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Long ago, the universe existed in complete darkness and total silence. As time went by, the darkness compounded upon itself, until the universe could no longer hold its weight. From this cataclysmic magnitude, the First Gods came into existence; Amano Minakanushi, Takami Musuhi, and Kami Musuhi. Their successors that followed them were Umashi Ashikabi Hikoji and Amano Tokotachi, then among them came a pair of gods, Izanagi and Izanami. They went on to create Japan and produce the three primary gods of the Earth: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. Amaterasu was the firstborn, and she was given rule over the heavens and the Earth. Tsukuyomi was the secondborn, and was given the land of Yomi. Susanoo was the thirdborn from Izanagi, and he was designated to rule the seas and oceans.
More time passed, and humanity flourished under their rule. But Tsukuyomi grew envious of Amaterasu’s power and central position and sought to take everything from her, so he transformed into the ferocious eight-headed dragon, Orochi. The crimson devil purged the land and brought annihilation in its wake. However, there was a mighty war god that could challenge Tsukuyomi’s dragon: Susanoo. In an epic clash that echoed throughout time, Susanoo was able to overcome the incarnation of evil, with the Sword of Snake Karasai in hand. Izanagi sealed Tsukuyomi in an icy prison and casted him off into the depths of space, hoping he would never return. Yomi was left without a figurehead to sustain it, so Susanoo became the ruler of the underworld in Tsukuyomi’s place, donning the new title of Ushio the Great.
 Susanoo waited many years for a new hero to take his steed, one to have been prophesied to have the power to end Tsukuyomi if he were to return. When his father, Izanagi, sent such a hero in the form of Ousu, the second-prince of Yamato, Susanoo knew he had a life-long task ahead to chisel this warrior into a champion of the gods. He acted as the spiritual mentor to Ousu, who also possessed the Wild Spirit. When the boy found his way into Yomi far sooner than anticipated, Susanoo informed him of the destiny that awaited him - that he was to receive the Three Lights and become a chosen warrior among the gods. He sent the boy back to the mortal realm for him to grow into a mature man, assured that they would meet again and that he would find someone that would be important to his journey.
When Ousu, now Yamato Takeru, awoke from unconsciousness, he found himself back in Yomi. Seeing stone murals depicting the past of the gods, Takeru pushed open a pair of massive doors and found himself face to face with the god who claimed to be Ushio the Great, who in reality was Susanoo. As a test of Takeru’s worth, Susanoo was prepared to fight his spiritual successor. With blades drawn, Susanoo glided down from his throne and easily overpowered Takeru with a single swipe. Rather than fight head-on, Takeru focused on obtaining the blade embedded in the stone altar with swift maneuverability, but Susanoo blocked every path he tried to take. With one lucky roll, Takeru bypassed Susanoo and tried to pull the sword from its resting place. To see if he was truly worthy to wield the Sword of Snake Karasai, the holy blade he himself had once used, Susanoo stood in place and watched in silence.
Successfully pulling the Sword of Snake Karasai from the altar, Yamato Takeru blasted the Ushio mask off of Susanoo's face, revealing the god's true identity. Susanoo told Takeru his task and destiny that he was to fulfill, and as a parting gift he ordered the Yamato prince to touch the nearby coffin with the sword. From it came Oto Tachibana, who had died as a tribunal sacrifice to Kaishin Muba, and the war god told them that together they could take down Tsukuyomi. With the two agreeing to the terms, Susanoo teleported the pair to the moon, where they would clash blades with Tsukuyomi for the fate of the world.
Once Tsukuyomi had been felled, Susanoo congratulated the heroes for their efforts and ordered Yamato Takeru to imprison Tsukuyomi in his crystal magatama and toss it out to the reaches of space. When questioned as to why, Susanoo believed that Tsukuyomi could return to the Earth as a god that would bring about happiness to mankind. |
