《The Ultimate Yōkai Guide》Inugami
Advertisement
Inugami are dog spirits. Descriptions of their appearance vary greatly. In the most common interpretation, they look like ordinary dogs when they physically manifest near their masters, with their true form being a mummified dog's head. This head is kept hidden in their master's house and is often dressed in ceremonial clothing.
Their are several theories about how an inugami is created, and none of them are pleasant. They often involve ritualistic starvation of dogs, with the exact details varying between stories. Once the dog dies, the person responsible would provide their spirit with food in order to obtain their loyalty. Once bound to their master, who is usually someone from an aristocratic family, inugami will carry out their wishes just like any loyal dog would. They are often used for nefarious purposes such as acting upon their master's grudges against others.
Inugami are loyal to not just their original master but also their family. They are passed down through generations like heirlooms. That being said, they can lose their loyalty to their master if they are severely mistreated. When this happens, the inugami will maul its master to death.
In addition to being able to physically manifest near their master, inugami can also possess people who are emotionally unstable or weak, as well as animals and inanimate objects. Once possessed by an inugami, a person will display intense hunger as well as dog-like behavior.
If the inugami does not leave the person's body, either willingly or via exorcism, the person will eventually die, with their body being covered by tooth marks. If the inugami does leave the person, they will be ostracized as having been tainted by the inugami. For this reason, people who have been possessed by inugami often end up living in isolation.
FUN FACT: Inugami are only found in areas that do not have foxes (inari) as foxes serve as people's familiars in those regions instead.
Advertisement
Examples in various media:
Because of the horrific origins of inugami, depictions of this yōkai often take a lot of creative liberties with them. As such, these examples focus more on the yōkai's loyalty to its master rather than its origins or often malicious actions.
Sadaharu (Gin Tama)
Ranmaru (Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, titled Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits in English) He is usually shown in his humanoid form as shown in the second image, although he can be seen in a more traditional dog form as shown in the first.
Inuki (X/1999)
Advertisement
- In Serial38 Chapters
Semi-Powerful Underling
Uploads every Thursday and Sunday at 1:00 GMTSupervillain lackey Quincy Whistlewood has got two powers. One of them is his attempt at humor and charisma, and the other is to break reality itself. And yet he's still considered the weakest and wimpiest villain at Stocklord's illegal company of evil. He doesn't mind, but when his old 'friend' Sal decides to take a job at the company, he knows his life about to spiral.Join Quincy and his hopeless group of semi-powerful friends as they try not to die at the hands of the greatest (and 100% corrupt) heroes on the planet, The Ultrahuman Force, in this comedy + action + drama masterpiece of literature that you musn't miss because I say so! This is a second draft!
8 417 - In Serial27 Chapters
Hiraeth: Promise of the World
On a rainy night, a young woman is transported to the enchanting world of Sol'h'meyr. Thrilled to be freed from the shackles of monetary survival and societal expectations on Earth, she embraces her newfound existence and magical powers bestowed. But the rose-tinted fantasy life she always dreamed of turns out to be a stark reality that poses to kill her if she doesn't adapt and let go of her past. Essairyn battles both cripping nostalgia and imminent danger in her journey from the Spirit and Demon Forest to the human realm of As'pyze. Disillusionment leading to anger has erupted into violence across the deceptively peaceful land. New friends and allies gather by her side, but tragedy and betrayal lurk closer than she realizes. Hiraeth is the idyllic beginning tainted with dark shadows in the epic fantasy series, Singularity Cycle. [ – Now Completed with upcoming minor revisions before second book – ] + complex character relationships and growth + realistic quirky magic system + unique mythical creatures + deeply developed world lore + evocative writing style + cute sassy fox sidekick - Original Book Cover Art by Chryiss Rewritten final version of formerly named Canaan series and first book, My World to Live. After a long wait and major changes, the first book in the series is retitled Hiraeth: Promise of the World. Thank you to all readers that joined me since I began posting this story two years ago. Your support is what motivated me to never give up my dreams. [ Major Tags: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Psychological, Romance, Tragedy, Female Lead, Grimdark, High Fantasy, Magic, Mythos, Portal Fantasy, Isekai, Progression, Reincarnation, Secret Identity, Strong Lead, Epic Fantasy, Spirits, Demons, Monsters, Fairies, Dragons, Kingdom, Parallel Dimension, Mage, Knight, Royalty, Philosophy, Friendship, Slow Burn, Mythical. + Major Tags not in Book 1 but later in Series: Supernatual, Science Fiction, Ruling Class, School Life, Time Travel, War and Military, Vampires, Dimensional Travel. Minor Tags: Comedy, Horror, Artificial Intelligence, Cyberpunk, Dungeon, Dystopia, Loop, Steampunk, Virtual Reality, Villainous Lead. ] Additional Notes: The series, Singularity Cycle, is a passion project dating back to 2016. The original version of the first book was published on RR in 2019 and has since seen multiple revisions based on reader feedback with this one as the final and official fourth version before the second book. While the entire series story has undergone major changes in the last year, all books have been planned since the beginning of writing. It is also my second wish to eventually make this story into a webcomic, either by myself or with a team if possible. Thank you for taking this journey with me, and enjoy reading! ( You can alternatively read books in the series as standalone fictions, but they connect to one another though a running theme and mystery that evolves and progresses with the main character. ) Alternate Blurb for the Singularity Cycle series: Essairyn had never felt truly alive on Earth. It felt like something was missing ever since she was born, but even after nearly 20 years of mundane living, she could never pinpoint what this or the emptiness in her heart was. Suddenly, she awakens in a grandiose, primordial forest and encounters mythical creatures beyond her restless imagination in a parallel world called Sol'h'meyr. She befriends, in particular, a sassy fox-spirit named Akari who reincarnated after three millennia. Essairyn is gifted with abnormal magic, and Akari is being chased by those of her dark past. Together, they set out on an adventure in a world more dangerous than its beautiful facade could hide. Finding new friends along a path riddled with tragedy, Essairyn must learn who to trust as deceit and betrayal lie behind kindly faces. Life in this deceptively promising world slowly spirals down a path of no return. This is not a game, but cruel reality. Her simple adventure became the modest beginnings in a chain of disruptions that tore even the dimensional fabric of time and space. No one, not even Essairyn, was who she thought they were. And not even the fickle gods could change the time-worn destiny of the universes... A single promise shook eternity’s existence.
8 142 - In Serial45 Chapters
Game of Thrones FANFIC: Lycan
A man reborn in GOT and received the Corvinus Bloodline and the fate of the Lycan. Reborn in Stark House. A junction of the world and plot of Game of Thrones, with elements coming from elsewhere especially Underworld, however, the form and power of Lycan in this story will be new, new limits will be delimited. I'm Brazilian, my first language is Portuguese, be prepared for bad English. (Someone read this novel? yes? write something, please, thanks). *Insect of responsibility. The base story doesn't belong to me, it's just a fan-created by a fan. The only thing I have is my original characters and my idea.
8 547 - In Serial58 Chapters
{The Dragon Within}; Daughter of Storm
Brought to you by the Author of; Our Chaoz; Our Reality And a continuation of; The Dragon Within I present you Erika, daughter of the golden storm Dragon Erikathyr and chosen Legend Theaviss. On her 16th birthday, she was caught in the mischevious plots of creatures beyond. Erika now finds herself lost in an unknown and relentless world. Striving to survive, follow Erika through her adventure back home, and all that she faces in between. Spoiler: Spoiler It was a stormy day that afternoon, wind roaring over the great capital’s rooftops as rain barraged the streets just as well. Not a soul was visible, not a light shimmering in any of the windows.
8 55 - In Serial26 Chapters
I Am A Hero: In A Silent Way
A utopia endangered. A follow-up to Sheer Heart Attack. Now united, the group of heroes takes a train to travel to their destination in peace. But alas, it is not meant to be. Danger is inevitable, but it is not just contained in this new world of Eden.
8 126 - In Serial6 Chapters
Love between two jinchuuriki (Gaaraxnaruto)
during the chunin exams after gaara fought Lee temari noticed something when naruto ran pass gaara.
8 82