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Gahi (画皮 (がひ) Gahi, lit. paint skin) is a Chinese Yōkai.

Appearance[]

In the 1985 anime, Gahi's appearance is that of a large head with red-violet skin, a squished nose, and long yellow hair. Their eyes have orange sclerae and yellow pupils, their mouth has sharp premolars and a large orange tongue that obscure the inside.[1]

In the 2007 anime, Gahi first appears a beautiful young woman with purple hair styled in twin braids each tied with yellow bows and fair skin. Her eyes have purple irises and her mouth has red lipstick. She wears a Cheongsam with a pink flower pattern and white trim and a pair of red shoes. Although Gahi's true form is that of a giant head with grey skin, long violet hair. Her eyes have orange sclerae, black irises with several thin points, and yellow pupils, her mouth has sharp canines and a large red tongue that obscure the inside.[2]

In the 2018 anime, Gahi's human form resembles a young handsome man with fair skin, wavy light blue hair, thin hair, and pointy ears. He has thin eyebrows and sharp eyes with yellow irises and big red pupils. He wears a white Changshan with red trims and fasteners, white pants, and black shoes. His true form, however, is that of a large head with dull brown skin, a squished nose, and long light blue hair. His eyes are red and pupil-less, his mouth has sharp premolars and a large tongue that obscure the inside.[3]

Personality[]

History[]

1985 Anime[]

They appear in the third movie based on the third anime adaptation, GeGeGe no Kitarō: Saikyō Yōkai Gundan! Nippon Jōriku!!.[1]

Gahi was one of the most important and strong subordinates of Qi. Unlike in later series, Gahi in this film neither spoke nor transformed. This Gahi occasionally emitted beast-like sounds.

2007 Anime[]

A female Gahi appears in episode #76 of the fifth anime adaptation, Strongest Tag Battle!! Southern & Chinese Yōkai!!.[2]

2018 Anime[]

A male Gahi appears in episode #26 of the sixth anime adaptation, Glamour! The Beautiful Gahi.[3]

Powers and Abilities[]

Levitation: Gahi is able to float above the ground and fly high above with ease. In 1985 anime, Gahi was seen flying fast enough not to allow fire yōkais to merge before Kitarō used his chanchanko as a torch.

Wind Breath: In the 1985 and 2007 anime, Gahi is able to exhale powerful black winds from their mouth. It is powerful enough to counter Nozuchi's vacuum breath.[1][2]

Enhanced Durability:In 1985 anime, Kuro-Kaibutsu was seemingly knocked out when Gahi, dragging Kitarō after its hair, collided to his face, and the bovine monster was never seen again while the collision had no visible effect on Gahi. This also caused Kuro-Kaibutsu to drop his mace on Sanshō and several troopers, resulting in the defeat of the iron-skinned yōkai. Even though Gahi fainted when Kitarō slammed it to a rock, Gahi awoke again with no signs of damages and continued to battle under Qi's command.[1]

Human Transformation: Within the 2007 and 2018 anime, Gahi is able to transform into a human form, female in the former[2] and male in the latter.[3] In either case their human forms are noted to be rather attractive.

Hypnosis: By staring into her target's eyes, they fall under her hypnosis and follow her command. Those under her control become somewhat durable or insensitive to pain. When she uses this ability, her eyes glow red and those who under her control have their eyes do the same.[2]

Paper Magic: In the 2007 anime, Gahi is able to create paper spirits of whoever she wants. She does so by tipping her hair with ink and generating paper from her mouth to draw what she desires. Afterward, the paper drawings become physical copies of the target, with all their abilities at their disposal. But as they are beings made of paper, they are susceptible to water and will dissolve after coming in contact with it.[2]

Soul Stealing: In the 2018 anime, Gahi is able to steal human souls, feeding on them to gain nourishment. He does so by sucking their souls out of their mouths. Those whose souls are consumed go into a comatose state, only returning after their soul has been returned.[3]

Eye Beam: Within the 2018 anime, Gahi was seen to shoot red energy beams from his eyes.[3]

Extendable Tongue: Gahi in the 2018 anime is able to extend his tongue and attack enemies.[3]

Equipment[]

Gahi's scroll attack in the 2018 anime

Gahi's scroll attack in the 2018 anime.

Ridable Cloud: In the 2007 anime, Gahi has a small yellow cloud that can fly at high speed. It is able to carry at least two passengers.[2]

Scroll: In the 2018 anime, Gahi used the scroll that contained him to bind his target in a manner similar to that of Kitarō's Chanchanko.[3]

Legend[]

Gahi Illustration

Illustration

Gahi in Shigeru Mizuki's series greatly differs its characteristics from the original story Painted Face (Chinese: 畫皮; pinyin: Huàpí) from Liaozhai Zhiyi. Originally, Gahi is a demon with a bluish face and saw-like teeth. It, by painting humans on human skins and wearing those, transformed into women of various ages to deceive men and prey on victims. In the live-action film in 2008, Gahi was depicted as a fox spirit.


Mizuki's design was likely based on lion heads on several artworks from the continent.[4][5]

References[]

Navigation[]

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1985 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Jigoku
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2007 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Others
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2018 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Others
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