Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Chikanobu Toyohara

This article is about the Japanese mythological creature. For the supercar, see Mitsuoka Orochi. You might also be interested in the Oroch people of Eastern Siberia.

Yamata no Orochi (八岐の大蛇, "big snake of eight branches"), often called Orochi or the Eight-Forked Serpent in English), is a dragon- or serpent-like creature in Japanese mythology. In the ancient Japanese scripture, the Kojiki, after Susanoo is expelled from heaven, he encounters two earthly deities near the head of the Hiigawa River in Izumo Province. They are weeping because they have had to give the Orochi one of their daughters once every year, and now they must sacrifice the eighth and last, whose name is Kushinada. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1662x801, 602 KB) Susanoo slaying the Yamata-no-Orochi ca. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1662x801, 602 KB) Susanoo slaying the Yamata-no-Orochi ca. ... 2005 Mitsuoka Orochi Nude-Top Roadstar. ... Orochs or orochons is a small people of Russia that speak the Oroch (Orochon) dialect of the Southern group of Tungusic languages. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Japanese mythology is a complex system of beliefs. ... Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記) is the oldest surviving historical book dealing with the ancient history of Japan. ... Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ... Izumo (Japanese: 出雲国; Izumo no kuni) was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane prefecture in the Chugoku region. ...

The monster is described as having eight heads and eight tails and eyes as red as winter-cherries. It is so long its body extends over eight valleys and eight hills, its belly is always bloody and inflamed, and its back is covered with moss and hinoki and sugi trees. Binomial name Physalis alkekengi L. Physalis alkekengi (Chinese Lantern or Bladder-cherry), is a relative of P. peruviana (Cape Gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble Chinese lanterns. ... Binomial name Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc. ... Binomial name Cryptomeria japonica (L.f. ...

Susanoo asks for Kushinada's hand in marriage, and then transforms her into a comb which he places in his hair. He then asks her parents to brew some liquor that has been refined eight times, and then build a round enclosure with eight gates, each with a platform and a liquor vat. They fill the liquor vats and wait, and sure enough the Orochi appears. It dips a head into each vat, and is soon intoxicated, allowing Susanoo to cut it into pieces. When he cuts the middle tail, his sword is chipped, and there he finds the legendary Kusanagi sword. Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ... Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (Japanese: 草薙の剣) is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japans history as Excalibur is to Britains. ...

References

• Sacred Texts: The Kojiki - The Eight-Forked Serpent (B.H. Chamberlain, translator 1882)
• Hyakkai Ryūran: Yamata-No-Orochi

Orochi in popular culture

• The demon Orochi makes frequent appearances in tokusatsu and anime, especially Japanese console role-playing games and other video games. There are variations on the original myth: 8-headed snake, rampaging swordsman, etc. (Yasakani, Hasshaku, Hakeshu, Yagami, Yata, and some other names are SNK's spin on their adaptation to the myth.)
• In the CCG "Legend of the Five Rings" 'Orochi' is the name of a race of serpent creatures from the Realm of Tricksters. Many serve the sailors of the Mantis Clan.
• In both The Three Treasures and Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Susanoo fights and kills Orochi.
• The 'Grasscutter' story arc of the Usagi Yojimbo comic tells a version of the story of Susanoo and the Orochi in a flashback to explain the origin of the sword Kusanagi.
• In The Eight-Headed Giant Serpent Strikes Back, a biomechanical version of the Orochi was sent by aliens to destroy modern-day Earth starting with Japan.
• The Orochi is a boss monster in the role-playing game Dragon Quest III. In the game, Orochi is a five-headed fire-breathing dragon, who was terrorizing the island of Zipangu. Orochi also reappeared in some of the later Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior games. Most notably the two games, Dragon Warrior Monsters and Dragon Warrior Monsters 2.
• The Orochi was inspiration for Orochimon from Digimon, an eight-headed, dragon-like Digimon.
• In Shaman King, Tokagero's Oversoul abilities are related to the Orochi, with his Giant Oversoul form called Yamata no Orochi.
• In Yamato Takeru, the title hero fights with the evil Tsukuyomi, who becomes the ravaging Yamata no Orochi.
• In the animated series Blue Seed, Orochi is the first of the Aragami, a race of plant-based demon-beings, to appear. The series has several references to the myths.
• The Orochi is a character in King of Fighters.
• In the action game Otogi, the Yamata no Orochi was a demon that the main character Raiko had to escape from when he was exiting the Underworld.
• In the anime series Kannazuki no Miko, the Orochi is the name of the god of darkness.
• In Samurai Warriors, Nobunaga Oda's 5th Weapon is "Orochi" and is described as "The blade that was used to slay Orochi, the great serpent"
• Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks introduces Orochi Hellbeast, a towering, demonic creature from the Netherrealm.
• In Final Fantasy, the Yamatano Orochi is a multi-headed enemy fought in random encounters. In Final Fantasy II, Yamatano Orochi is a multi-headed, draconic boss fought in the Soul of Rebirth version of Pandaemonium.
• In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Orochi is portrayed as an invincible Chinese dragon that has to be weakened by light orbs before it can be killed. The story is nearly identical except that Kushinada is not turned into a comb and the dragon was killed by the protagonists instead of Susanoo. In addition, after defeating the boss, a sword called the "Cloud Brand" can be found near the dragon's tail, a reference to the Kusanagi.
• In the game Mega Man Zero, there is a mechaniloid boss called Orochi-Arm Metalcore.
• In the manga and anime Ranma ½, the Orochi is portrayed similar to its mythological form with the exception that one of the heads actually makes up its main body. It is also a wine-lover and a pervert and to defeat it, the characters portray themselves as girls and lure it into a trap with alcohol similar to the original myth. Also, Happosai, the ancient martial arts master, has many traits of the Orochi.
• In Yu-Gi-Oh!, a card closely resembling the manga pictured above also have a similar name, Yamata Dragon. The monster also appears on the card Last Turn.
• In the manga and anime Naruto, there is a terrible yet very powerful character named Orochimaru who uses a number of snake-oriented ninja techniques and who wields the Kusanagi. Also, the Eight-Tailed Demon is usually theorised to be an Orochi.
• Orochi is a minor boss in Metal Saga.
• In the CCG "Magic: The Gathering", Orochi is a term for a four-armed snakeperson who dwells in the forests. They are from a set known as Kamigawa.
• Also in the CCG "Magic the Gathering", the entity known as the O-Kagachi, an immense spirit beast that took the form of a eight headed spirit, was based upon the Orochi monster.
• Orochi is also the inspiration of the Shanji, a four-armed forest dwelling snake people similar to those from Magic: The Gathering
• An Orochi is featured in the first season of Akazukin Chacha, when the heroine and her friends encounter an impoverished village and are recruited to help the village rid itself of the Orochi by having the heroine pose as a virgin sacrifice.
• In the video game Ōkami by Capcom, Orochi is the main antagonist.
• In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Generation, the Pokemon Mikaruge is likey to be the sealed Orochi since it consists of 108 souls, just like how Orochi has consumed 108 souls.