Noragami is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Adachitoka. It started in Monthly Shonen Magazine in December 2010. As of May 2021, the series has been collected into twenty-three tankobon volumes. In March 2014, fans saw a 12-episode anime television series adaptation with classic Noragami characters. And then in October 2015, we had a 13-episode second season titled Noragami Aragoto.
The plot of the show follows Hiyori Iki, a normal middle school student that gets involved in a bus accident while trying to protect a stranger. The incident causes her soul to frequently slip out of her body. As such, she becomes aware of the existence of two parallel worlds, the Near Shore, where normal humans reside, and the Far Shore, where demons and human souls linger.
Through her soul, she meets Yato, a nameless god without a shrine who is determined to make a name for himself.
Types of Characters
There are three types of characters in the Noragami series. The first group is the main Noragami characters, which are regular humans.
Then we have Gods, who are gods according to Japanese mythology. They are categorized into several aspects, including war and poverty. Gods grant human wishes, usually after receiving prayer and a monetary offering. Their existence depends on the faith humans have in them. Gods with shrines do not die when killed. Instead, they are reborn, taking the same appearance but growing from child first.
Regalia are divine weapons possessed by the Gods. They are former humans that died for a reason against their will. For example, suicide. Regalia changes their shape into a unique weapon once Gods call their regalia name.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the popular characters in Noragami.
Yato
As we said before, he is a titular character, a God without a shrine who wants to build a shrine of his own. He was a God of Calamity in the past and wears a tracksuit and scarf. He refers to himself as Yato God and calls himself a delivery god.
Yato often writes his cell number in public areas in case someone needs his help. He charges five yen (or five cents in US currency) for praying at a shrine.
Because he stopped being the God of Calamity due to his dislike of violence, humans have forgotten him. He developed a fear of being forgotten.
Hiyori Iki
The human girl in high school saves Yato from a bus accident and becomes a Half-Phantom. She falls into involuntary sleep as her soul slips out of her body. During the series, she is stuck between the human world and the afterlife.
Iki Hiyori asks Yato to fix it and starts spending time with the God. During the course of the series, he becomes the closest person to her.
At some point, the show hints at romantic feelings between the two.
Yukine
Yukine is Yato’s regalia, and his regalia name is Sekki. His regalia form is a katana. He died at a young age, making him miss his normal life as a teenager.
Whenever Yukine sins in any way, Yato suffers injuries. While Yato is his master, Yukine doesn’t show as much respect for him.
Similar to Yato, Yukine treasures Hiyori’s existence and fears she will forget them once she grows up.
Tenjin
The God of Academics has several regalia and his own shrine. Yato often passes the night at Tenjin’s shrine. Tenjin sometimes assumes human form to intervene when Yato goes out of control.
Kofuku
Kofuku is a God of Poverty posing as Ebisu. Energetic and gentle, she can also be fierce when she needs to. Her regalia is Daikoku.
Later in the series, Kofukku takes in Yato and Yukine, allowing them to live at their temple. Kofuku appears as an attractive young woman with a petite figure.
Famous for her bright and mischievous personality, many describe her as carefree. Kofuku even openly states that she loves to have fun and sometimes causes chaos. She and Yato are similar in that way. But Daikoku, her regalia, prevents her from doing something too hectic.
Bishamonten
Sometimes the show abbreviates his name to Bishamon. He is the God of Combat, taking the form of a woman with long blonde hair. She has many regalia due to her being unable to abandon spirits attacked by Phantoms.
Over time, Bishamonten forms a large group, causing her trouble as she cannot tend to them properly. She hates Yato, as he killed her previous clan of regalia.
Later on, the show reveals Yato eliminated her regalia at Kazuma’s request to save her life.
Ebisu
He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. He offers to buy Yukine from Yato after he becomes a Blessed Vessel.
Ebisu dresses up as a businessman. He is rather harsh with his words. And unlike most gods, he has no problems with using Nora.
He views himself as an outcast.
Mayu
Mayu is Yato’s former regalia and currently serving as one of Tenjin’s regalia. She has a harsh attitude toward Yato but holds a considerable amount of respect and concern for the God.
She even volunteers to save his life despite the risks. When she was Yato’s regalia, she transformed into a small dagger. Now, under Tenjin, she transforms into a smoking pipe.
Kazuma
Kazuma is one of the more famous regalia and Noragami characters. He is one of Bishamonten’s regalia and exemplar. He tries to protect his master and will do anything to do it. Despite the rift between Yato and Bishamonten, Kazuma views Yato as his benefactor.
He appears to be in his late teens with short-cut hair. He is a calm, serious, and sensible person. When called upon, he transforms into a cherry blossom-shaped earring with the ability to navigate and track others.
Daikoku
Many view Daikoku as the overprotective regalia of Kofuku. He regards himself as the husband to the Goddess. He once raised a child regalia with her.
He looks like a very tall male of unknown age. When called upon, he transforms into a black Japanese fan. He often wears a serious expression on his face. That is why many fans view him as an intimidating man.
Nora
One of the main antagonists of the series, Nora is Yato’s former regalia. Nora means stray, which is how gods call any Regalia who has many masters and thus many names.
Noras have a bad reputation and are often a target of prejudice by the Gods. Yet, Gods still use them for tasks.
She still offers her services to Yato, but he always resists the urge. Nora causes a lot of trouble, even trying to destroy Yukine’s faith in himself.
