Now one shouldn't be fooled by his appearance because he's really about 80 years old! Not bad for 80, huh? In Journey to the West, it says that one day in Heaven is equal to one year in Ningenkai (the human world or earth). I'm not sure if that applies to Senninkai, but it would explain a lot of things. As for why he doesn't look like a kid then, doesn't Senninkai have some kind of maturation chamber or something?

Anyway, in the anime and manga, Taikoubou has black hair and has this bonnet-cover thingy with two "ears" sticking out of it. On his shoulders he wears shoulder pads similar to the kind that football players wear covered with some kind of blue material with white trim. (You can tell right now that description is NOT one of my strong points). Around his neck he has a name plate that says, I think "Flying Bear." (I know it says flying something.) under those he wears a yellow robe of sorts with a sea green and white yin yang symbol toward the bottom. He has those white fluffy martial arts pants under those, and wears big dark blue and white shoes.

In the novel, he's an old man with a long white beard that wears Taoist robes. Pretty short huh? I think he has long hair that is in a bun too because whenever he recites spells and stuff, it says that he lets down his hair.

Now for personality. First of all, let's say he isn't exactly one of the most eloquent of speakers. That is, he sometimes makes a fool of himself or says something to get people like Nataku angry at him. There are times where he can be very wise though, so don't take him lightly! Overall, he's a very silly person and kind of slacks off. This could probably explain why he's still a doushi (immortal in training) and not a Sennin (immortal) like many of Genshitenson's other disciples.

In the anime and I think the manga too (haven't gone that far), when Taikoubou or Bou was little, his village was attacked by an army sent by Dakki. Him and his friends were away playing in a field at the time of the attack and were spared, but the soldiers soon found them and chased them. Bou and his friends were chased to a river, and his friends crossed, but Bou stood in the river and tried to fire a crossbow that he had found awhile earlier at one of the soldiers. It was very rainy though, and the river was going wild, so Bou-chan was swept away by the rapids. He wandered around for awhile before Genshitenson took him in as his disciple. If I remember correctly, he was brought up with a fishing hook and fishing wire? I'm not sure why though because I'm not fluent in Japanese, but I do recall that Bou and his friends were rather fond of fishing.

In the novel, Taikoubou was up in Senninkai and Konron-san (Mount Kunlun) from when he was 32 to when he was 72, but didn't really learn anything other than fanning fires, and basically being an assistant and errand boy for Genshitenson like Hakutsurudoushi. One interesting trick he did learn was how to make divinations though. Divinations are using objects like fingers, rocks, bones, turtle shells, etc. to help you tell the future. In any case, he was sent down because he wasn't making it as an immortal (aww...), but was destined for great things in Ningenkai. Before leaving, Genshitenson told him of all the great things he would do in a poem. You can read the book yourself if you want to know the poem because it isn't that important.

So he was sent down to Ningenkai to await the beginning of his success. The first thing he did upon arrival was he met with an old friend in the capital, Zhaoge. (Chouka in the anime and manga if I'm correct.) Afer talking with his friend for awhile, they came to the conclusion that maybe he should get married. So his friend rode on a donkey to see a man whose daughter was about Taikoubou's age. They married, but their marriage wasn't a very happy or peaceful one either. His wife didn't think he was good for anything and decided he should go get a job. He tried selling flower, selling brooms, and a lot of other things. All ended in failure except for when he opened a shop for making divinations. At first there wasn't much business until a woodcutter came by to get his fortune told. He didn't believe Taikoubou's predictions would be true, so he refused to pay him until it came true. The fortune was that he would get 120 coppers (apparently the currency is in metals like copper, silver, gold, etc.), four dishes of refreshments, and two bowls of wine. As the woodcutter went on with his life for the time being, he came across an old man who paid him exactly that even though he tried to charge him only 100 coppers. When the prediction came true though, he rushed back to Taikoubou paid him money, and advertised his shop.

Things were going well at the shop until Oukijin came along to get her fortune told. Taikoubou could tell right away that she wasn't human, so he took her immediately to see Chuu-ou, and right before him he revealed that Oukijin was really a demon spirit lute. Dakki was very angry that her friend lost her form and all her powers that she had acquired over the years because of Taikoubou, but she acted kindly because it appeared that he had saved the kingdom from a demon. Later on though, she made plans to build this large structure called the Happy Terrace where she could spend a lot of time with Chuu-ou there partying and doing whatever. She had Taikoubou brought in because of his skills to be in charge of building it. When asked how long it would take to build the structure, Taikoubou said it would take a very long time. Dakki said he was lying though which made Chuu-ou angry, so he had his guards try to seize him. Taikoubou knew magic though, so he escaped and came home. His wife yelled at him though for making the king/emperor angry, and asked for a divorce which he gladly gave her after warning her that she was making a mistake. (She didn't believe all his talk about becoming famous that he had heard from Genshitenson).

After the divorce, Taikoubou obviously had to flee because the emperor's men would be after him, so he fled toward West Qi (Seiki) where the Grand Duke there was said to be very just and the people were happy. He went into hermitage by Panxi Stream and waited there for eight years until the day Ki Shou would come and make him prime minister of Seiki. He passed the time fishing with a needle instead of a hook. The reason he did this was because he just fishes to think and pass time rather than to catch fish because doushi and immortals can't eat fish anyway. (They're vegetarians as are all members of the three religions in China.)

Now I'm gonna skip ahead some to keep this thing from being too long. Anyway, eventually Ki Shou came looking for him because he heard that there was a good candidate for a prime minister somewhere around Panxi Stream. On this entire journey to get him, he practiced a bunch of rites set fourth by a just emperor from the past.

A while after becoming prime minister, killing the unjust Grand Duke of the Northern Grand Dukedom (Suu Kouko), the death of Ki Shou because he was so shocked at Suu Kouko's execution, and the first expedition against Seiki by Chuu-ou, Taikoubou went back to Mount Kunlun to ask for guidance as to what to do if larger armies are sent to attack Seiki. Genshitenson said that talented fighters would come help Seiki and Taikoubou on their own so he didn't need to ask for help, and he also gave him the List of Creatons to put in a Terrace of Creations that he was to build on Mount Qi (a mountain in Seiki). He also said that Taikoubou shouldn't stop to talk to anyone or else Seiki would suffer 36 invasions. So Taikoubou left once more with the List of Creations (Houshin List or list of all the people who would die in the upcoming battles that would turn into gods). He built the Terrace of Creations and appointed two attendants to let in souls of those who died and put the list inside it. The list had 365 names on it that were agreed upon by all the three religions of China. On his way off Mount Kunlun though, Shen Gongbao (Shinkouhyou) stopped him and questioned him. He did not like the fact that Seiki was going to eventually rebel against the In/Shang Dynasty and wouldn't believe that that was the will of heaven. An immortal came to help Taikoubou, but since Taikoubou stopped to talk to Shinkouhyou, Seiki was cursed into suffering 36 invasions because Shinkouhyou would recruit a bunch of immortals to cause trouble.

Sadly, Taikoubou doesn't really get Suupuushan or the nondescript (if you're reading the novel), for a very long time. He only gets Suupuushan because of this one invasion in which the attackers' beasts that they were so frightening that everyone who was riding something would fall to the ground because the creatures they were riding would get scared. Suupuu was a magical beast, so it wouldn't get scared, so that's why Genshitenson gave Suupuu to Taikoubou. On this visit, Genshitenson also gave Taikoubou the Dashinben (Staff for Beating Gods) paopee.

Phew! Now for the anime and manga. In the manga, events happened very similar as to how I just described except Taikoubou didn't get married, he went straight to the divination store, and he got the Houshin List right away. Also, Shinkouhyou was neutral and just watches the whole scene instead of joining in, and I don't think Dakki asked him to build the Happy Terrace either. Another thing is that I don't think Taikoubou actually became prime minister. (I'll have to confirm that though.) He more or less acts as an adviser and helper to Ki Shou and Ki Hatsu, he met up with Ki Shou when he sat by him while fishing, and Ki Shou died more of old age rather than shock. Best of all, he got Suupuu and the Dashinben right away.

In the anime, Taikoubou also got the Houshin List right away and Shinkouhyou just attacked him. He didn't get married, he didn't have a divination store, he didn't have to build the Happy Terrace, he got Suupuu and the Dashinben right away, and Ki Shou didn't die until the end of the series (more of old age also) so he didn't have to watch over Ki Hatsu. He also met up with Ki Shou while fishing in the anime too.

SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH! Now the question of what the relationship between Outenkun and Taikoubou. Basically, Taikoubou and Outenkun used to be part of another person named Oueki who was split up by Dakki. Taikoubou is half of him while Outenkun is a third of another half. There were three Outenkun total. I think later on Taikoubou recombines with one or more of them to create Fukki, but I'm not sure.

Taikoubou's seiyuu is Yuuki Hiro. His image songs are "Chi-Kou-Go-Itsu", "Koukon Taimou", and "Mi Rai Rei Geki". Other songs he sings in are "Taikoubou Koko ni Ari", "Daijoubussa", "Take Pleasure", "Hi no Ataru Basho", and "Will (Senkai Version)".

For pictures of Taikoubou, go to the image gallery.

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