Top 10 Anime Characters Inspired by Japanese Folklore

Princess Kaguya in the anime Kaguya-hime no Monogatari is one of the iconic anime characters representing Japanese folklore. Inspired by the fairy tale 'The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter', Princess Kaguya has successfully constructed in the audience's minds the image of the ancient princess in a truthful and extremely affectionate way.

Similar to the original fairy tale, Kaguya was born in a glowing bamboo in the forest. One day, an old man passing by discovered her and took her home to nurture her. With time, Kaguya grew rapidly, making everyone amazed. Life went peacefully, Kaguya still felt extremely happy and always innocent playing with her friends despite living in a poor rural area. But one day, while cutting bamboo, the old man accidentally found gold and luxurious silk in the bamboo forest, just like how he found his daughter. The couple thought this was the will of the Gods for Kaguya to become a noble princess. The beautiful silks would be draped over her, the gold was to build a large mansion. The family decided to move to the capital so she could live like a true aristocrat, which suddenly turned Kaguya's life upside down.

Although her body was locked in the castle, Kaguya's soul still yearned for a free, peaceful life with beautiful memories of childhood. After all, Kaguya returned to the Moon, where she truly belonged, with tears full of regret and sorrow.

Alongside the kitsune, Tanuki is also one of the famous characters in Japanese folklore. Through ancient fairy tales and illustrations, the Japanese people believe that Tanuki is a legendary creature resembling a mischievous raccoon dog, known for its ability to transform into anything and enjoy using its magic to tease humans. Tanuki in Japanese folklore is described as mischievous, adorable creatures with an endless passion for Sake and often transforming into humans, mimicking their behavior.

The Raccoon War is a movie revolving around a group of Tanuki living harmoniously, happily together in their natural forest. One day, everything is turned upside down when humans decide to destroy their forest to expand urbanization, putting all the animals in the forest in danger. Knowing this, the Tanuki tribe decides to find ways to sabotage and drive away those who are constructing the project to protect their homeland.

In Japanese folklore, the fox spirit is an indispensable symbol in the spiritual life of the people of the land of the rising sun. Tomoe in the anime Kamisama Kiss is one of the iconic anime characters built based on the folklore of the fox spirit in Japan. With prominent features including pointed ears, silver hair like moonlight, snow-white skin, and frighteningly sharp claws, Tomoe has successfully recreated the image of the fox spirit in the folklore about fox spirits.

In Kamisama Kiss, Tomoe is the fox spirit serving the land god of the Mikage shrine. Despite possessing a fox spirit appearance, Tomoe has a fiery and arrogant personality, which makes goddesses and demons fall in love with him but never dare to approach him. Initially, Tomoe, with his cold and distant personality, becomes more gentle over time, and with the female lead Nanami, they create a beautiful love story that transcends the barriers between humans and demons.

Among the famous supernatural creatures in Japanese folklore, the exorcist holds a special place. This is why there are many anime series about exorcists, with the most famous being the teacher Mesuke in Hell Teacher Nube.

Mesuke is a cheerful and friendly teacher famous in school. However, few know that besides being a teacher, he also possesses a special ability called the 'demon hand', which can exorcise evil spirits haunting people. The first episodes open in the setting of a new student entering the high school where Mesuke teaches, and the student is possessed by a demon. Normally cheerful and sociable, the boy becomes agitated and uncontrollable when angry due to the possession, which makes him fierce and shunned by everyone. Knowing this, Mesuke uses his power to help the boy. And then many other incidents happen in the school, forcing him to step in to protect his students.

Inuyasha in the anime Inuyasha is inspired by Inugami, the dog deity in Japanese folklore. Inugami is a creature with a human-like body and a dog-like head, similar to a werewolf in Western folklore. Inugami manifests in the mortal realm to serve its summoner and carry out tasks like a loyal dog.

Inuyasha is set in the Warring States period of Japan and follows the journey of Inuyasha, a half-demon, as he seeks the shards of the Shikon Jewel alongside Kagome, a modern-day human girl, and their companions. This journey is mystical and dramatic, with captivating twists and turns and many characters inspired by the supernatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Inuyasha and his half-brother Sesshomaru are both inspired by the image of the dog deity Inugami.

In Japanese folklore, Shishigami in the film Princess Mononoke is the embodiment of the deity Yatsukamizuomitsuno. The Nagahama Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, Japan worships this deity. In Japanese folklore, Yatsukamizuomitsuno is a deity with the power to regenerate everything on the planet. There is an ancient legend that says Yatsukamizuomitsuno created the land of Izumo in Shimane Prefecture, which is known as the land of the gods. It is said that the deity Yatsukamizuomitsuno takes the form of a deer with a human face. In the morning, this deity appears as a mysterious deer wandering in the forest. But as night falls, Yatsukamizuomitsuno transforms into a colossal spiritual entity and uses its power to control the life of all creatures on the planet.

In Princess Mononoke, Shishigami is faithfully portrayed based on the folklore of the deity Yatsukamizuomitsuno. Shishigami is the supreme deity in the West Forest, symbolizing life and death. Shishigami's appearance in the film is depicted as a deer with a human-like face and impressive large antlers, possessing the power of immortality and the ability to make plants flourish or wither.

Catbus in the childhood film - My Neighbor Totoro is no longer a strange character to many audiences. Catbus takes the form of a large cat, always smiling, and its body is designed like a bus. Catbus is inspired by Bakeneko (monster cat), a mythical creature that is a cat with strange tails in Japanese folklore. Bakeneko has the ability to shape-shift, mimic human voices, dance, and even control human minds.

Unlike the friendliness and cuteness of Tanuki, in Japanese folklore, Bakeneko represents brutality. To blend into the human world, Bakeneko often chooses to transform into its owner, but if anyone finds out, it will kill that person. In ancient tales from the Warring States period of Japan, Nabeshima Mitsushige, a famous tyrant, brutally killed his close vassal Ryuuzouji Matashichirou for failing a mission. Matshichirou's mother, upon hearing of her son's death, was so distraught that she committed suicide by sword. The cat witnessed the suffering of its owner, tasted blood on the sword, and then transformed into a Bakeneko to seek revenge on the killer, leading him to his death.

The Nihon Shoki, a Japanese chronicle, mentions Mizuchi, narrating an ancient story as follows: During the 67th year of Emperor Nintoku's reign (379 AD), at the junction of the Takahashi rivers in Okayama province, there was a large dragon that resided there, protecting the river and often spewing venom, killing many fishermen. Later, it was defeated by a man named Agatamori. The warrior submerged it in the river, and from then on, the legend of Mizuchi began to spread among the Japanese people, being passed down through generations.

Oshira-sama is the stout, white deity in the Spirit Realm. He appears like a white turnip, but some believe he is actually a silkworm. Behind him are small silkworm holes for breathing, and under his red hat are strawberry leaves. In Japanese folklore, Oshira-sama is the name of a deity representing the ancestors of weaving and agriculture in the Tohoku region.

The folklore behind the deity Oshira is tinged with a poignant love story between two species. It is said that there was a poor farmer who lived with his beautiful daughter, and the only valuable asset they had was a horse. However, the daughter fell in love with the horse and secretly married it. When the father discovered this, he was furious and killed the horse, hanging its body on a mulberry tree. Witnessing this, the girl sorrowfully embraced the horse's body and wept. Afterwards, she and the horse flew into the sky and became gods.

As for the father, after his daughter left, she returned in a dream to instruct him on how to raise silkworms using mulberry leaves. From this legend, it is believed that the girl and the horse became deities protecting the sericulture and silkworm farming profession.