Nurarihyon no Mago or otherwise known Nura: Rise of the Demon Clan is a Japanese manga series both written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The manga series borders on action, adventure, fantasy and supernatural genres. In 2007, it was first published in Shueshia’s shonen magazine as a oneshot. After it was warmly welcomed by the public, it was later continued in 2008 and was later serialized in Shueshia’s Weekly Shonen Jump. As of February 2013, 25 tankobon volumes have been released. It didn’t take long for Studio Deen to follow through with an anime adaptation of the manga series. The script was written by Natsuko Takahashi with the direction of Junji Nishimura. It ran from July 2010 until December 2010 with 26 episodes on several Japanese TV networks. Viz Media acquired licensing rights for both the manga and anime for a North American release. The English manga was released in Weekly Shonen Jump and the American release of the anime was broadcasted on Neon Alley. Tankobon volumes ranked several times on the Tohan Manga Charts. The manga was also awarded the Future Gold Cup on 2007. The manga has already sold over 11 million copies.

Set in Eastern Japan, the infamous Nura Clan is known to be both the biggest and strongest yokai (translated as demon) faction. It was first formed during the great Sengoku Era and since then has control over the entire Kanto area. Known to be more of a yakuza yokai group, the Nura clan is headed by the exceptionally skilled Nurarihyon which uses the symbol of “Fear” as the symbol for their group. Back in the day, Nurarihyon was known to stand at the helm of the biggest night parade of a hundred demons which he later earned the title as the “Supreme Commander of All Demons” and the “Lord of Pandemonium”. Nurarihyon no Mago revolves on a young boy, Rikuo Nura, who is actually a direct descendant of the great Nurarihyon. Despite the fact that he is only one-fourth demon, he is still able to communicate and command yokai with his will. Despite coming from a great bloodline, he has no intention of succeeding his grandfather as the Third Heir of the Nura Clan. Instead of living his life as the head of he demon clan, he chose to live a normal life as a human being. In order to escape from his fate, he tries to do random good deeds in order to avoid becoming into a demon. With several demon factions out to stop and usurp his position and harming people close to him, he forced to fight back using the power inside of him. He eventually comes to terms with his yokai blood and decided to take the position as the Third Head of the Nura Clan. With the help of the “Night Rikuo” alter-ego, he is determined to protect his human friends as well as the Nura Clan as a group even if it means taking the position as the next head of the Nura Clan. Can he protect those closest to his heart despite only being one-fourths demon and three-fourths human? Can he overcome such weaknesses and lead the Nura Clan to victory?

 

Aside from anime adaptations, a light novel adaptation was also written under the same name. The light novel series was written by Satoshi Oosaki with the help of Hiroshi Shiibashi on its artwork. The light novel was published by J Books and made available in stores on December 2009. A character data book was also released on July 2010 entitled “Nurarihyon no Mago: Secret Ayakashi Notes”. With 264 pages, it entails information on several demons and major factions in the series. A video game was also made in its name by Arc System Works entitled the “Nurarihyon no Mago: Great Profuse Hyakki War”.