Harionago

Harionago (Japanese: 針女子), also known as Harionna (Japanese: 針女), is a frightening female ghoul in Japanese mythology. Her name literally meaning "Barbed woman", the Harionago is said to be a beautiful woman with extremely long hair tipped with thorn-like barbs. Her hair is under her direct control, and she uses it to ensnare men. She is said to wander the roads of the Japanese prefecture of Ehime on the island of Shikoku, searching for victims. When she finds a young man, she will laugh at him, and if the young man dares to laugh back, Harionago will drop her terrible, barbed hair and attack.

Popular culture

• In the Mortal Kombat video-game series, the character Sindel uses her hair to toss her opponent across the arena, she is able to make it grow to extreme length for her "Finishing Move" wrapping them in it and puling away with such speed that the opponent is disentegrated to shreds. She is also portrayed as a 'goulish undead bride' in the series' third installment Mortal Kombat 3.

• Bayonetta hero of the self titled video-game also uses her hair in special attacks, her hair strands are able to shapeshift into 'hellish' fiends that chomp enemies to bits. Her outfit is actually her hair woven together and it loosens out, leaving her nearly nude and to reveal great hair length when she is ready to perform those hair-based attacks.

• Yunalesca from the video game Final Fantasy X can be seen as a Harionago. In her boss fight, she primarily attacks the party with her hair. This is more evident in her later forms.

• Yura of the Hair, a hair-comb tsukumogami encountered in an early episode of Inuyasha, uses mobile hair as a weapon much like the harionago.

• The character AA-Ko from Ueda Hajime's Q-Ko-Chan uses her hair as a weapon, by extending it like needles.

• Millia Rage from the Guilty Gear series of video games controls a type of magic that allows her to use her hair as an extremely versatile weapon.

• "Harionago" is a Commander figure for Han army in the miniatures game Arcane Legions. Her special ability involves entangling her foes and preventing them from moving.

• Hari-onna is a fictional character from Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and one of the 88 Kiyakou of the Four Kingdoms. She turns her hair into hooks.

• The character Sunny from the manga and anime series Toriko uses his extraordinarily versatile hair as a weapon and complex sensory organ. Despite being male, several of his attacks are very reminiscent of the Harionago.

References

• "Harionago". The Obakemono Project. Retrieved February 26, 2006.
• "Harionago". Mizuki Road No Yōkai-tachi. Retrieved June 15, 2006.