek when he stands and sees Tsuzuki. In the manga, he provides first aid when a child collapses in the square (a scene also repeated in the anime). In both, he's dressed in white from head to toe: shirt, trenchcoat, trousers, shoes - a colour associated with purity and cleanliness in most Western traditions.
Both scenes establish an impression of benevolence, kindness, selfless duty to humanity. The church scene also implies that he is pious and a believer in God - presumably someone of strong moral fibre who follows Christian values. He is also drawn in a way to maximise his appeal: tall, broad-shouldered, handsome. In the anime he's given a gorgeous voice, silken yet deep (by Japanese voice actor Hayami Sho [2]). It’s the kind of voice that makes one go weak at the knees; the kind of voice that sounds deliciously erotic even while reading aloud something as mundane as the phone directory.
All the symbolism serves as a distraction, for Muraki is big trouble. Ironically, white in some Eastern cultures means death. And Muraki dishes out almost as much of that as he does medicine! Such is the life of a doctor moonlighting as a serial killer/sorcerer in his free time.
The inspiration for Muraki could have come from a combination of sources. Gothic horror no doubt inspired the vampirism inherent, and the Dr. Frankenstein elements that make him so creepy and malevolent. There are also elements taken from the Western concept of the Romantic hero [3]. These were not virtuous people, sensible and rational, working for the good of others. They were selfish individualists striving toward an imaginative vision (possibly delusion) of their own making, uncaring of the consequences of their actions on others, and even themselves. Their lives are a constant battle, a clash between the hostile world and their own self-generated vision.
Muraki's vision, as explained most eloquently in Nagasaki, is to defeat death. He rails against humanity's ultimate fate, automatically pitting him against the entire JuOhCho administration which oversees 'death' - the passage of souls from the world of the living to the afterlife and their pending judgement (i.e., which section of the non-smoking or smoking afterlife a person winds up in). To hear Muraki talk, one might almost think that he really does feel some sort of regret, or guilt, at his inability to become the perfect, invincible doctor:
"Being a surgeon only brings me suffering every day. The limits of medicine, human's fragile existence... The lives I couldn't save - this is my regret, my remorse, my anger. No matter how many I save, I still lose to 'death.' Just what is the reason for a doctor's existence? I don't know anymore. Since that time, I've gone mad. Since I understood the limits of human life, I've changed into a murdering killer desiring the power of darkness, craving human flesh. (Nagasaki arc)
It's an extreme example of the "If you can't beat them, join them" philosophy.
In the context of YnM, in which most of the characters are trying their utmost to repress or atone for the pain and anguish they've suffered in the past, Muraki appears to be the complete opposite. He represses nothing. He allows himself to be utterly consumed by his pain and anguish, letting that inner chaos drive him in his pursuits. While the other characters seek to find acceptance and redemption in the relationships they establish with others, Muraki allows his pain to overwhelm him to the exclusion of all else. It’s even been suggested by a few fans that in addition to the energy-absorbing ability he possesses, he also has latent empathetic talents similar to Hisoka’s - a possible source for much of that suffering Muraki claims, especially if as a beginning sorcerer he had not yet learned to control such a power. Such an influx of constant misery during his profession as a doctor could also have had its hand in marinating Muraki’s madness.
He makes others suffer, and ultimately he suffers as well. His Icarus-like quest is doomed to fail, for he underestimates the powers he is dealing with and doesn’t seem to have any true comprehension of the monstrosity of his actions. In a sense, he is the ultimate puppet - too caught up in the threads of his own hatred and ambition to consciously change his ways.
Sadistic and seductive
Muraki fits several of the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder [4]. He shows a seemingly reckless disregard for his own safety, and that of others. He shows an astonishing lack of remorse for the crimes he has done. He is deceitful and manipulative in almost all of his dealings - Professor Satomi, Kakyouin the shipping magnate and his daughter Tsubaki, Maria Won (aka Maria Wong, per the manga) and her stepmother. He is arrogant and vain, with an inflated sense of his own self-worth.
One can easily assume that he is readily intelligent and successful (even if that success is achieved by socially unacceptable means). To achieve his position, he must be extremely ambitious, highly motivated, and focused to the point of stubbornness if not obsession. He is also extremely charismatic - we see schoolgirls and nurses admiring him in the Kyoto arc, the workers on the cruise ship speak well of him, and even the servants at Kokakurou ask after him when he doesn't return one night.
Part of his charisma is the seductive menace he radiates. We see him blatantly invade Tsuzuki's physical space in the anime, more than once, to retrieve a book, flirt with an offering of roses, and threaten retaliation for refusal of a date. In the manga, the menace is more subtle, but there is still plenty of space-invading - Muraki talks to Tsuzuki about life and death with a bluntness that rouses Tsuzuki's suspicion and later, in the secreted areas of the Queen Camellia, physically pins Tsuzuki to the floor. In both, Muraki's behaviour stretches the boundaries of what could be considered inappropriate - Tsuzuki is bewildered, but he cannot find fault. He's left puzzled, much like us - uneasy but unable to pinpoint why.
Muraki's overtly sexual behaviour is an intrinsic part of his appeal to fans. It is symptomatic of his arrogance and confidence, as well as his hunger for spiritual energy. He uses his sex appeal as a weapon to manipulate others. Tsuzuki is the main target of such attention - we see Muraki gleefully using his charms to embarrass, confuse, and infuriate Tsuzuki into taking rash action. A stellar example of one such incident takes place in the anime towards the end of the King of Swords arc. Onboard the sinking cruise ship, Muraki calmly relates to Tsuzuki with a slyly taunting edge how the whole fiasco came into being. Tsuzuki snaps like a twig and charges him - a fatal error, as Muraki simply dodges the punch and captures Tsuzuki in his embrace in one smooth movement! Such scenes have a definite erotic edge mixed with unsettling creepiness, and in the manga this even combines humour with the mix:
Muraki: Besides, Tsuzuki-san, you didn't think that I couldn't have died so simply, ne?
Tsuzuki Well...even your pulse disappeared...
Muraki: Oh, my. Were you a little concerned for me, Tsuzuki-san?
Tsuzuki: WAS NOT!!! Idiot! What's the idea of attacking in the dark? Coward! That's what I hate about you!!
Muraki: It couldn't be helped, ne? In order to completely recover, I needed to drink spiritual energy. If I told you, would you honestly let me drink it? Taking it directly by the mouth is the best way, still...we haven't known each for long. Such actions might be too hasty.
Tsuzuki: Evil person.
Muraki: "But still...your spiritual energy is the very best. Thick and sweet...even just a little makes my body rage. Ah, I remember our first meeting by the skyline of Nagasaki's Mount Inasa, in that beautiful foreign city. I thought watching you was enough. But since seeing your beautiful hair, body - I've wanted to touch them. So even though I do that now...I want you. My desire keeps escalating, driving me crazy. You, a man. Your power and body. Everything..."
(King of Swords)
The element of vampirism in the imagery evoked by Muraki's words suggests that to Muraki, sexual lust and lust for spiritual energy are inseparable. His lust is a sign of his own insatiable desire for power. As the most powerful of all the Shinigami, Tsuzuki is the one Muraki pursues with an intensity reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote pursuing the Road Runner.
Even when Muraki's desire for Tsuzuki shifts from lustful admiration of his beauty to desiring Tsuzuki's body for experimentation, the eroticism persists - in the manga, he tastes Tsuzuki's tears before attempting to decapitate him and licks the blood from his knife. In the anime, we see him kiss an unresisting/oblivious Tsuzuki after he 'flies' him out of Meifu. Tsuzuki is no longer aware of his surroundings, but his level of consciousness doesn't affect Muraki's behaviour - the melding of the cannibalistic with the erotic persists.
In Muraki's encounter with Hisoka, there is an ugly sadistic overtone to his sexual attention. Muraki kills Hisoka by an elaborate method - raping him, then writing a curse on his skin that led to a painful death over three years. We can infer that energy drainage probably occurred - in the Nagasaki arc he explains how he can draw on the energy of others. However, the use of force in disempowering and manipulating another is very much the main purpose.
The sadism is emotional as well as physical. As an empath unaccustomed to physical contact, Hisoka has no idea how to deal with the involuntary arousal associated with the rape, much less understand the pain and dark emotions coming from his attacker.
"So no one would suspect murder, I didn't kill you right away. I stole your memory of that night, slowly letting the curse entice you toward death."
Dragged you down when you tried to escape
Stripped off your clothes
Wrote the cursed secret words (Nagasaki arc)
However, there are other elements to the encounter that make it the one of the most confrontational and controversial scenes in the series. The viewer is invited to see the scene as sensual, even beautiful - from Muraki's words it is clear that he also finds pleasure in Hisoka's physical beauty:
Come. Let's continue that night on the cushion of sakura, embracing under the moonlight...
Come boy...into my hand.
Ivory skin, gem-like eyes.
You that night was as beautiful as a blossoming sakura in the darkness...
The anime shows this graphically - with the viewer as voyeur, sakura petals fall prettily as Muraki rapes Hisoka by moonlight, a scene made all the more menacing because it takes place in virtual shadowing, thus the details are left up to the imagination.
It's an extremely disturbing scene - all the more so for the jarring dichotomy between Muraki's eroticism combined with Hisoka's agony.
So why kill Hisoka in such a sadistic manner? We do not see him bestow the same gruesome treatment upon the rest of his victims in canon. His own physical attractiveness notwithstanding, what made Hisoka unlucky enough to be so 'special'?
The manga suggests a warped kindred element to the rape - a grotesque self-hatred that is projected outwards to perpetuate itself through another victim:
Those dear to me are those who I wish to cruelly crush underfoot. (Nagasaki)
(Muraki to Hisoka during the poker game) "A copy cannot beat the original." (King of Swords)
"The curse carved onto your body, permeating to your bones and tissue, even if you were reduced to a cell, it would still return. My little puppet that dances by my whim. In a sense, you are a reproduction of me." (King of Swords)
To speak of the curse as existing in every cell - implying that it is part of his genetic material - may be grandiose thinking on Muraki's part, as well as a means of confusing and unsettling his opponent. As an example of Muraki's thought processes, it suggests he relates to Hisoka as a reproduction or a clone. Could it be that Hisoka reminded Muraki of either himself at that age, or of his despised half-brother Saki (note the resemblance between Hisoka, young Muraki, and Saki in anime and manga)? Maybe this physical likeness triggered unwelcome memories for Muraki. Fans have often wondered if Muraki has been raped himself, and suffered similar disempowerment, which would certainly spur him to take his anger, frustration and humiliation out on others by re-enacting the same deed.
Sowing the seeds of madness
To understand how such a terrible deviation could have been created in Muraki’s mind it's necessary to know some background on Kazutaka's past. We know Muraki comes from a long line of doctors. We know his mother collected antique dolls.
The manga alludes to his mother's emotional abuse. By treating her only child as a perfect possession instead of a fallible human being with feelings, she helped to sow the seeds of Muraki's sociopathic nature:
Mother: Come. Come here, Kazutaka-san. Such a good child. You are so pretty and cute.
Child Muraki: Mother, where's Veronica?
Mother: Your silver hair, like a bright, frozen moon. Beautiful eyes, like a lake filled with the full moon. White skin like the finest bisque. Ah...
Child Muraki: My nutcracker, Veronica!! What did you do with her, Mother? You didn't. You threw Veronica away?
Mother: You are the best in my "collection," Kazutaka-san.
(Kyoto arc)
Muraki uses similar words to describe Hisoka and other victims such as Tsubaki and Maria Won/Wong, suggesting that he is re-enacting his relationship with his mother in his dealings with them. Some fans speculate that Muraki's mother may have sexually abused him in the same way - but there is no firm canon evidence.
It's not known how Kazutaka's father behaved towards his son. Muraki himself raises the possibility of even more family insanity by referring to his father (in the manga) as "slightly mad," though this may be more a derogatory reference than a diagnosis. Possibly he was the type of person to regard his child more as an 'heir to the empire' rather than a unique person in his own right, which would explain in part why Kazutaka kept the line of family physicians going by becoming one himself (the tradition of children following in their parents' career footsteps notwithstanding).
Muraki's father was also prone to adultery. It might be assumed that the relationship between both parents was distant, and the marriage existed for the sake of convenience. No doubt Kazutaka picked up on the relations between his parents, which would have affected the way he was brought up.
Muraki's family has an interest in prolonging human life, which originates from the time Muraki's grandfather found Tsuzuki:
Satomi: This bug-filled failed project...why did you give birth to it, Yukitaka-hakase? [Muraki’s grandfather] (Kyoto arc)
This is the theria.net [5] translation. The Senshigakuen [6] translation reads "Why did you bear this kind of defective, failed work, Doctor Yukitaka?" suggesting that Muraki is the 'failed work.'
It's possible that as part of the family research, Kazutaka (the Muraki we know) experimented on himself, or was the subject of experimentation, maybe even while in the womb. This could explain his unusual physical appearance. Muraki does admit to drinking poisons to bolster his immune system:
Muraki: Since I was a child, in order to build a resistance to poison, I always drank fatal dosages of poison. Mixing it little by little into my food and drink, my body grew used to it. Due to that, my body is no longer affected by any type of poison.
Tsuzuki: Poison? Why do such a thing?
Muraki: Well, it was necessary...let's say.
(King of Swords)
His artificial eye may also be the result of an experiment on himself. In the manga, he refers to it as "this repugnant mechanical eye" - something he loathes but is resigned to live with.
Through his upbringing, self-experimentation and career as a surgeon, Muraki has trained himself to regard the human body as a living machine. Emotions, including his own, have been pushed aside in his quest for the perfect body.
However, Muraki has yet another reason for his unstable mental state: Saki.
Muraki: The child from a patient who my slightly mad father made advances to - that was my older brother of the same age, Shidou Saki. Just like that, I had a brother. That was also a shock, but more than anything the thing that I couldn't forgive - the fact that the same day that my mother conceived me, Father got the patient pregnant. Despite that, I made an effort to speak freely with you...Saki.
(Kyoto arc)
It's not clear why Kazutaka's father suddenly decided to bring Saki home. Perhaps Saki's mother suddenly passed on and left no other surviving relatives? Kazutaka's father would have had little choice then but to take on full support for the illegitimate son he'd begotten; the shame of the scandal had it become public knowledge could have damaged his professional reputation. By that time, Kazutaka was probably accustomed enough to his mother's oddities that he had come to accept his 'role' as her favorite 'doll.' Suddenly confronting another pretty young boy similar to himself, he may have felt afraid of the possibility that he might be replaced - thrown out - by the newcomer.
Being the 'proper' little boy as he was taught, and maybe spurred by loneliness, Kazutaka tried to befriend Saki, if for no other reason than to please his parents.
There is a key difference in how the anime and manga present the deaths of Kazutaka's parents. In the anime, Muraki's father, then mother, are said to die shortly after each other. Muraki sees Saki showing a peculiar smile at the funeral - an implication that he was involved in their deaths. Later the boys confront each other, and Saki threatens Muraki with a katana. A servant kills Saki with a shotgun, but Muraki still wishes he had the satisfaction of murdering Saki himself.
In the manga, Muraki blames Saki for all the suffering he has experienced without elaborating Saki's misdeeds in detail. We're left to fill in the gaps ourselves:
Muraki: Shidou, it's your fault my family fragmented, until you even hurt the person dearest to me. Do you remember? The first time that you came to my house. Even now I can clearly recall it. The day that a demon was born before me!
It is unclear who the dearest person is - some suggest it may be Ukyou (the mystery girlfriend).
Muraki: ...you stole everything from me! These 16 years, I've come to live only so that I can subdue you myself! Go ahead and watch me from there. Go ahead and sneer at me! THIS TIME!! With my hand I'LL KILL YOU!!! I'LL JUST KILL YOU!!!!
Muraki: This time for sure, I'll achieve my true freedom!
(Kyoto arc)
The 'kukukuku' laughter has been edited out (and the essay is still over the word limit). Suffice it to say, the closer Muraki gets to achieving his vengeance, the more irrational and delusional he becomes. The hatred has poisoned his mind.
If we take Muraki's date of birth and the publication date of Kyoto arc as a rough guide, Muraki would have been in his late teens when Saki died. So if one suspects that Muraki has been sexually assaulted in his past, then Saki is a likely culprit. He regards Saki with particular venom, more than anyone else in his family. He even goes to the trouble of preserving Saki's head and spinal cord. (In his late teens? He must have been a prodigy.)
However, it is irrational for Muraki to blame everything on Saki. Muraki has made choices that have shaped the person he is now. Oriya, Muraki’s close friend, points out that Muraki's hate is too broad to confine to a single person:
Oriya: His hatred is deep-rooted. He cursed his parents...the world...God...and then himself, too...and he keeps hating. You can't win against his hatred.
And earlier, he thinks...
Oriya: Arrogantly cool-headed. You were always looking at people with scornful eyes. At that time, you only showed your face once. Even now, your ephemeral smile is like a broken down marionette. I understand...you can't just live that way. But if that's so...then what was our time together? Muraki? In the end, I couldn't shift your point of view by even one millimeter.
(Kyoto arc)
Oriya has obviously tried to change Muraki's ways, without success. They are revealed to be friends from college (though it’s been speculated that their friendship dates further back than that), and share a frank relationship. Muraki imposes on Oriya without shame - and Oriya allows him to enjoy the comforts of his hospitality without charge, even taking advantage of his friend’s homicidal tendencies to rid himself of troublesome employees:
Muraki: ...of course, it's certainly up to you what you want to do with the women you've bought. After that, let me be the one to take care of 'ending' it. But it's because of people like me...that your business can continue, Oriya. From generation to generation, the head of the Mibu family who runs the Geisha house isn't one to let go of customers, I expect. No matter how violent they are."
Oriya: "...humph. It's not like I'm in this business because I like it. The only reason you can come and go from here is because you're my best friend. If you weren't, you would be instantly banned from entering." (Kyoto arc)
It seems to be the most 'normal' of Muraki's relationships. Perhaps he knows nothing can be gained by manipulating Oriya. Maybe Oriya gives him what he wants without the need for such games. Oriya’s presence throughout the storyline is subtle yet significant. At first glance, he appears to be the more submissive of the two, yet whenever Muraki tests the boundaries, Oriya doesn’t hesitate with the smackdown.
Oriya: [bursting in] "EE------------HH!! That's far enough Muraki."
(Muraki has brought Tsuzuki to Kokakurou and has him pinned to the floor)
Oriya: "This is a traditional and socially established high class restaurant!!!"
Muraki: "Oriya!?"
Oriya: "Within the sight of my eyes, I will not allow such things as this!!! Oriya Kick!!!"
Muraki: "Y-Y-You're mistaken, Oriya"
Oriya: Silence, animal
(Kyoto arc)
That Oriya cares for Muraki, even after all that Muraki has done, is still evident, as he provides a safe haven from discovery and distracts the other Shinigami when they come looking for Tsuzuki to buy Muraki time. Muraki seems to care for Oriya in return when he says his partings at the Sagano shrine in Kyoto.
Muraki: "Once it's all over...I will disappear. It's all right...I will not cause you any further trouble. I wish you well on my request. Good-bye, Oriya..."
Oriya also recalls something Muraki asked him during their days at school:
Muraki (youth): Oriya...If I was to die before you...
Muraki (youth): Even if it's false...
Muraki (youth): Would you cry even one tear for me...?
(Kyoto arc)
The former statement implies that Muraki is well aware of his imposition on Oriya (and dare we say, regrets it?): the latter implies that Muraki seeks reassurance that someone does care about him, madness and all, when most other people would turn him away. Muraki strikes many of his fans as having an inner insecure child part of himself that needs constant reassurance, but his sociopathic nature hides such neediness to prevent further damage to his already-battered emotional self. Over the duration of their relationship, Oriya has been 'trained' to recognize specific aspects of Muraki and deal with them accordingly, which is how he seems able to instinctively handle his friend with a consummate grace that no one else is capable of.
How deep this unusual friendship goes is unclear - some believe there is a silent, mutually reciprocated (if unacknowledged) love, and there are fans who appreciate the bond but regard it as an intimate loyalty between equals. Still, even their relationship, whether platonic or romantic, is not enough to sway Muraki from his destructive plans.
Mayhem and motivations
A problem in analysing Muraki's character has been coming to grips with his unbalanced mental state. He says a great deal, but his reliability as a narrator becomes extremely questionable by Kyoto arc.
In Nagasaki and King of Swords, there is at least some type of consistency and internal logic at work. He calls himself crazy, but he still has enough mental focus to manipulate others. In Nagasaki, he claims to be after spiritual power. He manipulates Maria Won/Wong to kill, while he absorbs the victims' spiritual energy by proxy. He also attempts to use Hisoka as bait - sadistically torturing and reminding him of their 'sensual meeting three years ago' - in order to lure Tsuzuki to him and absorb his power.
(To Tsuzuki) "Shall I tear apart your body before the boy's eyes? I would like to see your dear partner trembling in fear when I drink your fresh blood with your boiled heart. Ah, look, we need to hurry. The red moon demands a sacrifice."
My power will be completed when I get the 'negative power' of the Shinigami.
This is when I shall be changed into the perfect body--
(Nagasaki arc)
There are references to red moons and sacrifice as well, which has led to speculation that his actions may be part of some occult ritual - perhaps an offering to appease/summon a demonic spirit.
Under the red full moon that bewilders people
Is where the monster who baths in the blood of killed people exist
Where I am.
(Nagasaki arc)
There is debate about how literally one should take his statements, with its gory imagery of cannibalism and blood lust. Does he truly believe that eating the dead body of his victim enables him to acquire the qualities of the victim (a belief in some societies which practice cannibalism)? Or is he using such dramatic statements for shock value? Is this a sign of his delusional thinking that becomes more florid by Kyoto arc?
In King of Swords, Muraki's in trouble, and he has to go into damage control. His lucrative organ trafficking network on the Queen Camellia is under threat: Kakyouin, the shipping magnate, wants out; and a politician is attempting to blackmail them. So all the events that occur - the bizarre deaths, Tsubaki being hypnotised to believe she is possessed - are part of his elaborate plan to destroy all the evidence of his involvement and get away without paying the consequences. The psychic vampire references are not as much in sight, but there is the recurring theme of manipulating a victim by hypnotic suggestion to kill on his behalf - in this case Tsubaki (brainwashed into believing she was possessed by her unwilling heart donor Eileen, aka Irene in the anime). He even stage-managed his own 'murder' - quite a daring exercise, considering that a medical student was on board to conduct an autopsy - showing a reckless disregard for his own safety, since autopsies usually involve a good deal of dissection to find cause of death!
When he confronts Tsuzuki on the Queen Camellia, there are more references to lust and spiritual power. In the anime, there are several near-kisses in which their lips are millimetres apart. In the manga, Muraki manages to bite Tsuzuki's neck during a violent fight to revive himself from suspended animation - another vampiric reference. But his main purpose is to save his own skin. Toying with the Shinigami for sadistic pleasure is an added bonus.
By Kyoto, his motivations become extremely disorganised and nonsensical. He hasn't evolved, but his regression is quite spectacular, as Muraki does much more ranting and raving than he previously did in either Nagasaki or King of Swords.
We learn from Watari that he received orders from the director of his hospital in Tokyo to come to Shion Dai University in Tokyo to assist Professor Satomi with his research on cellular regeneration and cloning. And he does, providing tissue samples and promising Tsuzuki as experimental guinea pig. But even Satomi has his limits:
Satomi: If you have no conscience, then I'll say something, Muraki-kun!!! There's something wrong with you!!! You're mad!!! Come to your senses!!! There are things that can't be done with a human's power!! Such as pulling the strings in the human matter of life and death like a god. Don't you know what kind of horrible sin that is!!?
Muraki: I don't know, sensei. The Japanese notion of a sin is a "stain." With water, you can rinse a stain clean. Isn't it often said that virtuous types look like fools? "You can atone for however many sins," ne? It's precisely that way! Any time you commit a sin, you can rinse yourself clean of that sin at any time. Those times I bleach myself and am reborn.
Muraki: I'll commit a sin once more. And again and again! And again and again!!! THAT INDEED IS MY REASON FOR BEING. EVIDENCE OF BEING---!!! And then I shall be reborn into a higher existence! I commit a sin. Then at any time, I rinse myself clean and I am reborn. That's the whole program carved within my DNA!!!
(Kyoto arc)
Muraki lives to sin, or so he says, without conscience or pity. Perhaps he is referring to the ultimate sin - to be like God in manipulating life and death.
But the DNA reference makes little sense, even as metaphor. Is the rebirth literal? Is he going to live forever, sinning and being reborn, repeating the cycle for eternity? Cloning himself perhaps? What about his goal to achieve the perfect body? Where did that go? Or is he totally unhinged, delusional and manic - too caught up in his ravings to realise he has lost track of his original purpose?
His plan to bring Saki back to life by the whole head transplantation onto Tsuzuki's body is more absurd than horrific. If Tsuzuki's body is so perfect, then why give it to Saki? It will be extremely difficult to kill him with Tsuzuki's amazing regenerative abilities. In canon, we see how quickly Tsuzuki's body heals - would it be even possible to decapitate Tsuzuki fast enough in view of his rapid recuperative powers? Then again, maybe this is all part of the reason he has been sent to Kyoto - to perform more human experiments to prolong life and defeat death. The head transplantation may be one of many experiments in their research on immortality - one with a personal significance for Muraki in view of his choice of subject.
For all his delusional plans, Muraki did have incredible power under his command. There are references to him as an angel - Satomi and Tsubaki call him an angel; Hisoka says that if he is an angel, his name is Destruction. There is a consensus that he is something more than a normal human. He easily summons demons to wreak destruction on his behalf. He placed a curse on a girl to turn her into a giant centipede. He cursed Hisoka to die an agonising death over three years. He was able to enter Meifu and pluck Tsuzuki out with feathered wings of white. Pretty. But where does his power come from?
The most popular explanation is that it is demonic, either by direct ancestry, demonic possession, or part of a contract. Muraki makes several intriguing references to himself and Tsuzuki being alike:
"You are forever mine, my brother Shinigami!!
I am you and you are me - "
We are wandering beasts, thirsting of ambition, yearning for the moistness of blood, born from the womb of the same woman...
(Nagasaki arc)
By Kyoto, it becomes even more concrete, a bizarre mix of the scientific and the occult:
"We are the "same kind." As a consequence of the genetic manipulation that went against natural reason, we were born with an imitation "life." If you trace the path of things living in chaos's darkness, it's just more darkness. We can't run...you and I. We are the proof of the sins that people committed. We are the sons of one who wore the detestable brand on its forehead--BECAUSE WE ARE THE "DESCENDENTS OF DARKNESS."
Some fans have taken the above to mean that Muraki actually has demonic ancestry, like Tsuzuki (although Tsuzuki’s clear origins also remain a mystery). Others have dismissed it as a sign that Muraki was unhinged - by Kyoto, he is clearly irrational, verging on nonsensical in word and deed. These may or may not be embellished references to their shared past of bloodshed and violence. Such ambiguity has been a fertile ground for fanfic speculation.
Regardless of the source, it is this power which saves him from Touda's flames in the Shion University lab fire. Muraki states he feels the peaceful coldness of death, yet Hisoka still bears the curse marks by the end of Kyoto. So his fate is not certain.
Hisoka: "Just before Tatsumi-san's shadow swallowed us...I sensed it. A huge flock of light took him in. A blinding, evil, fiercesome, hot light.
Much later during the GenSouKai chaos, we see Oriya wondering just where Muraki is all this time, and what’s happened to him...if he’s still alive, what’s he doing, and how will it affect the future...?
Love and lust
No essay on Muraki would be complete without having tackled the issue of sex, and by association, love. Does Muraki, somewhere in the depths of his psyche, feel anything besides lust for another person? His vehemence that he is not capable of love at all might actually indicate otherwise, a smokescreen for his true feelings, since he is incapable of admitting that vulnerability to himself, much less to others.
Muraki: "Isn't that so? We men don't have a different feeling that women call love. Our behavior is more base."
(King of Swords)
Muraki certainly feels lust as shown by his vivid harassment of Tsuzuki and from the mangaka’s own words concerning Muraki's preferences [7]:
Actually, speaking of that, I got a question asking me whether or not the Doctor liked guys, so I'll answer that here. A) Either guys or girls are OK. If it's a target that draws his interest, he doesn't care whether they're female or male. To the point, he's inconsistent. (Laugh) However, he did have a childhood girlfriend. He's just a difficult guy to understand.
Love...at first glance wouldn't seem possible. But many fans do think that Muraki is capable of giving and receiving love - however, because of the crippling extent of his madness, he can't process or express those sentiments in a healthy manner. He interprets such human emotions as weakness, which is anathema to his obsession with perfection.
To openly acknowledge his feelings as 'love' or as anything else that constitutes a recognition of human emotion would be an admission of weakness and a threat to the manipulative controlling persona Muraki has established for himself. He explains his close ties with the few others he has by resorting to excuses that they either fascinate him on an aesthetic level, or serve his purposes as 'toys,' pieces to be manipulated at his whims. With that in mind, let’s look at his significant others.
Muraki’s four significant sexual/emotional relationships depicted in the series are as follows: Hisoka, Ukyou, Oriya, and Tsuzuki.
His relationship with Hisoka is definitely not loving. If Muraki does feel anything for Hisoka, it’s a very bizarre and twisted type of affection.
Next is Ukyou, the mystery girlfriend. Popular assumption among many fans is that she is his fiancee. Muraki does seem to harbor a good deal of affection towards her - he clues several people, among them Tsubaki and Tsuzuki, in on their relationship, becomes melodramatic when she cancels a dinner date, and expresses the first genuine regret for her in the series after being stabbed by Tsuzuki:
Muraki: "Ukyou, please forgive me. In the end, I couldn't help you. I couldn't do anything...for you. I no longer have any place to return to. Goodbye, Ukyou."
Muraki: "-please...please stay well..."
(Kyoto arc)
It’s been suggested that part of Muraki's grief over his 'failure' to defeat death indicates that Ukyou suffers from a chronic degenerative illness. Since up till now Muraki's extreme crusade to become the perfect doctor has seemed megalomaniacal at best, this adds a new potential dimension to his work, as a personal interest gives him more of a sympathetic motivation.
Then there’s Oriya. Their friendship makes it easy to suppose that something more is going on between them, especially when Oriya doesn’t seem terribly bothered by the fact that Muraki is involved in some way with Ukyou and helps himself to Kokakurou’s prostitutes. A romantic relationship between Oriya and Muraki is perhaps more feasible than one between Muraki and Ukyou by virtue of the fact that Oriya is privy to a good deal of his friend's secrets, whereas Ukyou is very likely still in the dark about Muraki’s skeletons. Oriya knows Muraki more intimately and accepts him wholly for the most part, though he disapproves of the extremes his friend goes to in order to achieve his goals. About the only way Muraki could come halfway close to learning how to love would be if he were paired with someone who was adequately equipped (mentally and physically) to keep his delusions and hatred in close check - which is why Oriya is paired with Muraki in a romantic context in many fanfics.
Still, when you take into consideration that Muraki's relationships revolve around him exerting power over another, and the implication that he sees Oriya as an equal and is wary of embarking on an intimate relationship with such a person, it's possible that their friendship has remained, canonically speaking, just that.
How does one explain Tsuzuki?
In Gavin de Becker's book The Gift of Fear [8], he states two fundamental truths. First, everyone wants to be accepted; rejection is universally feared by all. Second, the key to understanding how an adversary's mind works is to accept that the adversary is just like you in his/her basic needs and wants. Considering how easy it is for Muraki to manipulate Tsuzuki’s reactions, and how accurately Tsuzuki relates to Muraki, one can see how these principles affect these two characters. In a way, they are each other's polar opposite, and thus by that definition equals.
Tsuzuki: "You might say that I who have become a dog to Meifu am the same as him. Tsuzuki: "The reason vampires have been hated and feared since the distance past is because they live by eating other humans. It is the association of eating one's own kind."
Tsuzuki: Those eyes. As a doctor he was too idealistic. The end of those people who despair over their own weakness until insanity takes hold. With such a pitiful deep-rooted delusion, it won't end with death.
Tsuzuki: "In this world...there are many 'Dracula' who can easily 'devour' other people for their own desires, Chief. It has been said that Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" was modeled after real humans. Any person has the seed to become a vampire. Any one."
Tsuzuki: In this world, how many people have the right to criticize Muraki's actions?
Tsuzuki: "There is even one right here."
Tsuzuki: Inside myself lives a vampire-
(Nagasaki arc)
Tsuzuki’s penchant for vitriolic self-castigation aside, he seems to relate to Muraki, and Muraki to him. Muraki also exhibits what appears to be jealousy upon seeing Tsuzuki bonding with Hisoka:
Muraki: "....lovely ties of friendship? How repulsive."
{Matsushita-sensei: Jealous? Sensei.}
This is contrary to Muraki's claims that he feels nothing aside from 'dark emotions. Yet his self-denial of affection extends to Tsuzuki as well, though perhaps not by conscious mandate. Some believe Muraki does love Tsuzuki in a fraternal fashion because he is able to empathise to some degree with Tsuzuki's angst and suffering - something he seldom shows to his victims. Tsuzuki is driven to pursue him to seek justice on Hisoka's behalf, but may also sense a chance at redemption for both of them.
Madness and murder aside, canon supports the concept of Muraki and Tsuzuki as 'opposite equals.'
What does it all mean?
The ongoing fascination with Muraki stems from his fluidity as a character. You can take his words, actions, and history any way you like and twist them as you please to suit whatever purpose you have in mind. Some like exploring the mad doctor side, the sadism/masochism, delusions and dreams that drove him. Others prefer to focus on his childhood angst or his friendship/romance with either Oriya or Ukyou. And still others see him as The Villain, eternally stalking Tsuzuki and Hisoka.
Whatever your preference, there is much room for angst and horror and humour and smut. He is puzzling and exciting enough for there to be as many interpretations of his character as there are fans - each with equally valid and contradictory viewpoints. That fluidity is ultimately why Muraki is so much fun to write.
Oh, and he's also sex on legs. Just ask the Muraki fangirls.
Thanks to theria.net and senshigakuen.com for translations!
References:
1. Mikan albums - Oura Tenshudo, Nagasaki
2. Sho Hayami fanclub - Show Up
3. Introduction to the Romantic Era in English Poetry
4. Wikipedia - Antisocial Personality Disorder/Sociopath
5. Theria.net - YnM part 23
6. Senshigakuen.com - YnM part 23
7. Aural Illusions
8. The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
Other reading:
Essay on Muraki's sexuality by pennypaperbrain - http://katcom.squidkitty.org/Muraki_sexuality.html
deadly_passions - LJ community for Muraki fans
Recs (Muraki is a sexual person, so it's virtually impossible to come across a fic without a shippy vibe of one sort or another)
General - nil pairings or too many to remember
One-Thirteen (series) by Leareth
The Exorcism of Demons by Akasha
The First Death by Evil Asian Genius
Muraki/Oriya
Forged In Pain, Sheathed By Need by Xandria
Eternal Roundabout by Demonprist (self rec alert!)
The Book of Destiny by olympia_m
Muraki/Tsuzuki
Two People on Opposite Sides of the River by E. Liddell
Seduced by Moonlight (series) by Ariss Tenoh
The Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Nightspore
Muraki/Saki
Corrupting Purity by Jeril Dragonsoul
Muraki/Ukyou
Because the Dead so Soon Grow Cold by Falstaff
Muraki/Watari
Degrees of Separation by Bonnejeane and Laekin
ETA - link now fixed
Muraki/Hisoka
Everlasting, Youthful Grace by YaoiKitten
Catharsis? by Katsue Fox
Fly by Rinoa Redcloak
If anyone would like to suggest any others, please let us know.
Quote from The Moon by Shelley