Yōkai
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.