Hoozuki
Hoozuki is King Enma's sharp-tongued deputy and the real backbone of Hell's operations. He handles everything from administrative nightmares to actual problem-solving, all while maintaining an eerie composure that rarely cracks—except when Hakutaku or Enma themselves are involved, which sends him into a fury. Despite his denials, he's widely considered a sadist, and honestly, the shoe fits. He openly admits to loving his position partly because it lets him manipulate and control the Underworld from behind the scenes.
Appearance
Tall and lean, Hoozuki's an oni with a distinctive look: sharp, slanted grey eyes marked with red at the sides (a permanent feature that doesn't wash away), black hair parted down the middle, a horn on his forehead, and large pointed ears. His fangs are equally prominent. He favors a black yukata with red lining and an obi embroidered with a Chinese lantern—both nods to his name and his symbol. There's an ongoing joke that he bears an unsettling resemblance to Hakutaku, which he absolutely hates hearing. Despite his intimidating appearance, many find him genuinely attractive, including the Stone Princess and various female minions. He's meticulous about his appearance, which speaks to a layer of vanity beneath all that sadism.
He's rarely without his toothed metal club—absurdly heavy, but nothing for someone with his superhuman strength.
Personality and Approach
Hoozuki's default solution to problems is violence. As he tells Momotaro: "This is Hell, so let's settle this with violence." He's efficient about it. But beyond brute force, his real weapon is his intellect and sharp tongue. He can argue anyone into the ground or psychologically dismantle an opponent with words alone—Beelzebub vomited blood just from their first conversation. Satan and Momotaro's animal companions have all learned this the hard way. Those who cross him don't just lose arguments; they tend to develop phobias, depression, or a sudden need to vomit.
His management skills are nearly flawless. He's constantly solving Hell's absurd bureaucratic tangles with creative efficiency: he's fed leftover human offerings to the ten kings of hell, and he once sent Momotaro to work in Heaven's peach orchard as both punishment and solution. The minions flock to him because he actually gets things done.
For all his cool indifference, though, Hoozuki is genuinely unforgiving. He ground up several of his goldfish plants into juice and fed them to Enma as punishment for trying to escape his garden.
The Soft Spot for Animals
Here's where Hoozuki gets interesting: he's deeply fond of animals and openly despises humans who abuse them. He treats Momotaro's three animal companions like friends. He's discussed plans with Enma to visit the Australian Outback specifically to see the wildlife. During vacations in the human world, he visits zoos constantly, disguising his horns and ears under a hat and telling curious tourists he's training to be a ninja.
Women and Relationships
Despite his generally cold demeanor, Hoozuki treats women cordially. He befriended Peach Maki and helped her punish the woman who'd been stealing from her. When he and others got trapped in Cold Hell, he gave Oko his overcoat without hesitation.
As for romance, Hoozuki has oddly specific taste. He doesn't care about beauty—he once turned down the Stone Princess in favor of whoever would drink his brain-tissue miso soup. He complimented a TV show caster for studying a gigantic grub without flinching. His ideal match is someone unbothered by the gross and bizarre. Despite this, or maybe because of it, he's genuinely popular with women who find his looks and reserved nature attractive. The Stripping Hag constantly flirts with him to no effect, and female oni in Shugou Hell frequently stare and giggle.
Other Quirks
He's a heavy sleeper, but waking him prematurely is dangerous. Enma once got kicked across the room for bothering a sleeping Hoozuki about stag-beetles. When three minions ventured into his room to ask about visiting Shangri-La, one nearly died of fright when Hoozuki suddenly grabbed his tail upon waking.
Being told he looks like Hakutaku is a running gag that reliably infuriates him.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
