Ganbari-Nyūdō (加牟波理入道 Ganbarinyūdō, lit. Ganbari Priest) is a yōkai known to be associated 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.[1]
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.[2]
Personality[]
History[]
1985 Anime[]
2007 Anime[]
He appears in episode #9 of the fifth anime adaptation, The Ghost Train Goes to the Other World.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[1][2]
Legend[]
A perverted ghost-like Yōkai named Kanbari-Nyūdō lurks outside of bathrooms on New Year's Eve, resembling a priest whose body covered in thick hairs and blows a cuckoo out of his mouth. Little is known of this Yōkai as it only comes out once per year, lurking outside of bathrooms and peeking through the windows at people using the toilet. The history and origins of this Yōkai are confusing and convoluted, as sources vary. One such 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.[5] 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.
Trivia[]
• The meaning of its name is unknown.