OVA
Description
Kuchisake-onna is a recurring ghost in the Gakkou no Kaidan series, appearing in the 1995 movie and the Gakkou no Kaidan SP anime shorts. The character originates from the Japanese urban legend of a malicious spirit, or onryō, of a woman with a slit mouth.
In the series, she is portrayed as the ghost of a woman who died after a botched plastic surgery left her mouth torn from ear to ear. She returns as a vengeful spirit focused on killing or mutilating school children. Typically clad in a beige or red trench coat and a surgical mask, she corners victims in dark alleys or street corners and asks, "Am I beautiful?" Answering "no" results in immediate death by scissors. A "yes" prompts her to reveal her disfigured mouth and repeat the question. A second "yes" leads to her slitting the victim's mouth to match her own, while a second "no" ends in death.
Originally intended for the third episode of the Ghost Stories anime, the segment was canceled prior to airing due to concerns from disabilities support groups about the character's resemblance to cleft palate features. Only a preview remains, showing Kuchisake-onna haunting a school nursery and chasing a character named Momoko. The planned plot involved Momoko using the phrase, "No, you're ugly, and I don't want to be like you!" to trap the spirit inside a lipstick.
In the 1995 Gakkou no Kaidan film, Kuchisake-onna appears briefly when two protagonists flee into the nurse's office and encounter a beautiful woman seated on a chair. She asks, "Am I pretty?" before removing her mask to reveal her slit mouth. In the Gakkou no Kaidan SP anime, she serves as one of the ghost hosts, consistently wearing a medical mask.
Her design varies across appearances. The canceled anime preview offers only a pink flash of her mouth, leaving details unclear, though the ending credits suggest possible fangs or sharp teeth and a mouth stretching to her ears. In the 1995 movie, her slit mouth features fully torn-off lips and multiple rows of sharp, crooked teeth, resembling the depiction in the 2012 film Kuchisake-onna Returns.
In the series, she is portrayed as the ghost of a woman who died after a botched plastic surgery left her mouth torn from ear to ear. She returns as a vengeful spirit focused on killing or mutilating school children. Typically clad in a beige or red trench coat and a surgical mask, she corners victims in dark alleys or street corners and asks, "Am I beautiful?" Answering "no" results in immediate death by scissors. A "yes" prompts her to reveal her disfigured mouth and repeat the question. A second "yes" leads to her slitting the victim's mouth to match her own, while a second "no" ends in death.
Originally intended for the third episode of the Ghost Stories anime, the segment was canceled prior to airing due to concerns from disabilities support groups about the character's resemblance to cleft palate features. Only a preview remains, showing Kuchisake-onna haunting a school nursery and chasing a character named Momoko. The planned plot involved Momoko using the phrase, "No, you're ugly, and I don't want to be like you!" to trap the spirit inside a lipstick.
In the 1995 Gakkou no Kaidan film, Kuchisake-onna appears briefly when two protagonists flee into the nurse's office and encounter a beautiful woman seated on a chair. She asks, "Am I pretty?" before removing her mask to reveal her slit mouth. In the Gakkou no Kaidan SP anime, she serves as one of the ghost hosts, consistently wearing a medical mask.
Her design varies across appearances. The canceled anime preview offers only a pink flash of her mouth, leaving details unclear, though the ending credits suggest possible fangs or sharp teeth and a mouth stretching to her ears. In the 1995 movie, her slit mouth features fully torn-off lips and multiple rows of sharp, crooked teeth, resembling the depiction in the 2012 film Kuchisake-onna Returns.