Muu Shuwuu

Muu Shuwuu is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Muu Shuwuu, Moh Shubuu, or Moh Shuvuu, is a supernatural creature from Buryati Folklore. The Buryati are a nomadic ethnic group from the Republic of Buryatia, a region located between Mongolia and Siberia, and currently part of Russia.

This creature is described as a demonic bird, born when a young girl or woman suffers a violent death without ever knowing true love. Normally, a Muh Shuwuu will attack men that she can seduce using her youthful looks. She can change between bird and human form at will, but can never get rid of her beak, hiding it with her hands or clothes when possible. By the time the seduced man lowers his guard, the demon will reveal its ominous sharp beak and use it to kill her prey with a blow to the head. After that, Muh Shuwwu will proceed to suck out and consume the brains of her victim. ^[1]

The name Muu Shuwuu supposedly means evil bird, and is misspelled both in the Megami Tensei Franchise and in the western internet at large. In Russian, the name is spelled as Муу шубуун, with "Moh Shubuu" and "Moh Shubuun" being the preferred transliterations. ^[1]

The renowned Russian folklorist Matvey Nikolaevich (1858-1918), celebrated in his time by his expeditions to Buryati settlements to study their culture, catalogued the Muu Shuwuu in some of his work. Three tales concerning the creature are described by Matvey: One is about a young couple, in which the husband died and the wife became a Muu Shuwuu after eating his corpse. The second tells the tale of a hunter that manages to outsmart a Muu Shuwuu that became stuck in a tree, and after shooting her (either with an arrow or gun) he burns the remains. The third one is about Muu Shuwuu that inhabited a forest, causing mayhem in nearby regions. A warrior won against a Muu Shuwuu there, where he found out that she had a husband, who pleaded for his wife's life. Male Muu Shuwuu are also present, and explain that the habit of attacking humans was exclusive to the females. As an apology, the couple teach the warrior how to defend himself from their relatives, by using magical words.^[1]

Another common trope described by Matvey is that Muu Shuwuu usually holds two flints within her clothes, tucked under her armpits. One is a bright red flint in a good shape, while the other is decayed and rotten. It is said that to defeat one, the decayed flint should be taken and destroyed, as it's linked to her vital energies. The Muu Shuwuu, however, will try to deceive her opponents into taking the red one instead, causing them to become weaker and easier to kill. ^[1]

Design

Muu Shuwuu's clothing closely resembles Buryati traditional female attires. However, the demon designer: Kazuma Kaneko, never stated anything about this allegedly inspiration, being purely speculative.

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei IV

Name	Level
Moh Shuvuu	17

Race	Alignment	Speech	HP	MP
Raptor	{{{align}}}	—	127	122

Basic Attack	1 attack(s) with the Phys element / Target: 1 enemy / Add: None

Location	—

Resistances

—	WkWeak	WkWeak	—	—	StrStrong	—	—
×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Ailment Resistances

×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Skills
Skill	Cost	Description	Level
Mazan	11 MP	Weak Force damage to all enemies.
Dia	5 MP	70 HP recovery to one ally.
Tarukaja	15 MP	???	19
Resist Gun	—	Makes user reflect Phys attacks. Overrides lesser Resistances.	20

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Name	Level
Moh Shuvuu	12

Race	Alignment	Speech	HP	MP
Raptor	Law	Girl (B)	110	126

Basic Attack	1 attack(s) with the Phys element / Target: 1 enemy / Add: None

Location	—

Resistances

—	WkWeak	WkWeak	—	—	RsResist	—	—
×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Ailment Resistances

×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Skill Affinity

—	-4	-3	—	—	+2	—	—	—	+1	+1	—

Skills
Skill	Cost	Description	Level
Dia	8 MP	Restores small amount of HP to one ally.
Zan	5 MP	Weak force damage to one foe.
Makakaja	20 MP	Buffs party's magic attack power by 1 level.	13
Mazan	12 MP	Weak force damage to all foes.	15

Shin Megami Tensei V

Name	Level
Muu Shuwuu	38

Race	HP	MP	C. CostCompendium Summoning Cost	Gift Type
Raptor	175	202	—	—

Resistances

—	WkWeak	—	—	NulNull	—	—
×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Ailment Resistances

—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1

Skill Potential

—	-3	—	—	+3	—	—	—	—	+1	+2

Basic Attack	1 attack with the Phys element to 1 enemy

Skills
Skill	Cost	Description	Level
Zanma	20 MP	Medium Force attack to 1 foe.
Mazanma	30 MP	Medium Force attack to all foes.
Tetrakarn	50 MP	Reflects a Phys attack once for 1 ally for 1 turn.
Marakunda	30 MP	Lowers Defense of all foes by 1 rank for 3 turns	39
Media	30 MP	Slight HP recovery to all allies.	40
Boon Boost	—	Your -kaja/-nda skills last 1 extra turn.	41

Magatsuhi Skills
Skill	Description
Omagatoki: Critical	All attacks, including magical attacks, will become Critical hits for all allies for 1 turn.
Accursed PoisonRequires Raptor Talisman	Chance of inflicting an ailment (stronger ailments prioritized) to all foes and lowers all stats by 1 rank for 3 turns.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner

Name	Level
Muu Shuwuu	15

Location	Kitayama University; University Main Building; Sewers (Yarai-Ku) B3F-B4F

Species	Race	Alignment	HP	MP	S. CostCost to summon from COMP	CP
Avian	Raptor	Dark-Law	52	43Sega Saturn/63PlayStation Portable	150 MMagnetite	11

Personality	Loyalty	Inheritance	Speech	Drop
Cautious	Level Difference	Recovery (A)	Child (♀)	Turquoise

Hit(s)	Attack	Accuracy	Defense	Evasion	M. Attack	M. Defense
1-2	38	32	38	32	15	16

Resistances
"Strong against Sword. Weak to Ice, Force, Gun."
Sword	Spear	Thrown	Gun	D Atk	Fire	Ice	Elec	Force	Psy
×⅒	×⁷⁄₁₀	×1	×1.5	×½	×1	×1.5	×1	×1.5	×1
Expel	Death	Almi	Mind	Ruin	Bind	Nerve	Charge	Skill	Swd Skl
×½	×1	×1	×1	×⅒	×1	×1	×½	×½	×1

Moon Phase Damage Output
New	1/8	2/8	3/8	Half	5/8	6/8	7/8	Full
50%	62.5%	75%	87.5%	100%	112.5%	125%	137.5%	150%

Magic Skills
Skill	Attribute	Cost	Description
Dia	Recovery	2 MP	Recovery magic. Single. Recovers just a little HP to 1 ally.

Extra Skills
Skill	Attribute	Cost	Description
Insanity Eye	Nerve	8 MP	Special magic action. Front row. Bad status. Charm effect to multiple enemies.

Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei V	Meaning "evil bird," it is the ghost of a young girl who died without knowing love in Buryat folklore. She seduces travelers, only to crack their heads open and suck out their brains with her beak.
Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army	Meaning "evil bird," it's the ghost of a young girl who died without knowing love in Buryat folklore. She seduces travelers, only to crack their heads open and suck out their brains with her beak.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin	Spirit of a girl who died without knowing life. Takes the form of a bird.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth	Meaning "evil bird", the ghost of a young girl who died without knowing love, in Buryat folklore. She seduces travelers, only to crack their heads open and suck out their brains with her beak.
Devil Survivor: Overclocked	Meaning "evil bird", it's the ghost of a young girl who died without knowing love in Buryat folklore. She seduces travelers only to crack their heads open and suck out their brains with her beak.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages
Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	モー・ショボー Mō Shobō	Muu Shuvuu

Gallery

Render from Shin Megami Tensei V
Render from Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

Videos

Muu Shuwuu's Daily Demon Showcase for Shin Megami Tensei V

Muu Shuwuu's Daily Demon Showcase for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Muu Shuwuu's Daily Demon Future Prediction with Ringo for Soul Hackers 2

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Matvey, Collected works Volume 3.(reprinted in 2004) - (Хангалов М.Н. Собрание сочинений в 3 т. Т.3. / Под ред. Г.Н.Румянцева.-Улан-Удэ: Изд-во ОАО «Республиканская типография», 2004.’’)

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Matvey, Collected works Volume 3.(reprinted in 2004) - (Хангалов М.Н. Собрание сочинений в 3 т. Т.3. / Под ред. Г.Н.Румянцева.-Улан-Удэ: Изд-во ОАО «Республиканская типография», 2004.’’)

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