Mannen-Dake

Mannen-Dake (万年竹, lit. ten thousand years bamboo, rough. eternal bamboo), commonly referred to as Yōkai Mannen-Dake (妖怪万年竹) is a bamboo yōkai. In the GeGeGe no Kitarō: Kiki Ippatsu! Yōkai Rettō, another kind of Mannen-Dake is known as Yōkai-Dake (妖怪竹).
It is regularly depicted as an ancient yōkai living for thousands of years. In the manga, Takekiri-Danuki is a known partner of the bamboo yōkai.
==Appearance==
The Mannen-Dake is in most cases depicted as a gigantic, static bamboo. He has been, however, shown at times with more humanoid features.
In the 2018 anime, Mannen-Dake is a bamboo tree of tremendous size. He has a wide stem, where his internodes start as yellow-green at the base where it eventually gradients to green the higher it goes and is shorter, compared to normal bamboo. Between these internodes are thick nodes where the foliage sprouts out, some having green leaves. At the base, an abundant amount of roots cover the ground.
==Personality==
The Mannen-Dake is not per se a bad yōkai but is characteristically displayed as being highly territorial. He is usually seen developing a close bond to certain humans, and upon their demise will try to protect their residences resorting to otherwise unnatural aggression to do so.
==History==
===Shinpen GeGeGe no Kitarō===
He appears in the first chapter of Shinpen GeGeGe no Kitarō, Yōkai Mannen-Dake.Shinpen GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Mannen-Dake
===Third Anime===
He appears in the 47th episode of the third anime adaptation, Yōkai Mannen-Dake.GeGeGe no Kitarō (1985): Episode 47
===Fourth Anime===
He appears in the 10th episode of the fourth anime adaptation, Bizarre! Yōkai Mannen-Dake.GeGeGe no Kitarō (1996): Episode 10
===Sixth Anime===
He appears in the 45th episode of the sixth anime adaptation, The Truth Lies in the Thicket of Mannen-Dake.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 45
==Powers and Abilities==
Being the ancient yōkai he is, the Mannen-Dake is a powerful being, one that even Kitarō has had to handle with care.
*Bamboo People Conversion: Through unknown means, the Mannen-Dake can turn humans into humanoid bamboos which serve as his army of sorts. These bamboo people can, in turn, transform other humans and add them to their kin, thus multiplying their numbers. Even yokai are also susceptible to this as seen with Nezumi-Otoko. When a person is turned into a bamboo person, the Mannen-Dake absorbs its soul, and when these are released those transformed return to their original form.
*Yōkai Power: The Mannen-Dake has great yōkai power. As seen during the fourth anime, he can expel a sufficient amount of it to catapult Kitarō with great force.
==Legend==
Yōkai Mannen-Dake are bamboo that have lived for 10,000 years and became yōkai. Those who enter bamboo thickets are led astray by the Mannen-Dake, so when they are forced to sleep in the grove, the Mannen-Dake grow branch-like arms which they use to suck the life out of them. But because they're bamboo, their arms are easily breakable.
As Mannen-Dake first appeared in modern literature, the exact origins of this yōkai are unknown. Because of a lack of sources, it is assumed that Shigeru Mizuki created this yōkai.
==References==
==Navigation==
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Category:Yōkai
Category:Japanese Mythology
Category:Plant Yōkai
Category:Parasite Yōkai
Category:Antagonists
Category:Former Antagonist (1996)
Category:Former Antagonist (2018)
Category:Giant Yōkai