izuko

The Izuko is the "Keeper of the Gate of Grudges" who presents each soul with three choices: pass through the Gate of Grudges to heaven and be reborn, refuse to admit death and remain as a ghost on earth, or haunt and kill one person and then proceed to hell and eternal suffering. In the first Skyhigh, Izuko was a stillborn baby, so she arrived at the gate without even knowing which option she would choose. In the end, the superiors decided to make her the gatekeeper. The only rule is that she can't choose the option for the person, or she would fall into hell. In the end of the manga, Izuko, whose real name is unknown, decides to take the path to be reborn and the gatekeeper role is passed down to Anna. The previous gatekeeper then goes to earth to see her little sister living happily. She says that she wants to meet her someday and, from the sky, she looks toward the living world, while proceeding to a new life. In Skyhigh Karma, the Izuko who succeeds Anna, still with an unknown name, has the ability to see into the future. She died in a car accident along with her family, which she saw in a vision, and blamed herself for it. Unlike her family who went to heaven, she chose to be the next gatekeeper to repent. After discovering that Katou Imaru was the real body of the snake, Izuko chose to be the protective deity of Mai, despite knowing that it was outside of her jurisdiction and that there was a possibility of being sent to hell. In Skyhigh Shinshou, Izuko herself stated that she was aborted.