Makura-Gaeshi

Makura-Gaeshi (枕返し or まくら返し Makura-Gaeshi, lit. Pillow Switcher) is a yōkai and antagonist of Kitarō. He first appeared in the Shonen Magazine story Makura-Gaeshi.
==Appearance==
==Personality==
==History==
===Shonen Magazine===
Makura-Gaeshi inhabits the Dream World. When humans dream they are transported to his world and he regularly kidnaps and eats victims. He knocks people out with sleeping powder and if he likes their sleeping face, he decapitates them with a saw and adds their head to his collection. After he abducts a child named Yumekichi, the boy's parents call Kitarō for help. Kitarō arrives in the Dream World with Nezumi-Otoko, but Makura-Gaeshi intercepts Kitarō and puts him to sleep with sleeping powder. Before he can decapitate him, Nezumi-Otoko throws a boulder of salt at him, pinning his arm to the ground. However, the salt melts his arm and Makura-Gaeshi is able to escape. He follows them to the human world and tries to steal back Yumekichi as well as Kitarō's geta, but Kitarō captures him with his chameleon tongue and throws him to the ground. Nezumi-Otoko then dumps a bucket of sand on Makura-Gaeshi, defeating him and sending his spirit back to the Dream World.
===1968 Anime===
Makura-Gaeshi appears in episode 28 of the first anime adaption, Makura-Gaeshi.
===1985 Anime===
Makura-Gaeshi appears in the closing animation of the third anime adaption, stealing a child's pillow. He makes his debut in episode 19, Dream Yōkai Makura-Gaeshi.
===1996 Anime===
Makura-Gaeshi appears in episode 15 of the fourth anime adaption, Nightmare! Yōkai Makura-Gaeshi.
===2007 Anime===
Makura-Gaeshi appears in episode 24 of the fifth anime adaption, Battle in the Dreams! Makura-Gaeshi.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 24
He later appears in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!!. Makura-Gaeshi appears as one of the multitude of Yōkai parading through cities due to Yato-no-Kami's influence. He is later returned to where he came from after Hana agrees to follow Yato-no-Kami.GeGeGe no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!!
===2018 Anime===
====Pre-Series====
Years ago, Makura-Gaeshi had kidnapped children using the Bell of Dream Control but was beaten by a monk. He decided to stop kidnapping children after this and the monk stole the bell.
====Series====
Makura-Gaeshi is visited by Kitarō and friends, to see if he is the perpetrator that is making the adults stuck in their sleep, as he had kidnapped children to the dream world and planned on eating them. However, he angrily claims that he has no involvement, stating that ever since a monk beat him, he stopped kidnapping children. Swearing it on his pillow, lying on the floor not wanting to help them. tricks him into helping, by claiming he is not as great as he claimed to be, making him show off his powers. He makes a rainbow bridge that leads to the dream world, impressing them. He explains that since they are entering another person's dream, the Dream World becomes a little unstable and warns them not to think of a monster chasing after them. Unfortunately, Mana and Masashi think about the warning, causing said monster coming after them, as they run, he also warns that they should not be thinking about the bridge breaking either. Again the two think about this, causing it to happen. Before it breaks completely, Neko-Musume scolds him about his big mouth, which he apologizes.
They fall and enter a shared dream, while he finds the girls stuck in their own dreams. They find several children playing in the water, which he quickly identifies as the dreaming adults, Kitarō asks if he can force them to wake, which he can but states that it will be a little hard. They are stopped when a girl's face appears in the sky, who reappears floating down on the rock the children are on. He recognizes the bell around her neck, which Medama-Oyaji remembers that it is the Bell of Dream Control that Makura-Gaeshi used to kidnap children before. Makura-Gaeshi quickly states that it was stolen by the monk who beat him. The girl tells them that adults want to stay as children there forever, they argue with her and she uses the bell to create the dreams of the children. Akinori summons a mecha named Majin Gunner, that fires a rocket at them. They run and nearly got caught in its explosion, Makura-Gaeshi asks if Kitarō has anything that could stop it. He complains about his mundane attack, asking if he has any childlike dreams he could use. When the girl starts flooding the dreamscape with her hair acting as the water, he climbed up a tree to not be consumed by it. Medama-Oyaji flies by him on the chanchanko, requesting that he lends his power as he dives in to save Kitarō. He calls them all fools but sends his power anyway. After the Bell of Dream Control is destroyed, he states that all the adults should be waking up now. Masashi thanks them for their help, which Neko-Musume and Mana say that it was no problem. Makura-Gaeshi scolds the two as they did not help at all being stuck in their own silly dreams, which they tell him to be quiet.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 14
==Powers and Abilities==
Dream-Granting: He can grant any type of wish as long as he is in the Dream World, including size-shifting.
Dream Manipulation: Makura-Gaeshi is able to manipulate the environment of the Dream World and can create items that he can use, such as a sword.
===Equipment===
Bell of Dream Control (夢繰りの鈴 Yumekuri no Suzu): Makura-Gaeshi had used this to kidnap children, where it allowed him to freely bring them to the Dream World. However it was stolen by the monk who defeated him.
Sword: 
Pillow: In the 2018 anime, Makura-Gaeshi carries around a pillow and uses it to focus his powers, such as creating a Rainbow Bridge or transferring his powers to someone else.
==Legend==
Makura-Gaeshi are named after their main activity, which is flipping pillows, where people would find themselves with their pillows at their feet. Their appearance varies, though usually in the form of a child, ranging from a monk, a samurai, or a Niō. They are said to be related to Zashiki-Warashi, similar spirits who haunt particular rooms, where they are found all over Japan with details about them vary from region to region. While they are normally presented as harmless pranksters, some stories about them involve more scarier powers, such as flipping people instead of their pillows or sitting on people's chests, causing sleep paralysis. There are many theories on their origins, with the most common being that they are the ghosts of people, particularly children, who died in the room they haunt.
==References==
==Navigation==
pt-br:Makura-Gaeshi
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Yōkai
Category:Human-like Yōkai
Category:Dream Yōkai
Category:Antagonists
Category:Former antagonists
Category:Antagonist (1968)
Category:Antagonist (1985)
Category:Antagonist (1996)
Category:Antagonist (2007)
Category:Former Antagonist (2018)