Yōkai are supernatural spirits, demons, ghosts, and monsters from Japanese folklore. They range from spectral flames that appear over battlefields, to shapeshifting fox spirits, to fierce, ogre-like demons. While some are malevolent and others benevolent, Yōkai are more often complex entities that exhibit a range of behaviors and emotions.

Akaname: A spirit that licks unclean bathrooms

Akurojin-no-hi: A ghostly fire that causes sickness

Amanojaku: A small demon spirit which lures people to perform evil deeds

Amazake-babaa: An old hag that goes door to door selling sake and bringing illness

Amefurikozō: The spirit of a boy who plays in the rain

Ameonna: A female spirit that makes rain

Aobōzu: A blue spirit resembling a priest which may kidnap children

Aonyōbō: a blue-skinned spirit ogre of poverty and misfortune that often inhabit abandoned houses of fallen nobles

Aosaginohi: A spirit in the form of a heron which glues bright blue

Ayakashi: Ghostly spirit lights that appear above water

Azukiarai: A spirit of a short, ugly man who washes beans on the shore, though often only the sound of the beans being washed is heard and the spirit is not seen

Bake-danuki: A raccoon-dog spirit

Bake-kujira: A large skeletal spirit whale that is often accompanied by strange fish and birds

Bakeneko: A cat spirit

Bakezōri: A wandering spirit sandal

Baku: A tapir-like creature which devours nightmares

Basan: A fowl-like bird creature which breathes a cold fire

Bashōnosei: A banana spirit

Betobeto-san: Invisible spirits that create the sounds of footsteps following a person

Chōchin-obake: Spirits in the shape of paper lanterns

Chōchinbi: Ghostly lights that appear on footpaths between rice fields

Daitengu: One of several of the most powerful tengu

Datsue-ba: A hag-like spirit who resides in the underworld

Dodomeki: Female spirits with long arms covered in birds eyes

Dōnotsura: A headless humanoid spirit with a face on its’ torso

Enenra: A spirit of shadow and smoke

Fūri: A monkey spirit

Funayūrei: Vengeful ghosts of those lost at sea

Furaribi: Fire spirits

Futakuchi-onna: A female spirit with two mouths, a normal one and one on the back of the head beneath the hairline

Gashadokuro: Giant skeletons that bite off the heads of their victims and drink their blood

Goryō: Vengeful spirits

Bái Zé: A cow-like creature with many eyes

Hashihime: A lonely woman waiting for her husband who became a demon through jealousy

Hibagon: An ape-like creature similar to the yeti or bigfoot

Hiderigami: Spirits that can cause draughts

Hone-onna: A skeletal woman who seeks love but brings death instead

Inugami: A dog spirit conjured by a family

Janjanbi: Drifting fireball spirits

Jinmenken: A dog-like creature with the face of a human

Jorōgumo: Spider spirits which can transform into attractive women to prey on men

Kamikiri: A spirit that secretly cuts peoples hair

Kappa: a water imp that resembles a small, green humanoid with a disk-like head

Kasa-obake: A possessed paper umbrella

Kasha: A chariot spirit that collects the bodies of evil humans

Kodama: Spirits that live in trees and are responsible for echoes

Konaki-jiji: A spirit that disguises itself as a crying baby then crushes those that try to pick it up

Kosenjōbi: Fireball spirits that appear over battlefields

Kudan: A cow-like spirit with the head of a human

Kuzuryū: A nine-headed water dragon

Kyonshii: A vampire

Miage-nyūdō: A spirit that would grow so that a person could never see the top of it

Mikoshi-nyūdō: A goblin spirit with a neck that can extend to great lengths

Mujina: A racoon-dog or badger that can shapeshift

Nekomata: An evil cat spirit with two tails

Nuppeppō: A spirit that resembles a meat sack with hard to distinguish features of a human

Obake: A term for any shape-changing spirit

Ōkami: A wolf spirit who can act either as a protector or destroyer

Ōmukade: A giant centipede that consumes humans

Oni: Demonic spirits with an ogre-like appearance

Onibi: Spectral flames

Onihitokuchi: One-eyed demons that eat humans

Onikuma: A great bipedal bear spirit

Onmyōji: A human with the powers of the spirits

Raijū: A dog-like thunder creature that can travel in lightning

Rōjinbi: Spirit flames that accompany an elderly person

Satori: Monkey-like creatures that can read minds and live in the mountains

Shinigami: A death spirit

Shōjō: Humanoid spirits with red hair who love to drink alcohol

Tanuki: Racoon dogs with the ability to shapeshift

Tengu: Wise spirit demons

Tenku: an elderly and wise fox spirit

Tennin: Celestial beings akin to angels

Te-no-me: Blind spirits with eyes on their palms

Yamabiko: Mountain spirits resembling a cross between a monkey and a dog responsible for creating echoes

Yama-uba: A malevolent crone spirit

Yōsei: Fairies

Yuki-onna: Female snow spirits

Yurei: Ghosts

Oni are usually brightly colored demons, often red, green, or blue.