u/ErgotthAE

I gotta handle to blizzard, when it comes to Mizuki, I think everything in his design comes together, downright to his role as a support, to his persona and lore. So I would like to break it down by each details what is a design heavily influenced by Shintoism and sacred paper amulets.

1. His Youkai and overall outfit.

As part of a yokai-themed gang, Mizuki is represented by the Kappa. Reptile-like water dwellers designed after turtles, with a sharp beak and a depression on top of their heads to carry water, the source of their strenght. This is easily reflected in Mizuki's beak-like mask and his large hat.

But thats not all.. Upon closer look on his outfit, something else caught my attention: Those two, huge zigzaging pieces attached to his waist. Those seem reminiscent to Shide, paper strips folded in this pattern used in purification rituals in Shinto temples!

His hat is also quite interesting as it not only reminisces of a turtle shell, but have Ofudas, those paper strips used as purification amulets and good luck charms, which we more than know already from Kiriko's own strips, going along Mizuki's obsession with good luck charms and perhaps even explaining why his HAT is a tool of healing.

2. His weapon

This is perhaps the more jarring contrast. Kappas are known to strangle and drown their victims, yet Mizuki was given a scythe (or specificaly, a Kusarigama, a.k.a. Chain Sickle) that launches blades of air. This could possibly draw inspiration from another Yokai: The Kamaitachi, a.k.a. Sickle Weasel. A Yokai, as the name implies, in the form of a weasel with scythe-like claws that can cut with blades of wind. Perhaps Mizuki's double agency is pointed out by being dressed as one Yokai, but weaponizing another.

3. Katashiro return

Katashiro is a paper doll used in Shintoism as purification charms, always cut like a little person and inscribed with symbols. Quite simple and again, part of Mizuki's obsession with purification and good luck. In Japanese culture dolls are often substitutes of a human body, not unlike the pop culture idea of voodoo dolls, where people would use Katashiros to cleanse their impurities and then burn it or throw down a river. Mizuki essentialy swap places with a doll meant to be his proxy or tether.

4. Spirit Chain

Might be a bif of a stretch, but his usage of a chain doesn't fall far from spiritual reasons. Chains are symbols of burden, binding, haunting, depicting boundaries and safe space. By binding enemies, it's like Mizuki is cursing them, putting a burden upon their shoulders.

5. Kekkai Sanctuary

Again with a translation, "Kekkai" simply means "Barrier" (a word you will hear every other episode of Inuyasha...), a safe boundary, as his Ultimate heals and protects against outside damage. Design-wise it's a bit smarter here. You will notice the top of his Kekkai have this rope with, would you look of that, hanging Shide strips! In Shintoism, temples hang large ropes, often with Shide, called Shimenawa, once again symbols of purification and holy boundaries.

6. Conclusion

At first I saw Mizuki as just a bit generic, your sci-fi techno-japanese ninja-wannabe with some "cool" and "sharp" elements, and even though his kit felt more like a DPS but turned Support on last minute with the aura and hat (which I imagined was meant to bounce from enemies as a form of AoE damage) But the more I looked at things, the more his design pieced together. Even his Medic Aura when I think about it, he is so covered in amulets, purification charms and rituals, it's not hard to imagine he EXUDES purification! He's a walking temple warding off evil! Although I personaly think his White and Red skin fits better with the image of a "Healer" (since those colours always remind me of ambulances and hospitals).

I don’t think enough people realize that but Bolin feels like the best character built up to lava bend but not because of Fire Nation heritage. First and foremost we know that earthbending is an element of stability, holding your ground and more than often… hitting your head against walls (figurative and literally) until it breaks. It takes EXTREME conditions to have a sub-bending. Sandbending being the prime example of an environment so extreme the earthbenders had to adapt. Lava is another extreme environment… but not one IN the Earth Kingdom.

Unlike most earthbenders we seen how Bolin is FLEXIBLE. Throughout the 3 seasons until he learns it Bolin was bouncing back from all kinds of situations, flowing through the path of least resistance. He was a street rat, pro-bender, street artist, actor, and an actor pretending to be a WATERBENDER to boot (although his waterbending was as convincing as we pretending to do it in the shower…) He went through a heartbreak and different financial situations at the drop of at a hat, and was always the one member on the team with an open mind.

He was never the stubborn of the group, which could also explain why he couldn’t learn metalbending, because it’s in his nature to assist, not to push. He’s a schmoozer who likes to fit it, like a liquid oozing through the cracks. Toph invented metalbending essentialy out of being too stubborn to let a metal box contain her. Bolin learned to Lavabend by taking a gamble, something Toph wouldn’t do. She takes risks she’s 100% sure she can handle, Bolin improvises.

Same reason an Avatar can learn Lava Bending because it’s in their nature to be adaptable and show flexibility on a physical and spiritual level as opposed to a hard-headed Earthbender who sees a rock and thinks the only right thing to do is keep it as solid as possible. Granted THATS how they learn earthbending as well, possibly explaining why even for the Avatar, Lavabending is so low in their arsenal. (And I imagine the responsibility of dealing with an element that can easily go out of control and cause unnecessary fatalities).

We don’t know much about Ghazan, but considering he’s a member of a philosophical esoteric group, it kinda makes sense he’s of an equaly flexible mindset since the Red Lotus opposes stability.

Had the Earth Kingdom taken some volcanic region as its territory and enough hard-headed earthbenders being hell-bent on living there, we would for sure see more Lavabending.

With Bard class now free, I have the perfect usage for this set :D

• Armor: Astravian Violinist
• Helm: Snowdream Prince Hair
• Cape: Celebratory Petals Cape
• Weapon: Astravian Violinist's Bow
• Rune: Symphonic Vibes