10 Japanese Secrets in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

[@KaiserAfini]

"Centipede were never popular" in Shintoism. In Buddhism they were seen as avatars of Bishamonten, one of the Heavenly Kings. Which explains why Senpou considered infestation a blessing. He was also a patron of warriors (such as Hanbei) and merchants.

[@chavamara]

Also explains why there's a Centipede shrine in Yomawari. I'd been wondering about that. Thanks!

[@davidhong1934]

What about the legend where a centipede eats a dragon's brain? I've never seen mention of this anywhere else but TVtropes.

[@falloutghoul1]

The More You Know. =*

[@KaiserAfini]

@@davidhong1934 I am not familiar with that one, what is its name ?

[@davidhong1934]

@@KaiserAfini That's the issue. I've seen it mentioned once on TV Tropes under "Creepy Centipedes", but it was unsourced. I'm actually pretty sure it's made up.

[@deevee5327]

"proficient with both sword and spear" But what about the glock, Vaati? *_What about the GLOCK?_*

[@jordannewthomas3293]

Rapid fire flintlock of doom was my nickname for it.

[@Hunter-rb5up]

Lol

[@KaiserAfini]

Merely for his hobby, used it for hunting yokai alongside William and his spirit waifu.

[@davidhong1934]

@@KaiserAfini *William and his stand

[@Sleepyhead156]

How about games? (fgo bois where you at?)

[@lalalemons5044]

“Sekiro actually takes place within a real historical context” So here’s this giant enemy fish

[@egemenozcelik7494]

so we are going to ignore the even fucking bigger SNAKE

[@killerflamingo9566]

Context not a historical record

[@zianiman]

@@egemenozcelik7494 with 2 effing HEADS

[@runningsloth3324]

I like the reference.

[@TheActualMrLink]

lalalemons attack it's weak point...for massive damage.

[@VaatiVidya]

tfw no Elden Ring at Gamescom Looks like Sekiro is back on the menu

[@TheTrueRandomGamer]

Prepare To Cry please!

[@Noicey777]

Yesssss

[@drs4983]

boys

[@danielmarchante5805]

I'm sorry Mr. Vidya, but weren't you coming back to Bloodborne lore?

[@sfwreaths1]

@@GOD-nx1yo wait what, why!?

[@AutomaticLemming]

japanese fan of your work here. even as a japanese, your video is very insightful, respectful and interesting to watch! thank you very much

[@alastor8091]

How do the Japanese youth, say from 12 to 18 years old, view the folklore of Japan? Do they recognize and know a lot of stories and is it popular there like how Greek mythology is popular in the U.S.?

[@ieuanhunt552]

How good is his pronunciation of Japanese words? It's pretty tricky for non fluent speakers to pull off but Vaati seems to do pretty well.

[@AutomaticLemming]

@@alastor8091 i can not speak for everyone else, but i think majority of us have no idea when it comes to japanese folklore unless they see it in anime or light novels. im very certain that greek mythology is more popular than japanese folklore in japan, thanks to marvel movies

[@AutomaticLemming]

@@ieuanhunt552 some of them are accidentally accurate, but many of them are not too accurate to be honest. but those nouns and names he says in video are very unusual(nobody talks about Yokai and Obake in our daily life, obviously) and there is no way to research how to pronounce them properly, so Mr.Vaati is doing his best i would say. also, listening to his slightly off pronunciation of words are fun(not in condescending way, i find it very interesting) for me! i think his calm voice fits japanese words, thus making his pronunciation believable.

[@johnherrera5261]

@@AutomaticLemming that's actually kinda crazy and a little sad to hear

[@PolarCatsAttack]

Wow, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was so popular that people from the past reenacted it.

[@spriteknight6596]

Yoooooo I know right! It really goes to show how popularity can change people.

[@ultimatepredatorx2937]

How and why? "Time is convoluted"

[@gwynsilverthorn]

Holy shit that's cool!

[@dannymckenzie8329]

The phirosophy of guu

[@coolio6855]

Preenactment

[@artorias5628]

One major misunderstanding：Tomoe‘s master was her husband( In a lot of folklore) , and the reason he ordered her to leave were thought to be something along ‘fear of losing his love’ under the pretence of ‘bringing a women to a battlefield is dishonorable’

[@efu2046]

Kinda necroing this thread, but in Japanese "Husband" and "Master" has the same Kanji words. So, that checks out.

[@josemonerri512]

Inspired (by money) Too early in the video to be this funny man

[@Skirish]

I mean, Vaati may be the only guy to make me laugh 20 seconds into a video and immediately make the judgement call that, this video is already going to be good but also getting a like before I've seen it haha

[@0pticG4mer]

never early b funni

[@Samoaba]

That joke hit me hard. 😂😂😂

[@chadsummers7745]

i thought i misheard it hahahaha

[@soranotroxas7472]

Killed me lol

[@deathpyre42]

I always liked the little touch with Emma's sword in her boss fight. It's a Shirasaya because she's retired from a life of combat.

[@vidarberg2489]

Your theory on the Dragon being from Korea is additionally backed up by the amount of "fingers" on each "arm". Traditionally, Chinese dragons had 5 fingers, Japanese had 3, and Korean 4. As you can clearly see in 9:03 this dragon has 4, thus matching the description of Korean dragons.

[@Religion0]

Didn't Chinese dragons have both 4 and 5 fingers depending on whether they were depicted in an imperial context or not?

[@ZenKekK]

@@Religion0 they were but rarely would you ever see a 4 fingered Chinese dragon.

[@killeryhiltons8499]

Nope. XD Korea didn’t exist back then maybe they were talking about the Scythians that once rule those lands before they got killed by population now there ..

[@noodle3183]

​@@killeryhiltons8499'XD korea didn't exist back then' Idk what korea ur talking about but the oldest korean kingdom (고조선) was founded in about 2333 BC, and has been populated by the koreans ever since And this game takes place in the late 1500s sengoku era wym it didn't exist?? As for the scythians they may have had a connection with the silla kingdom founded in 57 BC, but that has nothing to do with 'korea not existing back then'

[@olotocolo]

@@noodle3183 he might be chinese/japanese nationalist. they absolutely hate korea and would go out of their way to claim in barely ever existed, like russians say about ukraine

[@LostTimeHero]

Didn't know the Seven Branched Sword was a national treasure. That's actually really cool.

[@SuperEvilMuffin]

Also, if you've ever played the Ace Attorney games, in the third Phoenix Wright game a seven branched sword is used as a murder weapon. They explain that the sword is made to represent life itself: though there are many branches and thus many possibilities, it is destined to end at the same single tip.

[@Xenochrist]

I saw it first in Ninja Gaiden 2004, where it had story significance as the Dark Dragon Blade. I feel like they dropped the JP name, Shichisito, somewhere in it.

[@richardromaine8639]

The moonlight great sword is also a national treasure

[@CiuccioeCorraz]

Also, search for "Kirin greatsword" from monster hunter. It deals thunder dmg and it's crafted with the parts of an ancient dragon. Looks stunningly similar to the seven branched sword.

[@plague6566]

@@CiuccioeCorraz I see you're a lightning boi as well

[@RobuRobu]

Imagine rather than DLC, we get Sekiro 2 in which the entire story focuses on Tomoe and Takeru.

[@elaminmochichi7767]

YES and young sekijo and his friend kingfisher

[@juniperrodley9843]

Okay hear me out: Dark Souls-ish Sekiro sequel that's set in the ruins of Ashina post-Shura ending Edit: So apparently people saw "Dark Souls-ish" and immediately decided that I wanted all the worst parts of Dark Souls' gameplay. I just want the atmosphere, jeez.

[@dutchvanderlinde1173]

@@juniperrodley9843 no because that would make shura ending cannon and that would make me sad. purification ending ftw

[@juniperrodley9843]

@@dutchvanderlinde1173 Okay new plan, sequels for every ending

[@skeleton_kiddo5544]

@@juniperrodley9843 a "ninja game" that you can't jump? I dunno, mate

[@biscuts5436]

these shots are amazing, i feel like every single frame could be a wallpaper that i can use

[@justsomeguy6166]

use this one 1:29

[@TheHackedMan]

"Vaati is holding me captive pls send help" XD i spilled my drink laughing when i saw that.....

[@chavamara]

Zirael! We'll save you!

[@jamieholloway2172]

@@chavamara epic refrence

[@nobleradical2158]

Where?

[@nich_p]

@@nobleradical2158 8:56 in case you're still wondering

[@Darkseid3r]

We can always count on your soothing narrating to enlighten us on the intricate lore and obscure references

[@rhymenoceros3303]

Yeah that whole self mummification thing is one of the most hardcore and disturbing things I have ever heard. I could only imagine the agony those men must of been in as they inched closer towards their deaths, yet their faith was that strong that they ultimately overcame such inevitable suffering in the name of their beliefs. I personally find this both awe inspiring and a bit insane, at least in my opinion.

[@yvesgomes]

Junji Ito has great horror story about this. I forgot in which of his mangas, though.

[@JwatersMMA]

Wildest part is humans can actually act in such ways

[@redtukeguy4263]

It was insane.

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

Extreme brainwashing

[@albertzinger7132]

It's essentially suicide. It IS insane.

[@Moss_Official]

Even slashy souls is inspired...by money

[@subifire561]

where to buy slashy souls?

[@Ooo-be8hk]

In hell

[@larkrogers3690]

My new go to excuse: "no see, i was inspired... by money"

[@dsedh23]

Local Vidya spitting fire, burned down the whole painting world

[@yungfunny4076]

nice

[@FighterPL]

time to play the game again!

[@Cainfoe]

Hi.

[@FighterPL]

sup buddy!

[@Cainfoe]

cheers bruh 🥃

[@junoglrr9119]

I had the same thought fighter. And i will play it

[@a.s.houser4350]

Hey Vaati, just wanted to point out another small detail lending to the Korean Dragon hypothesis, I was looking out for it when you mentioned it in the video and saw that, when the dragon is holding the sword, it has four fingers. There's a saying that goes: 'the further dragons moved from China, the less fingers they had.' Chinese dragons have five fingers, Korean dragons have four, and Japanese have three. It appears in your video that the Divine Dragon in Sekiro, has four fingers. Very much looking forward to more from you!

[@ABEAZYdaRonin94]

The most famous warrior monk was the fighter known as Benkei who served one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history, Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He was an exceptionally large man who was a giant amongst his people. The legends say he was 7 feet tall but he was probably like 6'5" or something. After Benkei was defeated by Minamoto in battle he served him for the rest of his life. He was the badass that held down a bridge and killed 100 warriors before dying standing up.

[@user-lb4rx2th2d]

'ONE PIECE WA JITSUZAI TSURUUUUUUU!!' sorry i had to, after reading the last part.

[@iasked347]

Honestly, a badass ddfending a bridge is a real life common trope

[@andrewames247]

@@iasked347 Just like the lone warrior at Stamford Bridge, in 1066!

[@IPH-1212]

@@user-lb4rx2th2dmy first thoughts when i read that too lol

[@bretth342]

Ancient Chinese dragons typically had 5 claws per hand. The Sakura dragon has 4, further lending to Korea as opposed to China as its origin. Edit: I said Japan as unlikely origin. Meant China.

[@kappo34]

Yeah, and a Japanese dragon has 3 claws. Sakura dragon is almost certainly Korean in origin.

[@bretth342]

@@kappo34 unless it's a representation of an emperor, then I believe they have 5 as well.

[@zee1645]

10:29 go count in that frame how many fingers. And the little white dragons indeed had 4 .. which means divine (sakura) dragon was from china at least during or before Tang Dynasty (the style of the buildings) Trying so hard to make a point by bending the facts... That weapon was indeed a strong point to argue that korea is in the game.. however... really... as a vessel of china... i doubt korea having that big of an effect

[@zee1645]

Martina Sandric no??? Japanese dragon had 4 as well.

[@zeyangli9718]

well,Since Yuan dynasty People think the Long（龙, the real dragon） have 5 fingers, the Jiao Long（蛟龙 the dragon who is lower level tan Long，maybe subspecies） has 4 fingers.And at that time, the dragon in emperor's clothes has 5, but the princes' has 4, and the tributary like ancient Korean ,the king only be allowed to have 4 fingers' . Song dynasty and earlier all dragon have 4 claws. and more and more early they have 2 or 3. So i think only Hidetaka say where it is come from,that can be confirm

[@Billybob-en1mk]

What about the carp that swam up a waterfall and became a dragon. Ever wonder why magikarp become garidos

[@bluezapdos0]

sekiro 2: pot noble is actually divine dragon

[@Billybob-en1mk]

@@bluezapdos0 I get your joking but your not wrong in that he is trying to become a dragon by becoming a carp then a master carp then a dragon ig if it really is a reference

[@kimothyhimmler3921]

@@Billybob-en1mk ever wonder why he collect carp scales? its actually evolution stone

[@bismarrezaaraisyi384]

I heard there is a folklore in Japan that a carp can become a dragon if it succeed to swam up a waterfall. But if it just crossed halfway the carp wold just became a yokai or a carp with horn, untill it succeed in the task.

[@fyanmuhamad4441]

There’s a legend about koi swimming up the Yellow River in China, passing through the rapids known as the “Dragon’s Gate,” and turning into a dragon. Funny thing is, this is also about Nishiki's tattoo

[@lazybits01]

6:11 so you're telling me that Ito created ultra instinct!!

[@gormold4163]

That is why he is a sword saint.

[@SirRelith]

I just wanna say that Sekiro is the most beautiful game I've ever played. I love it so much.

[@oddjars]

We have a duality between the 2 samurai souls games. Nioh is based on Shinto mythology while Sekiro is more Buddhist.

[@yvesgomes]

And Nioh actually has a Cetipede Yokai as a boss fight. I actually liked the boss, even though it's not very popular from what I've read.

[@sonyblank1487]

@@yvesgomes because he spanked everyone at first (those who went mid spear)

[@jayashanperera3648]

Would still want both these games on the switch

[@kaisarfaust5625]

@@yvesgomes From Software was my first centipede boss fight in Otogi

[@jacthing1]

​​@@sonyblank1487plus he can be a bit annoying sometimes. Especially with the constant poison fog

[@Nitrinoxus]

I was really hoping you'd do a video like this, diving into the historical and cultural references strewn throughout the game -- it's one of the most interesting facets of the game, and it adds so much context when you understand where the roots lie, much as understanding the parallels of the Dark Souls and Bloodborne worlds adds to the gravitas of their stories.

[@alexandersong5753]

8:54 "vaati is holding me captive pls send help"

[@coltoniusmaximus]

Honestly, Sekiro was exactly what I needed from a From game, and I'm really looking forward to potential DLC

[@kennymarshiii]

Colton Watkins from came out and said there would be no dlc im pretty sure

[@junoglrr9119]

kenny Marsh wait. So FS said so?? Oh man. I still cant believe it. I mean common, why not. Fuck elden ring i need sekiro dlc lol

[@jordannewthomas3293]

Nah all sekiro needs is a nice solid sequel.

[@junoglrr9119]

Dont care what it is, just give me more!

[@lucasfarias8516]

@@kennymarshiii They never said that.

[@Ooo-be8hk]

We all know Slashy Souls is actually in West Virginia, made in Bethesda.

[@davidhong1934]

As did Activision

[@paulmoitoso9658]

Fuck The "AAA" gaming industry. All of those vampires can choke on a rotting cock. Then get castrated with a rusty kitchen knife.

[@paulmoitoso9658]

White-Van Helsing go to hell you shill! I bet you've given Activision hundreds of dollars for loot boxes!

[@Keylid]

West Virginia is innocent

[@roninswicked]

Have we ever talked about how the Nobles properly came to being? Like I get the Mibu sent up offerings to them, but how did they actually come into being. I mean if it were the waters why do they need to sap your life force when you come near them?

[@davidhong1934]

In Mibu Village, the high priest becomes a noble if you give him the waters of the palace. Nobles are not actually immortal. They're meant to become carp that can later become dragons.

[@amusheretb4603]

@@davidhong1934 in order to become dragon, they need to be at a place where have a dragon gate. so this last process will never happen in Ashina area

[@passerByL]

new upload, before i watch, i like edit: then i heard slashy souls was inspired....by money, *mitochondrial infarction*

[@scotts4298]

myocardial**

[@Supergforce777]

The ad hasn’t finished playing but you already have my like

[@lopeshick9607]

It seems this game won't be getting a DLC. I Guess Sending lady Tomoe's OP ass lightnings right back at her will have to wait till sekiro 2.

[@PennywiseTheDancingClown274]

Maybe she left to the West to learn about the dragons origins she has final boss potential for sekiro 2 but that would be to easy story wise if she was final boss

[@beyondheaven6736]

James Weidner First boss lmao

[@PunkZombie1300]

Bloodborne, DS3, and Sekiro were all released towards the end of March. BB DLC was released Nov of the same year, DS3 DLC was released Oct of the same year, then March of the next. So I'd say it's still a possibility until we reach the end of March 2020. We still don't have a release date for Elden Ring so it might be that Sekiro gets a DLC next year then ER comes out in 2021 or 2022.

[@PennywiseTheDancingClown274]

@@PunkZombie1300 I believe they said no dlc for sekiro but I haven't been up to date on sekiro talk

[@tree490]

Sekiro 2 electric bogaloo

[@mynameaintvalstrax7131]

That slashy souls roast is so good that out of the 3 top comment, 2 of them were talking about it, and the last comment is Vaati's talking.

[@JakeJupiter]

This video makes me love SEKIRO even more. Awesome work!

[@thespikeheadboy3164]

When i first saw the corrupted monk the first name that came to my mind was Benkei, a warrior monk. It was also ironic that the battle was on a bridge as Benkei lost a fight to Minamoto no Yoshitsune on a bridge

[@simonr1chter]

at 5:45 is a picture of Oda Nobunaga, not Ito Ittosai.

[@davidhong1934]

Oda Nobunaga, the most popular historical character across anime

[@yoshi9538]

He's old in this, what of his conquest?

[@joodlemcdoodle]

I was looking for someone to point that out lmao

[@tatsusama3192]

You and Team Four Star are the perfect duo for this game. I watch their stream and then find your videos. They always name drop you also, haha

[@Mygrandpaspodcast]

Tomoe is in ghost of Tsushima and it’s such a cool nod to the actual Japanese story

[@mikek.6464]

So I know this is late, but I was actually looking for this comment. And in game, as you know, she is gifted in the way of the bow.

[@Reigatsu]

About the Sculptor: Sekijou might also be a reference to the fact he only has one arm. Sekiro's name is given to him by the Tengu of Ashina when he refers to him as a "one armed wolf". In Japanese, that is written as Sekiwan no Ookami (隻腕の狼). The Tengu then shortens it to Sekiro (隻狼), where "seki" (隻) is "one part of a whole" and "ro" (狼) is the on'yomi reading for "wolf". The kanji for orangutan is 猩, which is read as "shou". Following the same logic as Sekiro, Sekijou might be written as 隻猩, since due to rendaku "shou" can become "jou". Thus we have the Sculptors name, Sekijou (隻猩), the One-Armed Orangutan.

[@TheRezro]

There is a theory that Sculptor is no one else then Wolf himself, as time loops are a thing in this series. One of the endings basically repeat itself until our protagonist chose another road.

[@Reigatsu]

@@TheRezro Really? Man I had no idea about that theory. If anything that makes me more sure about my thoughts about the Sculptor's name. Which of the endings are you referring to?

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

That's awesome

[@LLachs283]

​@TheRezro but why is he called orangutan then with an own backstory. I see your idea that sekiro taking his place in the end, but i dont see theyre the same person in a timeloop

[@UnibrowZombie]

Korean dragon? Sekiro: Dancing All Night confirmed

[@yeetme3032]

Sekiro: Dragons **groovin**

[@fyanmuhamad4441]

enter in Dragon of Dojima dancing in *Miracle*

[@Kralchen]

Great stuff! I knew there were lots of references in the game, so thanks so much for shining a light on it. Also I can't help, but be amazed by the camera work and high quality framing/cutting. It's a pleasure to watch

[@ShannonBlake444]

6:10 This technique is "reacting to the enemy's attack, not as a conscious effort, but reacting spontaneously." You mean Ultra Instinct???

[@PunkZombie1300]

Isshin is Shaggy confirmed

[@30795William]

you forgot one more lore this is about the Headless or Kubinashi: It is implied that the Headless are apparitions of the warriors the sugar candies are named after. This can be inferred by the first line of text in their respective Spiritfall items: "Fallen, headless spirit of..." If the Headless executes a successful grab, it is possible it pulls out Sekiro's "shirikodama" - a mythical ball said to contain a person's soul, which is located inside the anus. This behavior is from another mythical Japanese creature called the “Kappa,” which could be found in water. This may explain why there are headless underwater as well.

[@TheRezro]

If you ask my Kitsune supposedly have object called "Star Ball" in they tails. It could be source of that myth considering obvious lack of anything like that in human body.

[@shadebinder9969]

So thats what they pull out of you. I thought they wer grabbing a kidney or something. Gives a another explanation for why they appear behind you to.

[@skeds9995]

Michael Newman hes trolling lmao

[@shadebinder9969]

@@skeds9995 no googling says the kappa is a real Japanese mythical creature.

[@rai7988]

Thought the thumbnail said “F*ck Lore” and i was like “woah vaati must be getting pretty sick of this sh*t”

[@WraxTV]

Surprised you didn't mention the real life Ashina clan. They were wiped out by Date Masamune (who was one of Tokugawa's allies) at the Battle of Suriagehara, where both Isshin Ashina and his grandson Genichiro Ashina died. The Seven-Branch Sword was also a key item in Tenchu, and Sekiro was originally planned to be part of Tenchu in it's very early stages.

[@cullubbowzer8095]

I feel like Wolf might be the biggest reference to Guts from Berserk in any From game. He doesn’t wield a giant oversized sword, but I feel like his mannerisms and appearance is the closest yet (prosthetic left arm that can attach different weapons to it, part of his hair has turned white). He’s also an extremely skilled swordsman and there’s that worry throughout the story that he might be totally consumed by his bloodlust.

[@Yora21]

The Jizo statues (and I think the pinwheels as well) in Senpou Temple indicate a children's cemetery. And there's a lot of them near the roofed bridge.

[@kolacek_on]

Thanks for great video as always! I honestly think that "Interior ministry" being a rather enigmatic non-personified adversary actually helped the player to stay focused on Genichiro as "the antihero" in this "Hero's Cycle". What do you think? :)

[@ethanchapman5066]

These are the best videos ever made. His voice just fits with all the lore he talks about in all these games. But I especially love his prepare to cry, and when he announced the remastered I was very exited. Keep up the good work, we love all your videos!

[@chloea487]

You’ve gotta understand that everytime I see one of Vaati’s videos I haven’t watched yet it’s just *instant excitement*

[@sanfransiscon]

*Sekijo the Shoujo* Me: "You mean he's a girl?"

[@lycanthoss]

He missed an 'u' after shoujo :D, orangutan is shōjō.

[@davidhong1934]

I'd call it a Seinen

[@alexanderholzer7392]

tfw almost every single word in Japanese has multiple meanings (ignoring tone and kanji) But yeah like ライカントッス said, it's shōjō not shōjo.

[@artinhjollder4779]

Some minor info on #3 - The Interior Minister: As you may already know, the chief choreographer and martial artist behind the early Tenchu titles was the famous Japanese-American actor/martial artist, Sho Kosugi and according to his interviews and biography, he was a practitioner of Koga school of Shinobi no Jutsu (Koga Ryu Ninpo) for several years in Japan. I should mention that compared to the more studied and historically referenced school of Ninjutsu, Iga Ryu Ninpo, the former hardly survived in the last century and is somehow shrouded in esoteric interpretations and lack of written records. Anyway, we clearly know that Iga Ryu shinobi worked as secret service, political manipulators, assassins and paramilitary strategists for the Tokugawa shogunate as the Sengoku period was settling down in the final years of 16th century. At the opposite side, Koga Ryu Shinobi, though they were mostly relatives, ghetto buddies, collaborators with their counterparts; for the most time they were in fight with 'the interior minister', Ieyasu Tokugawa and his administration, at least from the era of previous great shogun, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. So, If we consider Sekiro a grandchild of Tenchu, this historical reference definitely makes sense, in my humble opinion.

[@glad8612]

The information about the Interior Ministry honestly was the most fascinating thing to me. I was so intrigued by them during my playthroughs, thank you based Vaati.

[@audioreviews7517]

See I always assumed it was the general guy that betrays everyone

[@m.s.e.advanced2842]

Sekiro: Secrets Uncovered Twice

[@andya6021]

I am totally blown away by the production quality of this series. I had no idea Sekiro's lore was so deep and this was such a pleasure for me to watch. Wow.

[@atsukorichards1675]

Very interesting. Thanks for the centipede tale. I used to live near Mt. Mikami and am familiar with the story. A Japanese drum group in that town was named Mukade (a centipede in Japanese) Drums. (By the way, the beginning part of the samurai's name, Tawara-no-Touta, is read as Ta. And Heian era 平安時代 is pronounced as in hay, not in hi.)

[@WeyounSix]

Even in Dark souls they used the 8 headed serpent that Susanoo kills in Japanese folklore, they even took the idea that you can get a sword from cutting off a dragon's tail from the same story.

[@EnderCorePL]

I loved playing through the Witcher series which took inspiration from plenty of Slavic myths, it was a fascinating adventure exploring the folklore of my country and its regions. I imagine someone from Japan had similar feelings playing Sekiro.

[@voidvma]

Isn't the Witcher more inspired by Western (old German and English) tales more?

[@Sangheilitat117]

I think something interesting to explore would be closely linked the Fountainhead Palace is to the capital of Heian-Kyo in the Heian era of Japan. The architecture is spot-on, the armor worn by the Okami warriors is very much Heian-era armor, how the Okami warriors are very relaxed, drinking sake and playing kemari (a kickball game that was popular in the Heian era) instead of acting like soldiers (because of how peaceful the Heian era was) to even things like the fragrance needed to get into the Fountainhead Palace being closely related to the perfume-mixing competitions the Heian nobles used to hold. The palanquin you use to enter the palace is very much how nobles and especially noble women used to travel the streets, and the way the Fountainhead nobles have locked themselves in the upper palace and are consuming flesh can possibly be seen as a metaphor for how closed-off and insular the city and culture of Heian-Kyo was compared to the rest of Japan at that time. I'm by no means very well versed in Heian history, but I think there's probably a LOT more to be explored and compared there.

[@joshs7366]

I am a simple Covetous Demon, ready to consume the LORE bestowed upon me

[@jacklamb1155]

I love every video you upload so much, it's helped me appreciate Dark Souls are Sekiro on levels that I would never have even considered on a first visit. Knowing the lore and the potential inspirations for the stories behind so many of the characters and locations really helps you admire the sheer thought and love put into these games. You have changed my perspective of these titles so much for the better. Thank you for making these videos and thank you to From Software for making the games with so much passion :D

[@digifan02]

Oh, that self-mummification ritual was actually shown off very well in Dragon Quest 11, neat to know the details of that (and disturbing)

[@marco.barron6654]

Oh, Corrupted Monk... my favorite boss fight I recently played Shadows Die Twice again and when I went to fight the Monk. I didn't want to win...I wanted to fight her over and over yet I beat her first try...heart breaking

[@hadrianaugustus5712]

You can keep fighting her over and over now.

[@AlibabaKingOfCongo]

5:45 Pretty sure that's an illustration of Nobunaga Oda, not Ito Ittosai...

[@theinkysquid7661]

Just want to say thank you, it was your lore videos that convinced me to play the souls series for the first time, I’ve just got past the archers in Londo. I’m enjoying it so much.

[@vector3366]

Imagine sekiro killing or fighting tokugawa damn that would be cool but in all honesty they should add musashi as a dlc boss

[@KuroNoTenno]

Seriously. Genichirou just had to send Wolf to Edo and let him kill himself over and over until all of Edo died from Dragonrot.

[@etceteraretecte]

Another thing I noticed while playing linking Isshin to Ittosai - the "Ichimonji" (lit. "Single Stroke") combat art looks very similar to the fundamental "Kiri-otoshi" (lit. "Falling Cut") technique from Itto-ryu kenjutsu, the sword school that Ittosai gives his name to. They're both very simple cuts straight downwards, but the Kiri-otoshi is like this big philosophical thing within Itto-ryu so it's quite famous.

[@GrimySkull95]

Just speculation here, but could the dragon god who split in two be in reference to the two Divine Heirs in game? The dragon of the mountains was Taka, and the dragon of the valleys was Kura, whereas the Divine Heir from the Divine Realm (the mountains) was Takeru, and the Divine Heir from the mortal realm (the valleys) is Kuro.

[@Beatjoy5511]

rip kentaro, his work changed my whole outlook on how a manga should be made. i’m so glad miyazaki loved berserk just as much as i did, enough to make a whole game inspired by it is so badass

[@Elfaia]

So the sculpter is a shoujo. Can't wait for the fanfic to release. Maybe title it, "Kimi no Ude"?

[@EmeraldZoneNetGMG]

I was really late to Sekiro but have been obsessed over the past few weeks. I got the platinum trophy but your videos have been such a great post-completion appertif. I never would have derived all the meanings you have painstakingly acquired. THANK YOU! As a side, Ichimonji (一文字) means "a straight line", so the move in the game and the style of fighting for the Ichimonji school can be easily understood after that. It's also the name of the lord in Kurosawa's "Ran" aka "乱" (Revolt/Rebellion/War).

[@missbelled6700]

Not a bad game to obsess over at any time. I genuinely believe it is one of the best examples that has yet been offered as far as Games as Art. Truly an experience that becomes more significant the more you understand the context of it's themes.

[@mentra1]

Or perhaps the dragons true identity is; The American dragon, Jake Long

[@venomclown1134]

"FROM THE J, TO THE A, TO THE K, TO E; I'M THE MACK DADDY DRAGON OF THE NYC, YA HEARD??!"

[@gregorywhatley9659]

Waking up and seeing a Vaati video in my inbox is a great feeling Superb video my man Love from the CurtainChat

[@TheTsquared2010]

Receive notification of new Vaati content. Immediately opened

[@kaustavmajumdar7572]

Thanks, Vaati. I really appreciate this lore n-depth content. Despite having completed five times, I still had felt missing threads of my understanding of the wonderful lore of the world of Sekiro. And I have a friend who just midway through his first run and I am certain you lore vids will actually give him a much better idea of about the narrative of the journey he has undertaken.

[@RayMardia]

You continue to make exceptionally high-quality videos, Vaati: Editing: ★★★★★ Script: ★★★★★ Music: ★★★★★ Sound: ★★★★★ Voice: ★★★★★ Topic: ★★★★★ Keep up the phenomenal work sir \m/ - Albert

[@DejectedCat]

Hey Vaati, just in case you didn't know. The sculptor is basically a carbon copy of the one of the main character Gaou (我王) from an old Japanese manga/anime/game called Hi no Tori (火の鳥) by Oasamu Tezuka (手塚治虫). It's an epic story that spans centuries, that unfortunately the author died before he was able to conclude. I hope one of these days you can get into that and explain the finer connections. Even the Yaobikuni made an appearance in it. Search 火の鳥 鳳凰編 4/6 on KZbin and you can see a familiar scene at 20 seconds mark.

[@GojiraMaggot666]

Honestly, ancient Japan culture and lore is amazingly beautiful

[@KuroNoTenno]

A lot of history is amazingly beautiful.

[@PunkZombie1300]

12:10 Well you see, we metaphorically spit in the centipede bosses' eyes by just spamming L1 at them until they're dead lol

[@oliverubin6083]

8:54 Vaati is holding me captive pls send help. 😂

[@Grambee]

These closeups really highlight the detail of Sekiro's models in such a fantastic way.

[@carlphoenix9758]

For a second I thought the thumbnail said "FISHLORE" so i clicked this video faster than i've ever clicked before

[@DanPratama]

Coming back to your video after finishing Bloodborne last night. I always wonder how you make these beautiful footage ad research. Hands down.

[@NeoFluchs]

Priestess Yao? Am i the only one that starts to think about the 'priestess yao' from okami?

[@kappo34]

Okami is a great mishmash of Japanese myths, so yeah, she's definately referenced in Okami as well, albeit with a twist.

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@kappo34 I never played Okami, but I worked on a fan-translation for it, and judging from the text it seems to also feature a lot of Ainu myths too.

[@flaccidpancake336]

Its priestess Rao but yeah, definitely a reference

[@NoObKiLlerS117]

I just played sekiro and watched a documentary on the sengoku period recently so it was really cool to see how they are tied together

[@jada90]

8:53 "Vaati is holding me captive pls send help". How do I help you editor??

[@MaraCamille]

Wild how this video didn't just help me understand Sekiro more but also Yuki Kaku's Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku way more as well.

[@Cainfoe]

*Time is convoluted*

[@JohnDough3]

I always loved how you break down certain aspect of the game. With a soothing voice to boot :)

[@NikFuryEndgame]

really bummed that this game didnt have the LoreCrafting longevity of the other games... really really bummed.

[@NikFuryEndgame]

@@ab-zj4kr ya but why make a game that small.. we still gotta wait years in between souls lore sessions. I honestly dont know how channels like Vaati survive.. especially when a game finally comes out that has only surface level lore and vaati gotta make a vid like this just to squeeze some content out of it... i like this vid by the way. i just lived off dark souls and demon souls lore vids for like 4 years... and then caught up... and bloodborne lore went for a good while... DS 3 came out and that kinda cut a lot of the speculations from ds 2 and 1 out so there was less then expected there also. I just miss speculating... I miss that energy ... dont know how better to describe the hole in my heart lol.

[@uberhuber7903]

@@NikFuryEndgame you should prob just try reading books if you think dark souls and bloodborne are well fleshed out lore. Sekiro had more depth narratively than half those titles lol

[@NikFuryEndgame]

@@uberhuber7903 u obviously dont get the way dark souls / bloodborne lore is told. its ok. i do read books. nice to assume i dont.

[@uberhuber7903]

@White-Van Helsing you play overwatch. Stfu. Sekiro has lore derived from reality. Sorry there weren't any gay characters for you.

[@lucm9505]

Great video! Especially loved the camera and the amazing shots, keep the good work up!

[@o0Avalon0o]

6:58 I've never heard of Tomoe Gozen before, but this sounds like a story of a badass woman my niece's should hear about.

[@KuroNoTenno]

Tomoe Gozen managed to live 90 years despite being a warrior. In an era where medicine was piss poor. She most certainly was a badass.

[@gamerchords4526]

Loved this video!!! I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese folklore in general, but Sekiro was a big part of that for me.

[@HoangNguyen-oz4fj]

Still waiting for prepare to cry: lady Maria

[@jessekoenig7629]

I love that the flavor text calls vaati out at 8:54

[@ArcturusMinsk]

Bloodborne is 50% Lovecraft and 50% Bram Stoker's Dracula

[@alelaera13]

what dracula's elements do you see in bb?

[@blakebailey22]

@@alelaera13 I assume he means the Victorian aesthetic, the importance of blood in the story, and the medieval castle and nobility of the Cainhursts

[@helenwhs]

I like that there is no shadowy Minister antagonist. It demonstrates the Ashina is fighting against entropy and progress. If not the Ministry, Ashina would still inevitably fall to something else.

[@madbrosheo1514]

So if Dark Souls was inspired by Berserk, and Bloodborne was inspired by Lovecraft: What was Demon's Souls inspired by?

[@basscheeks8545]

Dragon pecs

[@TheRezro]

Who said that those things are separated?

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

Also Berserk obviously

[@TheBojanglesPanda60]

I find the parallels to Japanese theatre in Sekiro very interesting. For example, the Demon of Hatred commonly performs a "Mie pose" which is a hallmark of Kabuki theatre. There are also many characters inspired by Noh, like the bell enemies and the old women (like the one you give rice to in Senpou temple and before the staircase in Ashina castle). You also mention the Noh mask worn by the corrupted monk.

[@TheBojanglesPanda60]

@master universe Lmao what? Sekiro is less of a fantasy than any of From Software's other games and it certainly isn't abstract. There are strong elements throughout the game incorporating both Shintoism and Japanese theatre. To call these cultural references not "too serious" is downright insulting and disgusting.

[@TheBojanglesPanda60]

@master universe Art is based off of interpretation. If you interpret this game in a bad light, fine, but that doesn't make your dismissal of the art and less inappropriate. Bold of you to assume I haven't taken 21 hours of Japanese credit hours, half of which were history classes including Japanese theatre, art and architecture, and literature. Not every piece of art needs to be compared to the highest level. Film is very different too. All art should be taken seriously.