|
|
 |
WARNING! |
Unji Zuma (
Appearance[]
Unji is a tall young man with short-cropped hair, the sides of which are shaven, with two horizontal yellow stripes and has a chin stubble. He has a left eyebrow piercing and stud earrings. He wears a dark long sleeve t-shirt underneath a long sleeve collar shirt with a white spot pattern and dark pants with a belt. He also wears geta sandals as his main preference for footwear.
As a child, Unji's hair was already shaved, and his outfit consisted of a simple long sleeve shirt and pants. After being orphaned, Unji gained black rings around his eyes that stuck with him for most of his life.
In his early adolescences, Unji grew his hair to have it in an undercut style, which was pushed back, and was light in color (most likely dyed). His eyebrows were missing, and by this time, he had already gained his piercings and had a small cut located on his left chin. He wore a coat on top of a dark shirt and tracksuit pants. After being released from juvenile detention, Unji's hair returns to its original hairstyle and his eyebrows have grown back. He wore a dark jacket, with an undershirt, pants, and shoes.
Gallery[]
.png "Unji Zuma full appearance (manga).png (147 KB)")
.png "Child Unji (Orphaned).png (95 KB)")
Personality[]
Unji is an extremely kind, generous and compassionate individual who puts others before himself, as exemplified by his noble act of helping and looking after troubled teenagers. Such kindness earned him great respect and loyalty among the group of troubled teens who were willing to do whatever it took to get him out of Danmanra. He is also chivalrous when around females. Before he and Momo took on the second stage of Danmanra, Unji gave her his pants to avoid worrying about her skirt while maneuvering through the obstacle course and insisted that she continue to wear them even after they completed the stage. His good nature becomes even more apparent when using his yokai powers that has the effect of changing the user's personality. Though he normally wears an impassive expression on his face, he is shown displaying a normal range of emotions.
He is noted to have moments of being simple-minded. Hearing Unji noticing how hard it was for him to keep balance in the second stage, Momo made him realize that it was due to the fact that he is wearing geta sandals. By the end, the latter couldn't believe it when Unji accidently lost his geta sandals. He also possesses great confidence in his own capabilities after acquiring yokai powers, having once stated to his peers that he will effortlessly conquer the world of Danmanra.
His preference for footwear is geta sandals, finding them to be cool.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Brother[]
Unji had a late younger brother who he cared for very much. While their mother faced the problem of having to raise the two boys alone after their father's death, Unji stuck to his brother's side to protect his innocence, such as encouraging his infatuation with umbrellas and rubber boots and protecting him from bullies who would chastise him for it. After his brother hadn't come home yet, Unji rushed out to look for him and stood devastated at the site of seeing ambulances discovering his brother's body. He later mourned his death with his mother while holding onto one of his rubber boots as a memento.
Mother[]
After the death of her husband, Unji's mother struggled to raise both Unji and his younger brother, having failed to negotiate a settlement between her husband's superiors, who she felt were responsible for their father's death for causing him to overwork himself to death, and being behind in her rent that ended up causing the landlord to evict her and her children out of their apartment. Upon his younger brother's death, Unji mourned his passing with his mother by his side. With her husband and youngest child gone, along with an incapability to take control of her life, Unji's mother completely fall into depression and gave up all hope of living by attempting to commit double suicide with a reluctant Unji, though not before giving him one final day of fun at an amusement park. Ultimately, Unji managed to escape death after freeing himself from his mother's grip as she tried leaping in front of an oncoming train.
Masamichi Bega[]
Gang[]
Allies[]
Momo Ayase[]
Other[]
Count Saint-Germain[]
Background[]
Unji finds about his brother's death.
Unji was raised in a poor family alongside his younger brother, Futa. After their father's death, Unji stood by his younger brother Futa, shielding him from bullies and adversity as their mother struggled to support them alone. When Futa didn't come home one rainy day, Unji went looking for him, only to learn the heartbreaking news of Futa's drowning in a river. In the wake of Futa's mourning period, Unji's mother took him to an amusement park for a day of fun. However, the day turned grim when she tried to commit murder-suicide by having them both jump towards an oncoming train. Not wanting to die alongside her, Unji tries loosening his mother's hold and manages to free himself, resulting in him tragically witnessing his mother committing suicide alone.
Unji using Umbrella Boy's powers to save Bega and a child from drowning.
After the loss of his family, Unji harbored a deep-seated disdain for the world that had brought him nothing but misfortune. Left orphaned, Unji was placed in a foster home but eventually ran away after defending himself against a few foster children who were bullying him. During his adolescence, Unji evolved into a troublesome gang leader with an agenda focused on instigating conflict. Following an incident where he directed his gang to attack the police, Unji was apprehended by officer Bega and placed in juvenile detention. Following his release, Unji was taken into Bega's custody and repeatedly attempted to exact revenge for his arrest, but failed each time he tried to strike him with an umbrella. Although he had the chance to attack Bega while he was asleep in his room, Unji decided against it upon seeing the officer sleeping next to a photograph of him, his wife, and daughter. Unable to accept Bega, even after learning about the loss of his family and his pledge to protect him, Unji walked outside in the rain to visit the site of Futa's accident. There, he witnessed a boy being harassed by a group of children and showed concern when the boy tried to retrieve his lunch bag from the river into which the bullies had tossed it. Upon Bega's sudden arrival to jump into the river to rescue the drowning boy, Unji promptly made an effort to reach them before it became too late. This led him to encounter Umbrella Boy who offered to share his powers to with him. Using Umbrella Boy's umbrellas to propel himself towards Bega and the boy, Unji managed to pull them out of the river and became relieved to see the officer breathing.
The following day, Unji went to the family grave alongside Bega and expressed with great regret for being alive instead of Futa, believing that his younger brother's constant happiness in his mother's presence could have sustained her will to live. Despite how he felt, Bega told Unji that he must live no matter what.
While seldom attending Renjaku High School, Unji dedicated his time assisting peers who have challenging backgrounds and established a building as a sanctuary for them to convene. This then led to the teenagers becoming his loyal followers as gratitude. Eventually, Unji encountered an old man who was released from a diorama. Unji permitted him to reside at his place and later took possession of the diorama, prompting him to investigate cursed artifacts in a library to understand the diorama better. It was there that a mysterious man persuaded him to undertake the mission of venturing into the cursed trunk's inner world to destroy it. He was then led by the man to a police box to receive Okarun's second kintama, being informed that it could help him to access his powers. After his gang informed him that a young girl, one of his followers, had entered the diorama, Unji commanded them not to follow her in, reserving the next entry for himself to fulfill his mission. Upon entering, Unji located the girl and took her place inside the diorama after their encounter led to her release. While unclear as to how the inner world supposedly operates, Unji commenced his plan to destroy it by eradicating all the monsters that dwelled within.
Synopsis[]
Danmanra Arc[]
Unji saves Momo from the Dark Knight.
Two weeks after entering the diorama, Unji meets Momo after using his power to rescue her from the Dark Knight at National Border Hill. Upon her rescue, he discovers that she has been seeking him out to retrieve the kintama. Unji tells Momo that he can't give it up since it is the only way for him to access his powers while in the dimension and tells her how she came to possess it. After sharing his experiences of defeating monsters, Unji learns from Momo that the inner world is structured much like a game, and they could potentially return to the real world by completing all the stages. Before climbing the rope wall to advance to the stage above, Unji requests Momo's name. Momo, however, declines to divulge it unless he hands over the kintama.
Momo and Unji trying to get through the stage.
After assisting Momo in reaching the summit, they discover the stage is an obstacle course made of candy and desserts. Unji then offers Momo his pants before they proceed, admitting that he is concerned about her skirt. This unfortunately leads to the kintama accidentally falling out of his pants pocket and onto the obstacle course. Momo and Unji try to navigate the obstacle course to retrieve it, however, their progress is hindered by a group of frogs dressed in chef uniforms. As he fights off the frogs while having Momo reach the kintama, Unji and the frogs are attacked by the Death Pâtissier. Unji, found by Momo beneath a heap of debris, quickly throws to her her a large lollipop when the Death Pâtissier yells 'candy', understanding that the giant pâtissier is playing a game similar to "color tag," requiring one to touch the named item. They also observe that the frogs subjected to attack have been transformed into origami, leading Momo to deduce that they are in fact shikigami. The pair then hurry to locate a Florentine, which is the next dessert announced by the Death Pâtissier. Momo succeeds in landing on one but causes it to break and have her to fall. Just in time, Unji arrives to catch her, and have Momo lift the Florentine towards his face to prevent the pâtissier's attack.
After Unji pulls Momo up, they quickly move to land on a giant donut, the next dessert item announced by the Death Pâtissier. Upon landing on it, they find themselves face-to-face with frogs who land on the donut for salvation as well, prompting a skirmish. Unji aids Momo in fending off the frogs with his geta, earning her thanks, and he points out that the kintama is beneath them on a macaroon. Waiting for the Death Pâtissier to announce the next dessert, Momo and Unji make a beeline for the kintama, aiming to reach it before the frogs. Just as a frog nearly snatches it, Unji intervenes, shoves the frog away, seize the kintama, and unleashes his power. However, since his power hadn't fully recharged after utilizing two umbrellas in his previous battle, Unji tosses it to Momo, enabling her to wield her psychic abilities. Harnessing her abilities, Momo redirects Unji to a different location to dodge the Death Pâtissier's attack and defeat the giant using her Moe Moe Tri-Beam.
After Momo defeats the Death Pâtissier, Unji assists her out of the candy heap and expresses gratitude for moving him out of the way of the Death Pâtissier's attack. Although Momo complies to return the kintama, honoring Unji's ambition to conquer the world, he insists she keep it, having depleted his powers and acknowledging her as a strong person. Scrolls then materialize before them, proclaiming that they have acquired the Nom Nom Bongo, a card granting them the ability to wield the power of the sweets they consume. Testing it, Unji's legs morph into springy donuts, while Momo becomes sticky from licking a lollipop. Upon realizing they can also use the card to materialize the shield and sword of the Dark Knight whom Unji had previously vanquished, Momo and Unji understand that to play the game, they must complete all four circles of the card by defeating Danmanra's four bosses. With their powers depleted, Unji proposes they temporarily utilize the abilities of each card.
Momo and Unji defeat Medusa.
Momo and Unji face off against the next formidable boss, Medusa, and are forced to climb a tower using donut-shaped spring legs while the creature tries to eat them. When the Carmine card is ineffective and the Dark Knight's sword cannot penetrate Medusa's rocky exterior, they turn to the Nom Nom Bongo card. After eating spicy chips Momo brought out to gain fire-breathing abilities, their efforts to scorch the beast fail as it becomes flame-resistant. Cornered at the top of the tower, Momo throws a wrapped candy at Medusa, hoping the monster will eat it and become sticky, a strategy stemming from her realization that the Nom Nom Bongo card's effects can also afflict enemies after Medusa's skin took on the properties of candy she had earlier used as a distraction. As Medusa's body weakens and becomes vulnerable, Unji and Momo triumph, defeating the creature with their fiery breath and the Dark Knight's blade.
Upon reaching Ice Town, Momo and Unji use the Medusa and Dark Knight cards to stand guard against a shikigami frog, thinking that it's an enemy like the ones they battled at National Border Hill. However, when the frog merely greets them, they understand it's not designed to hinder their progress, a trait shared by the city's other frogs. During their stay, they dine and seek lodging at an inn. Faced with a single available room, they decide to alternate sleeping in the bed. Unji insists Momo bathe and launder her clothes first. After coming outside to see Momo doze off, Unji becomes prompted to carry her to the bed, where she overhears her sleep-talking about her desire to be confessed to be someone. Unji then opts to sleep out in the halls for the night.
In the morning, Momo apologizes to Unji for taking the room, to which Unji responds that it was no issue as long as she had rested well. As they walked through the streets, Unji and Momo use the kintama to check if their powers had fully returned. Unji then shares with Momo his uncertainty about whether his powers stems from a yokai and and reveals his vulnerability: the inability to use his powers once the two umbrellas that he is limited to are open. When it begins to rain, Unji chooses to open one umbrella to shelter both of them. Momo, aware of the limitations of his powers, expresses concern as they near the final stage, but Unji reassures her he is unbothered, even though Momo felt embarrassed by their closeness. Her embarrassment turns to action as she pushes him away, with his sudden protective tone reminding her of Okarun's altered demeanor when he transforms into his Turbo Granny form, prompting her to plead with him to revert to his usual self. After reverting from his transformed state confused about his actions, Unji becomes shocked to find one of his umbrellas disappearing, prompting him to wonder why he would squander it on something so insignificant. Along with this, he becomes scolded by Momo for his lack of emotional control.
Unji and Momo participating in the final stage.
In the final stage, Momo and Unji are assigned the task of destroying a crystal within a castle, a mission that entails bypassing an army that guards the stronghold. After estimating the enemy's forces at approximately 600 knights, Unji and Momo attempt to match this number using the three soldier-forming dice. With Momo off to a bad start rolling two of the dice, Unji tries his hand at rolling the yellow die, which multiplies the result by a hundred, but only manages to land on two, to Momo's dismay. After deciding to distribute their troops evenly among the four roles and assign themselves positions as well, with Unji taking on the role of a knight and Momo of a mage, the two begin their assault. With Momo acting as the commander of their forces, Unji follows her command to strike at the enemy archers. Although he fends off an assault from a warrior, Unji notices a decrease in his HP, leading Momo to caution him about such adversaries, given his vulnerability as a knight. After defeating a third of the enemy, the opposing army unleashes their behemoths, wreaking havoc on many of Unji and Momo's forces. Momo advises Unji to evade the behemoths due to their warrior class. Unji highlights the risk of the enemy archers exploiting their distance to launch an attack, leading Momo to instruct her warriors to defend against the archers' onslaught. As a wyvern soars above, attempting to scorch the warriors with its fiery breath, Unji is commanded by Momo to concentrate on the enemy archers but reports that the warriors are engaged in shielding them. As the tide of battle shifts against them, Unji and Momo are stunned to see the former's gang and Renjaku High students joining the battle. While these groups engage the army in a reckless fight, Unji and Momo make their way to the castle to shatter the crystal. However, as Unji strikes the crystal with his sword, Okarun and the Turbo Granny arrive too late to stop them.
Umbrella Boy Unji controlled by the Fairy-Tale Card.
As Unji, Momo, Okarun, and the Turbo Granny flee the disintegrating castle triggered by the crystal's destruction, the Turbo Granny reveals that the diorama is actually a cursed trunk meant to imprison a yokai, and the crystal along with the bosses they have defeated are in reality seals. After the imprisoned yokai known as the Fairy-Tale Card is released, Unji and the others are warned by the Turbo Granny to avoid eye contact, as he has the power to possess people. While the Fairy-Tale Card converses with the Turbo Granny and Momo, Unji is attacked by a mind-controlled acolyte and succumbs to possession by the Fairy-Tale Card, resulting in his powers being released to its maximum extent and taking on a liking to the yokai Umbrella Boy.
Unji combines his attack with the others to defeat the Fairy-Tale Card.
Having been pushed to his limits by the Fairy-Tale Card to use Umbrella Boy's powers to escape the cursed trunk, Unji teeters on the brink of death and is desperately pleaded by Bega to wake up as the officer tries to revive him. In the depths of his subconscious, Unji meets Futa just before his younger brother rushes off to their parents, waving goodbye. With a smile, Unji turns and walks away, leading to him regaining consciousness. He then urges Bega to calm down as he persists in his outcries, assuring him that he will not allow himself to die, which brings Bega immense comfort. Bega then clutches his hand and promises that they will return home. With Bega supporting him to stand, Unji gathers the strength to conjure one of his umbrellas, aiding Okarun, Rokuro, and Count Saint-Germain in their joint endeavor to vanquish the Fairy-Tale Card. He also withstands the yokai's efforts to possess him once more by tainting his thoughts with negative perceptions about his mother, convinced that these insinuations are nothing but falsehoods. Unji then fires off a shockwave blast from his umbrella at the same time the three come in to destroy the Fairy-Tale Card's cards, resulting in the conflict coming to an end.
Abilities and Powers[]
Supernatural Abilities[]
| Umbrella Boy's Powers | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Unji possesses powers of the urban legend and yokai Umbrella Boy. Much like the yokai powers of Okarun and Aira, Unji's yokai power manifests a mask and slightly alters his personality; in Unji's case, the young man acts more noble-minded towards his allies than usually. Unaware that his powers are sourced from a yokai, Unji refers to it as his spiritual power. The mask covers up most of his face, leaving only his left eye and a portion of his forehead exposed, and has a dark menacing appearance; having spiked teeth, a spiked chin, and an octant right eye. Similar to Okarun's Turbo Granny appearance, Unji gains two thick vertical stripes across his eyes, which change to become a different color, has his hair turn white and nails turn black. After falling under the possession of the Fairy-Tale Card, Unji was forced to assume a transformation that allowed the yokai to fully unleash the powers of Umbrella Boy. In this transformation, Unji takes on an appearance that mirrors Umbrella Boy. His head is taken up by a dark helmet-like head of Umbrella Boy's face, which is the complete version of the mask that manifests on his face when using the yokai's power, that extends all the way down to his collarbone. The helmet has a target at the center, reminiscent of Umbrella Boy's singular large eye, flanked by horizontal lines extending from the target's second circle to the spiked chin. It also boasts a broad, gaping mouth with spiked teeth, occasionally revealing Unji's own mouth inside. Umbrella Boy has Unji balance off of one leg, reminiscent of its single leg as a yokai. | ||
| Enhanced Strength | ||
|
Unji's Umbrella Boy powers gives him an increase in strength. During the Castle Siege stage in Danmanra, Unji was able to knock down a group of archers with a single kick and could throw his umbrella with enough force to break through another group. | ||
| Enhanced Speed | ||
|
Unji's gains an increase in speed, as he was fast enough to arrive on time to quickly move Momo out of the way of the Dark Knight's sword slash. | ||
| Parasol Materialization | ||
 |
| |
| Strengths and Weaknesses | ||
  Unji's firing his umbrella shockwaves at the Dark Knight. The main strength of the umbrellas is that they are capable of firing off shockwaves that can destroy anything in its path when the umbrella opens via the switch on the handle. Additionally, the generated shockwaves from the umbrellas offer propulsive force to enable Unji to soar through the sky and traverse vast distances. Unji is limited to only the two umbrellas materialized, and once opened, they will disappear and can't be re-summoned. Once both umbrellas have been opened, Unji will be depleted of Umbrella Boy's power and will need time until it is fully charged. However, this weakness did not seem to be present at the time of his first usage of Umbrella Boy's power, as Unji was able to open his umbrellas more than two times to propel himself and rescue Bega and a child from the river. Full Power
  The Fairy-Tale Card controlling Unji to fire multiple rounds of shockwaves. In his full power form, Unji has access to only one umbrella, as opposed to the two in his initial state, but gains the capability to unleash multiple rounds of shockwave blasts from his umbrella without carrying the repercussions of reverting back to his normal state. This allows him to attack his opponents continuously. Moreover, Unji achieves a kind of pseudo-flight by repeatedly propelling himself with shockwaves while airborne, which exceeds the capabilities of his initial rocket-like launch that limits him to a single propulsion per umbrella. | ||
| Usage | ||
|
Unji utilizes his umbrellas as melee weapons. In close combat, Unji thrusts his umbrellas at his opponent, much like a lance, and opens them to release the shockwaves as a destructive attack. He can also use the umbrellas as throwing weapons to attack from a distance, with his enhanced strength being able to generate enough force behind his umbrella to penetrate and knock back a good portion of soldiers in an army. If in mid-air, Unji can choose to open his umbrellas to float and land safely on the ground. While allied with Momo in Danmanra, Unji used one of his umbrellas for the standard purpose of covering them from the rain. | ||
Chapter Appearances[]
Etymology[]
- The name Unji means "cloud" (雲) (un) and "child" (児) (ji).
- Translating to "cloud child", this could possibly tie into his Umbrella Boy powers.
- Unji's surname Zuma means "head" (頭) (zu) and "space" (間) (ma).
Trivia[]
- Much like the function of Danmanra, the lettering of Unji's full name when romanized references the fictional board game Jumanji, "Zuma Unji" being a play on words to the name "Jumanji".
Notes[]
- ↑ Unji is in grade 10 at Renjaku High School, suggesting that his age is 16.
