Byakko

Byakko (ビャッコ, Byakko), also known as Bai Hu (白虎) the White Tiger in China, is a recurring figure in Chinese mythology. Although its profile in most official English localizations insists that it came from the four benevolent animals (Ssu-Ling), this is fundamentally wrong as there is no tiger included in this concept.

History

The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese Constellation (Si Xiang) along with Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise. It represents the West, the autumn season and the element of Metal (Wind in the Japanese system). During the Han Dynasty, people believed the tiger to be the king of all beasts. Legend had it that when a tiger reached 500 years old, its tail would turn white. In this way, the white tiger became a mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world. Because the color white of the Chinese five elements also represents the west, the white tiger thus became a mythological guardian of the west.

Byakko may refer to:

• White Tiger (Chinese astronomy), one of the divisions in the sky in traditional Chinese astronomy
• Byakko (YuYu Hakusho), an anthropomorphic white tiger demon character in YuYu Hakusho
• Byakko (Fushigi Yūgi), a character in Fushigi Yūgi
• Byakko (Devil Survivor 2: The Animation), Byakko is Hibiki's first demon in Devil Survivor 2 The Animation, and currently the main demon that he uses besides Suzaku. He uses Byakko to defeat Dubhe alone and Merak at the unintended expense of mass casualty of other JP's summoners. Like in the original game, Byakko relies mainly on Elec and Phys-based attacks to attack demons and Septentrione. It also seems to be much more powerful than other summoned demons, being able to endure many heavy blows and falls in addition to defeating many common demons in one strike.