Rohan Kishibe ★ TSKR History
A detailed chronological summary of the life of Rohan Kishibe in the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (Manga)
Early life
Rohan Kishibe was born in 1979. At some point during his childhood, Rohan fell onto some rocks while playing on the beach, breaking some ribs on the left side of his body. Because of that injury, he experiences pain in that area if he finds himself in areas with extremely low atmospheric pressure.[1]
In 1994, Rohan's grandfather passed away, causing his maternal grandmother to close her inn and begin renting rooms by the year. At the age of seventeen, Rohan moved into the inn, hoping to draw the beginning of a manga that would launch his career as a professional mangaka. Due to the inn's strict rules, the only tenant at the inn was a young woman named Nanase Fujikura. Rohan soon became intrigued by her and attempted to use her as a model for a character in his manga, which Nanase initially showed interest in and asked to read once it was finished.
One evening, Nanase told Rohan the story of Nizaemon Yamamura and described a painting he created by the name of Under the Moon, which Nanase described as "the darkest painting in the world." Suddenly, Nanase's phone rang, forcing her to have Rohan leave the room while she answered it. Rohan turned around to check on her, only to find her seemingly crying about her divorce as she ran away into the night. A week later, Nanase returned to the inn. When Rohan knocked on her door, she cried as she fell into his arms. Rohan attempted to show her his drawings of her, but she suddenly became enraged and began stabbing at the drawings. Once more, she left the inn in tears, never to come back.
Eventually, after redrawing the manga from scratch, Rohan succeeded in becoming a professional mangaka, and Pink Dark Boy began serialization.
At a Confessional (1999)
In 1999, a certain incident forces Rohan to put Pink Dark Boy on hiatus for the summer. During the hiatus, Rohan decides to travel to Italy in order to search for ideas for his manga. As he is visiting Venice, Rohan conducts research on the churches, especially for their architecture and spiritual background. He walks into a confession booth to research the interior, but mistakenly walks into the side reserved for the priest. Shortly after, a man walks into the other side of the booth and confesses his sin to Rohan, believing him to be the priest. Rohan hears his confession anyway, interested in getting information out of the man's horror story. The man tells he has been cursed by the spirit of a beggar he had been responsible for the death, who would come to take him at his happiest moment. After telling the story, where the man continues to explain his sins and why he was still alive after apparently killed by the spirit, it is revealed that he had found a servant who was willing to do anything for him, and used plastic surgery to alter both his and the servant's appearances, thereby fooling the beggar into dogging the servant instead. The spirits of the beggar and the beheaded servant then dog the man, and both vow to watch him around the clock to make sure that he does not do anything suspicious again. Rohan watches on with curiosity, deciding to interview him later if given the chance, as he didn't know what happened to the man after that.
In the OVA adaptation, some context is given to Rohan's narration. He is reminded of the confessor's story because Koichi Hirose asked him to make him able to speak Italian to prepare for a trip to Italy, as depicted in Vento Aureo. Rohan then narrates the story. As he concludes, other characters such as Okuyasu Nijimura and Yukako Yamagishi take a seat at the table and comment on the story.
Kishibe Rohan Meets Gucci (2005)
After Rohan's grandmother passes away, Rohan travels to Tuscany accompanied by an interpreter. The two visit a Gucci factory to investigate Rohan's grandmother's treasured Gucci bag, which has the strange ability to make anything placed inside it disappear. He is informed by the leather goods artisan in charge that it is one of three bags created by a genius artisan from Gucci. Rohan asks for the bag to be fixed, even though the artisan tells him he doesn't understand the bag's true purpose. The interpreter gets Rohan drunk and steals all his valuable things, except for the bag, leaving him wandering alone. Fortunately, he finds an umbrella and a firelighter to shield himself from the rain. Rohan finds a hotel but is unable to pay for any room. It is then that a man shows interest in Rohan's recently found umbrella, offering the exact value of the bills Rohan made the bag vanish for it. Rohan then comes to the conclusion that the bag had a Stand bound to it, with the ability to take away valuable items but giving back their equivalent during misfortune, but laments that he had the bag fixed and can no longer make use of the Stand bound to it.
Rohan au Louvre (2006)
A year after his grandmother's death, and ten years after Nanase's disappearance, Rohan decides on a whim to travel to Paris in order to investigate the painting Nanase told him about, Under the Moon. There, he discovers that the painting is located at an abandoned section in the Louvre basement and asks to see it. Puzzled by the existence of a painting in an abandoned section, the interpreter Noguchi accompanies Rohan into the basement with Gaucher and two firefighters. When the group finds the painting, they are attacked by a ghost mob of their relatives, and all four of Rohan's acquaintances are killed in the same way the ghosts died. As Rohan is attacked by his grandmother, the ghost of Nanase appears, tearfully begging Rohan to forgive her for unleashing Nizaemon's hatred. Rohan suddenly realizes that all of the ghosts around him are the memories of his group's ancestors, and ultimately decides to erase his own memories with Heaven's Door. As he does so, the ghosts disappear, leaving Rohan to climb the cobweb-infested stairs to safety. Once he reaches the top of the staircase, the amnesiac Rohan notices an order on his hand to erase the prior instruction, restoring his memories. Satisfied, Rohan decides to leave the Louvre and return to Japan. In the end, Rohan's four unfortunate companions are considered missing; it is rumored that the painting was burned after being examined by scientists, though Rohan is unable to prove it.
Mutsu-kabe Hill (2012)
In order to research a Yokai legend for his manga, Rohan buys six mountains to prevent a corporation from building a resort road in the area.
After meeting Naoko Osato in the mountains, Rohan uses Heaven's Door on her and discovers the story of her accidental murder of Gunpei Kamafusa, a gardener whose body never stopped bleeding and whom Naoko has been obliged to take care of since then. Suspecting him to be a yokai, Rohan investigates the region around Naoko's house until he comes across a young girl. The girl tells Rohan she's not allowed to talk to strangers and runs away, and when Rohan tries to catch her, the girl falls and hits her head on a rock, bleeding just like Gunpei. Rohan realizes this girl is actually Naoko's daughter with Gunpei. Surprised the man who became a corpse was able to impregnate Naoko despite being dead, Rohan soon realizes the girl is a yokai trying to possess him. He uses Heaven's Door and notices the girl's memories is starting to fade away because she is dying, so he quickly writes one last memory: "I don't know Rohan Kishibe. Even if I meet him, I won't see him". When the girl comes back she briefly shows her true form to Rohan but leaves after not seeing him. Saved, Rohan names the creature the Mutsu-kabe Hill Yokai, and declares his research complete.
Rohan then meets with his editor Minoru Kaigamori and asks for an advance on his manuscript fees due to being bankrupt. The value of the land he bought became worthless since the plans for construction stopped. He has to live at Koichi's house and even had to sell all of his Sailor Moon merchandise, Led Zeppelin record sleeves and his Rurouni Kenshin volumes. His only remaining asset is a Nicolas de Staël artbook. His editor thinks he's crazy until Rohan explains what he discovered on his adventure.
In the OVA adaptation, when Rohan meets Naoko Osato's daughter in the mountains, the mangaka is accompanied by Batsudera, a real estate agent trying to convince Rohan to sell his land. While Batsudera is occupied, Rohan encounters Naoko's daughter and Batsudera's imminent return as the young girl seemingly lays dead in front of Rohan makes his predicament all the more tense.
As Rohan tells his story, a number of characters such as Okuyasu, Koichi, and Mikitaka Hazekura stop by to listen.
Millionaire Village (2012)
Soon after Rohan goes bankrupt, he and another manga editor by the name of Kyoka Izumi go to investigate a hidden village located in the mountains for his new one-shot at her suggestion (and financial backing). Initially believing it to be related to the mountains he previously bought, Rohan agrees after Izumi tells him how every resident in there became rich at the age of 25. Izumi plans to buy a house in there, as she now is 25 too. They are greeted by the butler Ikkyu, who tests them about good manners. After Izumi fails the test, Rohan discovers that a bird he found earlier had died, while Izumi's mother and fiancee died in a car crash. Rohan becomes suspicious and uses Heaven's Door on Ikkyu to discover the mystery behind the village and trick Ikkyu to break a rule by writing on him.
The village was under a curse that gave things to anyone who showed good manners, while those who didn't lose things. Ikkyu claims that this time Rohan broke a rule, as he hadn't given permission to be turned into a book, and Izumi starts to have a heart attack. Rohan begs for another test to save Izumi and is successful in it, all the while making Ikkyu break a rule (as he wrote earlier). Ikkyu says Rohan cheated and asks for another test, but Rohan denies it and carries Izumi away from the village. He notices the bird also returned to good health.
Poaching Seashore
At Trattoria Trussardi, Rohan eats an abalone risotto to heal his eye strain. Although they temporarily shrivel, the eyes soon return to full health and the mangaka compliments chef Tonio Trussardi, also spotting a wheel-chair bound woman in a corner of the restaurant.
Thankful, Tonio asks Rohan for a favor: the chef wants Rohan to help him harvest some disk abalones, a unique type of abalone only found near Morioh's Hyogara Rocks. Researching them, Rohan notably learns that they're a traditional delicacy, are preys to octopi, and more importantly that they're invaluable so Rohan guesses that Tonio is asking him to go poaching. Tonio has done his own research and explains that despite the security surrounding their breeding area, there are a precise path and night known since times immemorial during which the duo will be able to harvest the abalone which will be freely swimming in the water.
On this night, Rohan and Tonio sneak toward the poaching reef. Rohan inquires about the woman, leading Tonio to tearfully reveal that he seeks the abalone to cure his girlfriend's disease. Waist-deep into the water, the duo see the spectacle of the swarm of swimming abalones. In joy, Rohan is momentarily distracted and notices that Tonio has sunken at the bottom of the sea: the abalones have stuck onto his body, weighting him down. Tonio is drowning, and Rohan decides to use Tonio's rope on the surface to pull him to safety. While he tries to save the Italian, several abalones also begin to stick themselves onto him. Unable to break their shell, push himself up from the bottom, and only getting more abalone stuck on him, Rohan helplessly sinks. At the bottom, Rohan sees several skeletons and understands that the fabled path and full moon are traps to punish unsuspecting poachers. Thankfully, several octopi are near, and Rohan uses Heaven's Door to command them to target the abalones on him and Tonio, saving the day.
Later, Rohan savors an octopus dish with Okuyasu, Koichi, and Josuke, discussing about octopi. Rohan tries to shout for Tonio, asking for an abalone dish, but upon seeing Tonio with his cured girlfriend decides to leave them be.
At some point before or after his poaching trip, Rohan visits Trattoria Trussardi once more to introduce the story of the Mochizuki family, in which he does not appear.
A Rainy Monday
It is heavily raining when Rohan reaches a train station. Having a meeting in S-City Rohan decides to use the train. Strangely, people distracted by their smartphones keep bumping on Rohan. In fact the whole train station is on their phones, distractedly walking around. Eventually, he preemptively shouts at a tall, obese man who nearly walks into him. The man on his phone suddenly takes notice of Rohan, and apologizes profusely. Before Rohan can lecture his interlocutor any further, a woman with a stroller - also on her phone - pushes Rohan into the train tracks. The woman screams in horror as trains are arriving from both sides of the station, but Rohan has ample time to save himself. As the obese man tries to reach for Rohan to lift him back to safety, Rohan is highly suspicious. Thinking he's under attack from someone, the mangaka hesitates to grab the man's hand. Unfortunately, the obese man is accidentally pushed into the train tracks too as the trains approach. Using Heaven's Door, Rohan manages to push himself between the train tracks and transforms the man into a book, managing to fit themselves between both passing trains. He also reads his story and only learn that he's a victim like him: something is currently attacking them, but Rohan has no idea who and the duo are suspicious of everyone.
Events conspire to have the obese man overwhelmed by a crowd of people falling into the train tracks. Rohan then witnesses something peculiar. A swarm of strange robotic-like insect all crawl out of the crowd's smartphone, even Rohan's, who realizes he also had been led into the obese man. It is explained that these creatures are a new species of insects soon to be announced by scientists a few years later as Coire electricus lorenzinia. Feeding off electromagnetic waves, the insects can control people to prey on the weak. The insects crawl over the obese man's heart. Rohan regrets not being able to save him, as he already had a heart disease and was about to die. The insects seemingly inflict a killing blow, harvesting his bioelectricity. As for the incoming trains, Rohan had commanded a train staffer to use a truck to force the trains to stop, saving the whole crowd. Out of the station, Rohan cancels his meeting but has an idea for a new manuscript.
Later, Rohan again sits in a restaurant and records himself using Heaven's Door on a chicken drumstick to examine how safe the chicken is to eat. Talking about miscellaneous subjects including environmental change, Rohan uses a perspective trick to make it seem as though he has slammed the drumstick inside of his smartphone. Rohan then begins telling the story of the incident at the train station.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
As Rohan Kishibe sits in a café, Yukako Yamagishi introduces him to a woman named Mai Katahira and her daughter Mao. Just as she became newly-wed, her husband passed away and Mai could not fall in love with anyone else. However, she went to a sperm bank to become pregnant with Mao. Mai then details all the bizarre behavior and physical characteristics of her daughter. She only speaks in reverse, does not make a noise when she walks, and somehow wets everything she walks into. Mao's appearance behind Rohan allows Mai to describe her child further: the young girl has no eyebrows nor eyelashes above her eyes, yet has long eyelashes below and has sideburns; finally she has grown a tail which when touched, makes Mao camouflage herself into her surroundings. Mai demonstrates Mao's power, to Rohan's astonishment. The manga artist uses Heaven's Door on Mao, but finds that there is nothing inherently wrong with her. Although Yukako pleads Rohan to cure her, he retorts that there is nothing to cure and takes his leave, telling Mai to live with her choices. As he leaves, Yukako reveals to Mai that she had seen information about Mao's father within her pages.
Later, Yukako crosses paths with Rohan, and reveals to him that Mai has married Obanazawa three months after their meeting, which Yukako guesses was a ploy by Mao. She smirks at Rohan's surprise and leaves satisfied.
The Run
At the gym in the Morioh Grand Hotel, Rohan and aspiring model and athlete Yoma Hashimoto were running side by side on two treadmills which were connected to the same remote, sitting on a small table between them. The treadmills had a setting on which they would gradually accelerate up to 25kmph and the two would try to grab the remote first once at maximum speed. Remembering his last humiliating loss against Rohan, Yoma tried to ignore Rohan who made the mistake of teasing him about his work, and thus he accepted the challenge, taking off his sweatshirt to reveal his new ripped body. Losing confidence, Rohan was amazed at the tremendous progress of his rival and noticed subtle wing-shaped muscles, from Yoma's legs to his back.
Wanting their game had to be "fair", Yoma grabbed a dumbbell and broke the window behind them with it. The loser would inevitably trip and thus propelled to a certain death by the treadmills. Panicking as they approached the 25kmph, Rohan tried to preemptively grab the remote, but Yoma intercepted him and broke three of his fingers. At this same moment, Rohan managed to use Heaven's Door and discovered that his obsession with fitness led him to kill his entourage for "interfering with his training". At 25kmph, Rohan was inevitably bested, but Yoma, claiming his victory, noticed too late the scribbling on his hand. Rohan used his Stand to make him use the remote on his treadmill instead. Yoma was flung out of the window while Rohan's treadmill stopped. They were at the 8th floor of the Morioh Grand Hotel.
Rohan has guessed that Yoma had become the avatar of the god of muscle: Hermes. In angering such a being, Rohan has learned that he'd crossed a red line. Hoping to not have invoked Yoma's wrath, all Rohan is worried about was to run from the spot he stood from.
Drip Painting Style (2021)
Sometime in early 2021, Rohan takes in a dog named Bakin. Rohan is invited to a certain environmental activist's house who advocates for a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Rohan somehow learns about the activist's plan to blow up a power plant and rushes to the power plant in his SUV as fast he can. He spots the eco-terrorist slipping inside of a woman's car and begins tailgating her. The woman, named Mitsuki Murase, is afraid by Rohan's behavior and starts screaming. To stop her, Rohan throws the fire extinguisher at her windshield, causing it to crack. However, she continues driving ahead past Rohan's car, breaking his car's right headlight. Rohan continues pursuing her as Mitsuki laments that she needs to pick her daughter up. She exasperatedly yells at Rohan that she'll be the one to kill him rather than the other way around. Rohan finally catches up to be beside her car and yells at her to open the window. He exclaims that she has to pull over because there's a man that climbed into the backseat of her car and is currently behind her.
As soon as Rohan shouts, the man behind her places his hands around Mitsuki's face and snaps her neck. Both cars crash into the guardrail. Rohan manages to crawl out, bleeding from his head, nose, and mouth. He's on the phone with the police and asks why they aren't there yet. He informs them about the murder and that this guy is too much for him to handle alone; they'll need to block the roads and bring all the riot police that they can get in order to stop him. Looking at Mitsuki's upside down car, Rohan wonders why he got himself involved in this.
The man crawls out of Mitsuki's car and climbs on top of it, eerily mentioning Rohan's new dog. He remarks that Rohan will probably be able to make 15 to 20 years' worth of happy memories with the dog, but that they will soon become painful to remember due to the effects of climate change. He cites a 2018 prediction from the IPCC about the Earth's average temperature rising towards a point of no return at an alarming rate. He uses this as evidence that Bakin won't be able to have the happy life his owner wishes for him.
The eco-terrorist continues his speech, going into details about his past. 12 years prior, he joined an environmental organization dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but their leader was paid off by a big company that planned to invest in the deforestation of tropical rainforests. In spite of that, the man tried continuing his work but was arrested several times by security officials, had people trying to kill him, lost his job, and his family abandoned him. Now sick of everything, the man reveals his goal of blowing himself up at the nearby power plant. He is wearing 40 kg of ANFO explosives along with nails and screws, and also carrying hydrogen fuel tanks and liquid oxidizers under his coat and in his backpack. All of these are wired to switches strapped to both of his palms.
Rohan retorts that the man needs therapy and wonders why he invited Rohan to his house since Rohan is just a manga artist and not a journalist. The eco-terrorist claims that TV reporters would distort the truth and spread fake news about what happened, but Rohan could depict the truth in his manga using what he's about to see now. He lured Rohan all the way to this specific spot to keep him safe, and he just happened to kill that woman because she was driving nearby. Hearing the police sirens approaching, the man starts making his move. Rohan cries for him to stop and go do his plan somewhere else since Morioh is his birth town. Rohan looks around and notices the nearby burs on the ground. He's thankful that Mitsuki's car is outdated and powered by gasoline, wondering if it's just a stroke of irony or the whim of the mountain gods. Summoning Heaven's Door, Rohan writes on the burs to shrivel up until they're hollow, then suck up fumes from the exhaust pipe of Mitsuki's car, and finally stick to the eco-terrorist's clothes. After the burs do so, the man falls unconscious due to the carbon monoxide released from all of them.
Hot Summer Martha (2021-2022)
On July 7, 2021, Rohan Kishibe finds himself living through the lockdown imposed in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic as he works on a one-shot titled Hot Summer Martha. Rohan argues with his current editor Kyoka Izumi about the design of the titular character, as Izumi fears that they may be sued over Hot Summer Martha's three-circles design despite Rohan's arguments that he was inspired by older sources. Rohan also rebukes a woman who claims to be his fan and has been trespassing on his property.
Frustrated, Rohan goes on a walk to calm himself. In the temple ground of Morioh, Rohan finds a peculiar old yew tree and uncovers a hidden cavity on which there is a shrine. Curious, Rohan observes the shrine then goes back home.
To his dismay Rohan discovers that three months have passed in the blink of an eye. Worse, Rohan notices that Hot Summer Martha's design has been changed. He calls Kyoka and argues with her but she says that a designer was involved and that Rohan approved the renewed design. Besides, the one-shot has already been published. Rohan also discovers that the fan from earlier (named "Eve") is now living in his home. Looking at footage from the security camera, Rohan discovers that someone with his appearance seems to have taken his place.
Rohan rushes back to the yew tree and talks with two monks who manage the area. The monks explain to him that Rohan uncovered a cursed mirror. Anyone who is reflected into the mirror with be replaced by the "Yabubako-Hoshi" for three months, the creature then committing mischief in the meantime. Rohan wishes to undo Hot Summer Martha's design change and thus the monks tell him to rotate the shrine without getting reflected. Rohan figures that using his Stand Heaven's Door will be enough.
Unfortunately, Rohan's soul is reflected in the mirror, causing him to lose another three months. He goes back home only to find Bakin all grown up and seriously mistreated. Rohan also finds and unconscious Kyoka in his closet. Eve sneaks on Rohan and injects sedative in his neck, stunning him. Now pregnant, Eve is paranoid about Kyoka and wants to be with him forever, and explains that she'll kill Kyoka and make him an accomplice. Immobilized, Rohan manages to goad Eve into looking at his history to "check if he was cheating on Eve" and thus is able to command Eve to go rotate the mirror for him. All the bad deeds of the Yabubako-Hoshi are undone. Bakin is now a healthy and well-behaved dog and Kyoka is unharmed. However, Rohan discovers that Hot Summer Martha's design hasn't changed and realizes that it is Kyoka who changed the design.
Sometime later, Rohan works on Pink Dark Boy in his office as Bakin watches. Kyoka arrives and is impressed to see his drip painting style but points out that the way Rohan is doing it isn't improvised or random since he's precisely aiming the drops of ink. She offers Rohan café au lait and then pretends to spill some on his manuscript, before laughing that she's just kidding. However, she notices that Rohan is crying. Confused, Kyoka mentions that she thought the story he's working on has a happy ending. Rohan begins reminiscing on his meeting with the eco-terrorist. As Rohan tells his story, Kyoka warms some pasta in the microwave. Rohan finishes his story, only to notice that Kyoka's tomato sauce has dripped onto his manuscript and made two orange dots. Angered, Rohan yells at her and orders her to leave his studio.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (TV Drama)
Rohan Kishibe's story is sensibly different to the original spin-offs in the TV Drama adaptation, as the drama cuts any tie to the original series and thus any mention of Stands, Morioh and characters from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise are omitted, barring two exceptions.
In the TV Drama, Rohan Kishibe is once again a famous mangaka whose series Pink Dark Boy is a huge success among children, although he now works for a Shueisha knock-off named "Shumeisha". At the beginning of the series, Rohan meets his new editor Kyoka Izumi with whom he will share several adventures.
Kyoka and Her Boyfriend (Season 1)
Kyoka persuades Rohan to go to a village of millionaires situated in the middle of the mountains, something which interests Rohan due to the many mysteries surrounding it. Rohan does some research on the village and notes that it used to be considered sacred grounds. He and Kyoka are informed that breaking etiquette is forbidden in the village. In there, Kyoka tries to buy a villa from one of the inhabitants, represented by the young bulter Ikkyu, but she breaks etiquette and she learns through the phone that her boyfriend and dog have been involved in an accident. Rohan turns Kyoka into a book before she can commit any further breach and then turns Ikkyu into a book to learn the secret of the village. He learns with worry that the village is under the rule of gods in the mountains who punish anyone who breaches etiquette by taking something precious to the offendant. Rohan suddenly loses the use of his arm. To gain it back, Rohan must find the proper way to eat maize. Thankfully, he knows how to eat the maize properly and also tricks Ikkyu into breaching etiquette. Thus, Rohan also saves Kyoka's loved ones. Rohan decides to withdraw using anything about the village so that his readers won't be attracted to it.
Later, Rohan meets Jugo Shishi, a fellow mangaka from the same company whose editor has suddenly disappeared. Jugo tells Rohan about a certain word on the list of words that mangaka are not allowed to use, which he is unable to discover the meaning of. Later, as Rohan visits a bookstore, he sees Jugo frantically searching through books for the forbidden word and harassing the store's owner. Dragging him back to his office, Rohan tries in vain to take care of Jugo as the mangaka's mental state continues to deteriorate. Eventually, Rohan is forced to use Heaven's Door on Jugo as Kyoka watches, hastily justifying his ability as a form of hypnotherapy. Investigating Jugo's pages, Rohan is shocked to discover a pouch inside him repeating the forbidden word. Afraid of releasing whatever lies inside the pouch, Rohan orders Jugo to forget everything that happened in the past month before allowing the rejuvenated mangaka to go home. Rohan visits the bookstore again, only to find that the owner has now become obsessed with the forbidden word. Rohan erases the store owner's memory of the past three days, but remains uneasy as he returns to his studio, fearing that he may fall victim to the curse as well if he continues investigating it.
Some time afterward, Kyoka asks Rohan to use his "hypnotherapy" to cure Taro Hirai, Kyoka's boyfriend, from his mental afflictions. By accident, Rohan and Kyoka meet with Taro, but also Mai Katahira and her daughter Mao at the same time. The young Mao catches Rohan's interest notably because of her peculiar purple and green eyes and also because he notes that Mao was somehow interested in Taro. Rohan asks if Taro and Mai could be acquainted, which Kyoka denies. He decides to personally seek Mao and by examines her with Mai's permission. However, Rohan doesn't notice anything actually unusual in Mao. Mao disappears and finds Taro in a park. Rohan turns everybody into a book and discovers that Taro is linked to Mao because he's been grafted with the organs of Mao's late biological father. Taro forms a happy family with Mai and Mao.
The Yokai of Mutsu-kabe Hill (Season 2)
Rohan meets a fledgling model Yoma Hashimoto at the gym. He develops a rivalry with Yoma and they begin to play a game whereby both run on adjacent treadmills and try to reach the treadmill's maximum speed first, after which they try to grab a remote controller sitting between them which allows them to stop the treadmill. Rohan wins the first round. Later at night, Yoma finds Rohan at the gym and challenges him again. Rohan realizes that Yoma has become a murderer obsessed with running and must play along, pushed by his curiosity. Rohan turns Yoma into a book and sees that he's been possessed by a yokai. He thus must play the same game with Yoma but with the treadmills turned away from the window. Although Rohan loses, he's thankfully used Heaven's Door to command Yoma to stop his treadmill. Rohan manages to stop while Yoma slips out of the building. Rohan has nonetheless read the word "Mutsukabezaka" on Yoma and decides to investigate it. He buys a whole mountain range in order to investigate the area, bankrupting himself in the process.
While Kyoka tries to do research on yokais and other phenomenons, Rohan meets Masazo Kinoto, a corporate executive from a company who wants to persuade Rohan to sell the mountain range to them. Kinoto, however, hides his back from view, which makes Rohan curious. Rohan tricks Kinoto and watches the man's back, but then Kinoto dies on the spot. Later, Rohan finds out that he's been possessed by a yokai which will kill him if anyone sees his back. With great difficulty, Rohan manages to reach an alley connected to the underworld and the yokai is taken away by spirits.
Rohan has discovered that Yoma used to run into the mountains and that Kinoto got possessed when he got lost in the same area and thus Rohan goes to the Mutsukabe village to investigate. In there, he meets with Naoko Osato, the housewife of a rich local family. Naoko asks for an autograph for her son, and Rohan uses the opportunity to turn her into a book then reads her story. He thus learns that Naoko hides the corpse of her former boyfriend Gunpei Kamafusa in her attic and that the corpse is well preserved. Rohan realizes where the spot connecting the world to the "other world" is and goes to a forgotten path behind the Osato's mansion. In there, he meets Naoko's daughter and is almost trapped when it seems that the girl accidentally dies in front of him, but he writes on her and commands her to ignore Rohan. The girl leaves with her mother and Rohan sees that he's escaped from being enthralled to the yokai possessing Naoko Osato's daughter.
Back at Rohan's house, Kyoka happily announces that the editor have accepted to pay Rohan in advance and that he can buy his house back. When she mentions that the name Mutsukabe has the kanji for "six" in it, Kyoka wonders of there could be actually six of those yokais in the mountains. Rohan concurs but deems that his research is complete. He prefers not to bother the yokais in the mountain anymore. He announces that he's not got enough material for a 5 chapter mini-series and wants to go to work immediately.
Dangers at the Crossroads (Season 3)
At some point, Rohan acquires a dog named Bakin. In July 2021, Japan is put under a state of emergency, implied to be the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While working on Pink Dark Boy, Rohan has a dispute with Izumi about the design of his latest antagonist, Hot Summer Martha. Moreover, a woman named Eve who's a passionate fan of his pesters from constantly. Feeling under the weather, Rohan decides to go for a walk. At a crossroads, he becomes interested in an unexplored path and discovers a shrine, with a peculiar sacred tree with a hidden mirror in it. Rohan examines it and blacks out momentarily.
When he returns home, Rohan is shocked to see that the design of his character Hot Summer Martha has been altered. Moreover, the same fan from earlier is now naked in his bed. Rohan slowly realizes that three months have passed without him feeling it. He rushes back to the shrine and meets two priests who explain to him that he got replaced by a yokai named the Yabubako-Hoshi when he got reflected in the mirror. To undo the Yabubako-Hoshi's actions, Rohan needs to turn the mirror to the left three times without having his reflection caught in the mirror. Rohan turns the mirror.
However, he fails and three months pass again. Rohan discovers that Bakin has been mistreated into becoming a mean dog and that a figure of the altered Hot Summer Martha has even been made. Rohan also discovers Izumi agonizing on the ground and is taken by surprise by Eve, who injects him with a drug. Rohan is immobilized. He sees that Eve is heavily pregnant with their child and she says that she plans on murdering Izumi, who she mistakes as a mistress, and make Rohan her unwilling accomplice so that they will be bound by the crime. Rohan manages to tempt Eve to approach him by partially turning himself into a book and suggest that she reads his bio to see whether he truly loves her. Thus, he's able to write a command on Eve and make her turn the mirror for him. The Yabubako-Hoshi's misdeeds are undone, but Hot Summer Martha still has its design changed, meaning it was Izumi who changed it all along.
Although his character is as popular as ever, one fan in particular sees that Hot Summer Martha is wrong. The young boy, named Ken Oyanagi, complains to Rohan about the design of the character and though Rohan secretly agrees, he shoos him away. Later, Rohan is getting stalked by Ken, who pesters him and constantly ask him to play rock-paper-scissors. Rohan is forced to play along twice and wins twice as well, but he's increasingly annoyed. The third time, he almost punches Ken but loses because he's played a "rock" to Ken's "paper". Rohan suddenly feels weakened. He tries to use Heaven's Door on Ken but it turns out Ken has also taken part of his power and nullifies his command. Rohan is forced to play the game seriously and win to regain his ability. Ensues a struggle in which Rohan and Ken try to pressure each other into making the wrong hand, with Rohan losing a second time and narrowly avoiding total defeat. Ken decides to prove that his luck is at maximmum, but Rohan decides to make his own luck. He announces that he'll play "paper" and, at the last moment, shows the volume of Pink Dark Boy with the latest drawing of Hot Summer Martha, knowing that Ken feels so angered by it that he unconsciously closes his fist in anger. Thus, Rohans wins with his "paper" to Ken's "rock". Rohan manages to completely win against Ken but makes peace with him, giving him an autograph with the original design of Hot Summer Martha.
Rohan au Louvre
Soon after Ken's defeat, Rohan and Kyoka visit the Louvre in France, hoping to learn about a mysterious painting owned by the museum. However, as they delve into the depths of the museum, a number of horrifying events await them, including some from their own pasts. This section requires expansion.
Turning Poison into Medicine (Season 4)
One day, Rohan sets out for the Hyogara Rocks to research the rare Japanese mitten crab species that lives there. He hides there overnight waiting for one to appear. But just as he notices one, the loud voices of a pair of poachers scare it away. Rohan confronts the two, who recognize him. Learning that Rohan is a manga artist, the older of the poachers suggests that he look up images of the crab on the Internet, which angers Rohan. Rohan explains how he needs realism for his manga, even if it's just a small animal that appears in one panel, and chews on a lugworm to prove it. Disgusted, the poachers attempt to take their leave, but Rohan stops them, using Heaven's Door to read their biographies. He writes a command in them saying to "surveil the sea for Rohan", so that he won't be disturbed by them in the future. Before lifting Heaven's Door, Rohan notices an entry in one of the poachers' books detailing a strange Italian who offered to pay them any amount for the legendary abalone; they wondered if he was doing suspicious experiments, since they heard the sounds of a puppy suffering from his kitchen.
Later, Rohan purchases a book from the Edo period about abalones and reads it at a cafe. He then flips through a diary containing cutouts of newspaper articles, each covering a person who has disappeared at the Hyogara Rocks. Kyoka then runs up to his table, apologizing for being late due to the Obon rush. After Rohan lectures her unbalanced diet when she brings up her toothache, he reiterates the purpose of their meeting, quoting Kyoka's request for a new one-shot manga themed around a horror mystery involving food. Kyoka invites him to go eat at a new Italian restaurant that recently opened. Although Rohan thinks it's unusual for an Italian restaurant to open in the area, Kyoka convinces him to have their meeting there by saying Italian food is considered healthy.
Rohan and Kyoka arrive at the restaurant, "Trattoria Trussardi." Although the sign shows that it's open, nobody greets them when they enter. They still head inside, only to see that there is only one table despite it being a spacious place. The chef, Tonio Trussardi, arrives and welcomes them, stating he only has one table because he runs the place alone. Kyoka asks for a menu, but Tonio reveals that he doesn't have one, as the food he offers depends on what he decides to cook after observing each customer. Tonio reads Kyoka's and Rohan's palms, deducing various minor illnesses. He also realizes who Rohan is, revealing that he's a longtime fan of Pink Dark Boy, which is very popular in Italy.
Tonio excuses himself to cook his customers' meal. As they waits, Rohan and Kyoka take a sip of the water, both amazed at its taste. Kyoka drinks all of it and suddenly begins excessively crying, filling up an entire bowl with her tears. Tonio returns and discloses that the water comes from 50,000-year-old melted snow from Mount Kilimanjaro, relieving sleep deprivation by washing away the dirt from one's eyes. Though Kyoka feels refreshed, Rohan is suspicious. Tonio then reveals their appetizer, a caprese salad made with cheese and tomatoes. Rohan requests that Tonio tastes it first; when nothing happens to him, Rohan begins eating it as well. Impressed about the dish's depth and perfect harmony between the ingredients, Rohan suddenly begins to feel very itchy, and impulsively scratches off layers of dirt from his shoulder. Tonio explains that the dirt is coming off because Rohan's metabolism and blood circulation have improved, curing his shoulder pain.
After cleaning up the dirt, Tonio presents the first course of the meal, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca with whelk. However, Rohan and Kyoka are reluctant to eat it. Tonio apologizes if they don't like his meals, stating that they don't have to pay. When Tonio leaves, however, Kyoka suddenly starts gorging on the spaghetti. Suddenly, her cavity bursts out of her mouth and a new tooth grows in its place. Rohan picks up the whelk from her plate, which he recognizes as a forbidden shellfish containing a deadly poison. Tonio places the main dish on their table: lamb and mushroom stew. Rohan asks what kind of mushroom it is and whether it contains poison. Tonio responds that it's a Devil Porcini from the border of Poland and Czech Republic, and that it is, in fact, poisonous. To Kyoka's shock, Rohan begins to eat the dish.
After a few bites, Rohan collapses on the ground as if he had a heart attack, causing Kyoka to panic. A few seconds later, Rohan takes a deep breath, revealing that he feels completely refreshed. Recognizing that deadly poison can be used as life-saving medicine in certain cases, Rohan concludes that Tonio likely trained around the world studying rare animals and plants. Impressed, Tonio discloses that his meals are specially prepared to turn the harmful effects of their poisons into medicine via chemical reactions. Rohan then asks whether Tonio's puppy had an upset stomach. Surprised that he knows about his puppy, Angelo, Tonio confirms that the puppy was unwell from overeating, but healed after Tonio served the same meat dish to him for two days. Tonio then reveals that he gained the miraculous power to understand people's ailments from palm readings after ingesting a large amount of scorpion venom in Mexico five years prior. Since then, he has been using his ability to research and create many recipes to make people both healthy and happy.
Rohan and Kyoka begin to leave, but Rohan asks why such a talented chef chose to open a small restaurant in a remote place in Japan, suggesting that the cause might be related to abalones. They hear a door open, and Tonio rushes to go check on the situation. He brings his fiancée, Hatsune Morishima, out in a wheelchair to greet them, after confirming that she is feeling fine. Hatsune introduces herself as a pastry chef and reveals that Tonio opened the restaurant in Japan because of her illness: she has a tumor in her head about the size of a grapefruit, one that even Tonio's dishes cannot heal. However, Tonio remembered a rumor he heard in Taiwan regarding a mysterious Japanese abalone that can cure any disease. An old fisherman told him that the so-called "Hyogara Abalones" live in a cove on the south side of the Hyogara Rocks, and that they can only be harvested once a year.
Rohan presents the book he purchased, which details that the abalones can be harvested on the night of the full moon closest to the Bon festival. Kyoka sees on her phone that the next full moon is in two days, and Tonio is thrilled at the prospect of curing Hatsune's illness. Rohan informs him that harvesting abalones is illegal in Japan without permission, causing Hatsune to faint. Rohan and Kyoka wait as Tonio gives her medicine. Tonio asks Rohan if he'll come with him to harvest the abalones. Rohan reiterates that Tonio is both breaking the law and risking his life. Regardless, Tonio is determined to poach them, which piques Rohan's interest.
On the night of the full moon, Rohan and Tonio head out to the Hyogara Rocks, where they quickly see a whole bunch of abalones swimming. Rohan picks one up and is impressed at its size. He then thinks they should head back, but finds that Tonio has disappeared. Rohan spots him drowning and hurries to pull him to safety, propping him onto a nearby rock. Noticing that abalones have latched onto Tonio's face, Rohan struggles to pull them off. When he finally manages to do so, he falls backward into the sea and begins sinking. The abalones cling to Rohan as well, weighing him down. He tries breaking them with his flashlight, but their shells are not easily breakable, and attacking them only strengthens their grip.
Rohan manages to briefly swim up to get some air, where he sees a graveyard full of skeletons in the cove. He realizes that these are other poachers from the past who were swept away by the tide. Since abalones are said to bring longevity and have been a sacred offering to the gods since ancient times, poaching them is considered a grave sin. Thus, the legend of the Hyogara Abalones is a trap that lures poachers and then kills them. Rohan is swept away by the water and starts sinking again. However, before he drowns, he uses Heaven's Door on an octopus, the abalones' natural predator. The octopus devours the abalones attacking Rohan, allowing him to surface. He and Tonio settle for poaching the octopus as they escape.
Later, Rohan and Kyoka revisit Trattoria Trussardi, where Tonio serves Rohan a dish made from the octopus. When Kyoka asks about Hatsune, Tonio reveals that she ate the same dish, which is just as effective as the Hyogara Abalones due to the octopus eating so many of them. At the restaurant's outdoor patio, a fully-healed Hatsune serves Rohan and Kyoka the crostata she made for dessert. The group happily enjoys the meal. As Rohan and Kyoka leave, Rohan stops to watch a pair of Mutsu-kabe tree frogs mating, ignoring Kyoka's ramblings about recommending the restaurant and visiting Italy for his new one-shot.
References
- ↑ Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 7: A Rainy Monday, p. 4
