Sonju (ソンジュ) is a demon that ventures around the Demon Forest with Mujika. Sonju belongs to a religion known as Heathens, which are shunned by other demons for their behavior of restraining themselves for consuming human flesh.
Appearance
Sonju is a relatively tall and lean demon. He wears a hood and a mask that covers his entire face which when taken off, reveals his abnormally sharp canines. He has a horn at the center of his forehead, and two polydactyly hands (six fingers per hand) that are completely bandaged. Under his hood reveals what seems to be black markings across half of his abdomen, and black pants which is secured with a belt.[1] Sonju is often seen carrying a spear.
Personality
Sonju acts stoic and composed, sometime refraining from interacting with the orphans. And during his interactions, he would use his appearance to intimidate them. Nevertheless, Sonju shows some care for the orphans' safety, and believes they will succeed in breaking the promise.[3]
In truth, however, Sonju is strongly motivated by his desire to resume eating human flesh. Sonju believes in the same religion as Mujika, which apparently forbids eating farm-raised humans. But Sonju believes this ban does not extend to humans naturally born and raised in free human-settlements. He is sadistically gleeful thinking about the day he can hunt humans in the wild again.
History
Musica and Sonju were travelers who wander across the Demon world, along the way they were notified of the "goods" that escaped from Gracefield House. Sonju refused to take the children back to the orphanage, as he wanted the children to be free so that he can hunt their descendants once they reach a good population and he can start hunting "wild" humans outside the farms again.
Plot
Promised Forest Arc
After the news of several Grace Field orphans who had escaped reached Sonju and Mujika, the two ran into Emma, Ray and the other Grace Field escapees by coincidence, who were lost within the forest. When Mujika told Sonju in capturing them and return them back to Grace Field (which could grant them an "easy life" for half a year), Sonju denied her idea, and instead insist om saving them.[4]
Sonju and Mujika successfully rescued the Grace Field escapees from several demons as they brought them to their secret territory within a cave. The two aided in Emma's ear injury and provided hospitality for the orphans, as he provided shelter for them for the next couple of days. During then, Sonju told Emma and Ray the history of the demons, and how the world is divided into two, the Human World and the Demon World as made by the promised contract. Later on, Sonju taught Emma the knowledge and basis of hunting and survival.
Sonju guided the orphans to exit the forest, as the orphans were about to depart in search of Shelter B06-32, Sonju told them to head southwards to look for it. After Emma and the orphans departed, Sonju told Mujika on how he had hopes on Emma and her friends in bringing an end to The Promise, as he expressed his desire in breaking free from the restraint of eating humans due to his and Mujika's religious views as Heathens. Mujika did not respond, as she stared emotionlessly at her friend.
Cuvitidala Arc
Sonju noticed Mujika's odd behavior when she stared towards a distance, and hence questioned her, Mujika replied how she was fine as she proceeded to ride the Sleipnir horse with Sonju.[5]
Skills and Abilities
Archery
Sonju has proven himself to be an expert at archery. Being highly skilled, he was able to precisely hit targets from great distances, such as shooting down a bird in the sky when he tried to demonstrate his skill in archery to Emma.[6]
Fighting
One of Sonju's weapons is a spear, which he uses as self-defence and to attack enemies. When Sonju met a group of demons of a different race, he eliminated all of them with ease using his spear, demonstrating his excellence in fighting.[7]
Relationships
Mujika
Both are of the same religion of exercising the restraint of eating humans, hence the two share a common denominator of being shunned and looked down by the other demons. Sonju considered Mujika to be a close ally, and often venture into the forest with her to hunt for creatures he described as "pests"[8]. Despite the two having a close relationship, both of their intentions occasionally clash, such as when Mujika is seemingly defiant of Sonju's desire to resume his practice of eating humans, and how Sonju preferred to protect them from getting caught by the farm demons when Mujika wanted to capture them and return them back to Grace Field instead.
Leuvis
When Leuvis was shot in the eye by Yugo[9], his life flashes before his eyes as Sonju (and Mujika) were shown to be a few of the demons he met. The nature of the relationship between Sonju and Leuvis currently remains unknown.
Grace Field orphans
When the news of the escape of the Grace Field orphans spread to him, Sonju purposely protected and rescued the orphans from getting hunted by the demons from the farms, and aided them and provided hospitality. He sole purpose of doing so is how he considered them to be able to break The Promise that was created, and eventually a way for him to break free of his restraint from consuming human flesh. Therefore, he put on a friendly and harmless façade towards them to hide this ulterior motive of his.
Sonju refrained himself from interacting with the other orphans, and preferred to remain quiet when he was around them. When Sonju actually talked to them, the orphans showed fear and discomfort, and would listen to his commands and warnings. Such as when Nat, Thoma and Lani stuttered when Sonju warned them not to enter the Demon forest or get close to a body of water, as they frantically obeyed him.[10]
Trivia
- Sonju has an eight-legged horse which he and Mujika uses as a form of transportation. The horse is known as a Sleipnir, an animal in Norse Mythology and the steed of Odin.
- The following are Sonju's rankings in some of The Promised Neverland's official popularity polls.
- In Shounen Jump's 2nd popularity poll results announced in Chapter 102, Sonju is in 15th place with a total of 301 votes.
References
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 51, page 14
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 51, page 7
- ↑ citation needed
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 51, page 11
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 97, page 17
- ↑ citation needed
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 52, pages 1-2
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 51, page 15
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 94, page 4
- ↑ The Promised Neverland Manga: Chapter 51, page 7