Garo Special: Byakuya no Maju

**Garo Special: Byakuya no Maju** (牙狼〈GARO〉スペシャル 白夜の魔獣, *GARO Supesharu Byakuya no Majū*?, lit. **Demon Beast of the Midnight Sun**) is a two-part made-for-TV movie for the *Garo* series that aired at the end of 2006.

## Synopsis

In the aftermath events of the first *Garo* series, Kouga Saezima sets out to the northern district upon reassignment. While hunting down Horrors, a young priestess named Rin informs Kouga that she has been sent by Priest Amon to save a presumed dead friend in the Makai realm within Kantai, Jabi.

Kouga teams up with Rin in a quest to save Jabi as they are hindered by supernatural and Makai forces alike. Meanwhile, somewhere in Japan the dark Horror Lord Legules was resurrected and plots a means to alter a supernatural event called Midnight Sun within Kantai to plunge the world into darkness with his "family".

## Plot

### Part One

Young Priestess Rin sends a message to Kouga after using herself as Horror bait to get his attention. While at home they discuss the matter and suspects the validity of the message since the message comes from deceased Priest Amon. She tries to show her magical skills as a means of proof, but only damaged Kouga's favorite painting from Kaoru before she left to Italy to study art. Kouga was upset, but still went through with the spiritual summoning ritual and spoke with Priest Amon.

Amon's spirit informs Kouga that Jabi's body was still intact and that she resides within an entity called the Makai Tree which resides in the Makai realm. In another district, Rei encounters a strange Horror and kills him as Zero. In the aftermath he was assigned to Kantai to assist the Makai ritual of Midnight Sun to ensure nothing goes wrong. Kouga and the reluctant Rin enters Kantai to enter the Makai realm portal. As he entered Kouga was involved in an altercation between Tsubasa and his two disciples.

Tsubasa, Rin's older brother and a Makai Knight himself, was critical of Kouga's intentions and scolds his little sister Rin for getting involved in the matter, but Priestess Garai permitted entrance. As Kouga enters the Makai realm to save Jabi from the Makai Tree, Rin must keep the portal open or Kouga will be lost forever. Meanwhile, Tsubasa's disciples are attacked by Karakuris and were outmatched when Rei comes to save them. Tsubasa appears as well and takes up the form of Dan the Midnight Sun Knight to dispose of the remaining threat.

As Kouga defeats the illusions the Makai Tree has thrown, Kouga faces the beasts' ultimate form and forces Kouga to transform into Garo, riding in with Gouten. Kouga eventually awakens Jabi from her slumber within the beast and slays the Makai Tree with the double-sized Garozanbaken (牙狼斬馬剣, *Garōzanbaken*?, Fanged-Wolf Horse-Slashing Sword) and spirits Jabi back to the living, where Rin has kept the pathway open despite how frightening the situation was. Around the same time, a mysterious creature named Legules begun converting Horrors into his Karakuri minions as he makes his way to Kantai, killing hundreds of humans along the way.

### Part Two

After Jabi has been resurrected, she trains Rin in her Makai magic skills. Priestess Garai reflects her memories over the Saezima family happily together before the couple's death and orphaning Kouga. Kouga learns of Legules, a Horror of great power, and prepares for a counter-offensive with everyone for the fiend's arrival. Garai explains that the Midnight Sun ritual is meant to keep the world whole by shooting the Phosphorus Arrow into the eclipse portal, but if the process was stained with innocent blood then the ritual will be a dark one that would revive Legules' legion.

Tsubasa was not pleased to know Jabi was brought back to life, claiming her to be undead. Jabi forces Tsubasa to feel her breast for a heartbeat and also breath to make him understand she's very much alive. After that argument was settled, they went to examine the Phosphorus Arrow in preparation for the Midnight Sun ritual that Legules has come to ruin. Jabi discovers the reason why she was brought back to the world of the living - the arrow's power has diminished over time and needs to be replenished. In between that time Rei, Kouga, and Tsubasa guards Kantai until the ritual starts. During nightfall Legules attacked, but failed. Unknown to the group, he left part of himself inside Goruba (Tsubasa's Madōgu bracelet) and patiently waited for his chance to strike.

The attack left Rin injured with dark energies flowing within her. Jabi opted to use a risky purification technique to save her, though the process proved to be painful, it worked nonetheless. After Tsubasa apologizes to Jabi and Rin for his previously very disagreeable actions, Legules appeared and stole the Phosphorus Arrow along with kidnapping Rin. The group entered Naraku Forrest to save Rin and prevent the Phosphorus Arrow be tainted with innocent blood. As everyone fought their way in, Kouga faced Legules with the assistance of Jabi. The duo was losing, and to make matters worse, Legules taken a powerful beast Horror form.

Kouga donned his armor and was caught in Legules's attack when Kouga used the Phosphorus Arrow to purify his body and taken a new powerful form of Garo. The Phosphorus Arrow transformed into a spear and Garo thrust throws the arrow into the eclipse for sealing, killing Legules along the way, completing the Midnight Sun ritual at the same time. With Legules's death, his minions were gone and Kantai was restored to peace. In the aftermath, Jabi stays in Kantai to look after Rin and Rei heads back to his district post as Kouga returns home to find Kaoru waiting for him in the yard after restoring the damaged painting.

## Characters

### Allies

* Zaruba
* Silva
* Goruba
* Rin Yamagatana
* Kaoru Mitsuki
* Gonza Kurahashi
* Hyuga
* Akatsuki
* Ouka
* Manju
* Priest of the Eastern Watchdog
* Jabi
* Garai
* Amon
* Rin Saezima
* Taiga Saezima
* Makai Tree

### Villains & Horrors

* Legules
* Aomushi
* Eruzu
* Karakuri
* Barago
* Kodama

## Cast

* Kouga Saezima (冴島 鋼牙, *Saejima Kōga*?): Hiroki Konishi (小西 大樹, *Konishi Hiroki*?)
* Rei Suzumura (涼邑 零, *Suzumura Rei*?): Ray Fujita (藤田 玲, *Fujita Rei*?)
* Tsubasa Yamagatana (山刀 翼, *Yamagatana Tsubasa*?): Shouma Yamamoto (山本 匠馬, *Yamamoto Shōma*?)
* Rin Yamagatana (山刀 鈴, *Yamagatana Rin*?): Yuzumi Shibamoto (柴本 優澄美, *Shibamoto Yuzumi*?)
* Gonza Kurahashi (倉橋 ゴンザ, *Kurahashi Gonza*?): Yukijiro Hotaru (螢 雪次朗, *Hotaru Yukijirō*?)
* Kaoru Mitsuki (御月 カオル, *Mitsuki Kaoru*?): Mika Hijii (肘井 美佳, *Hijii Mika*?)
* Hyuga (日向, *Hyūga*?): Minoru Tomita (富田 稔, *Tomita Minoru*?)
* Akatsuki (暁, *Akatsuki*?): Noboru Yasunaga (安永 昇, *Yasunaga Noboru*?)
* Ouka (黄花, *Ōka*?): ANN
* Manju (満寿, *Manju*?): Saori (沙織, *Saori*?)
* Priest of the Eastern Watchdog (東の番犬所神官, *Higashi no Bankenjo Shinkan*?): Toshiki Ayata (綾田 俊樹, *Ayata Toshiki*?)
* Young Kouga (鋼牙幼少, *Kōga Yōshō*?): Ryusei Sawahata (澤畠 流星, *Sawahata Ryūsei*?)
* Young Jabi (邪美幼少, *Jabi Yōshō*?): Mizuho Kaneo (兼尾 瑞穂, *Kaneo Mizuho*?)
* 2-year-old Kouga (鋼牙(２歳), *Kōga (Nisai)*?): Shuhei Jojo (城定 修平, *Jōjō Shūhei*?)
* Kodama (コダマ, *Kodama*?): Mark Musashi (マーク武蔵, *Māku Musashi*?)
* Jabi (邪美, *Jabi*?): Yasue Sato (佐藤 康恵, *Satō Yasue*?)
* Priestess Garai (我雷法師, *Garai Hōshi*?): Kazue Tsunogae (角替 和枝, *Tsunogae Kazue*?)
* Priest Amon (阿門法師, *Amon Hōshi*?): Akaji Maro (麿 赤児, *Maro Akaji*?)
* Rin Saezima (冴島 りん, *Saejima Rin*?): Junko Tashiro (田代 純子, *Tashiro Junko*?)
* Taiga Saezima (冴島 大河, *Saejima Taiga*?): Hiroyuki Watanabe (渡辺 裕之, *Watanabe Hiroyuki*?)
* Barago (バラゴ, *Barago*?): Masaki Kyomoto (京本 政樹, *Kyōmoto Masaki*?)
* Madou Ring Zaruba (魔導輪ザルバ, *Madōrin Zaruba*?, Voice): Hironobu Kageyama (影山 ヒロノブ, *Kageyama Hironobu*?)
* Madou Necklace Silva (魔導具シルヴァ, *Madōgu Shiruva*?, Voice): Ai Orikasa (折笠 愛, *Orikasa Ai*?)
* Madou Bracelet Goruba (魔導具ゴルバ, *Madōgu Goruba*?, Voice): Kenichi Ogata (緒方 賢一, *Ogata Ken'ichi*?)
* Makai Tree (魔戒樹, *Makaiju*?, Voice): Yukari Okuda (奥田 ゆかり, *Okuda Yukari*?)
* Aomushi (アオムシ, *Aomushi*?, Voice): Keiichiro Satomi (里見 圭一郎, *Satomi Keiichirō*?)
* Legules (レギュレイス, *Regyureisu*?, Voice): Masashi Hirose (広瀬 正志, *Hirose Masashi*?)

## Songs

Opening theme
* "Theme of GARO"
	+ Music by TRYFORCE and JAM Project

Ending theme
* "Aurora no Shita de" (オーロラの下で, *Ōrora no Shita de*?)
	+ Lyrics & Composition: Masaki Kyomoto
	+ Arrangement: Harukichi Yamamoto
	+ Artist: Garo Project

## External links

* *Garo Special: Byakuya no Maju* at Wikipedia