Kamigawa: The Complete History | Magic: The Gathering Lore

Kamigawa is a world few have traveled too and fewer players experienced. This is a plane full of mystery and mysticism; a culture striking to balance the mortal and spiritual realms. In the epic history of Kamiagwa, we explore the denizens of this plane. Those who are mortal, and the Kami, the gods pf this world.
Kamigawa's story follows a 20 year war between the mortal the spirit realms. The Kami are restless, in search of something stolen from their domain. What do they seek? And who committed this crime? We follow a group of misfits, led by the rogue Toshiro Umezawa, as they embark on a journey to save Kamiagwa and restore harmony.
The lore of Kamigawa doesn't end with this tory however. This plane is significant, in that Toshiro Umezawa would be the one to return us back to the world of Dominaria. Despite not being a Planeswalker.
Now we look towards Kamigawa's Future. 1,200 years since the conclusion of the Kami War. Kamigawa Neon Dynasty.
Introduction (0:00)
Races of Kamigawa (0:41)
The Kami (15:31)
Spirit Dragons (24:12)
Kami War (28:44)
Betrayers of Kamigawa (34:50)
Saviors of Kamigawa (42:04)
End of the Kami War (47:24)
House Umezawa (55:49)
Kamigawa Neon Dynasty (1:03:47)
Conclusion (1:06:03)
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Watch my video: Lorwyn: The Complete History
● • Lorwyn And Shadowmoor:...
This video is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC
#Kamigawa #NeonDynasty #Lore

[@AetherHub]

I think I made the mistake of uploading this on Midnight Hunt release night… Anyway, a ton of work went into this video. Please consider sharing it with friends (despite the bad mispronunciations) if you enjoyed watching! 😇

[@KCStylesKep1]

Spent 2 hrs looking for this. Been looking for a detailed lore summary for a while now. I am really glad you guys released this❤️😭 thank youuu

[@obadijahparks]

I pronounce it like Japanese would. But I pronounce Innistrad like Romanian. So.. my local game store clerks keep having me repeat the cards I'm looking for over, and over again. XD I don't even realize it. I'm very mixed, and have learned to pronounce languages like locals would. You do well, if a language lasts long enough, if has been pronounced in a dozen ways already. As long as another can understand you, you have achieved communication.

[@aaronavey3904]

No it wasn't a mistake when you uploaded it, the mistake was kamigawa probably the worst block in mtg history can't believe Wotc is forcing us to go back there in neon dynasty #sadpanda

[@obadijahparks]

@@aaronavey3904 the art was great though.

[@aaronsullivan8230]

@@obadijahparks seems needlessly over complicated. Why not communicate to you know. Communicate? Trying to show your cultured or something like that is super pretentious.

[@UGNAvalon]

Japanese-speaker here. I think your pronunciations were, for the most part, very satisfactory (esp for one who’s unfamiliar with the language) ! But because you’ll inevitably be doing further lore videos on this plane (or at least its characters), here’s some tips that might help prevent confusion in the future: Japanese pronunciation is (mercifully) highly consistent across all letters. That means every A sounds like “ah”, every E like “eh”, every I is “ee”, O is “oh”, and U is “ooh”. You don’t have to worry about convoluted vowel combinations like “beau” or “weird” or “you”. -This means that “orochi” is pronounced “oh-row-chi” not “or-ah-chi”, and “keiga” is pronounced “the-letter-K ga” and not “rhymes-with-hi ga”. The letter Y is tougher for those not used to it. For “daimyo”, all I can think of is to say “dime-yo”. For “ryusei”, I guess you’re doing as best as everyone else can with the word 😅 (ie “ree-yuu-say”). -However, like with the above vowels, Y is always pronounced consistently. That means “myojin” is pronounced closer to “mee-yo-jeen”/“mee-yo-jihn” than to “my-oh-jihn”. A more accurate pronunciation would probably look like “m’yojin”/“m(uh)-yo-jihn”, but again, it can be tough. 😅 Again, good effort! It can definitely be confusing, so the fact you made as few errors as you did is already a great sign!

[@AetherHub]

I appreciate this feedback. Seriously. This was awesome. Thank you

[@jameshill2450]

What about "Hidetsugu"? Am I crazy for thinking an entire syllable got left out?

[@UGNAvalon]

@@jameshill2450 It's been a while, so i don't remember where in the hour-long video "Hidetsugu" was said. 😓 Could you give a timestamp or two so i can check?

[@nine9nevamine]

@@UGNAvalon 39:20 ish

[@UGNAvalon]

Thanks for the timestamp (and apologies for the late response). Yes, a whole syllable was left out. It should be pronounced "hee-deh-tsu-guu", not "hid-tsu-guu".

[@21Xenosis]

I absolutely am loving this long lore series. I would love to see the double feature Mirrodin/New Phyrexia next

[@Tenshuzente]

Dominaria is prob coming next looking at the set schedule

[@aaronsullivan8230]

No lie; I could listen to the phyrexians consumption and spreading over and over. They are a super entertaining vast evil. The cult nature combined with a ever evolving horde of horror's is very interesting.

[@lowlyspy]

The Compleat History

[@jeffreycollier30]

I agree we need a mirrodin one

[@lalocazares1592]

Yes!

[@jamesandrews8655]

It really drives me crazy that (IMO) the greatest MTG expansion STILL doesn't have audiobooks of the trilogy! I lost count of the times I've re-read the trilogy, but unfortunately LOST the novels themselves, and really WISH card bazaar or another would upload them. It's just an amazing storyline (especially Hidgizugo and his apprentice 😅 and their mastery of blood magic), the moonfolk were crazy-smart/strong, and of course the "star" Toshi Umezawa and his absolutely badass Kanji magic!! What a masterpiece!

[@jonathanfuglsang5311]

I started playing when Kamigawa came out, it has always been my favorite plane. The art is so crazy and creative and the kitchen table magic i played back then will stay with me forever. Im so thankful for Kamigawa, it got me into magic and helped me find some of my best friends. Thank you Aether Hub for brining me the history and reminding me of this awesome plane and its history!

[@AetherHub]

These are the types of comments I love to see. Thank you for sharing 🙏

[@charsquatch600]

While I started playing way back in beta through strongold, I quit a bit and started in onslaught- timespiral. Mirrodin, kamigawa and ravnica blocks were the best in magic history. I just started back up after 15 years of being away

[@richardwilliams8008]

Story-wise, the Kamigawa books(which came with the Fat Packs) are my favorite. Cool characters (Toshiro being like a Han Solo reluctant antihero), excellent narration and fond memories make this set stand out. Unfortunately, the cards themselves were underpowered and forgotten compared to the broken and over-the-top affinity cards from Mirrodin. Good to see the set getting some love; can't wait for Neon Dynasty!

[@AetherHub]

That’s what o tried to highlight in this video with my conclusion. That the mechanical side of the set wasn’t the best. But that doesn’t mean the world was under developed!

[@sailordaigurren8225]

I'm sad that Neon Dynasty will likely be so drastically different in tone that we might as well be in a different plane all together.

[@burnttoast2615]

@@sailordaigurren8225 I completely agree it just looks like cyberpunk. I’m worried too.

[@Misterscout]

That's why I miss the books

[@tongyang1631]

Yes. The books read very well and the art was great. I like their representation of the goblins/Aki, ogres, and rats that was underrepresented in magic lore. The mechanics of it was not good but some cards went well with other blocks especially the dragons.

[@brianstiles1701]

Fun fact from an old player: The Fat Pack came with a pronunciation guide. This is where I learned that you pronounce each syllable of a Japanese word individually. MEE-YO-JIN etc

[@AetherHub]

That would have been mighty helpful for me recording this video. Nice touches like that are what I miss from old mtg.

[@Evyon25121]

Wizards wasn't quite correct there either. Myojin is pronounced as 2 "syllables": myoh-jin (Japanese doesn't use syllables and this word is actually 4 sound units called "mora").

[@luggaz]

Been playing Magic since 1999 and Kamigawa block is my all time favorite ! Let's see what the future brings !

[@Kbaby521]

I had no idea Tetsuo Umezawa was so essential to the first defeat of Nicol Bolas. Nor did I realize Toshiro had been transported to Dominaria at the end of the Kamigawa story. Very cool. Thanks.

[@MrEugene112]

just rewatched this due to recent events in Neon Dynasty. Great job Aether Hub.

[@mikotagayuna8494]

Great video. I wish the channel took the time and effort to learn the pronunciation of many of the names though. As a native Japanese who loves MtG, I am happy that a lot of people seem to appreciate the lore of this world despite not doing well as a set.

[@reginajanelilianapatterson5838]

I loved that set, though. Neon Dynasty, with its cyberpunk overtone, is a breath of fresh air to me. :D I'm a synthwave music junkie, I write sci-fi and fantasy for a hobby, and cyberpunk is a subgenre that appeals to me. Japanese influences are prevelant in cyberpunk, in particular, and it even has an inspiration on my own writing! ^-^

[@37calorieghost35]

Toshiro is such a badass protagonist that all of his descendants are also badass. That shits genetic.

[@AetherHub]

Badassery runs in the genes

[@Tomrash]

I think with its theme of mind vs body (spirits vs mortals), a cyberpunk setting actualy suits Kamigawa quite well. The spirit that now watches over Kamigawa is all about the duality of spirit (mind) and body and combining the two in unique ways, so combining your own body with technology (a product of the mind) seems fitting to me.

[@Newlol15]

Another one?? You are a machine! I love these so much, and this one definitely included!

[@christopherb501]

With a prequel set like The Brothers' War coming up, and there being Commander/Modern support sets that create new cards anyway that can exist extemporaneously, here's to hoping that the OG flavor can still shine thru somewhere. As for the Neon Dynasty...I'm sure it'll have good material, but GODS do I hope it won't be as rote with its references as many found Eldraine to be.

[@MasterX25]

The set I started playing MtG. Still my favourite, even though it was kinda weak block overall (power level wise).

[@AetherHub]

Yeah for sure weak. Still a strong world with good story!

[@FuzzyBuddz]

Thank you... I absolutely love your long lore deep dive videos keep up the great work!

[@AetherHub]

Really appreciate the compliment. Thank you. I’ll continue them for as long as you guys enjoy them!

[@FuzzyBuddz]

@@AetherHub I listen while working and your voice when speaking about magic is awesome. You can truly hear the excitement and love for the lore and I am so down with lore! I'm a Destiny player and love my name is Byfe for the same reasons. Keep it up. We love experiencing magic through your research.

[@adbeshonar]

I love this series. I joined not long before MTGs stories started to scrape the bottom. And this is such a great way to learn all about the fantastic planes and storylines we used to see, were it was about the lore, the characters and the story. When the cards had more meaning and soul then just cardboard. Please do more, and keep up the good work of the short stories

[@myronmatanguihan8131]

Enjoyed watching this. Even Though not everybody liked the Kamigawa block during Standard, often comparing it with Legend of the Five Rings. Thank you for bringing this story.

[@SasoriAkutski]

So hype for this! Thank you for putting in the time and work, this set came out when I JUST started getting into magic so I missed much of the lore until more recent years.

[@AetherHub]

Glad this video can help fill in some blank spots!

[@TheSynisterMinister]

I ONLY SAW THIS because of the posts/updates on youtube you do. The video didn't pop up on my recommendations at all even though I've seen all your videos. It's bs how the algorithm favores those who pay a ton. Because I wanted to see this WAY more than anything else! I've been stoked for this video!

[@AetherHub]

Man, I’m sorry it didn’t show up earlier. Idk how to get things in the flow of YT recommended videos. I’m so happy you saw it regardless!

[@psachickennugget8617]

The patron of the akki being a trickster is actually more fitting than anything else I could think of. Nice.

[@WarcowUshi]

Okay I have to make a correction here. Orochi is pronounced O-Ro-Chi. Sorry hearing it prounced oroachi was super grating. Great vid otherwise.

[@AetherHub]

You know. I appreciate that feedback. Sorry it was a grating experience

[@sailordaigurren8225]

Was that the only pronunciation error that got to you? I winced engender "daimyo" was mispronounced.

[@WarcowUshi]

@@sailordaigurren8225 Daimyo bothered me too, but wasn't as grating to me personally.

[@josephjones5552]

At the end he keeps saying neon destiny instead of Dynasty 😂

[@philiplevensohn8545]

Really great to get this story all in one video, really love this new style of video, and also great job as always

[@leninvale4717]

Love the work on the thumbnail! All the letters are visible and easily readable, plus it features a very iconic part of the plane. Excited to watch the video now!

[@AetherHub]

YES I’m so happy I polled peoples opinions and asked for feedback on it!

[@UltimateGamerGuy94]

Kamigawa was probably the MTG plane I knew the least about, and this was very informative! When compared to the rest of the Multiverse, I’m curious to know how the plane made such an enormous leap in technology in Neon Dynasty.

[@0321Dave]

This is just what I needed for the weekend!! Thanks for all your hard word man!

[@irajohnston5160]

Good job, this was excelent. I started right before kamigawa dropped, so this was hella nostalgic and I thank you for that.

[@bakomusha]

So good! This is why I started fallowing your channel all those years ago! LORE! Can't wait to see how all this is evolved and reflected in Neon Empire!

[@anarmy0fbees569]

I dont know if youll see this, but man i love these videos. Ive been watching you for years and you got me through some hard times with your lore videos. I've seen some of your posts but never said anything, but I feel like I should tell you that you are the best at what you do with these videos and dont ever forget that mate. You may not be happy with the view counts, but you should be happy and take pride in the fact that we who do watch your videos absolutely love your shit and pray you never stop. Thanks for all the work you put in mate, youre an absolute legend!

[@Toirneachgames]

Amazing video as always, thank you. I have a question, thought : some planes are described as ‘far’, ‘reclused’ or ‘hard to reach’ but what does this really mean in the game lore ?

[@PeterSolerom]

I remember winning a few local sealed deck tournaments back when Champions of Kamigawa was released, good memories, I missed this plane.

[@lalocazares1592]

As always, great video. Appreciate all the time im sure it takes to make these!

[@alpal8319]

Another great video! Man you are killing it! Thank u so much for these!

[@westjohnston3389]

Kamigawa was interesting, but Neon City was so....spectacular it made me return to Magic. I love seeing this evolution and history!

[@danielbretado7660]

I cannot imagine how much work this was. I can say for sure that this video is important as a whole new generation will be introduced to Kamigawa. This video (plus the secret lair, Kamigawa Ink) will serve as an introduction to a part of MTG history. Thank you.

[@henryterhune8328]

Great stuff as always, mate. Sorry I forgot to finish it till now. Well done!

[@natewilliams6617]

Looking forward to seeing to you cover The Brother's War. Love these lore videos

[@EyesMadeOfMarble]

Great video, really appreciate the thorough details on everything & connection to the cards

[@RodrigoCML7]

Man I was waiting for this one and it delivered, keep up the amazing uploads🤙

[@lowlyspy]

This was so cool to listen to. Your narration was very enticing. Keep this series up!

[@crazebear]

I much prefer these kind of lore videos rather than just reading the lore directly. Very good video!

[@golgariguy]

Have been waiting for this! Great video! If I may only give a small suggestion, I think it would be nicer if you did more transitions, for example showing more than 1 picture per race when discussing the races.

[@L0wallyn]

Thank you so much for the fantastic content!! I loved this video, and I loved the story of Kamigawa! So many dynamic players, and so many interesting regions! Stay safe, and embrace the shadows! 👾

[@AetherHub]

Thank you for the kind words of support!!!

[@SenryW]

Good stuff! This was just before I started playing, so I knew precious little. Many thanks!

[@Stalwartinitiative]

Amazingly detailed as usual. I skipped those novels and am glad to hear the whole story. Thank you.

[@jontandy3537]

It’s going to be so cool seeing how the very Japanese folklore feudal inspired races of Kamigawa are going to adapt to the modern cyberpunk story. I’m so excited to see the Akki’s technological ingenuity brought to the fore front in this tech rich plane.

[@user-we8rx3sy4j]

These videos are pure bliss for me, Thank. You. Seiben.

[@AetherHub]

I appreciate it. Loads of work and time goes into them and it’s great hearing positive feedback!

[@andraskatai4966]

Greatly appreciate the effort put into these videos, thank you good sir ^^

[@BirdCaramel]

I watch these while I do the dishes and make dinner. Awesome work

[@AetherHub]

That’s awesome. I love hearing how they play a role, any role, in people’s lives!

[@midnightbard3935]

Really appreciate the effort behind these videos! They've been a great help in learning about these worlds and I'm really excited to see other videos like this. Although maybe next time some, where the pronunciation isn't as tricky, I can see why English speakers would have a problem with this block. Good job with most tho

[@AetherHub]

Thank you. I really tried. And yes I struggled with pronunciations. I’ll keep trying to improve though

[@PawzBrownMTG]

Great video keep them coming

[@omegalaw]

This brought back a lot of memories of a very cloddish period of my life. Very fun video.

[@TheRedKnightOfPain]

Awesome work! I read it quite a while ago its great!

[@garrethgoodworth2494]

My favorite plane & the one that brought me back to Magic after a hiatus since Urza's Destiny!!!

[@hennaikimono]

Thank you for this video, I love this plane and Japanese style of the cards and names

[@mafiuyu4305]

another great video I realy love the Complete History of "Plane" videos I'd love to see one for Ravnica, New Pherixa, Dominaria (even tho it might be 5+ Hours) and other major planes

[@johnarnold2871]

Thanks for always making great videos.

[@danteishere7792]

Great stuff man :)

[@thenextchicken]

Love Kamigawa, grew up with it. Kamigawa has the best world building in Magic IMO

[@davidthebarbarian6851]

Do Tarkir next please

[@AetherHub]

Ill run a poll on my channels community tab - once I've recovered from this video!

[@tylergreen8782]

Let’s go bois

[@jeremyjohnson937]

Are we there yet?

[@MrDiogosantos1234]

It was great! really enjoy these series of complete history!

[@seraphinwolf187]

I didn’t see anyone else bring it up but Eight-and-Half-Tails was never known as Nine-Tails. He grew the 9th as a result of killing a Kami in defense of people despite his position of honoring Kami. He did cut half of it off in penance and place the half in a shrine as an offering feeling he was not worthy and conflicted about the tail.

[@askdennis5426]

Kamigawa was the reason I played MTG.

[@AetherHub]

Hope I did this plane justice for you

[@ShizaruBloodrayne]

Cold Snap and Kamigawa were my first few blocks when I got into MTG

[@dr.coz3f906]

This was great!

[@gladbandanna]

So awesome! I see Jitte, I click. Thanks for another awesome vid!

[@AetherHub]

When making the thumbnail. I just had to include this iconic art!

[@Lynvix]

the lore videos are amazing keep it up

[@DarthTUK]

Nice summary video. One could see how much prep work went into making it. The only negative are the mispronunciations.

[@AetherHub]

It one of my weakest traits as a content creator. I don’t think I’ll ever improve on pronouncing to not get flamed for it lol

[@DarthTUK]

@@AetherHub Neon Destiny instead of Dynasty Hi-DE-tsugu Orochi, Myojin, etc. At one point I was like "he must be doing it on purpose to get comments on how bad it is" ;) While listening to this podcast style it made it somewhat hard to follow, but swithching to video gave it some context - this could be further improved if you included a showcase of cards relevant to the discussed plot (if those exist) like you did when you were introducing the characters. Have you thought about asking some Wizard's affiliated person for pronunciation tips prior to making this kind of videos? Maybe try having a selected few Patrons do an early viewing and delay the actual video to improve it based on feedback. Don't want to undermine the amount of work you already put into the video - it is GREAT and you can be proud of what you do for the community.

[@kionashi]

amazing video!, Kamigawa was my favorite plane design wise, Im super happy how they allowed the artist to go ham with incredible designs for the Kami and the Oni.... Now what can we expect from Neon Dynasty?, regarding old characters The only one that COULD survive the timeskip is Eight and a Half tails and of course the Kamis like the Sisters of flesh and spirit. Now how the Kami could integrate with a world full of modern commodities? What kind of new Kamis will be born from all this new emotions? How would react the Orochi tribe since they already rejected technology in the old Kamigawa block? Interesting questions, I hope we get to see a satisfying answer

[@DrFrogman]

Pleaaaase do mirrodin and new phyrexia soon too, love these videos so much, thank you for the awesome content ❤️

[@jettledesma561]

This video was well made and answered many questions I had about the story. When or if you do the story of Lorwyn/Shadowmoor, I am certain it will be great as well

[@asrieldreemurr1988]

He did do that didn’t he?

[@jettledesma561]

@@asrieldreemurr1988 That was a overview of the entire plane, not a recap of the story. He said he may do another part specifically for the story

[@leosrydren]

Thank you sir. I think you may have found your stride as a loreologist. Lovin' your diligent work.

[@AetherHub]

Thank you! I’ve always wanted to be a loreologist hahaha

[@ImJayClay]

so glad I found you guys big fan brodie

[@AetherHub]

Glad you’re a big fan :)

[@jeremiahsandler]

Sweet video. I didn't know Gene Belcher made KZbin videos.

[@dennismarinos2129]

That is amazing, hooe you continue

[@AetherHub]

I will continue 😌

[@ealdscield]

thanks for doing this, now we need tamiyo's journies

[@TerryTags]

Not sure if this makes you feel validated or not, but hey, one of the reasons I LOVE your videos is how you're able to inspire my creativity. I spend a lot of time at r/custommagic and mtgcardsmith trying my hand at custom set design and card design, and every time I listen to your videos, you inspire me to delve into these planes with some top-down card design. So, thanks for your hard work! #Vorthos4ever lol

[@sharktenko267]

I love that were getting another kamigawa set

[@remraven6443]

I'm running a DnD game set in Kamigawa, this has been very helpful! Currently the story is that Kura the green dragon is being Compleated by Jin, it's getting spicy

[@aceundead4750]

So the sisters pulled a Bear Grylls on O-Kagachi, that's pretty metal right there.

[@edgardiaz690]

Stressed out with work. Can’t wait to listen to this while I grade lol

[@beezhangholizadeh-anzabi7840]

So excited for neon dynasty!

[@TheCrafter365]

Love it thanks

[@AetherHub]

You’re welcome. Love the comment, thanks!!

[@leonlysak4927]

Amazing story

[@jinan6]

Would love a series that builds up to War of the spark

[@raydelmartinez2905]

Pretty cool story indeed. But now I want to buy all of this cards 😅.

[@AetherHub]

Haha hopefully we get some call backs in the new set

[@danielbretado7660]

Kamigawa remastered confirmed?

[@sladestrife9788]

I'm calling it right now, Nahiri is next for completion, and she's willing to be completed.

[@jayw2008]

I love these

[@jaredsmith6565]

Love these! Might sound like a bit of a dumb question, but is the patreon still active? Last post I saw was from the spring. I’d love to support just wanted to be sure it’s still a thing

[@golgariguy]

Do you think you could ever do a reading of the story in which Sakashima appears? That one is amazing.

[@KingAtlon]

Damn, Pandaria music still bangs hard.

[@AetherHub]

It really do 😌

[@Case2_0]

Hey Seiben, I was just curious. Are you planning on covering the newer MTG comics in a video?

[@ImrazorZodd]

I love Kamigawa. It was the first full set I played. Good lore summary. Only thing that bothered me was the wrong and/or inconsistent pronunciation of some of the names, not too hard to get over that tbh.

[@Pandahboymtg]

One of my favorite planes

[@AetherHub]

I can’t wait to see how it’s revisited. Though idk about the whole neon thing….

[@Pandahboymtg]

@@AetherHub The Professor has a theory that the neon is the energy from the Kami powering the city and technology.

[@FURIASN]

I love Kamigawa, I have a deck a commander deck of all the races, and for ninjas, I have 4 decks.

[@adrianlu4691]

Thanks so much for the story. It was wonderful listening to it but some of your pronunciations were off sometimes.

[@lukeh350]

Hey man love your content. So much so I'd like to become a patreon. Just a question though, do you ship to the UK with the monthly signed cards? Thanks 😊

[@korrafey1044]

Im hoping for some cool kitsune and a new O'kagachi