Kyodai
| Kyodai | |
|---|---|
|
That Which Was Taken The Taken One | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Colors |
 |
| Species | Dragon Kami Worldsoul |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Kamigawa |
| Lifetime | Kami War (The Thaw) - present |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Kyodai, called That Which Was Taken or the Taken One (Japanese:
Description
After she was pulled from the kakuriyo, Kyodai looked like a stone disc engraved with a fetal serpent's features curled around in a spiral. The disc continuously steamed as if it had just been pulled from boiling water. As time went on, the disc's serpentine features started becoming clearer, as if some unseen artist was secretly chiseling out the finer features of the curled-up serpent for several years.[2]
After Michiko Konda released Kyodai from the stone disc, she appeared to be a full-grown human woman. Her skin was textured like a snake’s scales that formed a cascade of subtle colors that blended into one another. On that supple canvas, she carried a band of moody and intense crimson across her shoulders that became a patch of mustard yellow toward the waist, which in turn leeched into a stretch of dusty sage green. Her black hair was also tinted with the barest hints of color, but the hue changed depending on which way the light hit it. Her tresses were cropped short and stood out straight, giving her head the appearance of a lion’s mane or a dragon’s crest. Her lips were dark, ominous green, and her eyes were vibrant yellow orbs with vertical orange pupils. She was surrounded by a cloud of miniature stars that glittered as bright and distant as the sky on a clear winter’s night. Although she was wilder, more imposing, and more alien, Kyodai's face looked remarkably similar to Michiko's.[3]
Currently, Kyodai's appearance is that of an enormous kami, with hundreds of golden, human-sized arms forming her belly and limbs. Gold spheres trailed along the fans at her back, with a large black one embedded in her forehead. With a pointed mouth like a dragon, three masks line Kyodai's face. They represent Michiko Konda — the first emperor to channel with Kyodai.[4] Kyodai's voice is like a shout, a song, and a whisper all at once.[5]
History
On the night of his daughter Michiko's birth, daimyo Takeshi Konda reached into the Kakuriyo, distilled the essence of a kami and stole it from the spirit realm.[6] Konda imprisoned The Taken One in a stone disk with the carving of a dragon, and in return, the daimyo received from it immortality and foresight.[2] All kami are a part of O-Kagachi, the kami of all things, and Kyodai and O-Kagachi's bond was especially significant - she has been described as the great kami's core, child, and scion - and this act awoke the prisoner's parent, beginning the Kami War.[7]
Kami War
The Taken One was later stolen from Eiganjo by Toshiro Umezawa, who ultimately performed a ritual with it to free the spirit trapped within.[8] The spirit assumed a humanoid/draconic appearance similar to Michiko Konda's, and took the name Kyodai, meaning "sibling." Kyodai brought Michiko into the Kakuriyo, showing her how her life was before being kidnapped by Konda and how awful it had become during her last twenty years spent imprisoned in stone. After that, she gave Michiko the power to fight alongside her.
Michiko and Kyodai, known together as the Sisters of Flesh and Spirit, defeated Konda and O-Kagachi and claimed themselves the guardians of the barrier between the Utsushiyo and the Kakuriyo.
Future Sight
Many centuries after the Kami War, when Leshrac Nightwalker planeswalked near Kamigawa, the Sisters stood in his way and ordered him to go away from their plane.[9]
The Shattered States era
Following the prosperous rule of Michiko Konda, her heirs devoted themselves to collaborating closely with the revered kami Kyodai to preserve her legacy and maintain peace, order, and justice throughout Kamigawa. Over time, however, these honorable goals began to erode as internal power struggles and dynastic rivalries took hold among her descendants.[10]
The situation reached a breaking point when an emperor passed away at a young age without leaving an heir to succeed the throne, plunging the realm into a severe succession crisis. Disputes erupted over rightful claimants, with factions rallying behind either the emperor's brother or his widowed spouse. This conflict quickly escalated into a full-scale civil war within the capital city of Eiganjo, and soon spread across the entire kingdom as ambitious local lords seized the chance to expand their power. The turmoil resulted in widespread bloodshed, claiming the lives of many nobles and common folk alike.
The Yamazaki clan had served the Konda military for decades and earned a reputation for their unshakeable sense of duty to their citizens. A young Yamazaki soldier felt the two warring successors were betraying and endangering the Kamigawan people. Inspired by his own ancestor's story of challenging a deadly imperial decree, he took it upon himself to end the contest for the throne. He successfully assassinated the late emperor's husband, but when he went for the brother, he found his target armed and ready for battle in the throne room.
Upon seeing such a confrontation in her chambers, Kyodai had had enough. She stripped the Konda family of their hereditary duty as rulers. From then on, they would be ordinary citizens, and the emperor would never again be chosen by blood. Now, the kami would elect rulers for their noble qualities and commitment to the nation.
The Era of Enlightenment
With the guidance and wisdom of Kyodai, the Imperials ushered in an age of collective peace and prosperity.[11] Kyodai continued to bond with and provide sage advice to each successive emperor of Kamigawa.[12]
Neon Dynasty
More than 1200 years after the Kami war, Kyodai has a prominent temple in Towashi, near the Imperial residence.[13] Himoto, the Kami of the Spark, is the embodiment of the emperor's relationship with Kyodai. The mortal and spiritual realms of Kamigawa now peacefully exist together. Kyodai oversees the spiritual side, while the current emperor oversees the mortal side. Early in the Wandering Emperor's reign, the planeswalker Tezzeret attempted to control Kyodai using a prototype Reality Chip. His plan had unforeseen consequences, igniting and destabilizing the emperor's latent spark. Kyodai had been dazed and incoherent since the disappearance.[14]
Upon her return ten years later, the emperor was able to reconnect with Kyodai briefly, and the two agreed to appoint Light-Paws acting Regent of Kamigawa.[15]
Phyrexian Invasion
During the New Phyrexian Invasion, the Wanderer briefly returned. Kyodai's power flowed through the emperor, helping her rescue Kaito and kill the compleated Tamiyo.[16] With Kyodai distracted from her duties guarding the barrier between realms, oni began escaping into the mortal realm.[17]
Trivia
- In her role as Kamigawa's Worldsoul and patron of the Emperor, she is analogous to Amaterasu, the highest of the kami in Shintoism.
- On Duskmourn, the Wanderer's glimmer took the shape of Kyodai.
- Kyodai appears in the animated trailer for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.[18]
Gallery
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Kyodai in the animated trailer for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
Story appearances
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
References
- ↑ (2005). Saviors of Kamigawa Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Scott McGough. (2004) Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-3140-X.
- ↑ Scott McGough (2005) - Guardian: Saviors of Kamigawa, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Akemi Dawn Bowman (January 24, 2022). "Episode 1: A Stranger in Eiganjo". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Akemi Dawn Bowman (January 26, 2022). "Episode 4: The Break-In". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Betrayers of Kamigawa, fat pack booklet.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (April 26, 2005). "That Which Was Templated". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23.
- ↑ Scott McGough. (2005) Heretic: Betrayers of Kamigawa, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-3575-8.
- ↑ Scott McGough and John Delaney (2007), "Future Sight", Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Grace Fong (January 18, 2022). "The Shattered States Era". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Grace Fong (January 19, 2022). "Era of Enlightenment". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ari Zirulnik, Grace Fong, Emily Teng, and Gerritt Turner (February 11, 2022). "The Legends of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Akemi Dawn Bowman (December 16, 2021). "Kaito Origin Stories: A Test of Loyalty & The Path Forward". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Grace Fong, Emily Mei, and Ari Zirulnik (February 3, 2022). "Planeswalkers Guide to Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Akemi Dawn Bowman (January 27, 2022). "Episode 5: Threads of War". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (March 17, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 3: Mother, Son, and Story". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ WeeklyMTG - March of the Machine: The Aftermath (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (May 2, 2023).
- ↑ Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Official Animated Trailer - Magic: The Gathering (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (February 15, 2022).