Yatagarasu

This article is about the demon. For the group in the Devil Summoner series, see Yatagarasu (Group).

Yatagarasu
ヤタガラス
MT2SMT1 SFCDeSumP5XDCBRDCLD Artwork from Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II SFC artwork from Shin Megami Tensei Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Artwork from Persona 5: The Phantom X Artwork from Devil Children Black Book and Red Book Artwork from Devil Children Light Book and Dark Book
Other Name(s)	CrowRevelations: Persona War CrowDemiKids Light Version and Dark Version Sun's Emissary Persona 5 Strikers
Origin	Shinto
Race(s)	AvianShin Megami Tensei Shin Megami Tensei II Shin Megami Tensei if... Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei IV Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Shin Megami Tensei V Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Shin Megami Tensei: J Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Colosseum 20XX Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 Majin Tensei Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis Majin Tensei: Blind Thinker Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Soul Hackers 2 Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner Kētai Akuma Densho AvatarShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax BeastDigital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II Kyūyaku Megami Tensei GodDevil Children Black Book and Red Book Devil Children White Book ToriDevil Children Light Book and Dark Book Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book
Alignment(s)	Light-LawShin Megami Tensei Shin Megami Tensei II Shin Megami Tensei V Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Colosseum 20XX Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Arcana	CouncillorPersona 5 Royal DeathPersona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth StarPersona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth SunMegami Ibunroku Persona Persona 3 Persona 3 FES Persona 3 Portable Persona 3 Reload Persona 4 Persona 4 Golden Persona 5 Persona 5 Strikers Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō Hen Persona Mobile Online

Yatagarasu is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Yatagarasu is a mythical crow and a kami in Shinto mythology. It is traditionally depicted as a large three-legged crow and is regarded as a symbol of divine guidance. The name literally means “eight-span crow”, with yata referring to a unit of length that indicates great size.

In classical Japanese sources, Yatagarasu is described as having been sent from heaven by a high deity. In the Kojiki, it is dispatched by Takamimusubi, while in the Nihon Shoki, it is sent by Amaterasu. Its role was to guide the legendary Emperor Jimmu during his eastward expedition from the Kumano region to Yamato, helping him overcome difficult terrain and ensuring the success of his journey. Early documentary sources do not explicitly describe Yatagarasu as having three legs. The association with a three-legged form appears more clearly in later Heian period sources and reflects influence from Chinese and Korean traditions in which a three-legged crow is associated with the sun, such as the Chinese Huoniao and Korean Samjok-o.

According to the Shinsen Shōjiroku and other early records, Yatagarasu may be identified with Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto, an ancestral deity associated with the Kamo region and regarded as the progenitor of the Kamo clan. A shrine connected to Yatagarasu or a related form was established in 705 in Uda District of Yamato Province, as recorded in the Shoku Nihongi and the Engishiki.

Yatagarasu continues to be venerated at Kumano shrines, where crows are regarded as divine messengers, and remains a culturally significant symbol in Japan, representing guidance and divine will.

Design

In Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II, Yatagarasu is depicted as a large black three-legged crow with its wings fully outstretched and surrounded by blue and indigo flames.

In Shin Megami Tensei, the flame-like aura is absent. Yatagarasu has red eyes and a yellow-gold beak and legs. A cord is tied around its neck, from which three brown magatama-shaped ornaments hang.

In Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, the overall design remains similar to its appearance in Shin Megami Tensei, including the cord and three magatama-shaped ornaments, which are colored red.

Gameplay

For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Yatagarasu.

Compendium

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Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei (A-Mode DDS)	Origin: Japan A three-legged bird who lives in the sun. When Emperor Jimmu was on his eastern voyage, it descended from heaven to guide him. Kamotaketsunumino-Mikoto took this form when he descended on Amaterasu's orders.
Shin Megami Tensei II (A-Mode DDS)	出身地：日本 太陽の中に住んでいると言われる三本足の烏。名は「八咫烏」と書く。記紀伝承では神武天皇東征の際、熊野から大和に入る険路の先導となった。アマテラスの命により降臨した加茂建角身命(カモノタケツヌノミコト)の化身した姿である。熊野三社の一、熊野那智神社で奉られており、古来よりこの烏を図案化して「熊野牛王宝印」としている。 Translation: Place of origin: Japan
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne	A divine creature in Japanese mythology. They are three-legged ravens that Amaterasu sent to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Shin Megami Tensei V	A divine creature in Japanese mythology, they are three-legged ravens that the goddess Amaterasu sent to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory, and, despite their divine standing, those who are unworthy have been known to go mad after looking them directly in the eye.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine	A divine being worshipped as an incarnation of the sun. It was sent to the earth by the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. It takes the form of a pitch-black crow with three feet. As a very high-ranking deity, those who are not worthy are said to be driven mad by the very sight of it. Yadagarasu is also a god of guidance. A well-known story in Japanese mythology tells of Amaterasu sending Yadagarasu to guide Emperor Jinmu to victory in his conquest of the East and return him safely to his home of Yamato. Crows are revered as incarnations of the sun. Their black bodies are said to represent the black color of sunspots. Yadagarasu is worshipped as a symbol of the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine. This custom is believed to stem from the fact that crows have long been revered as agents of the gods in the Kumano region,
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans and are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory. Because of their divinity some without faith are driven mad at their sight.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (Akuma Zensho; PSP)	出身地：日本 神武天皇の東征の時にアマテラス大神から遣わされた、聖なるカラス。 神武天皇が熊野についた際、アマテラス大神から軍の先導役として遣わされたのが３本足のヤタガラスで、荒ぶる神々に苦戦していた神武天皇らは、この導きによって大和に入ることができた。 熊野では、古くからカラスはミサキ鳥という名の神の使いとして尊重されており、ヤタガラスのイメージもここから生まれたと考えられる。 Translation: Place of origin: Japan A sacred crow sent by Amaterasu-Ōkami on the occasion of Emperor Jimmu's eastern expedition. When Emeperor Jimmu reached Kumano, Amaterasu-Ōkami sent the 3-legged Yatagarasu to act as the army's vanguard, and Emperor Jimmu's forces, who had been struggling against savage gods, were able to enter Yamato thanks to its guidance. In Kumano, crows were respected since ancient times as messengers of the gods called Misaki birds, and this is thought to be what the image of the Yatagarasu was born from.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Soul Hackers 2	A divine creature in Japanese mythology. They are three-legged ravens that the goddess Amaterasu sent to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory, and, despite their divine standing, those who are unworthy have been known to go mad after looking them directly in the eye.
Persona 3	A divine creature in Japanese myth. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Reload	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 4	A divine creature in Japanese myth. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. It is said that they helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 4 Golden
Persona 5	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth	A divine creature in Japanese myth, they are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. It is said that they even helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth	A divine creature in Japanese myth, they are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. It is said that they even helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 5 Strikers	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 5 Tactica	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Persona 5: The Phantom X	A divine creature in Japanese lore. They are three-legged birds sent by Amaterasu to help humans. They are said to have helped Emperor Jinmu claim victory.
Devil Children Black Book and Red Book	GBC: みちにまよった　ヒトのまえに　あらわれて　ただしいみちへと　あんないする　せいなるカラス PS: 道に迷った　人の前に現れて　正しい道へと　あんないする　聖なるカラス Translation:
Devil Children White Book	みちにまよった　ヒトのまえに　あらわれて　ただしいみちへと　あんないする　せいなるカラス Translation:
Devil Children Light Book and Dark Book	道に　まよった　人の前にあらわれて　正しい道へ　案内する　聖なるカラス　まじめな　性格で　戦いも　上手 Translation:
DemiKids Light Version and Dark Version	This demon-crow never gets lost thanks to an outstanding sense of direction.
Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book	道に　まよった　人の前にあらわれて　正しい道へ　案内する　聖なるカラス　まじめな　性格で　戦いも　上手 Translation:
Kētai Akuma Densho	神武天皇の東征の際に、天照大神より遣わされたとされる霊鳥。その姿は三本足のカラスだと言われる。 出身地：日本 ヤタガラスは神武天皇東征神話に登場する先導神（みさきがみ）として現れた三本足のカラスで、天照大神によって遣わされた鳥である。天皇の軍隊が熊野から次第に奥地へ進み、荒ぶる神々との戦いで苦戦している時に天照大神の声が聞こえ、現れたヤタガラスの導きに従うと、無事に大和国へ入ることができたと伝えられる。熊野の地方では、古くよりカラスを神の使いの鳥として尊重しており、ヤタガラスの神話もこの風習から産み出されたものであると思われる。 Translation: A sacred bird sent by Amaterasu-Ōkami on the occasion of Emperor Jimmu's eastern expedition. Said to have the form of a three-legged crow. Place of origin: Japan Yatagarasu are three-legged crows who appear as guidance deities (Misakigami) in the legend of Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition, and are birds sent by Amaterasu-Ōkami. The Emperor's armed forces were slowly approaching the hinterlands via Kumano, and when they were locked in a struggle of war with savage gods, they heard the voice of Amaterasu-Ōmikami, and legend has it that by obeying the guidance of the Yatagarasu who had appeared, they were able to enter the land of Yamato safely. In the Kumano region, crows have been respected as messenger birds of the gods since ancient times, and the myth of Yatagarasu is thought to have originated from this tradition.

Nomenclature

From Japanese: 八咫烏, romanized Yatagarasu (literally "Eight-Ata Crow"), referring to its wingspan.

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Yatagarasu
	CrowRevelations: Persona
	War CrowDemiKids Light Version and Dark Version
Japanese	ヤタガラス Yatagarasu
	八咫烏Shin Megami Tensei (Mega-CD) Yatagarasu
	八た鳥Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation Yatagarasu
Simplified Chinese	八咫乌 Bāzhǐwū	Yatagarasu. Orthographic borrowing from Japanese.
Traditional Chinese	八咫烏 Bāzhǐwū	Yatagarasu. Orthographic borrowing from Japanese.
French	Yatagarasu
German	Yatagarasu
Italian	Yatagarasu
Korean	야타가라스 Yatagaraseu
Polish	Yatagarasu
Brazilian Portuguese	Yatagarasu
Russian	Ятагарасу Yatagarasu
Peninsular Spanish	Yatagarasu
Turkish	Yatagarasu

Gallery

See Gallery