Gu Huo Niao

Gu Huo Niao
コカクチョウ
Artwork from Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Other Name(s)	Kokaku-chou
Origin	Chinese culture
Race(s)	Flight
Alignment(s)	Neutral-LawShin Megami Tensei Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem

Gu Huo Niao is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Guhuoniao is a bird-human hybrid mentioned in Compendium of Materia Medica. It is the spirit-turned-demon of a woman who died in childbirth, said to take the form of a bird with a human woman's breasts by using a feather cloak. Resentful of its situation, it will steal away children to raise as its own, or give them ailments that slowly kill them. Girls raised by Guhuoniao will become one themselves.

The tales of Guhuoniao travelled to Japan, where it is regarded as a yokai, read as Ubume. It appears as a pregnant woman on dark, rainy nights, distraught and inconsolable, crying into the night for help. The behaviour varies based on how the woman died: She may appear blood-soaked with an underdeveloped foetus, or just like any other woman. If she died and the child survived, her spirit will rush around trying to care however she can, entering shops to buy clothes and food, but paying only with dead leaves. If they both died, she will try to find a man to care for her child; if the man accepts, she vanishes, with the bundle containing the child growing heavier until the man is crushed.

Design

Guhuoniao as seen in 和漢三才図会 Wakan Sansai Zue, Edo period

Guhuoniao's Shin Megami Tensei design combines its two forms, taking a form reminiscent of a western harpy. Given the avian appearance, it is much more centred on its Chinese roots.

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 18 77 68	Strength 12 Intelligence 10 Magic 7 Vitality 7 Agility 17 Luck 6
Species Race Alignment CostSummon Cost CPMagnetite used while in party Avian Flight Neutral-Law (79) ♄Macca576 7
Attack Accuracy Defense Evasion M. Attack M. Effect Moon PhaseDemon Aggression 38Most versions/37Mega-CD 20Most versions/18Mega-CD 17Most versions/24Mega-CD 18 8 11Most versions/10Super CD-ROM² 3 Resistances Bird Race: "Resists all Physical attacks except Guns." Sword Gun Fire Ice Elec Force Nerve Almighty ×½×0.50 ×1½×1.50 ×1 ×⅞×0.875 ×⅞×0.875 ×1½×1.50 ×¾×0.75 ×1 Expel Death Magic Bind Charge Dex Needle Non-Elem. NulNull ×1 ×¾×0.75 ×¾×0.75 ×¼×0.25 ×1 ×1 ×1
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Sword 2-4 Single enemy
Magic Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Rakunda Magic 4 MP Reduces the enemy's defense.
Extra Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Feral Claw Dex — Claws two enemies. Lullaby Nerve — Makes a group of enemies fall asleep.

Shin Megami Tensei IV

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 16 122 117	Strength 20 Dexterity 22 Magic 27 Agility 19 Luck 25
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills Speech C. CostCompendium Summoning Cost Flight Law — —
Resistances — RpRepel — WkWeak — RsResist — — ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1
Ailment Resistances ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 Null
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Level Agilao 8 MP Medium Fire damage to one enemy. Innate Patra 5 MP Removes Panic, Sleep, and Bind from one ally. Innate Lullaby 11 MP 70% chance of Sleep to all enemies. 18

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

EnemyAlly

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 16 135 118	Strength 12 Dexterity 16 Magic 27 Agility 18 Luck 21
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills EXP Recruit Beg Speech RERandom Encounter Flight Law — — — Girl (A) ✔
Drop — — —
Resistances — WkWeak RsResist WkWeak — RsResist — WkWeak ×1 ×1¼×1.25 ×½×0.50 ×1¼×1.25 ×1 ×½×0.50 ×1 ×1¼×1.25
Ailment Resistances ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×3 ×0
Skill Affinity — −4 +3 −3 — — — — — +1 — —
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Agilao 10 MP Medium fire damage to one foe.

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 16 140 118	Strength 15 Dexterity 19 Magic 30 Agility 21 Luck 24
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills Speech C. CostCompendium Summoning Cost Flight Law Girl (A) 3616
Resistances — WkWeak RsResist WkWeak — RsResist — WkWeak ×1 ×1¼×1.25 ×½×0.50 ×1¼×1.25 ×1 ×½×0.50 ×1 ×1¼×1.25
Ailment Resistances ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×3 ×0
Skill Affinity — −4 +3 −3 — — — — — +1 — —
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Level Agilao 10 MP Medium fire damage to one foe. Innate Makakaja 20 MP Buffs party's magic attack power by 1 level. 17 Maragi 12 MP Weak fire damage to all foes. 18

Last Bible Special

EnemyAlly

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 42 462 91	Endurance 21 Intelligence 25 Strength 27 Agility 17 Luck 17
Location Jerusalem
Group Attack Defense XP Macca Drop F 97 105 435 ♄Macca280 Water Amulet (10%)
Resistances Force Elec Ice Fire Debuff Death PCPoison and Confusion PSParalysis and Sleep — — — — RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×¼×0.25 ×¾×0.75 ×¾×0.75 ×¾×0.75
Basic Attack Hit(s) Hit Rate Attack Rate Spell Rate 1 80% 50% 50%
Magic Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Ziolaon Electric 14 MP Magic that drops bolts of lightning all around the area. Makajamil Death 11 MP Magic that seals the magic of foes.

	Name Level HP MP Gu Huo Niao 42 462 91	Endurance 21 Intelligence 25 Strength 27 Agility 17 Luck 17
Location Jerusalem
Group Attack Defense F 97 105
Resistances Force Elec Ice Fire Debuff Death PCPoison and Confusion PSParalysis and Sleep — — — — RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×¼×0.25 ×¾×0.75 ×¾×0.75 ×¾×0.75
Basic Attack Hit(s) Hit Rate 1 80%
Magic Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Ziolaon Electric 14 MP Magic that drops bolts of lightning all around the area. Makajamil Death 11 MP Magic that seals the magic of foes. Recarm Healing 20 MP Magic that revives a fallen ally.
Extra Skills Skill Attribute Description Thunder Electric The special ability to cause a lightning strike.

Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei (A-Mode DDS)	Origin: China Monstrous birds that kidnap human children. Kidnapped girls will become new Gu Huo Niao. They can take off their feathers, and a man who steals the feathers can make her his wife.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	A bird of Chinese lore that kidnaps human girls and raises them on its own. It is normally seen in bird form, but it is said to be able to take off its feathers and become a human woman. A girl kidnapped and raised by a Gu Huo Niao is said to become one herself.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	A bird of Chinese lore that kidnaps human girls and raises them as its own. It is normally seen in bird form, but it is said to be able to take off its feathers and become a human woman. A girl kidnapped and raised by a Gu Huo Niao is said to become one herself.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse	A bird of Chinese lore that kidnaps human girls and raises them as its own. It is normally seen in bird form, but it is said to be able to take off its feathers and become a human woman. A girl kidnapped and raised by a Gu Huo Niao is said to become one herself.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)	A bird of Chinese lore that kidnaps human girls and raises them as its own. It is normally seen in bird form, but it is said to be able to take off its feathers and become a human woman. A girl kidnapped and raised by a Gu Huo Niao is said to become one herself.
Kētai Akuma Densho	中国に伝えられる、子供をさらっていくという妖鳥。鬼神の類だとも言われる。 出身地：中国 人間の少女をさらってきては、自分で育てると言われる中国の妖鳥。普段は鳥の姿をしているが、羽毛を脱ぐことができ、羽毛を脱いだ時は人間の女性と同じ姿になると言われ、この人間の女性の姿となっている時のコカクチョウは「天帝少女」とも呼ばれる。子供がいない状態のコカクチョウは人間の少女を好んで養女にすると言われている。養女としてさらわれてきた子供は、コクカチョウに育つと言う。 Translation: A mystical bird reported in China, said to abduct children. Also said to be a ghost or spirit. Place of origin: China A Chinese mystical bird said to kidnap human girls and raise them as its own. It normally has the form of a bird, but it is said to be able to shed its feathers, taking on the same appearance as a female human when it does so, and when Gu Huo Niao takes on the form a female human, it is called "Tiandi Shaonü" (Heavenly Emperor Young Girl). It is said that a childless Gu Huo Niao prefers to adopt human girls. It is said that a child abducted and adopted as such will be raised into a Gu Huo Niao.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Gu Huo Niao
Japanese	コカクチョウ Kokakuchō	Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 姑獲鳥, meaning "motherly seizing bird."
	姑獲鳥Shin Megami Tensei (Mega-CD) Kokakuchō	Kanji spelling of the above.
Korean	고획조姑獲鳥 Gohoekjo	Sino-Korean reading of Chinese 姑獲鳥

Gallery

• 
  Artwork occasionally listed as Gu Huo Niao for Shin Megami Tensei
• 
  Artwork for Shin Megami Tensei from Shin Megami Tensei Hisshō Kōryaku-hō
• 
  Artwork from Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
• 
  Sprite from the Super Famicom version of Shin Megami Tensei
• 
  Sprite from the Mega-CD version of Shin Megami Tensei
• 
  Sprite from the PlayStation version of Shin Megami Tensei
• 
  Sprite from Shin Megami Tensei IV
• 
  Sprite from the Game Boy version of Last Bible II
• 
  Sprite from the Game Boy Color version of Last Bible II
• 
  Sprite from Last Bible III
• 
  Sprite from Last Bible Special
• 
  Sprite from Shinyaku Last Bible II: Hajimari no Fukuin
• 
  Sprite from Shinyaku Last Bible III: Mugen no Eiyū
• 
  Sprite from Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis
• 
  Sprite from the PlayStation version of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
• 
  Sprite from the Nintendo 3DS version of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
• 
  Sprite from Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner