PPG AU: The Four Holy Beasts drawn by me

Hello, once again. Antoni, here, and this is what happens when you are a fan of not only anime like Inuyasha and YuYu Hakusho and cartoons like The Powerpuff Girls but also of Asian folklore. Such as the case of the Four Holy Beasts, known in Japanese as Shishin, Shiju, Shishou or Shirei and in Chinese as Si Shou consisting of the dragon, the tiger, the turtle, and the phoenix. So, when I combined my fascination of the Four Holy Beasts and of Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup being turned into yokai, an idea for an AU or Alternate Universe retelling was born. From left to right we have Seiryu Brick, Byakko Butch, Genbu Blossom, and Suzaku Buttercup. Yes, I know the color coding is a lot more different for the Holy Beasts like Seiryu is blue, Byakko is white, Genbu is black, and Suzaku reddish-yellow but I decided to focus more on the traits which are appropriate for Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup, as I will explain when I talk about them individually.

It should be no surprise that I am completely fascinated by the supernatural, especially when legends like this are adapted into anime or other creative works. I have encountered the Four Holy Beasts in anime like Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha, and Fushigi Yugi, and each of these adaptations has something special to give to the table. For that, my fascination grew to the point where I was completely invested in knowing more about them.

Going into my AU, I envision Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup in the Edo Period of Japan as the loyal and protective warrior guardians to their respective youngest siblings, who in turn are the Celestial Rulers, Prince Boomer on the guys' side and Princess Bubbles on the girls' side. Do not fret, for I will definitely take care of what Boomer-oujisama and Bubbles-himesama are going to look like. Even more so, they are all married, Brick is with Blossom, Butch is with Buttercup, and, obviously, Boomer is with Bubbles. Though, since the four main protagonists of this AU are yokai, they will end up switching partners from time to time like having Brick with Buttercup and Butch with Blossom, and on a more platonic tough love between siblings level Blossom with Buttercup and Brick with Butch. These four will go out of their to not only ensure their rulers' safety but to also have each others' backs when it comes to fighting demons or any other mortal who dares to be an intruder to the Celestial Realm. Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup work together as one team to combine their insurmountable powers for good and to maintain the natural balance of the world. With that said, let's get on to the characters themselves.

Seiryu Brick, also known as the Crimson Dragon, is the undisputed and choleric leader of this quartet of yokai warriors. He rules this group with an iron fist and more often than not has the final say in decision-making. As the overall eldest yokai, appearing to be about 26 years old, he ensures that his teammates not only do what he says but he also makes sure that they are safe from harm. His unparalleled skills in hand-to-hand combat, as well as his expertise in war, have certainly made Brick an ideal leader, as he can pinpoint his opponents' strengths and weaknesses, thus using those facets to his advantage. Despite being a strong leader to his group, he is extremely prone to anger and runs the risk of being too demanding, especially when failure comes knocking at their door or when someone hurts any of his comrades. He is also prone to having clashes with his teammates from his younger brother, Butch, to his wife, Blossom, to his sister-in-law, Buttercup, when it comes to a disagreement in a plan or when power struggles occur between the four. In spite of some moments of strife, Brick deeply cares for his three comrades and he always has their backs. Brick's main abilities are pyrokinesis, superstrength, especially when it comes to his lethal Fire Fist which can disintegrate any opponent with the drop of a hat and using his claws, which are sharp enough to slice through steel.

Brick is definitely ideal for being a dragon yokai mostly because of his fiery temper, choleric nature, large-and-in-charge, and overall manly personality. I also figure that his personality and mannerisms are akin to a warlord or general who ensures order and will not take no for an answer. He also seems to be the guy who is harsh towards his enemies and rather tender to his friends, even though he does not always show it. In terms of his outfit, I let him have a dragon tattoo on the chest to the shoulder area and I also gave him something that is also akin to a big, strong warlord. His gauntlets and shoulder pads are made of dragon scales, which also serve as his armor. Even more so, his cape is a great addition, as it makes him a proud and noble warrior who leads with not only his fists but with loads of respect.

Byakko Butch, also known as the Virescent Tiger, is the muscle of the group. He is also the savage one, as nothing can seem to tame him, unless his older brother, Brick, gives him a knock on the head, his sister-in-law, Blossom, admonishes him or his wife, Buttercup, soothes him in her own special way. As the second oldest in this group, also appearing to be about 26 years old, he also has a duty to share with Brick in ensuring that his comrades stay out of trouble. While Brick is the more analytical one in battle, Butch is the type of guy who just goes head-on without a second thought. His brute strength is what makes him both famous and infamous. Famous because he uses it to save lives and do the general heavy-duty tasks, which are definitely assets to the group dynamic. Infamous because there are times he does not have control of his strength, thus causing mishaps to occur. Butch too has a fiery temper like his older brother but he is a lot more volatile. Brick and Butch would often engage in roaring, yelling, wrestling, boxing, and general hand-to-hand matches to see who is stronger among the two of them. Butch yearns to be the leader instead of Brick but there are times he is rash and does not always make the best of decisions. His teammates always have to ensure that he does not do anything foolish or he will end up regretting it. In spite of all the arguments and occasional animosity, he does care for Brick and begrudgingly respects him as his brother, he looks up to Blossom because of how kind, sensitive, and diplomatic she is, and he enjoys having Buttercup around as his greatest companion, as they share a lot in common. Butch's main abilities are super strength, heightened senses of sight, hearing, and smell, and imitating big cats from lions to leopards to of course tigers.

From the moment I read about Byakko and his traits, I knew that Butch would be the perfect fit. What more can I expect from someone who is the muscle of this group? When I noticed that Byakko the Tiger was also associated with strength and war, I thought that Butch would really fit this beast to a T. In terms of his appearance, I decided to not only give him a greet tiger head tattoo on his chest but I also gave him dark green tiger stripes, a toga on his waist, and arm and ankle gauntlets to show his overall wild and feral side. In this AU, Butch is almost similar to Enkidu and Tarzan combined, given the fact that he is very much animalistic in not only appearance but also in actions. Even more so, I can easily imagine all the roaring, grappling, and wrestling matches Brick and Butch would often have. Every time these two dudes start to roar at each other, Blossom and Buttercup would make sure that their ears are covered so that they won't end up deaf. Moreover, I could even envision Brick and Butch using their roars to scare away any enemy much like how Basuli and Tarzan scared away Ian McTeague from "Tarzan and the Poisoned River Part 2". Personality-wise, Butch might seem like the type of guy who wants to rip anyone a new one, but deep down he can at least be like a teddy bear, especially towards Blossom. And speaking of Blossom.

Genbu Blossom, also known as the Rose Turtle, is the only sane woman and unofficial team mom of the group, even though she appears to be a 25-year-old young woman. She is known for her intellect, wisdom, kindness, beauty, courage, diplomacy, and steadfastness. Her savviness is a major asset, considering how much she plans ahead to ensure a fair fight will occur. Unlike the rest of her teammates, Blossom is the calm, reasonable, and quiet one. Thus, she is the pacifist of the group, who ensures order, synergy, and harmony to be a priority. She does not let any insult shake her. However, if one were to hurt her husband, Brick, her brother-in-law, Butch, and/or her sister, Buttercup, then she would unleash Hell on the perpetrator. One should never underestimate her gentle persona, as she can be calculating, especially when it comes to deciphering what can make her enemies break from the inside and on the outside. Blossom does have a healthy relationship with her husband, Brick, as they have one based on respect, allegiance, understanding, empathy, responsibility, and love. She even has an equally healthy relationship with her brother-in-law, Butch, as they not only respect each other as fellow warriors with the sparring that they do with each other but she sees beyond his wild nature and finds something rather charming and endearing about him. With Buttercup, sure they may argue a lot but at least it's not too physical Brick's and Butch's epic battles, but deep down they expect nothing but the best from each other and love each other deeply. Blossom's main abilities are ice manipulation, heightened combat skills, super strength, super hearing, and, of course, ice breath.

Blossom and Genbu certainly share a lot of traits, as they are known for their intelligence and ice powers. Personality-wise, she's the team mom because of her tendency to make sure that order in the group is a priority. I based Blossom's outfit on what some of the denizens of the Makai world from Yu Yu Hakusho would wear. Even more so, I was really inspired by Zero-Kiba's sketch of Kagome fighting Yusuke as a contribution to Mistress of Wolf-Sama's fanfic, which is the Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho crossover, The Shadow Beasts. Just by looking at the outfit that Kagome wore in that picture was a major source of inspiration for Blossom's attire. I kept her trademark colors of pink, hot pink, and red, while also giving her black boots, a ruby turtle brooch, and pink turtle tattoos, which look rather adorable.

Suzaku Buttercup, also known as the Emerald Phoenix, is the feisty, fiery, and moody tomboy of the group, whose appearance is also that of a young 25-year-old woman. Unlike Blossom's calm and reserved nature, Buttercup is one to not be silenced and is a resilient individual. She is very famous for her sharp tongue, willingness to head into battle, peerless athletic prowess, perseverance, and the love and passion she has for winning any type of competition. Much like her brother-in-law, Brick, and husband, Butch, she too is prone to anger. Whether it would be not getting what she wants to something as grave as harm coming to the ones she loves, she will erupt before one knows it and she will not hold back. She has a strong and passionate relationship with her husband, Butch, as she is savvy enough to put up with Butch's wild and feral side. She finds his super strength to be not only incredibly reliable to the group but also a major plus for any male. Even more so, their nights of intimacy are always exciting, as they do not hold anything back. Her relationship with Brick as her brother-in-law is just as strong. She not only respects him as a leader through and through but she also admires how someone like him can fight someone as equally strong as Butch. She even goes to him for advice on how she can not only be a stronger fighter but also an honorable warrior and even to find out what makes Butch tick. As mentioned before, Buttercup's relationship with Blossom is based on tough love, as the two young women do what they can to prove to each other who the more capable and stronger fighter is, while simultaneously showing their admiration for each other. Buttercup's main abilities are heightened combat prowess, shooting yellowish-green flames from her hands, super speed, and super strength.

Buttercup's overall resilience and toughness are very much reminiscent of a phoenix. In any tough situation, she rises from the ashes and proceeds to kick butt without looking back. In terms of her outfit, I based it on Yusuke's Dark Tournament Saga attire, as it certainly fits Buttercup's overall personality and it just suits her really well. I also gave her two phoenix tattoos and even a star marking on her forehead similar to Bankotsu's from Inuyasha. I still kept the color yellow for the phoenix, even though red and orange were omitted for Buttercup's case, as her main color is lime green. Still, I think it was really fun making Buttercup dress the way she looks.

In case anyone was wondering about the stripes on their faces, I kind of based that on Sesshoumaru's markings as a full yokai. I thought it would look not only appealing but also show that these four have so much power in their system as supernatural warriors.

So, there you have it. My supernatural Powerpuff Girls AU set in the Edo Period of Japan. It was certainly a blast combining four of my most favorite superhumans with one fine piece of Asian mythology with my love for anime. I have to say that I was really happy making this because I do continue to be fascinated by supernatural legends and they seem to make me thrilled.

Thank you for tuning in and I will see you all next time.

Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls belong to Craig McCracken.

Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.