========================================================================== RG VEDA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) version 1.2, updated 04/12/98 Written & compiled by Kujaku ========================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENT 1 Administrative notes 2 Story background 3 Anime, Manga, Art Book & Music Info 4 Special terms used in Rg Veda 5 Characters by categories, weapon names and stylish special attacks: - The Six Stars - Kings and Generals - Other Characters 6 Characters and their respective Hindu equivalence 7 The Questions - Non-spoiler questions - Spoiler questions 8 Internet resources - homepages - ftp sites - fanfictions 9 Credits ======================================================================== 1. ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Welcome to RG VEDA FAQ version 1.2, humbly presented by Kujaku. An HTML version of this FAQ is available at (http://oldcrows.net/~rabi/RG/) Everything from this FAQ is taken from discussion among members of the CLAMP mailing list (CML), CLAMP Internet Guide (http://www.bwot.tmf.hva.nl:81/~hojo/clamp/cig.htm), and my own mailbox. Standard disclaimers apply. Please send suggestions/corrections to kujaku@lycosmail.com 2. STORY BACKGROUND Rg Veda is the debut manga created by a group of very talented ladies known as CLAMP. The manga of Rg Veda started when CLAMP had 7 members, namely, Mokona Apapa, Satsuki Igarashi, Mick Nekoi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao and Leeza Sei. By the time they finished the series, only the first 4 members were left. They distribute their work on Rg Veda as follows: Story: Nanase Ohkawa Comic: Mokona Apapa Book Designer: Nanase Ohkawa Director: Mokona Apapa Short Comic: Mick Nekoi Art Assistant: Mick Nekoi, Satsuki Igarashi The characters of the story were loosely taken from the gods in one of the sacred Hindu writings, Rg Veda. As far as the story itself is concerned, it has no direct relevence to the original scripture. The names of the characters of Rg Veda were translated into their respective Japanese names. A partial list of their equivalent Hindu names and characteristics are presented in the sections below. The story of Rg Veda takes place in Tenkai, the heavenly world that used to be very peaceful under the rule of Tentei the Emperor. One day, Taishaku-ten, one of Tentei's warriors, rebelled against the Emperor. He defeated the strongest warrior in Tenkai, Ashura-Ou, who was also the Guardian God of War, and killed the Tentei to take over Tenkai. Taishaku-ten then crowned himself as the new Tentei. This was referred to as the Holy War. The main story line of Rg Veda starts 300 years after the Holy War with a prophecy by a stargazer which foretold the future of Tenkai. It was said that the gathering of six particular persons, known as the Six Stars, would result in the "break" of the Heavenly World. 3. ANIME, MANGA, ART BOOK & MUSIC INFO ANIME Two anime of Rg Veda have been released, available in several languages including Japanese original, English subtitles, English dubbed & Chinese subbtitles. Any help with information on other languages of the anime would be appreciated. Title On Retailer For. V/S Length Catalogue Typ Price ========= ==== ======== ==== === ====== ========= === ======== Rg Veda 1 VHS NTSC J/- 45 SRVW 1391 6000 Yen Rg Veda 2 VHS NTSC J/- 45 SRVW 1392 6000 Yen Rg Veda 1 VHS Manga V. PAL E/- 90 Rg Veda 1 LD Sony NTSC J/- 45 SRLW 1391 CLV 6000 Yen Rg Veda 2 LD Sony NTSC J/- 45 SRLW 1392 CLV 6000 Yen Rg Veda 1 LD US Manga NTSC J/E 45 CLV Rg Veda 2 LD US Manga NTSC J/E 45 CLV Rg Veda CDROM HMV PC/Mac J/E 90 US$19.99 Rg Veda 1 VCD (*) J/C 45 DV-10000019 Rg Veda 2 VCD (*) J/C 45 DV-10000020 (*) Retailer as indicated on the back of the vcd cover is a Taiwanese VCD company called, "ShinChauShie Co. Ltd." It also contains copyright information for Sony. I cannot tell if this is a legitimate copy. MANGA The manga of Rg Veda was running in Wings monthly magazine until the end of the series. The final (10) volume of the series was released at the beginning of May, 1996. Title Publisher ISBN Year Price ========== ========== ============= ==== ======= Rg Veda 1 Shinshokan 4-403-61218-0 1990 490 Yen Rg Veda 2 Shinshokan 4-403-61230-X 1990 490 Yen Rg Veda 3 Shinshokan 4-403-61244-X 1990 490 Yen Rg Veda 4 Shinshokan 4-403-61265-2 1991 490 Yen Rg Veda 5 Shinshokan 4-403-61276-8 1992 490 Yen Rg Veda 6 Shinshokan 4-403-61295-4 1992 490 Yen Rg Veda 7 Shinshokan 4-403-61312-8 1993 490 Yen Rg Veda 8 Shinshokan 4-403-61350-0 1994 490 Yen Rg Veda 9 Shinshokan 4-403-61387-X 1995 490 Yen Rg Veda 10 Shinshokan 4-403-61416-7 1996 520 Yen ART BOOK Hiten Muma is the only art book released so far on Rg Veda. It is a set of 2 A4 sized books. The first one is hardcover, 70 pages, with 56 pages of color illustrations and 6 pages of B&W illustrations. The second one is softcover, 47 pages, including a short manga, a 4-page comments on the illustrations and background information on characters. Title Publisher ISBN Year Price ========== ========== ============= ==== ======== Hiten Muma Shinshokan 4-403-61260-1 1991 3200 Yen MUSIC 3 CDs have been released based on earlier progression of the manga or the anime. Title Retailer Catalogue Price =========================== =========== ========= ======== Seiden - Rg Veda Ongaku-hen King Record KICA-9 3000 Yen Seiden - Rg Veda Drama-hen King Record KICA-19 3000 Yen Seiden - Original Animation Sony CSCL-1630 1800 Yen Soundtrack 4. SPECIAL TERMS USED IN RG VEDA These are the terms in the Japanese language used in Rg Veda that are difficult to translate, or that no appropriate English equivalence can be found. Since these terms will come up in this FAQ quite often, I will try to explain them as close to their original meanings as possible. The following list is organized in alphabetical order: Bushinshou -- the closest translation would be "warrior god" or "god of warfare". Literally, "bu" can mean "military", "shin" is "god", and "shou" can be something like "general" or "warrior". A Bushinshou must have good fighting skills, so that he or she can prevent the invasion of the Mazoku. Daten -- Also "the mark of Daten". Emerges as a vertical eye called, Ten-gan (heaven-eye), placed in the middle of one's forehead. "Da" means falling, while "ten" means "sky" or "heaven". This mark of Daten on a person shows that he or she (who has a standing of a god or a significant individual in "heaven") must have committed something even more sinful than the demons, and have fallen from his/her original high standing. Similar to Lucifer in the biblical aspect. Forest of Maya -- the forest which sealed Ashura for 300 years in the north, near the Yasha Village. Maya is the representation of illusion, which is one of the powers of Ashura-Ou. Hiten -- anti-god or anti-heaven, the literal translation of Ashura, our main character. Sometimes also translated as "un-emperor". See also "Tentei" below. Kekkai -- spiritual boundaries that can separate an area into another dimension. Hoshimi -- a person who can see/observe the pattern of stars and tell the furture according to the patterns. "Hoshi" means "stars", and "mi" means "see/observe". Mazoku -- the demons or the demon tribes that live beyond the boundaries of Tenkai. Usually distinguished by their purple eyes. Miko -- the closest meaning will be a shrine maiden or priestess. Her duty in the clan has to do with religious or spiritual issues. A miko is able to communicate with her god. Her special relationship with her god enables her to wield special powers bestowed upon by the god. "Mi" can be translated as "god" as in the case of the first kanji, while "ko" can be a girl/woman. More info on the duties and qualities of being a Miko, but not necessary those of our Mikos in Rg Veda. 1) They summon the dead person's soul from the beyond, a.k.a. shinikuchi, i.e. dead man's mouth. When they summon a living person's soul from far away, it is called ikikuchi, mouth of a living person. 2) They prophesy success or failure for the clients , the popular term is kamikuchi, mouth of the god. 3) They expel disease and other evils and practise religious purification. 4) They ask their god the name of the medicine to be used against a particular illness. 5) They give info concerning lost objects. 6) The candidate is taught for 3-7 yrs by a older miko, after which she is married to her tutelary god. (Shamanism by Eliade, Mircea Published Princeton University Press 1974 second printing) Shitennou -- The Four Deva Kings, also the four generals (shogun) of the four cardinal points (north, east, south, west). Shitennou can be directly translated as "Four Heavenly Kings". They work for the Emperor. Six Stars -- Refer to a particular group of Six people who, when gathered together can bring about the subversion or "break" of the heaven. Tenkai -- the heavenly world that is ruled by Tentei. "Ten" means "heaven", and "kai" means boundary. A place where the gods, people belonging to god clans, and normal human beings live. Tentei -- the Emperor. Literally, it can be translated as "king of heaven" or the heavenly emperor. 5. CHARACTERS BY CATEGORIES, THEIR WEAPON NAME AND STYLISH SPECIAL ATTACKS This list consists of characters with their weapons and attack names. It should be noted that all gods, kings, generals and warriors have their own weapons, but not necessarily in the form of a sword or blades. Some of these weapon names may not have been mentioned in the series and therefore may not appear here. This list is arranged by categories -- the Six Stars, the kings and generals, and other characters. Please be reminded that this is NOT a complete list of characters. THE SIX STARS Character Weapon Special Attacks ============ ============= ============================ Ashura Shura-tou (not mentioned) "Shura Sword" Karura-Ou Garuda* Karura-hitenshou "Soaring Karura" Kendappa-Ou Harp (transformed) (not mentioned) Ryuu-Ou Ryuuga-tou Kai-Ou Jin "King of Sea's Battle Formation", "Dragon Teeth Haja-kairyuuha "Sea Dragon's Evil-defeating Sword" Wave" Souma Sougeppa Sougeppa "Twin Moon Crescent", "Twin Moon Sougetsu-ranbu "Twin Moon's Wild Dance" Crescent" Yasha-Ou Yama-tou Yama-tenrouken "Yama Sword" "Night Devil's Heavenly Wolf Sword", Mei-Ou Hayouzan "Hades' Ghost-defeating Cut" * When Karura-Ou gathers her power, Garuda -- her royal bird -- will gain energy probably from the fireball that Karura-Ou manages to produce. When Karura-Ou releases her attack, Garuda attacks her target along with Karura-Ou's fireball, which can merge into Garuda's body to form into one. KINGS AND GENERALS Character Special Attacks ============ =================================== Taishaku-ten Raikou-kourin "God of Thunder Descend" Koumoku-ten Masougeki "Demon Manipulation Strike", Hyakuki-jigoku "Hell of Hundred Hungers" OTHER CHARACTERS Character Special Attacks ============= ======================================= Suiten-Varuna Sui-you-ken "Water Ghost Sword" Futen-Vaayu Fuu-rai-sen "Wind Thunder Fan of Flames" Katen-Aguni Ka-ha-tei "Fire Defeat King" (These are the Koumoku-ten's subordinates. There should be five, but two of them got killed the same page they were introduced ^_^, so no attacks names were mentioned.) 6. CHARACTERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE HINDU EQUIVALENCE As mentioned, many of CLAMP's Rg Veda characters are taken from gods of the sacred writings, Rg Veda, of Hinduism. Here is a list of their original names and meanings in alphabetical order. Again, this is Not a complete list of characters. Only those with equivalent Hindu names will be listed. CLAMP's name Sanskrit name Original (Sanskrit) symbolism ============ ============= ======================================== Aizenmyouou Ragaraja a six-armed god of love Ashura Asura anti-deva (deva = god) i.e. hiten Bishamonten Kuvera/ the most popular god among the Shitennou, Vaisravana also rules Yaksa / god of treasure Gigei ? goddess born from the head of Mahesvara (Shiva), patron of artists (seems non-Hindu in origin) Jikokuten Dhrita-rastra commands Gandharvas and Pisakas Kara Kala black Karura Garuda Garuda & Naga are bitter enemies Garuda is sometimes known as Dragon Killer Garuda in CLAMP's story is Karura's bird Kendappa Gandharvas musicians of heaven Kisshouten Lakshmi/ wife of Vishnu in Hindu myths, or, wife or Sri-mahadevi sister of Bishamonten in Buddhist myths. goddess of fortune Koumokuten Virupaksa has Nagas under his command Kumaraten Karttikeya/ son of Shiva and a war god, Skanda rides on a peacock Kuyou Kushiu in Buddhist astrology is 7 heavenly bodies Keito & Rago (Comet and Eclipse) Naga(Ryuu-Ou's Naga Naga is translated as Dragon in Japanese name before he but in Hindu myths is a Cobra became king) Rasetsu Rakasha race of ex-gods (similar to Yaksa) but ended up worse than Yaksa. appear as bitter enemies of the heroes. Their king is Ravana, a half-bro of Kuvera (Bishamonten) & Indrajit Souma Soma a drink obtained from a plant of the same name that gives the drinker immortality Also name of a Vedic god associated to Moon Taishaku-ten Indra god of thunder/lightning/rain, greatest god Yama (Yasha's Yama the first human in Hindu mythology name before he (also Enma Daioh in Japan) became king) Yasha Yaksa was god before the Aryans came, got degenerated into demons and fairies, but later regain divine status Zouchouten Virudhaka has undeads (Pisacas) and Kumbhanda (either Yaksa or Kinnara/ri) under command 7. THE QUESTIONS The following questions are divided into two categories: non-spoiler and spoiler. Some questions will fall into both categories. This is because future developments in the story describe different views as the story goes on. While it is not wrong to acknowledge the information presented in the earlier stages of the series, more in depth explanations or new suggestions are detailed as it goes into the series. Therefore for the same question, the earlier explanation will fall under "non-spoiler" and the later answer will be under "spoiler". Please note that the answers are based on what happened in the manga as fairly little can be concluded from the anime. NON-SPOILER QUESTIONS Q1: What was Kuyou's Prophecy? Below are two versions of the same Prophecy. The first one was for Ashura-Ou before the Holy War. The second one was for Yasha-Ou, 300 years after the Holy War. Both are taken from my friend Fuu's Rg Veda translations, from the original Japanese edition: The version for Ashura-Ou: The Six Stars flow and fall. They are the dark stars rising against Heaven. Shura is not of Heaven. One that destroys Heaven when in Heaven, and one that destroys Earth when in Earth. The thunder of the new Lord of Heaven roams the world after he shreds the flame Not of Heaven. When the Flame burns down, the world will become infested with evil. The Wheel of Time turns, the Six Stars gather. The scarlet flame that inherits Shura Shalt burn away all evil. The Six Stars pressure all others And will ultimately conquer. Then ----- The Six Stars shalt become the "Break" that destroys Heaven. The version for Yasha-Ou, also the more commonly known one printed on the covers and color illustrations of the Rg Veda manga tankoubans: The Six Stars flow and fall. They are the dark stars rising against Heaven. As the way with which Destiny should be woven Thou shalt bring it up for thyself. Guided by the end of the clan Thou shalt embark on a voyage With the infant. The infant cannot be determined good or evil Yet he turns Tenkai's wheel of destiny. The gathering of the Six Stars is the will of the Gods. However, under the Darkness, Someone will come down. He will put the fate of the stars in his hands And control the dark stars as well as light. Even under my Stargazing, this figure Still remains a mystery. The scarlet flame that thou hath raised Shalt burn away all evil. The Six Stars together overwhelm all others And will ultimately conquer. Then ----- Thou shalt become the "Break" that destroys Heaven. Kuyou had promised Ashura-Ou 300 years ago to deliver the prophecy to Yasha-Ou. Kuyou had refused to work for Taishaku-ten during these 300 years in order to keep this promise. She did not know what "Six Stars" or "Break" mean, but she knew that Yasha would find a baby in the forest of Maya, and that same child would kill him in the end. Also refer to the SPOILER QUESTION section for the true meaning of the prophecy. Q2: Who are the Six Stars? When and where did they meet? The Six Stars are: Ashura, Yasha-Ou, Souma, Ryuu-Ou, Karura-Ou and Kendappa-Ou. Ashura was freed from the forest of Maya by Yasha-Ou. As a result of Yasha-Ou's keeping of Ashura, the whole Yasha clan was massacred by Bishamon-ten under the order of Taishaku-ten. Yasha was determined to take revenge on Taishaku-ten by gathering the Six Stars. Souma was sent by Kisshou-ten to help Yasha-Ou and Ashura. Then Ryuu-Ou joined the crew because he wanted to train himself as a better fighter. Karura-Ou then met the four of them after the tragic death of her younger sister being tortured by Taishaku-ten. They did not meet the last of the Six Stars, Kendappa-Ou, until they invaded Zenmi-jou, the Royal Palace. Q3: What does it mean by the "pattern of stars"? "Pattern of stars" can be compared to "Fate". Similar to stars, which cannot leave their orbits, fate cannot be changed either. If one tries to change the "pattern of stars", or to change one's fate, drastic consequences will occur. Q4: What happened during the Holy War? The Holy War refers to Taishaku-ten's rebellion against the former Tentei, 300 years ago. Back then, Taishaku-ten was a fierce warlord, known as the God of Thunder. After Taishaku-ten defeated Ashura-Ou, the Guardian God of War of Tenkai and its strongest warrior, he killed Tentei and crowned himself the new Tentei. From then on, the word "Ashura" has also become a taboo. Bishamon-ten, who was Taishaku-ten's friend and comrade was given Kisshou-ten, the previous Tentei's only daughter, in marriage as a hostage. Kisshou-ten was the previous Tentei's only daughter. Many tribes and warriors, who refused to accept Taishaku-ten's rule were killed as a result. Q5: Who is Kujaku? Is he really a Mazoku? Kujaku is a mysterious guest who always gives hints and clues to Ashura and Yasha-Ou when they were travelling in search of the Six Stars. He claims to be a passing traveler, but certainly, he knows a lot more than a mere traveler does. He has purple eyes, which are distinct to the Mazoku. Yet he could do things that a Mazoku could never do, such as penetrating easily through the kekkai set around the boundaries of Tenkai and performing the sacred ceremony of the succession of Shura-Tou, which only the Stargazer or Hoshimi of Tenkai could perform. Although Yasha-Ou has his suspicions against Kujaku, Ashura seemed to like him a lot. Also see the SPOILER QUESTION section for Kujaku's real identity. Q6: Where do the Mazoku live? The Mazoku live beyond the boundaries of Tenkai. Tenkai is surrounded by a Kekkai. The Mazoku frequently attempt to break through the Kekkai set around the boundaries of Tenkai. Thus it is the Bushinshou's work to drive away these Mazoku and repair the Kekkai. The Mazoku can also have Kekkai of their own. An example is the Ice Castle of Aizenmyou-Ou which situates near the Yasha Village in the north. Q7: Is there any difference between the manga and the anime? Is the third anime coming soon? Yes and don't know. There are a lot of differences between the manga and the anime. Sometimes, things are added in the anime, sometimes things are omitted. To pin-point all differences will be impossible, but the following is some major variations in plot. The first anime was based on the story in manga volume 4, where Yasha-Ou, Ashura and Ryuu-Ou were driven to the north near the Yasha Village. In the anime, Karura-Ou was also with them, but in the manga, she has not yet joined the crew. Also, the Aizenmyou-Ou in the anime was the princess who gave herself to the demons and later on trapped Yasha-Ou because she was lonely. In the manga, the demons ate the young Aizenmyou-Ou and took over her beautiful face, captured Yasha-Ou for his strength and powers. Third, in the manga, this is where the said Shura-Toh succession ceremony was performed but this was omitted in the anime. Lastly, Aizenmyou-Ou was defeated by Ashura in the anime whereas in the manga, she was defeated by Kujaku. The second anime was about the invasion of the Zenmi-jou by the five stars in search for the sixth star, who was still unknown to them. The same invasion did not happen in the manga until volume 9, which has the same title as the second anime. The anime was not based on any volumes of the manga at the time of its release although it contains materials which resemble those in the later volumes of the manga. A lot of things have happened between manga volume 4 and 9, therefore it is difficult to compare the two plots here. The end of the second anime showed that the five stars left Zenmi-jou sucessfully, knowing that Kendappa-Ou was the sixth star. In the manga, the result of this invasion, however, was totally different and more tragic than the anime. There is no third anime produced as of this time, and it seems unlikely that there will be one. Q8: How is the power structure in Tenkai? Hierarchy before the Holy War Hierarchy after the Holy War ============================= ============================ Tentei Tentei -- Taishaku-ten | | Guardian God of War -- | Ashura-Ou | | The Shitennou +--------+----------+ | | | | The 12 Warlords The Shitennou (or Generals | -- more like of North, East, South The Bushinshou Ashura-Ou's and West) | personal guards | | The Bushinshou (North, East | South & West, under the rules Other Warlords of the respective generals) | | Other Warlords The above diagrams show the power structure of Tenkai before and after the Holy War. Before the Holy War, the Emperor's right-hand man was Ashura-Ou. He had his own warriors known as the Twelve Warlords. Ashura-Ou was also the leader of the Shitennou. But since the death of Ashura-Ou, the Shitennou were directly under the Emperor, with Bishamon-ten as the head of the Shitennou. The Shitennou have their own armies. The Bushinshou were under the control of the Shitennou of their respective cardinal points. The rest of the warlords are of lower ranks. Each of the Bushinshou has his/her own clan. They are known as the god clans. There are also humans which do not belong to any god clans. The people belonging to the god clans, as well as the above warlords can have incredibly long life span. For example, 300 years is only the time for such people to grow from childhood to adulthood. Q9: Why do the leaders of a god clan have the same name as his/her clan name? The leaders (kings or queens) of a god clan are not born with such names. They all had their own childhood names, e.g. Yasha-Ou's childhood name was Yama. When they are chosen to be the next king or queen, they inherit the clan names from the previous leader. So for the same example, when Yama was chosen by the previous Yasha-Ou (his father) to be the next king, Yama then became the new Yasha-Ou. Since "Yasha" is the name of the clan and the word "Ou" means king/queen (in Japanese, "ou" works for both a male leader or a female leader), "Yasha-Ou" means "King (Queen, or merely leader) of Yasha". These kings/queens are sometimes considered immortal in this way because their titles are carried on for generations although individual leaders live and die. Q10: Where is Ashura-jou? Ashura-jou appears to reside underneath the water surrounding Zenmi-jou and resembles the shadow of the latter. In fact, the 'water' that encloses Ashura-jou is a special form of Kekkai which only allows people of the Ashura clan or those with special permission to enter. Therefore, the castle actually resides in another dimension. Its entrance is located in the lowest level of Zenmi-jou. It looks like a big circular disk with the markings of Ashura-jou. It has the carvings of a three-headed human with six hands spreading out in different directions, each holding a sphere with a special sanskrit character on it. Each character represents a different desirable "quality" of a human. Q11: Why was Ashura-Ou, the strongest warrior in Tenkai, defeated by Taishaku-ten? Shashi, Ashura-Ou's wife, was not satisfied being only the wife of the Guardian God of War. Therefore, the ambitious queen of Ashura-Ou betrayed her own people by telling Taishaku-ten the weakness of the Ashura clan, so that Taishaku-ten, after becoming the Emperor, would make her the Empress. Refer to the SPOILER QUESTION section for related questions. Q12: Who are Shashi and Kara? Kara is Shashi's elder twin sister. Both of them were chosen to be the Miko of the Ashura clan. Shashi later became the wife of Ashura-Ou and was carrying the child of Ashura-Ou when she betrayed the Ashura clan to Taishaku-ten 300 years ago. She was made the Empress of Tenkai by Taishaku-ten and bore him his heir, Tenou, the twin brother of Ashura, who was Ashura-Ou's heir. Kara, on the other hand, tried to kill herself because she was unable to stop Shashi from betraying her clan. But she was brought back to life by the illusionary powers of Ashura-Ou. She fled to Kusumabura, the underground city in the west, at the defeat of the Ashura clan. She sheltered herself under the care of Kumara-ten, the king of Kusumabura, whose clan was almost wiped out by Taishaku-ten's army. The jewel on Kara's forehead was the key to the rebirth of Shura-Tou. Also see SPOILER section for related questions. Q13: Is Ashura a girl or a boy? Ashura is neither a girl or a boy, although the appearance of kid-Ashura resembles that of a girl and adult-Ashura (or Black Ashura)looks like a male teenager. This has been misleading since the English-subtitled OVA refers to Ashura as a she. Please also see SPOILER QUESTIONS for an explanation. Q14: Why did Shashi want to kill baby Ashura? Shashi betrayed the Ashura clan because she was not satisfied for only being the wife of the Guardian God of War. Her ambition is to become the Empress of Tenkai, bear the Emperor a son, and later on help her son to become the next Emperor. She wants power. She would use her own hands to destroy anything in her way. Baby Ashura was an obstacle to her, so she wanted to kill the baby. The manga shows scenes where Shashi puts her hands around baby Ashura's neck and tries to kill it. But it never explains why she did not succeed killing it. Q15: What kind of relationship is there between Souma and Kendappa-Ou? Souma was saved by Kendappa-Ou after her escape from Taishaku-ten's army. Since then, Kendappa-Ou sheltered and befriended her. Souma and Kendappa-Ou have developed a special relationship which seems to be a little more than mere close friends. Although its nature is not clearly described, Souma has admitted that Kendappa-Ou is the most important and respected person in her life, and Kendappa-Ou has also admitted that she loves Souma at the end of the manga. Q16: What is the legend of Yama-Tou? The old legend told in the Yasha clan is that once upon a time, when the clan was in danger, there came a person with black wings from the sky, who gave the sword to the clan, saying only the strongest person in the clan could inherit it. Since then, the Yama-Tou was the symbol of the strongest person in Yasha clan. The Yama-Tou, unsheathed, glows with a white light as if the moon itself. In battle, anything that touches even the slightest of that white light will be disintegrated. Q17: What is the connection between Shura-Tou and Yama-Tou? The Shura-Tou and the Yama-Tou form a pair. Their ability to resonance to each other's presence enables one to locate the other. That is why when the Yama-Tou's owner, Yasha-Ou, was captured by Aizenmyou-Ou inside the Ice Castle, Ashura found where Yasha-Ou was with the help of Shura-Tou. Q18: Who are the parents and relatives of Ryuu-Ou? Ryuu-Ou's childhood name was Naga. His mother was the previous leader of Ryuu clan. She was once the strongest Bushinshou of Tenkai. After Taishaku-ten took over Tenkai, she continued to serve the new emperor. She died trying to save a human girl. At her death, Naga's grandfather who was the Ryuu-Ou before Naga's mother, took over the rule again since Naga was still too young to become king. Naga also had two elder cousins -- Seiryuu and Byakuryuu, who helped Naga's mother took care of Naga when she was in battle with the demons. Naga's father never appeared in the main pages of the manga, but he did show up in the funny side story at the back of volume 5. He was a very skillful cook who could make delicious meals out of the Mazoku captured by his wife. Q19: What is the bond between Karura-Ou and her bird Garuda? Every person belonging to the Karura clan has his or her own bird. Karura-Ou's bird is called Garuda. The bird and its master are paired with the closest bond such that when the master is sick, his/her bird would show signs of fatigue as well. Therefore if the master dies, his/her bird also dies, and vice versa. Q20: What happened to the Eastern general? There were only 3 generals but they were always referred to as the Shitennou. Jikoku-ten, the Eastern general, was killed in the Holy War by Taishaku-ten. Jikoku-ten was the husband of the former Kendappa-Ou, thus the father of the current Kendappa-Ou. Also see SPOILER QUESTION section for another similar question. Q21: Who is Hanranya? Why does she cover her face with a piece of cloth all the time? Hanranya is a seer who serves Taishaku-ten loyally. Her power is over a water mirror. She is the younger of the two twin sisters, of which Kuyou the stargazer is the elder. It is told in volume 9 that she has long coveted the same power that her sister possesses. However, there could only be one stargazer at one time. Thus she blinds herself with a burning stick in order to gain the prophetic power she wants. That is why she covers her face with a piece of cloth to conceal her wounds. Q22: How many people are secretly admiring or are in love with Yasha-Ou? Three. The first one mentioned was Gigei the dancer. She fell in love with him on the first sight at Kisshou-ten's Star Festival six years ago. The second person was the former Kendappa-Ou, the present Kendappa-Ou's mother. Although she was married, she couldn't help herself but to fall in love (one-sided) with the young Yasha-Ou. She cried every night because of this until the day she died. The third one was Zouchou-ten's wife. It was mentioned in the funny stories at the back of volume 6 of the manga. Byakuryuu said to Yasha-Ou tha t he heard that Zouchou-ten's wife was was once one of Yasha-Ou's fans, before she was married to Zouchou-ten. SPOILER QUESTIONS Q1: What is the real meaning of Kuyou's Prophecy? Kuyou's two versions of the Prophecy were delivered to two different persons. Even though their contents differ slightly, we can still picture the sequence of events easily. The following is what is combined from the two Prophecies and is the true interpretation/implication of the Prophecy: There would come a time when Taishaku-ten would rebel against Tentei (this happened 300 years ago). At the death of Ashura-Ou and Tentei, Taishaku-ten would take over the kingdom, which would begin an era of evil. The Six Stars would start to gather around Ashura-Ou's child, an infant being brought up by Yasha-Ou, who would end up having his whole clan massacred. Until the day that Ashura's Seal is fully broken, "Ashura" would have two distinct characters -- a lovely and cute "Ashura" which Yasha-Ou and almost everyone who knew Ashura would love and care, and an "Ashura" who only loves killing and destruction. Kujaku, the mysterious character who would occasionally drop hints and directions to the Six Stars, could be exempted from Kuyou's prophecy because the one who has the blood of a Hoshimi, has a fate that could not be seen by another Hoshimi. When all of the Six Stars die, Ashura would fully resurrect into the real Ashura -- God of Destruction. Ashura would destroy all that are considered evil, which would bring about the "Break" or the Subversion of Heaven. Q2: What happened to the Eastern General, Jikoku-ten? Although the previous Eastern General was killed during the Holy War by Taishaku-ten, the present Kendappa-Ou, who was then the young daughter of Jikoku-ten and the former Kendappa-Ou, succeeded as the new Jikoku-ten at the death of her father. Only Taishaku-ten and Bishamon-ten knew of this succession. Kendappa-Ou was also the Eastern Bushinshou at the same time. This was revealed in volume 9 of the manga. Q3: Do Bishamon-ten and Kisshou-ten love each other? Yes. They do love each other. Bishamon-ten's love for Kisshou-ten was revealed at the beginning of volume 9. Bishamon-ten and Hanranya were having a dialogue. He mentioned that he was totally influenced by Taishaku-ten's power and strength and that he had made up his mind to serve him even though he could never see the person he loved smile again -- and the background picture shows Kisshou-ten. As for Kisshou-ten's love for her husband, it could be seen from her anxious look on her face when the Shitennou were fighting with Yasha-Ou and crew. Their love could also be seen from the conversation between them at the death scene of Bishamon-ten in volume 10. Q4: Why does Kendappa-Ou serve Taishaku-ten so loyally when she let Souma go against Taishaku-ten? Kendappa-Ou admires strong people. Since her father's death during the Holy War, she has decided that Taishaku-ten was the strongest one in Tenkai, and that she would serve him loyally because of his strength and power. She respects Souma's decision on fighting against the emperor and doesn't want to stop her although she knows that Souma would not succeed in defeating Taishaku-ten. Q5: Is Kujaku really a Mazoku? Is he the person who gave Yama-Tou to the Yasha clan according to the legend? Where do his purple eyes and black wings come from? Kujaku is the forbidden son of the previous Emperor and the previous Emperor's sister, Sonsei-Ou, who was also the Hoshimi before Kuyou. Therefore, Kujaku carries the blood of Hoshimi. This is why sometimes he is seen holding the stargazing wand and why he can perform the rite of succession of Shura-Tou. Yes. Kujaku travelled back in time to give Yama-Tou to the Yasha clan. He had long predicted that the full awakening of Ashura would bring about disaster, and that only Yama-Tou would have a chance to stop Ashura. It is not explained how he exactly got his purple eyes which is the characteristics of the Mazoku. It may be related to the fact that his royal parents were siblings, which made Kujaku the forbidden son and was disgraced by the mark of Daten, which indicates that he is even lower class than the Mazoku. As for the black wings, it is shown towards the end of the manga, that they grew on Kujaku's back when the mark of Daten appeared on his forehead. Black wings and purple eyes seem to indicate a Mazoku, but no, he is not a Mazoku. Q6: Who is "Black Ashura"? "Black Ashura" can be regarded as the "real" Ashura -- the god of destruction. Ashura possesses two distinct characters, the tender "kid" Ashura, and the brutal "black" Ashura. At the beginning, "black Ashura" appears momentarily -- <1> during Yasha's breaking of the kekkai inside the Forest of Maya thus waking up Ashura, <2> when Yasha finds out that Kuyou was killed in her training place, <3> inside the underground city where the Shura-Tou was broken from the seal, <4> after Kujaku performed the Shura-Tou succession ceremony on Ashura, <5> during the resonance of the Shura-Tou when revealing members of the Six Stars, etc -- and afterwards, "kid" Ashura would take back the body again. After the gathering of the Six Stars in Zenmi-jou, "black Ashura" takes over Ashura's body completely and to turn into the original Ashura -- the god of destruction. Q7: What part do Shashi and Kara play in the being of the real Ashura? The jewel on each of their foreheads is a seal for the awakening of Ashura. First, Kara's jewel breaks the seal of Shura-Tou, which holds the key to finding the Six Stars for the awakening of real Ashura. Second, Shashi's jewel, when placed into the back side of Shura-Tou, breaks the seal of Ashura, who is then transformed into the God of Destruction. Q8: Why did Ashura kill Ryuu-Ou? When Ashura kills Ryuu-Ou, Ashura is not the Ashura whom Ryuu-Ou once knew anymore. The death of the Six Stars would ensure the full awakening of the God of Destruction. This is the third seal on Ashura. Thus, the death of Ryuu-Ou, is necessary for the real Ashura to resurrect. So Ashura kills Ryuu-Ou. Q9: What was Ashura-Ou's crime? Ashura-Ou's crime was his wish for the birth of his child (Ashura) in order to continue the bloodline and his wish to change fate. However, he knew that his child would become the God of Destruction. He tried to change fate because he asked for Taishaku-ten's help to kill his child if Ashura fully resurrected into the Real Ashura. His wish was the cause of Taishaku-ten's rebellion against the previous Tentei, who turned Tenkai into an era of chaos. See also Q10. Q10: What was Taishaku-ten's "most treasured thing"? Taishaku-ten's "most treasured thing" and his sole reason for living was his promise made to Ashura-Ou -- to never allow Ashura from turning into the Real Ashura, or, if he failed, to kill Ashura. In return, Ashura gave Taishaku-ten his "most treasured thing" -- himself. Q11: Why and how was Ashura-Ou defeated? It was Ashura-Ou's will to die in the hands of Taishaku-ten. Ashura-Ou has asked for Taishaku-ten's help to prevent the full awakening of his child. Therefore, Taishaku-ten needed to be emperor and had power over everyone so that he could manipulate the world in his hand. In order to be able to kill the Real Ashura, Taishaku-ten had to demonstrate Ashura-Ou that he did have enough power. To prove this, Ashura-Ou asked Taishaku-ten to use all his power to kill him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to defeat the Real Ashura. Taishaku-ten had no choice, but gathered all his strength and power, thrust his weapon through Ashura-Ou's body, and killed him. Q12: How did Taishaku-ten and Kujaku get the mark of Daten? As explained earlier, the mark of Daten represents a being who has committed something even worse than a Mazoku and has fallen from his/her original standing (e.g. high royalty/rank). After Taishaku-ten killed Ashura-Ou, he consumed Ashura-Ou's flesh on the instructions of Ashura-Ou. The mark of daten then appeared on Taishaku-ten's forehead; signifying that Taishaku-ten had fallen from grace since he is now committed to his promise to change the fate of the world and changing the pattern of the stars. At the consumption of Ashura-Ou's flesh, Taishaku-ten gains Ashura-Ou's illusionary power and knowledge. Kujaku got his mark of Daten at birth -- a mark signifying his parent's incest (brother and sister love). Q13: Why is Ashura neither a boy nor a girl? This is Ashura-Ou's punishment for trying to change fate. Ashura-Ou's wish was to save his bloodline, which turned him against fate. By punishing Ashura-Ou's only child with a sexless character, Ashura-Ou's wish would not come true. 8. INTERNET RESOURCES The following information is known to me as of this current version of the FAQ. Any information on resources not listed here are most welcomed. HOMEPAGES Homepages containing info, scripts, images, etc, dedicated to Rg Veda: Email kujaku@lycosmail.com if you wish your Rg Veda homepage be added in. - http://oldcrows.net/~rabi/RG/ - http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~stronae/rgveda.html - http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~a-zhou2/RG/index.html - http://us.animearchive.org/rgveda/ - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4233/rg.html - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/7201/rgveda.htm - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/1999/RGV.html - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/2499/rgveda.htm FTP SITES Only public ftp sites will be listed. There are other private sites which contain illustrations or informations for Rg Veda, but I do not have the right to list them here. Email kujaku@lycosmail.com if you find a nice FTP site with Rg Veda info and images. Type of info Host Directory ============== ====================== =============================== 1st OVA Script bongo.cc.utexas.edu /anime/TTS_SCRIPTS/ 1st OVA Script ftp.ics.uci.edu /pub/anime/scripts/titling/ Pictures ftp.tcp.com /pub/anime-manga/RGVeda/Images/ Pictures ftp.white.toronoto.edu /pub/_anime/AnimeB/old_images/ FANFICTIONS There has not been a whole lot of fanfictions over the internet. The following have been released to CML. Any other info will be appreciated. Email kujaku@lycosmail.com if you know of more fanfics. The following and more can be found in http://www.apricot.com/~fuu/clampfix4.0/RGfix.html Title Author Brief Description ====================== ============== ================================== All of Me Mimi Zhou LEMON: Taishaku-ten and Ashura-Ou (completed at 1) in the middle of the night on the eve of the final battle... Cheating Fate Fuu-chan An ordinary girl plays an (completed at 9) extraordinary part in the fate of the Earth. The Golden Warriors Ashura/ChunLi 2 normal girls fall into the world (completed at 16) of Rg Veda. Will Susan and Hiyana change the fate of the six stars? No Heaven For Us Mimi Zhou A character study type of story (completed at 1) around Ashura and Yasha after manga volume 10. Romancing the Swords Ashura/ChunLi LEMON: A normal girl in the world (2 chapters, on-going) of Rg Veda. Ahmay is trapped in a castle of Rg Veda Characters... The Temptation Mimi Zhou Sensual taste, Ashura-Ou & (1 chapter, on-going) Taishaku-ten, with the temptation of killing Toys in the Palm Fuu-chan Sequel to Cheating Fate with of God crossover of X characters. Can (completed at 13) Fiona save the world again? The TTV Special Mimi Zhou Hilarious Hard Copy type story. (2 chapters, on-going) Kujaku's the TV host! 9. CREDITS As I said before, thanks must go to everyone on the CLAMP Mailing List, especially TK's info on the gods equilvalences in the early days of CML, and Hojo-kun for compiling the ever-so-informative CLAMP Internet Guide. Also thanks to "Yasha" for providing me with VCD information. Special thanks must go to my editors and questioners: - Fuu Hououji, the first CML translator from Japanese to English (fuu@cephiro.anime.net) - Lai (ylai@pwa.acusd.edu) - Tomoko Kimura (t-kimura@cap.bekkoame.or.jp) - Crystal Chi (ci562@torfree.net) - Ashura/ChunLi Cha (ashura@future.net) - Mimi Zhou (aihua.zhou@citicorp.com) - Sharon See (seesx@singnet.com.sg) That's it. I hope I did a fair job. - Kujaku (kujaku@lycosmail.com)