Tao Fa (タオファ Taofa?) was a member of Lord Tensen, as well as one of the rulers of Kotaku. She wore the title of Sagacious Ratana Taisei (ラトナ
Appearance
Tao Fa had golden eyes, eyelashes and short, pink hair that took the shape of flower petals, which formed a flower at the top of her head. She wore a pink hanfu with two ribbons, a black robe underneath, a beaded necklace with a golden peach amulet, a white hakama tied with a yellow obi, and black boots.
Underneath her layer of clothing, Tao Fa wore a silk bikini top and skirt.
In her and Ju Fa's Kishikai state, their bodies melded together to create a large, bulb shaped body formed from their Yin and Yang bodies, with unusually shaped petals acting as feathers/wings, and vines protruding from the bottom as tails. The head of the Kishikai possessed four faces, two from the right being Tao Fa's Yin and Yang faces while the left being Ju Fa's. Upon switching to their defensive form, the body releases multiple spore vines and their faces switch places. According to Fuchi, he felt that their Kishikai was the embodiment of "love".
Gallery
Personality
Tao Fa was very cheerful and always seemed to be in a good mood. Unlike the other members of Lord Tensen, Tao Fa was rather friendly towards humans, or at least ones that were willing to cooperate with Lord Tensen's plans such as Chōbē. However, she still carried the same view of using them as tools to create Tan and showed no signs of sympathy towards them.
Because she specialized in Bōchū Jutsu, Tao Fa was quite vulgar and often liked to flirt with others. After meeting with Chōbē and Tōma for the first time, Tao Fa asked if they wanted to join her and Ju Fa in Bōchū Jutsu and offered herself to Fuchi, despite him being her enemy, seductively stating that she was willing to show him anything he wanted to see, whether it was her organs that Fuchi was only interested in. She also had a preference as to who she found attractive. During their encounter, Tao Fa took a liking to Fuchi because she thought that he looked cute, while brushing off Tamiya because of his old age and felt disgusted when he expressed his perverted behavior towards her body.
Tao Fa loses her smile after Tamiya's offensive comment about Lord Tensen.
Although she always presented herself in a cheerful manner, Tao Fa admitted that her reason for acting like this was due to the fact that she was trying to hold back her emotional frustrations of Lord Tensen's 1,000 year struggle of trying to gain immortality. In the past, Tao Fa felt sorry for the Hōko and didn't like the idea of using them as tools to replenish their Tao. However, after the Hōko were on the verge of extinction and realizing that Lord Tensen's training would be all for not if they died, Tao Fa no longer felt any sympathy for the Hōko or anything living as long as it meant that Lord Tensen would be finished with their pursuit of immortality. This was shown as she used one of the Hōko's corpses as bait to lure in humans from the mainland as new sources of Tao. After Tamiya commented on how Lord Tensen enjoyed "toying" with humans, Tao Fa immediately lost her smile from Tamiya's misunderstanding remark and expressed her grief. Tao Fa also speculated that her constant smile might mean that she has already descended into madness.
Tao Fa had stated that they preferred the female gender because of their liking to their appearance. As such, they also acted feminine on top of their appearance.
History
1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Tao Fa and the other Tensens were created from the Tao of Xu Fu and Plant Tao for the purpose continuing on his research of acquiring immortality. Upon her and Ju Fa's birth, Rien stated that the two were special in that they are in fact two of a whole. As a child, Tao Fa feared the Sōshin and was protected at all times by Ju Fa. The six then began their training led by Rien and were introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao. Rien then assigned them the five forms of training in immortality, with Tao Fa and Ju Fa being assigned as partners in Bōchū Jutsu. Tao Fa expressed her pity to Ju Fa about using the Hōko as tools and felt glad that he also agreed with her. However, as the Hōko started undergoing Arborification, and left the Tensens at risk of dying, Tao Fa and Mu Dan come up with the idea of sending a corpse of a Hōko to lure in humans to the island as replacements. Ju Fa comes in and asks Tao Fa if she was willing to do this, to which she answers yes.
After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into Tan where they can increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.
Plot
Island Arc
Ju Fa and Tao Fa found by Chōbē and Tōma.
While engaging in Bōchū Jutsu with Ju Fa in Eishū, the two are interrupted with Aza Chōbē and Aza Tōma's appearance. Ju Fa becomes angry with their sudden arrival but Tao Fa finds them cute and asked if they wanted to join them. The brothers are then quickly dealt with by Ju Fa and are thrown down the Tan pit.
Lord Tensen Arc
Lord Tensen having a meeting.
After dropping the two humans down the pit to become Tan, Tao Fa joins the other Tensen in a meeting to discuss about the humans that made landfall. Once Ju Fa and Zhu Jin confirmed that the humans they encountered were dealt with, the Tensens toast to their longevity and to Soshi.
Later, Tao Fa engages in Bōchū Jutsu with Mu Dan and talk about how fascinating the creation of the Tan pit was. She then wonders of the possibility of a human escaping the pit but is reassured by Mu Dan that the pit is too deep and a human would be too weakened to climb out.
Tao Fa interrupts Rien's lesson of Tao to a Dōshi and becomes disappointed that they would use the bedchamber for this purpose. She then excitingly shows Rien the changes she made to the training area but becomes upset with Gui Fa's disapproving comment about the Bōchū Jutsu chamber. After finish engaging in Bōchū Jutsu with Ran, Tao Fa offers Ju Fa a cup of Tan made fresh by Mu Dan.
Palace Invasion Arc
After allowing Chōbē to join them, Lord Tensen introduces to him the Hermit Ascendance Rite. Once the ritual was over, Tao Fa reverts back to their Yin form and introduces herself to Chōbē but is told by Ju Fa not to do so. Later, Lord Tensen gathers to inform them that they will initiate the Rite of Just Consumption after they are informed by Chōbē that the human trespassers will invade the palace and agrees to cooperate as long as they don't hurt his brother Tōma.
Tao Fa and Ju Fa approaches Tamiya, Fuchi, and Tōma.
Tao Fa, Ju Fa, and Chōbē step out into the Bōchū Jutsu Temple and encounter Tamiya, Fuchi, and Tōma. Chōbē persuades Tōma to join their side and has him come upstairs. However, she and Ju Fa are attacked by the brothers and is sent down to the first floor. After regenerating, Tao Fa becomes upset with Chōbē's betrayal and sees that Tamiya is ready to fight her. Tao Fa removes her clothing and first attacks Tamiya, sending him crashing to a pillar. She then looks at Fuchi and offers to engage in Bōchū Jutsu with him before having him turn into Tan. Fuchi responds by cutting off her hand and rejects her advances.
Tao Fa battling Tamiya and Fuchi.
Due to their inability to perceive Tao, Tao Fa gains the advantage in battle. She recommends that they give up, however, Tamiya refuses and makes a comments on how she must be having fun fighting them since Lord Tensen has spent a long history of toying with humans. Hearing this, Tao Fa loses her smile and disagrees with his statement, explaining the grief Lord Tensen had to handle trying to gain immortal bodies. She then inflicts heavy damage to the two but is shocked to see them standing up with high ambitions. Tao Fa comments that they have gone insane after sensing their Tao surging and is told the same by Tamiya and Fuchi. Tao Fa sees Tamiya running towards her. She sends out a Tao projectile to attack but is shocked that he has managed to dodge it. Unable to react in time, Tao Fa is cut from the top by Tamiya.
Tamiya believes that he has finally able to sense Tao, however, Tao Fa sends him back and tells him that he was only lucky. She then fights Fuchi who attempts to have Tamiya understand Tao better by observing their fight. Tao Fa grabs Fuchi and hits him with a barrage of Tao projectiles. She comments that she finds it sweet that he was willing to help his "friend", however, Fuchi tells her that he is not his friend. Tao Fa creates more Tao projectiles and sends them towards Fuchi but are avoided after Tamiya grabs him out of the way. She then sees that Tamiya is now able to sense Tao after blinding himself and becomes excited with how strong she has made him.
Tao Fa continuous to get cut limb from limb by Tamiya's slashes but regenerates with no worries. She is then grabbed by Fuchi who weakens her Tao with his attribute and has Tamiya cut through her tanden. Tao Fa calls out to Ju Fa in pain and transforms to reach him. The two then fuse together to enter their Kishikai mode.
Tao Fa and Ju Fa's tandens destroyed by Chōbē and Fuchi.
The transformed Tensens emit a loud scream to cause pain to their opponents ears and fly in the air to release multiple spores. They are then attacked by Chōbē after he cuts Tao Fa's tanden and defend by attacking him with vines while sending him crash throughout the outside area. Tao Fa and Ju Fa attack again with vines but have them blocked by Chōbē. Tao Fa's tanden is then cut by Fuchi whose Tao is strengthen by Tōma. The two flee just before Tamiya jumps to deliver his attack and changes to their defensive form. The Tensens attack with their vines and cause the four humans to struggle. However, after entering the pool to get below their body, Tamiya slashes through the Kishikai body, separating Tao Fa and Ju Fa and leaves them vulnerable to have their tandens destroyed by Chōbē and Fuchi.
The tattered body of Tao Fa climbs out of the pool and is held by Fuchi, telling them that it was over as they slowly start to die. She then joins Ju Fa in the afterlife and tells him that she was glad that he was her partner.
Abilities and Powers
As one of the rulers of Kotaku, Tao Fa had partial authority over everything that went on and could command the Dōshi, Mōnshin, and Sōshin. Tao Fa was a very capable fighter, able to handle fighting against the combined efforts of Tamiya, a powerful swordsman, and Fuchi, a high ranking Asaemon, effortlessly and caused severe damage to their bodies.
Physical Abilities
By using their Yang chi, Tao Fa's strength was greatly enhanced, capable of sending the large Tamiya flying back with a severe head injury and lift Fuchi by the throat with one hand. While using their Yin chi, Tao Fa became very fast and agile, shown as she quickly reached Tamiya in seconds from a long distance away.
Tao
- Further information: Tao
Tao Fa using Tao.
Tao Fa possessed Wood-attributed Tao and had mastery over it. After spending 1,000 years of training, Tao Fa's Tao had been greatly refined where her abilities could be seen as god-like. With its use, Tao Fa could sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of her opponents, and enhance her physical attacks.
Techniques
- Distant Strike (遠当 Tōate?): Tao Fa launches her Tao as a invisible projectile, strong enough to cause major damage from within the targets body.
- Senjutsu: Stabbing Tin (仙術 錫刺 Senjutsu: Suzusashi?): Tao Fa creates multiple spheres of Tao and launches them as projectiles to her intended target. This is called Senjutsu: Tin Splinter in the Viz Manga.
Regeneration
Tao Fa regenerating.
As a Tensen and a consumer of Tan, Tao Fa possessed regenerative abilities and immortality to a certain degree. Tao Fa's regeneration could only be nullified if she were to face an opponent that possessed the Metal Tao-attribute and the only known way of killing her was if the said Metal Tao user completely destroyed her tanden.
Yin-Yang
Tao Fa's partial chi switch on her arm.
Tao Fa was able to switch chi's of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any lost. As Tao Fa switches in and out, their sex changes to match the chi which was put to use whenever they engage in Bōchū Jutsu training. Tao Fa was able to incorporate the chi shifting ability into a fighting style by partially changing parts of their body, using the physical attributes the two chi's had to offer. The bulky male body of Tao Fa's Yang chi offered them an increase in physical strength, while the light weight female body of Tao Fa's Yin chi offered them an increase in mobility.
Kishikai Transformation
Tao Fa and Ju Fa's Kishikai Transformation.
As a Tensen, Tao Fa was able to enter into a Kishikai state, however, unlike the other members of Lord Tensen, Tao Fa had to fuse with Ju Fa as a requirement. Once entered, the two were capable of flying at high speeds, despite their large body and unusual feathers/wings, and could release a powerful shriek to cause pain to their opponents eardrums. By opening their combined heads from the middle, Tao Fa and Ju Fa could release vines to slash and pierce their enemies and use the vines from the bottom of their form to create and scatter multiple spores to infect their opponents mental state, causing them to laugh uncontrollably, or launch them with high velocity as bullets.
When entering into their defensive form, their Kishikai creates multiple spore vines from their body to add to their attack power.
Other Skills
Tao Fa was able to change her body into a tree formed from multiple arms and legs. Attached to the tree branches were peaches with Tao Fa's face that she was able to speak from. It is unknown if this transformation offered any combat or enhanced abilities as Tao Fa used this form to get close to Ju Fa in order to fuse together and enter their Kishikai mode.
Quotes
Trivia
- Like the rest of Lord Tensen, Tao Fa is named after a flower. "Tao Fa" (桃花?) meaning "peach blossom".
- Taoist alchemists have been known to use the petals of the peach blossoms to put men into a potent trance of love. This is possibly a reference to how Tao Fa brought out excitement to Tamiya's love for battle and Fuchi's love for medical science after inflicting lethal damage.
- Tao Fa ranked 18th place in the manga 1st Character Popularity Poll.