Koumori Maniwa the 1st

"*But I don’t have anything like that. No ambitions or goals, nothing like that. I just can’t think about things in the same way you guys do.*"

— **Koumori Maniwa the 1st**

## Personal Status

### Abilities

Body Melt
Star Cannon

## Novel Appearances

### Volumes

*Maniwagatari*

**Koumori Maniwa the 1st** (真庭(まにわ) 蝙蝠(こうもり) １世(いっせい), *Maniwa Kōmori Issei*), also known as **Koumori the Self-Reliant** (無頼(むらい)の蝙蝠(こうもり), *Murai no Kōmori*), is a character from the *Katanagatari Series*. He is a ninja from the Sengoku Period and one of the first bosses of the Maniwa Ninja Corps. His name would be inherited by Koumori Maniwa two hundred years later.

## Personality

Koumori was always praised for his talent, but his one flaw was that he lacked ambition; he didn't have the desire to strive for anything. This made him unable to relate to his fellow ninja, such as Matsuzemi Maniwa or Haruzemi Maniwa, who're all driven by their desire to succeed. Even Koumori referred to himself as more of an 'underling type', saying that he'd rather somebody else make use of him and take responsibility for himself. Unlike his descendent, Koumori always treated others with great respect, even to the point of never asserting himself. Because of this, he was easy to work with and gained the respect of his fellows. While usually detached, Koumori showed very strong emotions in the case of Haruzemi's murder, taking it upon himself to kill the culprit, Matsuzemi. He could often be found away from others, sleeping upside down like a bat hanging from a tree.

## Appearance

Koumori has the appearance of a slim man with long, jet black hair, slicked back into a vaguely bat-like shape, as well as thin, black eyes, though due to his Body Melt ninja art, it is unknown if this is his true appearance or even gender. He is shown wearing a ninja outfit bearing the typical Maniwa style; black garb with purple highlights and torn sleeves, black pants and a purple scarf covering his mouth, as well as black bandages over his forearms.

## Background

Koumori was a member of the Maniwa Ninja Corps during the Sengoku Period, right when the organization shifted its command structure to have twelve bosses. He was a candidate for the position of boss, although he didn't initially have faith that the new structure would work. He ended up being picked, and went on to have a highly successful career with many military exploits. His name went on to be inherited, eventually being passed down to the identically named bearer of the Deviant Blade, Absolute Sword: The Plane.

## Abilities and Equipment

* **Maniwa Ninja Art: Body Melt** (真庭忍法(まにわにんぽう) 骨肉細工(こつにくざいく), *Maniwa Ninpō: Kotsuniku Zaiku, lit. "Flesh and Bone Crafting"*)**:** A technique also shared by the future Koumori Maniwa. Due to the elasticity of his body, Koumori can mimic the identity of someone else by altering his body's structure, to the extent that he is indistinguishable from them. In order to use this art, Koumori has to have a good understanding of the body he wishes to mimic.
* **Star Cannon** (手裏剣砲(しゅりけんほう), *Shurikenhō, lit. "Shuriken Cannon"*)**:** A technique also utilized by his future descendent, using the incredible elasticity of his body, Koumori can swallow and store weapons (such as shuriken) inside his body and launch them with great speeds at his enemies.

## Quotes

* (Koumori talking about himself) *"Y'know, ‘bout me, I feel like I’m kinda one of those underling types. Like, there’d be nothin’ easier for me than if someone decided for me what my goals were, or what I wanted to do in the future, everything like that. Living? Life? There’s no rule that says I gotta decide all that for myself. If there’s a commanding officer that can make use of my talent and my ninja arts better than me, then I won’t go against them. And even if they can’t really make use of it, I won’t complain as long as they’re gonna take responsibility."*
* (Koumori to Matsuzemi) *"But I don’t have anything like that. No ambitions or goals, nothing like that. I just can’t think about things in the same way you guys do."*
* (Koumori before slaying Matsuzemi) *"Yeah. Killing a comrade is totally fine. That’s why... it’s fine if I kill you, too."*

## Trivia

* The Maniwa surname means "garden of truth", partly suggesting the animal motif of the ninja clan.
* Koumori's first name literally means "bat".
* Koumori's height is stated to be 5 *shaku*, 9 *sun*, 4 *bu*, which is roughly equal to 177 cm.
* Koumori's weight is stated to be 15 *kan*, 1 *kin*, which is roughly equal to 56 kg.
* Koumori's creed is stated to be "to follow blindly" (付和雷同(ふわらいどう), *Fuwaraidō*).

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *Maniwagatari*, *Episode One: First Generation - Koumori Maniwa*
2. ↑ *Katanagatari Chapter One: Absolute Sword, Plane*, *Chapter Three: The Schemer*
3. ↑ *Katanagatari Chapter One: Absolute Sword, Plane*, *Chapter Two: Enter the Maniwa*