Hachiman

In Japanese beliefs, Hachiman (八幡神, Hachiman-jin/Yahata no kami) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also the divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people, and the Imperial house, the Minamoto clan ("Genji") and most samurai worshipped him. The name means "God of Eight Banners", referring to the eight heavenly banners that signaled the birth of the divine Emperor Ōjin. His symbolic animal and messenger is the dove.

Since ancient times Hachiman was worshiped by peasants as the god of agriculture and by fishermen who hoped he would fill their nets with much fish. In Shinto, he became identified by legend as the Emperor Ōjin, son of Empress Jingū, from the 3rd–4th century of the Common Era.

Syncretism

After the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, Hachiman became a syncretistic deity, fusing elements of the native kami worship with Buddhism (shinbutsu shūgō). In the Buddhist pantheon in 8th century AD, he became Hachiman Great Bodhisattva (八幡大菩薩, Hachiman Daibosatsu).

List of ThunderCats characters

The following is a list of characters that appear in the American animated series ThunderCats, its 2011 reboot, and its related media.

Original ThunderCats

Jaga

Jaga (voiced by Earl Hammond in the original series, Corey Burton in the 2011 series) is also known as "Jaga the Wise" and is based on the Jaguar. This elder warrior was once regarded as the greatest of all ThunderCats by Lion-O himself. In his youth, Jaga was the Lord of the Thundercats, and rescued a young Hachiman from being trapped in The Jade Dragon (which later became a part of the Treasure of Thundera). An adviser and protector of the Lord’s family, Jaga wielded the "Sword of Omens" and was a formidable fighter in combat. After Claudus was blinded Jaga became the main guardian of the Eye of Thundera, the Sword of Omens, and the Treasure of Thundera. It was Jaga who gathered the nobles of the ThunderCats to escort Lion-O and the Eye of Thundera to safety, but did not survive the trip to Third Earth as he volunteered to pilot the damaged ship while the others slept. Because of this, Jaga died of old age. However, Jaga does reappear on Third Earth as a ghost (seen only by Lion-O at first) to guide him in his lessons and adventures. At times, he appears before the other ThunderCats as well such as when facing down Grune the Destroyer's ghost and when the ThunderCats need to rescue their fellow Thunderians. Jaga's physical body does reappear at one point during the original series in the episode "The Astral Prison" where he was trapped in another dimension, prompting Lion-O to travel there to rescue him from being held captive by an evil inhabitant of said dimension. His fate as a physical living entity after this was never revealed, but his spirit form continued to appear throughout the series.