Sunakake-Babaa, known as Sand Throwing Hag or Sand Witch, originates from Japanese folklore as a yōkai linked to shrines in Nara and Hyōgo regions, where she would invisibly hurl sand at passersby. Within the *GeGeGe no Kitarō* franchise, her character expanded significantly. She first appeared in a cameo within the 1961 manga chapter "A Walk to Hell," with her official debut occurring in "The Great Yōkai War" storyline. During the battle against Western yōkai, she died—killed by Dracula's minions in the anime—but later reappeared without explanation in subsequent episodes [citation:]. She resembles an elderly woman with large eyes, long hair featuring a distinctive lock between her eyes, and skin described as rough like sandpaper, often covered in specks of sand. She typically wears a kimono, with design variations across adaptations: lavender in earlier series, white in the fourth anime, and light lavender with colored socks in later versions [citation:]. Some adaptations, like the third and fourth anime, briefly showed her younger human form, revealing a backstory where she was once a human woman in a romantic relationship with a fisherman before becoming a yōkai . Her primary ability involves throwing sand infused with special ingredients to produce effects like paralysis, flames, or sealing yōkai energy. She also wields a powerful slap and possesses expertise in yōkai medicine, alchemy, soothsaying, and telepathic communication through hair extension [citation:]. In the 2018 series, she demonstrated "Sand Link," a technique using sand circles for long-distance communication . As a core member of the Kitarō Family, she serves as an adviser and surrogate guardian to Kitarō alongside Medama-Oyaji. She manages the Yōkai Apartments (renamed Yōkai Tenement House in the fifth anime), providing shelter for homeless yōkai including Konaki-Jijii and Kitarō. Notoriously frugal, she enforces strict rent collection but accepts alternative payments like rare star sand from Kawauso or umbrellas from Kasa-Bake, and shows leniency to impoverished tenants through work exchanges [citation:][citation:]. Her personality blends grouchiness and a quick temper with underlying kindness and a strong sense of justice. She frequently criticizes humans as greedy and dangerous yet exhibits gentleness toward human children. Her closest relationship is with Konaki-Jijii; their constant companionship led to fan speculation about a romantic or marital bond, and during a yōkai pop culture boom, they performed as a comedy duo on television [citation:][citation:]. In broader franchise lore, she is recognized as one of Japan's 47 Yōkai Warriors, representing Nara Prefecture with a mark on her left hand . Her distant relatives include international sand entities like Central Asia's Ekiseru and Germany's Sandman, both of whom opposed Kitarō during their appearances [citation:].