Daruma emerges as a doll-like yōkai often cast in antagonistic roles, embodying the traditional Japanese depiction of Bodhidharma through a limbless, rotund figure adorned with stylized facial hair and brows. Across adaptations, his powers evolve: the 1968 anime grants him the ability to spawn armies of miniature daruma dolls called “guts,” extensions of his internal organs. Victory against him hinges on locating and destroying the specific doll housing his heart. A 2007 iteration introduces a sunglasses-clad variant whose weakness lies in uncontrollable laughter.

His transmutation abilities allow him to engulf victims through a stomach cavity, converting them into inanimate daruma dolls—a fate suffered by characters such as Neko-Musume, transformed into a Maneki-Neko figure. The 1996 anime diversifies his arsenal with three distinct forms: his standard guise, the flame-wreathed Hi-Daruma (commanding fire), and the snowman-like Yuki-Daruma (summoning blizzards). Each form shifts his physicality and combat strategies, mirroring elemental forces.

Rooted in yōkai mythology, Daruma personifies the Daruma doll’s symbolic resilience and cyclical existence. While his schemes drive antagonistic plots across narratives, details about his origins or motivations are seldom explored, centering instead on his supernatural prowess and dynamic clashes with other entities.