Meme Oshino

Overview

Summary

Gallery

"People can only save themselves. One person saving another is impossible."

— Meme Oshino

Meme Oshino
Kanji Name	忍野 メメ
Kana Name	おしの メメ
Romaji Name	Oshino Meme
Character Information
Age	Around 30
Gender	Male
Personal Status
Classification	Human
Status	Alive
Relatives	Shinobu Oshino (Bound by Name) Ougi Oshino ("Niece/Nephew")
Professional Status
Occupation	Specialist
Affiliation	Gaen Network Occult Research Club (Formerly)
Media
Work of Origin	Monogatari Series
Novel Debut	Bakemonogatari (Part One)
Anime Debut	Bakemonogatari Episode 1
Manga Debut	Bakemonogatari Chapter 1
Voice Actor	Takahiro Sakurai

Appearances
Novel Appearances
Series	Monogatari Series
Volumes	Bakemonogatari (Part One) Bakemonogatari (Part Two) Kizumonogatari Nekomonogatari (Black) Kabukimonogatari Koyomimonogatari Owarimonogatari (Part Three) Wazamonogatari Nademonogatari
Anime Appearances
Series	Bakemonogatari Nekomonogatari Kuro Koyomimonogatari Kizumonogatari I: Iron-Blooded Chapter Kizumonogatari II: Hot-Blooded Chapter Kizumonogatari III: Cold-Blooded Chapter Owarimonogatari Season Two
Manga Appearances
Series	Bakemonogatari Seishun Kijinden! 240 Gakuen

Meme Oshino (忍野(おしの) メメ, Oshino Meme) is a character from the Monogatari Series. He is a middle aged aberration specialist that helps Koyomi Araragi regain his humanity, and goes on to occasionally give the boy advice about the aberrations he encounters. During college, he was a part of the Occult Research Club, alongside Deishuu Kaiki, Yozuru Kagenui, Tadatsuru Teori and Izuko Gaen.

Personality

Oshino is a laid back and composed individual, never appearing flustered or showing any strong emotion in front of others. He is often described as a man who acts as though he sees through others, and his knowledge makes him a reliable mentor figure in Araragi's eyes. He always speaks casually, no matter the gravity of whatever situation he finds himself in. His college friends and fellow specialists describe him as a good-natured man who likes to show off in front of kids, suggesting that his all-knowing exterior is a mask he uses to hide any sign of weakness. Oshino is a man who hates goodbyes, and when he leaves Araragi's town, he does so subtly, giving him small clues about his departure, which Araragi only picks up on once the man is already gone.

Oshino's main goal is to attain balance between humans and aberrations, which makes him different from the other specialists, being much more keen to negotiate peacefully with monsters, instead of outright exterminating them. Furthermore, one of his famous sayings is that "people can only save themselves", expressing his philosophy that, unless people come to terms with their issues and get over them, their problems will never truly be solves. Thus, he hates it when those inflicted with aberrations blame everything on the supernatural beings in question and consider themselves victims, since, more often than not, aberrations are drawn to people who already have some manner of emotional instability.

Oshino is an old fashioned person, not used to modern technology, and therefore dislikes talking over the phone. Another one of his idiosyncrasies is his tendency to put a cigarette in his mouth but never actually light it, eventually throwing it away unused.

Appearance

Oshino is a middle aged man with black eyes, blonde spikey hair and a pointy goatee. His most recognizable trait is his propensity to wear Hawaiian shirts, something he's done ever since college. As an adult, he is shown wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt with a red flower pattern, which he leaves unbuttoned, showing his bare torso. He also wears black cargo shorts and a pair of black geta sandals, alongside a silver earing and necklace featuring an upside down cross and a black fingerless glove on his right hand. When wearing his Shinto priest garb, his slicks his blond hair back.

Background

Much of Oshino's background is unknown. Kaiki states that Oshino has no family at all. Whether he simply doesn't know any of his family members, or whether he has no living relatives left at all, is unclear. As a young man, Oshino attended college, studying to become a Shinto priest. During that time, he became a part of the Occult Research Club, alongside Deishuu Kaiki, Yozuru Kagenui, Tadatsuru Teori and his senior, Izuko Gaen, with whom he would play shogi with. At some point, the group decided to create an aberrations themselves, a tsukumogami of a corpse which was "used" for 100 years. Although they succeeded in reviving the corpse, Yotsugi Ononoki, each of them was cursed in return. After graduating from college, instead of becoming a priest, he went on to live a nomadic lifestyle, acting as a wandering specialist as well as an executive of Gaen's network.

Abilities and Equipment

• Fighting Power: While he isn't shown in combat much throughout the story, Oshino appears to be quite powerful, being capable of stopping three vampire hunters, Episode, Dramaturgy and Guillotinecutter, by himself. Furthermore, he was capable of stealing Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade's heart by himself without her ever noticing.

Quotes

• (Oshino's motto) "People can only save themselves. One person saving another is impossible."
• (Oshino's catchphrase) "You look lively. Did something good happen?"
• (Oshino talking about Tsubasa Hanekawa) "No person exists that is just virtuous, and kindness is only something piled on the outside. There are no humans with just virtue and fairness. Rather, they try to be that and just build up stress."
• (Oshino witnessing Araragi's confrontation with Ougi Oshino) "I can't make fun of you as you finally fight for your own sake. I respect you, Araragi-kun."

Trivia

• Oshino's surname means "hidden plains".
• Oshino's first name, Meme, is usually a female name, which gives Hitagi Senjougahara the impression of a moe-type character.