Great Elder

Biodata

Background / History

Earlier wars

The Great Elder was a renowned powerhouse throughout the Western Country and a pillar of the Dog Tribe. He had fought Chi Yan, the Panther Cat Tribe’s Fifth Elder, several times and understood both his overwhelming fire power and his ability to transform his body into flames 8 9.

During an earlier siege, he refused to send troops outside the fortress even as the Panther Cats slaughtered hundreds of stranded Dog Yokai, including Zi Yan’s parents. He endured his clansmen’s resentment over that decision and gradually regained their respect. After becoming an elder herself, Zi Yan came to understand the painful choice he had made to preserve the tribe 38 41.

White Bone Maru’s potential advancement to Great Yokai deeply worried him and the Dog King. Their leadership meetings focused on eliminating that threat, and the Great Elder was willing to offer himself as bait. His fear of White Bone Maru remained strong even after several years without news of him 39.

Ambush and defeat of Chi Yan

At the mountain outpost, the Great Elder approved of Tōga and Ringetsu as a couple. When Tōga reported an approaching enemy with fiery yokai energy, he identified Chi Yan and sought the Second Elder’s assistance: he believed he could defeat Chi Yan alone, but killing him quickly required a coordinated surprise attack 6 8.

Both elders followed Tōga’s ambush arrangements. The Great Elder sealed Chi Yan’s escape route with a barrier, fought alongside the Second Elder, and delivered a decisive sword attack when Chi Yan attempted to self-destruct. Chi Yan’s death was the first loss of a Panther Cat leader in more than fifty years of fighting between the tribes 9 13 14.

Expecting retaliation, he ordered a withdrawal to stronger defenses rather than holding expendable territory. He carried Tōga and Ringetsu home, reported their achievements to the Dog King, and pressed the king to announce their engagement 14 15 16.

Strengthening the tribe

The Great Elder saw Tōga’s Human Transformation and Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer as foundations for the Dog Tribe’s future military strength. He anticipated further techniques for its captains, while the Second Elder warned that their growing strength would provoke Oyakata 21.

Zi Yan’s suggestion to conceal some developments prompted him to consider a secrecy strategy. The elders agreed that core techniques should not be taught indiscriminately and began arranging a teaching framework that would require further consultation with Tōga 21 22.

Fatal expedition

When White Bone Maru’s aura appeared near the fortress, the Great Elder insisted on investigating despite warnings that the Panther Cat Fourth Elder could imitate it. Zi Yan correctly suspected an attempt to lure them outside. The Great Elder nevertheless believed two elders could retreat safely from the enemy forces known to be present 39.

He and the Second Elder left the fortress and encountered the Panther Cat Great, Second, and Fourth Elders. After the Second Elder was trapped inside a barrier, the Great Elder entered to rescue him. Though confident that he could escape alone, he rejected abandoning his companion 40.

The Fourth Elder killed the Second Elder, but the Great Elder immediately killed the Fourth Elder in return. He also severed an arm of the Panther Cat Second Elder, broke out of the barrier in his true form, and attempted to leave with his companion’s corpse. Oyakata intercepted and killed him 40.

Aftermath

The Panther Cat Great Elder used the two Dog elders’ severed heads to batter the fortress barrier, inflaming the defenders’ grief and hatred. After the battle, Zi Yan and the survivors gathered their remains 41 45.

Tōga mourned his teacher and the Second Elder. Their deaths strengthened his existing determination to reshape the Netherworld, even after the Dog King explained that rebirth would not restore the Great Elder as the same individual 46.

Appearance

• Humanoid form: Has large, bell-like eyes, a beard, and white strands in his hair 8 14 21.
• True form: An enormous grayish-white dog more than ten meters long, described as resembling a moving hill 15.
• In combat: His eyes and longsword shine with deep-blue yokai power 13.

Personality

The Great Elder’s caution was rooted in a commitment to the tribe’s survival. He could surrender territory or endure personal resentment rather than expose the fortress to destruction. He described caution as something carved into his bones, although his longstanding fear of White Bone Maru ultimately led him to underestimate a trap 14 38 39 40 41.

He was affectionate and protective toward the younger generation, particularly Tōga. He wished he could shelter his student until he became a Great Yokai, but acknowledged that defending the tribe was every member’s duty. His concern often came with teasing: he ruffled Tōga’s hair, called him a brat, and embarrassed Ringetsu by discussing their prospective marriage 8.

His pride in the tribe coexisted with a concern for dignity. After killing Chi Yan, he restrained his urge to howl in celebration before the younger “pups.” His loyalty was equally pronounced in defeat: he refused to abandon the Second Elder and carried his body out of the enemy barrier 14 40.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

The Great Elder channels deep-blue yokai power through his longsword, producing powerful cutting waves and overlapping sword shadows 13 40.

• Spectral Light Sky-Splitting Slash: Sends a broad wave of sword energy into Chi Yan’s rain of fire spears 13.
• Spectral Light Consecutive Slashes: Releases successive sword-energy waves that cleave through flames and pressure Chi Yan even in his flame-body state 13.
• Spectral Light Obliteration Slash: Concentrates his yokai power into a decisive attack against Chi Yan’s attempted self-destruction 13.
• Dark Radiance Thousand-Shadow Slash: Launches overlapping sword shadows during the Panther Cat ambush 40.
• Close-range lethality: Kills the Panther Cat Fourth Elder and severs an arm of the Panther Cat Second Elder during his final battle 40.

Barriers

He creates barriers from yokai power for both confinement and protection 13 16.

• His deep-blue, rune-filled barrier prevents Chi Yan from escaping and withstands the battle’s repeated aftershocks 13.
• During flight, he maintains a barrier shielding Tōga and Ringetsu from the wind 16.

Transformation and Flight

He can switch between humanoid and giant dog forms and travel through the air using yokai power 8 15 16.

• Carries Tōga and Ringetsu on his back while flying on a cloud of yokai power 15.
• Flies at nearly the speed of sound, reaching the Dog Tribe Fortress from the outpost in less than an hour 15.
• Also travels as a ball of light 8 40.

Military Leadership

• Coordinates the two-elder operation against Chi Yan while accepting Tōga’s battlefield arrangements 8 9.
• Orders the withdrawal from exposed territory to the second defensive line 14.
• Helps establish controlled teaching arrangements for the tribe’s core techniques 21 22.
• Receives tribal intelligence alongside the Dog King before relaying it to other elders and commanders 40.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Fang Sword — His principal weapon, used to channel his spectral sword techniques and finish the battle against Chi Yan 13 14.

Relationships

• Tōga — Student and cherished prospect for the tribe’s future. He trusts Tōga’s intelligence and supports his relationship with Ringetsu; Tōga mourns him after his death 8 9 46.
• Ringetsu — Younger clan member whom he protects and teases. He repeatedly encourages her marriage to Tōga despite her embarrassed protests 8 16.
• Dog King — His sovereign. He reports military developments to him and advocates for Tōga and Ringetsu’s engagement 16.
• Second Elder — Fellow commander and combat partner. They kill Chi Yan together, and the Great Elder refuses to abandon him during their final battle 13 14 40.
• Zi Yan — The Third Elder, junior to him in both seniority and strength. She contributes to his secrecy planning and warns him against the fatal expedition; afterward, she reflects on the burdens he bore as a leader 15 21 39 41.
• Chi Yan — Longstanding enemy whose attacks killed many talented Dog Yokai. The Great Elder helps trap him and delivers the decisive attack that ends their battle 8 13 14.
• White Bone Maru — A strategic threat whose possible rise to Great Yokai becomes an enduring fear. An imitation of his presence draws the Great Elder from the fortress 39 40.
• Oyakata — Enemy ruler and the Great Elder’s killer 40.

Notable Quotes

“Yes. We give so much precisely so the next generation won't be bullied.” 16

“Long before you became an elder, I was already treading on thin ice to make it this far. Caution is carved into my very bones.” 40