Nupperabō

Nupperabō (ぬっぺらぼう Nupperabō, meaning Smudged Face) or Nuppehofu (ぬっぺほふ) or Nuppeppō (ぬっぺっぽう Nuppeppō) are a Yōkai who appear in the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga and anime franchise. They originally appeared in the Shonen Magazine chapter Korean Magic. Since then, various Nupperabō have appeared, usually as background characters.
==Appearance==
The Nupperabō appear as beings of flesh lacking heads, instead having their faces on their torsos, albeit smudged, short pairs of arms and legs and they lack any clothes. The four Nupperabo brothers appear identical in appearance and height, with the exception of the fourth who is much larger.
Within the 1985 anime, the Nupperabō retain their smudged faces, occasionally becoming unidentifiable, they lack clothing and their most noticeable feature is that their skin is pale blue. Three of the brothers are shorter than Kitarō, while the fourth is about the size of their statue disguise.
In the 2007 anime, Nuppehofu has pale brown skin, where their faces are flabby yet are more identifiable. Their arms appear higher up their body, aligned with their eyes and their fingers appears to be sharp.
Within the 2018 anime, the Nuppeppō are flabby yōkai, resembling blobs of flesh with arms and legs, where their faces appear as if they are melted. They have pale lavender skin and have pudgy fingers and toes. Three of them are roughly the same size as a human, while the giant towered over the trees.
==Personality==
==History==
===Manga / 1968 Anime===
Nupperabō first appeared in the Shonen Magazine story Korean Magic as three yōkai brothers who would lure victims with a song and then steal their youth. If someone resisted the song, a giant and invisible fourth brother would attack them. Kitarō defeated the siblings by breathing bad breath on the giant brother, causing flies to land on it and sparrows to attack it while eating the flies.
The same story was adapted for episode #57 of the first anime, Invisibility Magic, though Nupperabō first appears as a background character in episode #54, Yōkai Rally.
===1985 Anime===
One appears in among the yōkai attending in Watch Out, Kitarō! The Great Yōkai Trial.GeGeGe no Kitarō (1985): Episode 32
Their main appearance is in episode #66, Korean Yōkai Nupperabō. In this episode, Kitarō is notified that young people appear to be losing their youth. The Kitarō Family travel to the village of the boy who asked for his help, and Kitarō soon hears a song and senses yōkai activity. He eventually encounters three statues that circle him. Kitarō is caught in their technique and he loses his youth as well; he grows facial hair and his hair turns white. After a short battle, the statues were revealed to be small Nupperabō, and they escape. Not long after, Kitarō and the others encounter the giant, invisible figure. To reveal itself, Kitarō and the other pour honey on it in order to lure bees. After being swarmed by bees, the Nupperabō becomes visible. Kitarō and the villagers bring the Nupperabō down with ropes. The three small Nupperabō were watching from the forest, and run. Kitarō notices and follows them. The Nupperabō head into an old building and come out with a jar, and Kitarō stops them. The three small Nupperabō apologize, and Kitarō obtains the jar that contains the stolen youth in the form of a honey-like substance. By drinking this, the victims were able to regain their youth.
===2007 Anime===
Nuppehofu walks around at Yōkai Yokochō, briefly crossing Azuki-Arai by the river.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 1
Nuppehofu was seen in episode #25, The Great Yōkai Sports Festival.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 25
He later appeared in the stands of The Great Yōkai Trial. A Sunekosuri was seen on top of him.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 47
===2018 Anime===
===The Great Yōkai War===
==Powers and Abilities==
Transformation: The three smaller brothers are able to disguise themselves as three large statues.
Bewitching Song: The Nuppeppō brothers are able to lure people using a special song.
Youth Theft: They were able to steal the youth of the people in the town.
Invisibility: The fourth brother was able to be invisible, as a precautionary in case the song was resisted.
==Legend==
The Nuppeppō, alternatively Nuppehuhohu or Nuppebbō, is a lump of decaying human flesh that is roughly the size of a human and is usually found hanging around old abandoned temples and graveyards. Aside from the creature's massive flabs of flesh, the only features are its arms and legs, and its horrid smell. The Nupperabō enjoy long aimless walks after dark, and it appears to derive satisfaction from frightening people on the street at night.
Because the Korean Magic story takes place in Korea, they may take inspiration from Dalgyal Guishin or Egg ghost. Having its name comes from its resemblance to an egg, where it does not have a head, arms, legs, and even facial features. It also does not have discernible origins and that it causes the death of anyone who sees it. Egg ghost - culturedic.daum.net (web archive)
==References==
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