Movie
Description
Medama Oyaji is the last surviving spirit of the Ghost Tribe, destroyed by a melting disease. His consciousness persisted within his final eyeball, emerging from his decayed remains to watch over his son Kitarō, born posthumously to his buried wife, Iwako. During his terminal illness, he sustained Iwako's pregnancy by selling his blood; however, recipients developed ghost-like appearances, attracting investigators. After confiding in blood bank employee Mizuki, both he and Iwako succumbed before Kitarō's birth.
He manifests as a miniature humanoid with a single giant eyeball for a head, lacking visible clothing. The eyeball has an eyelid drawn as a simple line, closing into a U-shape during sleep. A small, retractable mouth beneath the eyeball is rarely seen, used for consuming favorites like cherries, plums, fish eye soup, and morning dew. He habitually bathes in small containers such as teacups, bowls, sake, coffee, or cola.
His spirit possesses high resilience, recovering from crushing, deep-frying, or flattening. He endures a decade without sustenance. Centuries of pre-birth travel granted him encyclopedic knowledge of yōkai, their weaknesses, and occult subjects like Akuma and Ancient Inca lore. He maintains a personal rapport with Enma-Daiō, facilitating access to Jigoku for himself and Kitarō.
His character evolves across adaptations. Early anime depict him as a doting, anxious parent, frequently scolding or worrying over Kitarō's safety. The third anime grants new abilities like viewing the past or revealing hidden text via eye beams and shows him supporting Kitarō's romance with the human Yumeko. The fourth series amplifies comedic traits, including crying when Kitarō is endangered and bathing in strangers' tea. The fifth anime adds contemporary awareness, exercise routines, and TV viewing, while downplaying matchmaking efforts after deeming Neko-Musume "the wife from hell" due to her temper.
The sixth anime explores self-image issues; flashbacks show him as a mummy-like figure lamenting his diminished form, believing it forced Kitarō into premature maturity. A dream sequence restores his youthful appearance: a taller, platinum-haired figure resembling Kitarō with one visible eye. Hakaba Kitarō portrays him as frustrated by Kitarō's irresponsibility and verbally harsh, even abusive toward Nezumi-Otoko.
In Obake Nighter, he serves as a color commentator during a nocturnal baseball game between Kitarō's yōkai team and human children, leveraging his observational prowess. His abilities include possessing and manipulating objects or bodies and substituting his eyeball. Post-decay, he employs techniques like sensory enhancement and environmental interaction, though his small size limits direct combat.
He manifests as a miniature humanoid with a single giant eyeball for a head, lacking visible clothing. The eyeball has an eyelid drawn as a simple line, closing into a U-shape during sleep. A small, retractable mouth beneath the eyeball is rarely seen, used for consuming favorites like cherries, plums, fish eye soup, and morning dew. He habitually bathes in small containers such as teacups, bowls, sake, coffee, or cola.
His spirit possesses high resilience, recovering from crushing, deep-frying, or flattening. He endures a decade without sustenance. Centuries of pre-birth travel granted him encyclopedic knowledge of yōkai, their weaknesses, and occult subjects like Akuma and Ancient Inca lore. He maintains a personal rapport with Enma-Daiō, facilitating access to Jigoku for himself and Kitarō.
His character evolves across adaptations. Early anime depict him as a doting, anxious parent, frequently scolding or worrying over Kitarō's safety. The third anime grants new abilities like viewing the past or revealing hidden text via eye beams and shows him supporting Kitarō's romance with the human Yumeko. The fourth series amplifies comedic traits, including crying when Kitarō is endangered and bathing in strangers' tea. The fifth anime adds contemporary awareness, exercise routines, and TV viewing, while downplaying matchmaking efforts after deeming Neko-Musume "the wife from hell" due to her temper.
The sixth anime explores self-image issues; flashbacks show him as a mummy-like figure lamenting his diminished form, believing it forced Kitarō into premature maturity. A dream sequence restores his youthful appearance: a taller, platinum-haired figure resembling Kitarō with one visible eye. Hakaba Kitarō portrays him as frustrated by Kitarō's irresponsibility and verbally harsh, even abusive toward Nezumi-Otoko.
In Obake Nighter, he serves as a color commentator during a nocturnal baseball game between Kitarō's yōkai team and human children, leveraging his observational prowess. His abilities include possessing and manipulating objects or bodies and substituting his eyeball. Post-decay, he employs techniques like sensory enhancement and environmental interaction, though his small size limits direct combat.