Sotoba

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I'll make you pay for this. I'll come back at the happiest time of your life! I will!

Sotoba (ソトバ)[a] is the main antagonist of the one-shot At a Confessional, the 16th episode of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series. He is only named in the live-action film.

An impoverished man turned vengeful spirit, he holds a grudge against the man who wronged him after unintentionally causing his death.

Appearance

When he was alive, Sotoba was an impoverished, staggering man. His empty eyes, unwashed body, unshaved chin, spaced out teeth and bad body odor leave a poor impression. Tamiya described him as an Asian man and he is consistently represented with tanned skin. He has long hair which divides itself into large spikes, most of which angle upwards except for the two on each side of his head.

Sotoba wears an open coat with short, torn sleeves over a shirt with a grid pattern, which is torn at the bottom and has a cleavage showing the upper half of his torso. He wears plain pants, a sort of collar made of wool, and mismatched shoes consisting of a normal shoe and a sandal.

As a vengeful spirit, his face takes a much more violent expression.

Color Schemes

The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaOVA
Skin(Tan)
Hair(Gray)
Eyes(Brown)
Costume
(Brown coat, beige and green shirt, white undershirt, maroon pants and shoes)
Skin(Tan)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Brown)
Costume
(Brown coat, green and white shirt, red collar, brown pants)

Personality

When Sotoba first appears, he is visibly weak and desperate for food after having gone 5 days with out any. He begs Tamiya for some but is told to work for that food instead. With no other option, Sotoba gets to work despite being unable to perform the physically demanding job and dies under the weight of the bags he was carrying.

Cursing the man who wronged him

When he returns as a spirit, his demeanor is incredibly malicious and violent. Cursing Tamiya, he states that he will return at the happiest moment of Tamiya's life. When he finally manifests, the spirit sets up a bet against Tamiya, taking pleasure in his panic and eventual failure at winning the bet. However, it is revealed that Tamiya was just a servant disguised as him through plastic surgery, so Sotoba still continues to haunt the actual man who wronged him.

History

The vagrant asking for food

Sotoba wandered onto a farm market and asked for food to a man, as he hadn't eaten for five days. The man, feeling disgusted that the vagrant did no work to get his food, forces him to work by carrying the bags of corn to the storage. Sotoba starts by carrying a small bag of corn, but is forced to carry a larger bag instead. While the man rests and drinks coffee, Sotoba tries to move the large bag to the storage, but the bag proves to be too large and too heavy for him to carry and as a result he falls and is crushed by the bag. The man falls asleep and wakes up to the spirit of Sotoba appearing underneath his table, threatening to take revenge on him at his happiest moment. Not long after, authorities arrive and find that Sotoba has died. He has since then assisted the man's prosperity from behind the scenes so that he could fulfill his vow of taking the man's life at his happiest moment.

Returning as an evil spirit

Years later, the spirit of Sotoba possesses Tamiya's daughter. Sotoba challenges the man to throw a piece of popcorn in the air above the altitude of a nearby lamppost and catch it in his mouth, each time at the clap of his hands, three times in a row. If the man succeeds, Sotoba will acknowledge that his death was due to destiny and will leave the man forever, but if the man fails, Sotoba will cut off his head without fail. The man fails and, without a second to spare, Sotoba cuts off his head.

He only learned later that he actually killed a servant who was willing to do anything for his master, and used plastic surgery to alter both his and the master's appearances, thereby fooling Sotoba into dogging the servant instead. The spirits of Sotoba and the beheaded servant then both vow to watch him around the clock to make sure that he does not do anything suspicious again.[2]

Chapters / Episodes

Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance
Anime Appearances
Episodes in order of appearance
Novel Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance

Quotes

Quotes
  • Please... give me... something to eat
    —Sotoba to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • I look as if I'm slacking off?! I'm now in deep despair, deeper than the dark sea...because of you!
    —As a vengeful spirit, to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • As I promised, I'm back. To get you, you miserable bastard!
    —Sotoba to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • The last few years, you've had all the luck you need, eh? Wealth... fame... family... eh? Did you think you got them all by yourself?
    —Sotoba to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • So when you fall from your pedestal, you'll taste what I felt-- despair!
    —Sotoba to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • If you succeed, destiny is on your side so I'll give up and disappear.
    —Sotoba to Tamiya, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Episode 16: At a Confessional
  • Whatcha gonna demand next? Now is the time! And here is the place! Two more times! Okay? If you fail, I'll kill ya!
  • You can celebrate as much as you like, after the last one.
  • The judgment says... it was not my fault!
  • From now on, we'll watch you all the time so you can never cheat us!

Gallery

MangaOVA

Notes

  1. The name Sotoba may not have been chosen by Araki as it derives from the live-action film. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.

References

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