The Great Pyramid of Japanese Yōkai Manga - GeGeGe no Kitarō
Yōkai are monsters, creatures, spirits, and other supernatural entities in Japanese folklore.
Although they sound like they would be evil and demonic, not all Yōkai are bad; some can bring good luck, some help humans, and some can just simply exist with no sole purpose. Shigeru Mizuki's "GeGeGe no Kitarō" is said to be one of the main sources that introduced Yōkai to the general public. With a history of 50+ years, GeGeGe no Kitarō is a must-read.
From the main character Kitarō and his eye-ball father Medama-oyaji, the half-Yōkai half-human Nezumi Otoko and the cute cat-girl Neko Musume, all the characters have unique features and an appearance you just can't not like. The story follows Kitarō, a one-eyed Yōkai boy who fights for peace between Yōkai and humans. Apart from his father who is now an eyeball, he is the last living member of the Yūreizoku, or Ghost Tribe. In the manga, along with his friends and peer Yōkai, he battles monsters & creatures from other countries and Japanese Yōkai who are a threat to society.
Although the manga "GeGeGe no Kitarō" officially started in 1967, the Kitarō legacy began over 3 decades ago in the 1930s. Kamishibai, a traditional Japanese form of entertainment which tells stories with drawings on paper, was the very first time Kitarō was introduced. Titled "Hakaba Kitarō", these Kamishibai were not actually first made by Mizuki; at the time, he was still in his teens. In 1954, he took on the role of creating his own Kamishibai, his own take on Kitarō titled "Hakaba no Kitarō".
In 1960, he made the switch to manga, and in 1965 Hakaba no Kitarō made its Shōnen Sunday debut. Slowly gaining popularity, the manga would grow big enough to become an anime in 1967, but the name Hakaba no Kitarō [demon-boy of the graveyard] was difficult to gain sponsors, so the name was officially switched to GeGeGe no Kitarō.
The Kitarō series went on until 1997, and some small works & one-offs carried on into the 00s. Mizuki passed away at the age of 93 in 2015. A true pioneer and the father of Yōkai manga.
