OVA
Description
Originally named Cho Gonou, this human was orphaned and raised by Catholic nuns. Socially awkward throughout childhood, he frightened other children. As an adult, he worked as a school teacher and lived with Kanan, unaware she was his twin sister separated in early childhood; they became romantically involved. Returning home one day, Gonou discovered villagers had sacrificed Kanan to the centipede demon Hyakuganmaou to save themselves. Imprisoned and raped, she was pregnant. Gonou slaughtered the villagers, the involved crow demons, and Hyakuganmaou's clan. Finding Kanan, she committed suicide using his dagger. Hyakuganmaou's son, Chin Yisou, attacked Gonou during this, slicing his abdomen and dripping demon blood into the wound. Exposure to this blood transformed Gonou into a demon; he killed Yisou before collapsing in a forest.
Near death, he was discovered by the half-demon Sha Gojyo, who aided him physically and urged him to find new purpose. Later, the priest Genjo Sanzo and his companion Son Goku, dispatched by the Buddhist Trinity to apprehend Gonou for his crimes, declared Cho Gonou dead instead of executing him. Sanzo bestowed the name Cho Hakkai, symbolizing rebirth. Hakkai joined Sanzo's group alongside Gojyo and Goku.
Hakkai presents a mild, polite, and level-headed demeanor, consistently maintaining a warm smile that masks deep-seated guilt, sorrow, and self-loathing. He avoids conflict, prioritizes his companions' well-being, and assumes domestic duties like cooking, cleaning, supply management, and mediating arguments. Despite his calm exterior, he possesses biting irony and reveals a darker, vengeful side when provoked by deep rage or the need to protect others. Highly observant and skilled at reading people, he excels at poker. He consumes large quantities of alcohol without intoxication.
His abilities center on kikou jutsu (chi manipulation), enabling energy wave projection, protective barriers, and wound healing—though it cannot restore lost blood. Proficient in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, his physical strength belies his lanky appearance. Three magitech limiters on his left ear suppress his demonic nature. Removing them transforms him: his hair lengthens, ears become pointed, fingernails turn into claws, vine-like markings cover his skin, and his left eye shifts to gold with a slit pupil while his prosthetic right eye remains unchanged. This form grants enhanced strength, speed, agility, and amplified chi manipulation; the markings can materialize into controllable vines binding targets across solid surfaces. The transformation carries significant risks. Susceptible to aggression-amplifying "minus waves," prolonged removal risks permanent insanity. He removed them only in dire situations: rescuing hostage-held Gojyo, confronting threats within a magical gourd, or stopping a berserk Goku during the "Even a Worm" arc—where he used his vines to conduct electricity through a human conduit to subdue Goku, nearly dying.
In the "Burial" arc, exploring events post-transformation and trial, Hakkai moved into Gojyo's home. Their shared traumas—Hakkai's loss of Kanan and Gojyo's abusive upbringing—forged a deep, unspoken bond. When an old acquaintance troubled Gojyo, Hakkai intervened, reinforcing their mutual reliance, highlighting his gradual emotional healing and commitment to his new life.
Hakkai owns a small white dragon, Hakuryuu, transforming into a green jeep for transportation. He wears glasses to improve vision in his prosthetic right eye and conceals a large abdominal scar with clothing. His past as the celestial deity Field Marshal Tenpou is acknowledged—a bookish military figure who defended those he cared for, traits carried into his current existence.
Near death, he was discovered by the half-demon Sha Gojyo, who aided him physically and urged him to find new purpose. Later, the priest Genjo Sanzo and his companion Son Goku, dispatched by the Buddhist Trinity to apprehend Gonou for his crimes, declared Cho Gonou dead instead of executing him. Sanzo bestowed the name Cho Hakkai, symbolizing rebirth. Hakkai joined Sanzo's group alongside Gojyo and Goku.
Hakkai presents a mild, polite, and level-headed demeanor, consistently maintaining a warm smile that masks deep-seated guilt, sorrow, and self-loathing. He avoids conflict, prioritizes his companions' well-being, and assumes domestic duties like cooking, cleaning, supply management, and mediating arguments. Despite his calm exterior, he possesses biting irony and reveals a darker, vengeful side when provoked by deep rage or the need to protect others. Highly observant and skilled at reading people, he excels at poker. He consumes large quantities of alcohol without intoxication.
His abilities center on kikou jutsu (chi manipulation), enabling energy wave projection, protective barriers, and wound healing—though it cannot restore lost blood. Proficient in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, his physical strength belies his lanky appearance. Three magitech limiters on his left ear suppress his demonic nature. Removing them transforms him: his hair lengthens, ears become pointed, fingernails turn into claws, vine-like markings cover his skin, and his left eye shifts to gold with a slit pupil while his prosthetic right eye remains unchanged. This form grants enhanced strength, speed, agility, and amplified chi manipulation; the markings can materialize into controllable vines binding targets across solid surfaces. The transformation carries significant risks. Susceptible to aggression-amplifying "minus waves," prolonged removal risks permanent insanity. He removed them only in dire situations: rescuing hostage-held Gojyo, confronting threats within a magical gourd, or stopping a berserk Goku during the "Even a Worm" arc—where he used his vines to conduct electricity through a human conduit to subdue Goku, nearly dying.
In the "Burial" arc, exploring events post-transformation and trial, Hakkai moved into Gojyo's home. Their shared traumas—Hakkai's loss of Kanan and Gojyo's abusive upbringing—forged a deep, unspoken bond. When an old acquaintance troubled Gojyo, Hakkai intervened, reinforcing their mutual reliance, highlighting his gradual emotional healing and commitment to his new life.
Hakkai owns a small white dragon, Hakuryuu, transforming into a green jeep for transportation. He wears glasses to improve vision in his prosthetic right eye and conceals a large abdominal scar with clothing. His past as the celestial deity Field Marshal Tenpou is acknowledged—a bookish military figure who defended those he cared for, traits carried into his current existence.