| Raiju | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Raiju |
|
First Appearance |
Japanese Myth |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Raijū is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the beast is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms it becomes agitated, and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by raijū's claws).
A raijū's body is composed of (or wrapped in) lightning and commonly conceived of as taking the form of a white-blue wolf or dog, among other such animal forms as a tanuki, leopard, fox, weasel, black or white panther, serow, ferret, marten, tiger, and cat. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning (in fact, the creature may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of lightning, such as ball lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.
Another of raijū's peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts the Raijin to shoot lightning arrows at raijū to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather, but other legends say that raijū will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Raiju from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
- Kanda-Jihitsu
Notes[]
- Raiju primarily appears in anime and video games. The Thunder Card (CardCaptor Sakura) takes the form of a Raiju. Raidramon (Digimon) is a Raiju. Hiten and Manten (InuYasha) are thunder beast yokai taking on humanoid forms. Innova (Magic Knight Rayearth) has a Beast Lightning form which is based on the Raiju. Raikou (Pokémon) is a Raiju in the world of Pokemon. Raika (Rosario + Vampire II) is a Raiju.
- In Pacific Rim, One of the kaiju is given the name Raiju.