Kurohebi

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烏蛇くろへび
Kurohebi
kɯᵝɺ̠o̞he̞βi
Kurohebi
Character Titles
Strong-Willed Shadow
Information
Species Pseudo-human; unknown
Abilities Hiding their presence
Birthday 22 November
Occupation Assassin
Location Devanagara
Music Themes
  • メラニンインブラック ~ Colt_Snake (EE)
  • メイドインブラック ~ Double Snake (BPoHC)
Appearances

Kurohebi (烏蛇) is an artificial human trained to be an assassin. Hailing from the Outside World, they are currently living harshly in Devanagara. They are the first stage boss of Evanescent Existence and Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle.

General Information[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi first appeared as the first stage boss of Evanescent Existence, then became absent up until they appeared as a possible first stage boss in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle.

Kurohebi hails from the Outside World and was spirited away to Mugenri along with their acquaintances by Tsurubami Senri. It would seem that the main goal was to specifically call Tsubakura Enraku forth, with the others possibly only being brought in as collateral.[1][2] Their sudden disappearance to Mugenri along with the rest of the Evanescent Existence cast is known to have made a huge news story in the Outside World.[3]

They are an artificial human, and their species is specifically labelled as ""pseudo-human". They are still biologically "more or less human", thus having lots of parts that are different from humans.[4] They were created by both Tsubakura Enraku and Suzumi Kuzu,[5] estimated around 22nd of November.[6]

They were specifically made to be an assassin, but despite being created for this purpose, they have yet to succeed an assassination.[7] This is because they are still focused on one task: assassinate Tsubakura. They were ordered to assassinate them by Suzumi sometime prior to the series.[5][8] They attempted to assassinate Tsubakura during Evanescent Existence and again in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, both times failed harshly.[9] The Shitodo siblings are aware of Kurohebi's true motives and prefer to get rid of them.[10]

As of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, Kurohebi eventually settled in Mugenri and they currently reside in Devanagara, but their living situation is rather harsh.[7] However, Kurohebi has received praise in certain Devanagaran neighbourhoods for being good at tailing people, receiving jobs such as infidelity investigations.[11] They attempted to capture Taira no Fumikado, as they were a wanted criminal in Devanagara,[12] and was once tasked to bring Tenkai Zuifeng to the capital.[13]

Personality[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi is mostly interested in killing, since they were created for that purpose.[4] They are normally indifferent to other people, but have sentimental feelings for Tsubakura Enraku.[5] Kurohebi is quite confident and outwardly casual around the Outside World humans, as they are the ones that Kurohebi is most comfortable with.[14][10] However, around strangers in Mugenri, Kurohebi appears much more cautious and middling, and their unconfident side is evident as they fumble in their mannerisms after being caught stalking.[13][12]

They love playing hide-and-seek. They like sushi, eggs and cereal bars, but dislike cold rice, work and sparrows.[6]

Abilities[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi may be a fairly weak character. They mention that they lost to Yabusame because they were weakened by "Tsubakura" previously.[15] Tsurubami Senri claims that out of all the outsiders they've encountered, Kurohebi is the lowest-ranking member.[9]

Hiding their presence

Kurohebi has the ability of hiding their presence, being imperceptible to both biological beings and machines alike except through sight.[7][16] It is unknown if they just hide normally or manipulate darkness to cover themself, since in some of their spell cards, they cover their knives in darkness before dissipating it at the moment the knife approaches the target. The appearance the darkness outside its region looks like black mist. The names of their spell cards are also related to invisibility and darkness (Darkness Card "Blind Shot", "Imperceptible").

This ability prove useful for them to escape the Shitodo siblings who attempted to get rid of them.[10] The ability is proven weak against Tenkai Zuifeng's barriers.[13]

Survival

Kurohebi has proven to have survival skills despite being weak. Tsubakura thought that Kurohebi was dead, which they pointed out that survival is their speciality.[14] They are skilled at cooking, especially campfire cooking.[17]

Background Information[edit | edit source]

Origin[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi is likely inspired by Big Boss from Emergency Everyday, the predecessor to the Len'en Project. Both characters are stage 1 bosses in their respective games and have the ability to conceal their presence. In addition, like him, they could also be taking cues from Solid Snake of the Metal Gear series, such as the snake motif, artifical creation or mild resemblance in appearance. Their ability being shown in gameplay as darkness manipulation might be a homage to Rumia.

Name[edit | edit source]

Their only name is Kurohebi (烏蛇), whose kanji means "crow" and "snake" respectively. Its pronunciation could be interpreted as "black snake", fitting with their ability to hide bullets in darkness. Additionally, the kanji pair is typically read as karasuhebi ("crow snake"), used to refer to Japanese striped snakes with melanism.

Design[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi has short, spiky brown hair, tied up in a black bandanna. They wear grey and red clothing and carry a belt with daggers. Evanescent Existence also shows them holding two unique blades, one of which is made of bone and the other of an unspecified alloy.[18] In Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, their hair appears darker, which JynX pointed out that nothing special is behind the change.[19]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi in EE

Evanescent Existence[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi first appeared as the first stage boss and midboss of Evanescent Existence. Like everyone else in the game, Kurohebi is spirited away to Mugenri and ended up in the Dimensional Cavern.

While trapped in the cave, they run into Tsurubami Senri disguised as Tsubakura Enraku, who called Kurohebi the lowest-ranking member. The assassin pretended to be concerned for them, and proceeded to attack "Tsubakura". They were quickly defeated, with Kurohebi thinking that "Tsubakura" is feigning forgetfulness as they do not know who Kurohebi is.

After being defeated by Tsubakura, they run into Yabusame Houlen who asks for everyone's location. Kurohebi mentions that there was a "voice" that suggested that "whoever reaches the deepest area first will have any wish granted". They also confess that "Tsubakura" defeated them a short while ago, while Yabusame just laughs because Kurohebi is weak. Kurohebi wants to practise an assassination attempt on Yabusame, only to be defeated again. After that, Kurohebi insists that they only lost to Yabusame because they were weakened.

Via one of Suzumi Kuzu's memory dives that takes place after Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, Kurohebi instead meets Suzumi, who nether are pleased to see each other. Suzumi is short on time and wanted to defeat Kurohebi quickly before proceeding.

Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi in BPoHC

After a few game absences, Kurohebi returns in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle. They can be encountered as a possible stage one boss if the player takes on the neutral route (going middle). In later stages, they could instead appear as a random midboss anywhere in the game. Their upgrade is to increase barrier regeneration speed, and they have a skill called Remembered Remnants that creates a player scapegoat for the duration of a flash bomb.

It is revealed they eventually settled in Mugenri and they currently reside in Devanagara, but their living situation is rather harsh. When encountered, Kurohebi will use 2 spell cards, both re-used from Evanescent Existence.

  • With the Shrine Team, Kurohebi runs into Yabusame Houlen and co. Tsubakura Enraku is genuinely surprised to see them, having taken them for dead. Kurohebi noticed that Tsubakura has "adopted another child", being Shion, which Tsubakura denies. Kurohebi then proceeds with "a present called death". The heroes attack, and Kurohebi is defeated. Shion is curious about eating the soul of an artificial human, but Kurohebi begs Tsubakura to stop them.
  • With the New Emperor Team, Kurohebi eavesdrops on Taira no Fumikado and their lackeys, but Fujiwara no Iyozane finds them anyway. Kurohebi comments that Fumikado is a wanted criminal so they might as well catch them, but they are defeated.
  • With the Preschool Team, Kurohebi was hired to take Tenkai Zuifeng back to the capital, they attempted to sneak up on and assassinate Tenkai. Although, Tenkai catches on thanks to their barriers and the trio defeat Kurohebi, who laments that they're going to be fired.
  • With the Scoundrel Team, the Shitodo siblings are worried that their assailant would make use of Kurohebi to kill people, so the trio decide to defeat and kill Kurohebi before that can happen. They defeat Kurohebi but they used their ability to run away before Hooaka Shitodo could kill them.
  • With the Secret Team, Kurohebi confesses that they don't want to attempt assassinating Tsubakura anymore and that they want to break free from Suzumi Kuzu's chains. Upset that Kurohebi is unable to kill Tsubakura, Suzumi attacks Kurohebi to teach them a lesson.

Book of the Cafe[edit | edit source]

Kurohebi is a playable character in Book of the Cafe.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Tsubakura Enraku

Tsubakura Enraku contributed to half of Kurohebi's creation. Tsubakura is the only person to be addressed by Kurohebi with an honorific, and they outright call Tsubakura their parent.[5] They mock Tsubakura for adopting yet another child, that being Shion.[14] They have been ordered to kill them by Suzumi, but they are conflicted to go through with it as they have sentimental feelings for Tsubakura.[5]

Suzumi Kuzu

Suzumi Kuzu is the other contributor to their creation, and appears to presently be in active authority over them. Suzumi gave them the order to assassinate Tsubakura, and though they are willing to face them in battle, Kurohebi is very hesitant to follow through completely. They're even willing to rebel against Suzumi's orders.[5] Interestingly, Kurohebi dislikes sparrows, which may be due to disliking Suzumi.[6]

Additional Information[edit | edit source]

  • Kurohebi is the only non-human character in Evanescent Existence, or at least not fully human like the rest of the game's cast.
  • The Remembered Remnants skill given by Kurohebi in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle may have been inspired by Zer0's action skill in Borderlands 2; both characters are assassins, both abilities involve throwing out a fake copy, and JynX has said that they were influenced by the Borderlands series for some aspects of BPoHC.[20]
  • Kurohebi was a potential candidate on joining the Shrine Team of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle if Shion never came to be.[21]
  • It has been pointed out that Kurohebi does not know the existence of Rei and Zelo.[22]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Spell Cards[edit | edit source]

Spell Cards
Name Translated Comments Games Stage
Total: 7
暗牌「ブラインドショット」 Darkness Card "Blind Shot" Simply titled Blind Shot (ブラインドショット) in Book of the Cafe. EE
BPoHC
BotC
St. 1: E/N
St. 1: E/N
Use
暗牌「メラニスティックショット」 Darkness Card "Melanistic Shot"[a] EE
BPoHC
St. 1: H/U
St. 1: H/U
切牌「スリットスネーク」 Cut Card "Slit Snake" Bomb EE
BPoHC
BotC
St. 1: E/N
St. 1: E/N
Use
斬牌「スリットドラゴン」 Slash Card "Slit Dragon" EE
BPoHC
St. 1: H/U
St. 1: H/U
「インパーセプティブル」 "Imperceptible" EE St. 1: E/N/H/U
偲ばれる残影 Remembered Remnants BPoHC Upgrade
暗殺 Assassination BotC Inherent Trait

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. Melanism is the development of melanin in the skin.

Official Profiles[edit | edit source]

Official profiles
 ◯1面ボス  得手勝手な影

  烏蛇(くろへび)
  Kurohebi

  種族:人間もどき
  能力:気配を知られない的な能力

  人の手によって造られた人造人間だけど、生物学上は大体人間。
  暗殺する為に作られたため、いろいろと人間と違う部分もある。
  大抵の生物や機械は光学情報以外で烏蛇を認知できない。
  だが、いまだ初仕事をこなせていない為、暗殺したことが一度も無い。

  夜道と背後にご注意。

◯ Stage 1 Boss — Strong-Willed Shadow

Kurohebi

Species: Pseudo-Human
Ability: Something like hiding their presence

Although they were made artificially, they're biologically more or less human.
They were made to be an assassin, so they have lots of parts that are different from humans.
Most creatures and machines are unable to detect them in any way but by sight.
However, they still haven't completed their first mission, so they've never actually assassinated anyone.

Watch your back while out at night!

得手勝手な影

烏蛇
Kurohebi
●種族
人間もどき
●能力
気配を知られない
      的な能力

気配を完全に消せる人造人間。

藪雨と玄鳥に巻き込まれて无現里に来た。
暗殺を専門としているが、
結局今まで一度も暗殺に成功したためしがない。

今は都に住んでいるらしいが、
なかなか生活が苦しいようだ。

Strong-Willed Shadow

Kurohebi
●Species:
Pseudo-Human
●Abilities:
Something like hiding their presence

An artificial human who can completely hide their presence.

They came to Mugenri by getting dragged along with Yabusame and Tsubakura.
They specialize in assassination,
but they've never actually succeeded in assassinating someone so far.

It seems they currently reside in the Capital City,
but their living situation is rather harsh.

  得手勝手な影

  烏蛇

  種族:人間もどき
  能力:気配を知られない的な能力
  趣味:かくれんぼ 武器の手入れ
  好きなもの:寿司 卵 シリアルバー
  嫌いなもの:冷めたごはん(寿司は例外) 仕事 雀
  推定誕生日:11/22

Strong-Willed Shadow

Kurohebi

Species: Pseudo-Human
Ability: Something like hiding their presence
Hobbies: Hide-and-seek, weapon maintenance.
Likes: Sushi, eggs, cereal bars.
Dislikes: Cold rice (with the exception of sushi), work, sparrows.
Estimated date of birth: November, 22.

Official Sources[edit | edit source]

Official sources

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Scoundrel Team's Extra+α Scenario
  2. BOOK of the CAFE: EE Back Issue - Tsubakura's Route, Stage 3-1
  3. Interview with JynX (2017): Len'en Miscellaneous, Question 77
  4. 4.0 4.1 Evanescent Existence: Official Profiles - Kurohebi
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Secret Team's Neutral Scenario - Kurohebi
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 A World Outside Fantasy: False Spirit Account - Tsubakura Enraku
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Official Profiles - Kurohebi
  8. Book of the Cafe: Back Issue EE Yabusame's Route - Stage 2
  9. 9.0 9.1 Evanescent Existence: Tsubakura's Scenario - Stage 1
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Scoundrel Team's Neutral Scenario - Kurohebi
  11. Interview with JynX (2021): Kurohebi, Question 161
  12. 12.0 12.1 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: New Emperor Team's Neutral Scenario - Kurohebi
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Preschool Team's Neutral Scenario - Kurohebi
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle: Shrine Team's Neutral Scenario - Kurohebi
  15. Evanescent Existence: Yabusame's Scenario - Stage 1
  16. Book of the Cafe: Back Issue EE Yabusame's Route - Stage 1: Chapter 4
  17. Interview with JynX (2021): Kurohebi, Question 163
  18. Interview with JynX (2021): Kurohebi, Question 162
  19. Interview with JynX (2021): Kurohebi, Question 159
  20. Interview with JynX (2015): Question 2
  21. Interview with JynX (2021): Kurohebi, Question 244
  22. Peing: 8 February 2019