TV-Series
Description
Natsume is a young girl who appears in the Mermaid Saga story arc known as The Ash Princess. She died during the Sengoku period at approximately twelve years of age. Her father, overcome with grief, sought the help of a Buddhist monk, who performed the Hangon revival ritual on her bones using a mermaid’s liver. Because the liver was used, Natsume not only returned to life but also became immortal, regenerating from wounds at an accelerated rate. However, the procedure left her with an uncontrollable craving for liver, driving her to consume the livers of animals and even humans.
In the story, Natsume travels with her father, who sells ordinary fish while claiming it is mermaid flesh. She is actually a reincarnated corpse composed of her original bones and the mermaid liver. The monk who revived her later comes to view his act as unnatural and vows to send Natsume back to her grave, hunting her and her father. When the immortal Yuta encounters them, Natsume quickly forms an attachment to him and asks to travel with him.
Personality-wise, Natsume is portrayed as kind and compassionate despite her tragic circumstances. She is drawn to others who have been touched by the mermaid curse and shows empathy toward them. Her immortality, however, is a heavy burden; she has lived for centuries while watching those around her age and die, leaving her deeply lonely. She carries a sense of duty to help others in similar situations. Her craving for liver often overrides her will, creating a constant internal struggle between her gentle nature and the violent urges imposed by her resurrection.
Her role in the story is that of a tragic figure who illustrates the destructive consequences of mermaid immortality. Her relationship with her father is one of mutual protection, as he tries to shield her from the monk. With Yuta, she forms a brief but meaningful connection, seeing in him a kindred immortal soul. Natsume’s development is marked by her acceptance of her fate; in the end, she is killed by the monk, who tears out her liver, and she dies permanently, her body turning to bones. Her final act is to say goodbye to Yuta, showing a measure of peace with her death.
Notable abilities include her immortality, which allows her to heal rapidly from any injury, and an enhanced sense that compels her to seek out and consume liver, a side effect of the Hangon ritual. She does not possess any combat skills beyond those of an ordinary child, but her regenerative ability makes her difficult to kill.
In the story, Natsume travels with her father, who sells ordinary fish while claiming it is mermaid flesh. She is actually a reincarnated corpse composed of her original bones and the mermaid liver. The monk who revived her later comes to view his act as unnatural and vows to send Natsume back to her grave, hunting her and her father. When the immortal Yuta encounters them, Natsume quickly forms an attachment to him and asks to travel with him.
Personality-wise, Natsume is portrayed as kind and compassionate despite her tragic circumstances. She is drawn to others who have been touched by the mermaid curse and shows empathy toward them. Her immortality, however, is a heavy burden; she has lived for centuries while watching those around her age and die, leaving her deeply lonely. She carries a sense of duty to help others in similar situations. Her craving for liver often overrides her will, creating a constant internal struggle between her gentle nature and the violent urges imposed by her resurrection.
Her role in the story is that of a tragic figure who illustrates the destructive consequences of mermaid immortality. Her relationship with her father is one of mutual protection, as he tries to shield her from the monk. With Yuta, she forms a brief but meaningful connection, seeing in him a kindred immortal soul. Natsume’s development is marked by her acceptance of her fate; in the end, she is killed by the monk, who tears out her liver, and she dies permanently, her body turning to bones. Her final act is to say goodbye to Yuta, showing a measure of peace with her death.
Notable abilities include her immortality, which allows her to heal rapidly from any injury, and an enhanced sense that compels her to seek out and consume liver, a side effect of the Hangon ritual. She does not possess any combat skills beyond those of an ordinary child, but her regenerative ability makes her difficult to kill.