All demons, bijuu or not, start out as humans. These humans become powerful in their life time. But they do not become demons until they die….with an incredible amount of hate and sin in their souls, as well as a desire not to die.
To put these factors into perspective, let us start with ‘power in life’.
Humans that become demons are usually old kooks that have managed to hold onto most of the power they had in their prime. They have enough chakra to destroy landscapes, invoke natural disasters, etc. But doing so would almost kill them.
Humans that become bijuu, however, can perform the same feats without bringing themselves to death’s door. It’s not something they can do twice a day, but they’re at the limit of the human ability.
Next, hatred.
Hatred in demons is usually ‘I hate the world for not respecting me’. Bijuu hatred, however, is usually caused by a great injustice, or great trauma. Examples include:
Shukaku: Father was an abusive drunk, mother dead, himself a drunk, desired to control the sand and wind (which killed him), liked by no one, stc
Okami Shichibi: He was a samurai, the leader of his nomadic clan, in life; from the far northern lands. He was your typical brutal warlord, towering stature, bulging muscles, big teeth, not to mention loads of white hair. Another clan betrayed him, slaying his clan and cutting him down in his prime. (not to say he didn't manage to take a few with him)
Kyuubi: A playful prankster who irritated the city people, particularly the royal family, until one day one his pranks went too far. One day, he accidentally killed the first princess……the woman he loved more than anything. He was burned alive as a punishment.
Sin. It’s generally stronger in Bijuu than in demons, but it doesn’t have to be.
Shukaku: He did a fair amount of drinking, and snapped quite a few necks trying to become more powerful and respected, all with a side order of rape.
Okami: Killed at least 7000 people in his lifetime.
Kyuubi: Engaged in many sexual endeavors with the first princess using his shape shifting powers.
Desire to live: Demons are hanging on with the skin of their teeth, while Bijuu have a grip of iron, if you get what I mean.
Shukaku: Continued wanting to live, despite the pain of having his skin peeled off by the sandstorm.
Okami: Was stabbed and slashed repeatedly before being frozen,, not in a block of ice, but by the harsh wind. But still, he continued wanting to live.
Kyuubi: He lost the love of his life, and was burned in a cremator, but continued refusing to die.
Bijuu are very ironic creatures. However you kill a Bijuu in life determines the powers it has. Shukaku was killed by a sandstorm….and gained control over sand and wind. Okami was killed by swords and the freezing wind…..and gained control over the Northern wind, as well as the ‘cutting winds’. Kyuubi was burned alive in the royal cremator…and he gained control over fire and power in general.
What animal a Bijuu will be is determined by the personality of the person. Greed, honesty, deceit, ferocity, mindlessness, cunning, instinct….etc. As you can clearly see this is true:
Shukaku: angry, perverted drunkard=badass Tanuki
Okami: honorable but vicious samurai=white Wolf
Kyuubi: shapeshifting trickster= red Fox.
The next time you think of a Bijuu, think of who they were as humans, and what happened to get them to where they are now.
