Movie
Description
Amabie is a yōkai character from Japanese folklore appearing within the *Gegege no Kitarō* franchise, notably the film *Gegege no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!!*. Her primary depiction originates from the 2007 anime series, where she lives in Yōkai Yokochō and allies with Kitarō.
Physically, she resembles a mermaid with a round head featuring a parrot-like beak, long pink hair, and blue eyes. Scales cover her body: white around the neck, mint green on the torso and arms, and dark green on the forearms, hands, and fish tail, differing from her folkloric three-legged form.
Her personality is conceited, childish, and ego-driven. Hailing from Kumamoto, she quarreled frequently with neighbors until advised by the yōkai Aobōzu to seek Kitarō's guidance in Yōkai Yokochō. Misunderstanding this, she believed she was destined to become an idol. Initially clashing with residents, she integrates after helping Kitarō save Sunakake-Babaa from Nurarihyon's arrow. She develops a persistent crush on Kitarō, often following him and rivaling Neko-Musume for his attention. Her comedic interactions with the otter-like Kawauso involve her smacking him when insulted.
Amabie possesses supernatural abilities: Flash Precognition to foresee near-future events and locate hidden objects, typically predicting bad omens or obvious outcomes; Levitation allowing her to hover above ground or others' heads; and a Water Cannon that shoots seawater from her mouth.
In the 2007 anime, key story arcs include her debut in Episode 26 where she joins Yōkai Yokochō; Episode 62 where she uses precognition for a fortune-telling business while disguised in human clothing; and Episode 82 revealing her as the ninth of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, representing Kumamoto with a mark on her left tail fin. She has a minor role in *Gegege no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!!* and appears as an unspecified member of Shingo Yamada's Twelve Apostles in the spin-off *Akuma-kun: The Great Prophet Nostradamus*.
Her folkloric origins trace to an 1846 encounter in Kumamoto where a similar entity emerged from the sea, predicted abundant harvests and epidemics, and instructed distributing its image to ward off disease. This legend resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring widespread sharing of Amabie's likeness, while the anime design popularized by Shigeru Mizuki recontextualized her as a "folkloresque" symbol.
Physically, she resembles a mermaid with a round head featuring a parrot-like beak, long pink hair, and blue eyes. Scales cover her body: white around the neck, mint green on the torso and arms, and dark green on the forearms, hands, and fish tail, differing from her folkloric three-legged form.
Her personality is conceited, childish, and ego-driven. Hailing from Kumamoto, she quarreled frequently with neighbors until advised by the yōkai Aobōzu to seek Kitarō's guidance in Yōkai Yokochō. Misunderstanding this, she believed she was destined to become an idol. Initially clashing with residents, she integrates after helping Kitarō save Sunakake-Babaa from Nurarihyon's arrow. She develops a persistent crush on Kitarō, often following him and rivaling Neko-Musume for his attention. Her comedic interactions with the otter-like Kawauso involve her smacking him when insulted.
Amabie possesses supernatural abilities: Flash Precognition to foresee near-future events and locate hidden objects, typically predicting bad omens or obvious outcomes; Levitation allowing her to hover above ground or others' heads; and a Water Cannon that shoots seawater from her mouth.
In the 2007 anime, key story arcs include her debut in Episode 26 where she joins Yōkai Yokochō; Episode 62 where she uses precognition for a fortune-telling business while disguised in human clothing; and Episode 82 revealing her as the ninth of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, representing Kumamoto with a mark on her left tail fin. She has a minor role in *Gegege no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!!* and appears as an unspecified member of Shingo Yamada's Twelve Apostles in the spin-off *Akuma-kun: The Great Prophet Nostradamus*.
Her folkloric origins trace to an 1846 encounter in Kumamoto where a similar entity emerged from the sea, predicted abundant harvests and epidemics, and instructed distributing its image to ward off disease. This legend resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring widespread sharing of Amabie's likeness, while the anime design popularized by Shigeru Mizuki recontextualized her as a "folkloresque" symbol.