Golden Kamuy: The Hidden Meaning of the Title

Golden Kamuy aired Season 5, Episode 6 on February 9, 2026. It is a pivotal episode for the entire series, as it finally explains a major mystery for us. Golden Kamuy is a very famous series; it first premiered on April 9, 2018, and the anime is still ongoing. Personally, I think it’s a great series, but to be honest, it contains many scenes that might make you feel uneasy. It isn't an anime I can recommend to everyone.

I can understand why many people haven't dived into this series yet. However, if you’ve been watching anime for a long time, you’ve likely noticed this title since it’s famous worldwide. With five seasons now available, you might start to wonder: what is Golden Kamuy? We understand "Golden," but what is "Kamuy"? When the two words are combined, what do they actually mean?

Since I’ve been watching anime for a long time, I’ve known about Golden Kamuy for years, but I didn't actually start the series until recently. Even before I began watching—and even as I made my way through the earlier seasons—I always wondered: what does the title actually mean? I understood the story, the characters, and the world; I could feel the deep bond between Asirpa and Saichi Sugimoto. But, much like with Attack on Titan, the one thing I failed to grasp for a long time was the true significance of the title itself.

Golden Kamuy has come a long way since Season 1 first aired. It followed up with Season 2 on October 8, 2018; Season 3 on October 5, 2020; Season 4 on April 3, 2023; and finally, Season 5 on January 5, 2026. Every season has been great, interesting, and filled with intense fights, but none had explained the title—until Season 5, Episode 6. Finally, everything was made clear.

Before I dive deep into the content, please be aware that although this post only includes anime content and is free of manga spoilers, it does cover the episodes in great detail. Please be careful and leave now if you aren't caught up or want to avoid spoilers! Also, since Golden Kamuy Season 5, Episode 6 contains scenes that may make people feel truly uneasy, you should look away now if you are sensitive to that kind of content.

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The Origins of the Golden Kamuy Story:

Before I explain the real meaning of the title, Golden Kamuy, let me quickly summarize the story. Although the series spans five seasons, the plot is quite simple compared to other anime. To put it briefly, Golden Kamuy follows a young Ainu huntress named Asirpa, who teams up with Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, to find a legendary hoard of gold.

In the world of Golden Kamuy, hidden somewhere in Hokkaido, there is a massive cache of gold that can only be found by decoding a ciphered map. The amount of gold is staggering, consisting of approximately 20,000 kan. To put that in perspective, 20,000 kan is worth roughly 662.9 billion yen modern yen—an incredible fortune. Because the stakes are so high, the characters are obsessed with finding it, each driven by their own personal goals.

Sugimoto needed money, and although he didn’t need a massive fortune, he set out to find the gold once he learned it was hidden somewhere in Hokkaido. On the other hand, Asirpa—whom Sugimoto encountered by coincidence—isn't actually interested in the gold itself. As a typical Ainu, she is deeply grateful for and loves nature; however, she seeks vengeance for her father. Since Sugimoto is a good person to team up with, she decided they should begin their journey together.

The goal is to find gold hidden somewhere in Hokkaido. It sounds simple enough, but of course, the journey is far from easy—after all, the anime spans five seasons! With an incredible fortune of 662.9 billion yen, you could do almost anything: build a new country, topple a government, or even rebuild an empire. Because of this, many powerful factions are hunting for it. The Japanese Empire, a rogue division of the Japanese Seventh Division army looking to rebel, and even the legendary Hijikata Toshizō have joined the hunt. Since so many different forces are involved, the body count is high, resulting in some truly "unpleasant" and intense scenes.

Although the anime series has censored a lot—and personally, I think the whole series is great—it is still not a show I can easily recommend to others because it is so realistic. Throughout the series, there are several scenes that will genuinely scare people, much like those in Season 5, Episode 6. Looking strictly at the story, Golden Kamuy seems similar to other Shonen anime, and Sugimoto constantly demonstrates his courage, determination, and strong will to live. However, in every other regard, Golden Kamuy is far from Shonen; it is a true Seinen work.

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Wilk & Noppera-Bou & Golden Kamuy:

To understand exactly what happened and what led to the story of Golden Kamuy, we must talk about Wilk—also known as Noppera-bo, or simply Asirpa’s father. Wilk is the only person who knows the exact location of the gold, and he is the one who drew those strange tattoos on the Abashiri convicts. We can tell Wilk is a truly disturbed character just by the fact that he chose to carve a map onto living prisoners.

The reason I describe Wilk as a disturbed character is that those strange tattoos on the Abashiri convicts are actually pieces of a map; they are supposed to be joined together to reveal the gold's location. This might sound like a typical mystery, but upon a quick investigation, Asirpa realized something horrifying: Wilk didn't intend for any of the prisoners to survive. He chose to tattoo the map directly onto their skin, knowing they would have to be killed and skinned for the map to be completed.

In other words, the prisoners were intended to be murdered and skinned from the very beginning. It is a disgusting concept—having to kill a person and flay their skin just to find gold—but through this method, Wilk was able to control exactly who could eventually find the treasure. After all, common sense dictates that a normal person couldn't just fight a criminal, defeat them, and then tear off their skin for money. Because Wilk set such a brutal plan in motion, the series is filled with scenes of people being skinned, even though the anime remains heavily censored.

After flaying the Abashiri convicts to obtain the tattooed skins—referred to as Irezumi Ninpi (刺青人皮) in Japanese—we finally have the chance to find the gold. If that fact isn't enough to make you realize the extent of Wilk's madness, let me share even more disturbing facts about him.

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Whose bodies did Wilk choose for his map? He drew it on the Abashiri convicts, a group that included the legendary and strongest swordsman in the series, Hijikata Toshizō, as well as the powerful "monster" Ushijima Tatsukuma. This means that if you want the gold, you eventually have to face and defeat these titans—an impossible task for a normal person or even a talented fighter, especially since these monsters have teamed up.

Furthermore, although it seemed like Wilk was simply caught and held in Abashiri Prison, he was actually being protected by it. As revealed in Season 5, Episode 6, Wilk was being hunted relentlessly by Tokushirō Tsurumi, First Lieutenant of the 7th Division. Tsurumi controls a massive military force that could have easily hunted Wilk down. To protect himself, Wilk intentionally ended up in Abashiri Prison, forcing the prison guards to act as a shield against Tsurumi’s army. Wilk’s plan actually worked—but why? It’s because Tsurumi did not get along with Shirosuke Inudō, the man who controlled Abashiri Prison.

Tsurumi’s power is well-known, so Wilk did a brilliant job of manipulating Inudō into protecting him and stalling Tsurumi. But the story doesn't end there. Among all the Abashiri convicts, there is one man who knows about Asirpa and her Japanese name: Hijikata. In order to fulfill his own dream, Wilk actually teamed up with Hijikata, intending for him to be the one who ultimately secures the gold. To ensure this, Wilk shared the secret of Asirpa’s existence with him. But again, why? Because Hijikata is a dangerous man—someone bold enough to attempt to ignite a civil war against the Japanese Empire.

Even after losing his face and his beloved daughter, and being jailed for the rest of his life, Wilk remained focused on endless fights, battles, and rebellions—the total opposite of his daughter’s nature. In the world of Golden Kamuy, Wilk is a madman, yet he is brave enough to do anything to achieve his goals. He used himself and the existence of the gold as pieces on a chessboard, manipulating everyone to move according to his will. Every one of Wilk’s actions was logical, but they were plans a normal person wouldn't even dare to conceive because they were so dangerous. Yet, Wilk managed to pull it off, and everyone moved exactly as he intended.

Our main character, Saichi Sugimoto, is no fool. Early on, he noticed that Wilk was including his own daughter in this game of chess. Because of this, Sugimoto decided to protect Asirpa and try to shield her from these endless wars. Wilk planned everything, fully intending to put his daughter in harm's way for the sake of his "greater goal," but for better or worse, Sugimoto is determined to lead Asirpa down a different path.

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The true meaning of the Golden Kamuy:

After explaining the story and Wilk’s role, it is time to move to our main subject: the true meaning of Golden Kamuy. In Season 5, Episode 6, Tokushirō Tsurumi finally explained everything to us. Because of the tremendous amount of gold, Wilk and the partners who knew about it had wild dreams, planning to build a new homeland for their people.

The intentions and the dreams were grand, but it was like being sucked into a whirlpool; the deeper you fall in, the harder it is to get out. Wilk and his partners were trying to build something great for their people, but in the end, they were torn apart by differing opinions and infighting, which ultimately led them all to a tragic end.

The story doesn’t end there. Wilk and his old acquaintance, Tsurumi, both knew they had a chance to build something great. Even after all partners had died, Wilk didn't give up; instead, he did the things I mentioned before, dragging even more people—including his own daughter—into the game. On the other hand, Tsurumi is doing much the same thing. Even though the great wars have ended and the soldiers are just seeking a place to rest, Tsurumi refuses to give up on his grand dream. Everyone else wants peace, but he is trying to achieve his goals through even more brutal methods, which has also resulted in countless deaths.

Despite the countless lives already lost, the story is far from over. As news of the legendary gold has spread, even more factions have entered the fray, including interests from Russia and the Japanese Empire. Everyone has a different end goal, but they are all aiming for the same prize, meaning the final and biggest war could break out at any moment.

As a viewer, watching these massive battles is an exciting experience, but it’s also deeply saddening. When it comes to wealth and money, everyone reveals their greediest side and becomes willing to do anything. With a fortune of 662.9 billion yen, even if they divided it evenly, everyone would have more than enough to do whatever they wished. They wouldn't even need to kill one another; they could simply talk it through. But because they are driven by greed, the war continues.

Moving away from current events, let’s look at the history behind the gold. The story begins when the hoard is already hidden in Hokkaido, but how did this "Gold Era" start in the first place? It all began with the greed of a few individuals. Although the Ainu are a people who traditionally love nature and live with gratitude, in the end, who can resist the temptation of gold and wealth? It started by coincidence: some Ainu accidentally discovered gold in the rivers. Once the news spread and people realized the power of that wealth, everything changed.

When the rivers were clean, the Ainu could catch fish easily and enjoy salmon feasts when the season arrived. Even without great wealth, everyone lived happily and no one went hungry. But as more Ainu began digging for gold, they underwent a "job change" that came at a massive cost. Because so many people were mining, the rivers became polluted. The fish and salmon disappeared, and the other Ainu began to starve. That was the moment the whole story entered a vicious cycle.

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We know that because everyone was obsessed with digging for gold, Ainu life changed dramatically. But even more importantly: what happened to those who actually dug it up? History has a way of repeating itself. Those Ainu who mined the gold tried to launch a war for independence, but their boat sank, and everyone died—except for one person. That survivor was the first person to know the exact location of the gold, and he later passed that secret on to Wilk.

Although Wilk seems to care about the details and the "bigger picture," in the end, his actions are no different from those of the Ainu who came before him. The same goes for Tsurumi; although their plans look different on the surface, they are both ultimately obsessed with money as a means to win endless wars. That’s really all it comes down to.

I’ve explained a lot so far, but this vicious cycle is directly related to the meaning of Golden Kamuy. In the world of the Ainu, a "Kamuy" is a god, spirit, or divine being. Kamuy are supernatural entities that inhabit all things in nature—animals, plants, fire, and water. They possess spiritual energy and can be portrayed as both benevolent and malevolent.

When "Kamuy" is combined with "Golden," it signifies that the spirit of the gold acts as a curse or a threat to any human who seeks it. It doesn't matter who you are; once you begin hunting for the gold, you are unlikely to find a happy ending. Everyone involved with the treasure eventually meets with disaster. That is the true essence of the Golden Kamuy.

Source: TVアニメ『ゴールデンカムイ』公式 Official X account

Conclusion:

Golden Kamuy is not an anime I can recommend to everyone, but if you can handle a certain degree of terrifying and graphic scenes, I strongly suggest you watch it. The series isn't just about a journey to find hidden treasure; it’s a story that reveals an ironic truth: the very thing you are searching for is often the thing that will ultimately destroy you.

Although the curse of the "Golden Kamuy" affects everyone, including Asirpa and Saichi Sugimoto’s team, Sugimoto is doing his absolute best to prevent Asirpa from being hurt by it. Perhaps, because of his protection, they will find a very different future. Thank you for reading! I will be publishing more posts about Golden Kamuy soon, so please stay tuned! While waiting for the other Golden Kamuy posts, please leave as many episodic reviews as possible, as there are many challenges from AnimeOshi are waiting for you!

Source: TVアニメ『ゴールデンカムイ』公式 Official X account