Dark Gathering: Why Does Yayoi Have 2 Pupils in Each Eye?

The anime release of Dark Gathering is nearly upon us as its HIDIVE debut continues the wave of Summer 2023 debuts. This upcoming series is the adaptation of a beautiful and macabre manga that’s surprisingly dark and violent for a Shonen story. But people just hopping into the series might be caught off guard by the designs of some of the characters. One such example in Dark Gathering is Yayoi Hozuki, whose eyes resemble skulls with their 2 pupils, and fans might understandably ask, why?

Skull Eyes in Dark Gathering: Why Does Yayoi Have 2 Pupils?

The reason for Yayoi having 2 pupils in each eye resembling a skull in Dark Gathering is tied to her ability to perceive the spiritual and physical realms in tandem. However, Yayoi’s younger self at this time only saw ghosts as hazy figures. In Chapter 1 of the manga, she and her mother visit a doctor who identifies this condition and even notes Yayoi’s claims of double vision, but naturally doesn’t realize what else Yayoi is seeing.

Related: Dark Gathering Episode 1 English Sub Release Date and Time

Essentially, the pupils allow her to see each realm separately. It wasn’t until an accident a year and a half before the events of Dark Gathering when Yayoi lost her parents, that her intelligence shot off the charts, and her perception of the human and spirit world became inseparable.

How Does Yayoi Use Her Eyes in Dark Gathering?

Yayoi uses the spiritual senses her eyes seem to give her to track down ghosts and potentially find the bizarre embryonic spirit that took her mother away. It’s essentially like a monster-taming mission akin to capturing Pokemon, so when Yayoi meets Keitaro, the series protagonist, she finds a valuable resource: Keitaro is prime bait.

Keitaro’s talent is his unique ability to attract spirits to his location, a skill he resents. However, upon continuous bonding with Yayoi, who Keitaro watches over as a tutor, the two can work together, enabling Yayoi to capture the malicious spirits who often target and terrorize Keitaro.

It’s going to be exciting to see this series brought to life, especially with the terrifying ghosts that’ll grace the screens and your nightmares. Coming from OLM, the studio that has worked on Berserk, Pokemon, Komi Can’t Communicate, and tons of other shows, keep an eye out for this one on your HIDIVE queue.