The Nezumi (鼠, Japanese for “rat” or “mouse”) are the rat-folk of the plane of Kamigawa — one of the most distinctive humanoid races in the setting. Feared, despised, and forced to the margins of Kamigawa society, the Nezumi went from persecuted outcasts in the original Kamigawa block to resilient survivors and gang bosses 1,200 years later in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
The Nezumi in the Original Kamigawa Block (CHK / BOK / SOK)
During the events of Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, and Saviors of Kamigawa (set during the Kami War, circa 3,000 years before the modern Magic timeline), the Nezumi occupied a specific ecological and social niche:
- Home territory: The Takenuma Swamp — a vast, dark wetland in the south of Kamigawa, toxic to outsiders, and the primary Nezumi homeland. The swamp is filled with pestilence, fetid water, and dying trees, making it inhospitable to other races but survivable for the Nezumi.
- Social role: Outcasts, criminals, assassins, and information brokers. Nezumi were treated as vermin by other Kamigawa inhabitants — particularly the Samurai clans and the Soratami (moonfolk). They survived through cunning, theft, and violence.
- Relationship with the Kami War: The Nezumi had no formal side in the war between the mortal world and the spirit realm. They were opportunists — stealing from both sides, hiring out as assassins, and exploiting the chaos.
Notable Nezumi from the Original Block
- Nezumi Shortfang // Stabwhisker the Odious (Champions of Kamigawa) — A legendary Nezumi who specializes in torture and information extraction. He forces opponents to discard cards, and flips into Stabwhisker the Odious when the opponent has an empty hand — draining life each upkeep. A classic black control piece and fan-favorite lore character.
- Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator (Champions of Kamigawa) — A Nezumi who steals from graveyards. In his flipped form, Nighteyes the Desecrator reanimates creatures from any graveyard for 4B. One of the best reanimation effects printed on a creature at the time.
- Patron of the Nezumi (Betrayers of Kamigawa) — The Nezumi’s patron spirit — a monstrous rat-god that forces opponents to sacrifice a permanent whenever another permanent is put into a graveyard. The closest thing the Nezumi had to a deity.
- Throat Slitter (Betrayers of Kamigawa) — A Nezumi Ninja with Ninjutsu (2B) that destroys a nonblack creature when it deals combat damage. One of the most feared Ninjas from the original Ninjutsu cycle.
- Okiba-Gang Shinobi (Betrayers of Kamigawa) — A Nezumi Ninja with Ninjutsu (2BB) that forces opponents to discard two cards when it connects. Still a staple of Pauper and Legacy Ninja strategies.
The Nezumi in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO, 2022)
Set 1,200 years after the original Kami War, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty reveals what became of the Nezumi. They are no longer swamp-dwelling outcasts — they have adapted to the cyberpunk cityscape of Towashi and transformed into a powerful criminal underworld:
- The Okiba district is the Nezumi-controlled zone of Towashi — a sprawling industrial neighborhood built on the ruins of the Takenuma Swamp. Where there was once fetid swamp water, there are now neon-lit back alleys and underground garages.
- Street gangs: The Nezumi now control a network of street gangs specializing in motorcycle racing, illegal modification shops, and sabotage for hire. Their status as outsiders made them natural experts at surviving the shadows of the megacity.
- Kaito Shizuki, the blue-black planeswalker introduced in NEO, is closely tied to the Okiba Nezumi through his background as a street racer and his connection to the gang networks.
Notable Nezumi in Neon Dynasty
- Okiba Reckoner Raid // Nezumi Road Captain — A saga that captures the Okiba gang’s aggressive tactics; the back face is a Nezumi creature that leads street attacks
- Nezumi Bladeblesser — A Neon Dynasty Nezumi that distributes +1/+1 counters when it enters, fitting the modified-creature theme of the set
- Nezumi Linkbreaker — A Nezumi Ninja with Ninjutsu that generates Clue tokens when dealing damage, representing the information-network angle of NEO Nezumi culture
Nezumi in Magic’s Card Design
From a mechanical standpoint, Nezumi cards share consistent design themes across both eras:
- Black mana identity — Nearly all Nezumi are black-aligned. They embody black’s values of self-interest, cunning, and survival at any cost.
- Discard and hand disruption — Nezumi repeatedly appear with hand attack: Nezumi Shortfang, Okiba-Gang Shinobi, and similar effects represent their talent for stealing and undermining opponents.
- Ninjutsu — The Ninja creature type is disproportionately Nezumi in the original block; the rat-folk were natural assassins and infiltrators.
- Graveyard interaction — Nezumi Graverobber, Patron of the Nezumi, and similar cards reflect the Nezumi’s relationship with death and decay in the Takenuma Swamp.
For a full overview of the Kamigawa plane, all three original sets, Neon Dynasty, and the Kami War story, see our complete Kamigawa guide.