Fed up of being broke and Hiyori and Yuki poking fun at him, Yato introduces the two to his “girlfriend”, Kofuku, who also hands over a few thousand yen. Yato is called out to a job, however, and manages to convince a man to reconsider suicide, after it is revealed he went broke because his girlfriend was actually the god of poverty. Hiyori also shares an interesting conversation with Kofuku, who reveals Yato has a dark past, involving mass killing and the murder of a Regalia. On her way home, she, Yuki and Yato are greeted by a strange regalia named Nora, who promptly disappears, but shakes the three of them up.
The dynamics of the relationships between gods and their motivations for granting the wishes of humans were further expanded in the past two episodes, and episode 4 in particular put an interesting spin on the latter. While material goods, wealth and comfort are obviously big motivators for gods to intervene in the human realm and receive donations, their existence itself is also tied to how much their presence is felt in the human realm. SHould humans no longer request their services and forget about them, all traces of their existence will be erased, including any memories of the god. Yato’s quest to become a major deity is suddenly much more serious and understandable; he is so determined to achieve his goal because it ensures his continued survival. This mechanic changes the relationship between humans and gods and the power dynamic from one of gods asserting their dominance (as seen in many other media) to a relationship of mutual dependence and symbiosis. Humans rely on gods for divine intervention to aid them in their lives, and gods are compelled to do so to survive.
In order to survive, according to Kofuku, Yato has taken on some requests of dubious morality. The shots we saw of his past looked quite bloody; just who was he meant to kill, and how many of them? Not only that, but Yato apparently killed a Regalia. I’m not sure what’s involved in this act, the reasons behind it and if it’s a taboo in the world of gods, but I’d bet a large sum of money that Nora is the Regalia Yato “killed”. Her appearance in episode 4 raised a lot of questions for me. Who is she to Yato, and why does she have so many names tattooed on her?
Another thing I noticed was how Yuki was warming up to Yato and Hiyori. I think it’s great how Yatois openly praising Yuki and making him feel appreciated, rather than simply shutting him down and being a snarky jerk back (as I would have expected him to do). I think this is a result of Yuki’s past, and perhaps Yato’s previous experience with Regalia. It’s a great dynamic to see, though, and makes the relationship one I’m willing to invest in.
The humour and soundtrack were both spot on again in this episode. Noragami is a series I look forward to because I know it’s going to make me laugh, which is great. Coupled with the fact that the plot seems to be thickening and create questions I really want answerd, Noragami is a must view for me each week. If only the subs came out faster!