Fast as the wind and mighty as thunder, he is an intrepid man with Oni blood running through his veins.
—Official Character Introduction[1]
Personality
The first and greatest head of the Arataki Gang, famed throughout Inazuma City's Hanamizaka... Wait, what? You've never heard of them? Are you trying to be funny here?
—In-game character attributes and profile page text
Despite appearing as "mean and overbearing," Itto is a kind soul at heart, apart from trying to pick a fight with Kujou Sara at every possible opportunity. He is not particularly intelligent, but can put in the effort when asked of him. He is respected by his gang and mostly liked by Inazuma City's people, especially children, but is at odds with the Tenryou Commission despite his mostly harmless antics and pranks.
Itto takes pride in his oni heritage and does not like those who discriminate his kind. He appreciates the sacrifice made by his blue oni brethren for ensuring that oni could be accepted into human society in the present day, even wanting to share the results with them as thanks for their efforts. He always remembers the age-old pact between the oni tribes and never uses his strength for malicious purposes, refusing to terrorize humans and steal rewards that he hadn't claimed legitimately. Due to this pride, he is extremely competitive,[2] although he knows when to concede.[3]
Itto also has a habit of making names on the go and maintaining his appearance no matter how severe the weather can be. Despite only being part-oni, Itto is extremely allergic to beans; making contact with one can cause significant shock, while consuming them can cause him to be bedridden for prolonged periods of time.[4]
Appearance
Itto uses the tall male model. He has white spiked hair with pale red streaks that goes down to his back. As an oni, he has two red horns on his forehead. Itto also has eyes that fade from red to yellow and diamond-shaped pupils and has pointed ears. His face is painted with red makeup which extends from his upper eyelid to this lower eyelid, and numerous parts of his body, arms and head are also painted with red lines.
Official Introduction
Hello, I'm Kuki Shinobu, deputy of the Arataki Gang. I handle the affairs of the gang. If you come across any inappropriate behavior on the part of our boss, Arataki Itto, please contact me immediately. Here is my business card.
Fast as the wind and mighty as thunder, he is an intrepid man with Oni blood running through his veins.
His key traits would be his striking horns and piercing voice that never goes unnoticed.
He is an untamed soul who is wild and free, that even a person with the boldest imagination can be surprised by him.
His heroic spirit and ardent heart guide him wherever he goes.
His happiness is exuberant in each and every passing moment!
Have you heard of the Arataki Gang before?
No? No problem, from today on, we are now acquainted. We are the Arataki Gang of Hanamizaka. Of course, you must be introduced to our most prominent leader: Arataki Itto!
Character Stories
Character Details
While walking through Hanamizaka, it is hard not to notice a young man of the oni race named Arataki Itto.
Never mind his horns or piercing voice sticking out like sore thumbs — the sight of him enthusiastically joining in to play childrens' games is enough to set him apart from the crowd.
In any case, his obvious lack of things to do stands in stark contrast to Hanamizaka itself, where craftspeople gather in droves and busy themselves all day long.
Itto claims to be the "first and greatest head of the Arataki Gang," the responsibilities and duties of which he tried to explain to some Tenryou Commission officials when they came to him to investigate a rather harmless street brawl. Unfortunately, they interrupted him not two minutes into the explanation before marking him down as "unemployed."
That designation is not exactly accurate, of course: other than the Gang's activities, which the Shogunate does not acknowledge, Itto does also do some odd jobs to stay solvent, usually working one day before taking three days off.
As such, a more accurate designation should have been "three-quarters unemployed."
Character Story 1
Friendship Lv. 2
Objectively speaking, Itto's reputation leaves much to be desired within Inazuma City.
Even though he is not considered a villain, he is certainly no law-abiding citizen either. If one really had to assign some sort of hazard level to him, then perhaps the level of being used by parents to keep naughty children in line ("If you don't behave, Arataki Itto will come and snatch your snacks away!" for example) might suffice.
That said, unlike threats of "the Great Mujina Youkai grabbing you and taking you deep into the mountains," or "being inlaid upon the Shogun's statue," the scenario threatened here can actually occur.
Still, "snatching" is, again, not accurate, for the fate of these snacks is decided fair and square by ritual combat!
In the eyes of many, winning snacks off kids in competitions is exceedingly shameless, but Itto believes that every battle must be taken seriously, whether one's foe is a 5-year old child or the Almighty Shogun herself.
It is also due to this conviction that Itto can lose to a child without any reservations at all.
And while the adults have much to say about his behavior, the children find Itto the big oni to be a rather good playmate.
He is knowledgeable about all manner of street games and plays them all with great gusto. He also stands up for any who are being bullied.
Lately, the children have been very into Onikabuto battles against Itto.
The rules of this game are simple and the fighting is both fierce and very watchable. Most importantly of all, they actually have a pretty decent chance of winning this one, unlike with other games.
Character Story 2
Friendship Lv. 3
For the longest time, the Tenryou Commission has regarded the Arataki Gang as a group of only occasional troublemakers who do not require that much attention.
This group only has less than 10 regular members and there are many internal disagreements concerning the date of its founding.
Akira believes that it all began when Itto saved him from a few two-bit ruffians. That day, Itto persisted even after having been knocked to the ground 7 times, ultimately causing the punks to back off in annoyance. Helping Akira up from the ground, Itto declared: "Well, guess you're with the Arataki Gang now!"
Genta and Mamoru believe that the Gang was truly founded at the end of a certain year when they all squatted on the outskirts of Inazuma City and roasted Lavender Melons.
That day, not one of them had a single Mora to their name, and they were all very hungry indeed. While gorging himself on a melon, Itto said with a sigh, "We should roast Lavender Melons like this every year!"
That said, neither Genta nor Mamoru thinks that these experiences need much memorializing.
For Kuki Shinobu, the Gang was officially formed the first time she had to drag Itto's sorry behind out of Shogunate gaol, for this was the first time any official records had ever made mention of the Arataki Gang.
As for Itto, he believes that the Arataki Gang existed from the first moment those words entered his mind.
Unfortunately, he no longer remembers when that was.
And as for Granny Oni, who has taken care of Itto since he was young, she believes that the Gang was never formed.
To her, these children are just "Itto and his friends."
Character Story 3
Friendship Lv. 4
The land of Inazuma has been home to the oni race since antiquity.
They existed here alongside the lordly Hakushin kitsune bloodline and the tengu.
Such youkai often have supernatural abilities that humans could only look upon in envy, but the oni lack many special traits in that regard.
Other than the horns on their heads, they are mostly remembered for their explosive tempers and penchant for making trouble.
As for their legendary fear of beans, it has a scientific basis.
As it turns out, oni are allergic to beans. However, because the oni bloodline has thinned out greatly over time, most people display only very minor allergic reactions.
Unfortunately for Itto, his allergies are still pretty severe. Forget eating beans, so long as he makes skin contact with them, Itto will get itchy all over and even find it hard to breathe.
This thus makes beans the only thing that the usually carefree Itto is particularly wary of in his daily life.
For their part, the Arataki Gang members do not order any dishes made with beans, not even in private, as a mark of respect for him.
Of all products made with beans, Itto fears Fried Tofu the most — indeed, he even says that the very sight of it leaves him feeling queasy for three days straight.
Character Story 4
Friendship Lv. 5
And when one mentions Fried Tofu, a certain pyrrhic victory immediately comes to mind.
The battle that caused that incident began as a rather pedestrian conflict: a fox-eared lady had happened to sit in the chair that Itto would customarily sit on while eating at his favorite food stand... and on his payday, no less.
The two began a contest of words over whom the chair belonged to, culminating in a straight-up (unnecessary) battle.
Itto, hungry from a hard day's work, chose an eating contest, while the fox-eared lady chose a theme of "kitsune ramen."
Itto was momentarily at a loss when he realized that said ramen contained Fried Tofu, but with the oni race's pride on the line, he soldiered on gamely en route to victory nonetheless.
And as for that innocent chair, it was ultimately given to Itto as a trophy by the rather mortified owner of the food stand.
Regarding the various contests he has been in, there are two that still weigh on Itto's mind quite heavily.
One of them is the rematch that he demanded of Kujou Sara, who defeated him and took his Vision as part of her duties in the Tenryou Commission.
To this day, the Kujou has not agreed to the street corner sumo match, something that frustrates Itto to no end.
The other incident happened many years ago when Itto was young. Then, he had gotten into an argument with a young tengu, the result of which was a sumo match in the Byakko Plain. Unexpectedly, the ensuing furor sent them both rolling down a mountain.
In the end, it was the tengu who carried Itto, who could not walk after spraining his ankle, all the way home. Of course, the match went unsettled.
Just his luck, Itto often thinks, that both such incidents had to do with tengu!
Also, how on earth were these tengu all so strong despite looking so skinny?
Character Story 5
Friendship Lv. 6 • 
Rise Up, Golden Soul
Every oni child has probably heard the story of the Crimson Oni and the Blue Oni:
The gentle, helpful Crimson Oni defeated the wicked Blue Oni, thus winning the respect of the humans.
This was Itto's favorite story when he was young, and he was proud of his red oni horns and his Crimson Oni lineage.
However, this simple pride was shaken by a certain incident.
When incidents of robbery occurred in the village in which Itto lived, the Arataki family fell under suspicion on account of their oni heritage.
Itto no longer remembers the details of that incident, but he remembers the wary, disgusted stares the villagers gave him and his parents as they left, and the parting words they said, which Itto has heard countless times since:
"Once an oni, always an oni."
No matter the time period, all oni are the same as far as humans are concerned. In that case, would it not be better to become the Blue Oni, whom people feared? Surely that was preferable to being like his parents, who were driven out despite having done nothing wrong.
After his parents died of illness, the young Itto was turned out onto the streets, where he would lay into anyone who spoke ill of the oni race.
Well, Itto was mostly the one getting laid into. But he proved quite the pain in the neck, never giving up no matter how many times they knocked him down.
Still, he was only a child and eventually collapsed on the street due to exhaustion and hunger after a terrible round of beatings at the hands of some ruffians who had banded together against him.
At this moment of crisis, Itto was saved by an old human woman.
"Why did you save me? Can't you see that I'm an oni?" "You must be hungry. Come, I've made some porridge."
"I told you, I'm an oni! Can't you see them horns?" "Oh, I can see them. Do you want some of that porridge, by the way?"
"Agh, you know what, you're not listening to me at all. Oh, alright... One bowl of porridge, please." "Coming right up."
The Great Singalong
Friendship Lv. 4
As the year was drawing to a close, the Arataki Gang met to discuss how they might celebrate the turnover of the year.
As opposed to more reputable organizations, the Arataki Gang did not have any fixed venues to hold their activities, which posed some... logistical issues.
The Lavender Melon suggestion was quickly eliminated. While roasting melons itself was certainly not an issue, eating only that to celebrate the new year certainly was.
An Onikabuto festival was considered, but the year's end was not mating season, and so the contestants would not be half as motivated as they usually were.
Ultimately, lots were drawn, and the "Great Singalong" was selected.
This activity was suggested by Itto himself, and it entailed everyone standing on a cliff and singing against the ocean wind to express their innermost feelings and well-wishes for the future.
The various gang members actually rejected this in their hearts when they found out about it. After all, screaming into the wind was nowhere near as fun as eating melons. Kuki Shinobu even indicated that she would like to take leave to return home on that day.
However, the event went through nonetheless. The yelling and hollering were indeed quite soothing for the soul — and as things unexpectedly turned out, Itto was quite the good singer as well.
Vision
Friendship Lv. 6
Itto's Vision was something he found under his hip after waking up one morning. By that point, he had already been in Hanamizaka for many a year, and his livelihood was at least somewhat stable.
"Well I never! Dad, Mom, Gramps, Granny, and Granny Oni, this... Now isn't this something?"
These were Itto's real thoughts as he first looked upon his Vision.
That day, he would excitedly show his Vision to every person he met, even showing people where it had made an indentation on his back until everyone was thoroughly sick of hearing the story.
A few days later, however, the story would change a little:
"Now as you know, I wasn't surprised at all when I first saw that Vision. I mean, you'd expect as much out of the first and greatest head of the Arataki Gang, after all!"
"More importantly, a person's worth isn't something that can be determined by a mere Vision, oh no, sir!"
The keen-eyed, however, would notice that Itto had bought a very soft spectacle cloth.
Also, a certain question showed up in the advice column of the "That's Life" magazine that went like this:
"Ms. Hina, how should I best take care of my Vision and make it shinier? And when I say 'shinier,' I mean shinier than everyone else's, of course!"
When gang members read this and excitedly showed the magazine to Itto, they were surprised to see the long-time fan of Ms. Hina just look at the mag casually before laying it aside.
Namecard
| Itto: Oni Face | |
|---|---|
|
Obtain: Reward for reaching Friendship Level 10 with Arataki Itto Description: A real man puts sorrow and anger behind him and smiles brightly for the world to see! |
Constellation
| Taurus Iracundus | |
|---|---|
 | Story Chapter: Taurus Iracundus Meaning: Raging Bull |
Quests and Events
Archon Quests
Story Quests
Hangout Events
Events
- Hues of the Violet Garden
- The Almighty Arataki Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival
- Akitsu Kimodameshi
- Part I: Test of Courage
- Part II: Haunted Tales
- Part III: The Currents of Life
- Almighty Arataki Extraordinary and Exhilarating Extreme Beetle Brawl
- Duel! The Summoners' Summit!
- Round 3: Cards Out! Grievances Begone
- Arataki Blazing Armor Beetle Battle Boot Camp
- Receiver of Friends From Afar
- Iridescent Arataki Rockin' for Life Tour de Force of Awesomeness
Web Events
Character Trials
Quests
- The Oni's Pride in Arataki Itto's Story Quest, Taurus Iracundus Chapter: Act I - Rise Up, Golden Soul
Quest Domains
- Crumbling Guilt — The Oni's Pride in Arataki Itto's Story Quest, Taurus Iracundus Chapter: Act I - Rise Up, Golden Soul
Events
- Hyakunin Ikki 2022-03-18
- Vibro-Crystal Research
- Perilous Trail
- Tablet Analytics
- Misty Dungeon: Realm of Sand
- Fayz Trials: Hypothesis
- The Great Fayz Reaction Debate
Test Run Events
- Itto, Gorou — 2021-12-14
- Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu, Chongyun, Gorou — 2022-06-21
- Wanderer, Arataki Itto, Faruzan, Gorou, Yanfei — 2022-12-07
- Chiori, Arataki Itto, Gorou, Yun Jin, Dori — 2024-03-13
Character Mentions
Character Stories
| Character | Stories |
|---|---|
| As "the young oni": | |
Character Voice-Overs
| Character | Voice-Overs |
|---|---|
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Mails
| Sender | Mails |
|---|---|
| |
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- News Flash! It's! My! Birthday! Today! (2022-06-01)
- Cheer Up, Compadre! (2023-06-01)
- Genius? More Like Ingenious! (2024-06-01)
History
Trivia
- Arataki Itto is known by these aliases or titles (most of which were invented by himself):
- Arataki "A Vision Returned" Itto[5]
- Arataki "Above All, Bold-Blooded" Itto[6]
- Arataki "Beetle Gladiator" Itto[7]
- Arataki "Burning Passion for Battle" Itto[5]
- Arataki "He Might Lose but He'll Never Admit Defeatto"[7]
- Arataki "Live Long and Prosper" Itto[8]
- Arataki "No Prison Food For Me" Itto[9]
- Arataki "Number One Gourmet" Itto[10]
- Arataki "Numero Uno Idioso" (by Paimon)[11]
- Arataki "Numero Uno" Itto[12]
- Arataki "The First" Itto[13]
- Arataki "The Man" Itto[14]
- Arataki "The One and Oni" Itto[7]
- Arataki "The Oni Sumo King" Itto[7][15]
- Arataki "The Pride of Oni" Itto[7]
- Arataki "The Strongest" Itto[16]
- Arataki "The Supreme" Itto[17]
- Arataki "The Ultimate TCG Champion" Itto[7]
- Arataki "The Unbeaten Troublemaker" Itto[18]
- Arataki "The Undefeated" Itto[9]
- Arataki "To the Victor Go the Spoils" Itto[9]
- Bull-Chucker (by Paimon)[19]
- Kid (by Yelan)
- King Arataki[20]
- Boss (by Kuki Shinobu)
- Mr. Arataki (by Kuki Shinobu)
- Prince of Mischief (by himself)[21]
- Arataki Shmeetoe (alias)[21]
- Crimson Oni (by Kujou Sara)[15]
- Bona-Fide Beetle Battle King (by Kamisato Ayato)[22]
- Oni King[23]
- Itto's (and by extension, all Onis') allergic reaction to fried tofu/bean products is a reference to the Japanese tradition of mamemaki celebrated during Setsubun, in which beans are thrown at people wearing oni (or demon) masks to purify the household for the upcoming year.
- Itto's voice-overs "More About Itto: II" and "Least Favorite Food" indicate that the people of Inazuma also partake in mamemaki, but for all minor life events instead.
- Itto is a half-blooded oni due to the oni blood thinning over time as a result of oni integrating with humans, as the original onis' skin were fully blue or crimson, although this has not spared him from an extremely allergic response to beans.
- Both Itto and Paimon share the same birthday, being June 1, International Day for Protection of Children. It is widely celebrated in countries such as Armenia, Burma, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Russia and Portugal, where it is considered a national holiday, and fairs are even hosted for children. The two characters having this birthday date might relate to their childlike nature, and how both are good at handling children.
- Itto is the first Claymore-wielding character to have a unique Charged Attack animation (with no stacks of Superlative Superstrength); rather than performing a spinning or combo sequence, Itto makes a singular spin with his claymore.
- Arataki Itto is mentioned in the description of the following Furnishing:
- Itto's attire, red markings, and Elemental Burst cutscene are heavily inspired by kabuki.
Etymology
- His family name (Japanese: 荒瀧 Arataki) means "rough rapids" and implies that he is a descendant of Arataki of the Front Gate; whereas the kanji in his given name (Japanese: 一斗 Itto) means "one dipper."
- The Japanese name of his constellation (Japanese: 天ノ牛座 Ten no Ushi-za) literally means the "Heavenly Ox constellation."
- The Chinese name of his constellation (Chinese: 天牛座 Tiānniú Zuò) may also be a reference to the longhorn beetle family Cerambycidae, which translates to 天牛科.
- Considering his constellation names in Latin and Japanese, Arataki Itto may be inspired by the half-Shinto half-Buddhist deity Gozu Ten'nou (also known as Gion Tenjin), literally meaning "Ox-Headed Heavenly King," who is said to serve as the guardian of Jetavana (Gion Shouja in Japanese), a holy Buddhist site in India. He is often identified with the raging storm kami Susanoo in Shinto and the Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru in Buddhism.
- His main shrine is Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto. The shrine is best known for the Gion Festival, one of the most important and largest festivals in Japan, and Gion, an entertainment district where most of geisha in Kyoto are working. These may account for Itto's unorthodox and frank nature.
- Minami-za, the oldest extant kabuki theater that was founded in 1610, is also located in Gion. This may have influenced Itto's vigorous, kabuki-esque costume, most notably kumadori, or red makeup in his face.
- Japanese Buddhist legends have an ox-headed oni called Gozu (inspired by Niutou in the Chinese mythology), who serves as a jailer of the underworld. Although Gozu Ten'nou and Gozu are different entities in the real mythology, the similarity in their names and iconography may explain Itto's oni heritage.
- In the introduction of the late 13th century Japanese historical epic The Tale of the Heike (Japanese: 平家物語 Heike Monogatari), Jetavana and the Sacred Sal Trees, whose Japanese name is the Sara Souju (Japanese: 裟羅双樹), are co-revered as the symbols of transience and impermanence. This may have inspired Itto's rivalry and friendship with Kujou Sara.
- Another important heavenly bull in the Japanese mythology is the divine animal servant of Tenjin, the god of academics and thunder, although it does not seem to have much in common with Itto.
- His Japanese constellation name may be also a reference to the Bull of Heaven in Mesopotamian mythology, which was identified with the constellation Taurus.
- His Latin constellation name, Taurus Iracundus, can translate to "Raging Bull"; the ring name of American professional boxer Jake LaMotta, who was known for his rough fighting style and reputation as a "bully" in the ring.
Other Languages
Character Title: Hanamizaka Heroics
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Hanamizaka Heroics | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 花坂豪快 Huābǎn Háokuài | Flower Slope Heroics[※][※] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 花坂豪快 Huābǎn Háokuài | |
| Japanese | 花坂豪快 Hanasaka Goukai[!][!] | Flower Slope Heroics[• 1] |
| Korean | 하나미자카 쾌걸쾌걸 Hanamijaka Kwaegeol | Hanamizaka Hero |
| Spanish | El Héroe de Hanamizaka | The Hero From Hanamizaka |
| French | Héros de Hanamizaka | Hanamizaka Hero |
| Russian | Герой Ханамидзаки Geroy Khanamidzaki | Hero of Hanamizaka |
| Thai | ขาใหญ่ประจำ Hanamizaka Kha Yai Pracham Hanamizaka | Gangster in Hanamizaka[• 2] |
| Vietnamese | Quái Kiệt Hanamizaka | Hanamizaka Hero |
| German | Held von Hanamizaka | Hero of Hanamizaka |
| Indonesian | Hanamizaka Heroics | — |
| Portuguese | Heroísmo de Hanamizaka | Heroics of Hanamizaka |
| Turkish | Hanamizaka Kahramanlığı | |
| Italian | Eroe di Hanamizaka | Hanamizaka's Hero |
- ↑ Japanese: 花坂 Hanasaka seems to be shortened from 花見坂 Hanamizaka.
- ↑ Thai: The word ขาใหญ่ Kha Yai is the slang word of "Gangster" or "Locals."
References
- ↑ Twitter: Official Character Introduction
- ↑ Yoimiya's Voice-Over: About Arataki Itto: Duels
- ↑ Kujou Sara's Voice-Over: About Arataki Itto
- ↑ Arataki Itto's Voice-Over: About the Lady with Fox Ears
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Point of Interest, Ritou Harbor Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto vs. Kujou Tengu II
- ↑ Event Hues of the Violet Garden World Quest, Festival Deeds: Part II: About That Time We Saved the Tanuki Photo Board
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Arataki Itto's Voice-Over: Hello
- ↑ Birthday Mail: Arataki Itto (2022)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Point of Interest, Hanamizaka Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu
- ↑ Food: Way of the Strong
- ↑ Event Duel! The Summoners' Summit! Quest: Round 3, Part 1: Cards Out! Grievances Begone
- ↑ Arataki Itto's Voice-Over: Chat: Itto's Here
- ↑ Point of Interest, Hanamizaka Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto vs. Kujou Tengu
- ↑ Point of Interest, Hanamizaka Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto vs. Kujou Tengu II
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Point of Interest, Ritou Harbor Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto vs. Kujou Tengu I
- ↑ Point of Interest, Inazuma Commercial Street Bulletin Board: Arataki "The Strongest" Itto
- ↑ Point of Interest, Ritou Bulletin Board: Arataki Itto vs. Kujou Tengu
- ↑ Point of Interest, Inazuma Commercial Street Bulletin Board: Shogunate Announcement
- ↑ Archon Quest, Interlude Chapter, Act II - Perilous Trail, Part 1: The Unexpected Guest
- ↑ Birthday Mail: Arataki Itto (2023)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Hangout Event, Shikanoin Heizou, Act I - Trap 'Em by Storm: Heizou Talks Fraud
- ↑ Event Receiver of Friends From Afar World Quest: Receiver of Friends From Afar: Part III
- ↑ Event Arataki Blazing Armor Beetle Battle Boot Camp World Quest: Arataki Blazing Armor Beetle Battle Boot Camp!
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