Bishamonten had been at Yato’s throat for years. She spent decades hunting him down, with a bloodlust that even extended to his acquaintances. The reason? Yato was responsible for killing Bishamon’s shinki in the past. Her hatred for stemmed from this and drove her to be reckless and rash on many occasions.

But why did Yato go so far as to kill Bishamon’s shinki? Well it happens that Kazuma himself happened to be involved in this mess.

The Disaster of the Ma Clan

Bishamonten is known for her vast family of Shinki. But that became the cause for her unannounced downfall. Yato killed all of Bishamon’s shinki because she was severely blighted by them.

As a raging spirit and as well as a serene spirit, Veena always wanted to rescue all the lives the Gods have failed to save. However, these very shinki inadvertently hurt her. A God’s health, in most cases, is directly tied to their Shinki. The psychological distress that a shinki goes through, reflects on their master.

It all started when one shinki, whose identity is still not known, blighted Bishamon. But this small dent had cost the Ma family a huge loss.

It went on a downward spiral pretty fast. To add to the problem, Bishamon’s Guidepost at that time didn’t handle things very well. It resulted in her performing mass ablution of the Ma clan. This caused further distrust and confusion among the shinki. Veena’s sickness only worsened over time. This made the Shinkis more paranoid. The whole incident had become a vicious circle.

All of the Ma clan started going up against each other in a killing frenzy. If this had continued Bishamon surely would have died. Kazuma, who was only a minor shinki then, realised this and decided to put an end to the mess that was unfolding in front of his eyes.

Kazuma prays to Yato, who was then a God of Calamity, to kill all of Bishamon’s shinki. It is hard to describe what kind of a move this was. Was Kazuma being selfish? Was he betraying Bishamon by going to another God for help? It seems not!

Shinkis are taught to always put their Masters before anything else, even if it costs their sacred name. Kazuma was originally a nail who didn’t know much about being a Shinki. Even so, he was the only one who truly cared for Bishamon. When the Ma clan was beyond saving, Kazuma went to Yato and asked him to kill all of Bishamon’s Shinki, because he wanted to protect his master. It was the only way to save Veena from dying and getting replaced.

This is also one of the reasons why Kazuma has a deep respect for Yato. The shinki owes him a lot for heeding his wish and protecting the God that he served!

Did Yato have to kill all of Bishamon’s Shinki?

“Whatever a God does is right.”

Yato was originally a God of Calamity who was known for taking lives. Kazuma thought he was the only God to whom he could pray for a wish such as to kill Shinki. He became the traitor to protect his God. Yato understood how vile the request was, yet he agreed to do the job without a doubt. It’s because God cannot sin. A God always knows who to kill and who to keep safe. Yato chose to save Bishamon over her Shinkis’ lives as the best solution.

Bishamon was unaware of the truth for a long time as to why Yato killed the Ma clan. And because of this, she hunted Yatogami for years in vengeance and decided to destroy anything he held dear. But most of all she was embarrassed at herself for not being able to save her own family.

Due to her failure in saving her Shinki in the past, Bishamon decides to be more distant from them, depicting herself as a fierce goddess and making sure that they are not worried about her, which only resulted in them being more insecure and lonely.

Kugaha, one of Veena’s Shinki who thought the current incarnation was futile took advantage of the crisis. This turned into the fall of Bishamonten for the second time. However, this time after Kazuma intervenes in the fight between the two Gods and confesses his involvement in the slaughter of the Ma Clan, Bishamon acknowledges her fault and finishes off the masked Ayakashi that had taken most of her Regalia.

Even after the Bishamonten Arc, the Yato and Veena still have a rocky relationship and exchange barbs and punches with each other, but they are also more civil with each other and have worked together in rescuing Ebisu from the Underworld. They eventually become drinking buddies too.

Do you think Yato was right in killing all of Bishamon’s shinki? Was there any other way to save her? Was Bishamon wrong for holding a grudge against Yato? Let us know your opinions in the comments section!