There's a line in Studio Ghibli's 1997 masterpiece Princess Mononoke--my favorite of the studio's catalog of classic animated films--which has always stuck with me since the first time I heard it. After the lead character Ashitaka is banished from his village because of the cursed mark that has begun to consume his body, he finds himself in Iron Town, speaking with the leader of the industrious city, Lady Eboshi. She thanks him for saving two of her men who were recently inju

The Haunted Housekeepers Zenless Zone Zero is an action game by Hoyoverse (known for Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail) that consists of various factions of Hollow Raiders, brave warriors who explore the numerous Hollows across the world. One such faction we meet during Chapter 3 of the main story is the Victoria Housekeeping Company. Introduced to us in the chilly Ballet Twins Hollow (named after the dilapidated building which makes up the greater portion of the area), eve

Capcom's Okami is a game steeped in Japanese folklore and mythology. There are dozens of stories to speak of as players venture through the game, some of which are tied to a particular character like Benkei, and many of which are tied to the core story. Today, we're going to speak about those main story bosses that tie back to significant figures in Japanese folklore: Orochi and Ninetails. We'll begin with the first major boss, the lingering threat about which stories are tol

An exploration of the relationship between wolfish and serpentine characters in various media.

An entire section of Okami dedicated to a culture even more ancient than Shinto belief.