Kidōmaru 鬼童丸

Kidōmaru (鬼童丸), the “Demon Child,” is one of Japan’s most formidable rogue sorcerers—a beings born from an Ogre King who used his supernatural heritage to unleash a reign of terror against the greatest warriors of the Heian period.

Meaning and Origin

The name means Kidō (鬼童 - demon child) and Maru (suffix for a young boy).

His origin is found in the Kokon Chomonjū, a 13th-century collection of tales. Kidōmaru was the son of Shuten-dōji, the most powerful Oni in Japanese history. After Shuten-dōji was decapitated by the hero Minamoto no Raikō, one of the king’s human captives gave birth to a son. Born with a full set of teeth and the strength of ten men, Kidōmaru was sent to Mount Hiei to be a priest, but his “Oni blood” made him uncontrollable. He was eventually expelled and became a bandit king in the mountains, dedicating his life to Revenge against Raikō.

Characteristics

Kidōmaru is portrayed as a massive, wild-haired man who retains his father’s demonic traits: jagged teeth, glowing red eyes, and skin as hard as iron. He is usually shown dressed in the skin of a cow or an ox, a disguise he specialized in.

His primary characteristic is his Stealth and Ambush tactics. Despite his size, he was a master of “Demon-Path Magic,” which allowed him to blend into the shadows or mimic the sounds of animals. He was also a master of the Iron Chain, a weapon he could throw with such force that it could shatter stone. He is the bridge between the “Civilized Warrior” (like Raikō) and the “Wild Monster” (like Shuten-dōji)—a cunning predator who used human strategy and demonic power in equal measure.

Legends

The most famous legend is the “Ambush in the Cow Skin.” Kidōmaru discovered that Raikō and his Four Heavenly Kings were traveling through the Ichiharano moors. He killed a massive bull, gutted it, and hid inside the carcass, waiting by the side of the road with his sword drawn.

However, Raikō’s keen senses detected the “smell of fresh demon blood” coming from the “dead” cow. He ordered his men to loose a volley of arrows into the carcass. Kidōmaru burst forth in a gout of blood and magic, nearly killing Raikō before being overwhelmed by the Four Heavenly Kings. Legend says that even as he was being executed, his head continued to snap and growl at Raikō, proving that a demon’s hatred is the one thing that never truly dies.