The beast of foresight or the beast of prophecy is a beast choujin that had been sought by Chandra and Noh Mask at the behest of Zora for some time.
While the two terms have been used interchangeably, they both seem to refer to the same person. Interestingly, Zora also calls this choujin the Beast of Salvation!
While their intentions for tracking down the beast remained ambiguous initially, it was later revealed that Beast of Foresight was a crucial piece of Zora’s prophetic vision, and hence the name.
Based on what she saw, the beast was supposed to be the savior of Yamato and probably the whole world from the Dark Calamity.
This choujin is prophesized to have the wings of Sora Siruha, and also the mark of the beast on it, meaning it will be a choujin whose powers were inherited, artificially or naturally, from the previous Choujin X herself.
As of the latest chapter, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Tokio Kurohara is the beast of foresight.
Not only is he a Vulture choujin with wings, he also seems to have knack for prophetic visions combined with a high level of perception. Zora kinda deciding to bestow her powers and the mark of the beast on to him only served to cement his name as the Beast of Foresight or Prophecy.
Here’s another point that goes in Tokio’s favor – according to some myths, the vultures are believed to be birds who can see the future. In fact, a lot of people killed vultures to inhale smoked vulture’s brain in order to get the power of premonition.
So going by whatever has happened, the answer to who the beast of foresight is should unanimously end up being Tokio.
Related: Who will be Choujin X? Tokio, Ely or Azuma?
However, if you don’t mind, I’d like my fellow Choujin X readers to entertain a thought, tinfoily though it may be. I believe there is a possibility that Tokio being the obvious choice to be the Beast of Prophecy is a misdirection orchestrated by Sui Ishida.
Time and again the manga has tried to divert our attention from Azuma.
In chapter 32, Yubiko specifically mentions that Azuma “doesn’t look” like the beast. On top of that she mentions that his ability was nothing special, which seemed like she was outright downplaying him.
Then, in chapter 33.2, Zora brushes aside Azuma saying that he was not the piece that fit the puzzle, which was her way of saying he was not the Beast of Foresight.
However, all of it makes me wonder if Ishida is cleverly trying to distract us from the eventual trump card.
Now, I am not saying it definitely is a misdirection, however, when you start looking deeper at a couple of hints, there seems to be slight chance that AZUMA could also be the beast that was prophesized.
Now, if you read my previous article on the Choujin X and now are reading this one, I might come across as a huge Azuma fan. In fact, its quite the opposite, I love and relate to Tokio’s character more than Azuma’s. However, there is something inside me that says that things won’t be as straightforward as Ishida makes it seem.
Could Azuma be the Beast of Foresight?
Like I mentioned above, there is not a definitive answer to this question. I personally feel that this angle is worth considering. You are free to form your own conclusions after going through the hints and instances that I have mentioned below! I am curious to know your thoughts on this too! So feel free to drop a comment at the end.
Azuma’s vision:
So first things first, for a choujin to be termed the Beast of Foresight, they should display the ability to foresee the future. Tokio displayed this ability, so did Azuma.
In this case, both of them had a prophetic dream about the fall of Yamato, with each of them being blamed for the catastrophe by the other in their respective visions.
So, Azuma being able to see the future seems to be a check for now. However, this only makes him a choujin with the powers of foresight, and not the beast specifically.
Is there anything that hints to Azuma being a beast in the manga? Well yes! There most certainly are some hints that suggest that the deuteragonist of the manga has a hidden side to his choujin powers!
Chapter 14 Sora panel:
The first instance that plants doubt in our mind is Zora’s panel from chapter 14 of Choujin X. On my first read, I was more caught up on the skulls in the tower when this scene popped up.
However, going back to this chapter, I realized that Zora’s dialogue is of ample importance.
As of chapter 14, Tokio had already activated his choujin abilities, so it made no sense for her prediction to refer to him. And then, in chapter 20 Azuma awakens his choujin powers.
In retrospect, it is highly possible that Zora was referring to Azuma here, and she called him one of her beasts. This opens up the possibility of Azuma too being in contention for the title of Beast of Foresight!
But then, Azuma is not a beast choujin. Right? Right? Well, that is still up for discussion!
Azuma talking to the hyena:
In chapter 19, Azuma can be seen conversing with a hyena and pointing it in the direction of the ocean.
Talking to beasts is an ability that only beast choujins possess, like Tokio and Nari. So why was Azuma able to do it?
It probably suggests that Azuma has latent beast powers lying dormant inside him. I have written more about his beast choujin powers in a different article. Be sure to check it out by clicking the link below!
Related: What are Azuma’s choujin powers?
The title Moon Beast:
Does it seem strange that out of the all the possible names that Ishida could have come up with, he chose to go with Moon Beast for the title of the chapter in which Azuma awakens his choujin ability.
It could be a simple wordplay, sure, but then when you read it together with the instances I mentioned above, there definitely seems to be more going on here!
Now, if you are wondering if there is any sort of connection between the hyena and the moon, then worry not. There is apparently nothing that stands out.
But then, remember how Tokio was able to talk to pigeons even though he is the Vulture Choujin? Then, what if Azuma’s beastial instincts relate to some other animal who is from a closely related family of the hyenas, like the wolf?
Let me clear something first though, the hyenas and wolves are not that closely related. Hyenas are more close to a mongoose, while the wolf is closer to a dog when it comes to evolution.
But then, neither are the pigeons closely related to vultures, but that didn’t prevent Tokio from talking to them.
I know this is a reach, but I am just putting it out there just in case!
Azuma, if he has a beast choujin side to him, might have the powers of an entirely different beast than the hyena, probably. And identity of that beast might be resting in the panel from chapter 21 I mentioned in the previous section!
Final thoughts on the Beast of Foresight’s identity:
I love the fact that the Ishida has kept things in Choujin X open to interpretation by leaving behind enough clues for both Azuma and Tokio to be the beast of foresight.
For now, it seems like Tokio leads the race for the title as he is literally the beast choujin with the ability of foresight. However, if the ‘Beast’ is just a moniker that is used for a choujin, then Azuma definitely is not very behind.
I mean, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for Zora to have made a mistake in reading her prophetic dreams. As prophecies are often fickle and depends entirely on a person’s perception.
Notice how she always mentions she has been looking for the ‘beast’ and never Tokio. He is a beast choujin, sure, but Chandra and Batista took the literal meaning of the word and might have missed the bigger picture.
Zora seems like someone who is trying too hard at times, painting the picture of a lonely hero in a dismal downfall. In her desperate attempt to find the missing piece of the puzzle, she might be jumping to conclusions here.
Don’t believe me? Just take a look at Zora’s vision and how she interpreted it!
In the vision above, Zora only notices the beast with her wings and her mark. However, there is a huge moon in the background which could be referring to Azuma, and then there is the smoke coming from the palm of her hand, which reminds us of Ely.
In the panel that immediately follows this, we see the silhouette of Tokio, Azuma and Ely, meaning all three of them have a vital role to play in the future.
However, she discards both Azuma and Ely, and chooses to go just with Tokio, as he is the beast. Is that a twisted outlook? We won’t know!
However, for now, the identity of the Beast of Foresight is ambiguous to say the least.
What are your thoughts on who the Beast of Foresight or Prophecy would be? Let me know them in the comments below!