Mai-Kubi (舞首 Maikubi, lit. Dancing Heads) is a Yōkai made of vengeful spirits of men with three heads that are joined together as one. They are said to be spirits of men that are bound together.
Appearance[]
Mai-Kubi is composed of three large heads.
Within the 2007 anime adaptation, each of Mai-Kubi's heads have long teal hair, bushy eyebrows matching their skin, and eyes with yellow sclerae, thin red irises, and black pupils. The left head is Kaze-Kubi (風首 Kaze-Kubi, lit. Wind Head) and has green skin, light purple lips, a light patch of peach fuzz, eyebrows pointing downward, straight hair, and big eyes with pale yellow sclerae. The right head is Hi-Kubi (火首 Hi-Kubi, lit. Fire Head), he has red skin, a light patch of peach fuzz, eyebrows pointing upward, a balding head, and thin eyes. Finally, the top head is Kaminari-Kubi (雷首 Kaminari Kubi, lit. Thunder Head), he has blue skin, a thin blue mustache, thin bushy eyebrows that stand up, thin eyes, and wild hair.[1]
Personality[]
The three heads of Mai-Kubi do not get along and will bicker and fight against each other.
History[]
Manga[]
They were one of the Japanese Yōkai that assembled to fight against Western Yōkai Army.
2007 Anime[]
It appears along with Hone-Onna in episode #41 of the fifth anime adaptation, Overthrow Kitarō! Nezumi-Otoko's Great Counterattack.[1]
2018 Anime[]
Powers and Abilities[]
An image of an awakened Mai-Kubi using their elemental breaths
Elemental Breaths: Each of the Mai-Kubi's heads is capable of spewing out elemental attacks, being fire, wind, and lightning. They are noted to be an extremely powerful yōkai, with their destructive power, they could potentially destroy Japan within 3 days.[1]
Levitation:
Legend[]
Illustration of Mai-Kubi
Mai-Kubi is a trio of disembodied heads seen floating above the sea in the middle of the night, spewing out tomoe-shaped flames from their mouths, all the while bickering with each other.
Three samurai from Manazuru, Izu, Kosanta, Matashige, and Akugorō, were heading off to a festival when they got drunk and began to argue with each other, soon escalating into a swordfight that ended with all three of them decapitating each other. The heads of the men rolled into the sea, where even there, they still bickered with each other. As the Mai-Kubi argue, they would create tomoe-shaped waves, which locals called the area around them the Tomoe-ga-Fuchi.