TV-Series
Description
Ouni is a sixteen-year-old boy living aboard the Mud Whale, the enormous drifting vessel at the center of Children of the Whales. He is one of the Marked, meaning he possesses thymia, the emotion-driven power that allows its users to move and manipulate objects, and like all Marked people he is fated to live a short life. He serves as the leader of the Moles, a group of young rule-breakers who constantly defy the laws of the island. He is known throughout the Mud Whale as the most powerful thymia user among its residents, possessing a raw and volatile strength that even the elders find frightening.
Ouni's origins are mysterious. He appeared on the Mud Whale with no known parents or ties to any established family, and he grew up as something of an outsider. As a child, he was thrown into the belly of the ship as punishment after a fight with another boy, Nibi. There, Nibi offered him friendship and promised to help him achieve his dream of seeing the world beyond the Mud Whale. That encounter gave Ouni a sense of purpose, and the group of friends that formed around them eventually became the Moles. It is later revealed that Ouni is a daimonas, a being created on the Mud Whale from the emotions of the village leader Taisha and her love for the island. His aura is identical to that of Miden, an earlier daimonas, which connects him directly to the ship's hidden past.
In personality, Ouni comes across as aloof, cynical, and rebellious. He is obsessed with escaping the Mud Whale, which he sees as a prison for people destined to die young. Beneath his defiant exterior, however, he cares deeply for those around him. He treasures his fellow Moles and acts as their unofficial guardian, and he longs for connection and acceptance. Because of his unusual nature, he fears being rejected by the people he wants to protect; a hallucination inflicted by a Nous, in which Nibi claims he would never have befriended Ouni had he known the truth, devastates him and exposes his insecurity. He also has a creative side and an eye for style, and the island's residents regard him as the most beautiful and fashionable person on the Mud Whale.
Ouni's role in the story grows from troublemaker to protector. At first he is skeptical of the archivist Chakuro, but he gradually comes to respect the boy's resolve and becomes a vital ally during the attacks by the Allied Empire, even joining a mission that sneaks onto an enemy ship. He clashes repeatedly with the imperial soldier Liontari, as the two are the strongest warriors on their respective sides. His journey is marked by tragic realizations, as the freedom he sought outside the Mud Whale turns out to be full of even greater violence. Eventually he steps into a leadership role, using his immense power to defend the home he once despised, and he becomes a soldier in the forces of Amonlogia in the fight against the Empire.
His most important relationship is with Nibi, his best friend and the person closest to him. Nibi gave him a reason to live, and after Nibi's death Ouni cries for the first time, saying that without him he would never have found a purpose. He is initially distant from Suou, the island's new leader, but over time the two develop mutual respect and friendship. He resents the vigilante captain Shuan at first, especially when Shuan draws attention to his identity as a daimonas, but they later form a bond through their shared experience. The childhood friend Kicha cares for him deeply, though her feelings are one-sided. He harbors intense hatred for the imperial commander Orca, who manipulated his nature, defeated him, and took him captive.
In terms of ability, Ouni's thymia is stronger than that of any other Marked resident. Normal thymia is limited to indirect effects such as pulling a heavy bow or correcting aim, but Ouni's power can directly destroy and slice through objects, and he is said to be capable of wrecking multiple warships on his own. Uniquely, he can activate thymia in the Hysteron, the inner womb area of the Mud Whale where the power is ordinarily unusable, which leads imperial forces to fear him as a daimonas. Using thymia in that space comes at a cost: afterwards he loses the ability to use thymia, and strange marks gradually spread across his body. Small white, puffball-like creatures that glow in the dark, known as mud moths, are often seen floating near him.
Ouni's origins are mysterious. He appeared on the Mud Whale with no known parents or ties to any established family, and he grew up as something of an outsider. As a child, he was thrown into the belly of the ship as punishment after a fight with another boy, Nibi. There, Nibi offered him friendship and promised to help him achieve his dream of seeing the world beyond the Mud Whale. That encounter gave Ouni a sense of purpose, and the group of friends that formed around them eventually became the Moles. It is later revealed that Ouni is a daimonas, a being created on the Mud Whale from the emotions of the village leader Taisha and her love for the island. His aura is identical to that of Miden, an earlier daimonas, which connects him directly to the ship's hidden past.
In personality, Ouni comes across as aloof, cynical, and rebellious. He is obsessed with escaping the Mud Whale, which he sees as a prison for people destined to die young. Beneath his defiant exterior, however, he cares deeply for those around him. He treasures his fellow Moles and acts as their unofficial guardian, and he longs for connection and acceptance. Because of his unusual nature, he fears being rejected by the people he wants to protect; a hallucination inflicted by a Nous, in which Nibi claims he would never have befriended Ouni had he known the truth, devastates him and exposes his insecurity. He also has a creative side and an eye for style, and the island's residents regard him as the most beautiful and fashionable person on the Mud Whale.
Ouni's role in the story grows from troublemaker to protector. At first he is skeptical of the archivist Chakuro, but he gradually comes to respect the boy's resolve and becomes a vital ally during the attacks by the Allied Empire, even joining a mission that sneaks onto an enemy ship. He clashes repeatedly with the imperial soldier Liontari, as the two are the strongest warriors on their respective sides. His journey is marked by tragic realizations, as the freedom he sought outside the Mud Whale turns out to be full of even greater violence. Eventually he steps into a leadership role, using his immense power to defend the home he once despised, and he becomes a soldier in the forces of Amonlogia in the fight against the Empire.
His most important relationship is with Nibi, his best friend and the person closest to him. Nibi gave him a reason to live, and after Nibi's death Ouni cries for the first time, saying that without him he would never have found a purpose. He is initially distant from Suou, the island's new leader, but over time the two develop mutual respect and friendship. He resents the vigilante captain Shuan at first, especially when Shuan draws attention to his identity as a daimonas, but they later form a bond through their shared experience. The childhood friend Kicha cares for him deeply, though her feelings are one-sided. He harbors intense hatred for the imperial commander Orca, who manipulated his nature, defeated him, and took him captive.
In terms of ability, Ouni's thymia is stronger than that of any other Marked resident. Normal thymia is limited to indirect effects such as pulling a heavy bow or correcting aim, but Ouni's power can directly destroy and slice through objects, and he is said to be capable of wrecking multiple warships on his own. Uniquely, he can activate thymia in the Hysteron, the inner womb area of the Mud Whale where the power is ordinarily unusable, which leads imperial forces to fear him as a daimonas. Using thymia in that space comes at a cost: afterwards he loses the ability to use thymia, and strange marks gradually spread across his body. Small white, puffball-like creatures that glow in the dark, known as mud moths, are often seen floating near him.