HO-TI

Real Name: Hotei

Identity/Class: Japanese God

Occupation: God of joy and laughter, Agent of the Chinese Government, (perhaps former) God of Drink

Group Membership: The Kami (Japanese Gods)

Affiliations: The Government of The People's Republic of China; possibly The Xian (Chinese Gods),

Enemies: Chaos King (Amatsu-Mikaboshi), "the stupid demon riding a hag";
formerly Collective Man

Known Relatives: Bishamon (father), Kishijoten (mother), Fukrokuju, Daikoku, Jorojin (brothers), Benten (sister), Izanagi (grandfather), Marisha-Ten (grandmother), Ebisu (nephew), Yasha (sister-in-law)

Aliases: Hotei Osho, Little Drunken God

Base of Operations: Ama (Japanese Heaven), also somewhere in China, (former) Japanese countryside

First Appearance: Bizarre Adventures#32/2 (August, 1982)

Powers: Ho-Ti possesses the conventional attributes of the Japanese Gods such as superhuman strength (Class 50 or greater), stamina and longevity. Unlike humans, he can accumulate weight without any serious circumstances or it hampering in his physical activities. He has mystical powers to fly and cross dimensions. He also engages in a form of combat similar to sumo. He can create certain objects (though all he demonstrated was rice wine) out of nothing, but only by using his stolen magic beads. He can live underwater for an indefinite time. While drunk, it's impossible for anyone to lay a hand on Ho-Ti whom he does not wish to.

Weaknesses: Up until the modern era, Ho-Ti was drunk almost all of the time. He used to depend on magic beads stolen from a demon to perform 'miracles' while drunk.

Physical Description: In medieval Japan, Ho-Ti manifested as a very plump naked midget. In modern times, he's still naked and plump, but about 20 feet tall and pink.

History: (Japanese Myth) - Ho-Ti is the Japanese god of joy and laughter. He was considered a protector of children and one of the seven gods of luck.

(Bizarre Adventures#32/2) - A samurai in medieval Japan met an old beggar ('high priest of Hotei') and his god on a bridge. The god, Hotei, had been soaking in the river. He asked the samurai for a donation of his gold purse to the 'preist-hood'. The samurai tried to catch the intoxicated god and failed, but Ho-Ti manifested a pot of rice wine for the samurai using his magic beads. The demon who owned the beads appeared, and they told him the samurai, holding the rice wine, was the thief. The demon fought the samurai, who was now drunk, and was decapitated by him. The priest ran away with Ho-Ti, but the samurai caught them. Rather than punish them for setting him up, he gave them his gold purse for teaching him how to fight while drunk. Ho-Ti is too drunk to speak this whole time.

(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#1 - BTS) - Ho-Ti survived Mikaboshi's attacks on the Kami and fled to China.

(Marvel Comics Presents#55/4 (fb) - BTS) - Ho-Ti offered his services to the Chinese government as possibly their answer to Thor in the USA. He also gave up the drink and grew 14 feet.

(Marvel Comics Presents#55/4) - The Collective Man escaped from their government-sanctioned imprisonment to rush to their sick mother's bedside. Ho-Ti rushed off to return him to the government, but backed off when he realized he was begrudging the mother's joy of seeing her sons.

(Chaos War#3) - Ho-Ti fought the Chaos King and his alien god army when the Chaos King attacked the Kami. He seemingly fell in battle.

Comments: Adapted by Larry Hama.

In his first appearance, Ho-Ti was referred to as the "Little Drunken God - patron of thieves, pimps, poets, accountants, drunkards, and unemployed samurai." However, his master was trying to win a donation from an unemployed samurai, so this all can be taken with a grain of salt, though "drunkards" seems very appropriate.

In his second appearance Marvel's Ho-Ti was curiously allied with the Chinese (rather than Japanese) government, in spite of his mythology. The reason's for his defection to one of Japan's traditional enemies is unknown. Possibly, he also had worshippers in China and became an honorary member of the Xian (Gods of China).

Profile by: William Uchtman and caliban.

Clarifications:
Ho-Ti should not be confused with:

• Hou-Ti (Hun-Tun), the mythological Chinese Mother-Earth
• How-Chi, mythological Chinese god of air