Renge, known as Renge Shima (四魔 れんげ Shima Renge?) in the living world, is a Shinigami who works as a Damashigami for Sabato Rokudō, Rinne's father, due to failing her high school's entrance exam. She has an old Black Cat named Tama.
Appearance[]
Renge is a beautiful Damashigami with long straight black hair in a hime-cut and has green/yellow eyes. In Renge's hair, she has two flowers on both sides of her head, in which beneath are two oni horns. She wears a schoolgirl uniform like other Damashigami girls, which is black with a white collar and a yellow tie, and its sleeves vary from short to long depending on the seasons and socks and Mary Janes. She is shown wearing other outfits mostly during Damashigami operations or doing part-time jobs.
Personality[]
Renge has always been wise, serious and prideful.
After being forced to become a Damashigami, she deeply hates her current lifestyle, in which she uses sleazy tactics to do her job or cause problems for our other characters. Although due to her pride, she aims to be at the top at any environment, not minding the Damashigami business.
She holds bitter hatred for many characters: Ageha for the problems she caused her back in grade school, and Sabato for ruining her life, and that hate moved toward Rinne as well for being his son.
She has a crush on Kain and tries to hide her Damashigami ways from him however she can, going so far as to hit him or destroy her operations.
Just like Rinne, due to her poor lifestyle, money and food are such serious matters to her that she'd join in to eat without being invited and get joyous when she gets money or get to eat and hates money wasting.
Biography[]
Past[]
Elementary School with Ageha
Renge was once a good and wise Shinigami, always getting the top grades and being elected class president every year.
In elementary school, Ageha caused many problems for young Renge to the point that Renge developed a bitter hatred for the reckless Shinigami.
Middle School with Kain
She was vice president of the student council in middle school and was sad to learn her crush Kain, serving as student council president, would not be able to attend the Elite Shinigami High School and plans to work at the Mortal Census Bureau as a Shirushigami. During his graduation from middle school, Renge was hoping to give him a love letter that also wished him good luck, but due to a herd of girls who also were giving Kain their letters, Renge was unable to do so.
Pushed by Sabato on the run.
While on her way to take her exam for the Elite Shinigami High School, she was knocked by Sabato Rokudō running from a beef bowl shop without paying and was washed away as she consequently fell in the Sanzu River, which caused her to miss her exam and she was unable to retake it. Since she did not apply for other schools due to her pride and needed a way to pay her bills, Renge had no choice but to truly become a Damashigami, and was shocked to learn that the one who made her miss her exam is her boss. She would become what Sabato calls his prodigy.
Debut[]
Introduced at Sankai High
She got introduced as a transfer student to Sankai High. In her most recent activities, with a factitious last-name Shima, she’s been changing schools repeatedly to seduce boys, with a Marylin Monroe-like pseudo-American spirit attached to herself by use of a Shinigami pheromone perfume, causing many couples to fall apart, to lure them into a portal to the afterlife and collect their souls.
Having tea with Sakura
Upon discovering 3 of her classmates were able to see her attached spirit, she kidnapped Sakura Mamiya, tricked and sucked out Tsubasa Jūmonji's soul making him her 99th soul, and lured Rinne into a deadly trap. When she learned his last name from Sakura and so understood he is the son of her boss, she decided to make him his 100th soul. She spoke with Sakura and served her a servant tea, for the purpose of turning her into her faithful servant, who would have a spirit attached too and entice twice as many male souls, and also have a human girl as a friend, but Rinne arrived on time to preclude it.
Attacking Rinne
After revealing her tragic past, she fights Rinne who escapes her dimension with Sakura, but she steals his Haori of the underworld so he would not be able to hunt her anymore. But she happened to be living right next to Rinne’s room at the abandoned club building, where all the captured souls were being kept. And so, the souls of the 99 victims including Tsubasa's were released and went back to their bodies.
History[]
Renge and Tama
Afterwards, Renge remained at Sankai High, and she and Rinne have become next door neighbors. Considering that his father ruined her life, Rinne took pity on Renge, not having the heart to bring her down at once, but nevertheless tries to stop her schemes, which are not only part of her Damashigami work, but also for personal revenge on whoever disturbs her work or mocks her.
Such vengeful scheme includes: using the servant tea again with Rokumon, to have Rinne, Sakura and Tsubasa doing bad deeds for her, but the effect of the tea wore off quickly for Rokumon used a small amount of tea, thanks to his broke lifestyle[1], and tricking Ageha into using a break-up set wrongly to suffer disastrous consequences, only to learn that everyone involved would suffer a huge disaster if used 5 times wrongly.[2]
Meeting Kain Again
Besides scheming, she would also try get rid of Sabato, not only for ruining her life but also because he can often be exasperating to her[3], and has to go through various struggles to hide her Damashigami ways from Kain after reuniting with him.[4]
As she is distressed to have not been able to enter the Elite Shinigami High School, she’d also tag along whenever Matsugo is involved with something about the school.[5]
While performing a Damashigami scheme at the beach, she hears Kain’s black cat Suzu saying that he’s getting married, which drove her so distressed that she accidentally confessed being a Damashigami to him. Fortunately for her, she received the support of Rinne and his friends who reassure Kain through a masquerade, and she took the firm decision to quit being a Damashigami.[6]
Final Story[]
Sabato tried to make her reconsider her decision by promising a salary raise, and subsequently she came up with an idea to have a Sanzu generator model built, which has the form of a Nagashi Somen machine, in which water from the Sanzu river is provided through a portal within a lion headed faucet and passes through the small holes in the middle of the toy with the use of a boundary stone, which would cause small rivulets of the river to flood into the living world, and have anyone that should step across these streams be directly led to the Wheel of Reincarnation. Shortly after using a boundary stone that was part of Rinne’s souvenir from his secret tour with Sakura, which Sabato stole, she reveals to have eventually double-crossed her boss, by having reversed the process of the generator, which means that it is now sending spirits from the otherworld back into the world of the living rather than pulling the living into the otherworld, and she throws her letter of resignation and notice of withdrawal to his face, for she knew he never was a man of his word. Then she reports to Kain that Sabato is the culprit behind the counter current.[7]
Renge's new job
In her final appearance, she took a job at the Mortal Census Bureau, which was favorable as the employees became really busy following the counter-current event, and she feels happy to have quit being a Damashigami for she is by the side of Kain, who’s glad to have her there, unaware that she was the one who came up with that final incident.[8]
Equipment[]
Renge with her Scythe
- Shinigami Scythe: A tool used by all Shinigami, and most likely Damashigami too.
- Pheromone Perfume: It creates a fake Pseudo-American spirit sending men into delusion.
- Servant Tea: It takes control of anyone drinking it, making them completely obedient.
Abilities[]
- Flight
- Shinigami Senses
- Scythe Fighting
- Invisibility
- Exorcism
Relationships[]
Because of Sabato, Renge was unable to take her entrance exam and was forced to become marked as a Damashigami. Renge hates him for ruining her life and, like Kain, Renge's hatred falls onto poor Rinne.
Since Renge despises Sabato, she feels that Rinne should suffer as well, seeing how he is Sabato's son. She will accept his help if needed, but for the most part she is willing to make Rinne's life a living hell.
Renge doesn't hate Sakura like she hates Rinne and Ageha. She once had tea with Sakura and told her about the problems she is plagued with. Renge might even consider Sakura as something of a friend, seeing she doesn't have any female friends.
Renge and Ageha are complete opposite, as Renge is wise but poor and Ageha is rich but stupid. They have a deep dislike for each other and often fight whenever they meet.
Kain is Renge's crush from middle school and her unrequited love still continues. Back then, she tried giving him a love letter but failed to do so thanks to other girls who wished to do the same. Renge doesn't want Kain to know about her connections to the Damashigami Company and willingly accepts Rinne's help to keep it a secret.
Although she's her crush's black cat, she can hardly appreciate her because of her carefree attitude.
Quotes[]
- "The old man is a good-for-nothing; the son renounces his workplace! Don’t you guys have any guts?"(おやじはグータラ、息子は職場放棄か。やる気あんのかおまえらっ！) - Chapter 137
- "I aim for the top at any environment." (私はどんな環境でもトップを目指す。) - Chapter 137
- "Still an impudent girl. The tools must be crying. You surely used them without reading the manual at all, stupid Ageha." (相変わらずいー加減な女ね、道具が泣いてるわ。どうせろくに説明書も読まないで使ったんでしょ、バカ鳳。) - Chapter 142
- “I couldn’t confess in the end, but I’ve always longed for Kain-Senpai.” (とうとう告白できなかったけど、架印先輩はずっと私のあこがれだった。) – Chapter 147
- “That company is beyond help.” (ダメだあの会社。) - Chapter 151
- “I might as well take the president with it!” (いっそ社長もろとも！) – Chapter 236, while attacking the Black Fox
- “Would you not vomit blood in other people’s room?” (人の部屋で血ヘドを吐かないでくれる？) - Chapter 302, to Rinne
- “Up until now, have you ever seriously paid our salaries? You garbage president!” (今までマトモに給料払ったことがあったかクズ社長がっ！) – Chapter 393, when he complains about her double-cross
- “Aaaah, I really did well to quit being a Damashigami.” (ああっだまし神やめて本当によかった。) – Chapter 398
Trivia[]
- Renge's appearance is similar to Sango from Inuyasha, but her horns are identical to that of Lum from Urusei Yatsura.
- Although Renge and Rinne are not friends, they are both poor, hate Sabato and live in the same club building.
- The elementary school she and Ageha attended is the school Shōma attends.
- Both she and Kain were unable to attend Shinigami High School because of Sabato, and so became different types of Shinigami.
- Renge's name is spelled in Hiragana (れんげ) and means "Lotus Flower", which is Renge's most commonly used tool. Renge's last name, "Shima" is a Buddhist term for the four types of demons that trouble humans. Those demons are "Bonnouma," a demon of ill desires; "Onma," a demon who causes many kinds of suffering; "Shima" (written differently than Renge's name), the demon of death; and "Tenma", the demon who tries to prevent people from doing good deeds.
- She, Otome Rokudō and Raise Ikuzou are the only beings of the otherworld to get a last name.
- Despite being known as Renge only in the otherworld, she included her factitious last name in her forged license.[9]
- The two flowers on both sides of her head, are what render her visible to living beings, but in many chapters, Rumiko Takahashi forgot to have her oni horns seen in times when she should be invisible, which was corrected in their anime adaptations.
- Her seiyū would then voice Benten from Urusei Yatsura (2022).
Media Appearances[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Chapter 138, Episode 39
- ↑ Chapters 142-144, Episode 41
- ↑ Chapter 151 (Episode 60), ...
- ↑ Chapters 146-148 (Episode 47), 157 (Episode 62), 160 (Episode 53), 173-174, 189 (Episode 53), 209-210 (Episode 60), 301-303, 340, 362-363
- ↑ Chapters 216-217 (Episode 68), 259-269 (Episode 75), 320
- ↑ Chapters 379-380
- ↑ Chapters 393-394
- ↑ Chapter 398
- ↑ Chapters 301-303