Ganbari-Nyūdō

Ganbari-Nyūdō
Name
Japanese	加牟波理入道 (がんばりにゅうどう)
Rōmaji	Ganbarinyūdō
Meaning	Ganbari Priest
Profile
Species	Yōkai
Gender	Male
Home	GeGeGe Forest (2018)
Abilities	Levitation
First Appearance
Manga	Shinigami Tai-Senki (1974)
Anime	Series 3 Episode 102 (1987)
Portrayals
2007 anime	Atsushi Kisaichi
2018 anime	Shūki Imagawa

Ganbari-Nyūdō (加牟波理入道 (がんばりにゅうどう) Ganbarinyūdō, lit. Ganbari Priest) is a ghost-like yōkai known to associate with bathrooms.

Appearance

In the 2007 anime, Ganbari-Nyūdō appears as an old man with puffed cheeks and pale skin. He is balding yet retains short strands of hair around his head, as well as his chin, chest, and arms. His eyes are droopy, having black pupils and thick eyebrows. He wears a loose grey kimono that hangs around his shoulders, tied around his waist is a dull brown rope, and the end of his kimono becomes a long, thin, wispy tail.

Within the 2018 anime, Ganbari-Nyūdō's appearance is relatively the same as before, being an old man with puffed cheeks and pale skin. He is bald and has short strands of hair around his head, chin, chest, and arms. His eyes have black pupils and less thick eyebrows. He wears a loose light grey kimono, hanging around his shoulders, and a dull brown rope is tied around his waist. He has a long, thin, wispy tail that forms from the end of his kimono.

History

Manga

He and Baku were among participants of the party held by Momon-Jii.

2007 Anime

He appears in episode #9 of the fifth anime adaptation, The Ghost Train Goes to the Other World where he scares Yoshinaga at the window of the train's restroom.

2018 Anime

He appears in episode #7 of the sixth anime adaptation, Ghost Train. Ganbari-Nyūdō briefly appears as one of the yōkai on the Ghost Train who scares the company boss. Later, he appears with the others, watching as the company president is sent to Jigoku by the Ghost Train. He appears again later in the dreams of Neko-Musume and Mana, where he is a guest in Neko-Musume's wedding with Kitarō and as one of the students in Mana's class.

Episode 35: Ganbari-Nyūdō is among the crowd of yōkai, trying to drive Agnès out of the forest. He listens to Medama-Oyaji's warning that if they drive her out then the tragedy Malay yōkai will only repeat elsewhere. Soon followed by Kitarō as he explains how grave the consequences are if Japan becomes a part of Backbeard's empire, causing the crowd to look at one another.

Episode 97: Ganbari-Nyūdō was among the many yokai who are cheering for Kitarō to boost his power to destroy the bloated Backbeard from destroying Earth.

The Great Yōkai War: Guardians

Ganbari-Nyūdō appeared in the manga adaptation of the film.

Powers and Abilities

Levitation: Ganbari-Nyūdō has shown the ability to float a few feet above the ground.

Legend

Illustration of Ganbari-Nyūdō by Shigeru Mizuki

A perverted ghost-like yōkai named Kanbari-Nyūdō (加牟波理入道 (かんばりにゅうどう) Kanbarinyūdō) lurks outside of bathrooms on New Year's Eve, resembling a priest whose body is covered in thick hair and blows a cuckoo out of his mouth. Little is known of this Yōkai as it only comes out once per year. It lurks outside of bathrooms and peeks through the windows at people using the toilet. The history and origins of this Yōkai are confusing and convoluted, as sources vary. One such example from Toriyama Sekien is that this Yōkai originates from the Chinese god of the toilet, Kakutō, who in reality was a 15th-century Ming general. The cuckoo part traces back to China, where hearing it while using the toilet will bring bad luck, and that only barking like a dog will counter the curse. In Okayama Prefecture, Ganbari-Nyūdō was often confused with Miage-Nyūdō. It is also hypothesized that the legend of the giant-like yōkai Santo (山都, lit. Mountain City) from China was mingled with Kakutō, resulting in the creation of Ganbari-Nyūdō.

In Rekkkoku Kaidan Kikigaki Zōshi, a ghost of a promiscuous man was called Ganbari-Nyūdō (眼張入道 (がんばりにゅうどう) Ganbarinyūdō, lit. "Rolling Eyes Back Priest") for his behaviors to roll his eyes back and keep watching women, although his exact identity was ambiguously depicted either as a human ghost or a kitsune.