TV-Series
Description
Akashita is a water yōkai originating from Japanese folklore, traditionally depicted as an antagonist. Its name means "red tongue," highlighting its most prominent physical feature. The character appears in Toriyama Sekien's "Gazu Hyakki Yakō" as a beast-like entity with clawed hands and a hairy face, typically shrouded in a black cloud hovering above a floodgate, its large tongue visible. Folklore connections suggest potential links to the Shakuzetsujin (a red-tongued god guarding Jupiter's western gate) or the Shakuzetsunichi (an unlucky day in Onmyōdō traditions) due to the shared "red tongue" terminology, though definitive origins remain unclear as Sekien provided no notes.
Akashita debuted in the "GeGeGe no Kitarō" manga serialized in Shōnen Sunday and appeared in multiple anime adaptations: Episode 31 of the 1971 series, Episode 35 ("Yōkai Akashita's Millennium Kingdom") of the 1985 series, Episode 49 ("Water Yōkai Akashita's Run!") of the 1996 series, and Episode 82 ("Life Dries Up! Akashita Onsen") of the 2007 series. In the fifth anime series (2007–2009), Akashita serves as the representative of Aomori Prefecture and becomes the 10th member of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, with its designated warrior mark located on its tongue.
The character possesses diverse supernatural abilities centered on water manipulation, including generating water cannons, creating water tentacles, summoning waves, controlling clouds, forming water wheels, and inducing severe dehydration. Additional powers include petrification, wind generation, flight, size-shifting, shape-shifting, enhanced durability, and underground mobility. As a member of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, it can activate specialized group-based powers.
Beyond primary antagonist roles, Akashita occasionally assumes neutral or functional positions, such as serving as a judge during the "Yōkai Rally" story arc across multiple manga and anime versions (1968–2007). No significant character evolution or extended background narrative is detailed across its appearances. Its portrayals remain episodic, with actions typically confined to specific storylines.
Akashita debuted in the "GeGeGe no Kitarō" manga serialized in Shōnen Sunday and appeared in multiple anime adaptations: Episode 31 of the 1971 series, Episode 35 ("Yōkai Akashita's Millennium Kingdom") of the 1985 series, Episode 49 ("Water Yōkai Akashita's Run!") of the 1996 series, and Episode 82 ("Life Dries Up! Akashita Onsen") of the 2007 series. In the fifth anime series (2007–2009), Akashita serves as the representative of Aomori Prefecture and becomes the 10th member of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, with its designated warrior mark located on its tongue.
The character possesses diverse supernatural abilities centered on water manipulation, including generating water cannons, creating water tentacles, summoning waves, controlling clouds, forming water wheels, and inducing severe dehydration. Additional powers include petrification, wind generation, flight, size-shifting, shape-shifting, enhanced durability, and underground mobility. As a member of the 47 Yōkai Warriors, it can activate specialized group-based powers.
Beyond primary antagonist roles, Akashita occasionally assumes neutral or functional positions, such as serving as a judge during the "Yōkai Rally" story arc across multiple manga and anime versions (1968–2007). No significant character evolution or extended background narrative is detailed across its appearances. Its portrayals remain episodic, with actions typically confined to specific storylines.