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Umibōzu (
Appearance[]
Umibōzu is a large yōkai with black skin, it is unknown what most of his body looks as the rest is submerged underwater, though he does at least have a left arm. His face is rather simple, having a pair of large eyes with white sclerae, black irises, and white pupils.
Some of Umibōzu were originally humans that transformed into mermen or yōkai.
Within the 2018 anime, Umibōzu appears with black, rubbery skin and lacking hair, he is quite big as most of his body is submerged underwater, though he has shown that he has a left arm. He has a rather simple face, having large eyes with light blue sclerae, black irises, and white pupils, his mouth resembles that of a squid's, being cylindrical and grey at the lips.[1]
Personality[]
History[]
Manga[]
Umibōzu first appear in the Shonen Magazine story, Yōkai Rally. In this story, two Umibōzu, a father and son, live on Sado Island. The father sends the son to buy him some alcohol, but after he buys it, gets run over by Backbeard. He later attends the titular Yōkai Rally, and spews seawater from his mouth to extinguish Kitarō. As a thanks for beating the other racers, the Umibōzu child also lent Kitarō replacement alcohol.
Umibōzu later appear in the one-shot story, Umibōzu-Sensei. In this story, they are now an evolved form of humanity, able to conjure up supernatural powers like a yōkai and move around in the sea. They feed on the souls of young boys. Humanity was able to evolve into this form from the eponymous character, Umibōzu-Sensei, a man who graduated from Tokyo University, and first evolved after drinking an evolutionary drug invented by an old professor in the laboratory. Like his later subjects, he feeds on human souls. He became a teacher at an elementary school in Umibozu Village, implementing an absolutist education based on Tokyo University's Order of Merit, and showed his tyranny by mercilessly trying to stab an awl into the thigh of anyone who did not get 100 points on a test. He later collected the souls of his students by driving them to suicide. He tricked Kitaro and Nezumi-Otoko into drinking the evolutionary drug, turning them into more Umibōzu, but they were returned to their original forms by a degeneration drug brought by the same old professor.
A clan of Umibōzu warriors appeared in the Shin GeGeGe no Kitarō story, Umibōzu. Like in the one-shot, they are also an evolved race of humans, migrating to a world with air that was created by chance when their land sank due to tectonic shifts. They captured Dr. Yamada, a researcher on Umibōzu, but the professor himself used dynamite to detonate himself, causing the city to disappear to the bottom of the sea.
A more traditional-looking Umibōzu appears in the Shinpen GeGeGe no Kitarō story, Sekiyō. In this story, he captured Sekiyō with the goal of making her his pet.
1968 Anime[]
He appears in episode #54 of the first anime adaptation, Yōkai Rally.[2]
1985 Anime[]
He appears in episode #51 of the third anime adaptation, World Yōkai Rally.[3]
2018 Anime[]
He first appears in episode #24 of the sixth anime adaptation, Nezumi-Otoko's Disappearance!? Sekiyō's Trap. Umibōzu awakens under the waters of a peer where Sekiyō clashes with Kitarō and Ittan-Momen, the former later senses his presence. Just as they are about to be swallowed into the tornado form of Sekiyō, Kitarō calls forth Umibōzu, who smacks Sekiyō's boulder form into the sea. Kitarō thanks him and grabs Sekiyō before she could escape. Later as the group decides on what to do with Sekiyō, Umibōzu suggests that he keep her as a pet for a while, much to her objection as she calls for help. He is about to leave, when Nezumi-Otoko demands that he release Sekiyō. While at first angered from his order, after he states that he will fight him for her, Umibōzu decides to let her go.[1]
Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare[]
Powers and Abilities[]
Underwater Breathing: Because he lives underwater, Umibōzu is able to breathe and stay for long durations of time underwater, even capable of sleeping without any ill effects.
Water Gun:
Bubble Trap:
Telekinesis:
Shape shifting:
Legend[]
The Umibōzu of legend is said to live in the ocean, where it rises from the surface of the calm water and are said to be massive, with a giant black head, they lurch upwards and are capable of overturning ships. The spirit is said to have a large, round head resembling that of Buddhist monks' shaven heads, its appearance linking with its name meaning "sea priest". It is also sometimes described to have human-like eyes, noses, and gaping mouths, though other reports say it's featureless. Certain regional Umibōzu depictions also match Nurarihyon, Kappa and Funa-Yūrei more closely.
There is a story about a strong man walking along the beach at night when an Umibōzu suddenly appeared and tried to drag him into the sea three times, but he managed to escape. Shigeru Mizuki noted how the Umibōzu description's matched the general appearance of a dugong. There are also specific stories of the Umibōzu found throughout Japan.
In the San'in region, an unusually small Umibōzu was said to appear at night in the sea, rubbing against people's legs and dragging them into the sea. A man who happened to be strong managed to catch it with a rope. The next day, a villager saw this creature and said, "This thing is called a Umibōzu, and it rubs against people mostly because it's itchy." In other parts of the Chūgoku region, Umibōzu caught in nets were described to have humanoid heads.
In the Tohoku region, a custom is practiced involving the making an offering of the first catch of the season (hatsumono) to the Sea God Watatsumi, but if this is disregarded, Umibōzu, which take the form of actual monks, appear and destroy the boat and kidnap the captain.
Hitotsume-no-Ōbōzu and Nurunuru-Bōzu have also been considered as variants of Umibōzu.[4][5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 24
- ↑ GeGeGe no Kitarō (1968): Episode 54
- ↑ GeGeGe no Kitarō (1985): Episode 51
- ↑ Shigeru Mizuki, November 18, 1994, 続・日本妖怪大全, p.235, KC Deluxe, Kodansha.
- ↑ 絵巻えほん ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 妖怪島へ