Japanese manga series by Shigeru Mizuki and its adaptations
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GeGeGe no Kitarō (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎), originally known as Hakaba Kitarō (墓場鬼太郎, "Kitarō of the Graveyard"), is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as yōkai, a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters belong to. This story was an early 20th-century Japanese folk tale performed on kamishibai. It has been adapted for the screen several times, as anime, live action, and video games. The word GeGeGe (ゲゲゲ) in the title is similar to Japanese sound symbolism for a cackling noise but refers to Mizuki's childhood nickname, a mispronunciation of his given name.
Selections of the manga and the theatrical live-action films have been published in English, simply titled Kitaro. The 2018 anime series is streamed with English subtitles as GeGeGe no Kitaro. The publisher of the North American English manga is Drawn & Quarterly.
Plot
GeGeGe no Kitarō focuses on the young Kitarō—the last survivor of the Ghost Tribe—and his adventures with other ghouls and strange creatures of Japanese mythology. Along with: the remains of his father, Medama-Oyaji (a mummified Ghost tribesman reincarnated to inhabit his old eyeball); Nezumi-Otoko (the rat-man); Neko-Musume (the cat-girl) and a host of other folkloric creatures, Kitarō strives to unite the worlds of humans and Yōkai.
Many storylines involve Kitarō facing off with myriad monsters from other countries, such as the Chinese vampire Yasha, the Transylvanian Dracula IV, and other such non-Japanese creations. In addition to this, Kitarō also locks horns with various malevolent yōkai who threaten the balance between the Japanese creatures and humans.
Some storylines make overt reference to traditional Japanese tales, most notably the folk tale of Momotarō, in which the young hero defends a Japanese territory from demons with the help of the native animals. The Kitarō series "The Great Yōkai War" (妖怪大戦争, Yōkai Daisensō) draws a great deal of influence from this story, with Kitarō and his yōkai friends driving a group of Western ghouls away from an island.
While the character of Kitarō in GeGeGe no Kitarō is a friendly boy who genuinely wants the best outcome for humans and yōkai alike, his earlier incarnation in Hakaba Kitarō portrays him as a much more darkly mischievous character. His apparent lack of empathy for humans combined with his general greed and desire for material wealth drives him to act in an unbecoming manner towards the human characters—often deceptively leading them into nightmarish situations or even to hell itself.
Kitarō is a yōkai boy born in a cemetery and, aside from his mostly decayed father, the last living member of the Ghost Tribe (幽霊族, Yūreizoku). His name, rendered with the character for oni (鬼) (a kind of ogre-like yōkai) can be translated as "Demon Boy"—a name which references his yōkai heritage. He is missing his left eye, but his hair usually covers the empty socket. He fights for peace between humans and yōkai, which generally involves protecting the former from the wiles of the latter. When questioned in the 2007 movie, Kitarō responds that he is three hundred and fifty years old. In the 1985 series, he is half-human on his mother's side. As a member of the Ghost Tribe, Kitarō has an assortment of powers and weapons.
While his powers are featured prominently in the GeGeGe no Kitarō series, Hakaba Kitarō plays down Kitarō's supernatural abilities. Beyond having the power to travel through hell unharmed with the help of his Chanchanko, as well as the ability to regenerate from almost any injury (as evidenced when his body is recoverable after being dissolved by Johnny in the Fog), his powers are more of deception than of fighting prowess: something much more in line with traditional yōkai characters.
Medama-oyaji[jp] (目玉のおやじ, or 目玉親父; literally "Eyeball Father")
Medama-oyaji is Kitarō's father. Once a fully-formed adult Ghost Tribe member, he perished from a disease, only to be reborn out of his decayed body as an anthropomorphic version of his own eyeball. He looks small and fragile, but has a strong spirit and a great love for his son. He is also extremely knowledgeable about ghosts and monsters. He enjoys staying clean, and is often seen bathing in a small bowl. He has a great love for sake.
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, he is referred to as "Daddy Eyeball".
Nezumi Otoko is a rodent-like yōkai–human half-breed. He has been alive for three hundred and sixty years, and in that time has almost never taken a bath, rendering him filthy, foul-smelling, and covered in welts and sores. While he is usually Kitarō's friend, Nezumi Otoko will waste no time cooking up vile schemes or betraying his companions if he thinks there's money to be had or a powerful enemy to side with. He claims to be a college graduate of the University of the Bizarre (怪奇大学, Kaiki Daigaku). He can immobilize even the strongest yōkai that accost him with a pungent flatulence attack. And, akin to cats and mice, he and Neko Musume cannot stand being around each other.
Nezumi Otoko first appears in the story "The Lodging House" (rental manga version) as Dracula IV's minion.
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, he is referred to as "Ratman".
A normally quiet half-human yōkai girl, who shapeshifts into a frightening catlike monster with fangs and feline eyes when she is angry or hungry for rats and fish. Predictably, she does not get along well with Nezumi-Otoko. She seems to harbor a slight crush on Kitarō, who sees her only as a friend. In recent iterations (possibly due to the recent anime phenomenon of fanservice), she is very fond of human fashion and is seen in different outfits and uniforms. She bears some resemblance to the bakeneko of Japanese folklore.
Neko Musume first appears in the story "Neko-Musume and Nezumi-Otoko" (Weekly Shōnen Magazine version); however, another cat-girl named simply "Neko (猫)" appears in the earlier stories "The Vampire Tree and the Neko-Musume" and "A Walk to Hell" (rental version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, she is referred to as "Catchick".
Sunakake Babaa is an old human-like yōkai woman who carries sand which she throws into the eyes of enemies to blind them. She serves as an advisor to Kitarō and his companions, and manages a yōkai apartment building. The original sunakake-baba is an invisible sand-throwing spirit from the folklore of Nara Prefecture.
Sunakake babaa first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story "A Walk to Hell" (rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in "The Great Yōkai War" (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, she is referred to as the "Sand Witch".
Konaki Jijii is a comic, absent-minded old human-likeyōkai man who attacks enemies by clinging to them and turning himself to stone, increasing his weight and mass immensely and pinning them down. He and Sunakake Babaa often work as a team. The original konaki jijii is a ghost which is said to appear in the woods of Tokushima Prefecture in the form of a crying infant. When it is picked up by some hapless traveller, it increases its weight until it crushes him.
Konaki Jijii first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story "A Walk to Hell" (rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in "The Great Yōkai War" (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, he is referred to as "Old Man Crybaby".
Ittan Momen is a flying yōkai resembling a strip of white cloth. Kitarō and friends often ride on him when traveling. The original ittan-momen is a spirit from Kagoshima Prefecture myth which wraps itself around the faces of humans in an attempt to smother them.
Ittan Momen first appears in the story "The Great Yōkai War" (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, he is referred to as "Rollo Cloth".
Nurikabe is a large, sleepy-eyed, wall-shaped yōkai, who uses his massive size to protect Kitarō and his friends. The original nurikabe is a spirit which blocks the passage of people walking at night.
Nurikabe first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story "A Walk to Hell" (rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in "The Great Yōkai War" (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition and in Crunchyroll's subtitled version of the 2018 anime, he is referred to as "Wally Wall".
Kitarō's old rival, he is depicted as an old man who comes at other people's houses and drinks their tea. He is also a member of the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, and Nurarihyon has a member he always uses named Shu no Bon.
Back Beard is the boss of the Western yōkai and Kitarō's second greatest foe after Nurarihyon. He is loosely based on the bugbear. He is a giant, round shadow with a single large eye in the center and several tentacles extending from his body. He appeared most prominently in the story "The Great Yōkai War", where he rallied all the Western yōkai into a war against the Japanese yōkai. He used his hypnotic powers to make Nezumi Otoko betray Kitarō and later hypnotized Kitarō himself. He has since appeared semi-regularly throughout the franchise.
Analysis
The character Kitarō can be seen as an extension of artist Shigeru Mizuki himself. "Gegege," a childhood nickname derived from Mizuki's own mispronunciation of "Shigeru", ties the creator and creation together. Mizuki's own loss of a left arm in World War II mirrors Kitarō's hidden eye, while Medama-oyaji might be read as the embodiment of a guiding force, perhaps even a symbolic stand-in for Mizuki's missing limb.
Kitarō's world is populated by both original yōkai created by Mizuki, such as Nezumi-otoko (Rat-Man), and adapted figures from earlier folklore. Mizuki's work frequently drew on sources like Kunio Yanagita's Yōkai Meii and Toriyama Sekien's illustrated catalogs, rendering visible many beings that had only existed as vague textual descriptions. For instance, Yanagita describes the "Sunakake-babaa" (sand-throwing old woman) as an unseen yōkai found in Nara Prefecture. Mizuki transforms her into a vivid character. Similarly, the yōkai "Nurikabe", an invisible wall that obstructs nighttime travelers, is given form as a blocky creature with eyes and legs.
Media
An illustration from the original Hakaba no Kitarōkamishibai, printed in Kōji Kada's Kamishibai Shōwashi (紙芝居昭和史, "Kamishibai Showa History"). This picture depicts the Kitarō character as significantly more frightening and threatening than Mizuki's version of the character.
Kamishibai
The front cover of the 2013 translated compilation published by Drawn & Quarterly.
The Kitarō story began life as a kamishibai in 1933, written by Masami Itō (伊藤正美) and illustrated by Keiyō Tatsumi (辰巳恵洋). Itō's version was called Hakaba Kitarō (墓場奇太郎, "Kitarō of the Graveyard"); the title is generally written in katakana to distinguish it from Mizuki's version of the tale.
According to Itō, her Kitarō was based on local legends describing the same or similar stories. It is also said to be a loose reinterpretation of the similar Japanese folktale called the 子育て幽霊Kosodate Yūrei[ja] or "The Candy-Buying Ghost" (飴買い幽霊, Amekai Yūrei), which were inspired by Chinese folklore from 12th to 13th centuries.
In 1954, Mizuki was asked to continue the series by his publisher, Katsumaru Suzuki.
Manga
Kitarō of the Graveyard was published as a rental manga in 1960, but it was considered too scary for children. In 1965, renamed to Hakaba no Kitarō, it appeared in Shōnen Magazine (after one of the editors came across the kashibon and offered Mizuki a contract) and ran through 1970. The series was renamed GeGeGe no Kitarō in 1967 and continued in Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Shōnen Action, Shukan Jitsuwa and many other magazines.
In 2002, GeGeGe no Kitarō was translated by Ralph F. McCarthy and compiled by Natsuhiko Kyogoku for Kodansha Bilingual Comics. Three bilingual (Japanese–English) volumes were released in 2002.
Since 2013, compilation volumes of selected manga chapters from the 1960s have been published by Drawn & Quarterly, with English translations by Zack Davisson and an introduction by Matt Alt in the first compilation volume. Drawn & Quarterly later published a large collection of Kitaro manga under the title Kitaro, with Jocelyne Allen as the translator. Zack Davisson wrote the volume's afterword.
Seven anime adaptations were made from Mizuki's manga series. They were broadcast on Fuji Television and animated by Toei Animation.
The opening theme to all six series is "GeGeGe no Kitarō", written by Mizuki himself. It has been sung by Kazuo Kumakura (1st, 2nd), Ikuzo Yoshi (3rd), Yūkadan (4th), Shigeru Izumiya (5th), the 50 Kaitenz (6th) and Kiyoshi Hikawa (7th). The song was also used in the live-action films starring Eiji Wentz. In the first film, it was performed by Wentz' WaT partner Teppei Koike.
In January 2008, a series based on Hakaba Kitaro (墓場奇太郎, Hakaba Kitarō), (also produced by Toei) premiered on Fuji TV during the late night hours in the Noitamina block. and unlike the usual anime versions, it is closer to Mizuki's manga and is not part of the existing remake canon. It also features a completely different opening theme song ("Mononoke Dance" by Denki Groove) and ending theme song ("Snow Tears" by Shoko Nakagawa).
A seventh series, announced in early 2018, directed by Kōji Ogawa and written by Hiroshi Ohnogi started airing on Fuji TV on April 1, 2018, to celebrate the anime's 50th anniversary. The series concluded on March 29, 2020, as it entered its final arc, the "Nurarihyon Arc", on October 6, 2019. It streamed on Crunchyroll, making it the first Kitarō anime to be available in North America.
An English dub aired as Spooky Kitaro on Animax Asia. Hakaba Kitaro was released with English subtitles on DVD in Australia and New Zealand.
A rebroadcast program of all six of the franchise's television series, titled GeGeGe no Kitarō: My Favorite GeGeGe Generation (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 私の愛した歴代ゲゲゲ, GeGeGe no Kitarō Watashi no Ai Shita Rekidai GeGeGe), aired on Fuji TV and other channels from April 6 to September 21, 2025. The theme song for the program is a rendition of "GeGeGe no Kitaro[ja]" by Ado while the ending theme for the first half is "Party of Monsters" by Kiyoshi Hikawa featuring Tetsuya Komuro. For the second half, the ending theme is titled "Yami ni Goyōshin", performed by Keisuke Yamauchi[ja].
Two live-action films have been released. The first one, Kitaro (released in Japan as GeGeGe no Kitarō (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎)), was released on April 28, 2007. It stars Eiji Wentz as Kitarō and Yo Oizumi as Nezumi Otoko. The film follows Kitarō as he tries to save a young high school girl, Mika Miura, while also trying to stop the powerful "spectre stone" from falling into the wrong hands. The live-action film makes extensive use of practical costumes and CG characters to depict the cast of yōkai.
The second film, Kitaro and the Millennium Curse (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 千年呪い唄, GeGeGe no Kitarō Sennen Noroi Uta), was released on July 12, 2008. Wentz reprised his role as Kitarō. It follows Kitarō and his friends as they try to solve a 1000-year-old curse that threatens the life of his human companion Kaede Hiramoto.
↑"Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon by Shigeru Mizuki". Drawn & Quarterly. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2021. These seven stories date from the golden age of Gegege no Kitaro, when Mizuki had perfected the balance of folklore, comedy, and horror that made Kitaro one of Japan's most beloved characters.
↑Silverman, Rebecca (January 14, 2018). "The Great Tanuki War GN". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2018. Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro stories remain some of the most influential works of horror and folkloric dark fantasy in the manga world
↑Takoshima, Sunao. もう一人の鬼太郎とその原像 ──伊藤正美作「墓場奇太郎」をめぐって──(PDF) (in Japanese). Aichi Gakuin University Library and Information Center. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 1, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
↑ゲゲゲの鬼太郎. Eiren Database (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
↑ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 千年呪い唄. Eiren Database (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
Foster, Michael Dylan (2009). Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Demonology and the Culture of Yōkai. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN978-0-520-25362-9.
Kada, Koji (2004). 紙芝居昭和史. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN4-00-603096-7.
