Rengoku (
Appearance[]
Rengoku's design
Rengoku was a short, young woman with fair skin. She was often seen wearing a dark grey, hooded cloak similar to her comrades'. However, she also sported a dark red clasp on the front, similar to Jed's, and an additional flounce over her shoulders. Underneath, she wore a black, skin-tight, full-body undersuit. Also, Rengoku's boots were shorter than her comrades and only reached her mid-calves. She also possessed a Kanan Prison Camp mark on the left side of the back of her neck.[1]
She was also depicted wearing a beige and dark red dress with dark boots as a child and a grey hooded cloak with pockets and dark baggy pants underneath as an adolescent.[1]
Personality[]
Rengoku was often depicted as quiet and calm, speaking far less than Gaki and Shura, and she retained her composure even in difficult situations as an adult. She was also shown to be kind to those who were not Hunters.[1]
She shared the same hatred and revenge-filled mind that Shura and Gaki had, leading to her contract with On. However, she was also capable of much more compassion than Shura, being able to empathize with Gon and Killua and helping them by freeing Netero when she saw that the boys really needed her, even after having given her own life to seal away his Nen in the first place.[1]
Background[]
Rengoku, being a descendant of members of the Shadow, was banished to live in a village in the mountains after the Shadow itself and its members were destroyed by Netero. Rengoku, along with Shura and Gaki, were described as living peacefully as children in their mountain village until eventually, the nation and Garcia no longer wanted any descendants of the Shadow to exist, and so they were persecuted, which later led to them revolting.[1]
Rengoku's prison camp mark
Garcia then insisted on removing the descendants completely. Rengoku was captured as a child by hunters and the other descendants and put into Kanan Prison Camp, where Rengoku was branded on the back of her neck with a Kanan Prison Camp mark. Her living and working conditions there were described as harsh and depraved.[1]
Although many of the descendants of the Shadow died while living in the prison camp, Rengoku, along with Shura and Gaki, escaped as children.[1]
These events led Rengoku, Shura, and Gaki to seek a way to revive On throughout their lives. This led to the reincarnation of Jed, whom they then made a contract with by offering up their lives in order to achieve the revenge they sought against the Hunter Association.[1]
Plot[]
The Last Mission[]
Rengoku, Gaki, Shura, and Jed trudge through the snow to arrive at a small outpost town during a blizzard. She and her comrades free the prisoners imprisoned there in order for them to join their team for their upcoming mission at Heavens Arena, where they plan to take the people there hostage, in order to force the Hunter Association to release the Black Report to the public.[1]
On the first day of the Battle Olympia, Rengoku and her comrades walk through the alleys of the Heavens Arena city to get to the tournament. They are later seen in the crowd inside Heavens Arena while Netero makes his opening announcement.[1]
Rengoku smiling at the little girl
While the group stands around, a little girl runs into Rengoku and the two stare at each other. The girl is frightened until Rengoku softly smiles at her, which seems to help the little girl's mood, who then goes off to sit with her mother.[1]
After Cocco finishes introducing the Battle Olympia event and the mascots come out to dance, Rengoku and her group are still in the crowd. Gaki reaches his hand out towards Rengoku, perhaps trying to instigate a fight, but she slaps him away with little effort. Shura remarks how strong she is, to which she silently nods. Shura stares at her softly and tells the group to meet again in Nirvana once their mission is over, although his comment seems to be aimed at Rengoku specifically, knowing that she is about to die. Rengoku, Shura, and Gaki then dash off in different directions.[1]
While Gon and Killua are upstairs having tea with Netero, Netero senses Rengoku's presence even before she arrives, although the boys are oblivious to this, unable to sense her coming. The elevator doors to Netero's floor then open, and Rengoku steps out, with the elevator operator lying on the floor, either unconscious or dead. Netero stands and stares at the closed door to his room, already recognizing the aura coming off of the approaching Rengoku as On, although he is in disbelief.[1]
As Rengoku walks down the hall to Netero's room, she counts down with each step she takes, stopping when she reaches fifty at Netero's door. She opens it to reveal herself to Netero, Gon, and Killua. Netero starts questioning her, but before he can finish, she pulls a blade out from her cloak sleeve, holds it out with both hands, and shouts her ability, Onbasara, before stabbing herself in the abdomen.[1]
Rengoku using her On ability
She falls to her knees as her On releases from her body in the shape of dark wings that sprout out of her back. Her On rushes towards Netero, holding him up and restricting him in the air in order to seal his aura, preventing him from using his Nen. Rengoku remains on her knees, bloodied and dead on the floor.[1]
Later, Jed brings Rengoku and Netero up to the roof of Heavens Arena. Garcia is brought to Jed, who throws him at the feet of Rengoku. Her On strangles him while lifting him up in the air as a result of him getting too close to Netero.[1]
While Garcia is up in the air, he notices the brand on Rengoku's neck from her time in Kanan Prison Camp. Garcia confesses to giving the order to the hunters to capture the descendants of the Shadow and put them in a prison camp, claiming it was intended to be kept a secret. Rengoku's aura then drops Garcia, and he falls to the ground.[1]
Rengoku, Shura, and Gaki as children
Rengoku is also seen in a flashback alongside Shura and Gaki, where the trio escapes the hunters who are taking away the other descendants of the Shadow. When the trio has aged into adults, they find a man in the desert who inform them about potentially being able to bring back Jed. They then go to the desert rock where Netero first massacred the Shadow and formed a contract with the reincarnation of Jed, vowing a lifelong loyalty to serve him and take revenge on all Hunters.[1]
Rengoku crying
In the present, during Gon and Killua's attempt to fight Jed on the roof, after Gon has been seriously hurt, Killua turns to Rengoku in a last-ditch effort. He rushes towards her and can break through the On barrier surrounding her using much of his strength. He falls to his knees in front of her, holding onto her shoulders, trying to get her to sympathize with his plight. He begs her to end this, and a tear rolls down Rengoku's cheek, which falls onto the blade plunged into her abdomen. The On disappears from her eyes, and they fall shut as her ability's grip on Netero vanishes. She falls forward into Killua's arms.[1]
After Jed is defeated and On is gone forever, it is assumed that whatever part of Rengoku's soul or desires were being kept alive by On to be able to control her ability is then permanently dead.[1]
Abilities & Powers[]
Shura described Rengoku as being very physically strong, and she could even overpower Gaki in casual settings. However, her fighting capabilities were never seen in the film, as she was never shown in serious combat.[1]
Rengoku's primary ability was her On, which she used by sacrificing her life.[1]
On[]
As an On user, Rengoku had access to all Nen categories.
| Rengoku's On Abilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sealing Sacrifice* (オンバサラ, Onbasara) | ||
| Rengoku can take her own life in exchange for sealing her target's aura. This is powerful enough to restrain Netero, widely considered one of the best Nen users in the world, and prevent him from using aura. Her On takes the form of dark, feathered tendrils that ensnare the target. It can also act autonomously to defend itself after Rengoku's death, attacking hostile entities and forming an energy shield around their corpse. Her On retains part of her mind, so it is susceptible to change according to her state of mind, as seen when Killua convinced her to disengage it.[1] | ||
Trivia[]
- Rengoku literally means purgatory in Japanese.
- The concept of purgatory, and especially its Japanese term [煉 (ren, “to refine”) + 獄 (goku, “prison”)], is thematically related to Rengoku's On ability.
- Although it is never explicitly stated in the film, while Garcia is explaining how he sent hunters in secret to capture the children of the Shadow to send them to a prison camp, the film cuts to Pariston sitting in his office during the explanation of the skilled hunters used for the mission, perhaps implying that Pariston was directly involved in Rengoku being sent to Kanan prison camp as a child. The back of Pariston's head is also seen in several photographs with Garcia during the time that the descendants of the Shadow were to be captured.
- Rengoku is described as being the only female warrior, although it is unclear if she is the only female warrior of the descendants of the Shadow, or of the Shadow as a whole.[2]