Hachi

Hachi
Hachi artwork from Curse of the Moon 2.
Species	Welsh corgi
Gender	Male
Appearances	Curse of the Moon 2

Hachi is a playable character in Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2. He is an intelligent Welsh corgi who pilots a large mecha suit featuring a locomotive thematic.

History

Hachi was experimented on by an alchemist of unconfirmed disposition. This allowed the corgi to pilot a customized mechanical construct, enabling him to assist Zangetsu, who had met the dog before, during his second journey into the demonic castle.

Even though Robert initially distrusts him due to his suit being of alchemical make, Dominique's sacrifice causes him to have a change of heart, and over the course of Episode 2, the two bond while Zangetsu looks on approvingly.

When, during the Final Episode, Dominique reveals of the danger lurking on the moon, Hachi alongside the rest of the group begins a search for the components necessary to construct the Flying Armor, a flying space vehicle modeled after Hachi's own powered suit. After a long struggle, Hachi and the party is victorious against Sariel, although seemingly stuck on the moon due to the Flying Armor's damage.

Appearance and personality

Many believe Hachi to be the suit itself, under the belief that it is an automaton similar to the constructs found within the castle. However, Hachi is in fact merely a Welsh corgi piloting the construct from inside. And being a corgi often wins Hachi admirers, such as Dominique and Miriam.

Being a dog, Hachi feels intense loyalty to those endeared to him, as evidenced by the fact that he traveled a seemingly great distance just to reunite with Zangetsu. He also possesses a degree of empathy, seeming to realize Dominique's sacrifice, and wanting just as badly to rescue her, as he wants to rescue Zangetsu and Robert.

Powers and abilities

Because he has only one available sub-weapon, Hachi, just like Gebel, will always obtain extra Weapon Point when destroying blue lanterns, which usually contain alternative sub-weapons.

• Wild Step: Hachi is able to traverse any terrain, save for lava, with little to no trouble. On icy floors, Hachi's legs become spider-like, allowing him to retain traction and avoid sliding on the ice. While hovering, they become propellers. While staying low or climbing stairs, they become wheels; and in spike beds, they become tank treads that crush the spikes, allowing his allies to stand where they were without taking damage.
• Arm of Destruction: Hachi's arms contain piston-powered cone wedges that allow him to strike with immense might that even pierces certain defenses. It can also shatter barriers that previously could only be destroyed with Miriam's great axe sub-weapon, opening access to upgrades and even alternate routes.
• Death from Above: Hachi can use a ground-pound attack from midair, dealing damage to enemies even under the floor he lands on. This can also open up new pathways by destroying worn and cracked terrains.
• Steam Hover: Hachi can hover in midair for a short time, granting access to areas too far away to jump to. This can be even further useful if combined with the High Jump ability shared between Dominique and Miriam.
• Invincible Iron: Hachi's only sub-weapon, similar to Gebel's Immortal Metamorphosis, allows Hachi to feed Weapon Points to make himself nigh-invulnerable to weapons and enemy contact. However, there are still some elements that can harm Hachi even in this state, such as the lava terrain in Stage 5 or Beelzebub's insta-kill core contact in Stage 8.

Gallery

Sprites

Hachi outside of his mecha suit.

Artworks

Hachi official artwork.

Early concept of Hachi, back when a generic monster was considered for the power-type role.

Initial draft of Hachi's final design, considered "overly cute" so the later versions hid the dog.

Early Hachi design, noted by IGA to lack a "gothic touch".

Hachi concept art from the Curse of the Moon Chronicles artbook.

Zangetsu and Hachi preliminary art for the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 Collector's Edition cover by Tom duBois (also preliminary art of Dracula).

Trivia

• Hachi is likely inspired by Hachikō (1923 – 1935), a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Mr. Ueno's death.
  • After Mr. Ueno's passing, Hachikō would return to Shibuya Station every day to wait for his master's return. This would possibly explain the locomotive thematic of Hachi's mecha suit.
• Judging by the concept art and the game sprite, Hachi's front left leg seems to be a mechanical prosthetic.
• According to Zangetsu's conversation with Hachi in the Final Episode, the dog was actually given his name by Robert. Zangetsu had wanted to name the dog "Zangetsumaru", but for offscreen reasons, "Hachi" stuck.
• Though this is speculation, it is possible that Zangetsu's previous encounter with Hachi may have involved rescuing the dog from the alchemist who experimented on him. This could even be the reason why Hachi is so attached to Zangetsu even after enough time for the latter to become slow in recognizing the dog upon their reunion.

See also

• Alchemy Armor - The original models of self-controlled machines.
• Flying Armor - A space vehicle based on Hachi's own powered suit.
• Glutton Train - Another locomotive themed (enemy) character.