TV-Series
Description
Backbeard, also known as Beard, serves as a major antagonist in the Gegege no Kitarō series. He commands recognition as the most powerful Western yōkai, frequently opposing Kitarō and Japanese yōkai. His appearance consistently manifests as a giant sphere with one large central eye encircled by a colored eyelid and numerous short tentacles, though details shift across adaptations. The first anime presents him as a black sphere with light grey skin at a yōkai rally. The third anime depicts a yellow sclera, red iris, and blue eyelid. The fourth anime retains the yellow sclera and red iris while adding a visible pupil. The fifth anime features a white sclera, red iris, and longer tentacles. The sixth anime significantly alters his look: a green eyelid, yellow sclera streaked with violet veins, a dark ring around the red iris, and tentacles resembling cracks in the sky. This version also grants him a physical humanoid form with green-tinted skin, where his eye migrates from abdomen to face.
His personality blends pride, moodiness, and a fierce disdain for Japanese yōkai, whom he deems weak. He espouses social Darwinist beliefs, asserting the strong possess the right to dominate and eliminate the weak. Despite his arrogance, he displays obedience toward stronger entities like Akashita. In the sixth anime, his villainy escalates; he demonstrates zero loyalty to followers, sacrificing Agnès' mother for the Ring of Arcana and injuring Adél to force Agnès into the Brigadoon Project. His goal becomes stripping global yōkai of free will for blind obedience. His personality amalgamates traits from followers: Wolfgang's contempt for weakness, Carmilla's sadism, Victor Frankenstein's amorality, and the mystical prowess of Adél and Agnès. He relishes his Western yōkai hierarchy status, leveraging promises of power to recruit figures like Belial. In his physical form, he expresses direct enjoyment in inflicting pain.
Backbeard's history originates in the 1966 manga story "The Great Yōkai War," where he leads Western yōkai like Dracula and Frankenstein to invade Kikai Island, slaughtering half its population and nearly exterminating the Kitarō family. Hypnotizing Kitarō, he falls when Medama-Oyaji stabs his eye. In "Yōkai Rally," representing the USA, he displays callousness by hitting Umibōzu's child with his car and using dizziness powers for advantage. Finishing third, he protests the results but backs down when challenged by Akashita. Later manga stories reveal unexpected alliances: in "Kitarō's Vietnam War," he aids Medama-Oyaji in locating a spy, and in "Yōkai Lockheed," he reverses hypnosis on Kitarō and blinds the Great Witch. Even when cooperative, he retains malicious tendencies, causing traffic accidents for amusement. In "Kitarō's World Obake Tour," he attempts to steal a rocket by blinding its pilot and captures Nezumi-Otoko, only to be bisected by a pendulum and weakened as his halves dizzy each other. During Boze's sumo tournament in "Kitarō Kunitori Monogatari," he cheats using eye powers and tendril stabbings but loses to Kitarō. The sixth anime expands his role, depicting the Brigadoon Project and his manipulation of the Arlene sisters for the Ring of Arcana, culminating in his revival after initial defeat.
His primary abilities center on his eye, inducing hypnosis to control minions or counter spells, inflicting dizziness, emitting heat beams that ignite targets, firing concentrated energy beams, and generating lightning. His tentacles lash out as versatile weapons for stabbing, binding, or capturing foes. He can also manifest limbs as needed, such as during sumo competitions.
His personality blends pride, moodiness, and a fierce disdain for Japanese yōkai, whom he deems weak. He espouses social Darwinist beliefs, asserting the strong possess the right to dominate and eliminate the weak. Despite his arrogance, he displays obedience toward stronger entities like Akashita. In the sixth anime, his villainy escalates; he demonstrates zero loyalty to followers, sacrificing Agnès' mother for the Ring of Arcana and injuring Adél to force Agnès into the Brigadoon Project. His goal becomes stripping global yōkai of free will for blind obedience. His personality amalgamates traits from followers: Wolfgang's contempt for weakness, Carmilla's sadism, Victor Frankenstein's amorality, and the mystical prowess of Adél and Agnès. He relishes his Western yōkai hierarchy status, leveraging promises of power to recruit figures like Belial. In his physical form, he expresses direct enjoyment in inflicting pain.
Backbeard's history originates in the 1966 manga story "The Great Yōkai War," where he leads Western yōkai like Dracula and Frankenstein to invade Kikai Island, slaughtering half its population and nearly exterminating the Kitarō family. Hypnotizing Kitarō, he falls when Medama-Oyaji stabs his eye. In "Yōkai Rally," representing the USA, he displays callousness by hitting Umibōzu's child with his car and using dizziness powers for advantage. Finishing third, he protests the results but backs down when challenged by Akashita. Later manga stories reveal unexpected alliances: in "Kitarō's Vietnam War," he aids Medama-Oyaji in locating a spy, and in "Yōkai Lockheed," he reverses hypnosis on Kitarō and blinds the Great Witch. Even when cooperative, he retains malicious tendencies, causing traffic accidents for amusement. In "Kitarō's World Obake Tour," he attempts to steal a rocket by blinding its pilot and captures Nezumi-Otoko, only to be bisected by a pendulum and weakened as his halves dizzy each other. During Boze's sumo tournament in "Kitarō Kunitori Monogatari," he cheats using eye powers and tendril stabbings but loses to Kitarō. The sixth anime expands his role, depicting the Brigadoon Project and his manipulation of the Arlene sisters for the Ring of Arcana, culminating in his revival after initial defeat.
His primary abilities center on his eye, inducing hypnosis to control minions or counter spells, inflicting dizziness, emitting heat beams that ignite targets, firing concentrated energy beams, and generating lightning. His tentacles lash out as versatile weapons for stabbing, binding, or capturing foes. He can also manifest limbs as needed, such as during sumo competitions.