Acrobatic Silky

Acrobatic Silky
Kanji	アクロバティックさらさら
Rōmaji	Akurobatikku Sarasara
Other Names	Acro-Silky (アクさら, Akusara?)
Characteristics
Race	Spirit (Yokai) Human (Formerly)
Home Planet	Earth
Gender	Female
Personal Status
Status	Inactive
Combat Style	Melee combat
Relationships
Relative(s)	Unnamed Daughter
Portrayal
Japanese Voice	Kikuko Inoue
English Voice	Amber Lee Connors
Debuts
Manga Debut	Chapter 13
Anime Debut	Episode 6

Acrobatic Silky (アクロバティックさらさら, Akurobatikku Sarasara^?) was a yokai that had been stalking Aira Shiratori ever since she was a little girl.

In Dandadan, she served as the primary antagonist during the Acrobatic Silky Arc.

Appearance

Acrobatic Silky took on the form of an extremely tall woman with grey skin, long limbs and long silky jet-black hair. She had a narrow face with hollowed eyes, wrinkles on the upper half of her face and a permanent lipstick smile that exposes her big teeth. She had red nail polish both on her fingers and on her toes, her fingernails were long. She walked around barefooted while wearing a red wide brimmed hat and a red dress (which resembles the one she brought for her daughter) with the violet collar forming her long neck. Initially, Acrobatic Silky's face looked the way it did when she was alive until the day she had met Aira Shiratori.

When she was alive, Acrobatic Silky was a woman with fair skin, brown eyes, long black hair that usually covered the right side of her face and had a mole on the corner of her left eye.

Gallery

Acrobatic Silky's anime concept art.

Acrobatic Silky's full appearance.

Acrobatic Silky as a spirit. (Manga)

Acrobatic Silky as a spirit. (Anime)

Acrobatic Silky during her lifetime.

Personality

Due to her tragic past of having her child taken from her, Acrobatic Silky was a yokai who had a desperate need to find a child to love and call her "mother". Her main attraction was Aira Shiratori after becoming delusional in thinking that she was her mother during the time she was alive and was obsessed with having her all to herself. Acrobatic Silky's intentions also leaned towards her maternal instincts to protect the one she loves, as she was willing to sacrifice her own aura in order to revive Aira and ripped out her jaw to assure Momo Ayase that she would not try to eat her.

She also took great pride in her acrobatic skills.

Background

Acrobatic Silky with her daughter.

When she was alive, Acrobatic Silky was a woman who was in debt and had to work multiple jobs, including serving as a prostitute, working as a janitor and a convenience store clerk while taking care of her only daughter whom she loved dearly. After deciding to use some of the money she earned to buy her daughter a dress, the men she owed money to came to her home to collect what she had, beat her up bloody and kidnapped her child. The mother desperately chased after the van where the men took her daughter, but it proved futile as she fell and helplessly watched the van disappear from view. In despair combined with the knowledge she will never see her daughter again, the mother made one last dance on top of a roof before leaping off to her death, her final thoughts being her daughter.

Acrobatic Silky meets Aira.

The woman's spirit then wandered the city for an unknown amount of time and had lost her memories of the time she was alive, though she felt that she had lost something very important. While on the streets, a little girl named Aira Shiratori came up to her after mistaking her for her deceased mother and walks away with her father after realizing she was wrong. This misunderstanding caused the woman to believe that she was Aira's mother in her previous life and became obsessed with the idea of protecting her, an obsession which turned her into a yokai called an Acrobatic Silky. She then went on to spend the next ten years stalking her until she was able to see her again and call her "mother".

Synopsis

Kintama Hunt Saga

Acrobatic Silky Arc

Acrobatic Silky reunites with Aira.

Upon realizing that Aira Shiratori could see her again, Acrobatic Silky quickly took the opportunity to snatch her and force her to call her "mother" after the girl lured Momo Ayase to a trap. While holding on to her, Momo and Okarun interfere to save Aira from Acrobatic Silky's grasp. However, Acrobatic Silky swallows Okarun and kicks Momo away to talk to Aira, wanting to remind her of their past encounter. After Aira calls her a monster, Acrobatic Silky becomes heartbroken, swallows Aira and blames Momo for Aira's misbehavior. She then uses her hair to attack her but tells Momo that she is willing to forgive her if she were to call her "mother", only for the girl to reject her request. After swallowing Momo, Acrobatic Silky cries wondering where her child is and demanded by Turbo Granny to release the children from her stomach. Not heeding the talking maneko-neko's recommendation, Acrobatic Silky becomes surprised to find her hair caught in her mouth on fire after Momo lit the rosary lighter Aira had, forcing Acrobatic Silky to vomit out the three children.

Acrobatic Silky defeated by Okarun.

After attacking Momo, Acrobatic Silky targets Okarun carrying an unconscious Aira and manages to separate him from her. As she prepares to devour Aira, Acrobatic Silky finds herself unable to get close to her and realizes that her movements are restricted after permed hair becomes tangled up inside the building, just as Momo planned after instructing Okarun to move around the building. After struggling to free herself, Acrobatic Silky is taken down by Okarun using Turbo Granny's power to charge at her with enough force to send her crashing out of the building.

Acrobatic Silky helped by Aira to pass over to the afterlife.

Upon learning of Aira's death, as a result of swallowing her, Acrobatic Silky offers her aura to resurrect her. With Momo and Okarun wary of her intentions, Acrobatic Silky rips off her jaw to demonstrate her sincerity, even suggesting they could kill her if she betrayed them. Momo then proceeds to channel the yokai's aura into Aira, which results in Momo witnessing Acrobatic Silky's former life and her encounter with Aira. Once Aira is brought back to life, Acrobatic Silky's form starts to disintegrate, forfeiting her chance at Nirvana and vanishing into oblivion. Reflecting on her inability to protect her daughter, Acrobatic Silky is comforted by Aira's embrace and the term "mother," which calms her spirit, allowing her to depart serenely.

Legacy

Aira using Acrobatic Silky's spiritual power for the first time.

Acrobatic Silky's aura that was transferred to Aira had the unsuspecting effect of endowing the young girl with the yokai's spiritual power. Ever since this power awakened, Aira has been utilizing it to fight back against paranormal enemies and assist her allies.

Abilities and Powers

Physical Prowess

Immense Speed and Agility: As her name suggests, Acrobatic Silky was a yokai who possessed extraordinary acrobatic skills. Her exceptional speed, agility, and reflexes enabled her to timely react and dodge a swift rush attack from Okarun utilizing Turbo Granny's speed.

Immense Strength: Acrobatic Silky possessed incredible leg strength as she could easily send a human flying with a single kick and could release herself from Momo Ayase's psychic restraint.

Immense Stamina & Endurance: Acrobatic Silky was shown to be durable enough to get back on her feet after taking damage from Okarun's full charge attack that sent her crashing back out of a building.

Spiritual Power

Acrobatics
Acrobatic Silky possessed the power to manipulate her long jet-black hair.

Strengths and Weaknesses
The primary advantage of this ability was that it enabled Acrobatic Silky to extend her hair to considerable lengths and wield it at will. Her hair could entangle anything in its vicinity, allowing her to capture and fling her opponents. Additionally, it aided her in traversing challenging landscapes. A significant vulnerability of Acrobatic Silky's Acrobatics is its susceptibility to fire, which could lead to it being permed and complicate the process of untangling the objects she was attached to.
Usage
In conjunction with her acrobatic movements, Acrobatic Silky had been using Acrobatics to ensnare her surroundings. She could immobilize her enemies by binding and thrashing them, or employ her hair to seize objects and wield them as blunt instruments. Additionally, she could use her hair to navigate difficult terrain, enabling her to pursue any enemies attempting to escape.

Urban Legend

Acrobatic Sara Sara, also known as Akusara, is a Japanese urban legend about a mysterious entity resembling a tall, slender woman with pale skin, clad in a red dress and a matching wide-brimmed hat, with long, silky black hair and a haunting presence. She is often seen in bustling cities engaging in dangerous acts, such as dancing atop high buildings, erratically moving on distant rooftops, and leaping off them like an acrobat. Following her performance, Acrobatic Sara Sara disappears without a trace, leaving onlookers bewildered and terrified. The legend states that those who observe Acrobatic Sara Sara's acrobatic display are cursed, doomed to experience misfortune or even death.

Trivia

• Acrobatic Silky is the first and sole yokai in the series to have achieved Nirvana.
• Acrobatic Silky's urban legend about her being the spirit of mother searching for her child draws parallels to the Mexican folklore of the vengeful ghost La Llorona.
  • Acrobatic Silky crying wonder where her child is after swallowing Momo also gives reference to La Llorona's name on top of her legend (her name translating as "the Crying Woman", the "Weeping Woman", the "Wailer" due to her wailing cries of her attempts to find her sons).