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Youkai are a widely-varied collection of various supernatural creatures that pop up in [[Shinto]] religion. They have a lot in common with [[The Fair Folk]]. Some youkai are good, others are evil, and many are [[Blue and Orange Morality|different]]. Some are mischievous, others avoid humans entirely. Shinto is an animist religion, and youkai are often associated with natural features such as forests and mountains. This word is often translated as "demon" in Western translations, but that does not adequately describe the creatures in question. The closest true Western equivalent is probably that of the ancient Roman [[wikipedia:Genius (mythology)|genii]] or [[Our Spirits Are Different|spirits]].
 
Supernatural creatures drawn from Western sources often turn out to seem more like youkai in Japanese works.<ref> Fun fact -- the Japanese word for vampire contains the character for oni.</ref> For instance, vampires. In the West you've got Nosferatu -- aNosferatu—a grotesque, undead monster who burns in sunlight and murders to preserve his hideous unlife.<ref>Notably, this may be used to refer both to the classic film character and to one of the clans in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'', which features other kinds of vampires, with the same powers and weaknesses, but characteristics that set them apart into clans</ref>. In Japan you've got [[Cute Monster Girl|exceptionally cute]] [[Fan Service]] protagonist [[Rosario + Vampire|Moka Akashiya]], who is not undead, harbors no ill-will towards the sun, and drinks tiny amounts of blood that leave her "victim" light-headed at worst, but who has a [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] who can (and will if you look at her the wrong way) kick your ass thoroughly.
 
''Henge'', a subset of youkai, are magical animals with [[Shapeshifting]] powers and human intelligence. They often [[Humanity Ensues|assume human form]] and get into all kinds of mischief. Kinds of ''henge'' include Kitsune, Tanuki, and Nekomata.
 
''Obake'' is another Japanese word that can indicate some type of monster. Derived from the word for “to change,” it generally covers the subset of youkai that includes shapeshifting animals and [[Animate Inanimate Object|Animate Inanimate Objects]]s. Confusingly, however, the word ''obake'' can also be used to refer to ghosts, also known as ''yuurei''. See [[Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl]] for more information.
 
The list presented below is by no means complete. Many types of Youkai are exceedingly rare to find in modern media and so are not included. On the other hand, '''[[Kitsune]]''', '''[[Kappa]]''' and '''[[Tanuki]]''' have garnered enough examples to warrant their own pages.
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'''Nekomata''': A seemingly ordinary cat that develops magical nature through long life. It looks like an ordinary house cat, except for the tail, which splits into two at half-length. While much smarter than it used to be, a nekomata remains just as whimsical, which may be dangerous with its new found powers of illusion and [[Necromancy]]. It's said a cat will become a nekomata after turning 100 years old, where upon its tail splits, it starts using human speech, some how gains [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|transformation]] powers, a greater intelligence, and other [[Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers|odd abilities]]. The name is often used and confused for [[Catgirl|catgirlscatgirl]]s. May be a [[Mega Neko]].
 
== Nekomata Examples ==
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* The benefactors for the heroes of the ''[[Onimusha]]'' series, worse demons killed them off so they gave their power to humans. The Gameboy Advance "Onimusha Tactics" game gives nod to the different versions by stating that some escaped this fate by getting jobs in the Underworld.
* King Enma and his underlings in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', mostly bureaucrats working in <s>HFIL</s> Hell.
* Lum from ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' is a variation -- shevariation—she's an alien, but of a race obviously related to folktale Oni.
* To some extent, Kamen Riders of ''[[Kamen Rider Hibiki]]'' are all called Oni who fought the Makamous with martial arts and the power of music.
* One of the [[Transformation Ray|Transformation Rays]]s in ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'' essentially turns people into Oni, by cheaply slapping on Oni features, arming them with clubs and turning their clothes into hide loincloths. Female victims tend to wind up looking like Lum.
* Drahmin and Moloch from ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'', though [[In Name Only]] (like many other Japanese-named things in ''Mortal Kombat'', by the way)
* [[Big Bad|Tarakudo]] and the other Oni Masks, the antagonists of season 4 of ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]''.
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* The boss in ''[[Dead or Alive]] 2'', and returns as a playable character in the fourth installment. His skin is dark black, with white facial hair, and a very long nose.
* Mr Karate disguises himself with a Tengu mask in [[Art of Fighting]] and a couple of [[King of Fighters]] cameo.
* Both Haruka and Sugino in ''[[Tactics]]'' are tengu - Haruka is known as the Oni-eating Tengu before he is named and bound by the protagonist. Sugino fights with the traditional feather fan that magically raises huge gusts of wind, while Haruka carries a monk's shakujou with a spiked base. It's also stated that while Haruka was born tengu, Sugino became a tengu through arrogance and hubris--ahubris—a genuine folklore reference.
* Yotsuba meets {{spoiler|Jumbo}} dressed as a tengu boss during the [[Festival Episode|cart-pulling festival]] of ''[[Yotsubato]]!''. She's young enough to find it scary, even though she knows it's a mask.
* One episode of ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' features a cult of fanatical sohei (warrior-priests) who disguise themselves as tengu to waylay travelers. In [[Real Life]], the legends of the tengu probably originated from sohei.
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* In ''[[La-Mulana]]'', Kamaitachi first shows up as a [[Mini Boss]] in the Graveyard of the Giants, and reappears in Hell Temple.
* The tenth movie of ''[[One Piece]]'' feature, among the other creatures under Shiki's rule, the Tsujigiri Itachi (killer weasel) and they actually wield small scythes with blades made from a Kenju (sword-tree) leaf.
* The kamaitachi show up in ''[[Hell Teacher Nube]]'' in all their glory: the eldest sibling carried a cudgel to knock people over or inflict severe bruises; the middle sibling's forelegs were shaped like [[Absurdly Sharp Blade|absurdly sharp blades]] which could literally cut up anything and anyone; the youngest carried a jar filled with a mending balm. Makoto inadvertently took the latter as a pet, and, as the elder ones tried to find it, they brought catastrophe to the town --nearlytown—nearly killing Nube by slicing him in half until Makoto finally released the younger kamaitachi and it healed the teacher with its balm.
* ''[[Digimon World 3]]'' Kyuukimon (not to be confused with the aforementioned Kyuubimon) and [[Digimon Savers|Reppamon]] of ''[[Digimon]]''.
* [[Muramasa: The Demon Blade]] features a series of swords, going from 3 Kamaitachi to 5 Kamaitachi. The user spins holding the sword out in a rainbow like arc, and the number indicates the total of clones plus the user that use the move.
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* [http://www.obakemono.com The Obakemono Project]
* ''[[Okami]]''
* ''[[Omamori Himari]]'' features several other Youkai in addition to the aforementioned, including an water serpent in a leading role, a Shutendoji and many others in minor parts. Most of the major ones are [[Cute Monster Girl|Cute Monster Girls]]s.
* ''Petopeto-san'': Most of the cast are youkai of one kind or another, if not [[Half-Human Hybrid|Half Human Hybrids]].
* ''[[Pokémon]]'' has a lot of creatures based on youkai. An example is Mawile, who is based on the futakuchi-onna, a woman with a monstrous, voracious mouth growing out of the back of her head and hair that functions like tentacles.
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