Yatagarasu

**Composer** | GLS

**Yatagarasu** (also known as "**Yata"** for short) is an extreme demon mega-collab created during Update 2.0, and is the *hardest* demon in Geometry Dash. Also known as "Final demon of 2.0", This level honors a three legged crow called a Yatagarasu. It was started by Riot, who had given the level to Surv in order to verify it, who passed it on to Trusta, who proceeded to beat it on January 13, 2017 on his Twitch stream. It is an extreme demon, filled with challenging sections throughout its entirety. It is also one of the hardest possible levels in Geometry Dash history. Like many other extreme demons and hellish styled levels, its color scheme is red. Many have suggested that RobTop should add a new difficulty to the game just for levels like this one, which had soon come in 2.1 the new "Extreme Demon" filter was introduced.

It has currently been beaten by four players only: TrusTa (the verifier), Surv (the previous verifier), Sunix, BlassCFB, and Skullo (A very skilled underrated player). The **Yatagarasu** is known in the GD community as a legend about a bird, or three-legged crow. Some jokingly call it a "three-legged chicken", referring to RobTop mentioning Update 2.1. It was set to be verified originally by Riot, who gave it to Surv because he found it too hard. Surv, having failed to verify it, passed it on to TrusTa who verified it with many nerfs to make it easier and also more consistent. Surv beat it easily a few days after TrusTa. The level secured TrusTa's place in GD history for verifying Yatagarasu.

## Gameplay

**Viprin**: The level starts with a ship sequence. This section is fairly dark, making it difficult to see the section's layout. The **Yatagarasu** makes its first appearance in front of the player. There is an LDM in this section. Next up is a cube sequence with invisible obstacles, with the only indicators of them appearing as mirror images on the floor and ceiling. At the end, there is a teleportation portal.

**AncientAnubis**: The ending of the difficult cube sequence, followed by a short UFO with several gravity changes. Next up is another cube, this one being short, with a triple spike jump. Next is a ship that passes by a skull with a straight fly, followed by a mini gravity ball with very precise timing.

**Jeyzor**: Here is a lengthy and difficult wave with a flashing background and very tight openings. The tight openings require very precise timing to get, and there are multiple speed changers to throw off the player. The name "Jeyzor" flashes by quickly along the ground.

**WOOGI1411**: This segment starts off with a UFO sequence, later becoming a moderately tight ship. Next is a tight wave, which contains a few invisible gravity portals and speed portals to trip the player up.

**Findexi**: This segment starts with a simple gravity ball segment. Next is a ship with several size and gravity changes. Following is a slightly harder gravity ball sequence. This part contains several objects with a white pulse effect. It is likely one of the easiest parts of the level, along with Rek3dge's and Xcy-7's.

**Rek3dge**: This part closes off Findexi's ball segment, before switching to a brief ship sequence. A short cube sequence is up next, with several jump orbs. Next is a brief auto segment that shows the name of the level, along with its logo, the Yatagarasu itself, with the level's name in capital letters, "YATAGARASU" in the "Oxygene 1" font. The level then teleports the player to Weoweoteo's part. The music's pace halts.

**Weoweoteo**: The music then drops and picks up a new, faster pace. This is marked by a triple speed straight fly ship segment, which then turns into an extremely hard wave part. If the player manages to finish this, it will turn into a mini ball section, with extremely hard timing.

**Orion (aka Anthrax)**: A double speed wave that requires good timing and very good spam abilities, and then an easier mini ship straight fly part.

**AbstractDark**: This part starts as a confusing cube segment with hard timing and teleportation portals. It then switches to half speed, with some tricky timings comprised of a UFO and robot part.

**GironDavid**: This starts off as a brief triple speed straight fly, then changes to a very hard and confusing mini cube, which then switches to an equally difficult ball with very difficult timing.

**COSINE**: This part has a very difficult mini flying segment to begin with, with a few size and gravity changers to throw the player off. This is then followed by an extremely difficult ball with very precise timing required.

**Xcy-7**: This is probably one of the easiest parts in the level. Xcy-7's part is a simple hard cube with some tight and crucial timing.

**Vermillion**: This part starts as a double speed flying segment with straight flying and difficult timing, with effects to create a "cave" effect, where the player has limited vision of the obstacles in front of them. This is followed by a very hard ball with very difficult timing, similar to COSINE's part. There's also a skull art created by Rustam at the ball part.

**Zelda**: Zelda's part starts as a brief half speed robot with difficult timing, followed by a wave that is mostly an enduring wave "spam" segment, which changes to single speed as it transitions into Michigun's part.

**Michigun**: One of the most difficult and annoying parts in the level, this starts with a double speed robot with very difficult timing, followed by a cube with equally difficult timing. This goes into a triple speed wave with extremely difficult timing and then a brief but difficult straight fly segment, with a very hard triple spike at the end. The player must jump shortly after this triple spike, or they will crash due to a move trigger that will cause the **Yatagarasu** to fall and kill the player, synced with the "caw" in the music. There is also a trigger under one part of the wave that changes the Robtop quote at the end to a picture of an easter egg. Next to the egg, it says "Viprin" and "Michigun".

**Luneth**: Luneth's part starts as a half speed UFO with very tricky timing, followed by a ball segment with equally difficult timing. The music slows down here.

**Hinds**: Here is yet another very difficult and annoying part. This starts off as a swing-copter mode with extremely difficult timing, then switching to an upside down mini ship with a tunnel-like straight fly that appears in a few of Hinds' levels. This is followed by another extremely difficult swing-copter mode, followed by a very difficult mini ball and mini UFO with very hard timing, with a final mini cube segment.

**Evasium**: This part is made so the obstacles' hitboxes are very hard and irritating to locate, and the entire part is in half speed and made with very dark decorations. The first half has similar styled flying to that of Viprin's part. This is then followed by a UFO with very hard timing and gravity portals.

**Loogiah**: Here is another difficult and super annoying part. This starts as a mini rocket, that then becomes dual, then changes back to a non-dual just to mess with the player, and is entirely straight flying. This is followed by a half speed wave with extremely difficult timing, and then a mini ball part with equally difficult timing. The ball transitions to a normal size ship with changing speeds, marking the transition to CSX42's part.

**CSX42**: This is perhaps the hardest part in the level, and was once near impossible. The part starts as a half speed ship with very difficult straight flying, followed by a wave with extremely hard timing. This is followed by a ball with very confusing and extremely hard timing, then transitions to mini before transitioning to a mini ship with a short difficult straight flying.

**FunnyGame**: This entire part is in the mini size. It starts as a mini ship with tricky and difficult maneuvers, due to moving objects and trick jump rings. This is then followed by a ball segment with a mechanic identical to that in one of FunnyGame's levels, Lonely Travel, albeit much more difficult and confusing. This is then followed by a UFO with tricky timing and more moving objects. In the background for this entire sequence, the name "FunnyGame" is visible.

**Riot** (Decoration by **Viprin**): This part is mostly just a cube, but this entire cube is filled with tricky and very hard timing. Words temporarily flash by in the foreground, including "death", "decay", and "TrusTa", the verifier of this level. It then ends as an auto ship being "carried" by the Yatagarasu with RobTop's ending quote, "It is not enough for me to succeed, others must fail." The level then ends with the Yatagarasu and the text "The End". The "endscreen" shows a very intricate art of the Yatagarasu. The RobTopGames ending quote can be replaced by an easter egg found in Michigun's part.

## History

**The idea to create **Yatagarasu** was first proposed by GeoStorm members in November 2014.**

 It was supposed to be a new Bloodbath, and was inspired from The Hell Factory in its song, and the fact that three coins are presented at the end as an award for completion. As Bloodbath was the sequel to Cataclysm (Although Ggb0y's original sequel was going to be Infernal Abyss), GeoStorm members hoped that Yatagarasu would be a fitting mega-collab sequel to THF, which in turn was an intended sequel to Cataclysm by Team N2.

Rek3dge and Riot first proposed the idea of Yatagarasu, and Viprin hosted the collab from then on.

(Sandstorm and ASonicMen were originally part of Yatagarasu, however Riot disliked ASonicMen's part so he was kicked. Sandstorm was having trouble with creating so he was kicked)

The hype for Yatagarasu started when Yata's name, song, and length were leaked through Riot's extreme demon videos on youtube. When Riot showed copyables for the demons he beat, many different parts of **Yatagarasu** were shown in his editor.

**Yatagarasu** was officially announced on mid December 2014, when Riot let the builders upload their parts to Youtube. Michigun and Funnygame's parts were the first to surface, however more parts became unraveled in a short period of time. But some people hadn't uploaded their parts yet. So the complete level was shrouded in mystery.

More light was shed on Yatagarasu when the hacker Cyrillic leaked a WIP version of Yata in early 2015. The version had up to Zelda's part, and Cyrillic had added his own part in the end. People were suprised by how Michigun's part was seemingly replaced by another part.

(In Sea1997's Yatagarasu documentary, Riot confirmed that Zelda had accidently built into Michigun's part during the level's construction.)

This leak revealed several parts that aren't revealed yet, and gave people a brief run-down of what the level would look like.

In Feburary 2015, Yata was fully built! However, Cyclic's hacking scandal over The Hell Zone and Sonic Wave had his part severly nerfed, and then discarded completly. Manix648 would fill in the gap, however Riot got into a drama with Manix, and several days later kicked Manix from the collab. Manix has then used his former part for Bloodlust.

During this drama, Riot quit, and handed **Yatagarasu** to Surv.

Viprin hosted a creator contest to fill in the missing gap. Manix retried, but sadly failed. Abstract Dark eventually won the contest.

Then, Giron David and AncientAnubis remade their parts at Surv's request. Vermillion's cave effects were made darker, Csx42's part was buffed, green orbs were removed at WOOGI's part, and the skull art from Rustam's submitted yatagarasu part was added to Vermillion's part. This saw the end of the old Yatagarasu, as well as the beginning for the new yatagarasu.

The text at the drop was changed from "Embrace... Death..." to the "YATAGARASU" in the Oxygene 1 font at sometime around the creator contest, too.

**NOTE** : Riot's original **Yatagarasu** with the original WOOGI, Giron, Vermillion, Cyclic and "Embrace death" message at the drop has been dubbed "Yatagarasu X". It is deemed on par with Bloodlust or even harder.

Surv made quick progress, reaching 33% in 3 days. However, since then he started to dislike the map, and he handed it to TrusTa after he quit.

TrusTa then made 57% in a few days. However, he suffered from lots of fails from then on. He ended up nerfing the level to make it more consistent and possible. Many people were unhappy by the nerfs as it surely contradicts Riot's original intent of the level being harder than any level out there, but others argued that Yatagarasu coudn't be the hardest level anymore (Bloodlust and Blade of Justice was already fully built, and the The Hell Origin was in the reconstruction stage) and were just happy the level was going to be out.

After long periods of nerfs, and a devastating 95% fail, Yatagarasu was finally verified on January of 2017, Approximately 14 Months after it was first suggested. It has then since rated demon and featured since then.

A short time later, Surv conquered the level that once evaded him, making him the second victor of the Yatagarasu. Sunix beat it soon, too. After a while, BlassCFB beat it. Another few weeks followed before an incredibly unknown and underrated player named Skullo beat it. Long after, NoctaFly beat it, which shows that the Yatagarasu now has 6 victors to its name. It looks like normal life is starting again, as **Yatagarasu** secured it's place at #1 and seems like that won't change until Bloodlust or Black Blizzard (Possibly) is out. TrusTa has begun normal GD content from then on, and the two victors, Surv and Sunix, have gone the same way too.

And the most majestic part about the Yatagarasu is that it DID hold the end for one of GD's most magnificient chapter- The one in which legends rose, grew dominant and fell - **2.0**. 2 days after Yatagarasu was released, Robert Topala finally released **2.1**, after approximatly 17 Months of waiting from the community. It has now truly secured it's place for a sequel to Bloodbath - as BB marked the end of 1.9, Yata ended 2.0.

But even after being out, Yatagarasu's legacy still remains- As the people who are unsatisfied with the nerfs are trying to find a way to revive *Riot's old version of Yatagarasu* - Known as **Yatagarasu X**. There is several debate to how hard this is. Some, like Sea1997, say that Yatagarasu X is harder than Bloodlust. However, others argue that Bloodlust is still the harder level.

It has been 14 Months since the Yatagarasu was born, and it's name and symbol has become a brand of some sort in the GD community. This demon will in particular be remembered in Geometry Dash, as it has finally risen from the ashes.

## How much did TrusTa nerf?

**Viprin** - No nerfs

**Anubis** - No nerfs

**Jeyzor** - Removed spikes at the mini wave section

**WOOGI** - Removed green orbs at the ship

**Findexi** - No nerfs

**Rek3dge** - No nerfs

**Weoweoteo** - Ship parts widened

**Orion** - Wave parts widened

**AbstractDark** - No nerfs

**GironDavid** - Timings nerfed

**COSINE** - Nerfed ball timing

**Xcy7** - No nerfs

**Vermillion** - Ball timings nerfed

**Zelda** - Wave parts widened

**Michigun** - Removed mini spikes at the robot

**Luneth** - First jump was replaced by purple jump pad

**Hinds** - Swing copter parts were widened

**Evasium** - No nerfs

**Loogiah** - Slightly wider first dual ship straight fly

**Csx42 Gaming** - Nerfed regulary throughout

**Funnygame** - No nerfs

**Riot** - No nerfs

**GW Complex**- No nerfs

## About the actual Yatagarasu

Quite ironically, the **Yatagarasu** is a mythical bird in ancient asian culture (China, Korea, and Japan), and represented the Sun, bringing harmony and well-being, not a hellish bird creating hazards as depicted in the level. Due to this level, many people mistake what the Yatagarasu actually is, and tend to believe it as "*Just an evil bird from hell*".

Yatagarasu is Japanese for the crow with three legs.

## About The Song

The song is named "***Flawless Wings of Yatagarasu***" by *GlassSkinned* (*GLS* for short). The song itself is a remix of one of *Touhou*'s mainstream OST "*Nuclear Fusion*", a theme song for *Utsuho Reiuji*, the last boss of *Subterranean Animism*.

In the actual song, it is characterized as a fight against *Utsuho* through the *Hell of Blazing Fires*. In this remix be that as it may, GD players depict the song as a terrifying melody with an exceptionally devilish tune.

* The purpose behind being called "***The Flawless Wings of Yatagarasu***", is that the song has something to do with *Utsuho Reuiji*, the *Touhou* character that cases the original song as Her theme.
	+ A tremendous reference says that; *Utsuho*'s species is a Hell Raven, joined by the *Yatagarasu* (cleary alluding to the level AND the song).
		- This is valid because of the way that *Utsuho* has otherworldly forces that permit Her to have the Abilities of the Mythical "Yatagarasu" of old Asian culture, although in the most nuclear, solar, and atomic ways as possible.
			* Also, the purpose behind GD players describing the remix as a diabolic piece with a very frantic theme that no longer holds the idea of representing the sun (however keeping its violent composition), as a direct result of the dim nature and satanic climate that *GLS* has remixed within the song.
				+ This statement can be upheld with the clarification; The song is used by a few red/hell-themed Demon levels, for example, "*The Hell Factory*" by *TeamN2* and "*The Flawless*" by *RyanAB*.

## Trivia

* Yatagarasu is believed to be a sequel to "Bloodbath", which is also a collaboration made by Riot.
* Cyrillic posted the old version of level, with Cyclic's part in it, along with Zelda's extended part. It is obviously unrated.
* The collab has had many kickouts. (Cyclic, Sandstorm, ASonicMen, and Manix648).
* A few parts have been nerfed, for example csx42's part, which originally was near-impossible.
* A few parts were also buffed. For instance, Riot added spikes to Jeyzor's part, making the spaces tighter. Surv de-buffed some of these parts because he said it would otherwise be "impossible" to beat the level. Trusta later Debuffed some of these parts again, and nerfed others, but Michigun's part was buffed.
* Shortly after it was rated, Yatagarasu *was placed at #2* in the Official Extreme and Insane Demons Ranking List, which was behind Sonic Wave. This caused a lot of controversy despite the fact the editors claimed that both TrusTa and Surv stated that the latter level is harder. However, it might be a mishap or a lie, as TrusTa said Yata was harder than Sonic Wave. It was moved to #1 shortly after to end the hate they were receiving. Sea1997 thinks the list editors made a "Quite ironic" mistake.
* Several players, including Anubis and GironDavid, have changed their parts completely following initial verisons.
* There has been a debate on whether Yatagarasu or another upcoming level, Bloodlust by Manix and knobbelboy, is harder. Manix himself said Riot confirmed the harder level is Bloodlust.
* Riot gave Yatagarasu to Surv to verify the level now as he has lost interest in Geometry Dash for the time being and does not want to worsen his hand condition. Surv said that he will be uploading Yatagarasu on his account instead of Riot's account. Surv quit Geometry Dash soon after and handed over the level to TrusTa for him to verify.
* Since being handed the level, TrusTa has made very swift progress on it, then verified it on January 13, 2017.
* Surv's record before he quit was 34%.
* Riot's record before he quit was 13%.
* On his preview video, Jeyzor states that the level used to have a build limit. However, the level has nearly 90k objects, far surpassing the object limit for the 2.0 version of the game, and still exceeds the current 80k object limit of version 2.1.
* On 17 July 2016, Surv deleted some objects off Jeyzor's part after rage quitting in a stream, but they were later restored.

* Findexi originally wanted to remake his part. Viprin declined him, stating the level now is "the final product".
* Surv once got upset on one of his streams over repeatedly dying at WOOGI's part, then he abruptly ended his stream without warning, and ended up quitting Geometry Dash altogether a few days later.
* On January 13, 2017, Trusta made history verifying and uploading Yatagarasu.
* The funny thing was that this was verified on *Friday The 13th,* which is considered an unlucky day in Western Superstition.
* On Instagram, a user by the name of just\_greenpao claims to have beaten the level, with a screenshot of its completion on his story, though it is yet unknown if this is fake or not. (The image is at the bottom of this section.)
* There is a secret way right at the end of Luneth's part, if the player go up and misses the teleporation portal to Hinds's part, they will discover a secret way, but later crashing at the end as there are intentionally placed sawblades. This means there's no way to beat yatagarasu with a secret way.
* Sunix crashed at 98%, which marks as the single worst fail in the level. He achieved this after failing to tap the final sets of blue orbs quick enough to provide the cube enough height to jump over the last hazard.
	+ Skullo also crashed at 98%.

## Records

Please note that the reason behind Surv's attempts being suprisingly low is that he was the previous verifier, therefore he has some know-how of the level. TrusTa's nerfs may be another reason.