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Yokai

    In General 
Yokai are the magical beings of GeGeGe no Kitaro that come in a number of species and classifications. The term is not exclusive to Japanese monsters, but also includes monsters from around the world.


  • Adaptation Personality Change: Depending on the series, certain characters are either already good despite originally portrayed as antagonistic or started off bad but reformed later on.
  • Invisible to Normals: Played with, while in most series yokai are visible to humans, within the 2018 anime humans are unable to see yokai for the most part. Some cases ignore this, such as the Kappas' revolution and the 808 Tanuki's take over of Japan. In the yokai apartment episode, it is shown that they can make themselves invisible only to certain people. Later episodes tend to ignore this, where yokai are visible to humans that don't have any powers. In the 10-year Time Skip when Mana is an adult, yokai have returned to being normally invisible to humans.
  • Long-Lived: Most yokai have rather long lifespans, usually spanning centuries.
  • Meaningful Name: Nearly every yokai's name correlates to what they are, what they do, or where they live.
    • Punny Name: Occasionally some yokai's names are puns.
  • Our Monsters Are Different: With the numerous variety of monsters there are in the world, Yokai come in many different shapes and sizes, from living objects and nature spirits to werewolves and vampires.
  • Our Ghosts Are Different: Yurei are a class of yokai, born from deceased humans, with many sub-types such as Borei (Ruined or Departed Spirits) and Onryo (Vengeful Spirits).
  • Paper Talisman: Yokai that are sealed into something have this attached to them.
  • Pointy Ears: In the 2018 anime, some yokai that resemble humans are given pointy ears as an indicator of their supernatural nature.
  • Race-Name Basis: Tends to happen when only an individual of a race, if there are others shown, is the focus. Most prominently are the Yokai of large groups such as the Tsurube-Bi who are only ever called as is. The 2007 anime has a group of Yuki-Onna who have names consisting of their species and a given name, for example "Yuki-Onna Aoi". A similar case applies to the vampires, who often introduce themselves as "Vampire [Name]".
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: A large amount of yokai are often sealed within items.
  • Single Specimen Species: Zig-Zagged, depending on the yokai and adaptation, there may only be one individual of a species or an entire race of them. Usual aversions are the Kappas, Kitsune, Tanuki, and any number of Tsukumogami.
  • Youkai: But of course.

Notable Yōkai Races

     Kappa 
Water-dwelling Yōkai that normally have shells on their backs and plates on their heads.

There are a number of subspecies, such as the Hyosube, Gangi-Kozo, and Sara-Kozo.


  • Making a Splash: Many are able to generate water from their bodies and breath it out in powerful beams. They are also excellent swimmers where a group can create a powerful whirlpool to reveal the bottom of a lake.

     Karasu-Tengu 
A variety of Tengu, they often serve as guards or a police force, bringing in Kitaro during his trial set up by Momon-Jii.

     Kitsune 
Foxes with supernatural powers, which often include but are not limited to shapeshifting, illusions, fox fire, and longevity.
  • Asian Fox Spirit: The kitsunes of GeGeGe no Kitaro normally reside in Japan, but there are other fox Yōkai from other countries such as China.
  • Meaningful Name: As Kitsune is Japanese for fox, they are also called "Yoko" which means "yokai fox".
  • Playing with Fire: A common technique they use is called "Fox Fire" (Kitsune-Bi).
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Another common technique is their ability to shapeshift, choosing to appear as they please. They tend to pick between two standard transformations:
    • Fox Folk: How the majority of Kitsune commonly tend to look like when choosing a more humanoid form.
    • Little Bit Beastly: Another common form they take when appearing as humans, looking mostly human with fox ears and tails, some also wear masks to conceal their face.

     Shinigami 
Skeletal Yokai that act as grim reapers.
  • Cheated Angle: Their lower jaw is only ever seen from a 3/4th angle, with one side always appearing larger than the other.
  • Meaningful Name: The name means "Death God/Spirit".
  • The Grim Reaper: They act as psychopomps. In the 2007 anime, most of them just quietly follow people whose death dates are approaching. Other adaptations tend to make them more aggressive, aiming to kill people and steal their souls instead.
  • You Are Number 6: Any individual mentioned is only ever numbered.

     Tanuki 
Tanuki (Japanese raccoon dogs) are another race of animals with supernatural powers, most notably shapeshifting and longevity.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Much like the Kitsune, the Tanuki can shapeshift, though not many tend to showcase this ability.
  • Tanuki: But of course.

     Vampires 
A class of yōkai who drink blood, while normally hailing from the west there are vampiric yokai from Japan and other countries.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: There are many different varieties of vampires thanks to the multitude of legends around the world. The more humanoid vampires tend to come from the West, especially around Europe. Conversely, the more monstrous vampires come from the East, such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries.

     Werewolves 
A race of yōkai who are anthropomorphic wolves.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: The werewolves of GeGeGe no Kitarō are usually only seen in their wolf form, if they even have human forms. The London Werewolf and Wolfgang are the only individuals shown to have human forms. The latter can also transform without the need for the full moon.
  • Pointy Ears: Wolfgang, the sole werewolf shown in the 2018 anime, has these and is an indication that they're yokai when in his human form.

    Witches 
Yokai resembling humans that are able to harness and use magic.
  • Pointy Ears: An indication that they're yokai in the 2018 anime.
  • Mage Species: They look like humans but have much longer lifespans and can perform magic.
  • Really 700 Years Old: Despite appearing like humans, they seem to age much slower. In the 2007 anime, the Witch of the old generation has no changes in her appearance from 30 years ago to the present. In the 2018 anime, Agnes and Adel remain the same 10 years after meeting Mana.

    Yuki-Onna 
Women with powers over ice and snow.
  • Adaptational Dye-Job: The Yuki-Onna portrayed in GeGeGe no Kitaro tend to have hair color ranging from blue to purple to white, and of varying shades. In the 2007 anime, they have hair colors ranging from blue to purple. The Yuki-Onna of the 2018 anime have white hair, but have highlights ranging from blue to purple.
  • Ethereal White Dress: They tend to wear white kimonos.
  • An Ice Person: They have powers over the ice and snow, being able to create snow storms and the like.
  • Meaningful Name: Snow Woman.
  • One-Gender Race: As is in their name, they are always female.
  • Really 700 Years Old: As with many other Yokai, they can live for over a century.
  • Weak to Fire: A given due to their nature as snow Yokai.
  • Yuki-onna: They are the yōkai of myth.

Friendly Yokai

    Bake-Garasu 
Yokai crows that act as the usual transportation of the Kitaro Family.
  • Creepy Crows: A few normally flock around the Yokai Post, unnerving some people who come to send a letter, and around Kitaro's home. Helps that they are associated with the Kitaro Family, a group of Yokai, for being their transportation.
  • Nearly Normal Animal: Apart from being called Bake-Garasu and a flock of them being able to carry a person the size of a child, they are otherwise normal crows.

    Tofu-Kozo 
Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba (1985), Daisuke Sakaguchi (1996-2007), Arisa Sekine (2018)

A yokai boy who carries around a plate of tofu.


    Sunekosuri 
Voiced by: Kouji Yada (1971), Yumi Uchiyama (2018)

A small yokai that resembles a cat or dog, that rubs the shins of people.


    Rokuro-Kubi 
Voiced by: Shinobu Kinoshita (1985), Machiko Toyoshima (2007), Aya Hisakawa (2018)

A human-like yokai with the ability to stretch her neck.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Usually depicted with black hair, she has red hair in the 2007 anime.
  • Long Neck: Usually appears as a normal woman, she can stretch her neck to an impressive length.
  • Meaningful Name: Her name means "stretching neck".
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: Following the defeat of Nanashi, Rokuro-Kubi was added to the intro with other ally yokai, waiting (invisibly) in the train station with Mana.

    Akaname 
Voiced by: Yuuta Kasuya (2018)

A yokai who licks the filth off of bathroom walls.


  • Adaptational Attractiveness: In the original chapter and episode focusing on Akaname, they were depicted with a rather grotesque appearance, having a muddy exterior with occasional flies around them. Later adaptations made them look more petite and generally pretty.
  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has brown hair in the 1985 and 2018 anime, in the 1996 anime their hair is red-violet.
  • Ambiguous Gender: Averted for the original chapter and episode where Akaname is depicted as a man. From the 1985 anime and onward Akaname is given an androgynous design.
  • Bizarre Taste in Food: Loves to eat grime and other filth off from the bathroom walls.
  • Overly-Long Tongue: Uses this to eat the filth from bathroom walls.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In the 2018 anime's opening, starting after episode 50.

    Kasa-Bake 
Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto (1971), Masato Hirano (1985), Takeshi Kusao (1996), Katsuyuki Konishi (2007), Yasuhiro Takato (2007, Eps. 53 and on), Tetsu Inada (2018)

Kasa-Bake is a tsukumogami of an umbrella and a reoccurring ally of Kitaro.


  • Animate Inanimate Object: Being a tsukumogami he is this, specifically a living umbrella.
  • Hot-Blooded: The 2018 version is surprisingly energic and outspoken, though his manners can come off as annoying to some people.
  • Parasol Parachute: His usual method of flight.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In the 2018 anime's opening, starting after episode 50.
  • Serious Business: In the 2018 version, he firmly believes that humans should take great care of their umbrellas and is upset when he sees a man ditching his parasol because it was a cheap plastic one.

    Tenjo-Name 
Voiced by: Kazumi Tanaka (1985), Takashi Matsuyama (2018)

A yokai who eats filth off from the ceilings.


    Nurikabe's Wife and Children 
Nurikabe's wife is voiced by: Mayumi Tanaka
Nurikabe's children are voiced by: Minami Takayama, Hiromi Konno, and Machiko Toyoshima

Nurikabe's wife and children, they appear in the 2007 anime.


    Ohaguro-Bettari 
Voiced by: Tomoko Naka (2007)

A woman who has no facial features other than a mouth full of black teeth. She owns a bathhouse in the 2007 anime.


    Yobuko 
A mountain spirit who echoes back to people yelling " hello" in the mountain.
  • Voice Changeling: In the 2007 anime he can perfectly imitate the voices of others.

    Uwan 
Voiced by: Koichi Tochika (2007)

A yokai who shouts his name as a way to scare humans.


  • Gentle Giant: He's rather tall and means no harm, only calling out to humans as a prank or to warn them of a dangerous threat.
  • Good All Along: Kitaro and the others had thought Uwan was the one attacking the humans, in actuality he was scaring them away before Kurobozu would attack them.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Does one at the end of his episode, where he drags Kurobozu into the eternal darkness after a human sees him.
  • He Who Must Not Be Seen: What Uwan must be to humans, otherwise he is sent to the eternal darkness.
  • Taking You with Me: To save Kitaro and the human journalist who wrote about the haunted sites, he reveals himself and drags Kurobozu into the eternal darkness.

    Yuki 
A young Yuki-Onna that gets into a relationship with a human boy named Shun.

    Yuki's Mother 
The mother of Yuki who tries to get her to stop dating a human, not wanting her to go through the same as she had in the past.
  • My Beloved Smother: Is this to her daughter, trying to steer her away from loving a human.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: Had one with a human who became the father of Yuki.
  • No Name Given: Her name is never mentioned and she is only credited as "Yuki's Mother".
  • We Are as Mayflies: Inverted, one of the reasons she gives to her daughter to stop dating Shun is because they live much longer than humans.

    Chimi 
A Yokai who appeared in the 1968 anime, he was the umpire for the baseball match in the first episode. There is another Yokai named Chimi in later adaptations, who also fills the role as umpire in the manga and 1996 anime.


  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Lets Kitaro handle the stolen yokai bat problem peacefully. Later he calls the baseball match a draw, allowing the boys to keep their lives.

    Kuro-Kamikiri 
A large black yokai whose teeth are strong enough to cut hair.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: He is covered in black fur but stopped Kihatsu and sealed her away and aids Kitaro when she is released from her prison once more.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Holds Kihatsu in place, allowing Kitaro to throw the purification flame at her to destroy her and unfortunately him as well.
  • Meaningful Name: He is colored black and cuts people's hair.

    Bake-Kujira 
A skeletal whale yokai, guardian of the Whale Graveyard.
  • Dem Bones: An animate whale skeleton.
  • Living Ship: Acts as this for the Kitaro Family whenever they need its help in the 1996 anime.
  • Monster Whale: Subverted, at first it appeared as if it was attacking, it was actually helping the ghost of a deceased man meet his daughter by attracting Kitaro's attention.
  • The Speechless: Unlike most other Yokai who are capable of speaking the human language, the Bake-Kujira only speaks in whale songs.

     Hitotsume-Kozo 
A one-eyed boy Yōkai.


  • Adaptational Badass: In the 2007 anime, Hitotsume-Kozo is able to cast spells with his pain brush, making an area give off an illusion that he's a normal human. He can also create an ink copy of Kyōrinrin. Averted in the 2018 anime, where he lacks most of these powers.
  • Age Lift: While normally portrayed as child-like, the 2007 anime's Hitotsume-Kozo, is more mature, has a deeper voice, and even works an office job in his episode despite being around the height of a child.
  • Cyclops: A given, due to his name.
  • Meaningful Name: One-eyed monk boy.

Seven School Mysteries

    In General 

Mischievous yokai who haunts schools and prank humans.


    Hanako-san 
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (2018)

A yokai haunting the girls' bathroom in Mana's school who is friends with Neko-Musume.


  • Cute Ghost Girl: She looks really cute for a haunting ghost.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Fitting since she's a ghost.
  • Friendly Ghost: She's friends with the Neko-Musume and the others and doesn't harm the humans of the school she haunts. She also helps evacuate humans during the Nanashi incident.
  • Hitodama Light: Has a pair floating around her constantly.
  • Perception Filter: Is able to turn herself invisible in front of humans.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: Starting in Episode 50, she along with other Yokai allies to the Kitaro family appears in the intro, invisibly waiting at the train station with Mana.
  • Shrinking Violet: She seems kind of shy. When Medama Oyaji calls her cute, she blushes as though she was embarrassed.

    Yosuke-kun 
Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma (2018)

Another yokai haunting in Mana's school; stalked Hanako-san before he was defeated by Neko-Musume.


Other Yokai

    Hihi 
Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (2018)

Hihi is a baboon yokai.


  • Adaptational Nice Guy: The Hihi of legends occasionally prey on humans. In 2018 adaption he does not feed on humans and is rather amicable, if not harsh to those he teaches.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Despite how ferocious his larger form is, he is easily dispatched by Kitaro with a single hit.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He really is a friendly yokai, his methods are just brutal and he fails to realize they don’t always work.
  • Killer Gorilla: Hihi can transform into a much larger version of himself when enraged.
  • Training from Hell: His training regime with his protege involves a lot of work with very few breaks.

    Hitotsumebo 
Voiced by: Ryohei Arai (2018)

A cyclopic yokai who has an enhanced form of sight and friend of Kagami-Jijii


  • Super-Senses: He can see things clearly from very far away.
  • X-Ray Vision: Another application of his powers is that he can see through walls.

    Jinmenki 
Voiced by: Michihiro Ikemizu (2018)

An elderly tree yōkai who is the guardian of the Hidden Village.


    Zashiki-Warashi 
Voiced by: Midori Katou (1968), Keiko Yamamoto (1985), Tsutomu Kashiwakura (1996), Ryō Hirohashi (2007 and 2018)

Child-like yōkai who are able to bring good luck to the homes they inhabit.


    Binbogami 
Voiced by: Kohei Miyauchi (1971), Takeshi Aono (1985), Naoki Tatsuta (2018)

An elderly yōkai brings poverty to the people he haunts.


  • Barefoot Poverty: As a poverty spirit, Binbōgami resembles a vagabond with Messy Hair, dirty clothes, and bare feet.
  • Bad Powers, Good People: In the 2018 anime, he brings misfortune to the people he haunts, but does it so to greedy people, hoping to teach them a lesson and become humble.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: He's kind of grouchy and brings poverty to the people he haunts, but he points out that money can get over one's head, making them greedy.
  • The Jinx: Brings misfortune to those of the home he inhabits.

    Baku 
Yōkai resembling tapirs that are able to eat dreams.
  • Bad Powers, Good People: While they eat dreams, they are normally called upon by Kitarō to deal with Makura-Gaeshi.
  • Baku: The dream-eating tapir of myth.
  • Dream Stealer: The Baku can eat dreams.
  • Meaningful Name: Baku is Japanese for Tapir, of which they resemble.

    Yakanzuru 
A Yōkai sealed away, it is able to consume whatever is in front of it.
Vacuum Mouth: Consumes everything like a vacuum.

    Anagura-Nyudo 
An old man who lives deep in a mountain.
  • Pest Controller: Can command an army of insects and arachnids, even the insectoid and arachnid yokai like the Ogumo, Byochu, and Omukade.

    Byochu 
Byochu are mosquito yokai who serve Anagura-Nyudo in the 1996 anime.
  • Big Creepy-Crawlies: They are giant mosquitoes, about the size of an adult's torso.
  • Mosquito Miscreants: They are sent by Anagura-Nyudo to make the construction workers ill.
  • Meaningful Name: Their name means "Disease Insects", and they bring illness upon those they bite.

Jigoku

    Enma-Daio 
Enma-Daio is the judge of the underworld and sorts out where people go when they die.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: As strict as he is, he is not without reason and is fair to Kitaro and his friends. In the 2018 anime, despite warning him of the consequences if he fails, he gives Kitaro a chance to capture the Four Treasonous Generals in exchange to bring back Neko-Musume back to life.

    Gozu and Mezu 
Two guards of Jigoku, one is bull-headed, the other horse-headed.
  • Meaningful Name: Gozu (bull-head) and Mezu (horse-head) have heads of their respective animals.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: The two of them go around wearing only a fundoshis in the 2018 anime.

Antagonists

    Nurarihyon 
Voiced by: Ryuji Saikachi (1968), Takeshi Aono (1985-2007), Koichi Chiba (1985, ep.4 only), Junpei Takiguchi (Ibun Yokai Kitan), Akio Ōtsuka (2018)
Portrayed by: Kiyoshiro Imawano, Ken Ogata
Kitaro's Arch-Enemy. A nasty yokai that takes the appearance of a kindly, rich old man, and the Supreme Ruler of Yokai.
  • Bald of Evil: Barely a few hairs on that scalp, and rather cruel when he wants to be.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Forms the Great Yokai Alliance with Backbeard in the 2018 adaptation after the latter's resurrection.
  • Demolitions Expert: His primary job in his first appearance was bombing train stations and public areas with disguised bombs, all handmade. He was definitely not the type to lose his cool during this, lest he gives his game away.
    • The 2007 anime has him use bombs as one of his standard attack tactics.
    • His reappearance in the 2018 anime has him bomb a politician's car cause he refuses to accept a bribe.
  • Depending on the Writer: How much of a threat he is to the heroes depend on the installment. He can go from merely competent to Laughably Evil to Big Bad material through the decades.
  • Driven to Suicide: In the finale of the 2018 anime, after all of his plans are foiled, rather than live in atonement for his actions and for all the humans and yokai killed, he instead takes his own life by blowing himself up.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: In his first appearance, Nurarihyon was at best a craftier antagonist that was able to outsmart Kitaro, but ultimately lasted two chapters. Every adaptation since, he's seen as one of Kitaro's biggest adversaries, and one of the most powerful socially and spiritually.
  • Evil Old Folks: Even for a Yokai, he's pretty long-lived.
  • Greed: He's already rather rich and saved up quite a bit of money, but he's noted to be stingy and crafty to get what he wants.
  • Hate Plague: In the 2018 versions he manipulates both Yokai and humans beneath their backs to provoke a war, making them hate each other to the point that they get the same black aura Nanashi had.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Engineers the confrontation with Neko-Seinen to have many yokai renounce Kitaro and join his own side in the 2018 anime.
  • Mr. Smith: His first appearance has his human alias as "Yamada", a rather mundane surname.
  • Non-Action Big Bad: Due to his frail appearance, he’s more of a schemer than a fighter.
  • They Look Like Everyone Else: To most humans, no one expects he's evil because he's so feeble and out of the way.
  • Trapped in the Past: His fate in the "Nurarihyon" two-parter, where he and his partner Jakotsu-Babaa are thrown into the time of Mammoths after using a time machine.

    Shu no Bon 
Voiced by:

A Yokai with a giant red face and fangs, he's Nurarihyon's loyal henchman.


  • The Dragon: To Nurarihyon in most versions. He provides help and brute force.
  • Gatling Good: In the penultimate episode he dual wields miniguns to kill the soldiers who fired on Kitaro.
  • Gonk: Has a massive head with a scary face, which is how Shu no Bon scares travelers in most stories.
  • Horned Humanoid: Has a single large horn on the tip of his head.
  • Slasher Smile: He always sport one, with the middle part obscured by his lower lip.
  • Super-Strength: He's strong enough to hold Wolgang back, despite the latter being in his werewolf form (which is strong enough to let him haul the super-heavy Konaki-Jijii over his head).

    Nanashi (Nameless) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20869ece_ce3a_47de_a222_2bc0271d7237.jpeg
Voiced by: Banjo Ginga

A mysterious being with unknown motives.


  • Big Bad: Of the first half of the 2018 series.
  • Dark Is Evil: Has a dark aura emanating off him.
  • Died Happily Ever After: After Mana gives him a name, his spirit passes on to reunite with his mother and father.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: For the first half of the 2018 adaptation.
  • Element No. 5: His seals he places on Mana are based on the five elements of Wu Xing: Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal, and Water.
  • Fetus Terrible: His actual form is a tiny orb with the mind of a baby.
  • Geometric Magic: He can summon yokai with upside-down pentagrams.
  • Hidden Agenda Villain: He's frequently lurking in the background and secretly orchestrating some events for unknown purposes.
  • Knight of Cerebus: When he appears, the atmosphere turns dark.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: His father was a yokai and his mother was a human woman who was a distant ancestor of Mana.
  • Long-Lost Relative: He's in fact a very distant relative of Mana on his human mother's side.
  • Never Given a Name: Both his parents were killed when he was still in his mother's belly. He doesn't have a proper physical form since he was never given a name. Mana is the one who finally gives him a name, which lets him find peace.
  • No Face Under the Mask: His "face" turns out to actually be a mask, with nothing underneath but darkness and a mouth with an Overly-Long Tongue.
  • One-Winged Angel: When he absorbs Mana he physically turns into a giant demonic baby with four glowing eyes.
  • Oni: Though not really evident, aside from his grudge and usage of negativity and sorcery, the flashback and credits for episode 49 confirms that Nanashi's Yokai father was a Oni, making Nanashi half-Oni by default.
  • Overly-Long Tongue: Showcases a creepily long, string-like tongue emerging from his mask from time to time.
  • Reset Button: All the devastation he caused in his rampage is immediately restored upon his death.
  • Sue Donym: Turns out he secretly manipulates humans under the pseudonym of "John Do" (with "Do" written with the kanji for "infant"). Appropriately enough, he's nameless and his true form has the mind of an infant indeed.
  • Tragic Villain: He's the spirit of a baby that rose from the grave after his human mother and yokai father were killed. Without a name, he didn't had any form to begin with and could only wander through the world hearing the negativity and hatred of everyone around him, which drove him to deciding to destroy it all.
  • Walking Wasteland: His giant physical form erases Medama-Oyajii and a good portion of Tokyo with a single slap of his hand on the ground.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: His parents were a human and a yokai who were killed because their races condemned their Maligned Mixed Marriage. Nanashi wasn't even allowed to be born and receive a name from his parents, was never given any love and his spirit was corrupted by the negative emotions of both humans and yokai. He turns Mana into a vessel of malice to give himself the form and power to destroy the world. Nezumi Otoko and Mana can understand Nanashi is suffering because neither humans or yokai ever accepted him and thinks the world would be better off without either of them.

    Nobiagari 
Voiced by: Yasuo Tanaka (1985), Fumihiko Tachiki (1996), Kyousei Tsukui (2007)

A long gel-like yokai, capable of turning people into Vampire Trees.


  • Adaptational Backstory Change: In the original manga it was said to not be a yokai at all, but a lifeform from deep underground that evolved completely differently from surface dwellers. Other series went with the simpler explanation of it being a yokai, though the 1996 version pulled a left-field and claimed it was a space alien.
  • Adaptational Heroism: The 1996 anime Nobiagari was fused with the will of a man named Toshiyuki Masumoto. He turned the villagers into Vampire Trees in order to protect them from an avalanche.
  • Attack Its Weak Point: Kitaro figures that its weak point is its eye in the 2018 anime.
  • Enfant Terrible: Subverted; Within the 2007 anime, the Nobiagari caused quite the ruckus at Yokai Yokocho, turning nearly everyone into Vampire Trees. Once they stop it, they realize that it was just a baby that was unaware of the troubles it was causing.
  • Forced Transformation: It is capable of transforming people and yokai into vampire trees.
  • Kill It with Fire: Its weakness in the 1985 and 2007 anime is lava and fire, respectively.
  • Required Secondary Powers: Averted. Unfortunately, it is not immune to its own vampire tree seeds, as is the case in the 1968 anime where it is stopped by its seeds when they were planted in it.
  • Starter Villain: The first threat that is unleashed that Kitaro faces in the 2018 anime.
  • Weakened by the Light: How it dies in the 1996 anime.

    Miage-Nyudo 
Voiced by: Toshiya Ogata (1968), Yonehiko Kitagawa (1971), Yasuo Tanaka (1985), Yasuhiko Kawazu (1996), Tōru Ōkawa (2007), Michihiro Ikemizu (2018)

A cyclopic yokai, who usually runs his own "school" where he teaches how to be a proper yokai. A reoccurring enemy of Kitaro throughout the series.


  • Bad Boss: In the 2018 series when Nezumi Otoko claims that he'll do anything to further Miage-Nyudo's plans, the latter takes him on the word and sends him to the spiritual realm.
  • Blow You Away: His main power, where he is able to inhale air to grow larger.
  • Combat Pragmatist: After his return in the 2018 series he remembers that his breath attack is useless against Kitaro since he can return from the Spirit World freely... so he just makes the spiritual breath go into a loop, trapping Kitaro there.
  • Cyclops: He has the appearance of a balding Buddhist monk with one big eye.
  • Prison Dimension: In the 2018 series he uses a technique which send people hit by it into the spiritual world, where the stored souls can empower Miage-Nyudo. Kitaro, being a descendant of the Yurei clan, can return freely from it.
  • Starter Villain: The first threat Kitaro faces in the 1996 anime.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: If a human rolls over and chants "Miage-Nyudo, I've seen through you", Miage-Nyudo disappears. Mana got him with this twice. The limitation of a human needing to say this is not needed in the 1996 anime, as Kitaro was able to do this after defeating him.

    Tantanbo 
Voiced by: Toshiya Ogata (1968), Yasuo Tanaka (1985), Fumihiko Tachiki (1996), Yuichi Nagashima (2007), Kōzō Shioya (2018)

A giant head yokai, leader of the yokai castle trio.


  • Cephalothorax: Tantanbo is a giant head that stomps on people.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: In a variation, he can phase through concrete and manipulate it to a certain extent.
  • Phlegmings: Uses blue phlegm to trap his targets.
  • Villain Has a Point: In his second appearence during the 2018 series, he does make some valid points about the deficiencies of the Japanese school system.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Willing to sacrifice children to summon the yokai castle in the 2018 anime.

    Futakuchi-Onna 
Voiced by: Sachiko Chijimatsu, Yoko Kogushi (1968), Yuri Nashiwa (1985), Mariko Suzuki (1996), Mami Kingetsu (2007), Yuko Nagashima (2018)

A yokai woman with a mouth on the back of her head and a pair of snakes as part of her hair, another member of the yokai castle trio.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Usually portrayed with dark hair colors, such as black (1968 anime), dark blue (1985 & 1996 anime), and violet (2007 anime). However, she has white hair in the 2018 anime.
  • The Hyena: In the 1985 anime, she tends to laugh quite a lot during battle.
  • Prehensile Hair: She is able to control her hair snakes to attacks.
  • The Smurfette Principle: The only female in the group.
  • Too Many Mouths: Has a second mouth on the back of her head.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Also helped in getting children to use as a sacrifice, going as far as wanting to eat them.

    Kamaitachi 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1968), Hiroshi Otake, Masashi Hironaka, Kōji Totani (1985), Takuma Suzuki (1996), Masami Kikuchi (2007), Taiki Matsuno (2018)

The last member of the yokai castle trio, he can turn his arms into sickles.


  • Ascended Extra: Usually restricted to just being a member of the Yokai Castle trio, the 2007 anime gives him the role of becoming a recurring antagonist under Nurarihyon's group.
  • Kamaitachi: Instead of the weasel yokai of legend, he looks like a short man with an elongated mouth, similar to an anteater's snout. What he does keep from the legend is the ability to fly around at high speed, often creating whirlwinds that can cut flesh.
  • Pet the Dog: As a teacher he's surprisingly kind and encouraging towards his own pupils.
  • Sinister Scythe: His primary force of offense, being able to turn his hands into sickles.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Also helped in getting child sacrifices for their yokai castle. Later he nearly sliced Hiroto's mouth and poke out his eyes, all while having a sadistic sense of pleasure.
  • You Don't Look Like You: Kamaitachi are described as being weasels with sickle hands in the original myth, though this one does have sickles he doesn’t look even remotely weasel-like.

    Nopperabo 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1968), Masahiro Anzai (1985), Kappei Yamaguchi (1996), Motoko Kumai (2018)

A faceless yokai who is able to steal faces.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has purple skin in the 1985 anime, normal skin in the 1996 anime, and blue skin in the 2018 anime.
  • Adaptational Heroism: Usually portrayed as an antagonist, the 2018 anime has him as a young yokai who wants to protect his friend.
  • Age Lift: Normally portrayed with an adult level personality, the 2018 anime's Nopperabo is relatively young, having wanted to play with children and even his voice is notably younger.
  • The Blank: Has no facial features except for a mouth.
  • Face Stealer: He steals people's faces. He does so normally by feeding people Soul Tempura (Hitodama-Tempura), which makes their faces float away in the form of a Hitodama. In the 1996 anime, he can steal a person's face by eating them, leaving them alive but without any facial features.
  • Heel–Face Turn: In the 1996 anime, after his defeat against Kitaro.
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: In the 2018 anime he had this problem when he was younger, where human children would run away from him because of lack of face.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Soul Tempura, which would normally remove the face of whoever eats it.

    Kaminari 
Voiced by: Daisuke Gōri (1985-1996), Katsuhisa Hoki (2018)

A yokai capable of controlling electricity using his drums.


  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: He's angry and frustrated because in modern times pretty much noone is afraid of thunder and lightning anymore, and he still wants to be feared by humans again.
  • Expy: Of the oni god of thunder Raijin.
  • Fat Bastard: He's so portly he can't wear a shirt and is an obnoxious, brutal Yokai who wishes to instill terror in humans.
  • A God Am I: During the fight against Kitaro he boasts about considering himself a god.
  • Gravity Master: Another of his powers allows him to summon a miniature planet with his own gravity to fight on.
  • Shock and Awe: His main power.
  • Thunder Drum: Has a ring of drums around him that he uses in his attacks.

    Gasha-Dokuro 
Voiced by: Yasuo Tanaka (1985), Masaharu Satō (2007)

A giant human skeleton yokai, many times larger than most yokai.


  • Adaptational Niceguy: Whilst still an antagonist, in the 2007 anime Gasha-Dokuro’s attack is more justified given humans built a skyscraper over an execution site. Also after being beaten he is a Graceful Loser and even apologizes for his rampage. This is in contrast to both the original myth and his every other appearance where he is a feral and sadistic monster.
  • Bad with the Bone: He managed to pull a surprise attack on Kitaro by releasing skeletal arms from his mouth to grab and subsequently eat him in the 2007 anime.
  • Dem Bones: Being the Gasha-Dokuro, he is this.
  • Eye Beams: Newer adaptations of the series gives it the ability to shoot beams from its left eye.
  • Gashadokuro: As in Japanese folklore, Gasha-Dokuro is a giant human skeleton.

    Wanyudo 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1968), Banjo Ginga, Daisuke Gōri (1985), Yasunori Masutani (1996), Kenta Miyake (2007), Hisao Egawa (2018)

A wheel yokai capable of turning people into diamonds.


    Makura-Gaeshi 
A Yōkai who lives in the Dream World.
  • Dream Weaver: He can alter things in the Dream World to his liking. In the 2018 anime, he was able to do this with the Bell of Dream Control.
  • Eaten Alive: In the 2007 anime where he is eaten by a group of Baku.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Had undergone one in the 2018 anime, long before his episode where he used the dream bell to kidnap children but was defeated by a priest and has stopped ever since.
  • Meaningful Name: His name means "Pillow Flipper", referring to the situation where people wake up and find their pillows by their feet.

    Dream Bell Girl 
Voiced by: Mika Kanai (2018)

A girl who was sacrificed to a river god by her village, she was given the Bell of Dream Control by a priest before she was sacrificed. She now resides in the Dream World as a yokai.


  • All There in the Script: Is not named In-Universe, but the website lists her as "Dream Bell Girl".
  • Brought Down to Badass: After Medama-Oyaji breaks the Bell of Dream Control, she's unable to bring people into the Dream World. She's still a yokai, however, and her smile at the end of her episode implies she has more up her sleeve...
  • Canon Foreigner: She is exclusive to the 2018 anime.
  • Dream Weaver: With the use of the bell, she could control dreams.
  • Prehensile Hair: With the use of the Bell of Dream Control she can make her hair grow long and control it.
  • Ride the Rainbow: An additional use of the bell is to create a rainbow bridge that leads to the Dream World.
  • Shared Dream: The dream that the girl invited adults into is a country landscape in the summer.
  • Slasher Smile: Gives a nasty one after one of the adults she brought into the Dream World declines to stay.

    Zunbera 
Voiced by: Kazuya Tatekabe (1971), Aya Hisakawa (2018)

A beautiful human-like yokai, who performs Spiritplastry to change people's faces.


  • Affably Evil: Performs spiritplastry on her clients which eventually makes them faceless, though Zunbera gives the client the choice if they really want to go through with the spiritplastry. She is also rather compliant, allowing those who wish to have their original faces back, but not without making them doubt against it, as they had came to her change their faces.
  • Gender Flip: Zunbera appears as male in earlier series, but is portrayed as a woman in the 2018 anime.
  • It Amused Me: She doesn't charge her clients for her work as she finds their bottomless avarice to be wonderfully precious.
  • Tear Off Your Face: Part of her Spiritplastry involves removing a person's face.
  • Was Once Human: Medama-Oyaji has heard rumors that Zunbera was once a human woman, that was so obsessed with beauty that she drank mercury and died to become a Yokai.

    Umizato 
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (1968), Hiroshi Otake (1985), Ikuya Sawaki (2007), Shin Aomori (2018)

Umizatō is a yokai that uses a biwa to control water. He often uses Funa-Yurei as his minions.


  • Greed: His motivation in the 2018 anime, where he turned sailors into Funa-Yurei so he could get the treasure from the sunken ships.
  • Handicapped Badass: Is blind, but can manipulate water with the use of his biwa.
  • Just Following Orders: Tells Kitaro that he was told to kidnap children by Shu-no-Bon.
  • Meaningful Name: He's a blind man who lives in the sea.
  • Prophet Eyes: Has these in the 2018 anime.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Was sealed in a jar at the bottom of the seafloor in the 2018 anime.

    Funa-Yurei 
Voiced by: Hiroshi Otake (1968), Kōji Totani (1985), Kota Nemoto and Kohei Matsumoto (2007)

Ghosts of fishermen who died at sea, often they are the minions of more powerful yokai such as Umizato or Umiosho.


  • Aquatic Mook: They serve under yokai who resides around seas.
  • Our Ghosts Are Different: Ghosts of people who died at sea. Within the sixth anime, a group of fishermen are instead converted into Funa-Yurei when Umizato steals their souls and are later turned back to normal after their souls had returned.
  • Slave Mooks: Usually under the control of a stronger yokai.

    Kani-Bozu 
Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (1996), Katsuyuki Konishi (2007), Hideyuki Tanaka (2018)

A giant crab yokai and a reoccurring enemy of Kitaro.


  • Adaptational Nice Guy: The 2018 anime had placed him in a better light than in previous adaptations, him being loyal to a human princess, and he had protected her until he was turned into a rock for centuries. When he returned to his normal form he knew time had passed but forced himself to believe she was still alive and tried to find and protect her.
  • Bodyguard Crush: In the 2018 anime, Kani-Bozu was in love with a human princess he had the duty to protect. He, however, was sealed away by an enemy and the princess was killed.
  • Breath Weapon: In the 2018 series, he can breathe out foam which turns anything it hits into bronze.
  • Giant Enemy Crab: A tremendously large crab who is usually portrayed as enemy to Kitaro.
  • Heel–Face Turn: In the 1996 anime, after Kani-Bozu's initial defeat he becomes an ally of Kitaro.
  • Interspecies Romance: The 2018 anime portrays him in love with a human princess and distraught by his failure to protect her.
  • Riddle Me This: In the 2018 series he goes around asking a riddle to people and turns all those who answer incorrectly into bronze statues with his foam breath.
    "I have eight limbs in total, I walk sideways of my own volition, My eyes are pointed at the sky, Tell me, who am I?"
  • Shapeshifting: Within the 2018 series, Kani-Bozu is able to switch between a human form and a crab form.
  • Suicide by Cop: The reason for his attempts to antagonize Kitaro and the whole town in the 2018 anime: he desired to be slain, turned himself into a bronze statue and laid to rest with his beloved princess for the rest of eternity.
  • Undying Loyalty: He was fiercely loyal to the princess, to the point that he keeps looking for her even though he must be aware she's long dead.

    Gyuki 
Voiced by: Shirou Saitou (2007), Masaya Takatsuka (2018)

A giant bovine-like yokai and a reoccurring enemy of Kitaro.


  • Adaptational Intelligence: Usually depicted as a mindless beast going on a rampage. The 2007 anime not only gives him the ability to speak coherently, but also has him formulate a plan to get Kitaro's body.
  • Body Surf: Switches hosts once his current one has been slain.
  • Demonic Possession: His main power, once his current host is slain, he transfers into the body of the one who vanquished him.
  • Hitodama Light: In the 2018 anime, the Gyuuki's real form is that of a floating mass of luminescent fire, as a nod to the Tottori no Ushioni (which is a monster made of wisp flames rather than a bull demon).
  • Meaningful Name: Gyuki means "Ox-Demon".
  • The Shadow Knows: In the 1996 anime, one of the warnings when someone becomes possessed by the Gyuki is that their shadow resembles it, such as having prominent horns.
  • Transformation of the Possessed: Changes his hosts body into that of his own, usually having a grotesque sequence of the person's body changing to match the Gyuki.

    Sekiyo 
Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (2018)

A beautiful human-like yokai, married Nezumi-Otoko but left with all the money he had.


  • Adaptation Deviation: The 2018 anime avoids her fate of becoming a pet for Umibozu.
  • Forced Sleep: Induces this on men through her soothing massages, allowing her to steal whatever they have.
  • Gold Digger: Married Nezumi-Otoko so that she could take off with his money, having done so to numerous other men.
  • Meet Cute: She and Nezumi-Otoko met right in front of a pawn shop, reaching for an apple she drops.
  • Pet the Dog: Although she did steal all the money Nezumi-Otoko had, she did not take the wedding ring he had, which he speculates that she may have really loved him.
  • Taken for Granite: Able to turn herself to stone as a defense measure. Even when smashed to pieces she can control her fragments to attack.

    Kubire-Oni 
Voiced by: Reiko Suzuki (1996), Mitsuo Iwata (2007), Kujira (2018)

A yōkai who wants his victims to commit suicide for them.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has red hair and purple skin in the 1996 anime, lime hair and yellow-green skin in the 2007 anime and dark green hair and teal skin in the 2018 anime.
  • Madness Mantra: In the 2018 anime he only utters one coherent line.
    Kubire-Oni: Die for me, Kitarō!
  • Murder by Suicide: His goal is normally to manipulate his victims to be Driven to Suicide.
  • Prehensile Hair: Has long hair that he uses to tangle people.

    Hakusanbo 
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (1968), Sanji Hase (1985), Chikao Ohtsuka (1996-2007), Wataru Takagi (2018)

A Kitsune who tends to make deals with humans.


  • Adaptational Heroism: The 2007 anime has him as a friendly inhabitant of Yokai Yokocho. In the 2018 anime, the sixth Hakusanbo helps Kitaro save Yayoi, who saved him when they were young, risking his life for her.
  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Normally depicted as a white furred Kitsune, he is given gold fur in the 1985 anime.
  • Asian Fox Spirit: Of the variety who makes deals with humans.
  • Deal with the Devil: Makes deals with humans in exchange for whatever he wants.
  • Fox Folk: Hakusanbo tends to appear as a fox standing upright wearing a robe.
  • Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal: How he normally appears, from the manga up to the 1996 anime, he wears a robe while keeping a mostly fox head, from the 2007 and 2018 anime he wears a men's kimono.
  • Interspecies Romance: The sixth Hakusanbo from the 2018 anime marries the girl who nursed him back to health and who he saved from drowning later on.
  • Redeeming Replacement: The sixth Hakusanbo is not a man eater, unlike his predecessor, instead he is an honorable kitsune who only made a deal with a man for the hand of his daughter who saved him years ago. Even risking his life to save her.
  • To Serve Man: The fifth Hakusanbo from the 2018 anime was a man eater.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: In the 1985 anime, he transforms into a number of things in his episode. In the 2018 anime he can also shift between his more anthropomorphic form to a larger fox that stands on all fours.

    Kasha 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1971), Masato Hirano (1985), Kiyoyuki Yanada (1996), Daisuke Kishio (2007), Yuichi Nagashima (2018)

A yokai who steals and eats corpses.


  • Adaptational Heroism: Like Wanyudo, Kasha is normally an adversary of Kitaro. The 2007 anime makes him a friendly inhabitant of Yokai Yokocho, even becoming one of the 47 yokai warriors.
  • "Freaky Friday" Flip: Kasha is able to switch bodies with others, though the method changes per series. In the 2018 anime he does so by grasping the hand of the other person.
  • Karma Houdini: In the 2018 series he's beaten by Kitaro, but manages to get away and possess the body of his first "customer", letting him get away and blend with humans.
  • Non-Indicative Name: His name means "Fire Cart" and while he does have powers of fire, he doesn't have anything relating to a cart.
  • Picky People Eater: In the 2018 anime he prefers corpses spiced with the grief of loved ones.
  • To Serve Man: Aside from mochi, he also prefers to eat human corpses.

    Numa-Gozen 
Voiced by: Nanaho Katsuragi (2007), Hiromi Konno (2018)

A snake woman who lives in a swamp.


    Sara-Kozo 
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (1968), Tōru Furuya (1985), Yasuhiro Takato (1996), Taiki Matsuno (2007-2018)

A kappa with a plate on his head, has a special song called "Petara Petarako".


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has red hair in the 1985, 2007 and 2018 anime and green hair in 1996 anime. His body fur in the 1985 anime is red while different shades of green in the 1996, 2007 and 2018 anime.
  • Berserk Button: Never. Ever. Steal his song.
  • Determinator: Won't stop until the person(s) responsible for stealing his song is captured or worse. He's only held back after Kitaro fights him.
  • Eyes Always Shut: Rarely opens his eyes in the 1996 and 2018 anime.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: In the 2018 anime whenever he opens his eyes, especially when he's about to attack.
  • Magic Music: Implied, his song "Petara Petarako" has only three words in its lyrics, yet it becomes very popular to the humans. Played Straight in the 1996 and 2007 anime, where in the latter it can conjure rain and reverse, while in the former it could turn back time.
  • Reset Button: In the 1996 anime, his song's last verse turns back time, when sung before humans it goes to the point before they first heard the song.
  • Single Specimen Species: Averted in the 2007 anime where an entire tribe is shown, where as he is normally depicted as just one individual.
  • Villain Has a Point: He's not in the wrong for wanting to punish the person(s) responsible for stealing his song.
  • Weather Manipulation: His song can bring forth rain and undo it in the 2007 anime.

    Bake-Zori 
Voiced by: Yasuo Tanaka (1985), Koichi Hashimoto (1996), Jun'ichi Suwabe (2007), Kokoro Kikuchi (2018)

A tsukumogami of a Zori sandal.


    Momon-Jii 
Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (1971), Masao Imanishi (1985), Ginzo Matsuo (1996), Tomomichi Nishimura (2007), Shirou Saitou (2018)

An old man yokai, accuses Kitaro for crimes and prosecutes him for it.


  • Decoy Trial: Sets up a trial against Kitaro, but is eventually found out.
  • Evil Old Folks: As his name implies, Momon-jii is an elderly-looking humanoid Yokai.
  • Nasal Weapon: Is able to use his nose hair to attack, similar to Kitaro's own hair technique.
  • Prophet Eyes: Normally has these whenever he opens his eyes. Averted in the 1971 anime where he is shown with pupils.

    Oshiroi-Babaa 
An old woman who makes face powder to steal people's faces.

    Mannen-Dake 
Voiced by: Nana Yamaguchi (1985), Yutaka Oyama (1996), Tomomichi Nishimura (2018)

Mannen-Dake is a giant, long lived bamboo yokai.


     Mujina 
Voiced by: Chikao Ohtsuka (1968), Yoshito Yasuhara (1985), Wataru Takagi (1996), Kota Nemoto (2018)

Mujina is a badger yokai whose primary ability is to shapeshift, often works with Oritatami-Nyudo.


  • Death by Adaptation: He normally survives his encounter with Kitaro, but in the 2018 anime he is killed by Rei Isurugi, where his soul is used to give him the ability to shapeshift.
  • Forced into Evil: In the 2018 anime, he was forced by the Nue to imitate him so he can lead those after him far away from him.
  • Gag Nose: In his real form he sports a comical rounded nose from his otherwise beastly face.
  • Hostage Situation: Takes the recently reborn Neko-Musume as a hostage so Kitaro would let him go.
  • Just Following Orders: Informs Kitaro that he was (forced) to follow the Nue's orders in the 2018 anime.
  • Long-Lost Relative: Uses this to trick Nezumi-Otoko into believing he is his brother.
  • Meaningful Name: Japanese for badger.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can transform into anything he desires. Normally used to resemble Nezumi-Otoko to make him believe he is his brother, in the 2018 anime he transforms to act as a proxy for the Nue.

    Dorotabo 
Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1971), Kōzō Shioya (1985), Hitoshi Masuda (1996), Mahito Oba (2007), Atsuki Tani (2018)

Dorotabo are yokai that dwell in the murky mud of rice paddy fields.


  • Adaptational Badass: In the original myth the dorotabo was a small blob of mud that was just really annoying, here though it is depicted as either a horde of mud beings capable of overpowering a town or a colossal mud giant that can easily destroy whole buildings.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: Is completely made of mud and is capable of shooting scalding mud from their mouths.
  • Logical Weakness: Being composed of mud, they harden when exposed to strong heat.
  • Self-Duplication: Giant Dorotabo are capable of this once broken down.
  • The Unfettered: Completely focused on getting their land back.
  • Zerg Rush: When a horde of Dorotabo is formed they are usually able to overpower a town.

    Shokera 
Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (2007)

A goblin-like yokai.


  • Wall Crawl: He is able to crawl on walls of high floor buildings.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: One is killed off in the first few seconds of his appearance in the 2018 anime.

    Buru-Buru 
Voiced by: Yumi Nakatani (1985), Yōko Somi (1996), Mami Horikoshi (2018)

A spirit of cowardice, she makes her victims cold.


  • Adaptational Badass: She is normally subdued once her host steps in an onsen. In the 2018 anime, she's strong enough to freeze an onsen when it is at its average temperature.
  • An Ice Person: Can lower the temperature around the victims to cause them to shiver and can cause frost to form.
  • Invisibility: Is utterly invisible to people and yokai alike, the only way to see her is by using the Yokai Glasses.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: In the 2018 anime, she was sealed in a scroll and after her defeat she is sealed once more.

    Hitokui-Jima 
Voiced by: Takeshi Aono (1996)

Hitokui-Jima is giant living island yokai.


    Omukade 
Voiced by: Akimasa Omori (1985)

A giant centipede yokai, who appears in the 1985, 1996 and 2007 anime adaptations.


    Tsuchi-Gumo 
Voiced by: Kazumi Tanaka (1996), Masaya Takatsuka (2018)

Tsuchi-Gumo is a giant spider yokai.


  • Dark Is Evil: Has black hair in the 1996 anime and had planned to sacrifice humans to make a new body.
  • Mix-and-Match Critters: Usually depicted as a giant spider with the head of a cat.
  • Tsuchigumo and Jorogumo: The giant spider of Japanese folklore. In the 2018 version he lives in Hell and attacks the vagrant souls in there.

    Yamata-no-Orochi 
Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (2018)

An eight headed serpent.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Each head has different colors in the 1971 anime, starting from the 1985 anime they all share the same color. It is red in the 1985 anime, pale blue with a green mane in the 1996 anime and is pale green with a purple mane in the 2018 anime.
  • Adaptational Intelligence: Normally depicted as a beast chasing after prey within its diamond, or in the 1996 anime following the one who unsealed it. The 2018 anime makes it intelligent enough to speak and interact with the current holder of its diamond.
  • Facial Markings: Has a gold infinity symbol on its main head's forehead in the 1996 anime.
  • Jackass Genie: In the 2018 anime it grants the user's wishes, but each time with a deeper twist.
  • Multiple Head Case: Has eight heads.
  • Orochi: The Yamata-no-Orochi.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Normally trapped within a diamond. In the 1996 anime, it was sealed as eight different rivers.

    Moryo 
Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1968), Hiroshi Masuoka (1985), Ginzō Matsuo (1996), Kōsei Hirota (2018)

A spirit who possesses dead bodies.


  • Hoist by His Own Petard: In the 1996 anime, he wanted a body so badly that Kitaro allowed him to take his. However he is dealt with soon after as Kitaro's chanchanko defeats him by engulfing him.
  • Possessing a Dead Body: He is able to possess dead bodies and use them as his own.
  • Reused Character Design: Moryo shares a number of features with Hihi and Jami, the former with his animated design and the latter in his illustration.

    Chimi-Moryo 
A large gathering of ghosts that appear in the story "Shibito-Tsuki".
  • Possessing a Dead Body: The main one is a ghost that possesses the body of the recently deceased. The body in the story is usually the daughter of the mayor, in the 1971 anime she was a child, while the 2007 anime she was an adult.
  • Transformation of the Possessed: In the 2007 anime, while appearing normal at first, the one possessing it can make it more monstrous. In the 2007 anime, the body changes as soon as its possessed, where the black hair becomes white and their eyes become green.
  • Weakened by the Light: Leaves the dead body once morning arrives, while the others becomes lifeless husks.
  • Zerg Rush: How the Chimi-Moryo attack. The dead body being possessed is usually in either a temple or a hospital (which in the 2007 anime was locked at night), with this there are thinner areas and fewer escapes for those unfortunate enough to be there at night.

    Onmoraki 
Voiced by: Yonehiko Kitagawa (1968), Kōichi Kitamura (1985), Masaharu Satō (1996), Ryūsei Nakao (2007), Nobuyuki Hiyama (2018)

A bird-like yokai who possesses dead bodies.


  • Extra Eyes: Normally depicted with three eyes.
  • Giant Flyer: Onmoraki is a large bird yokai, normally being larger than a human adult.
  • Possessing a Dead Body: Possesses a dead body to feed on life energy.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Tends to be his fate after his defeat, being absorbed into a drawing of himself using the Spirit Paper and Spirit Brush.

    Hiderigami 
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (1968), Sanji Hase (1985), Masato Hirano (1985, Ep. 57), Kazumi Tanaka (1985, Ep. 104), Fumihiko Tachiki (1996), Masaya Onosaka (2007), Masashi Ebara (2018)

Hiderigami is an ape yokai who can bring forth enough heat to cause a drought. Normally wants to draw manga.


  • Adaptational Nice Guy: Normally portrayed as an antagonist for his story, the 2007 and 2018 anime have him as a nice yōkai who simply wants to draw manga.
  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has reddish-brown fur in the 1985 anime, brown fur in the 1996 anime, and orange fur in the 2007 and 2018 anime.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: This happens to him in the 2007 anime, where Zambia places a controller on him.
  • Cyclops: Always portrayed with one eye.
  • Gender Flip: The Hiderigami of folklore are described as being female, however, this Hiderigami is male.
  • Heat Wave: Can cause this when angered.
  • Playing with Fire: Can manipulate heat and flames, where he can assume a giant form made of flames.
  • Sequential Artist: Aspires to be one in most versions of his story.

    Hoko 
Fire Hoko is voiced by: Yonehiko Kitagawa (1968), Hitoshi Masuda (1996), Masaru Ikeda (2018)
Wind Hoko is voiced by: Kousei Tomita (1968), Yasunori Masutani (1996), Ryohei Arai (2018)
Earth Hoko is voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1968), Kimiyoshi Kibe (1996), Masaya Takatsuka (2018)
Water Hoko is voiced by: Kousaku Sugiura (1968), Tetsu Inada (1996), Fukushi Ochiai (2018)

A yōkai who lives in an old camphor tree.


  • Calling Your Attacks: Each Hoko has a distinctive Kiai which is a pun on their elemental powers: fire has "Ho", earth has "Chi", wind has "Fu" and water has "Sui".
  • Elemental Embodiment: The elemental Hoko each embodies and controls one of four elements, Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind.
  • Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: How the elemental Hoko are normally defeated. Works as a Mutual Disadvantage in the 1996 anime where the Fire and Water Hoko and the Earth and Wind Hoko, respectively, are thrown at each other and subsequently disintegrate each other. In the 2018 anime, they cannot touch each other, lest they will disintegrate each other as Kitaro figures out.
  • Literal Split Personality: After being defeated Hoko will split apart into four, each representing an element. Averted in the 2018 anime where they are four individual Elemental Hoko.
  • Villain Has a Point: In the 2018 version, his sacred site was disturbed by lots of rowdy and disrespectful youngsters, making him furious. However, his reaction is a tad too extreme.

    Te-no-Me 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1968), Banjo Ginga (1985), Unshō Ishizuka (2007), Chafurin (2018)

An old man yokai who has eyes in the palm of his hands.


  • Eyes Do Not Belong There: Has eyes in the palms of his hands.
  • Heart Is an Awesome Power: In the 2018 series he can use his eyes to freely manipulate the hands of whoever he looks at... which allowed him to force his victims to kill themselves in gruesome ways.
  • Light Is Not Good: Normally portrayed wearing a white kimono but is often an antagonist.
  • Meaningful Name: Has eyes in his hands.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the 2018 series, he's using his powers to murder a series of targets... all of whom involved with an incoming anti-Yokai law the government's working for.

    Kusa-Kamaitachi 
A Kamaitachi who appears in Saishinban GeGeGe no Kitaro and the 1985 anime.
  • Blow You Away: Can create powerful winds and is normally accompanied by a tornado surrounding him.
  • Kamaitachi: Unlike the Yokai Castle Kamaitachi, this one has the standard appearance, being an actual weasel with sickle hands.

    Kihatsu 
A Yōkai made of hair and the enemy of Kuro-Kamikiri.

    Kuro-Kihatsu 
A hair demon born from the hatred of women who had to cut their hair. Sister of Shiro-Kihatsu.

    Shiro-Kihatsu 
A hair demon born from the sadness of women who had to cut their hair. Sister of Kuro-Kihatsu.

    Nozuchi 
A large hairy worm Yōkai that can consume everything in its path.
Vacuum Mouth: It is capable of consuming everything in its path.Sealed Evil in a Can: In the 1996 anime the Nozuchi was sealed away and turned into a bottomless pit. Later Kitaro tricks it into eating its tail, until its body lands in the spot it rested in before and is once again sealed , becoming a pit.

    Mammoth Flower 
An ancient race of plant life, that towers over the buildings of Japan.
  • Alien Kudzu: Grows very fast and spreads more of itself in almost all of its appearances, with the 1996 anime being the exception.

    Hone-Onna 
A skeleton woman who usually serves a powerful Yōkai depending on the adaptations or stories. The most prominent one being Okubi, a giant head Yokai.

    Kami-sama 
A hair Yokai who serves as a local god to a small village. Kemedama usually serves under him.
  • Gods Need Prayer Badly: Being a local god in the 2007 anime, Kami-sama's power thrives from offerings. Because of this he has grown weaker and is unable to take action on the villagers on his own.
  • Prehensile Hair: He can use his hair as if they were limbs.
  • Punny Name: His name consists of the character for "Hair" and the honorific -sama, which is a pun "Kami-sama" that is used for gods.

[[folder:Yuki-Nyudo]]A one-legged, one-eyed yokai that has powers over snow.


  • An Ice Person: He has powers over the ice and snow, notably being stronger than most fire yokai.
  • Palette Swap: He is pretty much a white-haired version of Ippon-Datara.

    Nyoi-Jizai 
A skeletal tsukumogami born from a Ruyi, a decorative ceremonial scepter. He is hired by Nurarihyon as an assassin in the 1996 anime.
  • Creepily Long Arms: He can extend his arms to an absurd length.

Four Treasonous Generals

    Nue 
Voiced by: Keiichi Noda (2007), Shinpachi Tsuji (2018)

Nue, the chimeric Yokai of legend.


  • Adaptational Heroism: In the 2007 anime.
  • A Head at Each End: His main head and the snake head at the end of his tail.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: In the 2007 anime, he is depicted as a shadowed equine figure but is actually benevolent.
  • Mix-and-Match Critters: Being the Nue he is this, having the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the limbs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake.
  • Nue: He's a chimera-like yōkai. He has a voluminous and flowing mane and tail, as well as having tufts of hair around his hooves. His face has a long thin snout with a thin pair of whiskers, glowing green eyes, and lighter bushy eyebrows. He usually covers himself with a black cloud.
  • Super-Scream: His main power is a powerful scream.

    Kurobozu 
Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (2007), Shigeru Chiba (2018)

  • Dark Is Evil: Is usually depicted with black fur and is portrayed as a villain.
  • Kill It with Water: Not his mobile body, but his true body.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: In the 2018 anime, he manipulates and tricks Nezumi Otoko and mocks him. Nezumi Otoko answers by peeing on his Soul Jar portrait, severely weakening him and allowing Kitaro to slay him.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If he didn't slip up by mentioning that while water is his weakness, but not for the reason Rei thinks, he would have won.
  • Panthera Awesome: In the 2007 anime, he resembles a humanoid panther instead and had the upper hand in his fight against Kitaro, he could have won if not for the interference of Uwan.
  • Rat Men: In the 2018 anime, his body resembles a pitch-black humanoid rat dressed as a monk.
  • Remote Body: In the 2018 anime, his true body is a painting of a woman.
  • Super Smoke: Can turn himself into a cloud of smoke, using it to travel fast or to attack his prey.
  • Tendrils of Darkness: Uses these in the 2018 anime.

    Ibukimaru 
Voiced by: Tōru Furuya (2018)

An oni, son of the dreadful Shuten-Doji.


  • Canon Foreigner: Of sorts, while he is original to the 2018 anime, he is based on Kidomaru, the son of Shuten-Doji in legends.
  • Horned Humanoid: Has a green-colored horn with a red tip above his left eye.
  • Noble Demon: Despite his past, he's one of the noblest and most selfless Yokai. He even admits that he was willing to return to Jigoku after giving the proper respects to the grave of his beloved.
  • Oni: A handsome variant, carries a sword instead of a kanabo and is the child of the infamous Shuten-Doji.
  • Spirit Advisor: Becomes one to Rei after making a deal with Enma-Daiō, where half of him stay in Jigoku, while the other half is on Earth, mentoring Rei.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Went into one when he found out that his lover was kidnapped by humans and went on a rampage, killing almost an entire country's worth, which is why he's one of the Four Generals.
  • Vengeance Feels Empty: Pretty much tells Rei that even if he does exact his revenge, all he gets is this trope.

    Tamamo-no-Mae 
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (2018)

A nine-tailed fox.


  • Adaptational Modesty: She was MUCH more perverse in the manga.
  • Chaos Is Evil: Her ultimate plan is to wreak as much havoc as possible in both the human world and Jigoku with her powers.
  • Evil Plan: In the 2018 series: while her clones seduce several world leaders and manipulates them into attacking Japan to start a war, her real self brainwashes most of the Oni in Jigoku and devours King Enma to gain a power boost.
  • Light Is Not Good: At full strength, Tamamo-no-Mae gives off a bright golden aura, but is still a very evil kitsune.
  • Little Bit Beastly: Her human form can occasionally show her tails, even her clones.
  • Playing with Fire: She can blast fireballs from her mouth.
  • Self-Duplication: Can make several clones of herself, each clone having at least one tail that splits from the main body and holds part of her power.
  • Verbal Tic: In the 2018 series she lets out a loud vulpine cry when she transforms into her real form.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can assume a human form, when she or her clones return to their fox form they don't leave behind any clothes, making her a Technically Naked Shapeshifter.

Western Yokai

    Backbeard 
Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1968), Hidekatsu Shibata (1985 and 2007), Masaharu Sato (1996), Hideyuki Tanaka (2018)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/backbeard_2018.png

The most powerful of all the western yokai, Backbeard is a reoccurring antagonist of Kitaro.


  • Arc Villain: Tends to be this at least once every adaptation. Most recently for the Yokai War arc in the 2018 series.
  • Back from the Dead: Following his death at the hands of Kitaro near the end of the Yokai War arc, Backbeard's servants attempt to bring him back. Nurarihyon is the one who successfully revives him, forming a Big Bad Duumvirate against Kitaro in the process.
  • Big Bad: Of the 2007 series.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: With Nurarihyon in the 2018 adaptation after being revived. Together they form the Great Yokai Alliance.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: In the 2018 adaptation. As powerful and clever as he was, even Backbeard was just a pawn in Nanashi’s plans. Until his resurrection at the hands of Nurarihyon, of course.
  • Faceless Eye: Only has a single eye, even when he assumes a humanoid form.
  • Genre Savvy: When Nurariyon offers him and his lieutenants red wine, he makes Nurarihyon drink first, to make sure he's not trying anything funny. Unfortunately, the holy essence in the wine is deadly to western monsters but harmless for Japanese monsters.
  • Hypnotic Eyes: Is capable of using hypnosis in earlier series.
  • I Have Your Wife: He gets Agnès to activate the Brigadoon Project by capturing and torturing Kitaro and her sister Adèl.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Has red eyes and is the most powerful of the western yokai.
  • Oculothorax: Backbeard is always depicted as a single large eye, surrounded by a black mass. He can assume a humanoid form though.
  • Take Over the World: In the 2018 series, Backbeard's goal is to turn humans and youkai into his slaves and create his own empire.
  • Taking You with Me: In the 2018 series finale, Backbeard is tricked into drinking wine spiked with holy essence and degenerates into a huge bloated blob weeping explosive streams of red liquid on the entire planet, a form which could wipe out the Earth.
  • Villains Out Shopping: In one episode of the 1968 series, Backbeard is seen driving a car.

    Adèl 
Voiced by: Yukana

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_adele.png

Agnès' older sister, the general of Backbeard's army in the 2018 anime.


  • Aloof Big Sister: According to Agnès, Adèl was once a caring older sister, but now she doesn't seem to care about anything but keeping the traditions of the witch clan and barely speaks to Agnès. The truth is that Adèl still loved her little sister and the cold way she treated her was all part of an act with the intention of sacrificing herself in order to save Agnès's life.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Contrary to everything that she appeared to be, Adèl's real motive the entire time was to protect Agnès from Backbeard, even being willing to give up her life for it.
  • Cain and Abel: The Cain to Agnès's Abel. After her sister's betrayal, Adèl remains loyal to Backbeard and his cause. She won't hesitate to fight against Agnès if she gets in Backbeard's way. It's all subverted with the reveal that Adèl was planning to betray Backbeard and sacrifice herself in Agnès's place so her sister would live. After Backbeard is defeated, Adèl and Agnès amend their sisterly bond.
  • The Dragon: She's Backbeard's most loyal and trusted follower, being the commander of his army.
  • Dragon-in-Chief: While Backbeard is the true leader of the Western Youkai, Adèl is the one who commands his army and gives them orders most of the time.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: While pretending to be loyal to Backbeard, she was actually planning to betray him at the moment the Brigadoon Project was about to come into fruition so Agnès wouldn't have to be sacrificed like their mother was. Her plan fails due to lacking the magical power to activate the Brigadoon Project.
  • The Fatalist: Unlike her sister, Adèl firmly believes she shouldn't defy her fate of doing Backbeard's bidding. Although, she did secretly plan to betray Backbeard to save Agnès.
  • Good All Along: Turns out she wasn't Backbeard's obedient lackey after all, but instead was only pretending in order to protect Agnès. After recovering the Ring of Arcana, instead of forcing Agnès to activate the Brigadoon Project, Adèl tries to make herself into the core and sacrifice herself in Agnès's stead. Her plan fails because she lacks enough magical power, but it still proves Agnès that her sister still loved her.
  • Hard Work Hardly Works: Even though she worked hard to master advanced spells, Adèl could never reach the level of magical power Agnès naturally had. Adèl deeply lamented having such a talented sister because she knew Agnès would be selected as a witch sacrifice by Backbeard.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Has one by the end of the Western Yokai Arc, defecting from Backbeard's army and joins her sister in traveling the world.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted. Adèl intended to give up her life by activating the Brigadoon Project so Agnès wouldn't have to die in the same way as their mother. However, her magical power wasn't enough and Backbeard ended up using Adèl to force Agnès into becoming the core.
  • Hot Witch: She's a very attractive witch.
  • Mage Species: Like her sister, Adèl is part of the Western youkai race of witches, although her magic isn't as powerful as her mother's and sister's.
  • Military Mage: Wears a military-like outfit and is the shogun of Backbeard's army.
  • Missing Mom: Her mother had sacrificed herself when she used the Ring of Arcana for Backbeard.
  • Mutual Envy: Agnès feels like a failure compared to Adèl, who is a better learner and more skilled at magic than her. Meanwhile, Adél is secretly jealous of Agnès because of her immense magic power, which even caught the attention of Backbeard. The truth is Adèl wasn't jealous of Agnès's potential as a witch, but wished she had had Agnès's power level so she would have been selected as the witch sacrifice for the Brigadoon Project instead.
  • Mystical White Hair: She's a witch with long white hair.
  • Onee-sama: She once was Adèl's dear and admired older sister, but they're not on speaking terms anymore. After Adèl reveals her true intentions to protect her sister, Agnès acknowledges her as her beloved sister once more.
  • Pointy Ears: Same as her sister, Adèl has slightly pointy ears.
  • Power Gives You Wings: Unlike her sister, she can make a pair of green, geometrical-shaped wings with the use of her magic stones.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: She has red eyes and unlike her sister, she's a villain.
  • Technicolor Eyes: Her irises are red and her pupils are purple.
  • Walking the Earth: After Backbeard's defeat and her reconciliation with Agnès, the two sister go on a journey around the world to enjoy their new freedom.
  • Weak, but Skilled: Has less magical power than her sister, but is said to know more spells than her.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Actually isn’t a willing servant of Backbeard and is trying to manipulate events to protect her sister.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: She has white hair and acts as a major antagonist in the Backbeard arc of the 2018 anime. Subverted as she was Good All Along.
  • Zero-Approval Gambit: Her cold, traditionalist witch character was an elaborate act in her plot to betray Backbeard and sacrifice herself for Agnès's sake. In reality, Adèl was still the same loving, kind-hearted sister Agnès remembered.

    Wolfgang 
Voiced by: Takeshi Kusao

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_wolfgang18.png

The werewolf of Backbeard's army in the 2018 anime.


  • Animal Jingoism: He seems to hate Neko-Musume as much as Neko-Musume hates-Nezumi Otoko, as a werewolf is still partly a male dog, and a Neko-Musume is still partly a female cat.
  • The Brute: He's the most prominent physical fighter of the Backbeard Army.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Drinks Spiked Blood and gets absorbed into Blackbeard in an attempt to stop the pain. His soul is last seen floating high in the sky after Kitaro defeats Backbeard once more.
  • Expy: Wolfgang, the wolfman, in his civilian identity is a business man with a tacky red jacket and a tie able to transform into his wolf form even in daylight. Talisman, an Italian B-Movie reaching cult status in Japan, features an half-demon wolfman able to transform in daylight, wearing a similar attire.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Wolfgang acts as a cultured, elegant businessman more than willing to compromise with Agnès, asking her politely to come back home, gallant with Adèl, obedient to Backbeard: but when angered, refused or facing adversaries perceived as lesser than him, he becomes a cruel, elitist and and outright racist Blood Knight willing to torture, kill and maim.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: Is capable of turning into his werewolf form at will, even if the moon is not out. Additionally his weakness to silver bullets is ignored and claims that he becomes invincible under a full moon.
    • Subverted in the fact silver did affect him first time he appeared in the 2018 anime, however in his second appearance, since it was a full moon, he was able to no-sell the bullets.
  • Werewolf Theme Naming: His name is Wolfgang.
  • Worf Effect: Both inflicts this and is later on the receiving end: his debut shows how dangerous the Western yokai can be, but then is later beaten up to show how stronger the Japanese yokai have become.

    Victor Frankenstein 
Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_victorfrankenstein.png

The frankenstein of Backbeard's army in the 2018 anime.


  • Creepy Child: He looks and acts like a rather unsettling boy.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Drinks Spiked Blood and gets absorbed into Blackbeard in an attempt to stop the pain. His soul is last seen floating high in the sky after Kitaro defeats Backbeard once more.
  • Dr. Fakenstein: Unlike previous series, this Frankenstein is the doctor and the monster.
  • Evil Genius: He's the Backbeard's Army top scientist.
  • Expy: Of the Hulk, nonetheless. A wimpy, unsettling scientist that, if pressured to rage and fear, turns into a hulking brute of dim intelligence bent to remove any source of distress.
  • Hulking Out: In Agnès' words, when Victor Frankestein is threatened to the point of crying for his life, the True Victor Frankenstein comes forth.
  • Labcoat of Science and Medicine: He wears a labcoat that is tattered by the tail, hence his Mad Scientist motif.
  • Love at First Sight: He's instantly smitten by Mana when he sees her.
  • Mad Scientist: He has the stereotypical personality of a crazy, evil scientist and creates artificial monsters in his laboratory.
  • Mark of the Supernatural: His left eye's iris is green with a yellow pupil in the center, while his right eye's iris is purple with a small yellow pupil. This is because he's a monster made from several corpses.
  • Perpetual Smiler: Has a constant smirk on his face.
  • Scary Stitches: Has numerous stitches across his body.
  • Teen Genius: As the scientist of Backbeard's army, he is incredibly intelligent, being able to create a large beast and has numerous gadgets, all while having the appearance of a child.
  • Villainous Crush: Right from the moment he sees Mana, he decides he wants to make her his bride and tries to "kiss" her with a gross hand mouth.

    Carmilla 
Voiced by: Shiori Izawa

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_camilla.png

The vampire of Backbeard's army in the 2018 anime.


  • Blood Bath: At one point she is seen bathing in a pool of blood, though it is unknown if it supports her powers or not.
  • Cleavage Window: Carmilla's outfit has an opening that exposes her cleavage.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Drinks Spiked Blood and gets absorbed into Blackbeard in an attempt to stop the pain. Her soul is last seen floating high in the sky after Kitaro defeats Backbeard once more.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Fittingly for a vampire, Carmilla has pale white skin and long black, wavy hair.
  • Fangs Are Evil: She has a pair of fangs that aren't really noticeable, well unless she is about to bite.
  • Femme Fatalons: A vampire lady with long red nails.
  • Lesbian Vampire: Similar to her namesake, Carmilla seemed to only be interested in turning young women into vampires, and from what she says about Neko-Musume during her battle with her, where she plans on putting "a pretty collar" on her and keeping her as a pet, is any indication.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after the eponymous Lesbian Vampire of the novel Carmilla.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She's a tall and well-endowed vampire who is constantly wearing form-fitting clothing with Cleavage Window.
  • One to Million to One: She's capable of turning into a swarm of bats, with one keeping her speech and intelligence.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: She can turn into a swarm of bats and survive from a strike through her heart by transforming into a bat after her body crumbles.
  • Pointy Ears: Her ears are pointy to show her status as a vampire.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Carmilla has red eyes and uses them to put her victim in a trance before biting their neck.
  • Sadist: Right before expressing her wish to collar and enslave Neko-Musume, she seems to find really pleasurable the idea of beating her up.

    Agnès 
Voiced by: Hibiku Yamamura

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_agnes.png

A young witch who betrayed the Western Youkai. She stole the Ring of Arcana and fled Backbeard's castle, ending up in Japan. She asks the Kitaro family to help her stop Backbeard's Brigadoon Project, although Agnès's personality makes cooperation difficult.


  • Aloof Ally: She asks for the Kitaro Family's help in stopping Backbeard's army and their Brigadoon Project, but she's extremely distant and reluctant to cooperate as part of a team. Thanks to befriending Mana and Kitaro, she grows to care about her allies and starts to open up more.
  • Animate Inanimate Object: Her broomstick has a mind of its own and acts much like a dog.
  • Apocalypse Maiden: Backbeard plans to use Agnès as the core of the Brigadoon Project, which will turn humans into youkai and then turn all youkai into Backbeard's mindless slaves. Agnès wants to take no part on such a plan, but finally agrees to become the core to protect Kitaro and Adèl.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: Mana is the first person to befriend Agnès since her arrival to Japan, causing Agnès to treasure her a lot.
  • Blessed with Suck: Ever since she was a little girl, Agnès had immense magical power that gave her the potential to become a great witch. Unfortunately, Backbeard intended to use Agnès's power for his own gain.
  • Broken Bird: She lost her mother to Backbeard, her sister is a powerhungry witch serving the Big Bad and wishing to grant him control over humanity and ghouldom. Is that much a surprise that she has huge trust issues, fears to be abandoned to the point of refusing human contact and she acts recklessly suicidal?
  • Cain and Abel: The Abel to Adèl's Cain. Agnès left the Western Youkai to stop Backbeard's Evil Plan, but her sister Adèle stays loyal to Backbeard. After Adèl reveals she loved her sister all along and Backbeard is defeated, they reconcile.
  • The Chosen One: Since she was a child, Backbeard chose her to eventually become the cornerstone for his Brigadoon Project.
  • Cute Witch: Agnès is a witch with the appearance of a cute teenage girl, wears a wizard hat, travels in a Flying Broomstick (which is sentient by the way) and can cast magic spells.
  • Defector from Decadence: She deserted Backbeard's side because she couldn't approve of the destruction the Brigadoon Plan would cause.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts off as cold, unfriendly and indifferent towards the Japanese youkai, only caring about stopping Backbeard at all costs. After befriending Mana and becoming closer to the Kitaro Family, Agnès opens up a lot and doesn't want to see them in danger because of her.
  • Flying Broomstick: Owns a flying broomstick, oddly enough it has a dog-like sentience.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She's a blonde and despite coming off as unfriendly at first, Agnès is a young witch with a good heart.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Agnès is a good person and really wants to stop her fellow Western youkai from doing bad things, but she's also self-centered, antisocial and inconsiderate to others' feelings. After realizing she was being very rude to the Japanese youkai, Agnès improves her attitude and becomes friendlier in general.
  • Mage Species: As a witch, Agnès is part of a Western youkai race and magical power runs in her family. Unfortunately, the witch clan is doomed to be used as sacrifices for Backbeard's Evil Plan, a fate Agnès is determinate to fight off.
  • Mark of the Supernatural: Her eyes are mostly purple, an indication that she's a witch.
  • Missing Mom: Her mother had sacrificed herself when she used the Ring of Arcana for Backbeard.
  • Playing with Fire: Her primary offensive form of magic.
  • Pointy Ears: Her ears are a bit pointy.
  • Screw Destiny: Her reason for betraying Backbeard is that she wants to be the master of her own fate instead of being nothing but Backbeard's pawn.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She may appear cold and aloof, but she's a really kind and caring person once Mana befriends her.
  • Technicolor Eyes: Her irises are mostly violet, turning yellow at the bottom and her pupils are orange.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: She becomes less cold and much nicer thanks to her interactions with Mana.
  • Unskilledbut Strong: She has a high amount of raw magical power, but has troubles casting the spells properly.
  • Walking the Earth: After Backbeard is defeated by Kitaro, Agnès departs to travel around the world along her sister Adèl.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: She really means well by insisting to destroy the Ring of Arcana before the Western youkai get their hands on it. However, she's in such a hurry that she actually puts Kitaro's life in danger to give him a power boost so he could destroy the ring faster.

     Belial 
An akuma from Portugal, came to Japan during the Meiji restoration and lost his powers because of a Karasu-Tengu. After 100 years he regains his powers and sets off for revenge.
  • Archenemy: Has one in the form of the Karasu-Tengu who sealed his powers away.
  • Attack Its Weak Point: In his demon form, he appears as five fleshy orbs adorned with eyes, mouths, noses, ears and hands, with only one of them hosting his real weakness.
  • How the Mighty Have Fallen: In his introduction he appears as a homeless vagrant trying to sell comics and magazines for a living before being forced to go away by the police, complaining on his current status.
  • Lone Wolf Boss: While at first he appears to be extraneous to the Great Yokai War, he does contact Backbeard after dealing with the Tengu and agrees to help him recover the ring.
  • Our Demons Are Different: He appears as a man wearing aristocratic clothing that can use black magic. His true form is composed of five balls of flesh covered in eyes, mouths, noses, ears and hands.
  • Really 700 Years Old: Has lived in Japan since the Meiji restoration.

     Buer 
An akuma who is able to manipulate hands.
  • Eaten Alive: His fate in most of his appearances is getting eaten by Yakanzuru.
  • Flechette Storm: In the 2018 anime he attacks by throwing dissection blades en masse.
  • Mad Doctor: In the 2018 anime, Buer as a surgeon.
  • Our Demons Are Different: His true form is a large head surrounded by five goat legs pointing in different directions.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: He does not get eaten Yakanzuru in the 2018 anime, instead he retreats while swearing his revenge.
  • X-Ray Vision: As he is about to perform an operation on Yayoi, he sees through her body and identifies where the Ring of Arcana lies within.

    Vampire Elite 
Voiced by: Kosaku Sugiura (1968), Shirou Sano (1996), Tarou Ishida (2007), Ryūsei Nakao (2018)

A vampire guitarist who lures his prey with his beautiful serenade.


  • Ambiguously Gay: In the 2018 series all his victims are handsome boys.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is given a sister in the 1996 anime, a vampire bat named Tina. He loves his sister dearly, so much so that his goal was to turn her into a vampire as well.
  • Exact Words: When he shows Nezumi Otoko how much he intends to pay him for his help and raises all fingers on his hand, Nezumi Otoko asks if he means 50000 yens, and Elite tells him he's wrong by two zeroes, causing Nezumi Otoko to think he'll receive 5000000 yens. Turns out, Elite didn't mean "add 2 zeroes", but rather "subtract" and gives him 500 yens.
  • Gonk: While he's suave and well mannered, he's rather short and has a comically large head.
  • Kill It with Fire: Several adaptations depict his death this way, usually burning within a building.
  • Mind-Control Music: Using his guitar he can mind-control anyone he wishes.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Subverted. He is usually known as Vampire Elite, however his real name is Johnny.
  • The Reveal: In the 2018 series, he confesses to Nezumi Otoko that his real name is Johnny, and that he's not really a Vampire Elite per se, but rather a pathetically weak subordinate.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: In the 1996 anime, he survives the fire but is reduced back to his vampire bat form.

    La Seine 
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (1968), Nobuo Tobita (2018)

A noble vampire who is accompanied by a human named Mammoth.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Normally depicted with dark hair (presumably black), the 2018 anime makes him a blond.
  • Age Lift: Is a child in the 2018 anime.
  • Black Eyes of Evil: The 2018 anime gives him black sclerae and he is very dangerous.
  • Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the 2018 anime, where he and Mammoth managed to escape the burning room, he is finished off by Rei using the fire from the cabin with the use of a fire yokai's power.
  • Kill It with Fire: Is killed by fire in all adaptations he appears in. Even in his appearance in the 2018 anime, where he escapes the burning cabin, he's quickly finished off by Rei using the powers of a fire yokai.
  • You Don't Look Like You: His appearance in the 2018 anime is drastically different, looking like a child with wild messy blonde hair instead of his usual elegant adult appearance.

    Kōmori-Neko 
Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba (Akuma-Kun, Japanese), Frank Todaro (Akuma-Kun 2023, English)

A bat-winged cat Yōkai who hails from the west.


  • Summon Magic: Kōmori-Neko is able to summon a Vampire Elephant to attack his foes. In the 1996 anime, he's able to summon a Poltergeist and a group of Ustrel from his body.

    Balmond 
A mummy who appears in the 2007 anime.
  • Canon Foreigner: Is exclusive to the 2007 anime.
  • Mummy: A powerful and royal one at that, he also has command over a horde of servant mummies.
  • Mummy Wrap: Can ensnare his targets by wrapping them with his bandages.

Chinese Yokai

    Gahi 
Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (2007), Hikaru Midorikawa (2018)

A giant floating head yokai from China, normally serves under Qi. Can assume a human form from the 2007 anime onward.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Has blonde hair in the 1985 anime, purple hair in the 2007 anime and light blue hair in the 2018 anime.
  • Ambiguous Gender: In the 1985 anime, because they didn't assume a human form it's unknown whether they were male or female.
  • Anime Chinese Girl: Took this as her human form in the 2007 anime.
  • Beauty Equals Goodness: Averted in the 2018 anime, Gahi at first appear to be this being a nice handsome man who has a girl named Yuna falling into a relationship with him, but his true colors show by the end.
  • Flying Face: The true form of Gahi is a a giant floating head with long flowing hair and a mouth blocked by its large tongue.
  • Gender Flip: A female in the 2007 anime, while a male in the 2018 anime.
  • Light Is Not Good: The Gahi from the 2018 anime has light blue hair and wears a white Changshan but tricks a girl into helping him consume human souls.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: In the 2018 anime, Gahi's human form resembles this.
  • Pointy Ears: Has these in the 2018 anime to indicate he's a yokai.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Gahi has red eyes in both his true and human forms and planned on consuming the souls of humans.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: In the 2018 anime, Gahi was sealed within a scroll kept by Sunakake-Babaa.
  • Soul Eating: In the 2018 anime at least.

    Yasha 
Voiced by: Kosaku Sugiura (1968), Ryuuji Saikachi (1985), Koichi Hashimoto (1996), Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (2007)

A yokai guitarist who uses his beautiful serenades to lure victims.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Depicted with light-colored hair in the manga and 1968 anime, navy in the 1985 anime, blue in the 1996 anime, green in the 2007 and Hakaba anime and white hair in the 2018 anime.
  • Bad Santa: In the 2018 anime he possesses people wearing Santa costumes to lure children so he could drain their life force.
  • Black Eyes of Evil: Has black sclerae in the 2007 anime. Not him per se in the 2018 anime, but his hosts gain completely black eyes.
  • Kill It with Fire: Is killed this way in the 1968 anime.
  • Mind-Control Music: In the 2007 anime, he was able to mind control an entire crowd into becoming his minions.
  • Puppeteer Parasite: The 2018 anime gives him more control over his human host unlike past series.
  • Prehensile Hair: Being made out of hair he is able to entangle his target with his own body.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes glow red in the 2018 anime.
  • Soul Eating: His usual modus operandi.
  • Would Hurt a Child: His victims in the 1996 and 2018 anime all consists of young children.

Other Foreign Yokai

    Pii and Monroe 
Pii is voiced by: Taimei Suzuki (1971), Hiroshi Otake (1985), Yusaku Yara (1996), Chafurin (2007), Takumi Yamazaki (2018)
Monroe is voiced by: Keiko Yamamoto (1971), Mariko Mukai (1985), Asako Dodo (1996), Yoko Kawanami (2007), Kyoko Irokawa (2018)

A vampire couple from South Asia.


Tropes that apply to them in general

Tropes that apply only to Pii

  • Adaptation Dye-Job: He is green in the 1971, (where he has a teal face) 2007 and 2018 anime, purple in the 1985 and 1996 anime, albeit with a green face for the latter. Meanwhile his mane is green in the 1971 anime, dark blue in the 1985 anime and yellow in the 1996, 2007 and 2018 anime.
  • Hat of Power: Wears a top hat that in the 1971 and 2018 anime can turn those who wear it into vampires, and in the latter, it is made of the blood of his ancestors.
  • Makara: Pii resembles a crocodile-fish posed with the tail up as makara statues occasionally are.
  • Mix-and-Match Critters: Pii has a long reptilian body, bird feet, a mane and a human hand.
  • Weak, but Skilled: In the 2018 anime, he is said to not be that strong, however the minions he make are rather dangerous, to the point that in several timelines they Take Over the World in a week.

Tropes that apply only to Monroe

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