Of the many settings that appear in this work, "Monster Incidents," the most important element is undoubtedly the Life Stone. Although new settings are gradually revealed as the story progresses, it is still an element with many mysteries. The existence of the Life Stone is closely related to Natsuha's greatest goal of "reuniting with her parents," so you'll want to understand it before the anime airs! So, this time I would like to introduce the Life Stone, the most key item in Monster Incidents. This article dissects the Life Stone from various perspectives, including the settings mentioned in the work and the origins of the Life Stone, so be sure to take a look! !
Basic Settings of the Life Stone
First, let's explain the basic settings of the Life Stone. The Life Stone is a key item that plays the most important role in this work, so let's carefully go over each setting one by one, starting from the basics.
Kabane has it from the beginning
The Life Stone is a stone that Kabane has had since the beginning of the story. Kabane thought that he had been abandoned by his parents, but Inugami told him, "I won't let a child who is just going to throw it away have such an important stone," and it was this item that prompted Kabane to try to find his parents.
Iio and Inugami were also after it! ?
According to Iyu, the Life Stone "has the effect of quenching the thirst of monsters," and Iyu is attracted to this effect of the Life Stone and is working behind the scenes to steal it from Natsuha. Furthermore, in addition to Iyu, Inugami also seems to have been trying to obtain the Life Stone until just before he met Natsuha, and the fact that Inugami and Iyu, two of the most powerful people in the work, were aiming for it shows the importance of the Life Stone.
There are other similar stones! !
It has also been confirmed that there are other similar types of stones to the Life Stone, and that by attaching these stones together, a stone can become one level larger. Iyu's goal is not only to collect the Life Stone, but also to collect these stones, and he comes into fierce conflict with Natsuha, who is also collecting these stones. The main content of the Monster Incident is that the main characters Natsuha and Iyu fight over the stones.
Does having stones improve your abilities?
It has also been discovered that these stones, including the Meiketuseki, improve the abilities of certain people when they are possessed by them. In fact, Akira's older brothers Yui and Tamaki possessed their respective stones and were able to use special abilities.
Conflict with the Iyu Gang!!
In the story, Iio's gang and Natsuba clash over the Life Stone many times, and it accounts for many of the battle scenes in the Monster Incident. The conflict between Iio's gang and Natsuba over the Life Stone is the best part of the Monster Incident.
A gang full of unique personalities!!
In the story, many of Iku's subordinates with unique personalities appear in order to steal the life stone that the main character, Natsuha, has.
The unique enemy characters are also one of the charms!
There are many fans of Kemono Jihen who say, "I like one of Iiyu's subordinates the most!", so it can be said that one of the major features of Kemono Jihen is that there are many enemy characters with unique personalities.
Kon's betrayal
Among the many subordinates of Iyu who appear, Kon is probably the most popular. In the middle of the story, Kon becomes suspicious of Iyu's attitude towards him and decides to fight alongside Natsuha. His betrayal is also one of the most popular episodes depicted in the Monster Incidents.
Nobimaru's ambiguous position
Nobimaru, who appeared as Kon's successor, is also a popular character among the Iyu gang. Although he is an enemy of Natsuha, he is not always hostile, and there are scenes where he cooperates when cooperation is needed, making him a character with a slightly unique position, but that is why he is also a popular character among fans.
Iyu? Natsuha?
In any case, a direct confrontation between Iio, one of the most powerful characters in the series, and Natsuha has not yet been depicted, and it remains a mystery as to what kind of abilities Iio will use in battle. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of conflict Iio's gang and Natsuha will have over the Life Stone!
The origin of the life stone and the meaning of the magatama (jewel) in Japan
So far, we have introduced basic information about the life stone, but here we would like to introduce the life stone in more depth. There is a clear origin for the life stone, so we would like to explain that point in detail.
Magatama
The origin of the Life Stone that appears in Monster Incidents is probably the Magatama. Magatama is a stone that was used as a ritual tool in ancient Japan. As you can see from the photo, the shape is the same as the Life Stone, so there is no doubt that this Magatama is the origin of the Life Stone.
If you think about the ball (Magatama), the setting of the Life Stone will become clear!
The fact that magatama is the source material for the bright stone means that we can further consider the role of the life stone by researching what role magatama played in ancient Japan. Here, I would like to explain magatama using the example of Urashima Taro.
The original meaning of "Magatama" as seen in Urashima Taro
The most obvious example to explain what magatama and jewels mean in Japan is the legend of Urashima Taro. Many people probably understand the story of Urashima Taro, but did you know that the story we know is not the original story?
The original Urashima Taro and the "jewel"
The story of Urashima Taro is said to be that Urashima Taro received a "jewel box" from Princess Otohime and returned to land, but did you know that in the original story of Urashima Taro, what Urashima Taro received from Princess Otohime was not a "jewel" but just a "jewel"? By understanding the fact that what Urashima Taro received was not a "jewel" but just a "jewel", I think it will be easier to understand what role jewels played in ancient Japan.
The original meaning of the jewel
In ancient Japan, jewels were thought to be something that was taken when invading new lands or territories. When Urashima Taro received the "jewel" from Princess Otohime, it was a ceremony to prove that he had traveled to a place far away from the territory where he originally lived.
Those who rule
For this reason, in ancient Japan, "jewels" or "magatama" had a strong connotation of being something brought back as spoils when invading other lands, and the fact that magatama is included in the three sacred treasures owned by the emperor is said to be evidence of the emperor's role as a ruler who occupied many lands in ancient Japan. In other words, those who possess "jewels" are the rulers of that land.
The setting of the Life Stone as seen from there
With all this information in mind, you'll understand why Iyuu is so keen to collect stones such as the Life Stone. It also fits well with Iyuu's interpretation that collecting stones such as the Life Stone will allow him to "contain the world." In any case, we can see that the idea that the Life Stone and similar stones have power, and that possessing them will give you great influence over the world, comes from the Japanese idea of "magatama (jewel)."
The close link between this work and reality
In this way, the settings that appear in all works are often created based on actual events or things, and by researching the source of the setting, you can consider what kind of setting the author has in mind.
The mystery of the Life Stone will soon be revealed! !
Now that we've introduced the origins of the Life Stone, we'd like to introduce the mysteries of the Life Stone that remain to be revealed, which will be revealed in the future.
Only Natsuha doesn't power up!?
One of the mysteries surrounding the Life Stone is that Natsuha's abilities have not been strengthened despite her possession of the Life Stone. Many people believe that Natsuha's abilities are already high and therefore do not need to be strengthened, but while most of the stone owners who appear in the story have improved in ability, Natsuha's abilities have hardly changed at all. If Natsuha were to be strengthened by the stone, wouldn't she be able to become a character with the ultimate fighting ability that even Iyu could not handle?
The Life Stone is Shiki (Kula)! ?
One of the reasons why Kemono's abilities do not increase is thought to be that the Life Stone is actually a Shiki (Kula). There is no confirmed information on this matter, but as the story progresses, it seems almost certain. If this is true, who is the Shiki (Kula) that is the source of the Life Stone? Are they Kemono's parents? Either way, there is no doubt that they will be a person who will have a major impact on the story.
Life Stone and Monster Incidents
It is also revealed in the story that the Life Stone is closely related to the Monster Incidents. As more is revealed about the Life Stone, more is revealed about the "Monster Incidents," a war between humans and monsters that occurred in the past, so it seems likely that the mystery of the Life Stone and the Monster Incidents will be closely related in future developments.
The stone that controlled the monster incident
It is revealed in the story that the Life Stone was created to contain the "Monster Incident," a war between humans and monsters that occurred in the past. Since "Monster Incident" is the title of the work, the relationship between the "Monster Incident," a key event in the work, and the "Life Stone" will undoubtedly be an important factor in unraveling the story's future developments.
Why the foreign monster Kula?
However, there is also a mystery as to why "the monster that became the source of the life stone that contained the Monster Incident was a foreign monster called Kula?" Looking at the depiction in the story, the "Monster Incident" happened a long time ago, and human movement was not as active as it is today, so monsters should not have been able to move between regions as actively. In fact, Tazaburou, the leader of the tanuki in Shikoku, also stated that he had never seen a "Kula" (although it is later revealed that this is a lie). I think that these mysteries will be revealed as the story progresses, so I would like to keep an eye on it in the future!
Summary
What did you think? This time we introduced the Life Stone, the most important item that appears in the Monster Incident! The fact that we can talk so much about just one thing, the Life Stone, shows the depth of the story of the Monster Incident. We have also summarized many other elements besides the Life Stone on Anime Mill, so please take a look at those as well!
