Kumi Yamagumonoko

Introduction

Synopsis

Image Gallery

Kumi
Anime
Name
Kanji	山蜘蛛之仔 組
Romaji	Yamagumonoko Kumi
Personal Information
Gender	Female
Age	34
Birthday	January 18
Height	168 cm
Weight	57 kg
Status
Status	Alive
Species	Arachne
Relationships
Relatives	Shiki Tademaru (son) Aya Tademaru (daughter) Akio Tademaru † (brother-in-law)
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 11
Anime Debut	Episode 6 (cameo) Episode 8
Portrayal
Japanese voice	Aya Hisakawa
English voice	Heather Gonzalez

Kumi Yamagumonoko (山 (ヤマ) 蜘蛛之仔 (グモノコ) 組 (クミ) ,, Yamagumonoko Kumi^?) is an Arachne-type Kemono and is the mother of Shiki and Aya Tademaru.

Appearance

Kumi is a woman of average height, with a slender build and pale skin. Her long, soft pastel pink hair flows down past her waist, though she often ties it up in a bun to keep it in place. She has magenta eyes and six small markings on her forehead that resemble tiny spider eyes.

She typically wears traditional Japanese garments and has been seen in various styles throughout the series, including kimonos, yukatas, and even jinbei. She usually wears Azumasun, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, paired with socks, though she has occasionally been spotted walking barefoot.

In her Kemono form, her eyes turn completely black, devoid of irises and pupils. Two spider-like leg structures emerge from each side of her torso, and her back is dominated by a large, furry protrusion resembling a spider’s abdomen.

Gallery

Kumi´s Kemono form

Kumi wrapped in a cocoon

Kumi using a bun to hold her hair

Personality

Kumi is a kind and devoted woman who put her children's well-being above all else. Despite the pain of losing her partner, she did her best to raise Shiki with love and care. Her concern for him led her to seek help, but she was ultimately exploited by Akio, who subjected her to cruel experiments. Even while enduring immense suffering, Kumi never gave up on her children and, in some way, felt love for all the children born from the experiment. Her love for Shiki and Aya is evident in how she brings them together, and upon awakening, she embraces them with warmth, proving that, despite everything, her maternal instincts and kindness remained unshaken.

History

Kumi taking a bath with shiki

Kumi lived in a forest in Kinshi-Go, Gunma Prefecture, when one day she was discovered by the Tademaru brothers, The eldest of them fell in love with her, and together they started a life as a family, eventually having a child. However, before the child was born, the father died in an accident in the forest. Heartbroken by his loss, Kumi was left to raise their son alone.

Some time after Shiki’s birth, Kumi sought out her brother-in-law for help, as Shiki had caught the flu, and in the world of Kemonos, there were no medicines to treat human illnesses. Her brother-in-law took the boy to a hospital, ensuring he received proper treatment. From that moment on, Kumi longed to raise Shiki as a human, but being a Kemono, she realized she was incapable of giving him that kind of life.

That was when her brother-in-law, Akio Tademaru, made her a job offer, presenting her with a way to earn money using her Arachne abilities. The work required her to engage in sexual relations with different creatures and Kemonos from the forests of Kinshi-Go in an attempt to create the perfect hybrid, capable of producing a thread that heals illness and injuries. Wanting to provide a good life for her son, Kumi accepted the offer.

Using Kumi as the maternal base, Akio experimented with countless combinations. However, as the trials progressed, Kumi’s body began to collapse. Even so, Akio refused to stop and continued his experiments until he finally succeeded in creating the perfect hybrid: Aya Tademaru.

Aya sleeping next to Kumi

After Aya’s birth, Kumi, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to the experiments, had her body healed by her daughter. However, some time later, Akio hid Kumi—who was encased in a cocoon made by Aya—in a pool of water, scattering skunk tail cabbage flowers around it to mask her presence.

Powers & Abilities

Kumi is a Kemono Arachne and has posses has the common abilities of the species:

• Shapeshifting: Kumi has the ability to shapeshift between her Kemono form and her human form.
• Thread creation: Kumi can create threads just like a spider.
• Physical grip: She can climb and walk on walls.

Skills

• Knit: Kumi loves knitting and does it with dedication. For her, it’s a way to show affection. With patience, she made coats for her children and those close to her, putting her care into each piece.

Relationships

Shiki Tademaru

Shiki is her firstborn, and Kumi feels a deep maternal love for him. She does everything to protect him, even putting herself in danger to ensure his well-being and a better life. This was evident when she agreed to participate in Akio’s experiments, believing it would provide a safer future for Shiki.

Aya Tademaru

Despite everything she went through, Kumi feels no anger or resentment toward Aya. On the contrary, she loves her daughter deeply and never blamed her for what happened. Nowadays, they spend most of their time together.

Akio Tademaru

Akio is Kumi’s brother-in-law, and she trusted him because he seemed kind and helpful. However, it was all a deception. Akio manipulated and used her in experiments to create the Golden Silk, under the pretense of giving her and Shiki the chance to live peacefully as humans. For six years, he subjected her to systematic abuse with different creatures and Kemono species from the region, attempting to produce an offspring capable of generating the golden thread. The experiments were excruciating, and even when Kumi could no longer endure them, Akio refused to stop, continuing until he finally succeeded. Additionally, he separated her from her son, Shiki, after the boy was traumatized from witnessing the experiments during his childhood.

Appearances

Manga Appearances

Chapters in order of appearance

Shiki Arc

• Chapter 11 - The Spider's Thread
• Chapter 12 - Madness
• Chapter 13 - Dearest Wish
• Chapter 14 - The Golden Thread

Intermission Arc

• Chapter 16 - Kabane's Long Day

Akira Arc

• Chapter 21 - Operation Everybody Gets Along (cameo)

Shikoku Arc

• Chapter 27 - Ambition

Gourd Training Arc

• Chapter 44 - Mission (cameo)
• Chapter 50 - Mission (cameo)
• Chapter 54 - Caliber (cameo)
• Chapter 55 - Wind Blowing on the Hellfire (cameo)
• Chapter 57 - Fallen Star (cameo)

Anime Appearances

Episodes in order of appearance

Introduction Arc

• Episode 6 - Awakening (cameo)

Shiki Arc

• Episode 7 - Home
• Episode 8 - Truth
• Episode 9 - Family

Intermission Arc

• Episode 9 - Family

Etymology

• Kumi's given name means "set, group, class, team" (組, kumi).
• Her surname contains the kanji for "mountain" (山, yama), "spider" (蜘蛛, kumo/gumo), and "pup" (仔, ko).

Trivia

• She consider baths as her favorite part of human culture.
• She consider wearing shoes as her least part of human culture.
• She ate pizza when she first came to Tokyo.
• She calls Shiki's father her husband, but they're not married because they legally can't, but they love each other.