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{{trope}}
[[File:WEWY-Kariya1--
The Japanese version of [[The Grim Reaper]]. Contrary to popular belief, they [[Newer Than They Think|aren't part of traditional Japanese mythology]], but got imported from Europe in the 19th century. Originally used to refer to a single entity featured in the play "Shinigami" (usually translated as "death god," but the word is "''[[wikipedia:Kami|kami]]'' of death" with its own set of connotations), the term has since evolved to refer to an entire race of [[Psychopomp
Japanese religion and spiritualism being highly syncretic, features of preexisting Taoist, Buddhist, and Shinto death entities appear to varying extents in different depictions of Shinigami. For instance, the idea of a highly stratified and bureaucratic society of psychopomps and divine judges seen in series like ''[[Bleach]]'', ''[[Yami no Matsuei|Descendants of Darkness]]'', and ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' originated in Chinese Buddhism, on the model of the massive Han bureaucracy in the living world.
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Since being with ''every'' human who ever dies would require omniscience to a story-breaking degree, it's often explained that Shinigami are only related to special cases of death, and hopefully whatever universal mechanism in place applies to non-special cases. For these reasons, opposing the work of a Shinigami is both [[The Problem with Fighting Death|harmful to the dying]] and [[Enemies with Death|the opponent.]]
Shinigami are sometimes depicted as goblin or skeletal creatures who cause death and accidents, but some popular and more recent depictions of Shinigami are closer to [[Our Vampires Are Different|western vampires]], with them being portrayed as [[Immortal]], attractive hip young people who wield a [[Combo-Platter Powers|variety of superpowers]], chief among them [[Soul Power]] ([[The Dead Can Dance|dancing skills not included]]). They will usually either cause death to sustain themselves, [[Dark Is Not Evil|peacefully escort souls]] to the afterlife (see [[Psychopomp]]), slay demons and poltergeists who cause unnatural deaths, or be the result of unnatural deaths themselves (interestingly similar to the ''first'' definition of Shinigami, though this is almost never brought up). Or various combinations of the above.
In a few instances, their counterparts are "[[Our Angels Are Different|Angels]]". Only superficially the Judeo-Christian variety, as they tend to be ex-humans too. A mix of Japanese Mythology and [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven]].
Compare [[The Grim Reaper]], [[Psychopomp]]. Also, try not to confuse these with [[Onmyodo|Shikigami]].
{{noreallife|sorry, we have to impose Wikipedia's "reliable sources" rule on this one.}}
{{deathtrope}}
{{examples}}
==Anime and Manga==
* ''[[Black Butler]]'' uses these pretty standardly, as supposed-to-be-neutral beings managed by a bureaucratic regimen (e.g., much grumbling about overtime), who review the lives of people destined to die, deciding whether or not they should live. They and demons seem to dislike one another...
* ''[[Bleach]]'' is an anime and manga about [[Loads and Loads of Characters|an entire society of shinigami]] who seemingly spend more time fighting [[The Heartless]] than actually acting as psychopomps.
** In the English dub, Shinigami are known as Soul Reapers. [[Word of God|Kubo]] has said that the term "soul reaper" is closer to what he meant than "death god". This does have the unfortunate effect of negating some god-related puns later in the series, but it's probably an acceptable trade-off for making sure Western fans realize Shinigami/Soul Reapers aren't meant to be divine beings.
* ''[[Death Note]]'' features Shinigami who come in a variety of monstrous forms, from Ryuk, who resembles [[Monster Clown]], to Rem and Sidoh who both look like [[Mummy|mummies]]. They all have retractable wings that can be used for flight, they're immune to any weapon from a human, and can [[Intangible Man|phase through objects]]. They're [[Invisible to Normals]], unless said normal touches the Death Note owned by that Shinigami. They sustain themselves by writing names down in their Death Note, which magically kills the person, and then gaining the remaining years that person would've lived. Despite their power, they're very lazy as a society, and do little more than play cards. Ryuk only dropped a spare Death Note into the human world because he was incredibly bored.
▲* ''[[Death Note]]'' features Shinigami who come in a variety of monstrous forms, from Ryuk, who resembles [[Monster Clown]], to Rem and Sidoh who both look like [[Mummy|mummies]]. They all have retractable wings that can be used for flight, they're immune to any weapon from a human, and can [[Intangible Man|phase through objects]]. They're [[Invisible to Normals]], unless said normal touches the Death Note owned by that Shinigami. They sustain themselves by writing names down in their Death Note, which magically kills the person, and then gaining the remaining years that person would've lived. Despite their power, they're very lazy as a society, and do little more than play cards. Ryuk only dropped a spare Death Note into the human world because he was incredibly bored.
* ''[[Full Moon o Sagashite]]'' has two cute spiffily dressed shinigami giving [[Older Alter Ego|age inducing]] [[Idol Singer]] powers to a charge who will die within a year to throat cancer. (It's actually a lot more complicated than it sounds.)
** Note that, according to revelations at the end of the series, it's a little different. Shinigami are taken to be humans who had committed suicide, and becoming a shinigami is supposed to be a punishment for "committing the crime of suicide". The apparent shinigami job is to extract the soul from the body when someone dies, fulfilling the perception of the ideal. However, Mitsuki looks into this a bit further and asks the question: {{spoiler|"Who decided that you are shinigami"}}? The answer? {{spoiler|The first shinigami got this label from the first girl whom she extracted a soul from and based everything about that. Mitsuki, however, disagrees with these labels: the shinigami, born out of a soul tormented by life, has the job to ''guide'' a soul to the afterlife peacefully after one's death. She then states that she has a name for people like this: angels.}}
▲* ''[[Gundam]]'' just loves the [[Shinigami]] trope. To wit:
** The most famous example is Duo from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing]]'', who calls himself "Shinigami" because of his tragic past (namely, his surrogate families dying around him). The US dub rendered this directly as "God of Death", with the cable TV edit replacing this with "The Great Destroyer".
*** At least one piece of official art shows Duo in a black robe and cloak, a scythe in his hands and a rosary around his neck. His [[Humongous Mecha|Gundam]] also uses a [[Laser Blade|beam]] scythe as its main weapon.
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** ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'' had Kyral Mekirel, Nepal's pilot, who was called "Shinigami" because he kills his opponents outside the ring before their scheduled fight. {{spoiler|After Domon beats him up, he undergoes a [[Heel Face Turn]] and joins the heroes.}}
** Terry Sanders Jr. from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team]]'' was given the "Shinigami" nickname as an insult, because both of his previous units were wiped out on their third mission, leaving Sanders the [[Sole Survivor]]. He actually attempts to get transferred out of the 08th Team after their second mission, but Shiro convinces him that it's all just superstition and to believe in his teammates. {{spoiler|It turns out the third time IS the charm for Sanders, at least this time around.}}
* Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga in ''[[Inuyasha]]'' actually works by slaying goblin-like shinigami near recently deceased corpses.
* ''[[Murder Princess]]'' features a shinigami which is goblin-like, but still hip and young; the fact that he ''works'' for the titular character speaks on how [[Badass]] she is. At the start of the series when she sees her own body, she assumes that she's dead and tells him to show her the way to Hell.
▲* ''[[Murder Princess]]'' features a shinigami which is goblin-like, but still hip and young; the fact that he ''works'' for the titular character speaks on how [[Badass]] she is. At the start of the series when she sees her own body, she assumes that she's dead and tells him to show her the way to Hell.
* In ''[[Naruto]]'' the Shinigami is a powerful summon spirit that looks a lot like the ones in ''[[Death Note]]'': a giant ghost/goblin with long white hair and several arms. It is able to eat the soul of the user and its target, forcing them to [[Sealed Evil in a Duel|fight against each other endlessly]] in its stomach.
* ''[[RIN-NE]]'' has the eponymous hero, Rinne, act as a 'sort of Shinigami'. His grandmother [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!|Tamako]] is a full Shinigami who has fallen behind on her quota and he has to help working off her debt. Though most of the debt on Rinne's shoulders was put there by his [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|deadbeat]], [[Jerkass]], [[Evil Is Sexy|majorly]] [[Hot Shoujo Dad|hot]] father. [[Better Than It Sounds|It's better than it sounds]].
* In ''[[
▲* In ''[[Risky Safety]]'', Risky is a shinigami in training whose job is talking people into commiting suicide. Risky's also six inches tall, ''adorable'', and on a [[Jekyll and Hyde|body time-share]] with a cute little angel who tries to undo Risky's work. It's a comedy series, despite the dark-sounding subject matter.
* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', ''the'' Shinigami is a near [[Physical God]]-like being who lives in Death City and has apparently made it his life's mission to keep humanity free from the yoke of witches, malign supernatural beings and corrupted humans. For this purpose, he formed a [[Extranormal Institute]] for humans who are sent out into the world to hunt down and eradicate such beings before they can become a threat to humanity. Shinigami-sama (as he is called) also has a son, called Death the Kid; both of them are referred to as Shinigami, implying that they're also a class of supernatural being.
** In spite of the name, the series' version of the Grim Reaper actually uses Western influences too with the most glaringly obvious being Shinigami himself, formerly known simply as Death.
** Later chapters have hinted at [[Eldritch Abomination|what]] [[Humanoid Abomination|class]] of being Shinigami and Kid are.
* Clamp's manga ''[[Wish]]'' depicts Demons as Shinigami, eating human souls for sustenance. They're [[Punch Clock Villain|Punchclock Villains]] in this regard, though.
* The shinigami in ''[[Yami no Matsuei]]'' (sometimes known as ''Descendants of Darkness'') are of the [[Bishonen|attractive]], angsty, superpower-wielding ex-human kind. They are most often seen fighting <s>crime</s> vampires, demons and evil doctors, but their overall function is to make sure fate is carried out and souls die when they are supposed to.
* Botan from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' is a Shinigami with character details (such as the oar she rides on and her blue hair) referencing the Japanese Buddhist myth of the Sanzu River, analogous to the Western River Styx. Her primary function is as a psychopomp, although that appears less and less as the series focuses more on Yusuke's battles with demons.
** The English dub has her call herself the Grim Reaper and Guardian of the River Styx instead.
==Literature==
* ''[[Ballad of a Shinigami]]''
* In ''[[Kyouran Kazoku Nikki]]'', "Shinigami" is [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"|the title given]] to [[Blood Knight]], skull-mask-wearing monster-exterminators.
==Religion and Mythology==▼
==Tabletop Games==▼
* The Korean version, Jeoseung Saja or "Messenger of the Other Side", shows up once in a while in manhwa. They tend to be much creepier than their Japanese counterparts, possibly because Saja, with their traditional jerkassness, are an integral part of Shamanic funerals, which are still practiced in most rural areas. They're traditionally portrayed as corrupt government agents, who threaten to abuse the departed soul in their custody unless bribed with offerings. An anthropologist studying Korean shamans reported that when the shaman was [[Powers Via Possession|playing]] Saja, ''it scared the hell out of her''.▼
▲==Tabletop Games==
* Even though they're not called by the name per se, the player characters in [[Geist: The Sin Eaters]] in many ways seem to be the Shinigami trope re-exported back into the US based on the "cool dead people with ghost superpowers who act as psychomps" version popularized through modern anime.
* The shinigami of [[Scion]] are the most powerful minions of Mikaboshi, prime avatar of the Titan of Darkness. They can kill with a touch, and are a serious threat to ''gods''.
* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (Tabletop Game)|Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', the card Shinigami is represented as pretty much the Western conception of the Grim Reaper (though hovering).
==Video Games==
* Shinigami appear in ''[[Odin Sphere]]'' as the keepers of the Underworld of Endelphia. They're also known as [[Woolseyism|Halja]] in the English dub. They're huge [[Nightmare Fuel|scary rotting wraiths]] with [[Evil Sounds Deep|deep voices]] and large curved [[Sinister Scythe|sickles as weapons]]. They're fought as minibosses several times, usually in the Underworld.
* Komachi Onozuka of ''[[Touhou]]'' is [[The Slacker|the laziest shinigami on this page]]. Unfortunately for her, her boss can see ANYWHERE, so there's very little chance for her to do so. Or at least, little chance to do so without getting caught. Also note that her role is more of a [[Greek Mythology|Charon]] [[The Ferry Man|analogue]] than the [[Grim Reaper]] - her job is to ferry the souls of the dead across the Sanzu River and into the afterlife proper.
** There are other (unseen) Shinigami who have the [[Grim Reaper]] role. One character, the [[Light Is Not Good|Celestial]] Tenshi Hinanawi, achieves de facto [[Immortality]] by [[Enemies with Death|beating up the Shinigami who come to collect her]]. Komachi defeats Tenshi, but has to let her go because she's not allowed to reap
* The protagonist of the upcoming ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrpsg2KDGh4 Ushiro]'', whose powers include possessing the suicidal and [[Nightmare Fuel|thoroughly creeping the player out]].▼
▲* The protagonist of the upcoming{{when}} ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrpsg2KDGh4 Ushiro]'', whose powers include possessing the suicidal and [[Nightmare Fuel|thoroughly creeping the player out]].
* ''[[The World Ends With You]]'' - Shinigami are trendy young dead people resurrected with amazing powers who exist to {{spoiler|test human souls to let them live again or become Reapers themselves}}.
** Furthermore, they look like what would happen if ''Bleach'' and ''Death Note'' shinigami ever mated. Likely intentional as those two anime/manga tend to be most closely associated with shinigami.
==Web Comics==
* ''[[Shinigami Death Punch]]'', obviously. All of the main characters are shinigami, in the case of the [[Psychopomp]] variety. They're also decidedly young and hipster, with a structured bureaucracy dictating most of their actions.
▲==Religion==
▲* The Korean version, Jeoseung Saja or "Messenger of the Other Side", shows up once in a while in manhwa. They tend to be much creepier than their Japanese counterparts, possibly because Saja, with their traditional jerkassness, are an integral part of Shamanic funerals, which are still practiced in most rural areas. They're traditionally portrayed as corrupt government agents, who threaten to abuse the departed soul in their custody unless bribed with offerings. An anthropologist studying Korean shamans reported that when the shaman was [[Powers Via Possession|playing]] Saja, ''it scared the hell out of her''.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
[[Category:Index of Fictional Creatures]]
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