Asuramaru

Asuramaru 「阿修羅丸, Ashūramaru, lit. "Perfect Asura"」 is a high-ranked demon of the Black Demon Series. He formed a contract with Yūichirō Hyakuya and became his Cursed Gear. He was previously the Cursed Gear of Mahiru Hīragi.

Appearance
Asuramaru appears as an androgynous adolescent male with hair that appears to go beyond his feet. Bangs cover his left eye. As a vampire-gone-demon, he has red eyes, fangs, and pointed ears.

He wears a headband formed of two parallel golden strips that match the horns piercing through his hair from the edge of his hairline. The horns grow larger once Yū loosens the curse restraining him.

He wears a sleeveless open-back dress (?) with a collar covering his throat. The chest piece is black while the rest of the dress is white. The gown splits open at his outer thighs, freeing his legs for movement. He wears black sleeves separated from the gown that reach his mid-upper arms and come down to his arms to his middle fingers, where each sleeve is attached to a ring. He is barefoot.

As Asuramaru exists as a mental concept, he can appear as anyone within Yū's memories he chooses. He often takes the forms of the 12-year-old Mikaela Hyakuya as well as Akane Hyakuya, the other Hyakuya orphans, or even Yūichirō's parents. He chooses his forms depending on what he believes will be best for breaking Yū's will.

Personality
Asuramaru is a blood-thirsty demon who was originally a vampire. He delights in drinking Yūichirō's blood and goes into a giddy high after Yū feeds it to him for the first time. As a possession-type demon, he is described as particularly nasty and aggressive.

Like all demons, he is manipulative and uses nightmares to consume the one he possesses in order to take over his host's body. At the beginning of the series, he interrupts his host's dreams every night, making Yū tired during the day. After all, the only reason he allows Yū to borrow his power is for the future opportunity to take over his body.

After Yū loosens the curse on him and the two battle for dominance, Asuramaru eventually gives in to Yū's compassion and submits to him. He also stops giving Yū nightmares.

Even so, Asuramaru thinks of humans as vile, greedy creatures and says they are even worse than vampires and demons. He considers them to be taboo-breakers who will destroy the world. Although he is fully aware of Yū going insane on the battlefield and of the experimentation done on him, Asuramaru does not reveal any of these vital secrets to his host. Asuramaru is more of a trusted enemy rather than a friend or ally.

He considers angels to be disgusting.

History
Asuramaru was a vampire known as Aşura Ţepeş who was from the same family as Third Progenitor Krul Tepes. Asuramaru was apparently slain before the manga, sealed within a sword by humans and chained in place by a curse, thus becoming the weapon of Mahiru Hīragi. After Mahiru's death, he became part of the Black Demon Series.

Second Shibuya High Arc
Asuramaru first appears in chapter 6. Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose takes his new recruits into a ceremonial room where the Black Demon Series weapons are located. To enter the contract ceremony, Yūichirō Hyakuya selects Asuramaru's sword. He enters the spell circle and draws the blade to begin the contract ceremony.

Asuramaru immediately thrusts Yū into an illusion where he is surrounded by his slaughtered family members. Asuramaru approaches Yū in the form of a 12-year-old Mikaela and accuses Yū of abandoning them. Yū warns him not to use his name like that and calls him out as a demon. He says for it to stop pretending to be his family. Asuramaru comments that he thought he was touching his most tender memories and finds it strange that Yū didn't even flinch. Yū exclaims that he knows how demons work and orders him to give up and give him power. Letting the form of Mika collapse, Asuramaru rises as a black formless mass and stabs Yū. He realizes that Yū fought a low-rank Myo-o demon before. The demon asks why he wants power so much; if its for his revenge. Yū says yes and Asuramaru asks if it's because he lost something precious. Yū says yes again, saying that the kids from the orphanage were the first real family he had and he lost them.

Asuramaru says he will lend Yū his power as he likes strong desires. If Yū wants power for revenge alone then he will give him unlimited power. But then Yū hears someone say that it's not enough. Yū turns his head to see the corpses of the children from the orphanage lying on the ground behind him. Akane says that he has to live for revenge in truth now or else they can't give him power. He then hears Mika telling him to give up his love as they hate that more than anything. They like greed and can't stand love. They ask him if he is going to go off and make new friends and be happy without them. Yū tries to explain but Mika says that it's not fair that Yū was the only one to survive and that he left them to die.

Yū tells Asuramaru to shut up and just give him his power because he needs enough power to protect everyone. He glows brightly, surprising Asuramaru. about Yū's incredible contradiction of love and lust and states that this is the reason why humans destroy the world. He says Yū interest him and he will obey him as long as his heart remains strong and warns him the moment he senses any weakness, he will take over Yū's body. He asks if Yū agrees with this and he does. He tells Yū that he will be his then and tell Yū his name and when he wants powers, just call out his name.

Asuramaru informs Yū that he is 1/10th not human and suggests humans modified him in some abnormal way. He comments that humans are more frightening than vampires, and even more frightening than demons and finds it odd to explain it to a human. When asked, Asuramaru refuses to explain and declares that their contract is complete. He says to Yū that he will be his power as well as his blade. He then tells Yū to open his eyes and let his greed grow. Finally he tells Yū to slice the world open.

Shinjuku Arc
At the beginning of chapter 8, it is revealed that Asuramaru has been tormenting Yū in his dreams every night since Yū formed the contract with him. He takes the form of Mika and accuses Yū of leaving him behind.

Post-Shinjuku Arc
At the end of chapter 13, Yū meets Asuramaru when the drugs he ingested take effect and force him to transform and lose control. Yū asks if Asuramaru is trying to take over, and Asuramaru denies it. He calls Yū monstrous and states that Mika was right. He says the two should run as far away from humans as they can before Yū loses his humanity altogether. Then, he says they are out of time after all.

In chapter 19, Yū feeds his blood to Asuramaru.

In chapter 20, Yū battles Asuramaru for over 20 hours in order to take his power to the next level. Asuramaru giggles and gasps with delight at the taste of Yū's blood, making Yū calmly respond that Asuramaru is acting like a vampire. Asuramaru tells him that demons are the mere shadows of what used to be a vampire. He wants Yū to give him more of his blood, his body, his mind, everything. Asuramaru leaps at Yū, wanting him to give him his everything and let him ravish him. Chains start binding him, restraining his movements. Yū asks him about the chains holding Asuramaru prisoner and he explains to Yū that it's the sorcery that humans completed in order to curse the demons and bind them and they are trapped by it. Yū asks him if it's painful. Perplexed, Asuramaru denies any pain. He wonders why Yū would worry about him and Yū responds by saying that doesn't he hate painful things. He says that of course he does and calls Yū weird.

Yū goes back on topic and asks Asuramaru what he should do as heard that if he sucked his blood, the Cursed Gear would advance. Asuramaru tells Yū that when he drinks blood, the demon curse's restraining force goes down. He says to move on even further, he needs to explain a variety of things to Yū. When Yū is confused by this, Asuramaru says that the explanation about this curse and the contract was something that the humans decided. If he doesn't tell Yū, he'll be stuck in the demon curse chains and won't be able to move. Yū asks if it's a man made curse and Asuramaru says yes and that human sure are scary because they keep putting their hands on forbidden techniques. He also says that the thing inside Yū is quite terrible as well. Yū does not remember losing control and Asuramaru laughs, saying that humans sure are terrible.

Disregarding it as something that has nothing to do with him, Asuramaru explains the rules to loosen the demon curse binding force. Simply put, he will attack Yū and every time he takes one of those attacks, his willpower will go down. If Yū's willpower goes down, he'll be taken over. Yū finds it odd that it is essentially Asuramaru trying to take over him. Asuramaru tells him that its a demon's objective to and only reason why they listen to humans. Asuramaru then tells him that if Yū is able to cut him with the sword, his own willpower will go down, and that if Yū crushes his heart, it's game over and he wins.

He warns Yū that he won't even be able to touch the sword before he starts to break the chains. He tells Yū that because he explained the rules, the curse's restraining force weakened. Asuramaru is almost totally free of the chains and wants to start the fight so they'll see who the real master is. He keeps talking about the restrains weakening, and his reasoning is fading. He wants Yū's everything and then tells him to die. He then attacks Yū, knocking him back. He gets on top of him and teasingly asks him if he is in pain but he says that he won't let Yū die. He reiterates that Yū will have a nightmare every time he takes one of his attacks and his spirit will be brought down. He wonders how long he will last.

The illusion shows Mika calling Yū terrible for leaving him behind and Akane saying that it's the reason why Mika was turned into a vampire and that it's all his fault. Yū coughs up blood but breaks free, telling Asuramaru that he won't give in to something like that. Unabashed, Asuramaru says he will as the demon curse has gotten weaker and so he'll touch Yū's true darkness and let his rages and desires run wild. He then bites Yū which shows him another illusion.

Yū appears as a child, when he was still at home with his parents. In a room with a tipped-over table and bottles on the floor with papers, pens, and drinks spilled, Yū faces his parents. His mother kneels on the ground in the kitchen with her back to him while his father curses him, calling him demon spawn. He says he must kill the Seraph of the End as soon as possible or else the world will be ruined. Yū notices his dad holding a large knife and tries pleads with him, saying that he'll be a good kid. He dad says that killing Yū is the right thing to do. Yū cries that he's not the devil and his dad chases Yū into a massive apartment hallway, where he sees Akane and Mika again. Mika says that because Yū ran away, he became a vampire. and Akane wishes that Yū hadn't come to the orphanage since everything's gone horribly wrong since he came and that he should've just died here. Yū's dad appears in the doorway and says for him to die as this is the end for him and that he will disappear here. The illusion of his dad stabs Yū through his back and left chest.

Yū says he will not go berserk over something like that. He talks about the promise he made to Mika as he was the first person to ever need him. He visualizes a kind 12-year-old Mika who says that they'll protect their family and that he'll be counting on him. When he asks Yū if it's alright with him, Yū says that it is because Mika wanted him. He'll definitely save him. Yū wakes up with tears in his eyes.

Annoyed, Asuramaru thought that he had won and Yū says that he already knows how to fight. Yū summons the sword and Asuramaru compliments him but tells him not to kid himself, noting that he must have gotten weaker, he even calls him a demon that wasn't wanted by anyone and discarded by his parents. Yū tells him that those kinds of words don't hurt him anymore and that he is fine with being a demon. He says that if Mika, Guren, Shinoa, Yoichi or Kimizuki need him, he doesn't care about something like that.

Asuramaru says that him being defiant kind off annoys him and Yū asks him what he's gonna do about it and Asuramaru tells him that he'll kill him. Yū throws away his sword, deciding against attacking Asuramaru, saying that if he did, Asuramaru would see a nightmare like he did and he does not hurt his friends, which makes Asuramaru laugh. He says that Yū is being naive but Yū says that he doesn't care if Asuramaru is a demon as he needs him. Yū asks him to be his friend in order to save Mika and his family. In exchange, Yū says he will be Asuramaru's friend since Asuramaru must be awfully lonely. Asuramaru agrees to let Yū possess him. He tells Yū to grab the sword and when he does, he feels the power flowing through him.

Yū can now perform Asura-Kannon.

Nagoya Arc
In chapter 34, Yū coughs up blood after overdosing on pills to increase his power at the end of the previous chapter. Inside his mind, Asuramaru, calling him hopeless, comments on how Yū appeared to give up on revenge and then became obsessed with living and family. He asks Yū if he wants power that badly. Yū says he does need power to save Guren. He begs Asuramaru to give him power.

Asuramaru says yes. If Yū wants power, he’ll give him all he asks for and more since he feeds on ugly human emotions like obsession and greed. However he complains that the pills Yū took before are a problem as they force the curse to go crazy while keeping his greed in check. Asuramaru says that the contradiction won’t do. He states that Yū cannot expect to just take drugs and get stronger without any consequences so Yū asks how he can get stronger.

Asuramaru says he can’t answer that as Yū is already dead. He says that it was a quick death. Yū took so much of the drug that all his internal organs ruptured and his heart exploded. He says while he has powerful regenerative abilities, but that kind of damage is beyond him. He says Yū’s done. Dead. Then, he amends his statement, saying that at least he should be.

The only reason he isn’t is because of those disgusting angels. Their power is forcibly keeping him alive. They peer into the background of Yū's mind and see something lying on the ground. Yū asks Asuramaru what it is. He says he doesn’t know but from there it looks like a trumpet. Yū has the urge to take the trumpet, but Asuramaru warns him not to take it and insists that Yū take him instead since angels can be far nastier than demons.

Asuramaru notices that Yū’s heart has starting beating again and says that now that it’s fixed, he can take care of the rest. He stabs into Yū's abdomen, telling him not to go with the trumpeters and instead stay with him, accept him. He tells Yū that he can heal him but when he tries to he says that he cannot return Yū to normal. He complains that Yū lost even more of his humanity than before and has become even uglier. Asuramaru orders him to never do that again and claims Yū's body is his. Yū says he does not care and demands for Asuramaru's power. Asuramaru calls him a greedy little human wretch and tells Yū that he has already given it to him as three pills worth of the drug is in effect. He can use all his strength for the next two to three minutes without becoming a demon. Asuramaru then tells Yū to awaken.

During Yū’s fight with Crowley, he demands Asuramaru to give him enough power to save Guren and to save his friends. He wants Asuramaru to give him the power to protect his family. Asuramaru is delighted to help, especially now that the drug has completely worn off. Now he can give Yū all the power he desires. He tells him to need it, crave it and let his greed rule.

After they are knocked unconscious by Kimizuki, Asuramaru praises Yu's honesty toward his desire and love and mentions how good and evil mean nothing when it comes to protecting Yu's family. He says Yu is broken. Asuramaru tempts him with power again, but Yu turns him down.

Forms and Abilities

 * Demon's Thrall: Asuramaru can enter his host's dreams and enter their memories to create nightmares of his host's past in order to break his host's will and take over their body. This ability can only be used against his host.
 * Basic Form: Asuramaru appears as a sword. Even without being called, his power is immense. When his name is spoken by his bearer, he coats his host in a green aura and becomes even more powerful.
 * Asura-Kannon: A special technique using Asuramaru that materializes dozens of floating swords roughly in the shape of a fan. This type of ability should be impossible for a possession-type demon.

Trivia

 * In Hinduism, the asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a group of power-seeking deities related to the more benevolent devas (also known as suras). They are sometimes considered nature spirits. They battle constantly with the devas.
 * Maru 「丸」 is a common suffix to male Japanese names.
 * Upon forming a contract with Yūichirō, he can immediately tell that 1/10th of Yū is not human.
 * Although he often appears as human 12-year-old Mikaela Hyakuya, he has yet to take the form of vampire 16-year-old Mikaela Hyakuya.
 * Asuramaru refers to himself with "boku" (僕), a first-person Japanese pronoun usually only used by males, but also used by tomboyish females, so Asuramaru's gender was hard to determine. However, it was confirmed in the latest official fanbook that he is indeed male.
 * Krul Tepes inquired Mahiru about him in Volume 5 of the light novel.

Quotes

 * "I can tweak a heart as weak as yours all that I want."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "I like strong ones. I like strong desires. If you want power for revenge alone, then I will give you unlimited power. (As Akane) But that's not enough, Yū. You gotta do more. You have to live for revenge in truth now. Or else we can't give you any power. (As Mika) Yeah. Give up your love. We hate that more than anything. We like greed. We can't stand love. Yoichi? Kimizuki? Shinoa? Who cares about companions? Are you going to go off and make new friends... and be happy without us? That's no fair, Yū. Only you survived. We didn't. You left us to die--"--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "Love and greed intertwined. What an incredible contradiction. This is why humans destroy the world."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "You interest me. As long as your heart stays strong, I will obey you. But if I detect even a moment's weakness, your body is mine. Do you agree...? Then, I will be yours. My name is Asuramaru. When you want power, cry out my name."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "You see... There's something strange inside you. You are about one part in ten... not human. Maybe other humans have modified you in some abnormal way."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "Don't trust humanity, Yū. Humans are more frightening than vampires. Even more frightening than demons. Heh. How odd to say that to a human."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "I will be your power. I will be your blade. Open your eyes wide... and let your greed grow. Slice the world wide open, Yūichirō Hyakuya!"--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 6, "Black Asura"
 * "(As Mika) ...Yū. Yū! You left me behind, Yū... to die. Haha! You will keep having this dream over and over. This is the darkness inside of you. It is a part of you. And I... (As Asuramaru) I am your power. Use your darkness and make me into a demon of revenge."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 8, "Mitsuba's Squad"
 * "But if one day you feel your like your heart will burst, just call my name. Give me your body... and I will see your revenge through for you..."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 8, "Mitsuba's Squad"
 * "Who would have thought that I, a demon, would ever be scared of how monstrous the human I'm possessing could be?"--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 13, "Reunion of Childhood Friends"
 * "Look at the sky. You've stained it an ugly black, spreading it over the world like a curse. Yū? Mika is right. If there is still time... both of you should run as far away from humans as you can. If you don't, you'll lose your humanity altoge... Uh-oh. You're out of time after all. The part of you that isn't human is about to run wild."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 13, "Reunion of Childhood Friends"
 * "Blood... I... tasted your blood. Heh... Heheheh... Power... My power is returning..."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "I'm becoming my true self again. Your blood was delicious... Give me more."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Give me blood. Your blood. Your body. Your soul. Your everything. I will possess you... and defile everything that you are!!"--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Humans are frightening creatures. They have no qualms about delving into forbidden arts. Not the least of which is that terrifying thing hidden inside of you."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Ha ha! And you don't even remember! Humans truly are despicable."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Come, Yū. Let the death match begin. Let's see who will be the master, and who the servant. Aah... The bonds are loosening... loosening... I can feel my sanity slipping away... Blood. Flesh. Everything that you are... is mine. Die, human."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "The curse is weak. You can't bind me anymore. Now, I can reach into your deepest darkness. Let your rage burn, your greed consume you. Break, Yū."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Well, well! Not bad. But don't think you can bluff me. I know you're weakened. Weakened and unwanted. Even your parents threw you away, Demon Spawn."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 20, "The Demon's Nightmare"
 * "Those pills you took are a problem. They force us to go crazy, all while keeping your greed in check. That contradiction won't do. You can't just take drugs and expect to get stronger without any consequences, Yū. That's wrong."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 34, "Asura's Power"
 * "I'm afraid I can't answer that. You're already dead. At least it was a quick death. You took so much of that drug that all your internal organs ruptured, and your heart exploded. I have pretty powerful regenerative abilities, but all that damage is beyond even me. You're done, Yū. Dead."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 34, "Asura's Power"
 * "Angels can be far nastier than us demons."--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 34, "Asura's Power"
 * "Huh..? Damn. I can't put you back to normal. You've lost more of your humanity and are even uglier than before! Seriously... Don't ever do that to my body again!"--Asuramaru to Yūichirō Hyakuya, Chapter 34, "Asura's Power"
 * "I'm really starting to like you, Yu. I like that you're so honest about what you desire and love.  And I especially like that, when it comes to protecting your family, good and evil mean nothing.  You really are broken."--Asuramaru to Yu, Chapter 36, "Yu & Mika"
 * "Aha ha! What's the point in keeping together with those weaklings?  They'll just drag you down and weaken you again.  You know that."--Asuramaru to Yu, Chapter 36, "Yu & Mika"