Dark Gathering, an anime scheduled to air from July 2023, is a seriously scary horror series in which characters visit haunted locations and experience intense fear from evil spirits. It also has Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch-like elements, as characters capture and combine evil spirits that could kill them if they make a mistake, creating even more terrifying ones. So, today we'll be introducing not only the powerful Pokémon currently possessed by protagonist Takarazuka Yoyoi, but also the evil spirits she possesses!
Takarazuka Yoyoi and the Secret Chamber!
One of the main characters, Takarazuki Yoyoi, travels around the country to haunted locations to capture evil spirits. She then traps them in her room, pitting them against other evil spirits and poisoning them to create even more powerful ones. Her goal is to gain a fighting force against the super-powerful supernatural being "Kuun," which took the spirit of her mother. When the evil spirits she creates become too powerful to be managed in her own room, they are called "graduates."
Evil Spirit #1: The Evil Sutra Master
An evil spirit in the form of a monk. When the god possessing Kamishiro Ai broke into Yayoi's room, the power balance in the room was upset, and the "Graduate" was the last remaining spirit, consuming the other spirits. The Great Priest and other evil spirits, including the graduates, are merely being controlled by Yayoi by force, and they are not always able to communicate with them or obey their commands. Friendly spirits to Yayoi and his friends are rare. The Evil Sutra Master indiscriminately casts curses, making him so dangerous that if handled improperly, Yayoi and his companions could be killed.
Ability: "Sutra"
His ability, "Sutra," sends anyone who listens to it to Hell. It's a wide-ranging, delayed-acting ability that sends anyone to Hell without question once they've heard the entire sutra. To escape, one must physically prevent themselves from hearing the sutra. Even if the Master himself covers his mouth, he can force the cursed target to recite the sutra.
Evil Spirit #2: Martyred Country Forbidden Prison Demon Sergeant
The spirit of a former Japanese soldier who served in the Southern Campaign during the Pacific War. He possessed near-immortal resilience during his lifetime, and this trait continues even after death. While he is able to communicate and is not an evil spirit, the souls of the enemy soldiers he killed cling to him, becoming vengeful spirits that cause spiritual harm. Because his own trait allows him to recover from the damage caused by these vengeful spirits, he desires to attain enlightenment and cooperates with Yayoi, who has promised to help him achieve this.
Ability: "Prayer of Weakness"
The ability to make those within the radius of a circle deployed around the sergeant experience the wounds, hunger, fatigue, and sleepiness sustained during battle, as well as immortality, preventing death no matter how much pain they endure. This phenomenon occurs in response to a prayer for salvation, and the only way to escape this suffering is to kill the sergeant himself. However, due to the sergeant's immortality, he cannot be killed by ordinary evil spirits.
Evil Spirit #3: Pakutoku Ryoran Otogiri Oiran
The spirit of a courtesan who died an untimely death. Born into poverty, she possessed exceptional beauty. To save her family, she became a prostitute and was offered a free hand. However, she was framed by a jealous shinjo and lost her position. Due to illness and violence, she also lost her beauty. She then exacted revenge by pouring oil on the prostitute who framed her and setting her on fire, dying in the flames herself. When Yayoi first discovered her, she was a weak spirit, but due to the dark gathering in Yayoi's room, she gained a vicious power. Even after becoming Yayoi's possession, she became a hostile, evil spirit who displayed open hostility.
Ability 1: "Pokkuri"
Otogiri Oiran's first curse. It sends forth flaming butterflies that suck the life out of anyone they touch. Touching a flaming butterfly sucks the life out of the oiran, causing it to age, healing the oiran's body and strengthening the curse. The more life she consumes, the stronger the curse's beauty and power, expanding in variety. The stronger the target, the stronger the Oiran's curse.
Ability #2: "Plague"
Otogiri Oiran's second curse. Once a certain amount of energy has accumulated from the first curse, it will cause various plagues to occur in anyone who comes into contact with her flesh and blood. This curse manifests the illnesses the Oiran suffered from in life, causing lumps to form on the body, headaches, fever, vomiting, and the inability to think clearly.
Ability #3: "Burning Tower"
Otogiri Oiran's third curse. This curse is triggered by having the Oiran consume a certain amount of life and then displaying the target's ugly reflection in the mirror the Oiran possessed. This ability traps the target in an inescapable, fiery brothel, causing them to suffer excruciating pain. It continues to burn, feeding on the souls sucked by the Flame Butterfly, until the courtesan is sealed away or her soul is destroyed. The courtesan can recover by inhaling the smoke.
Evil Spirit #4: Senkon Kegon Temochi Doji
A long-haired female earthbound spirit that haunts the haunted castle ruins. Originally, she was a woman who committed suicide during the Azuchi-Momoyama period to avoid humiliation when the castle was attacked and captured. While possessing powerful powers, this spirit was not originally intended to harm humans. Instead, it was driven mad by a cursed object left behind by a mysterious force, gradually transforming into an evil spirit that cast a curse that led to the severing of heads. When Yayoi retrieved the cursed object, it regained its original form and began to lend Yayoi its power. Though not a graduate, it possesses the same powers as other graduates, and is able to communicate with them and is safer than other graduates. While the details of its abilities are unknown, it specializes in generating countless hands for defense and long-range attacks.
Evil Spirit #5: Sairo Sarare Head
The evil spirit of a sadistic murderer who haunts the old F Tunnel. A male demon with a massive physique and an axe, he repeatedly commits bizarre murders, peeling off the innards and skin of the victim's face and wearing them as clothing. He is cruel and collects the masks he removes from his victims. He has the ability to manipulate space and create loops to corner and kill his prey. He excels in hand-to-hand combat and possesses agility, but was defeated by the Demon Sergeant's curse and captured by Yoi, where he is used as a human shield, constantly inflicting pain.
Evil Spirit #6: Moon Eclipse Exhausted Black Ashura
The evil spirit of a young boy who haunts the Old I Water Gate. Abused by her stepmother, she was eventually murdered at Old I Water Gate, her body dismembered, turned into meatballs, and dumped into the water gate. This death turned her into an evil spirit, and she comes to perceive all visible beings as her hateful stepmother. She has the psychic ability to paint over the body drawings in her sketchbook, causing the painted-over parts to disappear, and store the vanished parts as meatballs in a Tupperware container, and can recover and strengthen by consuming the meatballs. Even if she steals the sketchbook that is the source of the curse, she is able to transform into a giant black body and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Although she is consumed by the courtesan's curse and captured by Yoi, she has regained some of her sanity by then.
Evil Spirit #7: Transitional Spirit
This warrior-like spirit is sealed inside the doll that Yayoi always carries with her. He has lost his power and memory, but he is gradually regaining it as Yayoi prepares battlefields for him. Spirits inherently fluctuate as their energy and presence dissipates and fades away. By the time they reach the graduating class, they acquire a solid presence and cease to fluctuate. While this spirit remains imperfect and fluctuating, it exerts the same oppressive force as a graduate, and it's impossible to imagine how powerful it will be once it regains its power and memories. He's always seeking a battlefield and is very supportive of Yayoi, who provides it.
Evil Spirit #8: Military Commander-Type Graduate
This graduate is clad in armor reminiscent of a Sengoku warlord. He's one of the three graduates originally possessed by Yayoi, but at this point, only a silhouette has been seen, and his abilities and background are unknown.
Evil Spirit #9: Transcendent Jizo
This spirit was created by cannibalizing the seven Jizo spirits that were sealed inside the Jizo statue that Yayoi destroyed. It's said to be a vicious evil spirit, but so far only its name has been revealed, and its abilities and background are unknown. It's said to be slightly stronger than the powerful graduates.
[Dark Gathering] Evil Spirits in Action
Here's a list of Yayoi's evil spirits that appear in Dark Gathering! In addition to the overly evil Pokémon battle elements, this game doesn't have a system where the evil spirits you have in your possession obey your commands if you have badges, so the evil spirits mercilessly try to kill the trainer are a unique and terrifying presence! This is a seriously scary horror film, so it may not be for everyone, but if you accept the evil Pokémon, I think it's a film that everyone can enjoy, so I highly recommend watching it!
