Chapter 17

**Seventeenth Bone: "Mezzanine--Kyokotsu and Bai Ze"** is the sixteenth (numbered seventeenth) chapter of the manga *B. Ichi*. It was collected as part of Volume 4.

## Featured Appearances

### Characters

**Shotaro's Group**

* Shotaro
* Mana Hinoki
* Yohei Nanami
* Tool
* Kyokotsu (*first named appearance*)

**Fear Factory**

* NoFix

**Observers**

* Emine
* Bai Ze (*first appearance*)

### Locations

* Japon
	+ I. C. Prefecture
		- Fear Factory
			* Fear Robot Hangar
* Kyokotsu Dimension (*first appearance*)

### Objects

* Fear Robot
* Law-Abiding Silver Gun

### Techniques

* Power of Spin
	+ Healing Cells
* Justice Blade
* Bone Powers
	+ Bone of the Dog
		- Guard Dog of Hades--Bones of Kerberos (*first appearance*)

## Plot

### Fear Robot Hangar, Fear Factory

Shotaro stands before the Fear Robot. He looks back with fury upon seeing Tool, Yohei, and Mana all injured by Nofix's attacks. He promises to make his daily good deed enacting vengeance against Nofix for hurting his friends.

Nofix cackles at the "pup" Shotaro, claiming the younger Dokeshi cannot stop him, his robot, or his bloodlust.

Shotaro's eyes widen, as he hears a thumping noise.

Nofix is tapping his hands together, intended to "cut loose" and "do [Shotaro]] real good!"

Shotaro keeps staring.

Nofix, quivering, continues to describe how he will decapitate Shotaro so he can watch his own backside being baten.

Shotaro again hears the thumping. A shadow in the shape of a skull appears behind him. A skull appears in his eye. A voice, as if coming from the shadow, calls to Shotaro.

### Kyokotsu Dimension

Shotaro turns back to look at the voice calling to him--but he is no longer inside Fear Factory. He is now in a room with metal cabinets holding various objects, a skull-shaped clock, a well decorated like a monster, a milk tank decorated with a skull, and other faucets and decorations resembling skulls. Even Shotaro's outfit has changed: while his stitched shoes remain, his pants now have a skull on its pocket, and he wears a hoodie with a skull-shaped drawstring.

A chilling voice calls from the well: "Kyokotsu is the bones inside the well." Fingers emerged from the well, clutching its edge. The voice continues: "In all the proverbs of the world, no terrible thing is more feared than 'Kyokotsu.' There is nothing more dreadful than the terror of its grudge." Shotaro is fearful of these words and this voice.

But then the voice's source emerges with a chipper voice and a wave. The entity has a face like a skull decorated with a clown's face makeup, hands curled like skeletal fingers, a long plaid cloak and matching plaid crescent-shaped hat, and a long scarf. The entity welcomes Shotaro and offers a skull-decorated mug to get him some milk, which he pours from a nearby faucet. Shotaro asks who this entity is. He introduces himself as Kyokotsu. Shotaro slowly realizes that this Kyokotsu brought him here, but he says he has to fight the Fear Robot. Kyokotsu ignores these remarks, saying that Shotaro must really enjoy warm milk.

Shotaro finally asks who Kyokotsu is. Kyokotsu answers: "I'm you. I'm your bones." Shotaro is confused, wondering whether he is speaking to his own bones. But Kyokotsu continues to discuss how important milk is to drink, as he thinks it is "unfair to bully someone just because they don't drink milk." He then segues to point out that the Fear Robot is bullying Shotaro's friends, so he will lend his power to Shotaro. Kyokotsu explains Shotaro must draw more power from him, from his own bones.

Shotaro seems to understand quickly. He feels himself drawing more power from his bones, "so that we can shine darkly."

### Fear Robot Hangar

Skull-shaped smoke circulating around Shotaro, who is now transformed: he wears Kyokotsu's plaid along his collars and scarf, a skull marker on the back of his jacket, and Kyokotsu's crescent hat and face makeup. Nofix and Yohei are both surprised at this change in appearance, although Nofix is more interested in how fun this battle now will be. Shotaro tells Nofix to prepare for battle, which only amuses Nofix.

Fear Robot dashes at Shotaro. With just his one hand, Shotaro blocks the Robot's fist, holding it back. Shotaro calmly says Nofix is interested in bullying others with such a big hand. Nofix, grinning madly, claims he is only playing. Shotaro swipes his hand, immediately destroying the Robot's fist.

From his hands, Shotaro removes two Bones of the Dog for Direct Absorption of Calcium. As he draws this power, a skull appears at his feet. He smiles madly as his face transforms into that of a dog. But around his fists also appear dog-shaped faces as he unleashes Guard Dog of Hades--Bones of Kerberos.

Nofix looks with surprise as Shotaro promises to unleash the power of Kyokotsu. He initiates Power of Spin, but it is too late: Shotaro already leaps up and through the Fear Robot, tearing it apart from inside with a Justice Blade swipe.

Yohei is shocked at the Kyokotsu display of power. He then hears Mana awaken, asking whether Shotaro has arrived. Yohei moves to her, cradling her in her arms. He asks whether she is alright, and she simply giggles and flashes a peace sign. Yohei apologizes to her, as he chastises himself for failing to keep his friends from being hurt. Mana grins, saying she has had far worse injuries from martial arts training than this battle. She then presses his nose and tells him not to worry.

Yohei sets Mana down by a wall as he intends to back up Shotaro. He turns his back to her. Before he departs, however, he asks, "Will a bike be all right?" He remembers destroying her scooter earlier and offers to build her a new one, "then we'll call it even." Mana gives a thumb up. Yohei smiles.

The Fear Robot has a hole through its chest and out its back. But the hole repairs itself, thanks to Nofix's spinning cell healing. While Shotaro is surprised, he then hears Yohei behind him, wielding his Law-Abiding Silver Gun and ready to help in this battle. Shotaro is pleased, but Yohei is fixated on how he can feel so much of Kyokotsu's power, "Shotaro's true power," coming from the young Dokeshi.

### Emine's Dimension

A being opens the third eye atop its forehead to speak with Emine: it announces that Kyokotsu has awakened. The being is a griffin-shaped beast, a mane around its head, horn atop its head, sharp claws, spines along its back and hind legs, wings unfurled, and its three eyes--not only on its face but on its side. Leaning against that side, curled in its legs, is Emine. He tells this beast, Bai Ze, that he already can sense Shotaro has awakened Kyokotsu. Bai Ze demands more blood. Emine is silent, then says, "So that we can shine brightly. Let's do our bad deed for the day."

## Trivia

* Kyokotsu is finally introduced by name. He, along with Shotaro's Kyokotsu appearance, had appeared in Chapters 1 and 13, and was named as such by Yohei in, among other chapters, Chapters 3 and 4.
* A version of Bai Ze also appeared in Chapter 1, as a three-eyed clownish Dokeshi that resembles Kyokotsu much more than its beastial appearance in this chapter.
* In Japanese, Kyokotsu is written with the characters that roughly translate into "insane bone" or "crazy bone."
* The Bai Ze is a mythical Chinese creature, said to be wise. According to legend, it dictated to Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor) a guide to all of the supernatural creatures of the world and how to defeat them.
* Shotaro's desire to "shine darkly" and Emine's desire to "shine brightly" may allude to the shapes of the hats they and their spirits wear, respectively, in this chapter, the first chapter, the final chapter, and elsewhere: Shotaro and Kyokotsu wears hats that are crescent shape, like the Moon that would "shine" despite the dark night sky, while Emine wears a round hat, shaped like the Sun that would "shine" in an already bright sky. In Chapter 1, Kyokotsu and Bai Ze themselves stand in front of the Sun and the Moon.

### Cultural References

* Nofix mocks Shotaro as a "pup." Dogs are frequently associated in popular culture with biting on bones, as Shotaro does. As well, Bone of the Dog is a frequent technique of Shotaro, not only in this chapter but in his first fight in *B. Ichi*, using the technique to improve his sense of smell and discern the real Governor from the Older Tast Brother. Nofix's remark is also apt, as immediately after Shotaro, for the first time, uses twice the power of a bone, in this case Bone of the Dog.

### Connections to Okubo's Later Works

* Nofix's jagged teeth and obsession with bloodlust are similar to that of Giriko, one of the antagonists in *Soul Eater*.
* This chapter emphasizes similarities that both Shotaro and Kyokotsu have with Death in *Soul Eater*.
	+ The skull shapes that appear around Shotaro--his shadow, the smoke when he taps into Kyokotsu's power, his pants and hoodie inside Kyokotsu's realm--resemble Death's mask in *Soul Eater*.
	+ The round skull shape in Shotaro's eye resembles not only Death's mask but also the mask of Arachnophobia members in *Soul Eater*, only lacking the spider-like numerous eyes.
	+ The Kyokotsu's demeanor is similar to that of Death in *Soul Eater*, able to alternate between a chipper, foolish demeanor (apt, as "Dokeshi" is another word for "clown") and a serious, fearsome persona.
* Bai Ze's three eyes resemble those of Asura from *Soul Eater*. The relationships between Bai Ze and Kyokotsu, Emine and Shotaro, and Asura and Death are all similar, as they serve as intimate opponents to each other.

## References

1. ↑ *B. Ichi* Manga: Volume 4, Yen Press English eBook, Pages 72, 205
2. ↑ *B. Ichi* Manga: Volume 4, Yen Press English eBook, Pages 91, 205