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When a child dies, the Soul Piper stays and plays with the child until it is able to rest in peace. As long as the eyes of the monster remain closed, there's nothing to be afraid of. |
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—Myōga[src]
The Tatarimokke (タタリモッケ, "Soul Piper") was a yōkai who was born from the souls of dead children. It plays a flute and plays with the child(ren) until it is ready to go to either Heaven or Hell.
History[]
Inuyasha and Shippō were watching Tessaiga's sheath get repaired by the steel wasps when they first heard the Soul Piper play its flute and see it entertaining the souls of dead children. Myōga explained to them that the Soul Piper was harmless while its eyes were closed.
In the modern era, the Soul Piper would accompany the spirit of Mayu Ikeda during her attempts to kill her younger brother Satoru at the hospital. Kagome first saw the Soul Piper after she and her brother Sōta were attacked by Mayu while they were right outside of her old apartment. After learning about the Soul Piper from Myōga back in the feudal era, Kagome was determined to save Mayu's soul from being sent to Hell.
The Soul Piper continued to follow Mayu as she plotted to kill her brother again. Its eyes began to open by that point. She attempted to kill him at night when her mother left the hospital. Kagome happened to be there and tried to reason with her, but Mayu was still vengeful towards her family. The Soul Piper suddenly appeared behind Mayu and had its eyes completely open. It encased Mayu in chains and dragged her off to the place of her death in order to send her to Hell. Kagome was able to arrive and Mayu's apartment with the help of Inuyasha. She just barely managed to save her, nearly being pulled into Hell herself. Kagome convinced Mayu that her mother did love her and always had. Thinking back to her memories and realizing it was true, Mayu tearfully begged for a chance to make amends. Because of Mayu's change of heart at the last minute, the Soul Piper had changed its judgement and spared her.
The next day, Mayu visited her mother at their old apartment and received forgiveness from her. Having atoned for her actions and reconciled with her mother, Mayu's soul was finally at peace. Mayu remained with the Soul Piper for one more week until she visited Kagome a final time to thank her. Afterwards the Soul Piper played its flute while leading her away, both of them disappearing as the Soul Piper escorted Mayu to the heavens.
Personality[]
The Soul Piper is serene and calm while keeping its eyes closed. When its eyes open, however, it then becomes aggressive and cruel towards the person who causes this change. This is because the person's actions are what make it change from a gentle watcher to an angry spirit; if the person repents on time, it will be appeased enough to close its eyes again and return to its normal self.
Physical description[]
The Soul Piper is spirit with a yellow spherical shape. It has a long scaly tail of the same color and two thin arms with small hands that hold its flute. It has a tiny mouth and almost always keeps its eyes closed. When it opens its eyes, they are very large with red irises, accompanied by red veins, which gives the Soul Piper an even wilder appearance.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Soothing Melody: The Soul Piper is able to play music with its flute that it uses to help calm the souls of children that are still in the living world until they are able to move on to the afterlife.
- Pathway to Hell: Its eyes are usually closed, but each time a certain soul does wrong, such as in Mayu Ikeda's case, the Soul Piper's eyes open a bit more. When its eyes have opened completely, the Soul Piper wraps the soul of the child in chains and takes it to the place of their death, where a vortex opens and the soul is pulled by the chains into the depths of Hell. Only humans can enter this vortex, thus Inuyasha couldn't pass through the portal to Hell because he is hanyō.
- Flight: It is capable of hovering in midair and moving around freely.
Manga vs. Anime[]
- In the manga, the Soul Piper drags Kagome into Hell after she enters Mayu's apartment in order to save her soul. Inuyasha prepares to fight the Soul Piper in order to rescue Kagome, but it disappears into Hell with her. In the anime, Kagome instantly disappears after she and Inuyasha enter the path to Hell in Mayu's apartment.
Trivia[]
- The Soul Piper has survived around 300 years before the modern era.
Media appearances[]
Manga
- Chapter 35 (First appearance)
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
Anime
- Episode 12 (First appearance)