"Killing Buddha" Hōrubō (〝殺し念仏〟
Appearance
Hōrubō was a very elderly man with sunken eye sockets and a bald head. He wore a dark, frayed monks attire.
Personality
Like Warped Keiun, Hōrubō felt that it would be easy to take the safe route and eliminate the competition by killing the criminals, starting off with Aza Chōbē before they even landed on to the island.
Plot
Before being sentenced to death, Hōrubō was given a chance to be pardon of his crimes if he were to acquire the Elixir of Life for the shogun on an island. After being grouped together with death row criminals at Edo, they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. Hōrubō survived and left with his Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Jikka.
Before he could land on the island, Hōrubō attempted to kill Aza Chōbē but failed as the latter managed to free himself and kill him.
Abilities and Powers
Hōrubō was considered to be a criminal that was too dangerous to be allowed to live and was marked for death. He was also one of the few criminals that managed to survive a massacre full of criminals that were also sentenced to death. Hōrubō had the unique ability to stretch or contort his arms to restrain and constrict his opponents.
Trivia
- Hōrubō ranked 19th place in the manga 1st Character Popularity Poll.