Gouki (剛鬼 Gōki?) was a Kyūkonki (吸魂鬼, literally translated as "Spirit-Sucking Demon"), who forms an alliance with Kurama and Hiei and becomes the target of Yusuke's first case as spirit detective. He helped steal the "Three Artifacts of Darkness", taking with him the Orb of Baast. He is called Jerry in the Filipino adaptation of the anime.
Quick Answers
What role does Gouki play in Yusuke's first case as a spirit detective in Yu Yu Hakusho?
What is the significance of the Orb of Baast that Gouki steals in Yu Yu Hakusho?
What is the meaning of Gouki's name in Japanese and how does it reflect his character?
How does Gouki's appearance contribute to his character in Yu Yu Hakusho?
Appearance[]
At roughly nine feet in height, Gouki stands tall and burly, with a rough, Frankenstein-like countenance, consisting of short, messy hair; dark, confident eyes; and a slight, charismatic smile. His well-defined upper body musculature is overemphasized by a tight, green shirt, which is tucked into his denim-blue jeans that extend down to his white sneakers. When in his demon form, however, Gouki's appearance changes considerably; these changes include darkened skin, longer hair, a larger body, an increase in tooth size, and the development of large horns on his forehead. In this form, Gouki's only clothes are a pair of torn shorts where the jeans of his human form used to be. His live-action appearance is a contrast to his anime counterpart. He has short ragged black hair and a full beard and was obese, his shirt was purple and his sneakers are replaced with brown shoes. In his demon form he is much like his anime counterpart, his demonic skin is red and his torn shorts has ripped edges.
Personality[]
Flipping Kurama off
A cruel and ruthless criminal, Gouki possesses little to no respect for human life, viewing a child's soul as nothing more than a daytime snack. He is also cocky and boastful, though not particularly very bright. He is also very crude, as he is shown later on in the series flipping Kurama off when he first meets him.
Finding pleasure in murdering both humans and apparitions alike, Gouki cares for neither his crimes nor the possible repercussions. Viewing humans as inferior to demons, he often underestimates them, evident in his encounters with both Kurama and Yusuke.
Out of the three thieves to steal the Artifacts of Darkness, Gouki is remarkably the least intelligent one of the bunch. This lack of intelligence is possibly his greatest downfall, causing him to fall to Yusuke and becoming the Spirit Detective's first victim.
Synopsis[]
History[]
He first meets Hiei when the demon breaks him out of his prison cell. When Hiei informs him that they will be working with Kurama, Gouki appears interested, but breaks down laughing when the great Yōko Kurama is a mere human teenager (to the point of not even believing he was in fact Yoko). When Kurama shows Gouki his powers, though they were limited, Gouki reluctantly agrees to work with the former thief, stating he would only do so "for a while", Gouki also held a strong dislike for Kurama, when he says that he doesn't "give a flip", when Kurama announced that he was going to leave the group. It is possible that Kurama also held a similar dislike for Gouki as well.
Spirit Detective Saga[]
Yusuke meets Gouki, Kurama, and Hiei.
Gouki, teaming up with Kurama and Hiei, infiltrates the palace of Spirit World to steal three valuable artifacts: the Forlorn Hope, the Shadow Sword, and the Orb of Baast. As Kurama and Hiei escape with the Forlorn Hope and the Shadow Sword, respectively, Gouki keeps the Orb of Baast - a glowing green sphere that facilitates the taking of human souls — for himself. Hoping to satisfy his craving for human souls, Gouki enters the human realm and begins to feast upon those of children. However, he is soon confronted by spirit detective Yusuke Urameshi, who orders him to give up the stolen object. Gouki agrees to "turn himself in" if Yusuke defeated him, to which the new Spirit Detective agreed to.
Gouki fighting Yusuke
Viewing Yusuke as nothing more than a mere human with pathetic spirit energy, as Gouki ignores the detective's request to hand over the orb, swallowing another human soul from the orb as his evening meal. Yusuke, demanding his due respect, punches the demon criminal multiple times, knocking the orb to the ground and sending Gouki flat on his back. Believing the fight is over, Yusuke picks up the orb, preparing to bring it back to spirit world before retrieving the other two artifacts. Suddenly, Gouki rises to his feet and reveals his true form as a Kyūkonki, increasing dramatically in size while exhibiting darker skin, larger teeth, and sudden horns on his forehead. With this new form, Gouki, broken free of his clothes, begins to physically dominate Yusuke, planning to use the Orb of Baast to collect his soul. Surprisingly, Gouki hears a group of voices which he believes to be the local villagers, who claim to be armed with a pack of big dogs and weapons. Fearing his own life (because he's a low-class demon), Gouki spares Yusuke, warning the detective to stay out of his way.
The following day, Gouki (oddly wearing the same clothes that he ripped the day before) collects four more children's souls in the span of three hours, taking advantage of Yusuke's absence. However, as he looks to collect a fifth soul, Gouki once again is met unexpectedly by the Spirit Detective, who requests a rematch of the prior day's fight. This time, Gouki, aggravated by the annoying teenager, instantly transforms into his demon form and aggressively punches at his foe. Yusuke, with a sudden burst of energy, successfully dodges the Kyūkonki's attacks, though failing to pierce the demon's rock-hard skin.
Gouki about to be killed.
Eventually, after knocking down Botan, who came to assist Yusuke (anime)/stealing the soul of another child that showed up on the battlefield unexpectedly (manga), Gouki is able to get his hands on the Spirit Detective, and opens his mouth as if to take a bite. Seeing his opportunity, Yusuke sticks a short, thick tree branch into Gouki's mouth, keeping the demon's jaws open. After a brief monologue, Yusuke fires his Spirit Gun into Gouki's mouth, sending the Kyūkonki to the ground and freeing all of the children's souls. Now officially victorious, Yusuke picks up the Orb of Baast and prepares for the next artifact. As for Gouki, his anime fate remains a mystery, as he is mentioned to be arrested in episode 8, but never appears again.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Enhanced Strength: He is strong enough to easily uproot trees and lift boulders.
- Nigh-Impenetrable Skin: For a D Class Demon, Gouki has nigh-indestructible skin, making him impervious to any harm or damage, which Yusuke Urameshi couldn't damage at the start of his Spirit Detective career.
- Soul Consuming: He absorbs a lost soul from the Orb of Baast which increases his strength.
Transformation[]
- Kyukonki Transformation: his already muscle-bound body transforms into his monstrous full demon form which serves to further augment his attack and defense.
Trivia[]
- Gouki is one of the few characters who has actually defeated Yusuke Urameshi, and the only member of the three thieves at the beginning of the Spirit Detective Saga to defeat him.
- Gouki shares the same Japanese voice actor with the demon known as Chu.
- Gouki's name means "strong ogre", which is fitting to his true nature. His name is pronounced the same (as well as sharing the same meaning) as the Japanese name of Akuma from Street Fighter (though the kanji is slightly different).
- In the English manga, when Yusuke sees Gouki's demon form for the first time he exclaims "Holy Cheese on Rye!"
- Contrary to Yusuke's trivia section, Gouki has also flipped Kurama off, in a flashback in Episode 47.
Quotes[]
"Do you know what the best spices for a soul are? Some fear and a dash of pain."
"Don't feel bad kid. I'm much more polite than those two brats. I'll turn myself in nice and neat, if I can't rip off your head."
"For a human, you're pretty decent."
"Ha! We goin' on a date?"
"O...Okay Kurama. I was just jokin'. I'm sure you'll be fine to work with, for awhile."
"Easy kid, you runaway."
"What? I hate big dogs."
"You're a sweet girl! You'll be even sweeter in my stomach!"
"I'm starting a little collection."
"I don't give a flip if he leaves, but he's got no right to the loot. Give us the pretty little mirror."
"I heard boogeyman stories about Yoko in lockdown, and this red haired princess ain't it. You want me to believe you're the real legend, you're gonna have to get out of that skin."