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Shisa
Img sisa
Shisa as he appears in the 2007 anime
Name
Japanese シーサー
English Okinawan for "lion"
Profile
Species Yōkai
Gender Male
Home Okinawa
Abilities Drill tunneling
Transformation
Affiliation Kitarō Family (1980s)
Other Information
Best Friends Nezumi-Otoko
Kijimuna
Akamata
Goals Protect Okinawa
Impress Kitarō
Determination Unmatched
Naivety Likewise
First Appearance
Manga The Great Yōkai
Gasha-Dokuro Lives
(1985)
Anime Series 3 Episode 73 (1987)
Portrayals
see Cast
Gallery

Shisa (シーサー, Shīsā) is a lion-like dai-yōkai that lives in Okinawa. He was a member of the Kitarō Family throughout the 1980s. He first appeared in the Mizuki Pro series Saishinban GeGeGe no Kitarō but was later worked into the franchise by Shigeru Mizuki himself, appearing in manga series Shinpen GeGeGe no Kitarō and the 1985 anime adaptation.

Cast[]

Appearance[]

Shisa's Father and Cat

Shisa and his father with their cat before turning into Gotoku-Neko.

Img sisa (1)

Shisa appeared in the Episode 25 of the 2007 anime.

Shisa is still a child so he is rather small. He is a light orange with a yellow tail and mane that rises into a point at the top of his head. He has big lips and two large fangs protruding from his mouth. In the fourth anime his skin and tail are a darker orange and his mane is green. In the fifth anime his skin is yellow and his mane and tail are green.

His large form looks closer to the legendary Shisa, a pig-nosed lion-like creature with a curly mane. In the fourth anime, his body and mane looked more like a normal lion. The fake large Shisa in the 3rd anime had a blueish-black body with blueish-gray hair and stood on it's hind legs.

In the third anime, Shisa appears as a small lion cub-like yōkai, with a plump body and thin limbs, peach fur and a short tail. He has neck-length golden hair with few strands pointing upward and a small fringe of hair hanging between his eyes. He also has pointy ears, thick orange lips with two prominent fangs, a flat nose and a pair of eyes with black sclerae. He is capable of standing on his hind legs, allowing him to stand and walk upright.

In the fifth anime, There are two Shisa that appeared, both are small lion cub-like yōkai, with neck-length hair, pointy ears, flat noses, eyes with light green sclerae and black pupils and thick lips with prominent fangs. They are both quadrupedal and have not shown the capability of walking upright. They are completely identical with their color scheme being the primary distinction. The Shisa that participated in the sports festival has orange fur with lime hair and tail, pale pink lips and wore a white headband. The Shisa that is friends with Akamata has yellow fur with peach lips, dark green hair and matching tail.

The latter is capable of transforming into a larger form, resembling an adult lion with a dark green mane that is curly and gold eyebrows that curl by the ends. He has pink lips, sharp teeth and eyes that have red irises. His body is muscular with green swirls, similar to his mane, with gold outlines on his back a long, thin green tail, tufts a fur on each of his <legs> that have five white claws at the end of each digit and a light yellow underside.

Personality[]

In the manga, Shisa is noted to have knowledge of American yōkai and figured out the identity of the crab yōkai Jeff.

History[]

80's Manga/Third Anime[]

After appearing in Saishinban GeGeGe no Kitarō, he suddenly begins accompanying the Kitarō Family on their adventures. After proving himself in the battle against Ōmukade, he is allowed to live with Kitarō. He plays a prominent role in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Kitarō Jigoku Arc, taking part in most of the battles in Jigoku. In Kitarō Kunitori Monogatari, he has returned to Okinawa and appears with his parents. His father looks like the Shisa of legend, while his mother looks like a bigger version of himself. He also kept a cat as a pet, but the cat was latter possessed by a Shibitodama and turned into a Gotoku-Neko and enslaved Shisa.

He first appears in episode #73 of the third anime adaptation, Shisa Appears!! The Great Okinawa Battle. Much like the manga at the time, he began to appear as a main character. He is good-natured and fairly naive, often getting tricked in going along with Nezumi-Otoko's schemes. He can use an elaborate paper doll to disguise himself as a giant Shisa. According to the Kijimuna, he is not as reliable as his ancestors. In his first appearance he tries to fight Kitarō, but afterwards he admires him and begins living with him as his disciple.

1996 Anime[]

He appears in episode #63 of the fourth anime adaptation, Welcome!! Yōkai Hotel. While he does fight Kitarō and then reconcile with him like in the previous series, he does not reappear as an ally in later episodes. His good natured personality is still intact. Because of development he and Kijimuna are run out of their home forest and begin living around a local tourist hotel. He later helps out with rebuilding his hotel. In this series he has the additional ability to transform into a human.

2007 Anime[]

In the fifth anime, there could be two individuals appeared in the episodes based on body colorations. Shisa first appears in episode #25 as a member of the Southern Japan team in the sports festival. He is also a good friend of Akamata. In episode #94, the Kyūketsuju holds the Kijimuna hostage and forces Shisa to do her bidding. He chases off Akamata and claims to be the 47 Yōkai Warriors representative of Okinawa. He lures out and fights Kitarō but is eventually defeated with the help of Akamata, revealed to be the true representative of Okinawa. He lives at a shrine in a banyan forest.

Powers and Abilities[]

In the 1985 anime, his father was said to be a dai-yōkai and was a guardian god of Ryukyu Islands.

In the 2007 anime, it is said that Shisa alone can destroy entire Ryukyu Islands if he goes rampage.

Tunneling:: Shisa is capable of digging through the ground very fast by spinning around rapidly like a drill. In his first appearance in manga, he used his legs as a drill instead of his head as afterwards. In the 1985 anime, he can also move underground when wearing the sculpture of his father.

Shuriken: In the 1985 anime, Shisa is skilled with shuriken techniques.

Transformation: In the fourth and fifth anime, he is able to transform into a full sized Shisa, but in the third anime he could only achieve this with the help of paper doll disguise. He is capable of walking on his hind legs, even in his large form.

Illusion:

Cloud breath: Shisa in the 2007 anime can produce storm clouds from his mouth.

Tornado breath: Shisa in the 2007 anime can emit a black and purple colored whirlwind from his mouth.

Weather control and earthquake: Although being under control of kyūketsuju, behaviors of Shisa in the fifth series indicate that he can control and cast natural disasters such as a storm, lightning, and earthquake. In his debut in the 1985 anime, Shisa also caused a temporal earthquake and a crack on the ground.

Durability: Shisa in the 2007 anime is a powerful yokai and Kitaro's attacks including chanchanko, finger guns, and internal electricity have little effects on Shisa.

Electricity counter: Shisa in the 2007 anime is able to strengthen and reflect Kitaro's electricity from his mouth.

Plant Controlling: Shisa in the 2007 anime can control roots and twigs of nearby trees to bind targets.

Barrier:

Shisa curse: Shisa in the 2007 anime can cast curses on any man-made Shisa statues in Ryukyu Islands.

Puppet Suit: Shisa in the 1985 anime was able to wear a clay sculpture identically mimicking his father's appearance and voice. Shisa wearing this can move, speak, cause a small earthquake, and burst out of the ground without any difficulties.

Legend[]

Shisa, or lion-dogs, likey originated in ancient Oriental cultures and southern China and Taiwan, are an important part of the folklore in Ryukyu Islands. It is said that when you place a statue or replica of the Shisa anywhere in the house or village especially on roofs, the statue will defend the family and the house and the village from evil spirits and disasters including fires and the family will have happiness and maybe fortune and good luck.

References[]

Navigation[]

v  e
Kitarō Family
Main
Allies
Humans
See also
47 Yōkai Warriors
v  e
1985 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Jigoku
Others
v  e
1996 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Others
Amefuri-KozōBaby DorotabōDai-TenguEnma-DaiōGama-SenninIwanabōzuKaruraKashaboKawausoKawazaruKubinashi-UmaKuchisake-OnnaMt. Kurama Karasu-TenguNeko-SenninMermaid ChildObariyonShisaYakanzuruYama-WarawaZashiki-Warashi
Akaname & Shiro-UneriAkashitaAmamehagiFukuro-SageKaminariKashaKeukegen & Gasha-DokuroMizu-Sennin
Xú FúYōkaChiisuttā no Kami
v  e
2007 Series Yōkai and other Mystical Beings
Kitarō and Allies
Threats
Others
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