Tofu-Kozō

Tofu-Kozō (豆腐小僧 Tōfukozō, lit. Tofu Boy) is a yōkai boy who carries around a plate of tofu. In manga and third anime adaptions, a group of them serve Yamagami.
==Appearance==
Tōfu-Kozō is a small yōkai who resembles a human child with short black hair and eyes, as well as constantly sticking his tongue out. He wears a little boys’ kimonos and wide-brimmed straw hats, which is the typical outfit of a tofu-selling young boy of the Edo period. He is virtually always seen carrying a tray of tofu.
==Personality==
Tōfu-Kozō is often portrayed as amicable and timid. For the most part, he will shy away from any confrontation, sticking to the sidelines.
==History==
===Manga===
He appears in the chapter The Poor Playwright of Zoku GeGeGe no Kitarō. Together with Yama-Jijii, he jumps out of the paper after being drawn by the playwright using the Inherited Pen Tip given by Kitarō.
===1985 Anime===
Tōfu-Kozō appears in episode #106 of the third anime adaptation, Tofu-Kozō and Yamagami.
===2007 Anime===
In the fifth Anime, Tōfu-Kozō makes occasional appearances. He is shown in the second ending animation of the series.
At Yōkai Yokochō, Tofu-Kozō spins around and runs by the streets.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 2
One of the episodes where he gets a decent spotlight is in episode #34 of the fifth anime adataption, Yōkai Yokochō's Cruise to Hell.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2007): Episode 34
===2018 Anime===
Opening: In the sixth Anime, Tōfu-Kozō appears in the opening animation sitting on the roof of a building.
Episode One: After Mana states that she wants to understand more about yōkai, she looks up at the Vampire Tree that Kitarō had turned into, and briefly sees Tōfu-Kozō sitting on a branch. After Mana rubs her eyes, she looks up again to see that he has disappeared and Medama-Oyaji chuckles.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 1
Episode 23: 
He is seen again at the Yōkai Apartment in episode #23, The Yōkai Apartment Secret Story.
Episode 34:
He is among yōkai gathered around the GeGeGe House, trying to drive Agnès out of the forest. He listens to Medama-Oyaji's warning that if they drive her out then the tragedy Malay yōkai will repeat somewhere else. Soon followed by Kitarō as he explains how grave the consequences are if Japan becomes a part of Backbeard's empire, causing the crowd to look at one another. Until their attention is drawn to Kitarō as he stands on his resolve to fight.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 35
===The Great Yōkai War===
===USO MAKOTO Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari===
==Powers and Abilities==
Enhanced Reflexes: Tofu-Kozō has fast reflexes, making him able to dodge a human's barrage of punches.
Tongue: He is able to catch and stop bullets with his tongue. However, it was their weak spot in the third anime adaptation.
Vanishing: Tofu-Kozō was able to appear on a branch of the Vampire Tree, and quickly disappear as Mana had saw.
==Equipments==
Tofu: Tofu-Kozō carries around a plate of tofu. He also has an assortment of other tofu related objects.GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018): Episode 61 In the manga, it is also the weak point of Tofu-Kozōs and they would be vanished whenever the tofu gets hit.
Mold Tofu: Tofu-Kozō serves this to humans who deforested. The victims would be covered with Tofu Mold (豆腐カビ Tofu-Kabi) and eventually die. As this mold spreads with its pollen, Kitarō and others were infected by Nezumi-Otoko's molds.
==Trivia==
==Legend==
Tōfu-kozō are a type of yōkai resembling a boy carrying a tray with tofu on it. They are known to be servant yokai, first and foremost. Even among other yōkai, they are often bullied and teased for their lack of strength. They get no respect from those above them; at most, they act as menial servants to more powerful yōkai. 
Tofu-Kozō are know to appear during rainstorms in bamboo thickets to offer you a plate of tofu. But you shouldn't eat it or else mold will grow all over your body.
The actual relationship between the legends of Hitotsume-Kozō and Tofu-Kozō is unclear; some have theorized that Tofu-Kozō was based on Hitotsume-Kozō and that Tofu-Kozō is merely an alias of Hitotsume-Kozō, while others believe that folklore of the two yōkai were created separately.Natsuhiko Kyōgoku, Katsumi Tada, Kenji Murakami, 2001, 妖怪馬鹿, pp.367-368, Shinchosha Publishing Co, Ltd.
Tofu-Kozō's iconic image of holding a tofu may have been either inspired by other yōkai or may have inspired them instead. Such yōkai include Kappa, Amefuri-Kozō, and Tanuki.Kenji Murakami, 2005, 日本妖怪大事典, pp.229-230, Kwai, Kadokawa
==References==
==Navigation==
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Yōkai
Category:Human-like Yōkai
Category:Yōkai Yokochō residents
Category:Plant Yōkai
Category:Japanese Mythology
Category:Races
Category:Former Antagonist (1985)
Category:The Great Yōkai War characters