History Manga / ImGreatPriestImhotep

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Every person is born with a fate ordained by the Ennead, to serve the greater purpose of maintaining order in the world. It is possible to go against these ''gears of fate'', but the bigger your role or gear is, the more disastrous it is when you fight against your destined role. The main and clearest example is Imhotep trying to save Djoser.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The heroes successfully defeat and seal Apophis, but the damage he did to the world - both spiritual and physical - is too great for the weakened Ennead to undo. With the Ogdoad still lurking in the void, threatening to consume creation. To that end, the gods elect to permanently leave the mortal realm, and Thoth decides to use Damnatio Memoriae one last time to rewrite the world; remaking it with the sole rule that the gods never came in contact with the humans. Unfortunately, that means none of the characters ever meet each other, including Imhotep and Hinome. However, Imhotep and Djoser live full lives back in Ancient Egypt, and all the other characters are able to lead normal and happy lives of their own.]]

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Every person is born with a fate ordained by the Ennead, to serve the greater purpose of maintaining order in the world. It is possible to go against these ''gears of fate'', but the bigger your role or gear is, the more disastrous it is when you fight against your destined role. The main and clearest example is Imhotep trying to save Djoser. [[spoiler: Eventually, it's made clear that the Ennead did this because they didn't want to deal with humanity more than necessary and can thus be considered lazy and uncaring about humankind as a whole aside from the worship they give.]]

* GratuitousLatin: For some reason, [[spoiler: Thoth]] uses Latin for his most dangerous spell, "Damnatio Memoriae", which means "damnation of memory". The rest of the spells are seemingly in romanticized ancient Egyptian with the english translation beside it.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: It turns out Djoser has been under the control of the black serpent, god of darkness and former sun god, Apophis; who is the one who really created the Magai with the help of the miasma from Hell. However, Apophis is a villain because of traumatic events that caused him to lash out in seething rage. The true villains are a combination of the gods that created him (the Ogdoad), the Ennead, the humans that shunned him because they feared the darkness and his strong sense of loneliness because Thoth was not allowed to reach out to him.]]

* JerkassGods: The 9 gods that shaped the world, the Ennead, are generally apathetic to humans as individuals, taking them as hosts so they can interact with the mortal world, and assigning them strict, and at times cruel destinies. Though this is less out of cold malice, and more because they concern themselves more with the fate of the world at large. [[spoiler: Set is an outlier, being the only one who's actually concerned about humanity on a personal level.]] However, the alternatives, [[spoiler: namely Apophis, and the Ogdoad,]] are far worse, since the Ennead aren't actually seeking humanity's destruction anymore. Im even notes, that despite all their flaws, the world still needs them, because they are the only ones preventing the world from literally falling apart.

* JerkassGods: Early on, we are to believe the 9 gods that created the world - the Ennead - are all-powerful gods that feel kindness and compassion for humanity. They, however, do not. In fact, none of them [[spoiler: save for Seth]] cares about the fate of the humans or the vessels they use. It is also due to their lack of interest in humanity as a whole that they created the pre-written and cruel fates, making further involvement not entirely necessary. [[spoiler: Zigzagged; They do not concern themselves with problems not their own, not even telling anyone about Apophis and how his immortality is linked to the sun god, Atum. They are deeply flawed individuals just like humans are, perhaps even more so.]]
** This also goes for the Ogdoad, the gods that created [[spoiler: Thoth]] and [[spoiler: Apophis]].

* AncientEgypt: Many characters are from this era; Imhotep, Djoser, the Ennead, [[spoiler: Cleopatra, Ramesses II and Akhenaten.]]

** Imhotep has always lived an unlucky life, even if he had first not considered it to be the case. After meeting and becoming friends with Djoser, however, he was given a whole differen perspective of the outside world. [[spoiler: However, thanks to that different perspective and becoming the best of friends (perhaps even more) with Djoser, Imhotep was determined to save him and his cruel fate of becoming a HumanSacrifice that's supposedly to save the world from doom. Due to people working against his plans, however, said doom escaped and turned Djoser into the BigBad of the majority of the story. This is the start of the cruelties the Magai would bring upon humanity.]]

* ShipTease: Not very subtle, honestly. The main ones are gay/lesbian centric, as well.
** Hinome is shown to really care about her first friend, Kobushi. It borders liking her more than as a friend.
** Lato has been seen having an odd crush on Khonsu in an omake, but this is more CompHet than anything, as she clearly seems to like women more.
** Imhotep and Djoser are clearly more than just friends as well.
** [[spoiler: Thoth and Apophis are clearly more than just friends. Having spent who knows how long together, they are more close than anyone could ever be. It even is the case that Thoth created a word solely for his relationship with Apophis, which is clearly more than just simple friendship. And when Thoth appears again, Apophis cries tears of blood when he senses his return.]]

** In the manga, all creatures of this type are called ''Magai'', which is based on the term ''magaimono'' which vaguely translates to ''immitation''. [[spoiler: And this is made clear why as the story progresses; the Magai are immitation gods. This is more clearly the case with Magai Seth.]]

** Hinome has suffered from burn marks on her neck which she hid under her scarf. These are no longer present when Magai Sekhmet no longer possesses her, as they were likely more symbolic than anything.

* SadlyMythtaken: Despite getting most things (more or less) correct about Egyptian mythology, there are a few errors. Whether this was on purpose or not is unknown, as Morishita has done an immeasurable amount of research. But they’re still human, after all.

* SwordAndSorcerer: Invoked by Khonsu when talking about Im and Harugo's team, with Harogo being the Sword to Imhotep's Sorcerer. He likens them to being characters in an old-school RPG with a mage and sword-wielding character.

* ShownTheirWork: There are an impressive amount of accurate details taken directly from Ancient Egyptian history and mythology. For example, a comic after [[spoiler: the showdown with Seth]] alludes to Set and Horus' encounters from the myths (complete with lettuce), and [[spoiler: Cleopatra references being smuggled to Caesar in a rolled-up carpet]].

This also goes for the Ogdoad, the gods that created [[spoiler: Thoth]] and [[spoiler: Apophis]].

** Hinome has suffered from burn marks on her neck which she hid under her scarf. These are no longer present when Magai Sekhmet no longer possesses her as they were likely more symbolic than anything.
** Haguro's scar on the right side of his face, which also made him lose his right eye [[spoiler: when his father was possessed by Magai Seth.]]

** Imhotep has always lived an unlucky life, even if he had first did not consider it to be the case. After meeting and becoming friends with Djoser, however, he was given a whole differen perspective of the outside world. [[spoiler: However, thanks to that different perspective and becoming the best of friends (perhaps even more) with Djoser, Imhotep was determined to save him and his cruel fate of becoming a HumanSacrifice that's supposedly to save the world from doom. Due to people working against his plans, however, said doom escaped and turned Djoser into the BigBad of the majority of the story. This is the start of the cruelties the Magai would bring upon humanity.]]

* GratuitousLatin: For some reason, [[spoiler: Thoth]] uses Latin his most dangerous spell, "Damnatio Memoriae", which means "damnation of memory". The rest of the spells are seemingly in romanticed Egyptian with the english translation beside it.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: It turns out Djoser has been under the control of the black serpent, god of darkness and former sun god, Apophis; who is the one who really created the Magai with the help of the miasma from Hell. However, Apophis is the villain because of traumatic events that caused him to lash out in seething rage. The true villains are a combination of the gods that created him (the Ogdoad), the Ennead, the humans that shunned him because they feared the darkness and his strong sense of loneliness because Thoth was not allowed to reach out to him.]]
* TheHeartless: The Magai, beings that seek to destroy the world by various means (usually through DemonicPossession), are demonic, malformed beings and [[spoiler: immiation of gods]]. They goal is to bring as much despair and bloodshed unto the world for the sake of chaos and their hate for the true gods. [[spoiler: It is later revealed that the Magai are actually humans mutated through strong, consistent negative emotions and the miasma from Hell. They cannot be cured from this.]]

** Hinome has suffered from burn marks on her neck which she hided under her scarf. These are no longer present when Magai Sekhmet no longer possesses her.
** Haguro's scar on the right side of his face, which also made him lose his right eye [[spoiler: when his father who was possessed by Magai Set.]]

* TheOrder: The Amen Priesthood. Since ancient times they have acted on the behalf of the Ennead in order to bring peace and stability to the world. However, not all priests of the priesthood are saintly; there are also extremists who will even punish those who have vague connections with Magai.
%%* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Anubis.
* SadlyMythtaken: Despite getting most things (more or less) correct about Egyptian mythology, there are a few errors. Whether this was on purpose or not is unknown, as Morishita has done an immeasurable amount of research.
** In the original mythology, Anubis was the god of mummification and the protection of the dead; in this version, "Anubis" is a broad term that refers to a race of lesser gods who serve the Amen Priesthood, more closely resembling Shinto guardian spirits instead of Egyptian deities. They begin as small puppies and are trained by the priests to become fully fledged gods.
** Though the roles of certain figures would change dramatically over the course of history, never at any point was [[spoiler: Apophis a positive figure, or had any relationship to Thoth. Apophis did, however, have a strong connection to Ra, also a sun god, and thus by extenstion, Atum Ra]]. Even Imhotep lampshades how this information completely rewrites the entire mythology.
%%* ScrewDestiny: Imhotep and many of the others strongly will and fight for their cruel destinies to change, ven if they have to fight the gods for it.

* ShoutOut: A few brief examples, including one where Imhotep references [[Film/TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy]] movies.
* ShownTheirWork: There are an impressive amount of accurate details taken directly from Ancient Egyptian history and mythology. For example, a comic after [[spoiler: the showdown with Set]] alludes to Set and Horus' encounters from the myths (complete with lettuce), and [[spoiler: Cleopatra references being smuggled to Caesar in a rolled-up carpet]].

** Im's ability to call upon the god Thoth makes sense, as the real Imhotep was equated with him after his death and deification.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The BigBad's plan is basically this, wanted to annihilate the gods and by consequences anything that lives on the planet.

** [[spoiler: In a broader, and older case, Thoth and Apophis were also this, until Apophis pulled a ThenLetMeBeEvil after being reviled as the king of the Magai for ages.]]
* WhamEpisode:

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Some characters have unnatural haircolors, which include Harugo, Himeko, Khonsu [[spoiler: though thanks to the Ennead erasing his memories]] and some of the Ennead. Most of them, however, have natural hair colors.

** In the manga, all creatures of this type are called ''Magai'', which is based on the term ''magaimono" which vaguelt translates to ''immitation''. [[spoiler: And this is made clear why as the story progresses; the Magai are immitation gods. This is more clearly the case with Magai Seth.]]

* AncientEgypt: Many characters are from this era; Imhotep, Djoser, the Ennead and [[spoiler: Cleopatra, Ramesses II,
%%* ArcVillain: Cleopatra is this for the [[spoiler: Magai Set]] arc.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Not as much with the historical details as with the timing of them. Historically, Imhotep was indeed connected to Djoser. However, the historical Djoser's reign was nearly 5,000 years ago, whereas in the manga's timeline of events neither he nor Imhotep would've been born until around `1000 BC.

** Another minor one is most of the Ancient Egyptian characters are depicted with full heads of hair; it was Egyptian custom for both the men and women to shave their heads, with young boys having a braid on the side of their heads.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Every person is born with a fate ordained by the Ennead, to serve the greater purpose of maintaining order in the world. Played down somewhat, as fate isn't exactly written in stone and can be changed, though doing such a thing often has extremely negative consequences; case and point, Djoser.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The heroes successfully defeat, and seal Apophis, but the damage he did to the world, both spiritual and physical, is too great for the gods to undo, and the Ogdoad are still lurking in the void, threatening to consume creation. To that end, the gods elect to permanently leave the mortal realm, and Thoth decides to use Damnatio Memoriae one last time to erase the world, and make a new one. Unfortunately, that means none of the characters ever meet each other, including Im and Hinome. However, on the positive side, Imhotep and Djoser live full lives in Ancient Egypt, and all the other characters are able to lead normal, happy lives of their own.]]
* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: Oh, so many. [[ForeignFanservice Im]], [[TroubledButCute Harugo]], [[{{Hunk}} Djoser]], [[{{Biseinen}} Khonsu]]...
* CentralTheme: You don't give up on your true friends, no matter how bad things may get.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Many, many characters have one.
** Hinome mother died when years ago. Then, she was ensnared by the magai Sekhmet which resulted in her acquiring the ability to breath fire, which she cannot control at all. She ended burning her own house and scarring herself from the incident. Nowadays, she is lonely without any friends as she was marginalized for most of her life by the others because of her father's reputation as an occultist. Getting the curse made it even harder to live. Fortunately, she was freed of the fake Sekhmet's curse and is slowly getting more and more friends.
** Imhotep [[spoiler: suffered from ParentalAbandonment ''twice'', his first and at the time only friend gets turned into the BigBad due to Im's failure the protect him from becoming a HumanSacrifice which leads to the release of untold amounts of destruction into the world in the form of [[TheHeartless the Magai]].]]
* GratuitousLatin: For some reason these Ancient Egyptian priests use Latin to describe their most dangerous spell, "Damnatio Memoriae", which means "damnation of memory".
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: It turns out Djoser has been under the control of the Chaos Serpent, Apophis, who is the one who really created the Magai.]]
** [[spoiler: References are made to a group of primordial gods called the Ogdoad, who created existence, and now seek to return creation to the primal nothingness.]]
* TheHeartless: The Magai, beings that seek to destroy the world by various means, usually through DemonicPossession, casting a [[{{Curse}} Curse]] on their victims and generally killing as many humans as possible in the process. The most powerful ones which are copies of the Ennead are each implied to be a PersonOfMassDestruction.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Aside from Imhotep and Djoser, we are also introduced to [[spoiler: Cleopatra VII, Ramses II, and Akhenaten]] as the story progresses.
* JerkassGods: While most of the gods have yet to be given that much real attention, many of the characters have this opinion of them, noting how they impose cruel fates on people solely for maintaining the supposed order of the world. They also kept the presence of [[spoiler: Apophis]] to themselves.
** [[spoiler: Later turns out to be Zigzagged; the Ennead are very flawed, and they rarely concern themselves with how their actions affect individuals. But they are still sincerely devoted to protecting the world from Apophis, and even Imhotep notes that the world still needs them, if only because Apophis and the Ogdoad are ''far'' worse.]]
* ManlyTears: Imhotep frequently cries in moments of great emotional strain. Such as when he was about to (but failed) [[spoiler: destroy Djoser's (what turned out to be temporary) body in chapter 9.]]
--> '''Imhotep''' to [[spoiler: Djoser]]: 'Farewell, my friend.'
* MsFanservice: [[DarkActionGirl Cleopatra]], to the surprise of absolutely none of the readers. Its even lampshades in an omake, where Djoser asks one of his minions if he deliberately made Cleopatra this, who affirms this.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: The driving motivation of Im is to finally undo the untold damage he has unwittingly caused by his failure 3000 years ago.
* OverlyLongHug: In keeping with his NoSenseOfPersonalSpace, Imhotep gives an overly long hug to Hinome in thanks for protecting him from Ramses. She is more embarrassed by the gesture than anything.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler: Once Hinome re-bonds with Sekhemet, she gets the ability to use fire-based attacks.]]

** Hinome has suffered from burn marks on her neck which she hided under her scarf.

* TheOrder: The Amen Priest Association. Since ancient times they have acted on the behalf of the Ennead in order to bring peace and stability to the world. Too bad that through the many millenniums they've been active they also became willing to do increasingly shady things.

* SadlyMythtaken: Despite getting most things (more or less) correct about Egyptian mythology, there are a few errors.
** In the original mythology, Anubis was the god of mummification and the protection of the dead; in this version, "Anubis" is a broad term that refers to a race of lesser gods who serve the Amen Priesthood, more closely resembling Shinto guardian spirits instead of Egyptian deities.
** Though the roles of certain figures would change dramatically over the course of history, never at any point was [[spoiler: Apophis a positive figure, or had any relationship to Thoth]]. Even Imhotep lampshades how this information completely rewrites the entire mythology.
%%* ScrewDestiny: The protagonist attempt to do so is what led to the plot. Other characters are implied to want it too.
* ShipTease: Not very subtle, honestly.
** Poor Hinome can't get a rest. She is even teased by her previous incarnation in a bonus!
** Lato has been ship-teased with all the guys she is close too: Harugo, Sed and Khonsu.

** Djoser's plans [[spoiler: for his reign as pharaoh, before he knows he's just a sacrifice]] put Imhotep as his chancellor, which is the role the real Imhotep served to Djoser in history.

* SwordAndSorcerer: Invoked by Khonsu when talking about Im and Harugo's team, with Harogo being the Sword to Imhotep's Sorcerer.

** Also, there is a spell that can [[CessationOfExistence erase someone's existence]] and everyone's memories of said person. Imhotep knows it. Actually, he is the only person alive who knows the spell.

** [[spoiler: In a broader, and older case, Thoth and Apophis were also this, until Apophis pulled a ThenLetMeBeEvil after being reviled as a demon for ages.]]

** Chapter 7: Tops it. Turns out that the BigBad is Imhotep's only friend from back in Egypt - prince Djoser. [[spoiler: The Magai were created (or escaped to this world) when Imhotep failed to save Djoser from becoming a HumanSacrifice.]]
** Chapter 19: [[spoiler: Khonsu is under the influence of Apophis, and Hinome's father knows more than he let's on]].
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Djoser's desire to destroy the gods - which would entail TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt - is definitely a Very Bad Thing. However, the guy was really fucked up by his destiny as a HumanSacrifice BecauseDestinySaysSo, and there is some hinting Im's spell made him [[CameBackWrong a teeny bit unhinged]].
** [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted; he's been under the control of Apophis even since then, and is completely out of control of his actions.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Or green, white, red...

''Im: Great Priest Imhotep [Im～イム～ for short] is a shonen manga created by Morishita Makoto as their first long-running manga, having started back in 2013 and is a total of 11 volumes long since it's completion. It was published in Gekkan-shonen and is now available in multiple languages.

%%* ActionGirl : Lato, as seen in chapter 10.
%%** Later on, Yagami too.
%%** Even [[spoiler: Hinome]] gets in on it.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Egyptian mythology at least. But the original one-shot also featured a Greek mythology creature, and {{youkai}}s are mentioned in the series.
** The actual manga ultimately subverts it, implying that the monsters in various mythologies are all magi, [[spoiler: with the youkai in question turning out to be an especially powerful magai, specifically the magai version of Set.]]
** UrbanLegends: Discussed in-universe, some are true and others not. So you have to take them seriously in case they are true.
* AlmightyJanitor: Im is ranked as a minor priest in the Amen Priesthood, due to being excommunicated in the past. However, he is also far and removed the most powerful magic user in the setting aside from the gods themselves.
* AncientEgypt: Of course, since TheHero and some villains are from this era, some chapters and flashbacks are set in it.

Once upon a time, in Ancient Egypt, there was a very talented and powerful priest named Imhotep. He was both respected and feared, loved and hated. However, Imhotep comited a taboo and angered the gods of creation, the Ennead. As punishment, they sealed him for 3000 years.

Nowadays, in modern Japan, Hinome Hawakata, a wanna-be OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent suffers since her childhood from a bad reputation … And a curse that stole her voice!

One fateful day she encounters the titular Imhotep. He tells her she has been possessed by a magai, a fake Egyptian god who brings calamities to the world. The Ennead awakened him to exorcise the magais.

After saving her, Im decides to use her home as his personal palace and wants her to help him with his quest.

On their journey they are joined by some members of the Amon Priest Association.

But things are more complicated that they first seemed.


''Im Great Priest Imhotep'' is Makoto Morishita's first long-running series. This shonen is pre-published in the Gekkan-shonen since 2013 and is currently ongoing.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: A minor example, not as much with the historical details as with the timing of them. Historically, Imhotep was indeed connected to Djoser. However, the historical Djoser's reign was nearly 5,000 years ago, whereas in the manga's timeline of events neither he nor Imhotep would've been born until around `1000 BC.

** In the original mythology, Anubis was the god of mummification and the protection of the dead; in this version, "Anubis" refers to a race of beings who serve the Amen Priesthood, more closely resembling Shinto guardian spirits instead of Egyptian deities.

%%* OverlyLongHug: Imhotep gives one to Hinome after she once again protected him from Ramses.

* [[WeAllLiveInAmerica We All Live In Japan]]: A particularly weird one where the Amen Priest Society's Egyptian branch decides to throw a ''Japanese'' style festival complete with kimonos, fireworks, and Japanese games and dishes. The only real reason that's offered is that the [[spoiler: Magai rampage that happened earlier wrecked the area]].

* ActionGirl : Lato, as seen in chapter 10.
** Later on, Yagami too.
** Even [[spoiler: Hinome]] gets in on it.

* ArcVillain: Cleopatra is this for the [[spoiler: Magai Set]] arc.

* OverlyLongHug: Imhotep gives one to Hinome after she once again protected him from Ramses.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Anubis.

* ScrewDestiny: The protagonist attempt to do so is what led to the plot. Other characters are implied to want it too.

* [[WeAllLiveInAmerica We All Live In Japan]]: The Amen Priest Society's Egyptian branch decides to throw a ''Japanese'' style festival complete with kimonos, fireworks, and Japanese games and dishes. The only real reason that's offered is that the [[spoiler: Magai rampage that happened earlier wrecked the area]].

* AltumVidetur: For some reason these Ancient Egyptian priests use Latin to describe their most dangerous spell, "Damnatio Memoriae", which means "damnation of memory".

** [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted; he's been under the control of Apophis even since than, and is completely out of control of his actions.]]

* ShoutOut: A few brief examples, including one where Imhotep references [[TheMummyTriology The Mummy]] movies.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Its indicated that every person is born with a fate ordained by the Ennead, to serve the greater purpose of maintaining order in the world. Played down somewhat, as fate isn't exactly written in stone and can be changed, though doing such a thing often has extremely negative consequences; case and point, Djoser.

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: It turns out Djoser is under the control of the Chaos Serpent, Apophis, who is the one who really created the Magai.]]