Changes: King of Hell

editKing of Hell
冥府の王 Meifu no Ō
Debut
Manga	Naruto Chapter #422
Anime	Naruto Shippūden Episode #158
Game	Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
OVA	Naruto Shippūden: UNSG anime cutscenes
Appears in	Anime, Manga, Game
Personal
Sex	Male

Latest revision as of 00:16, 16 July 2023

The King of Hell (冥府の王, Meifu no Ō) is a deity that rules over life and death. One who wields the Rinnegan is able to call upon this deity for various purposes, possessing authority over it through the power of the Six Paths.^[1] As it possesses Rinnegan in its own eyes, the user is able to see anything the King of Hell sees.^[2]

Abilities

Soul ripping technique — The Naraka Path using the King of Hell.

The King of Hell can be called upon by Rinnegan wielders through the power of the Naraka Path, with its head emerging from the ground amidst dark flames. When the user grabs their target and asks them a question, the person's soul emerges from their mouth in the form of an elongated tongue. The King of Hell then grabs the soul using its own tongue, which is split into a pair of arms, and proceeds to pass judgement on them. If the person answers the question dishonestly, the King of Hell will rip out their soul and devour it, but if they are truthful, it will instead release their soul and spare them. When used for this purpose, the King of Hell and the souls it grasps are only visible to the Rinnegan wielder and those who fall victim to the technique.^[3]

For the Naraka Path's second ability, the King of Hell can repair any damage done to the Six Paths of Pain, which it accomplishes by grabbing their damaged forms with its tongue and consuming them. When it did this to the remains of the Asura Path Pain, the body emerged from the King of Hell's mouth fully rejuvenated and even wearing a new Akatsuki cloak, which it had previously discarded.^[4] The Naraka Path can also be used to store a person's body and soul inside the King of Hell after removing their soul with the Human Path, allowing the user to transport the person elsewhere and revive them at a later time.^[5] When the King of Hell is used for these purposes, it seems that others are able to see it, as demonstrated by both Naruto Uzumaki and Itachi Uchiha, the latter even managing to blind it by striking its eyes with kunai.^[6]^[7]

The King of Hell is also used as part of the Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. When this technique is activated, the King of Hell appears from within a cloud of smoke and rises further from the ground, releasing the souls of the dead from its gaping mouth and returning them to their bodies.^[8]

Influences

The King of Hell is based on Yama, known in Japan as Enma (閻魔), the judge of the dead who rules over the Narakas ("Hells" or "Purgatories") in Buddhism. He is said to preside over the cycle of Saṃsāra, determining whether the dead will be revived into a positive realm or a negative realm upon their next reincarnation.

The King of Hell's method of killing, which yanks out the souls of those who lie in the form of tongues, is a reference to a Japanese superstition used to scare children into telling the truth: "If you lie, Lord Enma will pull out your tongue" (「嘘をつくと閻魔さまに舌を抜かれる」, "Uso o tsuku to Enma-sama ni shita o nukareru").

Trivia

The kanji on the King of Hell's head means "king" (王, Ō).
In the manga, the flames that surround the King of Hell when it is called by the Naraka Path resemble the black flames of Amaterasu. In the anime, they are purple in colour.
In the Naruto Collectible Card Game, the King of Hell is called the Heretical Icon.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Jin no Sho, page 254
↑ Naruto chapter 551, page 5
↑ Naruto chapter 426, pages 1-5
↑ Naruto chapter 430, pages 12-13
↑ Naruto chapter 551, page 4
↑ Naruto chapter 433, page 12
↑ Naruto chapter 551, page 10
↑ Naruto chapter 449, pages 1-3

[d4-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Jin no Sho, page 254

[2] Naruto chapter 551, page 5

[3] Naruto chapter 426, pages 1-5

[4] Naruto chapter 430, pages 12-13

[5] Naruto chapter 551, page 4

[6] Naruto chapter 433, page 12

[7] Naruto chapter 551, page 10

[8] Naruto chapter 449, pages 1-3

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

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 {{Infobox}}
-A being that is used by a wielder of the [[Rinnegan]]. This figure, like the [[Animal Path]]'s [[Summoning Technique|summons]], possesses Rinnegan eyes, allowing a Rinnegan wielder to see through its eyes.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 551, page 5</ref>
+The {{translation|'''King of Hell'''|冥府の王|Meifu no Ō}} is a deity that rules over life and death. One who wields the [[Rinnegan]] is able to call upon this deity for various purposes, possessing authority over it through the power of the [[Six Paths]].<ref name="d4"/> As it possesses Rinnegan in its own eyes, the user is able to see anything the King of Hell sees.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 551, page 5</ref>
 == Abilities ==
 [[File:Soul ripping technique.png|thumb|left|The Naraka Path using the King of Hell.]]
-It is used by the [[Naraka Path (character)|Naraka Path]] for interrogation and is capable of discerning whether an individual is lying or not. When implemented on a target, a serpent-like apparition of their life force energy, in the form of an enlarged tongue emerges from their mouth and is presented to the figure. The King of Hell then proceeds to pass its judgement on the victim. If they are lying (or refuse to answer the question), their life force energy is ripped out by its two hand-shaped tongues and consumed, leading to the victim's death. If the target is telling the truth, it lets go of the protrusion leaving the target alive but extremely exhausted.  The King of Hell can only be seen by the ones it's being used upon.
+The King of Hell can be called upon by Rinnegan wielders through the power of the [[Naraka Path]], with its head emerging from the ground amidst dark flames. When the user grabs their target and asks them a question, the person's soul emerges from their mouth in the form of an elongated tongue. The King of Hell then grabs the soul using its own tongue, which is split into a pair of arms, and proceeds to pass judgement on them. If the person answers the question dishonestly, the King of Hell will rip out their soul and devour it, but if they are truthful, it will instead release their soul and spare them. When used for this purpose, the King of Hell and the souls it grasps are only visible to the Rinnegan wielder and those who fall victim to the technique.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 426, pages 1-5</ref>
-Its second ability, the King of Hell can repair the other Paths, should they be damaged or killed. When it consumed the remains of the [[Asura Path (character)|Asura Path]], the path emerged from the figure fully restored and was even wearing a new [[Akatsuki]] robe (the body had discarded its previous robe).<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 430, page 12-13</ref> While the King of Hell is being used for this, it seems that others are able to see it, unlike when it is being used for interrogation purpose. Both [[Naruto]] while in [[Sage Mode]]<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 433, page 12</ref> and Itachi Uchiha, who managed to blind it, were able to see it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 551, page 8-9</ref>
+For the Naraka Path's second ability, the King of Hell can repair any damage done to the [[Six Paths of Pain]], which it accomplishes by grabbing their damaged forms with its tongue and consuming them. When it did this to the remains of the [[Asura Path (character)|Asura Path]] Pain, the body emerged from the King of Hell's mouth fully rejuvenated and even wearing a new [[Akatsuki]] cloak, which it had previously discarded.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 430, pages 12-13</ref> The Naraka Path can also be used to store a person's body and soul inside the King of Hell after removing their soul with the [[Human Path]], allowing the user to transport the person elsewhere and revive them at a later time.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 551, page 4</ref> When the King of Hell is used for these purposes, it seems that others are able to see it, as demonstrated by both [[Naruto Uzumaki]] and [[Itachi Uchiha]], the latter even managing to blind it by striking its eyes with [[kunai]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 433, page 12</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 551, page 10</ref>
-[[File:Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.PNG|thumb|The Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.]]
+[[File:Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.PNG|thumb|The King of Hell releases souls from its mouth.]]
-Lastly, it can be summoned for the [[Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique]], where Nagato can release life force energy to people who were recently killed and allow their souls to return to their rejuvenated bodies. This technique can only be used by Nagato, the main entity in control of the seven paths. This power is said to transcend even the very concepts of life and death.
+The King of Hell is also used as part of the [[Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique]]. When this technique is activated, the King of Hell appears from within a cloud of smoke and rises further from the ground, releasing the souls of the dead from its gaping mouth and returning them to their bodies.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 449, pages 1-3</ref>
 == Influences ==
-The King of Hell is based on [[Wikipedia:Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yama]], the judge of the dead in the Hindu and Buddhist religion. He decided if someone stayed dead or returned to the world of the living, and would choose how they would be reincarnated. It's believed that if you lie to him, he will rip out your tongue.
+The King of Hell is based on [[Wikipedia:Yama (Buddhism)|Yama]], known in Japan as {{translation|Enma|閻魔}}, the judge of the dead who rules over the [[Wikipedia:Naraka (Buddhism)|Narakas]] ("Hells" or "Purgatories") in Buddhism. He is said to preside over the cycle of [[Wikipedia:Saṃsāra|Saṃsāra]], determining whether the dead will be revived into a positive realm or a negative realm upon their next reincarnation.
-The King of Hell's method of killing, which yanks the tongue out of the mouths of the Konoha shinobi that had lied, is a reference to a Japanese superstition that's used to scare children into telling the truth; {{translation|"If you lie, Lord Enma will pull out your tongue"|「嘘をつくと閻魔さまに舌を抜かれる」|"Uso o tsuku to Yama-sama ni shita o nukukareru"}}.
+The King of Hell's method of killing, which yanks out the souls of those who lie in the form of tongues, is a reference to a Japanese superstition used to scare children into telling the truth: {{translation|"If you lie, Lord Enma will pull out your tongue"|「嘘をつくと閻魔さまに舌を抜かれる」|"Uso o tsuku to Enma-sama ni shita o nukareru"}}.
 == Trivia ==
+* The kanji on the King of Hell's head means {{translation|"king"|王|Ō}}.
-* In the manga, the flames that surround the base of the King of Hell look similar to those of [[Amaterasu]].
+* In the manga, the flames that surround the King of Hell when it is called by the Naraka Path resemble the black flames of [[Amaterasu]]. In the anime, they are purple in colour.
-* The kanji on King of Hell's head means {{translation|"king"|王|Ō}}.
+* In the [[Naruto Collectible Card Game]], the King of Hell is called the ''Heretical Icon''.
 == References ==
 <references/>
+[[es:Rey del Infierno]]
+[[fr:Roi des Enfers]]
+[[pt-br:Rei do Inferno]]
+[[pl:Król Piekieł]]