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| Introduction |
Zhou Gongjin (周 公瑾) is an antagonist seen throughout the series who is manipulating conflicts and problems behind the scenes.
Appearance[]
Zhou Gongjin in the Anime
Zhou Gongjin is a good looking man with long hair that extends to his waist and has yellow eyes. He is normally seen wearing a suit with an indistinct smile on his face even confronted by aggression.
Zhou has been subjected to his master's Surgery of Perpetual Youth and one of the successful product of that magic. Due to this, even though he was at his 60's, he retains the appearance of his 20's.[1]
Personality[]
Zhou Gongjin gives off a dignified and elegant demeanor that matches his outfit. Combined with his modest and respectful tone of speech, he manipulates his subjects to achieve his objectives but would still go out of his way to prevent them from being killed like when he activate the alarm to prevent Lu Ganghu from assassinating Hirakawa Chiaki.[2] Being the last 2 members of Dahan along with his master, Zhou Gongjin harbors hatred towards Japan and the Great Asian Union and works behind the scenes to weaken their military destroying each other.[3]
Background[]
Zhou Gongjin and the Ancient Magic Faction in the Kunlunfang Institute
Zhou Gongjin was an Ancient Magic user from the Kunlunfang Institute in Dahan and belongs to the Ancient Magic Faction as an apprentice of Jiedo Heigu, the leader of the faction where they have a fierce power struggle against the Modern Magic faction in terms of objectives, budget and human resources. Due to the leaders of Dahan's desire for eternal life and youth, Jiedo Heigu's Surgery of Perpetual Youth that he developed was their godsend trump card where Zhou Gongjin and 8 other apprentices were among the first recipients of the magic after Jiedo Heigu. But when the Surgery's side effects were discovered, Jiedo Heigu along with Zhou Gongjin were exiled to the USA that eventually be known as the USNA in 2054 where they were granted refugees status.[1]
In the aftermath of The Nightmare of 2062, Dahan was destroyed at the hands of Yotsuba Genzou and the Yotsuba Clan and Dahan being assimilated into the Great Asian Union in 2064. Zhou Gongjin shows no real loyalty to the Great Asian Union and is actually trying to sabotage the Great Asian Union for his own benefits. Despite the Yotsuba destroying the Modern Magic Faction of the Kunlunfang Institute, in a sense their enemy that exiled them, Zhou Gongjin and his master decides that the Yotsuba Family and Japan's Magic Community are also targets for revenge. Zhou Gongjin eventually becomes the sole survivor of Jiedo Heigu's apprentices due to the side effects of the surgery and he is sent to Japan and carry out their plan of revenge.[4]
Since being exiled, Zhou Gongjin has constantly been hunted for about 30 years that he has gotten used to be on the run until 2086 where he begins to stay in Chinatown, Yokohama in Japan and he lived there peacefully for the next 10 years. In 2092, Zhou Gongjin purchased a restaurant in China Street where he registered to be 20 years old and while from the outside it looks like an ordinary restaurant, he conducts various operations such as smuggling enemy soldiers to Japan to plan the downfall of his past enemy and receives orders from his master. [5]
Plot[]
Zhou Gongjin's sabotage operations in Japan
Zhou is the owner of a restaurant at Yokohama's Chinatown, which is his headquarters and plots behind the scenes to destroy the public's image towards Magicians on behalf of his boss, Jiedo Heigu. He secretly talks to his boss in the basement about their future plans and goals such as smuggling operatives that will cause the Yotsuba family and the Great Asian Union to destroy each other.[6]
Goals[]
The ultimate goal of Gongjin and his boss is the destruction of the Yotsuba Family. The reason is because the Yotsuba Family had destroyed Dahan that Zhou and his boss had originally belonged to. This resulted in Dahan being taken over by the Great Asian Union.
In order to achieve their ultimate goal, Gongjin and his boss had begun to devise many different chronological plans:
- 1. Zhou had planned to manipulate the events leading up to Scorched Halloween, in order to weaken both the Great Asian Union and the Japanese Military. Zhou wished to weaken the Great Asian Union, so that binding law would weaken, which would allow Zhou more freedom of movement. Zhou wished to weaken the Japanese Military by killing a large number of combat Magicians, which would indirectly weaken the power of the Ten Master Clans.
- Results: Zhou succeeded in weakening the Great Asian Union by decreasing their military strength with the death of the Great Asian Union's Strategic-Class Magician, Liú Yúndé. This allowed Gongjin more freedom of movement. However, Zhou had failed to reduce and weaken a large number of Japanese combat Magicians because of the Japanese Military obtaining a fast victory over the Great Asian Union due to the efforts of the Strategic-Class Magician, Ooguro Ryuuya (Shiba Tatsuya).
- 2. Zhou had planned to increase the number of negative criticisms about Magicians with public media, in order to directly weaken the Japanese Magicians so that he can indirectly weaken the Yotsuba Family.
- Results: He had achieved the partial success of increasing negative criticisms about Combat Magicians in Japan. However, Zhou was dissatisfied that the increased criticisms didn't achieve his desired level. Gongjin's plan of increasing negative criticisms had partially failed due to the efforts of First High School's demonstration on making a prototype of a Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor, the Rosen family approval of the Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor, and a broken agreement with Sawamura Yoshio on advertising negative criticisms on their public media company.
- 3. Zhou planned to assassinate Sawamura Maki, the daughter of Sawamura Yoshio, because of his broken agreement to advertise negative criticisms on their public media company. Zhou had Robert Sun, the son of Richard Sun, organize the assassination.
- Results: Zhou's plan to assassinate Sawamura Maki had failed completely because Mahesvara (Shiba Tatsuya) intercepted them before they began to attack Sawamura Maki's Residence.
Zhou Gongjin meeting with Nakura representing the Saegusa
- 4. Zhou planned to cooperate with the Saegusa and the Kudou Family so that he could interfere at the Nine Schools Competition without any problems. Zhou planned to interfere with the performance test of the sealed parasites in the Nine Schools Competition by driving them out of control and injure the participants, which would indirectly weaken the Yotsuba Family.
- Results: The combat servitors housing the parasites are neutralized by Mahesvara (Shiba Tatsuya) with the support from Pixie and Sakurai Minami. The test and plan are concluded to be a failure. Afterwards, Gongjin had to escape while fighting against the Kuroba Family who were sent by the Yotsuba Family because of all of Zhou's effort to weaken the Yotsuba Family.
- 5. Zhou planned to use the Traditionalists to help him escape all the factions that were trying to kill him. Zhou has brainwashed the Traditionalists (possibly with Evil Eye), in order to obey his command without any objection.
- Results: The Traditionalists were defeated and Gongjin had to run away from the Traditionalists Military Base by the combined effort of Shiba Tatsuya, Ichijou Masaki, Kudou Minoru, and members of the Yotsuba Family. Zhou fought for his life against these powerful adversaries. However, when he realized that he could not escape his situation, he used magic to make himself burst into flames which left no trace of his body to be found.
Future Plans
- 6. Zhou wants to find out the identity of the Japanese Combat Magician nicknamed "Mahesvara" by the Great Asian Union because of his constant interference with his plans.
Currently, his spiritual essence resides inside Kudou Minoru, however, it is subjected to obey and comply to Minoru due to the Loyalty Ancient Magic of Kudou Family. [7]
Abilities[]
Master Manipulator[]
- Zhou has shown that he is able to manipulate the events of major conflicts so that he would be able to benefit from them. Gongjin uses his connections to create and manipulate conflicts, in order to achieve his goals. Also, Gongjin can persuade other people into doing things for him, by redirecting their emotions and with his communication skills.
- Zhou has an ability similar to Mind Control (Brainwashing) by taking advantage over victim's thoughts. Victims usually have a spider bite mark somewhere in their body.
Magical Abilities[]
- He is one of the top apprentice of Black Sage, Gu Jie. In direct combat, it is hinted that he is probably stronger than his Master, Gu Jie. Notably, he is strong enough to severely wound the Head of House of Kuroba, Kuroba Mitsugu in a direct confrontation and able to escape from their search team and their trap during that conflict.
Ghost Walker[]
- Zhou's Special Ability that manipulates the target's direction, unrestricted by physical parameters. It is an ancient magic misdirect perception of direction. It allows him to escape from opponents and pursuit teams.
Shadow Beast[]
- This technique took Zhou ten years to create.[8] To use the technique, Zhou chants "Xiao Tian Quan" (Howling Celestial Hound). It is a magic that constructs a synthetic beast using shadows as a medium. The spell is a hybrid magic that incorporates western sorcery. [9]
Genjuu[]
- Genjuu (幻獣 or げんじゅう lit. Mythical Beast) is an illusionary beast that uses Spiritual Interference Magic to create where its attack is stronger when its target is not aware of its existence since its an illusion. The power of Genjuu relies on the target's risen anxiety against some unknown creature that will give strength to the illusionary creature that does not exist fundamentally which effectively makes Genjuu to be ideal to attack from behind. Otherwise if the target is aware of its existence, the Genjuu is weaker. [10]
Healing Magic[]
Zhou Gongjin using a talisman for Healing Magic in the Anime
- By using a talisman and a chant, Zhou Gongjin is able to heal the wounds he sustained. Unlike Modern Magic's Healing Magic, It's a kind of high speed regeneration magic, which truly heals the wounds. [11]
Barrier Magic[]
Zhou Gongjin using a white cloth to protect himself in the Anime
- Zhou Gongjin uses a white cloth that covers his body and protects him from projectile attacks and he also uses the cloth to conceal himself to use Ghost Walker and reposition for an attack.[11]
Shinkouhou[]
Zhou Gongjin using Shinkouhou in the Anime
- Zhou Gongjin can also use Shinkouhou, a technique that allows him to run at a speed of 40 to 50 km/h that when combined with Ghost Walker, it further increases the difficulty of pursuing him.[10]
Self Destruct Spell[]
Zhou Gongjin using an unnamed Self Destruct Spell in the Anime
- To avoid being captured, Zhou Gongjin uses a spell that causes his body to explode and be engulfed in flames that Tatsuya confirmed that Zhou Gongjin has died. [10]
Equipment[]
Talismans[]
- Zhou Gongjin uses various talismans for his magic that he uses as a medium for his Shadow Beasts or Healing Magic. He can also use these talismans while holding them or throwing it to his enemies.[11]
Handkerchief[]
Zhou Gongjin using a black handkerchief to conceal himself
- Zhou Gongjin uses 2 handkerchiefs in combat. A white handkerchief that he uses as a medium for his Barrier Magic and a black handkerchief that he uses to conceal himself as if he has disappeared.[11]
Trivia[]
- His name is taken from the historical Three Kingdoms period strategist of Wu, Zhou Yu (周瑜), whose style name Gongjin (公瑾) the exact namesake used for his given name. Zhou Yu is also a good looking man that matches Zhou Gongjin's appearance
- The Japanese script uses the on'yomi reading of Zhou Yu's name in Japanese Three Kingdoms media.
- His character setting differs from the original. [12]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Volume 17, Chapter 4
- ↑ Volume 6
- ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 13
- ↑ Volume 6, Chapter 5
- ↑ Volume 15, Chapter 9
- ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 13
- ↑ Volume 24, Chapter 4
- ↑ Volume 13, Chapter 8
- ↑ Volume 14, Chapter 4
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Volume 15, Chapter 8
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Volume 14, Chapter 4
- ↑ Volume 15, Afterwords