Okami Part 24: I am the Sun (FINAL)
0Wow, this video is a long one.
"In all these tales, there is no record of a decisive victor. Has no one emerged victorious? Or was the event simply not recorded? As the darkness tries to cover all, forget not the warmth of purifying light. Prayer is power. Power is prayer" - Bestiary entry on Yami's final form
Japanese fact:
Yami means "darkness" or "despair".
Originally, Yami's name was going to be "Empty Death" which sounds pretty cool.
As for what Yami's design is based on? Yeah, I have no clue. It may just be a completely original enemy. I looked it up on the Okami Wiki, and yeah, it's just a mess: https://okami.fandom.com/wiki/Yami
There is a fan theory that suggests Yami's forms are based on evil desires of humanity:
First form- Weaponry
Second form- Burning/tearing nature apart
Third form- Gambling/Greed
Fourth form- Misuse of Technology/energy
Final form (the hand)- Wanting to rule the world with an iron fist/Abuse of power
As for like... Why he's a fish? Idk. lol.
I kind of understand why Yami is very mechanical in appearance. After all, Okami is heavily inspired by Shintoism, and Shintoism believes that nature itself is divine. This is why Ammy is the "Sun" Goddess and why the majority of her powers have a "nature theme" to them (water, fire, ice, wind, lightning, bloom, the moon and sun, etc.) (The exceptions to this are power slash and cherry bomb of course, lol). Much of the game focuses on Ammy restoring not only peace to the land but restoring nature as well. That's why you feed animals, restore cursed earth, bloom trees/clovers, and have flowers coming out of you when you run, and likely why all the gods are animals too.
Yami is the opposite of Ammy in many ways. His machine-like appearance contrasts with Ammy's naturalistic/animalistic appearance. In a way, the final battle represents not only "Good vs Evil" or "Darkness vs Light" but also "Nature vs Technology".
Perhaps Yami is a fish/fetus/malnourished/deformed creature because it's trying to show that Yami was once a part of nature too but has since been twisted and corrupted by evil and machinery. In other words, Yami is "the abuse of nature to the extreme", or something like that. Idk.
The cut name "empty death" likely shows that this thing is immortal, and that the fish thing within the orb is likely suffering with its immortality in some way. Perhaps it longs for death/peace and lashes out in anger due to its own pain and suffering. Or something like that.
Final thoughts on Okami:
Being a religious person myself (albeit a Christian and not one who follows Buddhism or Shintoism), I do resonate with many of the morals or lessons or whatever that Okami showcases throughout the game. Perhaps this is a large reason for why I love Okami so much (it's basically the only "religious game" that I've played that doesn't outright suck... Other than... idk that one computer game about VeggieTales that I had as a kid whose title I can't remember), or perhaps I love it so much because I admire the Shinto and Buddhist religions and Japan's culture as a whole due to how large of an impact that all has had within my own personal life.
Or perhaps it's all just nostalgia, lol.
Whatever the case, I still think Okami is a wonderful game for anyone to enjoy and I highly recommend playing it (but on the Wii. That version is best in my opinion. Keyboard controls are kinda wonky, though using the mouse as a brush is great. A regular game controller might be weird/difficult? Idk).
...I just wish it had a sequel (other than Okamiden... which I consider to be uh a "spin-off" game...? It never felt like a true sequel to me anyway) ...
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