Onigiri (video game)

Plot

The game is set in a fantasy version of ancient Japan that is filled with creatures of myth. Ages ago the terrible Kamikui wrecked trail of death and destruction across the land before being stopped by the Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu Oomikami . The goddess places three great Seals that forced the Kamikui to retreat. Now one of the Seals has shattered. ^[4]

The player character is an Oni whose peaceful life in the Western island of Onigashima is disturbed by the revival of the Kamikui. ^[5]

Gameplay

The game has different servers for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4 versions but the gameplay is the same for all versions.

Unlike most other MMORPGs that have different races or classes, in Onigiri players can only play as When creating a character, the players will choose which weapons they can use. The traits are Power, Darling (Ax, Oodachi, Dual Swords, Bow, and Sword) Bow and Wand). Characters level up five basic stats: Power, Vitality, Wisdom, Mind and Dexterity. ^[6]

Partner System

In Onigiri players have eight NPC partners that have separate personalities and abilities. ^[7] which can be improved as they gain more affection for the player. Affection levels can be raised by giving the companions gifts that they prefer. ^[8]

Characters

Shizuka Gozen ( 静 御前 )

A princess of the shogunate who has a large mansion in Edo. She runs away from home because of the sheer discipline she has to undergo. She uses bow and arrow as weapon. She is voiced by Cynthia Martinez in English. ^[9]

Yoshitsune ( 義 経 )

A steady girl who is strict to others, but even strict to herself. Thoughts, she likes to spoil Shizuka Gozen. A person who is given responsibility by Bakufu to suppress evil spirits. She is a relative of Shizuka. If it does not involve Shizuka Gozen, she is a person with common sense, but when something involves Shizuka Gozen, she becomes irrational. She acts cute when drunk, which Kijimuna points out even as Veronica. She uses a katana as weapon. She is voiced by Stephanie Wittels in English. ^[9]

Ibaraki doji ( 茨 木 童子Ibaraki Dōji )

The daughter of the Oni who runs Nagare tavern. She drinks sake thrice as much as she eats rice. Her favorite is matatabi sake. She has a cheerful personality, and she loves to do foolish things with her friends. Even though she runs an alcohol bar, she is always drunk (as pointed out by Shizuka Gozen). Her weapon of choice is an axis. She is voiced by Brittney Karbowski in English. ^[9]

Kaguya ( か ぐ や )

A weird girl whose deeds and words can not be understood. What does she thinks or where does she come from is not known. Her hobbies include internet surfing and reading “electronic newspaper”. In her free time, she can be found posting a fresh thread or being a troll . She wears an eyepatch, and suffers from chuunibyou . She uses a staff as weapon. She is voiced by Kira Vincent-Davis in English. ^[9]

Amaterasu ( あ ま て ら す )

Kamikui in the past, Amaterasu Oomikami herself. When an incident of a large barrier gets destroyed occurred a few years ago, her form turns into a little girl. She feels good that she can conduct herself skillfully in her little girl form. She is voiced by Hilary Haag in English. ^[9]

Veronica Vasilyevna Vonitsky ( ヴ ェ ロ ニ カ ワ シ シ リ ヴ ヴ ヴ ォ ォ ニ ニ ー カ カ カ カ カ ヤVeronika Vashīrievuna Voinītsukaya )

A boy. He used the power of Kamikui to be a girl (at least in appearance) to take part in “Her Party”. He is the so-called “male daughter”. His physical ability is low, but in exchange, he is a genius scientist. He always stands in the way of Shizuka Gozen’s party with his dubious invention. His name is always read in full. She hates anyone who is cuter than her. She is voiced by Margaret McDonald in English. ^[9]

Uzume ( う ず め )

“Her Party” ‘s symbolic goddess. She is a real goddess . Even though she is a good-hearted goddess with twisted personality, she hates the unnatural existence = male daughter = Veronica Vasilyevna Vonitsky. Firstly, Shizuka Gozen, she falls in love with her after an incident where both of them are drunk. She is voiced by Joanne Bonasso in English. ^[9]

Kijimuna ( キ ジ ム ナ ー )

Seems to be a Yōkai who was originally a tree brimming with curiosity. Veronica Vasilyevna Vonitsky’s name properly. Alongside Uzume and Veronica, they are secretly on their way to the shogun’s hidden treasure. It has a habit of saying “muna” at the end of its sentence.

It has a running gag where it would give experience and corners upon dying, in which the other characters take advantage of. She is voiced by Tiffany Grant in English. ^[9]

Sakura ( さ く ら )

The descendant of an Oni who lived in Onigashima, but here we are. Since now Onigashima is crowded with tourist, she lives with her daily life just by training herself. Along with fellow Oni Jin descendants and Shizuka Gozen, she travels to destroy the Kamikuis. She is voiced by Chaney Moore in English. ^[9]

Jin ( ジ ン ) , stylized as Zin in the anime

The only male in Shizuka Gozen’s party, he is with Sakura when they get separated. Since Onigiri only has female voices, his dialogue is always written ADV-style, like in Visual Novels.

Narrator

The narrator of the story, which provides the background story of the episode, and mostly acts as a guide to Shizuka Gozen’s party. He is voiced by Jay Hickman in English. ^[9]

Miroku

Uses a spear. Appears only in the game and related promotional materials.

Momotarou

Uses a pair of katana. He is often hungry. Appears only in the game and related promotional materials.

Susanoo

Amaterasu’s brother. Uses a large sword shaped like flames. Appears only in the game and related promotional materials.

Reception

Onigiri has garnered a number of favorable reviews. Bradly Storm of Hardcore Gamer felt that it was “a fairly competent and enjoyable hack-and-slash experience” even though the launch suffered from server-side latency issues. ^[10]Reviewer Angelique Stokes praised the game’s fight and wrote that the game was “bursting with personality.” ^[11] Sheattack’s Charnelle Schindel found the plot “lackluster” but overall she felt onigiri “great fun to play.” ^[12] Crunchyrollcalled it “a very solid title.” ^[13]

Other Media

Anime

An anime television adaptation of the game was announced by CyberStep on January 27, 2016. It aired from April 7, 2016 ^[14] on Tokyo MX and BS Fuji then finished on June 30, 2016. Pierrot + produced the anime with Takashi Yamamoto directing the series, Takamitsu Kouno handling series, Takashi Aoshima and Atsushi Oka writing the scripts. Yukiko Ibe designed the characters and is the series’ chief animation director. ^[15]

Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series for North America. ^[16]

The opening theme is “Hime wa Rankiryuu ☆ Goikkou-sama” (姫 は 乱 気 流 ☆ 御 一行 様, The Princess is Turbulence ☆ Her Party) by STARMARIE .

Episode list

No.	title	Original air date
1	“The Curtain Raises on Onigiri” “Onikiri kaimaku” (鬼 斬 開幕)	April 7, 2016
While arguing about who will deliver the final blow, Shizuka Gozen and party get attacked and are scattered. Yoshitsune and Shizuka arrived at Satsuma, where they fight a group of Kamikuis. While eradicating Kamikui, Shizuka attempts to use a secret weapon, which is detected as a faulty tool, which makes their account suspended for a week.
2	“Pandora’s Box!” “Mōryōbakko” (魍 魎 跋扈)	April 14, 2016
Shizuka Gozen and Yoshitsune arrived at Chikuho, where they meet Ibaraki Douji. They end up helping a girl on Pi-yoko by hunting Kamikui. Ibaraki’s attempt to use a secret weapon once again in their account for another week.
3	“Burning Hakata” “Hakata enjō” (博 多 炎 上)	April 21, 2016
Master Kamikui Mephistopheles appears, and is heading towards Hakata. Amaterasu tries to fend it off alone, while Shizuka, Yoshitsune and Ibaraki are enjoying themselves somewhere. It turns out Mephistopheles is just a maiden insecure about her height (1,870 meters). Out of jealousy, Kannaru City Mephistopheles attacks Hakata, a popular spot for dates.
4	“Behind the Scenes” “Anchūhiyaku” (暗中 飛躍)	April 28, 2016
Shizuka Gozen, Yoshitsune and Ibaraki arrive at Nagato, where Shizuka and Yoshitsune gets poisoned by eating blowfish. In Akiyoshi cave, Uzume, Veronica Vasilyevna Voynitsky and Kijimuna themselves, before succumb into the same blowfish poison.
5	“Marital Vows” “Hiyokurenri” (比翼 連 理)	May 5, 2016
Separated from Shizuka and others, Sakura and Jin fight the Kamikuis at Oki. Sakura then reminisce on the romantic comedy story of how she and Kamikui, in which the narrator points out Kamikui at all. Shizuka Gozen at Yoshitsune pray that they will meet Sakura and Jin soon.
6	“Lottery First Prize” “Ichiban tomikuji” (一番 富 籤)	May 12, 2016
Shizuka Gozen, Yoshitsune and Ibaraki goes to Tottori to look for Kaguya, who is still trying to hit the lottery for a rare prize from a rare 10-times prize campaign. Shizuka wants to do the lottery to, and pulls out to Super Rare Lorelei’s Special Holy Staff on the first try, to Kaguya’s dismay. It’s a little misunderstanding, which sparks a new story, “The Legend of the Holy Girl Who’s Conquered the Devils” (not related to Onigiri at all). Kaguya tries the lottery, Creepy Lucky Charms every time.
7	“Dreaming a Life Away” “Suiseimushi” (酔 生 夢 死)	May 19, 2016
Shizuka Gozen and party arrives at Onigashima to fight Satan, who is not there, they spend their time drinking in Ibaraki’s stall, along with Uzume, Kijimuna and Veronica. Being drunk, love sparks between Uzume and Shizuka.
8	“A Transient Dream” “Utakata no yume” (泡沫 之 夢)	May 26, 2016
While fighting Tanuki Mud Boat, Shizuka Gozen, and party got cursed, and they turn into Super Deformed characters. At Tosa, they meet Shako Kamie, a producer of God Smile Company, who scouts them to become idol unit named Onigiri5. 2 years later, they perform a concert at Ten Teratron, where they sing Hime wa Rankiryuu ☆ Goikkou-sama.
9	“The Bread of Separation” “Aibetsuriku” (愛別離 苦)	June 2, 2016
Two gargoyle sisters Gako and Gagomi live happily at Mountain of Shikoku, before they are attacked by a group of Kamikui killers. In an attempt to save her elder sister, Gagomi sacrifices herself as she push Gako into the river.Shizuka Gozen and Gako’s party found in Yoshino River and saves her, though she suffers amnesia. When she eats udon given by Ibaraki, tears run down her cheek, though she is yet to know why.
10	“Illusions of Dreams” “Mugenhōyō” (夢幻泡影)	June 9, 2016
At Setsu, Shizuka and Gako acts like sisters, as Yoshitsune and Uzume engulf in jealousy. Shizuka and Gako Gako Gako gets already seen more and more. After being attacked by a Kamikui brought by Uzume (which Shizuka effortlessly kill), Gako gets her memory back, as she introduces herself as Gako the Gargoyle, a Kamikui, and instantly harbor negative feelings for Shizuka, since she is a human, and her sister was killed by a human.
11	“Battle of the Strongest” “Ryūtōkosō” (竜 闘 虎 争)	June 16, 2016
Shizuka Gozen fights Gako in order to remind her that she is her friend, and tells her that human and Kamikui can coexist. Their fight is interrupted when a super massive Kamikui from outer space appears. Hearing that it would destroy Sanuki, Gako decides to fight the Kamikui to protect her memories with her sister, both of them being Kamikuis. Shizuka and party helps her, and in order to destroy the massive Kamikui, Gako uses all of her energy, sacrificing herself. In the epilogue, it is shown in a wheat field, smiling.
12	“In High Spirits” “Kienbanjō” (気 焔 万丈)	June 23, 2016
Shizuka Gozen and party fights (Mecha) Mephistopheles, who wrecks havoc at Kyoto, with a Super Armor Human-form Robot, Benkei , which runs on mysterious energy called “SA-Kg Energy” (which actually just artists drawing the animation frame, portrayed by Onigiri characters Momotarou, Susanoo and Miroku).
13	“Onigiri Final” “Onikiri heimaku” (鬼 斬 閉幕)	June 30, 2016
Shizuka Gozen and party are asked to reflect on themselves by Shisutemu Daihyō (“Shisutemu Daihyō” ), while playing penalty game. Uzume, Veronica and Kijimuna (now returns to her original form after her life count becomes 0) brings a lot of Kamikui and beat Jin and Sakura. Before they deliver the final blow, Sakura and party appears. Both sides are now engaged to a fight, as the story continues (not).

References