Continuing with our theme of Japanese Yokai for this issue, we asked the TOM Staff who is their favorite Yokai. While we were expecting many of the picks to be based on actual Yokai, we were surprised to see so many that were created uniquely for their anime/manga. Let us know via the TOMZINE Feedback what is your favorite Yokai and the next topic you’d like to see our TOM Staff pick!
The Morose Mononokean
Pen Name: Katie
Moja
A yokai that is attached to Ashiya who just became a high school student.
He grows to love Ashiya who found him and helped him.
Natsume's Book of Friends
Pen Name: Katie
Nyanko-sensei (Madara)
Originally a graceful yokai named Madara, he became confined in the form of a beckoning cat and without realizing it became used to that shape.
With the promise that he will receive the Book of Friends after Natsume dies, he lives together with Natsume as his bodyguard and pet cat.
He is an impulsive yet dependable being.
Hiiragi
Natori’s “shiki,” or familiar.
She follows Natori and calls him her master.
Though she is quiet, she and Natori look out for Natsume.
xxxHOLiC
Pen Name: Katie
Jorogumo (Spider Lady)
She’s super hot and kinda a bad-ass so she’s very memorable. (haha)
Mononoke
Pen Name: Agatha
Bakeneko
The Mononoke anime started off as the final 3 episodes of an anthology series called Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales. Those 3 episodes, set in the Edo period, tell a complete story about a Bakeneko - a kind of monstrous cat. They were so well-received that Mononoke got its own spin-off TV series. The final 3 episodes of that series are also titled Bakeneko. They tell a different story, set in a different historical time period, but with similar themes and intriguing parallels. Mononoke as a whole is a must-watch for yokai fans, but I especially love how the writers used the same yokai twice, with equally interesting results.
GeGeGe no Kitaro
Pen Name: Cue and SHIO
Backbeard
Boasting an overwhelming spiritual power, he is the West’s most powerful emperor. He is a dictator with the aim of ruling the world. He and his subordinates invade Japan in pursuit of the witch Agnes who has stolen the Ring of Arcana.
Daidarabocchi
A legendary giant who lived in ancient Japan and watched over the lives of humans and yokai. His gigantic body was divided into 8 parts and he was put into a long sleep…!?
Ittan-momen
Ittan-momen is the cutest! He’s the best!
A yokai made from white cloth. HIs thin long body flutters through the air and he sometimes carries Kitaro. This yokai from Kyushu loves young women and if he sees a woman he immediately tries to woo her.
Spirited Away
Pen Name: Mashi
No-Face
He has a black body like a shadow and appears to be wearing a mask. He doesn’t speak but instead only says “ah” and “eh” in a weak voice. Because he can’t communicate he borrows the voice of whatever he eats. When that happens he speaks from his real mouth located underneath the mask. It is through this mouth that he eats and drinks. He has the power to disappear.
Susuwatari (soot spirits)
They have black chestnut-shaped bodies with two eyes in the middle. Arms and legs sprout from their body. Kamaji calls them “little ones”
They are made from soot through the power of magic and if they are not working, they turn back into soot.
Under Kamaji’s instructions, their job is to carry coal and throw it into the furnace in the boiler room. During breaks they are given konpeito candy to eat.
- © 2001 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, NDDTM
- © 2005-2025 STUDIO GHIBLI Inc.
Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube
Pen Name: Yuta
Hatamonba
A cursed yokai that hunts for the heads of criminals.
Inu × Boku SS
Pen Name: Takeshi
Soushi Miketsukami (Fox Spirit)
When it comes to Ririchiyo, he is extremely loyal to the point of being like a faithful dog. He is always polite with a gentle smile but at times he has a pure black side. He calls Ririchiyo his patron and it seems that she has saved him in the past.
Roromiya Karuta (Gashadokuro)
She loves delicious looking things and eats a lot. Because she operates on instinct she can seem a little eccentric but she understands things on a deep level and there is a reason for everything she does. She is childhood friends with Banri.
Yukinokouji Nobara (Snow Woman)
At first glance she appears to be a cool, beautiful older sister type but in reality she adores girls and has a peculiar enthusiasm for all parts of the female body. In contrast she has no interest in men and is very cool and dry when it comes to her partner’s winning streak. Her favorite saying is “maniac!”
- ©Cocoa Fujiwara/SQUARE ENIX
- ©藤原ここあ／スクウェアエニックス・「妖狐×僕SS」製作委員会・MBS