Kubire-Oni (くびれ鬼 Kubire-Oni, lit. Strangle Demon) is a yōkai who influences humans to commit suicide.
Appearance[]
In the 1996 anime, Kubire-Oni is a yōkai with a very large head, long, messy dark red hair, and light purple skin. His eyes have white scelrae and dark red irises, his mouth contains numerous sharp teeth and he constantly holds on to the locks of hair on his sides. He wears a long sleeve white robe, which becomes part of a long, thin tail as it goes farther down.[1]
Within the 2007 anime, Kubire-Oni appears largely the same, albeit having light green skin and lime hair, which now flows down more. He has grey sclerae and gold irises with small black pupils in his eyes, his mouth is filled with sharp teeth and he still holds on to his hair locks. His outfit consists of a white robe, that the lower part becomes thinner and turns into a tail.[2]
In the 2018 anime, Kubire-Oni's appearance has few differences, his skin is now green and his hair is dark green. His eyes have red sclerae and blue irises, his teeth are now flat and less spacious and he continues to hold onto the locks of hair on the sides of his head. He wears a long white robe, which the lower half becomes a long thin tail.[3]
Personality[]
History[]
1996 Anime[]
Kubire-Oni appears in episode #19 of the fourth anime adaptation, Terrifying! Yōkai Kubire-Oni.[1]
2007 Anime[]
Kubire-Oni appears in episode #62 of the fifth anime adaptation, Kubire-Oni Beckons Death. He listens to humans that say the words, "I want to die." Upon hearing this phrase, he takes these humans to his world in order to show them the true pain of death.[2]
2018 Anime[]
Kubire-Oni appears in episode #25 of the sixth anime adaptation, Kubire-Oni's Curse. In this episode, Medama-Oyaji states that a human who committed suicide became a yōkai, specifically the Kubire-Oni.[3]
Powers and Abilities[]
Hair Manipulation: Kubire-Oni is able to use his hair to bind his target, using also for the Curse App, sending it to the user's target(s) and inflicting pain to the victim such as by tripping them over dangerous places. In particular cases of users of the Curse App, his hair can form into a noose, to be used by a person succumbed by a large number of curses.[3]
Legend[]
Kubire-Oni, also known as Iki, Itsuki, Chōsatsuki, and Chōshiki, are ghosts of humans who committed suicide by hanging. They haunt people to coerce them to hang themselves. They inhabit Meikai, an underworld with a fixed population, maintaining its equilibrium by having a soul leave after a new soul arrives. Depending on the circumstances of their death, if no one dies in the same manner then they may have to wait a long time before being reincarnated. Kubire-Oni are an example of this, taking matters into their own hands as they are tired of waiting for people to hang themselves to take their place. Their influence is very overpowering, capable of filling even a happy person with no troubles with the desire to die. They are a very old superstition, dating as far back as ancient China. The belief of evil spirits coercing suicide remains popular in Japan to this day.[4]