Furi

言霊の巻物

The Kotodama scroll

Yamata no Orochi stole the Kotodama scroll, and the whole village is forgetting its words. It tore the scroll into five pieces and gave them to five bewitched yokai. Shiba sets off with Grandpa Tanuki: every right answer is a blow, and a beaten yokai is freed from the spell and hands back its piece.

Every scene has a Japanese phrase — tap 🔊 to hear it. · 33 phrases

★Who’s who

Who stands with the words, who Orochi controls — and where each side is strong or weak in a run.

Team Shiba — the side of words

Shiba and the friends who run in its place. Grandpa Tanuki leads the way; the Sea Turtle, the Dragon King (once freed) and the sun goddess Amaterasu help along the journey.

  • StrongThe power of words: every right answer is a blow.
  • WeakHearts: a knock, a fall or a wrong answer costs one. Out of hearts, three right answers in a row let you run on (once a run).

On home stages: one more heart and the ability charges faster.

Shiba

Ability
Balanced — the friend’s skill charges a little faster everywhere.
Home stages
None
Strong
Steady on every stage.
Weak
Best at nothing in particular.
Unlock
From the start

Mike the cat

Ability
A third jump in the air.
Home stages
Fuji Village, Bamboo Forest, Snowy Mountain
Strong
Gaps and obstacles in a row.
Weak
No edge under the sea or in the sky.
Unlock
Clear Fuji Village or 600 coins

Kon the fox

Ability
Every third question, a wrong choice fades.
Home stages
Festival Night, Orochi's Lair, Takamagahara
Strong
Bosses and answer streaks.
Weak
No help with running and jumping.
Unlock
Clear Festival Night or 900 coins

Kawa the otter

Ability
Swims lighter.
Home stages
Summer Beach, Coral Reef, The Deep, Dragon Palace
Strong
Easy to steer through the whole sea chapter.
Weak
No edge on land or in the sky.
Unlock
Clear Orochi's Lair or 1,200 coins

Tsubame the swallow

Ability
Comes down slowly; gusts don’t push it.
Home stages
Sea of Clouds, Thunder Peaks, Takamagahara
Strong
Shrugs off the Thunder Peaks’ wind.
Weak
Ordinary away from the sky.
Unlock
Clear Dragon Palace or 1,500 coins

Usagi the rabbit

Ability
Jumps higher.
Home stages
Snowy Mountain, Festival Night, Sea of Clouds
Strong
Reaches high places, dodges snowballs.
Weak
No extra jump like Mike.
Unlock
40 shards

Kuma the bear

Ability
One more heart everywhere.
Home stages
Bamboo Forest, Fuji Village
Strong
Takes the most knocks — great for beginners.
Weak
No help with terrain.
Unlock
40 shards

The five bewitched yokai

Orochi tore the Kotodama scroll into five pieces and gave them to five yokai it bewitched. None is truly wicked: beat them and the spell breaks, and they hand their piece back.

  • StrongEach stage has its own small foes and obstacles: crows, low bamboo, water-throwing kappa, wisps, slippery ice and snowballs.
  • WeakThe easiest bosses — few hits, plenty of time to answer, slow throws. They teach you the ropes.

  • Great Oni

    Fuji Village

    Sorry for blocking the way.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Giant Kappa

    Bamboo Forest

    The curse sat in the dish on its head.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Umibōzu

    Summer Beach

    Gives the sea its blue back.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Chōchin-obake

    Festival Night

    Only wanted to light the festival.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Yuki-onna

    Snowy Mountain

    Its frozen heart has thawed.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

Yamata no Orochi

The eight-headed mastermind who stole the Kotodama scroll so the village would forget its words.

  • StrongLava in the gaps and everything at once; quicker questions and fire thrown fast.
  • Weak“Your words… are stronger than all eight of my heads!”

  • Yamata no Orochi

    Orochi's Lair

    Chapter 1’s boss, throwing fire.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    6s
    Throws every
    1.7s

The sea — Orochi’s black scale

Orochi’s last black scale got into the Dragon King, who swallowed the sea’s Kotodama pearl. Shiba swims: hold to rise, let go to sink.

  • StrongTougher bosses (four or five hits); the Dragon King throws even faster than Orochi. The deep is dark, with pufferfish spines and jellyfish gates.
  • WeakThey’re only under the scale’s spell — Isonade “only wanted to guard the palace gate”. Kawa makes it much easier.

  • The Great Octopus

    Coral Reef

    Squirts pitch-black ink.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Isonade

    The Deep

    Shark yokai guarding the palace gate.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    6.5s
    Throws every
    2s

  • The Dragon King

    Dragon Palace

    Chapter 2’s boss, throwing pearls of light.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    6s
    Throws every
    1.6s

The sky — the Black Cloud

Orochi’s last breath became the Black Cloud and hid the sun goddess Amaterasu. Shiba flies: hold to rise, let go to glide.

  • StrongThe Black Cloud is the hardest boss — five hits, the fastest throws. Gusts on the Thunder Peaks scramble your flight; little thunder gods throw lightning.
  • WeakTsubame isn’t pushed by the wind. The cloud can’t stand “the light of words”.

  • Fūjin

    Sea of Clouds

    The wind god of the sea of clouds.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    7s
    Throws every
    2.4s

  • Raijin

    Thunder Peaks

    Drums up thunder.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    6.5s
    Throws every
    1.9s

  • The Black Cloud

    Takamagahara

    The final boss, throwing dark bolts.

    Hits to beat
    Seconds to answer
    6s
    Throws every
    1.5s

Bosses throw while they ask; the last blow is sometimes a kanji to write instead of a choice. Easy is slower, gives 1.5 more seconds and a boss one hit fewer; Hard is faster, 0.8 s less, one more hit, and pays half again as many coins.

Chapter 1The Kotodama scroll

Prologue

Prologue: the stolen scroll

  1. Grandpa Tanuki

    Shiba! Something terrible! Last night Yamata no Orochi stole the village's Kotodama scroll!

    the spirit of words

  2. Grandpa Tanuki

    Without the scroll, everyone is forgetting their words. This morning the dango lady couldn't even say thank you!

    thank you

  3. Shiba

    I'll get it back! And I'll practise lots of words on the way.

  4. Grandpa Tanuki

    Orochi tore it into five pieces and gave them to five yokai it bewitched. Beat them with the power of words — every right answer is a blow!

  5. Grandpa Tanuki

    Off you go, Shiba — take care!

    see you — take care (seeing someone off)

Before the stage

Fuji Village: setting off

  1. Grandpa Tanuki

    The Great Oni holds the first piece at the end of the village. Jump the obstacles, stomp the little oni, and answer right!

  2. Shiba

    Here we go!

    do your best

After the stage

Fuji Village: the spell is broken

  1. Great Oni

    Oh… my head feels light. Orochi had bewitched me. Sorry for blocking your way!

    I'm sorry

  2. Great Oni

    Here is the first piece of the scroll. The bamboo forest lies ahead.

  3. Shiba

    Piece 1 of 5! Onwards!

Before the stage

Bamboo Forest: setting off

  1. Shiba

    The bamboo forest is so quiet…

  2. Grandpa Tanuki

    Mind the low branches — slide under them. The Giant Kappa lives in the pond at the end.

    be careful

After the stage

Bamboo Forest: the spell is broken

  1. Giant Kappa

    The water dish on my head is clean again. Thank you! Here's the second piece — keep it safe.

    thank you

  2. Shiba

    Piece 2 of 5!

Before the stage

Summer Beach: setting off

  1. Grandpa Tanuki

    The summer sea! Umibōzu rises from the waves with the third piece. Jump on the swim rings to fly!

    the sea

After the stage

Summer Beach: the spell is broken

  1. Umibōzu

    The sea is blue again… Take the third piece. Goodbye, little friend.

    goodbye

  2. Shiba

    Piece 3 of 5!

Before the stage

Festival Night: setting off

  1. Shiba

    A night festival! The lanterns are so pretty!

  2. Grandpa Tanuki

    Don't get carried away! Chōchin-obake, the lantern ghost, hides in the crowd.

    festival

After the stage

Festival Night: the spell is broken

  1. Chōchin-obake

    I only wanted to light up the festival… It's fun now! Here's the fourth piece.

    fun

  2. Shiba

    Piece 4 of 5!

Before the stage

Snowy Mountain: setting off

  1. Grandpa Tanuki

    The snowy mountain is cold and the ice is slippery. The snow woman keeps the last piece.

    cold

After the stage

Snowy Mountain: the spell is broken

  1. Yuki-onna

    My frozen heart has melted. So warm… Here is the last piece, and the way to Orochi's lair.

    warm

  2. Grandpa Tanuki

    All 5 pieces! The scroll is glowing… Orochi, here we come!

Before the stage

Orochi's Lair: setting off

  1. Grandpa Tanuki

    This is Orochi's lair… Eight heads, eight tricks. But you have all five pieces now.

  2. Shiba

    I'm not afraid! Every word I've learnt will protect me.

    it's all right

  3. Yamata no Orochi

    Hmph… A little dog dares come here? Let's see how long your words last!

End of chapter 1

Orochi's Lair: the spell is broken

  1. Yamata no Orochi

    Impossible… Your words… are stronger than all eight of my heads!

  2. Grandpa Tanuki

    The Kotodama scroll is whole again! The words are flying home to everyone!

  3. Shiba

    The dango lady can say thank you again!

    thank you

  4. Grandpa Tanuki

    The journey is over, but learning never ends. Let's keep going together!

    let's keep getting along

Chapter 2The pearl of the sea

Before the stage

Coral Reef: setting off

  1. The Sea Turtle

    Thank you for beating Orochi! I'm a sea turtle from the Dragon Palace. Orochi's last black scale got into the Dragon King, and he swallowed the sea's Kotodama pearl. Fish everywhere are forgetting their words!

    the sea

  2. Shiba

    I'll help! But… can I swim?

  3. The Sea Turtle

    Hold to swim up, let go to sink. Come, climb on my back!

    to swim

After the stage

Coral Reef: the spell is broken

  1. The Great Octopus

    Oh… my ink was so black I couldn't see a thing… Sorry! My head is clear again!

    sorry

  2. The Sea Turtle

    The deep is ahead. Isonade guards the way down.

Before the stage

The Deep: setting off

  1. The Sea Turtle

    The deep is so dark. Only the light of words shows the way here.

    dark

  2. Shiba

    Then I'll remember every word like a lantern!

After the stage

The Deep: the spell is broken

  1. Isonade

    I only wanted to guard the palace gate… The black scale made me fierce.

    to protect

  2. The Sea Turtle

    The Dragon Palace is just ahead! Keep going!

Before the stage

Dragon Palace: setting off

  1. The Sea Turtle

    There's the Dragon Palace! Once it was the brightest place under the sea.

    the Dragon Palace

  2. The Dragon King

    Who dares enter my palace? The pearl is mine!

  3. Shiba

    Dragon King, I've come to bring the words back to the sea!

End of chapter 2

Dragon Palace: the spell is broken

  1. The Dragon King

    What… have I done? The black scale is gone. Thank you, little dog.

    thank you so much

  2. The Sea Turtle

    The Kotodama pearl shines again! Fish all over the sea are singing!

  3. Shiba

    The sea is so beautiful!

    beautiful

  4. The Dragon King

    The palace gate is always open for you. Come again!

    come again

Chapter 3The sun's light

Before the stage

Sea of Clouds: setting off

  1. The Dragon King

    Little dog, there's trouble! Orochi's last breath became a black cloud and hid Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The world is growing dark.

    the sun

  2. Shiba

    I'll fly up there! But… how do I fly?

  3. The Dragon King

    Hold to rise, let go to glide down. Fūjin guards the sea of clouds — the black cloud has bewitched him.

    to fly

After the stage

Sea of Clouds: the spell is broken

  1. Fūjin

    My winds… are gentle again. Thank you! Let me blow you higher.

    wind

Before the stage

Thunder Peaks: setting off

  1. Shiba

    The wind gusts so hard! The thunder keeps rumbling…

    thunder

  2. Raijin

    Who dares fly over my thunder peaks? My drums will scare you away!

After the stage

Thunder Peaks: the spell is broken

  1. Raijin

    Ha ha! You're good. From now on my drums beat only to cheer you!

    amazing

Before the stage

Takamagahara: setting off

  1. Shiba

    Takamagahara… but everything is dark. Where is Amaterasu?

    heaven

  2. The Black Cloud

    The sun is mine! Without light, your words will sink into darkness!

End of chapter 3

Ending: the words come home

  1. The Black Cloud

    No… the light of the words… too bright…

  2. Amaterasu

    Thank you, brave little dog. Thanks to your words, the sun rises again.

    good morning

  3. Shiba

    It's bright again! The village, the sea and the sky — the words are back everywhere!

  4. Amaterasu

    The journey ends, but every word learnt is a sunrise. Keep going!

    do your best

★Their own stories

Mike the cat’s own story

Meeting

  1. Mike the cat

    I'm Mike, the dango shop's cat. Since Orochi took the scroll, the shop lady can't say her sweets' names…

    dango

  2. Mike the cat

    I jump really well — three times in the air! Let me run too.

    to jump

After Orochi falls

  1. Mike the cat

    The shop lady can call my name again! I'll bring dango to everyone on the way.

    tasty

When the sun is back

  1. Mike the cat

    The sun is so warm… I just want to nap on the shop roof all day.

    warm

Kon the fox’s own story

Meeting

  1. Kon the fox

    I'm Kon, the Inari shrine's messenger. No one sings at the festival — Orochi stole the songs' words.

    shrine

  2. Kon the fox

    My magic fades the wrong answers. Let me lead the way.

After Orochi falls

  1. Kon the fox

    The festival is singing again. The Inari shrine must be glad.

    song

When the sun is back

  1. Kon the fox

    Even in the sky my magic helped. Now I'll take the news home to the shrine.

    celebration

Kawa the otter’s own story

Meeting

  1. Kawa the otter

    Hi! I'm Kawa, a river otter. I hear the Dragon Palace is in trouble — leave the water to me!

    river

After Orochi falls

  1. Kawa the otter

    Orochi's beaten! Now down to the sea — I swim really fast.

    to swim

When the sun is back

  1. Kawa the otter

    No water to swim in the sky… but seeing the sun come back was worth it!

    sky

Tsubame the swallow’s own story

Meeting

  1. Tsubame the swallow

    I'm Tsubame! Every spring I fly over the village. This time the sky is too dark to find my way home.

    spring

  2. Tsubame the swallow

    Gusts don't shake me. In the sky, let me fly ahead!

After Orochi falls

  1. Tsubame the swallow

    I saw the village from up high: everyone is chatting happily again.

    to talk

When the sun is back

  1. Tsubame the swallow

    The sky is bright! Next year I'll fly back to the village — see you then!

    see you next year

Usagi the rabbit’s own story

Meeting

  1. Usagi the rabbit

    I'm Usagi, the rabbit on the moon. I pound mochi every night — but the sky is so dark the moon is sad.

    moon

After Orochi falls

  1. Usagi the rabbit

    Orochi's down! I'll pound a big batch of mochi to celebrate.

    mochi

When the sun is back

  1. Usagi the rabbit

    The sun by day, the moon by night. Everything is where it belongs again.

    night

Kuma the bear’s own story

Meeting

  1. Kuma the bear

    I'm Kuma, a bear cub from the bamboo forest. I'm not fast, but I'm strong — I get back up however often I fall!

    forest

After Orochi falls

  1. Kuma the bear

    The bamboo forest is calm again. Even the honey tastes sweeter!

    sweet

When the sun is back

  1. Kuma the bear

    So high up, I was a bit scared… but with friends beside me, nothing's scary.

    friend

Run with Shiba in the app

In Furi every stage is a run: review words on the road and beat the yokai to open the next scene.

  • Coming soonApp Store
  • Coming soonGoogle Play
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