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I don’t fight for good…and I don’t fight for evil…I just fight! | ||
— Augus to Asura |
Augus (オーガス, Ōgasu) is a Demigod of the Seven Deities and Asura's former friend and mentor. His Mantra Affinity is Greed. He was formerly one of the Eight Guardian Generals and former Guardian General of Greed, who served the Army of Shinkoku and the Emperor to fight against the Gohma.
He is a major antagonist in Asura's Wrath. His life is driven only by the need of satisfying his vices, encompassing delicious food, fine wine, beautiful women and his true passion: battle. Augus does not care about good or evil, as he fights only for the thrill it provides him.
He did not believe in Deus' cause, but sided with him only to keep enjoying the pleasures of life. His ultimate desire was to face Asura in battle, whom he believed to be just like him and the only one who truly understands him. Unable to realise the greater reason for which Asura was fighting, Augus met his doom after an epic clash and died proud of what his pupil had become.
Appearance
Augus looks much like Asura, yet with a taller and bulkier frame and with much longer hair, as well as a wilder look. He has intricate red markings and symbols on his body, which portrays him as a savage warrior. Augus is in fact blind, but the glow his eyes emit keeps them from being seen. His age of appearance is stated to be 48. He wears a pair of intricately decorated silver gauntlets and his sword is sheathed horizontally behind his waist. He wears baggy white pants with remnants of golden armour, a torn white sash attached to his waist, and silver boots.
Personality
Augus is a bold, fierce and spirited warrior in all aspects of his view on life. Augus is the type to use his fists to do the talking for him. He is ruthless and incredibly bloodthirsty on the battlefield, and values the bloodshed of his enemies and enjoys battling for the sake of the thrill of the battle itself, and was thrilled by others following the same philosophy. He does not care about good or evil, and he sees fighting not as a means to an end, but as a purpose in life. This is further supported by the fact that he only followed the Seven Deities because doing so allowed him to fight as much as he wants. Despite his bloodlust and aggressive nature, Augus was also a capable master and teacher as he was able to teach both Asura and Yasha in the ways of battle and combat.
Augus is also a hedonist, as he values all the basic pleasures in life but could not understand more altruistic concepts such as protecting loved ones. It is strongly implied that Augus is the God of Greed.
He also seemed to dislike rational thought and other sensible approaches when dealing with matters and prefers to fight instead, which may be the reason why he favoured Asura as his star pupil over Yasha in the past. Yet despite his rugged traits, Augus is very honourable, unlike most of the Seven Deities, and proved to be an understanding and receptive individual as he held no qualms or ill will towards Asura for defeating him and even enjoyed his defeat before giving Asura his blessing, proud of what his pupil had become.
Story
Early Life
Augus was originally a rogue demigod warrior who lived in the mountainous areas defeating large Gohma and various warriors in his pursuit to find a worthy fighter. After easily defeating a large Gohma, Augus proclaimed his dissatisfaction and desire for a stronger opponent, but was suddenly approached by Deus, a newly-appointed Guardian General at the time. Augus assumed Deus of coming to avenge a Guardian General he had murdered in a fight in the past, but Deus described it as not his intention and instead asked Augus to join him and become one of the Eight Guardian Generals. Not interested due to his belief he was too strong to be a General, Augus derided Deus, saying he did not want to be in the same ranks as weaklings, which caused Deus to attempt to use force to make Augus join him. After an arduous fight, with each marveling at each other's skill, Augus let the match settle as a draw and promised to join as long as the fights were as interesting as the one with Deus. Deus promised battles aplently and described his dedication to the purification of the Gohma, something according to Augus no one in the history of Shinkoku has attempted. Excited, Augus eagerly join Deus' ranks as a General. Augus then became one of the eight Demigods that were assigned by Emperor Strada to purge the world from the impure Gohma.
At a later point, Augus became the mentor of Asura and Yasha (before Yasha was sent to be trained by Deus) as well as a good friend. They spent much time together fighting and training and formed a close bond. However, Asura never understood his master's lust for fighting his entire life. After some successful training session, Augus challenged Asura to fight him to see if he could out-fight his master. Asura proved to be no match towards his master, and they departed on semi-good terms.
While Asura was fighting a small army of Gohma, Augus kept watching how his student fought. After Asura was able to wipe out all the Gohma, he comes across a Gohma Glider. Just when he was about to confront the giant Gohma, Augus intervened and stated that he had not had his fill yet. But Asura wanted to confront the beast, so Augus and Asura decided to race to the Gohma, and whoever came first would kill the beast. It is unknown who won, but it was likely that it ended in a draw, and they both killed the Gohma Glider.
While Asura was fighting a Gohma Crusher, and managed to toss it, the Gohma was heading toward Augus. It appeared that Augus was about to be crushed by the giant Gohma, but Augus managed to toss the giant Gohma with a simple flick of his thumb. Enraged, Asura attempted to punch his master, but Yasha showed up and ended the fight before it could be started. After that, all three of them went to Asura's home to see his baby daughter, Mithra.
During a decisive battle of the Shinkoku army against the Gohma, Augus is one of the Eight Guardian Generals that confronted them. After Deus fired the Brahmastra, the Gohma Vlitra appeared from Gaea's core. Augus wanted to be the one to kill Vlitra, but one of the Gohma got in his way, resulting in Asura fighting, and placing Gohma Vlitra back to sleep.
The next day, after Asura defeated the Vlitra, Deus started his plans. Augus was one of the Demigods who joined Deus' cause.
12,000 Years later
Twelve thousand years later, Augus, along with the five other Seven Deities, were watching Asura fighting and killing off Wyzen.
500 Years later
After Wyzen's death, Augus watched as Kalrow too perished by Asura's hand 500 years later. After Asura killed Kalrow and was descending towards a mountain at rapid speeds, Augus saw a little girl watching Asura as he plummeted towards the mountain side. He told the little girl that Asura was not going to die, and if he were to die, Augus would be the one to kill Asura. Augus stepped forward to face his former student, Asura.
After Asura killed Kalrow, he woke up, and found himself in Kanazuki Spring, near Augus' residence. There, he comes across his old master, Augus. Instead of killing an injured Asura, Augus heals him, and lets Asura relax and recover in the hot spring. They both relax in the spring while flirting with a pair of female attendants. However, when Asura's attempted to touch one of the girls' breasts, Augus punches him in the face, temporarily knocking him unconscious. While they were relaxing, Augus mentions about the new order that Deus is planning, but at the same time, he thought of it was ridiculous. The two also had a brief reminiscence of the times they used to fight alongside one another. After they were fully recovered, Augus and Asura engaged each other in battle, and they took their battle to the surface of the Moon itself, where no one can interfere.
While on the Moon, Augus began to recollect the time that Asura was still his pupil and during that time he had known Asura would be the opponent he had been waiting for. Augus was a truly formidable foe for Asura, but Asura managed to prove himself just as powerful. The thrill of the fight made Augus want to defeat Asura even more, so Augus decided to use his full power to defeat him. Augus drew his sword, Wailing Dark, and continued the fight, recognizing Asura as a worthy and powerful opponent. Despite Augus having the advantage of a weapon, Asura was able to fight back using his peerless strength. As Yasha and Deus watched the fight, Yasha is surprised that Augus drew his blade and commented that Augus had used his nodachi against only one other opponent in the past: Deus.
After a long grueling fight, Augus finally managed put Asura on the defense to keep from being impaled by Augus' sword and pushed him towards Gaia. The power from the attack and the force from the fall was so strong that it pierced Asura and the planet itself, breaking all but one of Asura's arms in the process. Augus, seeing his victory, continued to plummet toward Gaia pushing his sword farther through, but Asura used his raging strength to break Augus' sword. Asura managed to grab the broken sword with his teeth and cut open Augus' abdomen. Augus collapsed to the ground, saying that the battle against Asura was among the greatest he ever had. He then tells Asura that he no longer requires his training and he must walk his own path from now on. Augus then dies, satisfied that his student had surpassed him and given him such a fulfilling battle.
870 Million Years later
Augus later reincarnated into a modern world where he became a wandering Japanese person, and since then became a calmer person.
Powers and Abilities
As one of the elite warriors and one of the strongest members of the Seven Deities and the former Eight Guardian Generals, Augus is an extremely powerful Demigod and one of the strongest and most skilled beings shown in the story.[1][2][3] He was Asura's and partially Yasha's mentor.[4][5] In terms of power and combat prowess, he was considered by multiple demigods to be second only to Deus, with some suggesting he might even be stronger than the leader of the Seven Deities and former Commander of the Eight Guardian Generals.[6] Augus has nevertheless shown to be strong enough to compete against Deus to a stalemate, who openly acknowledged Augus' might and could not defeat him without a struggle.[3] Despite his outwardly brutish and bloodthirsty nature, Augus is very wise in the art of combat and knows the importance of strategy and tactics, and to not rely too much on special abilities like Mantra and transformations.[7][6] In the Official Complete Works book, Augus is considered the God of War due to his passion for battle and war-like nature.[8]
Being a demigod, Augus had the ability to harness and manipulate Mantra. As one of the Eight Guardian Generals and the Seven Deities, Augus possesses one of the eight Mantra affinities; the Mantra Affinity of Greed.[9][10]
Physical Abilities
Superhuman Strength: Augus holds tremendous superhuman physical strength, partly due to his extremely muscular and heavily-built stature. One of the strongest demigods, he is strong enough to rival and sometimes surpass Asura in combat, having beaten him into the ground constantly during their spars; at one point headbutting him so hard he was knocked unconscious to the ground. Augus sent Asura flying with a single mere punch in their decisive duel on the Moon, and he could even match Asura's strength when he was in his Six-Armed Vajra form. He was strong enough to flick away a Gohma Crusher with nothing but a nonchalant upward thumb flick. Augus also uses his immense superhuman strength to leap vast heights and distances.
Superhuman Speed, Agility & Reflexes: Despite his large size and build, Augus was insanely fast and agile, and has shown extremely fast reflexes in battle as well. He was fast enough to catch Asura off guard by appearing before him in an instant several times, and could evenly keep up with his punching speed despite Asura's advantage of having six arms in his Six-Armed Vajra form, matching him blow-for-blow.
Superhuman Durability & Endurance: Augus was equally tremendously resilient, as he brushed off a direct hit from Asura multiple times and was barely affected by his unrivaled strength, suffering no significant injuries. Augus was also able to stay alive and conscious for a significant amount of time after having his abdomen torned open by his own sword at Asura's hand, before finally dying.
Superhuman Stamina: As a demigod, Augus likely had near-limitless stamina, as he was able to fight Asura in his Six-Armed Vajra form for an extended period of time in a great duel to the death without showing to tire out.
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As the former master of Asura and Yasha, Augus displays exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills, with him often fighting solely bare-handed and rarely using Mantra techniques, believing a true warrior is above such techniques. His unarmed skill was such that he killed the previous Guardian General of Greed and slayed many powerful enemies with great ease without ever having to draw his sword. He effectively tutored Asura and partially Yasha in the art of hand-to-hand combat and battle, and due to this he proved himself to be a superior combatant than both of them, as he constantly outclassed Asura in their spars. In his final battle with Asura, Augus was able to compete with Six Armed Vajra Asura head-on and blow-for-blow in a fistfight despite Asura having the advantage of six arms, before Augus eventually unsheathed Wailing Dark. The fact that Augus is blind also adds to his masterful combat prowess, being completely unimpeded by it.
Master Swordsman: Despite preferring hand-to-hand combat, Augus is also a masterful swordsman, wielding a powerful sword called "Wailing Dark". However, he rarely draws out his sword, as he prefers to use his fists in combat and only ever draws his blade against someone whom he deems worthy. His skill in swordsmanship was formidable enough to roughly stalemate Deus using his nunchaku, Sakra, though Deus was holding back to not kill him, but still acknowledged Augus' skill. With his sword drawn, Augus was also able to overwhelm Six-Armed Vajra Asura, destroying his arms and nearly killing him, only losing due to Asura's wrath increasing his strength. Augus often used his sword in conjunction with Mantra in battle for augmented cutting power, as well as to release powerful slashes of Mantra.
Immortality: As a demigod, Augus possessed immortality and was unable to age. He is 48 in body and mind, but would not age and his lifespan was eternal thanks to Mantra and his demigod physiology. He also could not be killed by conventional methods and only extremely powerful beings like other deities and the Gohma could kill him.
Vacuum Adaptation: As a demigod, Augus is able to survive in outer space and in the Moon unaided and without any form of discomfort. He is not affected by the lack of atmosphere and increased level of cosmic radiation.
Heat Resistance: Augus is resistant against high levels of heat, as he was shown to be unaffected by the high temperature of re-entering Gaea's atmosphere during his fight with Asura.
Mantra
Mantra of Greed: Augus' Mantra Affinity is Greed. Like the other demigods, Augus can harness the power of the Mantra to increase his physical attributes and destructive power, although he mentioned he dislikes relying on Mantra and only uses it briefly for additional power. He is also able to manifest his halo to achieve greater power. He is able to charge his blows with Mantra to generate powerful shock waves and waves. Augus can also channel his Mantra into his sword to enhance its cutting power as well as to release extremely powerful Mantra slashes.
- Flight: Augus possesses the ability to fly at incredibly high speeds by releasing Mantra from his body.
- Soul Reap: Like the other demigods, it is presumed that Augus has the ability to "reap" the souls of mortals.
- Halo: As all demigods, especially the more powerful ones, Augus is able to activate his halo to unleash his full power. This was shown during Augus' final battle with Asura.
Equipment
Wailing Dark (無明鬼哭刀, Mumyō Kikoku-tō; lit. "Avidyā Demon Wail Sword"): Augus' greatest weapon is a mystical ōdachi named "Wailing Dark", a sword that he only draws against an opponent whom he deems sufficiently powerful and worthy; in Augus' lifetime, only Deus and Asura have qualified as such. He is a highly skilled swordsman, and is capable of wielding his sword so masterfully as being capable of evenly matching Deus wielding his nunchaku, Sakra,- although Deus likely held back to not kill him as he intended to recruit him -, and forcing Six-Armed Vajra Asura back to his original form, including nearly killing Asura, before finally being defeated. His sword has tremendous cutting and piercing power and is also incredibly durable; it raised up a giant chunk of the Moon with a single slice, and pierced through Asura, along with Gaea itself, with enough force to create a massive crater upon landing.
- Mantra Slashes: Augus often uses Wailing Dark imbued with Mantra for augmented cutting power. Additionally, he is able to release the channeled Mantra from his sword in the form of enormous slashes and flying slashes of Mantra that travel forward at great speed and capable of slicing anything in their path. He is able to release the Mantra either as a single slash or multiple columns of slashes.
- Blade Elongation: Augus' sword has the ability to extend its blade to impossibly long lengths, to the point that it can pierce through a whole planet from one end to the other in mere seconds.
Quotes
- "Something to protect? Nonsense! The only reason one needs to fight is the fight itself!"--To Yasha about Asura's reason to fight
- "Do you worry for him? You need not fear. He will not die yet. When he does, it will be by these hands. (Laughs)"--To Ahria about Asura
- "Can't even handle a fall from the heavens. You lack training!"--To Asura
- "Relax son, enjoy every moment! You fight, then eat good food. You fight, then drink fine wine. You fight, then sleep with beautiful women. Hell, fight with beautiful women! That is what it means to live."--To Asura
- "The world has become a boring place. That fool Deus claims he'll bring salvation to Gaea. He has this grand plan for it all. He actually thinks he's going to save the world. The Great Rebirth. Ridiculous!"--To Asura about Deus
- "They are all too dependent on Mantra, that is why Wyzen and Kalrow were so weak. The battles I fight for them are disappointing. They are unsatisfying. Things were different before. Yes...We used to fight side by side. Those were the days."--To Asura about his insatisfaction in being in the Seven Deities
- "This will do. It's just you and me. Time to raise some hell!"--To Asura
- "Now that I think of it. The last time we fought like this, you were still my pupil. You were wild, unfocused, and had the eyes of a beast. Even then, I knew someday you'd become the opponent I had been waiting for. I hope you don't disappoint!!"--To Asura
- "I've waited a long time for this!"--To Asura
- "This is fun! It's like hunting!"--To Asura about their fight
- "How would you like to die, pup?!"--To Asura
- "I have had carnal knowledge of the fairest maidens in Heaven... and have tasted the finest wines of Gaea. But none of it-- none of it-- excites my blood more than using my blade! Prepare to meet your end, Asura!!"--To Asura as he unsheathes his sword
- "Show me what you're made of, Asura!"--To Asura
- "You are worthy of my blade!"--To Asura
- "You need to enjoy this more!"--To Asura
- "I never taught you to run away!"--To Asura
- "Don't die yet!"--To Asura
- "I taught you better than that!"--To Asura
- "This is what I live for! This is why we exist! But all good things must come to an end! You know this was coming!"--To Asura
- "This is where real men belong! In the fight!"--To Asura
- "Only the strong survive! I taught you that much!"--To Asura
- "Only one fighter can walk away alive!"--To Asura
- "I don't fight for good, and I don't fight for evil. I just fight!"--To Asura
- "I will say it once more. I am you and you are me!"--To Asura
- "Then tell me, how are we so different?! (Pause) Then make me understand with your fists, Asura!"--To Asura
- "Hmph. You need to live in the moment more!"--To Yasha
- "Yes, that was one hell of a battle! What now? Where will that anger take you? You are not me... yet you continue to fight... (Pause) You no longer need my training... The one who stands in the end is righteous... Asura, walk the path that you must..."--Last words to Asura
Trivia
- Augus' appearance and personality were based off of an early concept design of Asura.
- His quote "I am you and you are me." can be interpreted as an allegory to the fact.
- Augus was the first of the Seven Deities to be revealed as he was the first seen in the official trailer.
- Despite being associated with the vice of Greed, his vice is also accurate to Gluttony, as he loves challenging battles so much that he cannot get enough of them, and thus, he can be considered to be a Glutton for difficult fights, given his personality and actions.
- Augus' nodachi (essentially an oversized katana), Wailing Dark, can extend up to 380,000 km, according to an interview with Kazuhiro Tsuchiya and Seiji Shimoda.[11]
- Augus only uses Wailing Dark against worthy opponents, such as Asura, Deus, and certain Gohma. Though with the latter, he merely whacked the opponents with his own fists, with the sword still sheathed.
- His appearance might be a reference to the MadWorld character Yokozuna, given that they are both heavily muscled old men who have impressive looking "flared-up" beards, large eyebrows, and blank white eyes.
- Along with his appearance, and the traits of his sword, Augus could be a nod to Sun Wukong, The Monkey King and main character of the famous Chinese novel "Journey to the West", whom also inspired the creation and abilities of Son Goku from the Dragon Ball series.
- He has an estimated height and weight of 259 cm and 576 kg.
- Personality-wise, Augus is similar to Kenpachi Zaraki from Bleach in their lust for battle and always seeking strong opponents, even proud of the fact they were defeated by the main character of their respective series.
- Augus' code of combat is also similar to the Street Fighter character Akuma's, as they both fight for the sake of fighting, and they never hold back when in a good fight.
- The name, 'Augus', is most likely derived from the word, 'August', which means as an adjective: "inspiring awe or admiration: majestic" or "Venerable by reasons of age or rank."
- The music that plays during his final fight against Asura is Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178: IV. Allegro con Fuoco. The song was composed by Antonín Dvořák, while the particular performance used during the battle was conducted by Libor Pisek and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
- He is possibly based off of Murugan, whom is known as Kartikeya, the Hindu God of War.
References
- ↑ Episode 1: The Coming of a New Dawn
- ↑ Episode 11: The Final Lesson
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Episode 15.5: Defiance
- ↑ Episode 3: Hell on Gaea
- ↑ Episode 21: A Rude Awakening
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Episode 10: Words of Wisdom
- ↑ Episode 5: Hollow Victory
- ↑ Asura's Wrath: Official Complete Works
- ↑ CG Art - Augus
- ↑ Episode 20: The Key to Victory
- ↑ Interview with Hiroshi Matsuyama by Joystiq
Demigods & Gods | ||
---|---|---|
Main | Asura • Yasha • Deus • Augus • Wyzen • Sergei • Olga • Kalrow • Mithra • Durga • Chakravartin | |
Others | Emperor Strada • Kanazuki Spring Attendants | |
Shinkoku Army | Doji • Rasho • Taison • Kagebosh |
The Eight Guardian Generals | ||
---|---|---|
Commander | Deus | |
Guardian Generals | Asura • Yasha • Augus • Wyzen • Sergei • Olga • Kalrow |
The Seven Deities | ||
---|---|---|
Head Deity | Deus | |
Deities | Yasha • Augus • Wyzen • Sergei • Olga • Kalrow |