Hachi

Hachi artwork from Curse of the Moon 2.

**Hachi** is a playable character in *Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2*. He is an intelligent Welsh corgi who pilots a large mecha suit featuring a locomotive thematic.

## History

Hachi was experimented on by an alchemist of unconfirmed disposition. This allowed the corgi to pilot a mechanical construct, enabling him to assist Zangetsu, who had met the dog before, during his second journey into the demonic castle.

Even though Robert initially distrusts him due to his suit being of alchemical make, Dominique Baldwin's sacrifice causes him to have a change of heart, and over the course of Episode 2, the two bond while Zangetsu looks on approvingly.

## Appearance and personality

Many believe Hachi to be the suit itself, under the belief that it is an automaton similar to the constructs found within the castle. However, Hachi is in fact merely a Welsh corgi piloting the construct from inside. And being a corgi often wins Hachi admirers, such as Dominique and Miriam.

Being a dog, Hachi feels intense loyalty to those endeared to him, as evidenced by the fact that he traveled a seemingly great distance just to reunite with Zangetsu. He also possesses a degree of empathy, seeming to realize Dominique's sacrifice, and wanting just as badly to rescue her, as he wants to rescue Zangetsu and Robert.

## Powers and abilities

* **Wild Step**: Hachi is able to traverse any terrain, save for lava, with little to no trouble. On icy floors, Hachi's legs become spider-like, allowing him to retain traction and avoid sliding on the ice. While staying low or climbing stairs, they become wheels; and in spike beds, they become tank treads that crush the spikes, allowing his allies to stand where they were without taking damage.
* **Arm of Destruction**: Hachi's arms contain piston-powered cone wedges that allow him to strike with immense might that even pierces certain defenses. It can also shatter barriers that previously could only be destroyed with Miriam's great axe sub-weapon, opening access to upgrades and even alternate routes.
* **Death from Above**: Hachi can use a ground-pound attack from midair, dealing damage to enemies even under the floor he lands on. This can also open up new pathways by destroying worn and cracked terrains.
* **Steam Hover**: Hachi can hover in midair for a short time, granting access to areas too far away to jump to. This can be even further useful if combined with the High Jump ability shared between Dominique and Miriam.
* **Invincible Iron**: Hachi's only sub-weapon, similar to Gebel's Immortal Metamorphosis, allows Hachi to feed WEAPON Points to make himself nigh-invulnerable to weapons and enemy contact. However, there are still some elements that can harm Hachi even in this state, such as the lava terrain in Stage 5 or Beelzebub's insta-kill core contact in Stage 8.

## Gallery

Hachi official artwork.Early concept of Hachi, back when a generic monster was considered for the power-type role.Initial draft of Hachi's final design, considered "overly cute" so the later versions hid the dog.Early Hachi design, noted by IGA to lack a "gothic touch".Hachi concept art from the *CotMC* artbook.Zangetsu and Hachi preliminary art for the *Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2* Collector's Edition cover by Tom duBois (also preliminary art of Dracula).
## Trivia

* Hachi is likely inspired by Hachikō (1923 – 1935), a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Mr. Ueno's death.
	+ After Mr. Ueno's passing, Hachikō would return to Shibuya Station every day to wait for his master's return. This would possibly explain the locomotive thematic of Hachi's mecha suit.
* According to Zangetsu's conversation with Hachi in the Final Episode, the dog was actually given his name by Robert. Zangetsu had wanted to name the dog "Zangetsumaru", but for offscreen reasons, "Hachi" stuck.
* Though this is speculation, it is possible that Zangetsu's previous encounter with Hachi may have involved rescuing the dog from the alchemist who experimented on him. This could even be the reason why Hachi is so attached to Zangetsu even after enough time for the latter to become slow in recognizing the dog upon their reunion.

## See also

* Glutton Train - Another locomotive themed (enemy) character.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 @IntiCreatesEN at Twitter (July 9, 2020).