Nijikagachi

https://m-78.jp/character/blazar-7/https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/feature/blazar/JTfNNhttps://news.ultramanconnection.com/ultraman-blazar-kaiju-bulletin-nijikagachi/ is a Kaiju who first appeared in the seventh episode of Ultraman Blazar.
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== Conception ==
=== Etymology ===
The name "Nijikagachi" is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for and , an ancient Japanese term for . Put together, its name translates to "rainbow snake god".
=== Design ===
Nijikagachi was designed by Shoma Muto, who also did character designs for Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga and Ultraman Regulos.https://twitter.com/cyq_joker/status/1695231711070802156
==History==
===Ultraman Blazar===
As far back as ancient Japan, Nijikagachi had been worshipped and revered as a bringer of the blessing of rain, but also feared by many as a harbinger of destruction whose wrath could take everything away. Sometime in the past, it had used its powers to wipe out a village that would become Hidora City, and these events and rituals were transcribed in murals hidden in the Hidora Burial Mound. Alongside many of its kind, Nijikagachi was seen as a force of nature, and humanity once lived alongside these kaiju in harmony. But a growing apathy towards these beliefs over the centuries led humanity to abhor and exterminate the kaiju, and thus Nijikagachi slumbered.
Expand to read more about Nijikagachi in recorded history.
According to the content mentioned in the local document "," Nijikagachi is an ancient Japanese deity worshipped in various regions, believed to be a deity associated with bringing rain. When crop harvests were poor, people believed this deity was responsible and conducted rituals on Takamiki Mountain to appease the deity and pray for abundant harvests. Additionally, there are documents that present arguments negating the existence of such a deity. According to records from the Edo period, Mt. Takamiki illuminated at night appeared as a colossal living entity, leading people in ancient times to believe it was a deity. The summoning rituals varied across regions and included offerings and gathering sacred stones.
Based on depictions by artists from the Nara period, Nijikagachi's appearance is unlike any creature on Earth. Described as massive like a mountain, the deity is portrayed as gentle, but capable of triggering intense storms that could sweep away towns and villages if angered.
From the Nara period onwards, Mt. Takamiki was believed to be the dwelling place of Nijikagachi. However, since the mid-20th century, in part due to declines in the population of Japan's rural areas as the country became more urbanised, and also due to a failure of previous generations to transfer their knowledge of the ritual to their descendants, practice of the ceremony had ceased. The last known ritual to appease Nijikagachi was carried out during the 1970's. In the present day, information about Nijikagachi is scarce in Japan, possibly due to the near destruction of settlements that worshiped Nijikagachi, as also documented in other sources.
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In the present day, Nijikagachi was summoned by Professor Yokomine, who had become disillusioned with humanity and wished to use Nijikagachi's power to "reset" human civilization. As if to herald its arrival, upside-down rainbows appeared across Japan, and the SKaRD began to investigate, with Gento himself approaching Yokomine for his expertise in kaiju-related studies. At the same time, Nijikagachi appeared in a forest near Mt. Fuji, and Earth Garon attempted to pin it down from afar but to no effect. By vacuuming the surrounding air, Nijikagachi created a low pressure vortex of rain clouds, and began its march of destruction across Japan.
As typhoons across the Japanese archipelago threatened to plunge the country into catastrophe, Earth Garon was deployed again in Hidora City to stop Nijikagachi, but even its most powerful weapon, the Earth Fire, had little effect on the kaiju. Upon Yokomine's command, Nijikagachi's armor opened up to reveal its face, and its rainbow beam knocked the robot out of commission. Ultraman Blazar then appeared to face the kaiju, but Nijikagachi managed to create some distance between them, and Blazar seized this opportunity to try and defeat it using the Spiral Burrade. However, Nijikagachi's Rainbow Beam overpowered it, triggering a massive explosion which critically weakened Blazar, causing his Color Timer to begin blinking. Nijikagachi prepared an even stronger shot of the Rainbow Beam as Blazar got to his feet. Realising that defeat was certain if he were to be struck by the beam in his weakened state, Blazar retreated a fraction of a second before it could hit him, with the energy leaving a flaming path of destruction up the side of a hill the Ultra had been standing in front of instead. 
After Gento awakened in a hospital bed, the members of SKaRD informed him that Nijikagachi's seven typhoons were continuing to wreak havoc across Japan and merge into one. The monster stood at the centre, absorbing water vapor to increase the storm's destruction. As SKaRD drove through the typhoon back to their headquarters, Emi researched Nijikagachi, learning the summoning ritual Yokomine used from his lab. Gento theorized that there was a psychic link between Nijikagachi and the professor, and that taking him down may be the key to stopping the monster. They also determined that they could defeat it by destroying the crystal on its forehead, as long as they equipped Earth Garon with the untested Mod. 2 Unit. SKaRD therefore commenced a two-pronged approach to stopping the beast's rampage. Gento and Yasunobu would pilot Earth Garon and engage Nijikagachi, while Teruaki, Anri and Emi would attempt to negotiate with Yokomine.
As the rest of SKaRD spoke with Yokomine, Earth Garon reached Nijikagachi and began firing their laser at it, waiting for it to open its armor. However, once its armor opened, they missed two shots with the Rail Cannon, as the weapon had not been calibrated and needed to adjust to the recoil. Nijikagachi then closed its armor and began attacking the robot. Meanwhile, after discussing whether his actions were truly just, Yokomine fired an energy blast at Teruaki, who dodged and shot at his bracelets, destroying them. At first, this seemed to have no effect on Nijikagachi, but a spark of energy emerged from the broken bracelets and entered the monster, making its armor open once again while enhancing its Rainbow Beam. Nijikagachi fired at Earth Garon, and since the robot was unable to fully avoid its attack, its main systems went down. Although Gento was able to manually reactivate the Earth Garon's APU from outside, its movements remained limited and it could only fire the Rail Cannon one more time. Determined to get Nijikagachi into the right position, Gento transformed into Ultraman Blazar once more.
Blazar battled the monster, using both physical and ranged attacks, while skilfully dodging its Rainbow Beam. Although Nijikagachi knocked the Ultra away with its sharp tail, it had unwittingly stood in perfect range for Earth Garon. Yasunobu quickly fired the Rail Cannon, successfully destroying its forehead crystal, causing a rainbow to leak from its wound. Ultraman Blazar leapt into the air and grasped the rainbow, which materialized as a Nijikagachi Blazar Stone. Gento placed the Stone in the Blazar Brace and activated it, allowing Blazar to perform a new technique, the Rainbow Slash, slicing Nijikagachi clean in half and causing it to explode in a surge of colors.
With the kaiju defeated, the typhoon immediately began to dissipate, and peace was restored. However, a few days after the battle, while fishing at his favorite spot, Yokomine heard the monster's roar in the air, smiling to himself as it signified Nijikagachi was still with him in spirit. 
Nijikagachi would reappear as a vengeful spirit after the wandering swordsman Zangill failed to vanquish its soul. Blazar faced the kaiju, but was unable to land a hit on the "ghost" until Zangill channeled a part of his powers into Blazar's Tilsonite Sword. The two seemingly defeat the kaiju, but Nijikagachi possesses Zangill, causing him to turn on his ally until Blazar manages to exorcise Nijikagachi's spirit from Zangill, and the two slay the vengeful spirit with a decisive blow.
====Trivia====
*Suit actor: Kenji Kajikawa
*Nijikagachi shares much in common with the Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal mythology. This includes the snake motif, their deification by an ancient people, and their association with rainbows and as bringers of rain.
*The city where Nijikagachi fought Blazar, Hidora City, appears to get its name from the Hydra, a mythological serpentine creature.
== Data ==
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:;Stats
*Height: 60 m
*Weight: 45,000 t
*Origin: Unnamed forest near Mount Fuji
*Weakness: While the crystal on Nijikagachi's forehead is extremely strong, being as hard as a diamond, while also being quite difficult to hit due to its small size, it is not indestructible. Destroying it prevents Nijikagachi from using its rainbow beam, and also causes the monster's rainbow energy to flow out uncontrollably.
:;Powers and Weapons
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*Rainbow Beam: A rainbow beam fired from the crystal on its forehead. It is composed of an unknown form of energy and is powerful enough to match and overpower Blazar's Spiral Burrade. The beam is empowered by a negative aura after Nijikagachi's link to its summoner is severed and it reabsorbs the power of the seven bracelets.
*Vacuum Breath: Nijikagachi inhales air through its mouth with tremendous power, enough to rip objects from the ground, cause even Earth Garon to stagger in its presence, and lower the air pressure to the point of inducing painful headaches in any humans nearby. 
**Weather Manipulation: After lowering the air pressure to a sufficient level, Nijikagachi generates rain. Depending on how much the monster reduces the air pressure, this rain can take on the form of a simple downpour or, at its worst, multiple typhoons that occur over a wide area. Once a cyclone is generated by this process, the monster's precise location serves as the eye of the storm. In addition, these storms persist after Nijikagachi leaves the area. A total of seven typhoons were generated in this fashion, covering much of the Japanese main islands of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido, and subsequently merged into a single, gigantic super typhoon that covered all four of the main islands at once.
*Tail Sword: Nijikagachi can extend a metallic blade from the tip of its tail to attack opponents who are behind him. This blade was sharp enough to injure Blazar.
*Armor: Nijikagachi's armor is strong enough to take missiles and Earth Garon's Earth Fire head-on without any visible signs of damage.
**Face Armor: After its potential is released, Nijikagachi can willingly lower and raise its face armor to protect the crystal on its head or fire its beam.
*Spiritual Connection: After Nijikagachi is summoned by a human using the seven-colored bracelets, it forms a spiritual connection with the human, which allows them to somewhat direct and command the kaiju. This connection is physically symbolized by a tattoo-like bruise on the summoner's arm in the shape of a snake. By concentrating energy into the bracelets, the summoner is able to unleash Nijikagachi's full potential, shown with the kaiju's armor unfolding to reveal its face, and its body gaining additional purplish-blue accents.
**Summoner Empowerment: After being summoned by Professor Yokomine, Nijikagachi granted him the ability to charge energy using his bracelets, then fire it from his hands. These energy blasts were strong enough to knock Gento out for a brief period of time.
**Failsafe Empowerment: If the bracelets are broken, while its link to its summoner will be severed, Nijikagachi will not be weakened or disappear. Instead, the pieces of the bracelets merge into a rainbow-colored light which returns back to Nijikagachi, further empowering it.
NijikagachiRainbowBeam.gif|Rainbow Beam
NijikagachiRainbowBeamNega.gif|Rainbow Beam (Empowered)
NijikagachiVacuum.gif|Vacuum Breath
NijikagachiWeather.gif|Weather Manipulation
NijikagachiTailSword.gif|Tail Sword
NijikagachiFaceArmor.jpg|Face Armor
NijikagachiConnection.gif|Spiritual Connection
Kazunori Yokomine 07 16.png|Summoner Empowerment
NijikagachiEmpowerment.gif|Failsafe Empowerment
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In its , Nijikagachi gains new powers from its nature as a supernatural existence. 
*Intangibility: As a vengeful spirit on the border between life and death, Nijikagachi can freely switch from a corporeal to an incorporeal state, phasing through solid matter and rendering it immune to most physical attacks. Only other spirits, or weapons imbued with a spirit's supernatural power, are effective against it in this state.
**Spirit Orb Form: When it first appears and when it escapes a possessed body, Nijikagachi takes the form of a rainbow energy orb, on which its face sometimes appears.
*Possession: Nijikagachi's spirit can inhabit and take control of the bodies of other beings. 
*Flame Empowerment: Nijikagachi's tail-sword can now be engulfed in flames to increase its potency as a weapon. If it possesses a host, they will also be able to ignite any bladed weapons they possess to the same effect.
**Flame Spin Attack: Nijikagachi rotates at high speeds with its tail on fire, forming a fire tornado around its body before propelling itself towards the enemy.
NijikagachiGhost.png|Spirit Orb Form
NijikagachiGhostPossession.gif|Possession
NijikagachiGhostBeyblade.gif|Flame Spin Attack
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== Merchandise ==
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=== Ultra Monster Advance ===
* Nijikagachi (2023)
** Release Date: August 26, 2023
** Price: 2980 yen
** JAN/ISBN: 4570117960413
** Materials: PVC (Nijikagachi), ABS (Mod.2 Unit)
:Ultra Monster Advance Nijikagachi is a soft vinyl figure that stands 155mm tall and includes 5 points of articulation at its arms, legs, and tail. The main gimmicks of the figure include head armor that flips open to reveal Nijikagachi's face, and an extending blade from the tip of its tail.
:The figure is packaged with the Mod.2 Unit that attaches to the DX Earth Garon.
UMA-03-Nijikagachi-Box.png
== Gallery ==
=== Ultraman Blazar ===
Nijikagachi 01.webp
Nijikagachi 02.jpg
Nijikagachi Blazar 002.png
Nijikagachi 04.jpg
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Nijikagachi 05.jpg
Nijikagachi 07 01.png
Nijikagachi 07 02.png
Nijikagachi 07 04.png
Nijikagachi 06.jpg
Nijikagachi 03.jpg
Nijikagachi Blazar 003.png
Nijikagachi 07.jpg
Nijikagachi 12.jpg
Nijikagachi 09.jpg
Nijikagachi 07 05.png
===Miscellaneous===
Nijikagachi HD 051.png
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Nijikagachi Misc 001.jpg
Nijikagachi Misc 002.jpg
Nijikagachi Blazar 001.png
Nijikagachi Misc 003.jpg
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Nijikagachi Misc 005.jpg
Nijikagachi 08.jpg
Nijikagachi 07 03.png|Nijikagachi as depicted in a mural at Hidora Burial Mound
Nijikagachi OP.png
ウルトラ情報発信部「ニジカガチ」-shorts
==References==
Category:Ancient Kaiju
Category:Supernatural Kaiju