Rebi Ra (also known as Levi Ra in some translations) is the primary antagonist of the animated film Demon City Shinjuku. A former practitioner of Nempo, he was unsatisfied with his master's teachings and sought even greater power via the Black Arts. He would ultimately sell his soul to the demons of Hell in exchange for great magical power, power which he would use to open the gates of Hell and allow demons to conquer the Earth.
Biography[]
In his youth, Rebi Ra studied the ancient art of Nempo under the wise master Aguni Rai. Alongside fellow student Genichirou Izayoi, Rebi Ra would learn how to channel the living chi of the universe from which all things are born. However, Ra grew disdainful of Genichirou and turned his back on Master Rai, seeking to obtain even greater power. Turning to dark sorcery, he allowed himself to be possessed by demonic forces, gaining tremendous power as a result. In exchange for Hell's boon, Ra was to break down the barriers between Earth and Hell, allowing demons to conquer the world and destroy mankind.
When Genichirou learned of what Rebi Ra had done, he challenged him to battle amid the skylines of Tokyo's Shinjuku district. Genichirou fought valiantly, but Rebi Ra's newfound demonic power had made him virtually invincible and he killed his former rival. He then carried out a spell that allowed demonic energies to flow into the human world, resulting in the Demon Quake catastrophe that devastated Shinjuku. It would be another ten years before Rebi Ra would be able to open the gates between Hell and Earth, but Shinjuku had been turned into a wasteland of chaos and death where the inhabitants fought and murdered one another for no apparent reason. Over the years, criminals ran wild in the streets while Rebi Ra gathered strength to complete his mission. As he built up power to complete his task, three demons were summoned to serve him and protect him while the sorcerer carried out his evil work.
Ten years later, Rebi Ra (indirectly) attacked the World Federation President in order to keep Master Rai occupied while he completed his ritual. While Master Rai remained with the incapacitated President, he used astral projection to contact Kyoya Izayoi, son of the late Genichirou, and told him about Rebi Ra. Though reluctant, Kyoya would eventually decide to take up the task of killing Rebi Ra in order to save the world from demonic invasion. Accompanied by the President's daughter Sayaka Rama, Kyoya ventured into the ruins of Shinjuku where he encountered the three demon guardians as well as two unlikely allies, the young punk Chibi and the strange mystic Mephisto.
When Kyoya overcame his demonic servants, Rebi Ra decided to deal with the boy himself, casting a spell that placed Kyoya into a state of trance and giving himself time to finish his ritual. Thanks to Sayaka, however, Kyoya was freed from the spell and made his way to Shinjuku Station where Rebi Ra had made his lair. There, he fought the sorcerer but found that he was not strong enough to defeat him. Ra shattered Kyoya's bokken and cast him into a deep pit, taking Sayaka to use as a sacrifice to complete the ritual.
However, Kyoya survived his fall and within the pit he found the bokken that his father Genichirou had once wielded. His chi reinvigorated and enhanced, Kyoya made his way back up to ground level where he confronted Rebi Ra once more. Mephisto and Chibi intervened as well, saving Sayaka so that Ra could not use her as a shield. In their final showdown, Kyoya struck Rebi Ra with a wave of positive chi that cut through the sorcerer, dispelling his dark power and destroying him.
With Rebi Ra destroyed, the gates of Hell remained closed the veil of chaos that had enveloped Shinjuku for a decade was finally lifted. Kyoya had completed the work his father had started and saved humanity from destruction.
Abilities[]
Rebi Ra possesses great magical power, using dark sorcery to throw Shinjuku into a state of chaos where evil ran wild. He had the power to cast illusions, hypnotize people, and even rapidly regenerate his body from any injury. No ordinary weapon was capable of harming him, only a tremendous positive chi was capable of negating the dark aura that protected him.
Rebi Ra was also a talented swordsman, having learned swordplay from Master Rai while studying the art of Nempo. While Nempo practitioners used wooden swords, Ra's sword was a finely crafted obsidian blade with a red jewel in its hilt. This sword could also project destructive magical blasts.