| Mushizō | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name Information | |
| Kanji | 蟲蔵 |
| Kana | むしぞう |
| Rōmaji | Mushizō |
| Series Information | |
| Debut | Movie |
| Appearances | Ninja Scroll |
| Original Dub | Reizō Nomoto |
| English Dub | Milton James |
| Personal Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Relations | Genma Himuro (Leader) |
| Affiliation | Eight People of Kimon |
| Status | Deceased |
Mushizō is one of the Eight People of Kimon, with a very strange ability to control hornets.
Personality[]
Mushizō is repulsive but highly intelligent. He communicates with his hornets to do his bidding. He seems to be quite a bloodthirsty person. He sees his adversaries as his prey and is not willing to leave them to his allies. Mushizō prefers smart tactics, like keeping the distance with enemies so his swarm can kill them while he's at no risk, and luring enemies into a false sense of security before launching a surprise attack, which he does twice.
Appearance[]
Mushizō is a repulsive and smaller man. He is not just hideously malformed, Mushizō has a hornet hive grafted to his back. Even worse, judging from his death scene, the hive isn't limited to his hunch and probably runs through his entire torso. He also carries a needle on his throat and can exhale it out with surprising strength.
Biography[]
As Jūbei Kibagami, Dakuan and Kagerō move on from Shimoda Village, Mushizō attacks with a massive swarm of wasps. While Kagerō uses her powers to resist Mushizō's swarm of hornets, Jūbei tracks the ninja into a water mill and questions him about Genma's fate. Mushizō confirms that Genma has the power of reincarnation, and the two engage in a brief battle during which Jūbei slices the hunch on Mushizō's back which is revealed to be the hornet's home. The insects fly out to attack Jūbei, and he escapes into a nearby lake as Mushizō and his minions wait for him to surface for air. Jūbei uses his "wind slash" technique underwater to slice off Mushizō's right leg and send him hurling into the water. Mujūrō Utsutsu and Zakuro observe the battle from above and notice when the hornets still within Mushizō's hive begin stinging his body in vain to escape the water. Jūbei finishes him with a decapitating strike.
Abilities[]
Mushizō is hunchbacked and malformed, but it doesn't stop him from being a very lethal ninja. Not only can he communicate with and command hornets, but in Jūbei's fight with him it is shown that Mushizō himself is a walking hive. Aside from sheltering them into his hump, he does hold some kind of control over the insects, probably via psychic link, but it means that things can get very bad for him if he loses it. Effectively, he is killed when the hornets panic and cease obeying him at a critical moment.
Mushizō's weapon of choice is a two-pronged pitch fork type weapon, and has a deadly "throat needle" which he can spit out of his mouth. He is especially agile considering his large hunch and barrel-chested build. Mushizō is really quick on his feet and can keep pace with the much more athletic Jūbei.
Gallery[]
