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Kurgan, also known as Eight-Arms Kurgan and the War God, is a supporting antagonist in the 2014 Japanese dark fantasy light novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World and its 2016 anime television series adaptation of the same name, and a supporting antagonist in the 2015 spin-off light novel prequel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Ex.
Kurgan was a legendary demi-human warrior once considered the mightiest in the Holy Volakian Empire. Born into the nomadic Many-Armed Tribe, Kurgan made a place for himself and his people in Volakian society using his unparalleled strength and fierce lust for battle. After being slain by Regulus Corneas, he was reanimated as a corpse soldier by the Witch Cult to do their bidding.
Appearance[]
Kurgan was a giant who stood around seven feet tall and towered above most other people. His huge body was armored by thick, twisting muscles and his fists were said to be as large as a child's head. The trait that distinguished Kurgan as a member of the Many-Armed Tribe and earned him the legendary appellation "Eight-Arms" was his eight powerful arms. His blue skin and black eyes gave the impression of a vengeful demon. The warrior's physical appearance and combat might bestowed Kurgan with a legendarily intimidating presence. Even the likes of the Master Swordsman Theresia van Astrea failed to suppress a shudder upon gazing at Eight-Arms for the first time.
Reflecting his barbarism, Kurgan wore scant clothing. His ensemble consisted of a tattered black loincloth, black bracers on each forearm that had golden bracelets attached to their bottom hems, and black hosiery that covered his legs below the knees and had the same golden bracelets adorned at the bottom. Kurgan had various pieces of gold jewellery traipsing down his body, including his neck, face, and waist area.
Synopsis[]
Early Life[]
Kurgan was born into the Many-Armed Tribe, a culture whose members consisted of a race of demi-humans that were characterized by the amount of arms they had being greater than that of other races. The Many-Armed Tribe resided in the Holy Empire of Volakia, one of the four great nations of the world. Volakia was a meritocracy where individual strength was of paramount importance. Because most demi-human races possessed latent talent for magic that made them naturally superior to humans, demi-humans were typically valued in Volakia in comparison to how they were treated in other nations.
The demi-humans of the Many-Armed Tribe, however, were unique among demi-human races in that they had no special aptitude for magic. As such, their people were considered inferior by other demi-human cultures and were often shunned throughout Volakia for their inherent weakness. Having supposedly lost their homeland in a battle long ago, the Many-Armed Tribe were a relatively meek and peaceful people who wandered the land as humble nomads. However, the fate of the Many-Armed Tribe would be changed forever by the birth of an individual who was recognized as special at birth: Kurgan.
Whereas most demi-humans of his tribe were born with between three to five arms, Kurgan was born with an alarming eight. Additionally, in stark contrast to the rest of his people, he had an unquenchable fighting spirit and always longed for battle. Possessing great fighting power since his youth, Kurgan wished to reach the pinnacle of the martial world. When he reached twenty years old, he experienced combat for the first time when a supremacist Volakian lord tried to have his private army of soldiers strongarm the nomadic Many-Armed Tribe off of his territory.
With his terrifying power, the young Kurgan crushed the lord's forces and brought the battle to the Volakian noble's own manor. Rather than destroying the lord, the prodigal warrior saw an opportunity and instead declared that he had proven the power of the Many-Armed Tribe and should be permitted to enter the lord's service. The lord relented, and Kurgan became the new captain of his forces. He went on to earn many honors on the battlefield over the years, and "Eight-Arms" as he was known became a living legend described as a "War God." Sure enough, he was eventually recognized as Volakia's strongest.
Silver Flower Dance of Pictat[]
Some years after becoming Stride Volakia's bodyguard, Kurgan accompanied his master into the great city of Pictat. Pictat was located in the Kingdom of Lugunica, a nation located to the north that had a long and storied history of conflict with Volakia. Kurgan was under the impression that his master sought to acquire a piece of refined merchandise from a shop inside the city, although Stride's goals were actually more sinister. Stride actually hoped to confront the Master Swordsman Theresia van Astrea who was visiting the city. Theresia was the greatest warrior in the Kingdom who'd single-handedly ended a decade-long civil war plaguing Lugunica by quelling the insurrectionists. As he'd hoped, Theresia and her father Veltol Astrea eventually arrived and conversed with Stride while Kurgan waited outside listening in on the conversation.
After a short while, the dialogue got so heated that Veltol challenged Stride to a duel for his numerous insults. The noble accepted the challenge, although due to his feeble body he decided to nominate his champion Kurgan to fight in his place. Taking it as his cue, Kurgan entered the shop with a robe draped across his large frame. Kurgan, whose very presence was enough to startle even the Master Swordsman, asked his master why hostilities had kindled. Theresia yelled out the giant's name and identity, grabbing his attention. Kurgan was surprised that the beautiful young woman was able to recognize him and quickly felt a lust building within him, although before he could do anything more than insinuate Stride ordered him to contain himself. Veltol stepped forward and berated Eight-Arms for his uncouth behaviour.
Kurgan, seeing the determination in the weaker man's demeanour, apologized for his rudeness with newfound admiration for him. The two men then formally exchanged names as Theresia and Stride spoke to one another. The Swordsman was shocked at Stride's aggressive behaviour that she perceived as an attempt to damage the relations between Volakia and Lugunica. With conversations out of the way, Veltol and Kurgan prepared to duel despite Theresia's misgivings. Although he knew his opponent was far weaker, Kurgan made his intention to fight at full might as a sign of respect known. Although the dual was quick and brutal, Eight-Arms left his honorable foe alive. Stride used a ring in his possession to curse the gravely wounded Veltol. He told the owner of the store to deliver a message to Theresia and her allies, as the girl had already rushed her father to a nearby hospital. The message instructed the recipient to meet him and Kurgan on a large bridge inside the city unless they wanted the curse to kill Veltol.
The next morning, Kurgan and Stride were confronted on the bridge by Theresia and a man with brown hair and a sword by his hip. The man and Stride immediately began hurling insults at one another, although upon Kurgan's insistence they got down to business. As Stride revealed the ring to his opponents, Theresia issued a challenge of her own. She refused to make their personal feud an international incident by duelling Kurgan, instead opting to have her husband, the brown-haired man, fight in her place. Although Stride was appalled by the idea, Kurgan approached his new opponent and politely introduced himself. Theresia explained that her husband was her equal in swordsmanship and as such had been kept a secret from international ears.
Eight-Arms let out a booming laugh at this revelation, as he had heard the rumors regarding the "Sword Demon" Wilhelm van Astrea who had once defeated Theresia and then taken her as his bride. Wilhelm asked Stride what he wanted if he won the duel, however the nobleman merely stated that since Kurgan would be doing the fighting it would be him who would list demands. Much to the surprise of everyone, Eight-Arms stated that his prize would be Theresia becoming his woman. Although irritated by Kurgan's request, Wilhelm agreed to Kurgan's terms and the legendary duel between Eight-Arms and the Sword Demon commenced.
Death and legacy[]
Around twenty-five years after the death of Stride Volakia, Kurgan was still an active warrior heralded as a mighty hero of Volakia. At the time, Eight-Arms was posted in the Fortress City Gacklar, the most heavily guarded settlement on the Empire's border that housed a garrison of thousands of fierce warriors. Rumors began to spread that a magical item relating to one of the six other Witches of Sin was being placed on auction within the safe walls of Gacklar. Whether or not the information regarding the item were true or not, the Witch Cult, who despised and refused to acknowledge the existence of the other Witches, chose to act. Regulus Corneas, the invincible Sin Archbishop of Greed, assaulted Gacklar and single-handedly laid waste to the entire garrison with ease. Kurgan, the legendary hero that he was, fought Greed in the fallen city. However, the Sin Archbishop proved far too strong for the eight-armed warrior, who finally fell in battle.
Kurgan was recognised as a courageous hero and honorable warrior across the world after his death. His popularity led to some people such as Garfiel Tinzel using Kurgan's name in idioms. The loss of Volakia's mightiest resulted in all four nations and their citizens taking the threat posed by the Witch Cult far more seriously. The desolation of Gacklar, like the Silver Flower Dance, became an important event in modern history. In the years following his demise, some Volakians such as Balleroy Temeglyph saw Kurgan's weakness as a betrayal to the Empire, casting dishonor upon his honorable death.
Revenant of the Witch Cult[]
Upon the death of Eight-Arms, the Witch Cult took his corpse and reanimated it as a mindless fighting puppet that served them unquestionably. Though still formidable, the power of the corpse soldier Kurgan paled in comparison to the might he had in life. Around sixteen years after his defeat and death, he was brought into Priestella, a picturesque canal city located on the eastern edge of Lugunica. Alongside Theresia van Astrea, who had also died and been turned into a corpse soldier by the Cult, Kurgan served under the command of the Sin Archbishop of Lust Capella Emerada Lugunica.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Physical Augmentation: All beings were born with a gate, a metaphysical apparatus within a person's body that autonomously absorbed the ambient magical energy that existed in the atmosphere and stored it in the individual's od (soul). A popular technique among noteworthy warriors was "Mana Flow," which consisted of an individual enhancing their physical capabilities by channelling their magical energy throughout their body. Mana Flow granted Kurgan with a level of physical power that was unrivalled during his lifetime.
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Strength
Abilities[]
- Master Fighter
Equipment[]
- Devil Cleavers
Gallery[]
Light Novel Excerpts[]
Ex Volume 4[]
| “ | "For an entire group of Divine Generals to be roundly defeated. If Eight-Arms were still alive, we would never have suffered such an affront." "That name's real nostalgic and all, but he's dead as dirt." Balleroy shrugged at the man's rueful tone. To hear the name of Volakia's old hero after this litany of complaints was enough to bring a tear to his eye. "Anyway, time to stop lookin' to the past. He ain't fit enough. And Eight-Arms, well, he didn't give himself the finest send-off. Am I wrong?" There was no response. "He was supposed to defend the capital, but instead, he betrayed the city to one of the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins and then got himself killed in the fighting... As legendary heroes go, it wasn't much of an ending." |
„ |
| ~ Balleroy Temeglyph and Glamdart Holstoy talking about Kurgan's loss to Regulus Corneas. |
| “ | "I understand what you're saying, Master Cecils. But I must wonder why we concluded a nonaggression pact, if you and Reinhard were simply going to have a 'proxy battle.'" "Oops, I'm afraid perhaps you don't understand. My suggestion is merely a fight to settle things. Any taking of life is secondary." It seemed a bit of a counterintuitive point. "He and I both have our places in our respective nations. Though, I confess it would be quite a thrill to conduct a battle with our two countries riding on us, like the Silver Flower Dance of Pictat." "You're referring to the battle between the Sword Devil and Eight-Arms, almost forty years ago?" "I think the highest heights of swordsmanship at the time had much in common with what we do now." |
„ |
| ~ Julius Juukulius and Cecils Segmund briefly discussing the Silver Flower Dance. |
List of Appearances[]
| Anime Adaptation |
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External Links[]
[]
 Villains
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| Witch Cult |
| Capella Emerada Lugunica · Louis Arneb · Lye Batenkaitos · Pandora · Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti · Regulus Corneas · Roy Alphard · Sirius · Stride Volakia |
| Witches of Sin |
| Carmilla · Daphne · Echidna · Hector · Minerva · Pandora · Satella · Sekhmet · Typhon |
| Mabeasts |
| Black Serpent · Great Rabbit · White Whale |
| Mother's Organization |
| Elsa Granhiert · Meili Portroute · Mother · Roy Alphard |
| Holy Empire of Volakia |
| Balleroy Temeglyph · Eugard Volakia · Kurgan · Miles · Stride Volakia · Todd Fang · Yae Tenzen |
| Others |
| Bean Argyle · Melaquera · Reid Astrea · Roswaal Mathers · Sphinx · Ton, Chin, and Kan |