During the early years of animation, Gegege no Kitaro remains one of Toei’s oldest animated series. The show introduced Japanese children to the world of yokai. Going 60 years strong, Kitaro gets a 2023 origin story and his own 2025 horror game, Noroi Kago.
What Is ‘Gegege No Kitaro’?
In 1960, manga illustrator Shigeru Mizuki released Kitaro’s manga series. These stories tell the tale of the world of the Unseen. The Unseen refers to the Yokai Plane where they cause mischief or haunt people out of rage. From 1968 up to the present day, Gegege No Kitaro’s anime was broadcast to teach children morals and educate a yokai’s actions.
Toei Animation has been the series’ main production ever since. The show’s setting changes each generation as Japan evolves towards modern-day society. Kitaro has protected the people from yokai to prevent meeting their short-lived fate. Even if a person misbehaves, he will still rescue them. As long as his spirit mailbox receives request letters or the yokai actions are televised, he will get the job done.
From PG to PG15
Gegege no Kitaro’s age rating changed over the years of its airing. Originally, the show was meant to be a collection of Kitaro’s tales. While the anime kept the tales, the action later became more violent. Gegege no Kitaro 2018 offers lessons for Japan’s growing youth and adults. Shigeru Mizuki presented more visible horror to viewers due to human misbehavior. Blood, gore, and human contortion become present as the series progresses.
Kitaro’s Origins
In 2023, Shigeru Mizuki worked alongside screenwriter Hiroyuki Yoshino for Birth of Kitaro: Mystery of Gegege. In Gegege no Kitaro 2018, his father Madama-Oyaji mentions Mana a human who raised his son. This man would be known as Mizuki Katsunori. He’s a pharmaceutical businessman working for the Imperial Blood Bank. He fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War which explains the battle scar on his face.
He arrives at Nagura, a village known to produce the military drug ‘M’. There he meets the strange man of the Ghost Tribe he calls Gegero for his laughter. Both men discovered a horrendous secret of the Ryuuga family. They drained the blood of Gegero’s tribe to create M including his wife. In their efforts to end the restless souls, Gegero sacrifices himself to save Mizuki and his wife. The vest Kitaro wears was made from his cry and ancestors’ hair.
Toei Animation’s Noroi Kago
On September 5th, 2024, Toei Animation gave a surprise game trailer at Tokyo Game Show 2024. Noroi Kago presented itself as a co-op horror game. Players will be stuck in a haunted house filled with yokai, attempting to escape. At the trailer’s end, Kitaro’s character model appeared. It is unconfirmed if Gegege no Kitaro will return to the anime scene. His last series ended in 2020. The series inspired Toei Animation to develop a terrorizing alternative universe of the Yokai hero. The game is set for a 2025 release on Steam.
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