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{{trope}}
'''The Four Gods''' are the central figures of an ancient Chinese system of astrology and geomancy which was imported to Japan and absorbed into [[Onmyodo]] mysticism, among other beliefs. In this system, there were 28 'star houses' (constellations) which ran the circumference of the sky. The Heavenly Emperor divided the sky into the northern, southern, eastern, and western quadrants, each with 7 star houses; each quadrant was ruled by a divine beast
These gods were (Chinese, then Japanese names):
* Qīnglóng
* Zhūquè
* Báihǔ
* Xuánwǔ
* Huánglóng
Common variations of the above are Xuánwǔ actually being a two-headed turtle/snake hybrid or a [[Interspecies Romance|turtle and a snake having sex]]
Also of note is the fact that many people confuse [[The Phoenix]] with Zhūquè. While they seem similar, they are entirely different entities; in fact the [[wikipedia:Fenghuang|Fènghuáng]] (Hōō) is a closer representation of [[The Phoenix]] in comparison.
In the original Chinese version, there was one more divine beast, Huánglóng, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, embodying the element of Earth. He is very notably missing from the Japanese version, where the center represents void. Void, being nothingness, has no divine beast associated with it. The closest Japanese version of him would be Ouryu. This is probably the biggest reason why you will not see him in Japanese culture.
The remains of this belief system can be found in temples and shrines all over Japan, and even in the architecture of places like the city of Nara. It is part of the Japanese cultural heritage, although not always a prominent or even well-remembered part.
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The Four Gods are apparently exempt from [[Four Is Death]], [[Subverted Trope|except when they aren't]]. Note: The subversion may be caused by the fact that while the Japanese version has only four gods, the cultural memory of there being five dragons in the Chinese version makes the four get treated as if it was five, except when the four is treated as four.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'', as noted above, is one of the most well-known examples.
* ''[[
* ''[[Tokyo Majin]]'' averted this, with the Yellow Dragon indeed represents Void/Destruction.
* Author Ken Akamatsu has noted that the Four Gods appear in ''[[Love Hina]]'' in the form of various pets: Genbu is Onsen Tamago, the hot springs turtle; Byakko is Kuro, Kanako's cat; Suzaku is Shippu, the mysterious bird owned by Tsuruko (Motoko's elder sister); and Seiryū is Leon, the chameleon owned by Ema Maeda (a manga-only [[Last-Episode New Character|last-episode character]]).
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* The [[The Grim Reaper|shinigami]] in ''[[Yami no Matsuei]]'' could summon "shikigami", helpful minor gods. Only two appeared in the anime, based off of Suzaku and Byakko. The manga, however, features the four of them.
* The four gods also appear in the anime ''[[Karasu Tengu Kabuto]]''.
* In the ''[[
* ''[[
* The Four Gods appear as antagonists for an arc in ''[[Angel Tales]]''.
* ''[[Koi Hime]]'' uses the "girls of the four seasons"
* The anime version of ''[[Dokyusei]]'' (English title, ''[[End Of Summer]]'') is more subtle. In this case, they pared the list of girls (from the game) down to four. The follow-on OAV set (not released in the US) has the school nurse reminding Wataru that he can't keep all four of them forever.
* One of ''[[
* Seiryū, Suzaku, Byakko and Genbu are the names of Nekoyashiki's spiritual cat companions in ''[[Rental Magica]]''. They're useful for everything from shields to attacking to creating a gust of wind.
* In ''[[Inuyasha]],'' Saint Beast-inspired ninja are one of the many, ''many'' [[Quirky Miniboss Squad
** They also face off against a group like this in the last movie, though those guys were all actually powerful.
* The Four Elemental Kings in ''[[Berserk]].''
* Four enemy characters from ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' are named after the Four Gods and each fights with an appropriate weapon and fighting
* In ''[[The Slayers]]'', the good dragon-gods of the world, as opposed to the evil chaos-demon-gods, are based on this pattern: four gods, each representing an element, and the supreme (actually, penultimate) god Ceipheed. The evil demon gods are based on Goetic demonology.
* Each of the girls in ''[[Hyakko]]'''s [[Four-Girl Ensemble]] corresponds to one of the four gods. A broader [[Theme Naming]] based on the twelve animals of the Zodiac is present in the rest of the cast.
* The B'ts of the four Spirit Knights in ''[[
* The main characters of ''[[Beyblade]]'' all have bit beasts that are based on the Four Gods. In the Japanese version, they were named after them as well.
** No they weren't. The names are the same.
** The Beyblades are named after design (Dranzer, Drigger etc.) While the bit-beasts (aka. sacred spirits) are named Suzaku, Byakko etc.
* {{spoiler|Hacchi}} has a technique named after them in the latest ''[[
* In ''[[
** And Tsuchimikado gets rid of it by {{spoiler|using accordingly-colored paper figurines placed in certain directions<ref>essentially magical feng shui</ref> to directly invoke the Gods and fire a magical [[Wave Motion Gun]] at the house}}.
* ''[[Saint Beast]]'' happens to feature...well, yeah.
* Parodied by the "Devoted Four Goddesses" that make up the Stolen [[First Kiss]] Team in ''[[Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya]]'', with Suzuka as the Suzaku (represented by a bird), Tatsuko as Seiryū (represented by a sea horse, which in Japanese myth is seen as a baby dragon), and Nanaki as Genbu (represented by, well, a turtle). Kuroe then asked just who the White Tiger Byakko was supposed to be, whereupon Taiga appeared as the fourth member of the group.
* The Four Spirit Kings Yamatohime, Genbu, Byakko and Seiryū in ''[[Kurohime]]''.
* The four royals who appear in ''[[Yes! Pretty Cure 5]]'' Gogo are a dragon, a red/pink bird, a tiger and a turtle.
* The four swords of the ancient heroes in ''[[Basara]]'' are named after
* The Mythical Beast Knights of ''[[The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer]]''.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* The four incredibly destructive water volcanoes in ''[[
==
▲* The four incredibly destructive water volcanoes in ''[[Embers (Fanfic)|Embers]]'' are modeled off of this concept, but with different names given: Shirotora (the White Tiger), Asiagatatsu (the Blue Dragon), Akitori (the Vermilion Bird), and Kurokame (the Black Turtle). Of these, Shirotora and Asiagatatsu are important in the story- Zuko's mother's home domain of Byakko has retained a measure of autonomy from the Fire Lord by being the only people who can reliably keep the volcano nicely dormant, while the lack of anyone doing something similar about Asiagatatsu (whose last two eruptions killed Avatars and made life difficult worldwide for years afterwards) is a major plot point.
* In ''[[Gamera]] 3: Awakening of Iris'', Gamera (as a monster turtle) is equated with Genbu, whereas Suzaku is equated with the film's titular villain.
** In fact the film even points out the similarties between Genbu's rivalry with Suzaku and Irys's desire to kill Gamera.
* Loosely referenced in the ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' movie, where Asian character Subotai mentions he prays to the Four Winds.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Yet another [[Humongous Mecha]] example. Though colors are switched for the Tiger and the Dragon, together these four make up the [[Combining Mecha]] of ''[[Chou Sei Shin Series|Justiriser]]''.
* The Shigenshou in ''[[Juken Sentai Gekiranger]]'' and Phantom Beast Generals of ''[[Power Rangers Jungle Fury]]'' are based on this trope (though ''Jungle Fury'' downplays it):
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** Long, master of the Dragon-Fist/Scorch, with the spirit of the "Avalon Dragon", based on Seiryū.
** Rio, master of the Gryphon-Fist/Dai Shi, with the spirit of the Griffin, based on Huánglóng.
** Speaking of ''[[Power Rangers]]'', one should mention that by a string of coincidences Tommy has had [[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|a green (Western) dragon, a white tiger]], [[Power Rangers
* While the colors are off, four of the Mythical Chi Beasts from ''[[Gosei Sentai Dairanger]]'' are meant to invoke the Four Gods: the Red Dragon, the Pink Hōō, the White Tiger, and Daimugen, their ally.
* The Mandarin names of the suns in ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]''. The English names are somewhat less inspired (Red Sun, Blue Sun, White Sun, Georgia and Kalidasa).
== Tabletop Games ==▼
* ''[[Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop Game)|Changeling: The Lost]]'' features the Directional Courts of China among the other Great Courts that changelings swear oaths to in order to avoid the notice of [[The Fair Folk]]. The courts are patterned off of [[The Four Gods]] and supposedly embody associated values (the North Court is made up of ascetics who use suffering to escape memory of their durance at the hands of [[The Fair Folk]], the East Court values material wealth and draws power from envy, the South Court consists of artists and other creatives who value ecstasy, and the West Court is made up of honor-bound warriors).▼
▲== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
▲* ''[[
== Toys ==
* Partial subversion in the SD ''[[Gundam]]'' toyline ''[[BB Senshi Sangokuden]]''
** Ryufu Tallgeese comes banded with the [http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10069166b/30/1 Tengyokugai] weapons platform, able to turn into four forms for each of the faction leaders to use. While the four forms are modelled after the companion mecha for the Gundams that Ryūbi, Sonken and Sousou are based on (Sonken/GP03 with the Tengyokugai Tiger form/Dendrobium Orchis is a fan favourite), they are officially named for the Four Gods, with little golden heads on each of them depicting the corresponding god for good measure.
** The toyline would later introduce the Tenkaisyo weapon system, based on the Four Gods (a dragon head, tiger claws, phoenix wings and a turtle shell shield), but these are all in gold rather than the usual colors.
** On an added note, the defunct Kishū faction led by Enshō Bawoo has no animal symbol assigned to it, though Ganryō Galus-L and Bunshu Galus-R are themed after a bull and a horse.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
* The ''[[Lunar]]'' series references this. In addition to the Goddess Althena whom gave life to Lunar (and, despite not being a dragon herself, could be seen as The Ōryū as she holds the same power and [[Depending
▲== Video Games ==
▲* The ''[[Lunar]]'' series references this. In addition to the Goddess Althena whom gave life to Lunar (and, despite not being a dragon herself, could be seen as The Ōryū as she holds the same power and [[Depending On the Writer|can also be controlled like them depending on the game]]), there are four dragons, each with a color matching one of the four gods and a similar appearance to the appropriate god to boot. The similarities are strongest in ''Dragon Song'': The Red Dragon is covered in feathers and has a hooked muzzle resembling a bird's beak. The White Dragon strongly resembles a large cat with wings and has stripes along its body. The Black Dragon is more or less a giant tortoise with a more dragon-like face and build. The Blue Dragon resembles a giant serpent.
* Video games that are heavily based on this include the ''[[Last Blade]]'' series (which featured four characters that each represent one of the Gods. [[The Hero|Kaede]] = Seiryū, [[Omnicidal Maniac|Kag]][[The Atoner|ami]] = Suzaku, [[Old Master|Okina]] = Genbu, and [[Gentle Giant|Shigen]] = Byakko.
** Don't forget the final boss of ''[[Last Blade]] 2'' {{spoiler|and the master of Kaede, Moriya and Yuki}}, Kōryū (Japanese for Huánglóng, making a rare Japanese appearance).
* The set of [[Perfect Run Final Boss]] songs in ''[[Beatmania]] IIDX 13 DistorteD,'' collectively called "Cardinal Gate", were themed around the Four Gods; each of the four songs unlockable from the start were written by artists that took their names as pseudonyms. A fifth song, by an invented 5th entity, "Kinjishi", was available after doing well on the first four. 3 of the artists (Suzaku, Genbu, and Seiryū) have released songs after DistorteD.
* One level of ''[[
* In ''[[
** Kirin is notably of the Earth element and like the original center dragon god, is the powerful of the five.
** Ōryū is also in the game as an [[Dishing Out Dirt|earth-based]] [[Our Dragons Are Different|Wyrm]]. His fights are completely unrelated to the gods in [[Floating Continent|Tu'Lia]].
* In ''[[
* There is a "Four Gods' Shield" found in all three ''[[
* ''[[
* The four gods appear as the bosses of each major world in ''[[Makai
** The four elemental schools of magic in ''[[Romancing
* Four of Maria's subweapons in the ''[[Castlevania]]'' series are based on these
** On top of that, in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, there are serveral locked doors that grant access to hidden areas, and the four keys are named (and colored) after the four gods. [[Anachronism Stew|Not something you'd expect in a vampire castle in 12th century Europe...]]
* In Altus' ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]: Devil Children'' series (known simply as DemiKids outside of Japan) the Four Gods can be obtained by fusing through the Relic System. You have to get their Soul to resurrect them, otherwise they will simply be zombies (Byakkozom, Suzakzom, Seiryuzom, Gembuzom).
* Occasionally a [[Dating Sim]] or anime based off one will have a set of four love interests each aligned with a direction and/or season (directly or by personality). Generally this involves the [[Tenchi Solution]] (they've decided to share, or at least not compete). This situation is inspired by ''[[The Tale of Genji
* The [[MacGuffin
* In ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Alpha'', its sequels, and ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Original Generation 2'', RyuOhKi (Seiryū) and KoOhKi (Byakko) are ancient guardian [[Golem]]-gods which absorb a pair of [[Humongous Mecha]] and gain the ability to [[Combining Mecha|combine]] into [[Glass Cannon|RyuKoOh]] or [[Fragile Speedster|KoRyuOh]] (they can [[Transforming Mecha|switch forms at will]]).
** ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Alpha 3'' introduces equivalents for Genbu and Suzaku, which merge with the other two to form the [[Game Breaker|devastatingly powerful]] Shin RyuKoOh/Shin KoRyuOh.
** Also in ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Advance,'' though not as obvious (and this also carries over to the Original Generation universe). Axel Almer's Soulgain has attacks named after the Four Gods, though when it's translated to US, the reference becomes less obvious (Seiryū Rin -> Dragon Scale, Genbu Gōdan -> Black Warrior, Byakko Kō -> Tiger Bite, Mai Suzaku -> Phoenix Dance). Oh, and it also adds up the Qílín legend (Code: Kirin).
** [[Robot Girl|Aschen Brodel]] from ''[[Endless Frontier]]'' has moves call ''Tigress Bite'', ''Genbu Strike'' and ''Dragon Scale''. Her overdrive attack is ''Phantasm Phoenix''.
* ''[[
* In ''[[Lost Kingdoms]],'' four of the six most powerful cards in the game are based off of the four gods: The White Tiger, the Blue Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Great Turtle.
* The Four Gods appear in the ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]'' game series, and in ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
** The Four Gods and Huánglóng are also in ''[[Strange Journey]]'', where they have their Chinese names. The Four Heavenly Kings also return.
** In ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'', the Four Gods and Huánglóng return. The first four are simple extra bosses who appear after killing Ananta; Huánglóng appears after killing the four others as a brutally vicious [[Bonus Boss]].
* Referenced in the ''[[Wild
* The Four Gods appear as [[Bonus Boss
* ''[[Mega Man Zero]] 4'' contains the boss "Heat Genblem." Three guesses what it's supposed to be.
* In ''[[Gotcha Force]]'', there are 4 Robots that can merge together to total 4 different combinations, each one named after a different one of the four gods.
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** Genbu: Defensive players who seldom discard the final tile that someone else needs to win.
*** The game also has a fifth: Kōryū, the Yellow Dragon, based on Huánglóng. Kōryū replaces the player's classification when they surpass the Master rank.
* ''[[Harukanaru Toki no Naka
** The Dragon-God also happens to have Yin and Yang sides (Dark Dragon and White Dragon), the former controlled by the [[Dark Magical Girl]]. To further complicate the matter, there's also the Black Kirin, apparently under the [[Big Bad]]'s control.
* In ''[[Seiken Densetsu]] 3'', Kevin's has a technique (and associated gear) corresponding to one of the Four Gods for each possible final class.
* ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'', in keeping with its [[Cliché Storm]] status, has an attack called Summon Four Gods. Surprisingly, it is just a non
* The Lords of the Burning Dawn of ''[[Tenchu]] 2'' are named after the Four Gods.
* One of the "secret skills" in the first ''[[Star Ocean 1
* In ''[[Guild Wars]] Factions'', the mission to become "Closer To The Stars" has the players defeat celestial creatures inspired by the Four Gods (with a kirin in place of a tiger). Interestingly these celestial avatars actually ''look'' like constellations, with visible stars and traced lines making the "skeleton" of the creature.
* In ''[[Mega Man (
* ''[[Bloody Roar]]'' played with this a little throughout the series. The tiger came first in Beastorizor ([[Market-Based Title|later renamed Bloody Roar 1]]) through [[Bare-Fisted Monk|Long]] (who is a [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|zoanthrope]] of a tiger), whom later had an evil clone in the form of [[All Girls Want Bad Boys|Shenlong]] ([[Evil Albino|who is an albino tiger]]) with a [[Balance Between Good and Evil|yin-yang theme between the two]] (before [[Draco in Leather Pants|Shenlong eventually grown more compassionate and less evil]]). Next came Primal Fury (Technically Bloody Roar 4 and the same as [[Updated Rerelease|Extreme]]) which had [[White-Haired Pretty Boy|Cronos]], who, [[Everything's Better
* ''[[Tokimeki Memorial|Tokimeki Memorial 2]]'' has the local [[Delinquents]] gang, the Four Heaven Kings, using the Four Gods themes, each of them wearing on their coats' back a symbol of the respective god they represent : [[Knight Templar Big Brother|Sou-Banchou]], the leader, is Seiryū ; [[Giant Mook|Kinniku-Banchou]] is Genbu ; [[Hot-Blooded|Hi no Tama-Banchou]] is Suzaku ; and [[The Dragon|Kogarashi-Banchou]] is Byakko. [[Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?|Baito-Banchou]], on the other hand, being the [[Sixth Ranger]] in the gang {{spoiler|and the only one of the Four Heaven Kings you don't have to win against, [[Hopeless Boss Fight|just survive until she goes for her next part-time job]], as she's [[Nigh Invulnerable]]}}, doesn't have a Four Gods theme.
* In ''[[Digimon World 3]]'', the four cities of Asuka Server are named Seiryū City (East Sector), Suzaku City (South Sector), Byakko City (West Sector) and Genbu City (North Sector). [[Dark World|Amaterasu Server]] names its counterparts of the same cities using their Chinese names - Qing Long, Zhu Que, Bai Hu, Xuan Wu. The actual [[Mons]] based on the Four Gods (see above) don't make an appearance, though, but they do show up in most other ''[[Digimon]]'' games past that point.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
** The giant in the south rests in Woodfall, in the middle of a swamp region.
** The giant in the north rests in Snowhead, a snowy mountain.
** The giant in the west rests in the Great Bay, a sandy beach with warm waters.
** The giant in the east rests in the Ikana Canyon, a cursed land where the Ikana civilization once lived.
* ''[[
* ''[[Bujingai Swordmaster]]'' has one level set in a temple hidden inside a mountain and dedicated to the four gods. You have to activate the altars of Seiryū, Genbu and Suzaku in order to reach the inner sanctum of Byakko.
* The four factions in [[
* ''[[Sengoku Rance]]'' has the four apostles of Demon Xavier who are named after the four gods: Rengoku/Byakko, Shikibu/Seiryuu, Madou/Genbu, and Gigai/Suzaku.
* The bosses of ''Sega Golden Gun'' are historical characters posessing the Four Gods. Zhang Jiao is Genbu and Da Ji is Byakko, but the hosts of the other two gods aren't mentioned by name aside from the untranslated [[Boss Subtitles]].
== [[Web Original]] ==▼
▲== Web Original ==
* The Four Gods in ''[[Arcana Magi]]'' are known as The Sentinels of the Four Elements, while in ''[[Arcana Magi Zero]]'' they are known as The Four Mythic Elements.
** The Four Gods are a staple in ''[[Arcana Magi Universe]]''.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Religion Tropes]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Gods, The}}
▲[[Category:Motifs]]
▲[[Category:The Four Gods]]
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