Hakaba Kitaro

Hakaba Kitaro began life as a manga written between 1959 and 1969 by Shigeru Mizuki. Since then, the show has been adapted for television a total of five times, not counting live action works, all under the name of GeGeGe no Kitaro, as the word 'Hakaba' (graveyard) was considered too dark for television back then. The manga would not receive a proper anime adaptation until the release of the latest in 2008, nearly 50 years later.

1950's Japan. A time of change but also of great inequality. In this era lives Mizuki, a man of modest means. His life changes for good when two members of the Yurei tribe move in next door. The couple is elderly, and hopes to live to see the birth of their son because they are the last of their kind. Unfortunately, the couple dies before this joyous occasion and Mizuki buries the mother.

Out from the grave crawls a boy, Kitaro. Mizuki originally intends to kill him, but cannot bring himself to do so. He adopts the boy, much to the joy of Kitaro's father, who has revived as a walking eyeball.

Kitaro is a strange child whom his classmates jeer at for his deformity (his missing left eye) and anti-social tendencies. Mizuki's mother cannot bear him because he seems to talk to himself.

Kitaro's sole joy is Cat Neko, a girl who turns into a cat when she smells or sees rats and fish. She has a beautiful singing voice which lands her a place on a local talent show when Kitaro suggests she become a singer.

This joy is short-lived. Through a series of tragic events, Kitaro finds himself heartbroken, homeless, and broke.

This only serves to fuel his bad behavior...

Tropes used in Hakaba Kitaro include:

Afterlife Express: Played with. The train is ahallucination that Kitaro creates to mess with Nezumi Otoko and the werewolf.
Anyone Can Die: Including some very surprising characters of note for anyone used to Gegege No Kitaro.
Anti-Hero: Kitaro's main distinction between himself in this series, and his more heroic counterpart in Gegege is this. The Kitaro most know protects humans, or at worst plays scary pranks on the more foolish ones. Kitaro in Hakaba however drives a couple to hang themselves, presumably out of madness. A detail in the manga that's somewhat glossed over in the animation however, is that these two were serial killers. Kitaro doesn't seem to go after the innocent at all, and even spares a manga artist's life in aforementioned hanging episode, as he wasn't guilty of anything. He can however, play cruel jokes with an equally cruel twist of fate on the foolishly greedy or arrogant. He does show occasional concern or altruism for certain characters as well, although this dissipates as the series progresses or in other cases is backed by an ulterior motive.
Audio Erotica: The sound of Miss Toad's zipper mouth is this to Nezumi Otoko.
Author Avatar: There are no less than 3 different men with the name Mizuki in this series, one of them being Shigeru Mizuki. None of them however, have one arm; a quality Kitaro's creator is somewhat famous for.
Bittersweet Ending: It seems years later (or possibly another reality, if you look at it from a metaphysical perspective) after the 10th episode. It's implied that Kitaro has had a sort of falling out with his father, as he addresses him dismissively, Oyaji expresses both concern and disappointment in regards to his son in turn, and the two are never seen on screen together for the duration of the episode. Kitaro himself, presumably adapting to an increasingly modernized world, is now as manipulative and ambitious as Nezumi Otoko, running an afterlife insurance scam on naive humans. On top of that, a metaphysical monologue is formed around those who foolishly threw their lives away to this scam, and reflect in hell with Oyaji about how life is squandered and the whole thing becomes a statement about how human life is more frightening than anything the Youkai come up with. But hey, at least Kitaro and Nezumi still have their unusual friendship.
Bizarro Universe: Primarilly with Kitaro more than anything else. This Kitaro, and Gegege No Kitaro that most know share a similar grissly origin, background, and a few quirks but the similarities really end there. Whereas the Kitaro most know is generally benevolent and stands up for what's right, this Kitaro is sardonic and lackadaisical. While Gegege no Kitaro is a powerful fighter, using an array of often bizzare abilities, Hakaba Kitaro is more of a trickster; relying on illusions and cunning to defend himself...but he's otherwise not too tough. Gegege no Kitaro and his father don't feel the need to pursue money (although the temptation pricks at him every now and then.), but Hakaba Kitaro downright loves money and spends a good portion of the series trying to make a coin or two. Standard Kitaro treats Neko like a sister and is oblivious to her advances, while Hakaba Kitaro is downright infatuated with her in a total role reversal. The examples go on, although it's interesting to note that since this Kitaro came first...in a way the more well known Kitaro is the bizzaro one.
Came Back Wrong: Medama-Oji. See the other article about Kitaro.
Celestial Bureaucracy: Kitaro mentions King Enma in the last episode.
Costume Copycat: The fake Kitaro, although he accuses the real one of copying him.
Creepy Child: Kitaro.
Darker and Edgier: Very much, compared to the previous Kitaro series.
Eleven Episode Anime
Evil Debt Collector: Kitaro tries, and fails to collect debts for a loanshark in "The Water God".
High Octane Nightmare Fuel: Just watch the series, there's several examples.
Living Forever Is Awesome: Possibly. Kitaro seems to not care much about his immortality either way. It does seem to play a role in his general detachment from the world around him, leading to his more mischievous ways.
Last of His Kind: Kitaro is the last surviving member of the Ghost Tribe, not counting his father.
Physical God: The Water God.
Too Dumb to Live: Cat-Girl doesn't realize the real Kitaro has only one good eye before following the fake Kitaro!
Uncleanliness Is Next to Ungodliness: Half and half with Nezumi Otoko, who serves as an antagonist sometimes, but eventually becomes a strange source of consistency for the increasingly outcast Kitaro through the changing times. He's nonetheless however, legendary for his filth; a trait that he can even defend himself with!
Youkai: Obviously.