| Hakaba Kitarō | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Kitaro |
|
First Appearance |
kamishibai (paper theater) (1930s) |
|
Created by |
Masami Ito |
Origin[]
Based on the folktale of the child-rearing yokai (Kosodate Yūrei), a passerby is guided to a lady's grave by her ghost, where it is revealed that the woman gave birth to a healthy baby after passing away. Hakaba Kitarō is a malformed, hunchbacked feral child known to haunt the cemeteries of Japan, born from the belly of a snake with a disfigured face, large buck teeth, and a single bulging eye due to the karma of his parents' deaths.
Notes[]
- The character would later be adapted by Shigeru Mizuki for his manga series of the same name. Only the original version of the character is public domain in Japan. Any television appearances or films are still protected by their respective copyright owners.
- Debuted in kamishibai (paper theater). Most of the original story is now considered lost.