Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
Why do the Minamoto boys appear youthful?
Historically speaking, Nasu no Yoichi was a samurai who lived between the years 1169, to 1232. He allegedly died during a ceremony at the age of 64. Hirano has been loyal so far to the time periods where both the Drifters and Ends lived and died, such as Toyohisa dying on October 1st 1600 as a 30-year-old, and Anastasia being a 17-year-old. It seems quite strange that out of everyone, Yoichi would appear as a 19-year-old. Furthermore, Yoshitsune looks around the same age as Yoichi, despite Yoshitsune being 30 years old when he died. This begs the question, why was everyone else loyally taken from the end of their lives, but both Yoshitsune and Yoichi were seemingly drifted at such a young age? Is it a Heian Era thing? Is it on purpose?
Is the character of Abe no Seimei based on fact or legend?
Abe no Seimei is basically the equivalent of Merlin, with fact and fiction being heavily mixed in his existence. That being said, we can determine which parts of him are facts and fiction. For example, we know that he was part of the Heian court as an onmyouji serving the emperor, and partaking in government as a kind of adviser. He was a diviner and astrologer, and died at the old age of 84, never contracting any notable illness or suffering throughout his life.
THAT BEING SAID, once he died a number of legends began to appear around him. For example, a legend tells of how the kitsune Kuzunoha is his mother. Once Abe no Seimei discovered she was truly a kitsune, she ran away and left Abe no Seimei with Kamo no Tadayuki, since as a half-yokai there was a threat he could grow up evil, and she wanted him to live a human life. He also had a hand in slaying the powerful oni, Shuten-Doji, by divining its location to Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and was allegedly capable of commanding weak yokai himself. There was also that one time he was killed, but got resurrected and killed the guy who killed him. Looking at his legends, it'd explain why the Black King doesn't want a direct confrontation with him.
- Add-on question: where is Abe no Seimei's famous book, the Hoki Naiden? It was his cherished book of spells, and source of magical secrets. I understand it could've fallen into the property of Doman, his arch-rival who killed him and kept the book. However, Seimei was resurrected by Saint Hokudo and came back to kill Doman, so is there a possibility he still has it with him?
Combined with the fact that Abe no Seimei says he's 84 despite looking like a 24-year-old at least, as well as his throwaway line of "I stopped fooling around with familiars," is Drifters Abe no Seimei purely historical fact, or could he be the half-yokai hero we know from legend? Especially since kitsune are known for their immortality, and the longer they live the stronger they get. If that's the case, it could be an interesting thing to explore, given how Abe no Seimei seems dead set on saving humanity when he's not completely human himself.
Was Orte fighting wars with countries other than the West Trade Federation?
In regards to Orte being on it's last legs, Saint Germi says "this is what happens when you wage wars in every corner, at the very least you shouldn't have declared war with the Trade Federation in the east". Was Orte fighting other wars with other countries in different regions?
- If they are, what are the other countries? Have we seen them yet?
Are the Ends using paper talismans to communicate? If so, how did they learn it?
In chapter 38 and I think episode 10-11 of the anime, Rasputin is seen using ofuda/fu/shenfu (paper talismans usually associated with onmyouji or fulu would use) to communicate. I believe the talismans are also seen in episode 4 of the anime, and one of the earlier chapters of the manga. Which one of the Ends employed such magic? Rasputin seems like an easy choice, however he was a Russian mystic. I doubt he would've gotten his hands on onmyodo/fulu/shenfu and learned its in and outs so well he could use it to communicate with others, but is it possible it's magic passed down from someone else? Did ofuda/fu/shenfu magic already exist in the alternate realm? If so, is that how Rasputin learned it?
How long have the current Drifters been present in the alternate world?
From the anime, it looks like the whole thing has been spanning over a month at least. Is there any confirmation on how long it's been since the whole liberation plot was cooked?
