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Tanda
Tanda
Tanda
Information
Gender Male
Occupation Herbalist
Location New Yogo
Appears
Novel Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
Anime Episode 01: Balsa, the Female Bodyguard
Voice Actors
Japanese Kouji Tsujitani
English Peter Doyle

Tanda is a Yakoo herbalist who lives in the mountains, as well as a student of Madame Torogai. While his skill as a shaman is lacking, he is a good doctor due to always having to heal Balsa after her many battles. Tanda works as a traveling medicine man, trading his wares with the local towns and cities. His house was originally Torogai's house, and he spent much of his youth there, under her tutelage. The house is a day's walk from Kosenkyo.

Tanda has a long-standing crush on Balsa which began during their childhood. Though Balsa has no apparent indication of reciprocating his feelings, she cares for him deeply. Because of her itinerant lifestyle, Tanda feels some amount of bitterness towards her frequent disappearances, often without any sort of warning. As time passes, however, Balsa accepts her feelings for Tanda, and ultimately the pair end up together; they are shown travelling together in Where the Wind Takes Us.

Tanda mentions seeing the nahji bird in great numbers during his youth, but not since then. He grew up in a poor rice-farming village to part-Yakoo parents. Tanda has several siblings: his oldest brother, Noshir(u), who is married and has a daughter named Kaya[1]; another older brother (unnamed); a younger sister, Cheena; and a younger brother, Kaiza, who eventually has at least one child. Tanda's father was gruff and disapproving; his mother (possibly named Tona[2]) worried that Tanda would grow up to be a non-contributor to society, like her maternal relative, Uncle Onza. Tanda's maternal grandmother, who is full Yaku, lives across the river in Tohata Village, a few hours' journey from Tanda's home village, Yashiro Village. In appearance, Tanda resembles his grandfather, Kunda, who was a full Yakoo but who left his village in the mountains to marry Tanda's grandmother (presumably his paternal grandmother). As a boy, Tanda was openly ridiculed for his strange ways, and his family does not like that he chose to become a magic weaver[1]. Noshiru especially accuses him of shirking work and lying about his spiritual diagnoses. However, his family did appreciate his ability to make medicines, and they continue to ask for his assistance even after he leaves home to live with Torogai, despite responding with ingratitude when he helps them.

Even in childhood, Tanda had a special sensitivity to Nayug; he was able to see the spirits of Nayug, which his family could not see, and when he mentioned these creatures his family accused him of lying. He could also see the spirits of the dead, an ability that continues into adulthood. Tanda is very kind and helps anyone who needs him. He is observant and intelligent, as shown when he realized the La Lunga would only interact with the sig salua flower and those who consumed the flower's nectar.

Tanda's altruism often leads him into trouble. In Guardian of the Dream, while attempting a soul call to rescue his niece Kaya from the dream world, his body is possessed and transformed into a demon, and when his soul is restored to his body he has been badly injured by those trying to defend themselves from the demon. He is kidnapped in Guardian of the God. In Guardian of Heaven and Earth, Tanda joins the New Yogo army in the place of his brother Kaiza, after being convinced by Noshiru to take Kaiza's place since Kaiza had recently had a child. Placed in the lowest ranks of the army, Tanda is so badly injured that Balsa must amputate his arm in order to save his life and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from witnessing death and destruction from the result of war. However, Balsa helps him get through the painful recovery, and the two are implied to live happily ever after.

Trivia[]

  • He is 1.75 meters tall.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Guardian of the Dream
  2. Floating Rice Husks, Ch. 3: "Tanda tasted the okina soup and pulled a face. The broth was so bitter. Tanda’s grandmother laughed. 'You’re even more sensitive than our Tona,' she said." (The implication being that Tanda takes after his mother in being sensitive to the bitter taste of the soup. "Tona" is never mentioned anywhere else.)
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