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Youkai
alt title(s): Yokai
Youkai are a collection of various supernatural creatures that pop up in Shinto religion. This word is often translated as "demon" in Western translations, but that does not adequately describe the creatures in question (the closest true Western equivalent probably being that of the ancient Roman genius). Youkai are not necessarily evil, though some certainly are. Some are mischievous, others avoid humans entirely. Shinto is an animist religion, and youkai are often associated with natural features such as forests and mountains. They have a lot in common with The Fair Folk.

Supernatural creatures drawn from Western sources often turn out to seem more like Youkai in Japanese works. For instance, vampires. In the West you've got Nosferatu - a grotesque, undead monster who burns in sunlight and murders to preserve his hideous unlife. In Japan you've got exceptionally cute Fanservice protagonist Moka, who is not undead, who harbors no ill-will towards the sun, and drinks tiny amounts of blood that do no harm to her "victim."

Youkai are a sub-set of Obake.

  • Kitsune: Fox spirits who are very intelligent and capable of temporarily assuming human form. They can have up to nine tails, depending on their age; a kitsune's number of tails usually has a direct correlation to is Power Level. A popular youkai for the Cute Monster Girl.

  • Oni: These are mountain spirits that share some things in common with trolls and ogres. They are sometimes depicted as evil, but usually morally neutral and interested in their own affairs. They prefer huge blugeoning weapons and hide loincloths. Sometimes blamed for streaks of misfortune. Others work jobs in Fire And Brimstone Hell. Know the different kinds!
    • Suika Ibuki and Yuugi Hoshiguma, both from the Touhou Project
    • The benefactors for the heroes of the Onimusha series, worse demons killed them off so they gave their power to humans. The Gameboy Advance "Onimusha Tactics" game gives nod to the different versions by stating that some escaped this fate by getting jobs in the Underworld.
    • King YemmaEnma and his underlings in Dragon Ball, mostly bureaucrats working in HFIL Hell.
    • Lum from Urusei Yatsura is a variation — she's an alien, but of a race obviously related to folktale Oni
    • One of the Transformation Rays in Keroro Gunsou essentially turns people into Oni, by cheaply slapping on Oni features, arming them with clubs and turning their clothes into hide loincloths. Female victims tend to wind up looking like Lum.
    • Drahmin and Moloch from Mortal Kombat
    • Tarakudo and the other Oni Masks, the antagonists of one of the later seasons of Jackie Chan Adventures.
    • Meisuke "Nube" Nueno sealed an Oni in his left hand, and it becomes the signature element of the series. Two other Oni show up, younger siblings of the formers, with vastly different agendas.

  • Tanuki: Raccoon dog spirits. Pranksters and tricksters, Tanuki spirits are generally fat and jolly. Associated with good luck. Can cause problems for localizers because of their usually enormous testicles. Often erroneously localized as raccoons.
    • The Tanooki Suit for Mario in Super Mario Bros. 3
    • A clan of them feature in the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko.
    • Miroku's buddy Hachi in Inuyasha.
    • The Transformer Heinrad of Beast Wars Neo transforms into one of these. His corresponding toy prominently features the large testicles. which become the upper legs in robot mode.
    • In Naruto, the one-tailed beast Shukaku is one.
    • Tom Nook of Animal Crossing.
    • A one-episode character in 090-Eko To Issho, which, not having ever mastered the transformation business, would hide by possessing people. Last Of His Kind. Is used to cause a Ship Tease and maybe, just maybe, advance the plot.

  • Yuki-onna: Literally means "snow woman". She rescues travelers lost in blizzards, but exacts a price - she sleeps with the traveler in order to steal precious body heat. On the other hand, other wicked Yuki-onna deliberately lead explorers astray in whiteout conditions.

  • Kappa: Water spirits, usally portrayed as small troll-like creatures with turtle shells. The top of their head is bald and usually has a small hole that holds the spirit's water reserve. They become powerless if they are left without water but since they love sumo wrestling, it is hard to tip them over to spill it. They range from mildly mischievous to very dangerous. They can be bribed with cucumbers, which are their favourite food. For some reason, they are popular mascots in Japan, much like trolls in Norway.
    • The Koopas from Super Mario Bros. were based on this creature.
    • As was Kapp'n from Animal Crossing.
    • In Final Fantasy VI, one of the spells can turn you into a kappa.
    • Kappa no coo to Natsuyasumi tells a story of a boy who befriends a kappa.
    • Kappa no kaitaka tells the story of a man who tries to raise one as a pet.
    • Nitori Kawashiro from the Touhou Project
    • Nagasarete Airantou has one whose name escapes me at the moment. The cute, cartoonish variety. Her presence never fails to point out the gaps in the main character's Weirdness Censor.
    • Hellboy is forced to fight one in Hellboy: The Sword of Storms.
    • The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are mistaken for these in the 3rd movie.
    • Two Keronians in Keroro Gunsou are mistaken for Kappa - Dororo, when he is found stuck in a boar-trap, and an early Keronian soldier, who befriended Omiyo the Ghost Girl nearly a hundred years ago.
    • School Rumble's Harima is mistaken for one when he saves Tenma's cat Iori from drowning.
    • Almost every Harvest Moon game ever.
    • Also among the monsters introduced in Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

  • Nekomata: A seemingly ordinary cat that develops magical nature through long life. It looks like an ordinary house cat, except for the tail, which splits into two at half-length. While much smarter than it used to be, a nekomata remains just as whimsical, which may be dangerous with its new found powers of illusion and necromancy.
    • Two tailed demon-beast in Naruto is a two tailed cat.
    • Espeon in Pokemon.
    • Chen and Orin from the Touhou Project
      • Orin, though, is a Kasha, a different type of youkai cat.
    • Found in the Disgaea series (and are used in quick leveling tricks in BOTH the first and second ones). They are more Cat Girls, however.
    • Natsuki, the Cat Girl protagonist of Hyper Police is revealed to be a nekomata in a moment of anger (her tail splits in two)
    • Kirara in Inuyasha.
    • A monster type in Wild AR Ms 2.
    • A common demon/Persona in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.
    • One of the forms of the thing inside Touko's briefcase in Kara No Kyoukai.
    • Jubei and his daughter Kokonoe (a Cat Girl version of this) in Blaz Blue, although they're called 'Grimalkins' in-universe.

  • Tengu: Mountain-dwelling crow spirits whose human forms originally had beaks, but have become phallically large noses.
    • Setsuna from Mahou Sensei Negima is half "bird tribe". They never say the name, but they have encountered a full Bird Tribe Demon and it resembles the classical tengu.
    • Aya Shameimaru and Momizi Inubashiri from the Touhou Project.
    • Naturally, Tengu Man from Mega Man 8.
    • One of the enemies in Okami
    • The boss in Dead Or Alive 2, and returns as a playable character in the fourth installment. His skin is dark black, with white facial hair, and a very long nose.
    • Both Haruka and Sugino in Tactics are tengu - Haruka is known as the Oni-eating Tengu before he is named and bound by the protagonist.
    • The grunts in the 3rd season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are called Tengas, their designs adhering much closer to crows than humans.
      • There is also a Monster Of The Week in the third season of MMPR (Professor Long Nose) whose design adheres more to the classic tengu image.
    • Yotsuba meets Jumbo dressed as a tengu boss during the cart-pulling festival of Yotsuba&!. She's young enough to find it scary, even though she knows it's a mask.
    • One episode of Samurai Champloo features a cult of fanatical sohei (warrior-priests) who disguise themselves as tengu to waylay travelers.
    • One of these is a miniboss in Mad World.
    • Father-Mother appears to be inspired by this, if not expicitly based on them. He/She sports the phallic nose, and general crow theme.
    • Kurama-hime from Urusei Yatsura.

Works that feature Youkai include:

Winged People
« Our Monsters Are Different »
And everything else...
Yagyu Jubei
« Japan »
Yonkoma
Years Too Early
« Anime Tropes »
Kappa
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