Movie
Description
Konaki-Jijii is a yōkai appearing in "Gegege no Kitarō" media, such as the "Obake Nighter" story. He embodies the "Crybaby Geezer" or "Crying Old Man" folklore archetype. Legends from the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture describe this creature mimicking a crying infant to lure travelers. Once picked up, it drastically increases its weight to approximately 2 tons, crushing victims. Variants include the earthquake-associated "Gogya-Naki" and the "Konaki-Babaa" (Crybaby Hag), which transforms into a pumpkin when cooked.
He possesses the body of a large infant combined with the face of an elderly man, featuring a mustache and drooping eyebrows. His typical attire is a Kintarō apron and a mino (straw raincoat). Some adaptations show him with a blackened front tooth. He stands approximately 140 cm tall, with weight fluctuating dramatically due to his abilities.
His primary supernatural ability involves altering his weight and transforming his skin into stone to immobilize and crush adversaries. This ability remains consistent across media, including his role as a member of the yōkai baseball team in "Obake Nighter" adaptations. In the 1968 anime "Obake Nighter," he is part of the team without a specified position. Later adaptations place him as the catcher (batting ninth) in the 1985 anime and as the shortstop in the 1996 film.
A long-established member of the Kitarō Family, Konaki-Jijii is 3,100 years old. He first appeared in a cameo in Shigeru Mizuki’s 1961 rental manga "A Walk to Hell" and made his official debut in "The Great Yōkai War" storyline. In both the manga and 1968 anime versions of this arc, he dies battling Western yōkai—killed by Dracula in the anime. He later returns without explanation in Episode 25 of the first anime series, becoming recurring. His history includes periods of significant wealth, owning modern items like a personal computer, and distant familial ties to a human politician.
His personality is comic and absent-minded, frequently depicted as a heavy drinker and sleeper due to his advanced age. He is often shown alongside Sunakake-Babaa, sharing a close, ambiguous relationship. Some media, like "Yōkai Sen Monogatari," imply a romantic connection, with instances of Sunakake-Babaa expressing jealousy over his interactions with other women.
Beyond "Obake Nighter," Konaki-Jijii participates in major "GeGeGe no Kitarō" events like the "Yōkai Rally" and serves as Tokushima Prefecture’s representative in the "47 Yōkai Warriors" during the 2007 anime. His endurance weakens with age, leading to increased sleepiness across adaptations.
He possesses the body of a large infant combined with the face of an elderly man, featuring a mustache and drooping eyebrows. His typical attire is a Kintarō apron and a mino (straw raincoat). Some adaptations show him with a blackened front tooth. He stands approximately 140 cm tall, with weight fluctuating dramatically due to his abilities.
His primary supernatural ability involves altering his weight and transforming his skin into stone to immobilize and crush adversaries. This ability remains consistent across media, including his role as a member of the yōkai baseball team in "Obake Nighter" adaptations. In the 1968 anime "Obake Nighter," he is part of the team without a specified position. Later adaptations place him as the catcher (batting ninth) in the 1985 anime and as the shortstop in the 1996 film.
A long-established member of the Kitarō Family, Konaki-Jijii is 3,100 years old. He first appeared in a cameo in Shigeru Mizuki’s 1961 rental manga "A Walk to Hell" and made his official debut in "The Great Yōkai War" storyline. In both the manga and 1968 anime versions of this arc, he dies battling Western yōkai—killed by Dracula in the anime. He later returns without explanation in Episode 25 of the first anime series, becoming recurring. His history includes periods of significant wealth, owning modern items like a personal computer, and distant familial ties to a human politician.
His personality is comic and absent-minded, frequently depicted as a heavy drinker and sleeper due to his advanced age. He is often shown alongside Sunakake-Babaa, sharing a close, ambiguous relationship. Some media, like "Yōkai Sen Monogatari," imply a romantic connection, with instances of Sunakake-Babaa expressing jealousy over his interactions with other women.
Beyond "Obake Nighter," Konaki-Jijii participates in major "GeGeGe no Kitarō" events like the "Yōkai Rally" and serves as Tokushima Prefecture’s representative in the "47 Yōkai Warriors" during the 2007 anime. His endurance weakens with age, leading to increased sleepiness across adaptations.