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Raijū

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by D20Despot (talk | contribs) at 22:37, 14 October 2018 (→‎See also: Removed extreme number of superfluous examples, including numerous mythical European dogs, Anubis, Thundercats, and the film 'All Dogs Go To Heaven', as none of these are related to a mythical Japanese lightning dog.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Thunder beast" redirects here. For the Dungeons & Dragons monster, see Thunder beast (Dungeons & Dragons).
The Raijū as depicted in Ban Kōkē's Kanda-Jihitsu

Raijū (雷獣, "thunder animal" or "thunder beast") is a legendary creature from Japanese mythology.

Mythology

Its body is composed of lightning and may be in the shape of a wolf. The form of a white and blue wolf (or even a wolf wrapped in lightning) is the most common. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning (in fact, the creature may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of lightning, such as Ball lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.

Raiju is the companion of the Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the beast is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms it becomes agitated, and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by Raiju's claws).

Another of Raiju's peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts the Raijin to shoot lightning arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather, but other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors. It's also believed that she has a pup

In popular culture

Two such creatures appear in the anime Naruto: Shippuden. Sasuke Uchiha forms a Kirin from lightning in a storm to attack Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi Hatake briefly forms a dog or wolf from lightning chakra to attack Pain.

One of the kaiju in Pacific Rim is given the name Raiju. Resembling a crocodile or a mosasaur, it has a three-part head armor that protects its wormlike real head inside. It is portrayed as a fast swimmer with powerful jaws, but possesses no electrical abilities.

The Pokémon creature Manectric is a blue canine with a jagged, yellow, mane resembling lightning and possess electrical powers.

See also

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