Yamato Takeru ヤマトタケル

Son of the Yamato Emperor Keiko and the Empress Inahi, and the younger twin to his brother Oousu, Prince Ousu was destined for greatness. A child born into the mortal realm by the father of the gods, Izanagi, Ousu was tasked with becoming a great and powerful warrior of the mortals to protect the world from evil. In order for this chosen one to achieve greatness, he was afflicted with many trials and tribulations since the day he was born. Irrationally hated by his father and taken to a cliffside where Tsukinowa dropped him to his death, he was miraculously saved by Amano Shiratori and taken to the Ise Shrine, where he was raised by his aunt, Yamato-hime.

Ten years passed, and the young prince was raised in the fine arts of fighting and taught the history of the gods. Even so, his curiosity overlaid his better judgment and he ventured forth into the forbidden woods near the Ise Shrine. While he had been stopped by his teachers, the magician Seiryu and the warrior Genbu, on several occasions, the boy slipped under the cover of night and reached a cave. Within it was a shallow space with a rock-engraved face, and within its mouth, a jewel. The young Ousu tried to grab it, only to find himself whisked away into the realm of the dead.

The young prince saw a blade embedded on a stone altar and tried to pull it out, only to stir Ushio the Great from his slumber. The great statue told Ousu of his destiny, the three flashes of light, and how he would become a champion of the gods. Assured that they’d meet again, Ushio teleported Ousu back to the mortal realm, who awakened in his aunt’s arms, with the green jewel in hand.

Time flew by, with the young boy now grown into man. Suddenly, Ousu received a message that served only as the beginning of what was to come: the Emperor had forgiven him. But just as quickly as he arrived, trouble began to brew in his midst. Tsukinowa attempted to assassinate him with toxic gas, only for the crystal magatama to awaken a deep power, dispelling the gas and blowing the wizard off his feet. Soon after, Ousu’s mother fell deathly ill, and he gave her the magatama as a good luck charm. Though she quickly passed away, the elder twin brother Oousu blamed his sibling for her death. The two fought viciously, only for Ousu’s gem to save him once again, killing his brother in the process.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor assigned Ousu a mission deemed impossible to fulfill: kill the war chief of the Kumaso Kingdom and end the threat posed by the barbarians, and not to return until the task was accomplished. Seeking to earn his father’s respect, Ousu undertook the mission and set off to the land of Kumaso. On the way, he encountered Seiryu and Genbu, and the three of them continued on the road. During a quick pit-stop, Ousu received a message from Ushio that he was destined to meet someone who would become part of his life.

As the group came across another of the Ise Shrines, they came under attack by one of the protectors. With swift movement, throwing daggers, and magic fire, the girl named Oto Tachibana was eventually restrained by Seiryu’s binding spell, only for her older sister to stop the fight. Ousu's group was then informed of how the sacred White Bird Mirror had disappeared, and were told of the legend of the white bird coming down in the form of an armored samurai.

In the midst of their journey, an elder man beseeched them to spare his daughter from being a sacrifice to the God of Kumaso. Taking heed of his request, Oto posed as the man’s daughter while Ousu and the rest kept their distance, trying to infiltrate the Kumaso palace. By nightfall, with no word from Oto, Genbu, Seiryu, and Ousu climbed the palace’s mighty walls, the latter of whom disguised himself as one of the dancers for the festival. It wasn’t long until Kumaso Takeru saw through the act and challenged Ousu to a duel of blades, while Ousu’s companions kept the large palace doors barred.

Higher and higher they took their fight, Kumaso Takeru even going so far as to bestow Ousu with an honorary title with which he would be referred to after: Yamato Takeru. They continued their grand battle upon the palace rooftop, clashing swords until Yamato Takeru delivered the killing blow. In the war chief's final moments, the two men exchanged a mutual respect for each other, but Kumaso Takeru claimed it was far too late for Oto. With the war chief finished, Yamato Takeru and his companions made a mad dash to the underground chambers to save their valuable ally.

At the last possible moment, they were able to save Oto from the clutches of the wrathful demon god, Kumasogami. A clash between the forces of Yamato and Kumaso ensued, with blistering arrows, scraping swords, and dazzling fireballs that lit up the cavern. But Kumasogami's overpowering rage was quick to upstage them, and only Takeru’s tormenting wild spirit could match it. With a series of relentless bursts from his eyes, Takeru brought an end to Kumasogami’s reign of terror in a fiery explosion. After the matter, he was gifted with the missing White Bird Mirror, a heavenly sign that he had accomplished his task. Recalling the words of Ushio from his childhood, Takeru knew that it was the First Light that he had referred to.

Departing ways from Oto and his companions, Takeru returned to his father in hopes that he had earned his trust and love. Though impressed with the feat and worthy of the title of Yamato Takeru, the Emperor still resented him for the death of his wife and elder son. Shortly thereafter, Takeru was brought back to the Ise Shrine where he was raised and was entrusted with a special request by his aunt: take the sacred Sword of Dark Clouds away from the imperial court and bring it back to the Ise Shrine. She feared the day of Tsukuyomi’s reckoning was at hand, and if he got his hands on the sword, it would spell doom for the entire world. Accepting the task, Takeru went to retrieve the mythic blade from the corrupted warlock’s private enclosure.

In no time at all, Yamato Takeru found the wizard’s quarters and reached for the blade. His magatama flashed as a warning, feeling the dark presence of Tsukuyomi. Although hesitant, he knew the fate of the world rested on procuring the sword, but Takeru’s attempt resulted in his arm being electrocuted by Tsukinowa’s magical influence. As if reacting to the dark lord’s ever-increasing presence, the Sword of Dark Clouds began to unsheath itself from the scabbard, yearning to return to its master. Quick to act, Takeru slashed at the Moon God Mirror that protected the sword, causing the unholy blade to stop in its tracks. The Yamato prince retrieved the sword as he had promised to his aunt, making haste to leave the palace grounds. He was stopped by the Emperor, only for Takeru to tell his father it had to be done. Furious, the Yamato ruler issued for the Sword of Dark Clouds to be brought back by all means necessary.

As the Emperor’s men scoured the land, Takeru kept a low profile, keeping hidden amidst the trees and shrubbery. He reminisced of his lost mother, but quickly stood guard as his location was discovered, presumably by his father’s soldiers. Instead, it was Oto, to whom he was surprised to see donning her battle outfit. Takeru grieved the loss of his mother and brother, but Oto insisted there was a good reason for his mysterious power. They trekked along the shores of the land, taking a long route to get back to the Ise Shrine. Unfortunately, trouble began to brew in their wake.

With dark clouds and stormy rain hailing upon them, both Takeru and Oto were taken aback by this sudden change in weather. The prince suspected something dubious about the meteorological shift, but was quickly snagged by the monstrous sea-beast, Kaishin Muba. Dragged underwater, Takeru tried to free himself, but passed out from drowning. Fate willed it that he would not die, as he was saved at the hands of Oto and released from the snares of the water demon. She gave him a life-filling kiss, giving the unconscious hero enough to return to the surface. Upon taking his first gulps of air, Takeru cried out for Oto, diving back underwater to rescue her. But it was far too late, for Kaishin Muba had entangled Oto in its lithe limbs and taken her as its sacrifice. Takeru was forced to witness the woman he had a strong bond with perish, the monster and his sacrifice vanishing in a dazzle of sparkles. One last time, Takeru returned to the surface and screamed her name to a calm, empty sea.

Grief had stricken him, and Yamato Takeru remained on the shores of the beach until nightfall. That was until his wandering eye noticed a figure washed ashore. He ran down with hopes and uncertainty, only realizing on closer inspection that the body belonged to his mother. Perhaps blinded due to his anguish, he hoisted his mother's seemingly lifeless body onto his back and carried her across the wet sands.

His crystal magatama began to pulsate with brilliant light, attempting to warn him of the danger he held. It didn’t register until a dagger pierced through his neck; with shock coursing through his body, Inahi rolled off Yamato Takeru's back and procured the Sword of Dark Clouds right off him. The false Inahi revealed herself to be none other than the old sage Tsukinowa projecting an illusion. The spellcaster coldly proclaimed how he had actually been responsible for the deaths of Takeru's mother and brother, and that the prince would expire upon these very shores. Enraged and determined to finish the deceitful sorcerer, Takeru pulled the bloody dagger from his neck and tossed it at Tsukinowa, piercing the old man through the chest. The Yamato hero was blasted away by Tsukinowa’s powerful lightning spell, and one last time Takeru tried to summon the power of the wild man. But due to such severe blood loss from his neck wound, the chosen hero of Izanagi collapsed onto the sands, and seemingly breathed his last...

Awakening from unconsciousness, Takeru came to the sudden realization that his neck wounds had faded. At first confused as to where he was, when a flickering light caught his attention, he saw many stone images that depicted the ancient past of the gods: from the rule of Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and Amaterasu, to the epic conflict against the evil hydra Orochi, to at last a mural of a man with three treasures and a divine bird. He pushed the nearby stone gates open, only to stumble into the chamber of Ushio the Great, the place he had been to as a child.

Sitting upon the chiseled throne between the great statue’s legs, Ushio was seen at last in the flesh. However, he had to test Yamato Takeru’s resolve, to see if he truly was the chosen one. Takeru met him head-on, but was easily overwhelmed by the great warrior. Rather than fight, Takeru opted for a more indirect strategy: pull the sword in the stone out. Able to outmaneuver Ushio, Takeru reached for the sacred sword and pulled with all his might. At first it seemed like an impossible task, but Yamato Takeru proved his worth when he wielded the legendary Sword of Snake Karasai in his hands, blasting the face-mask off Ushio, who beneath it was revealed to be Susanoo.

Susanoo explained to Takeru his purpose and destiny: that he was sent to Earth by Izanagi himself to slay Tsukuyomi, and that there were many requirements for one to even kill him. Takeru realized then that the mythic blade was the Second Light, and that his inherited Wild Spirit possessed the ability to put an end to the upcoming calamity. However, Susanno granted the young warrior one more parting gift to prepare him for the final conflict ahead: tapping the coffin with the Sword of Snake Karasai, Oto Tachibana was revived after her sacrificial encounter with Kaishin Muba. As she was gently placed on her feet, Oto and Takeru were informed that they possessed the spirits of the gods: Oto with Amaterasu, and Takeru with Susanoo. With one last request, Susanoo commanded them to finish the fight with Tsukuyomi and bring light back to the world. Using his statue’s emerald eyes, Takeru and Oto were warped to the Great Temple of Tsukuyomi on the moon to fulfill their destiny.

When they arrived, there was little to say. Aside from formal introductions, they had a mission: to stop Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi dismissed the thought of humans being able to kill a god, but Takeru would prove to him otherwise. Thus began the clash between the Yamato warriors and the moon deity in blitz and blades, grinding their swords that sparked their residual energies and destroyed the nearby pillars. With Oto’s assistance, Yamato Takeru was able to wound the mighty dark lord, only for him to finally take the fight seriously. Takeru was struck by the wrath of a god, and evaded the subsequent strike. But when Tsukuyomi tried to strike down Oto, Takeru wouldn’t have any of it. Mustering his Wild Spirit, he began to fire the very laser beams he had used to destroy Kumasogami, only to lock beams with Tsukuyomi’s equally powerful destruction rays. The stalemate lasted for but a moment before Tsukuyomi overwhelmed him, forcing Takeru to resort to using the White Bird Mirror. A white beam spurred from the reflective surface, stunning Tsukuyomi in place. Combined with the power of the Sword of Snake Karasai, Takeru was able to turn the tides and defeat Tsukuyomi. But the threat was still far from vanquished. With the temple beginning to crumble around them, Takeru and Oto were forced to try and find a means of escape - and what waited for them was a threat far more challenging than the moon god himself.

Little could be done to actually harm the mythic dragon, Orochi, let alone even approaching it without being torched alive. But once Amano Shiratori materialized into existence, the very being that saved Takeru as an infant, they could finally combat the evil monster. Teleported onto the divine bird’s back, Takeru took the reins and flew in at the eight-headed dragon. They avoided the searing flames spewed from the hydra’s many mouths, with Takeru being able to graze the crimson scales that adorned the dragon’s body. The white bird of heaven found itself in harm's way, blasted by the immense flamethrowers that knocked the Yamato hero onto the lunar surface. He would have been crushed underfoot had it not been for Oto stopping the gigantic snake with the White Bird Mirror, stunning it temporarily. Pulling himself back to his feet, Takeru leapt high and landed atop the dominant head of the devil, plunging Susanoo’s Sword of Snake Karasai into its face. Green geysers of the demon’s blood gushed from the wound, and the warrior continued this assault until he was knocked off, only to be caught by the divine bird. However, Amano Shiratori found itself caught in the middle of Orochi’s scorching flames, resulting in a glorious explosion that casted both Yamato Takeru and Oto off beyond the moon’s gravitational reach.

When Takeru came out of unconsciousness, Oto requested he take her hand as she offered her life to him. Dissolving into particles, they accumulated into his crystal magatama and began to flash with divine light. In that moment, Takeru realized that Oto became the Third Light needed to finally bring an end to the dragon Orochi and Tsukuyomi’s destructive ambition. The Sword of Snake Karasai and the White Bird Mirror became encased in white light, signifying the awakening of the Three Lights. Yamato Takeru ascended into a heavenly plane, washed over in a brilliant light that exuded in divine power. Having merged with Amano Shiratori behind the sacred light, unseen to the naked eye, a new mythic hero took its place. With Yamato Takeru operating within a superspace stored in the warrior’s chest, the champion of the gods materialized in a blinding burst of light like the sun and electrical crackles. From it came Utsuno Ikusagami.

The valiant knight was quick to bring Orochi to an end, combusting its body with the divine light of Amaterasu. Dividing back and reconstituted as their original selves, Yamato Takeru flew down atop Amano Shiratori, with Oto at his side. When they came across the near-comatose body of Tsukuyomi, Takeru regained possession of the demon lord's Sword of Dark Clouds, and was then given the order by Susanoo to seal Tsukuyomi away and toss him into space. Takeru did exactly that, and the eclipse that had covered the Earth began to ebb away, restoring light to the world. With their duties fulfilled, Yamato Takeru and Oto Tachibana made their space voyage home on Amano Shiratori.

• Portrayed by actor Masahiro Takashima.
• In an interview conducted with director Takao Okawara by David Milner in July 1994, Okawara mentioned how he allowed both Masahiro Takashima and Yasuko Sawaguchi (who plays Oto Tachibana) "to act the way they normally do" during their respective roles, as he treated the movie "not as a period piece, but instead as a futuristic drama imagined by people living in the past." Both actors were cast before Okawara was chosen to direct the movie.