Ghost Yokai

**Ghost Yokai** are a variation of the Spirit Yokai who were normal humans until they died from various circumstances.

## Physical Appearance

Ghost Yokai are most commonly seen in the appearance of what they were when they were alive. They can either be human ghosts or animal ghosts. Some Ghost Yokai can have different appearances that makes them different from their alive state. It varies between the ghosts and their personalities and outfits may reflect what era they come from.

## Description

Before they became yokai, they were normal human beings or animals. That is until they have died from various circumstances. It could be from war, disease, murder, suicide, etc. Either way, they have died and went to the afterlife. But they have the power to come back to the living world as ghosts. Thus Ghost Yokai appearing in the living world. Some ghosts are benevolent but mischievous at times as they would use their new ghost forms to prank on the living. Some ghosts, however, have become malevolent and revengeful. Haunting the ones who had caused their deaths until someone is able to bring them back to the afterlife in peace.

## Abilities

Here are the abilities that Ghost Yokai can have in their arsenal:

* Decelerated Aging, Semi-Immortality or Immortality
* Ectoplasm Manipulation
	+ Ectoplasm Mimicry
* Electronic Disruption
* Energy Independence
* Fear Inducement
* Flight
* Ghost Tail
* Illusion Manipulation
* Inaudibility
* Inodorosity
* Intangibility
* Invisibility
* Invulnerability
* Portal Creation
* Possession
* Shapeshifting
* Telekinesis
* Telepathy

### Variations

* Cold Presence
* Corporealization
* Corpse Possession
* Dream Walking
* Ectoplasm Manipulation
	+ Ectoplasm Mimicry
* Illusive Appearance
* Imperceptibility
* Malleable Anatomy
* Non-Physical Interaction
* Object Possession
* Phantasm Manipulation
* Physical Force Immunity
* Portal Manipulation
* Psionics
* Selective Appearance
* Tangibility Interplay
* Teleportation

### Types of Ghost

#### **Vengeful Spirits**

(ghosts that seek to actively harm the living)

* Ao Andon Physiology
* Bakekujira Physiology
* Baykok Physiology: Flight, Enhanced Archery, Paralysis Inducement
* Bhuta Physiology
* Chindi Physiology
* Dorotabo Physiology
* Duppy Physiology
* Dybbuk Physiology
* Fear Liath Physiology
* Ghost Monster Physiology
* Jack-in-Irons Physiology
* Jikininki Physiology
* Kubikajiri Physiology
* Kuchisake-Onna Physiology
* Kuri Physiology
* Myling Physiology
* Night Hag Physiology
* Onryo Physiology
* Poltergeist Physiology
	+ Transcendent Poltergeist Physiology
* Reiki Physiology
* Revenant Physiology
* Ubagabi Physiology
* Usutsuki Warashi Physiology
* Vetala Physiology
* White Lady Physiology
* Wraith Physiology

#### **Neutral**

(ghosts that while frightening do not actively seek harm to the living)

* Banshee Physiology
* Bean-nighe Physiology
* Buruburu Physiology
* Genie Physiology - jinn have ghostly nature
* Ghost Dragon Physiology
* Ghost Knight Physiology
* Ghost Lord Physiology
* Mutated Ghost Physiology
* Oboroguruma Physiology
* Red Lady Physiology
* Superior Ghost Physiology
* Transcendent Ghost Physiology
* Ushirogami Physiology

### Associations

* Amortality
* Classic Monster Physiology
* Genius Physiology
* Spirit Physiology
* Undead Physiology

## Pop Culture

Ghosts are one of the classic monsters that are frequently used in the horror genre. Many movies that features ghosts are usually seen as evil and vengeful. But there are friendly ghosts such as Casper. Many cultures throughout the world has their own stories about various types of ghosts. Most common are ghostly possessions and ghosts haunting many buildings. Many people suffers from Phasmophobia, the fear of ghosts. In various forms of media, there are many characters who either are ghosts, have the abilities of a ghost, or can transform into one. This includes Danny Phantom, Ferry (Granblue Fantasy), Casper (Casper the Friendly Ghost), Ghostfreak (Ben 10), Carrie Krueger (The Amazing World of Gumball), Experiment 375 "Phantasmo" (Lilo & Stitch), and Perona (One Piece).

## Variations

### Ao Andon Yokai

Ao Andon are powerful spirits of collective human terror that can only manifest after a ritual is performed.

### Bakekujira Yokai

Bakekujira are terrifying skeletal whales from Japanese folklore, the vengeful spirit of whales that haunts the living and brings with it a number of terrible curses and supernatural ailments such as a swarm of ghostly fish and birds, disease, famine, fire and many other tragedies.

### Bhuta Yokai

Bhuta are spirits of the deceased from Hindu origins that torments living by following them home from their graves from cemeteries.

### Chindi Yokai

Chindi are demonic spirits from Navajo mythology that is believed to be the collected evil of a deceased person that manifests as a malevolent specter.

### Dorotabo Yokai

Dorotabo are a type of vengeful yokai-ghost from Japanese folklore that was born when the unhappy spirit of a former rice-field owner returned to exact revenge upon those that left their rice-field to ruin due to neglect or ignorance.

### Duppy Yokai

Duppy are a type of malevolent spirit found in the collective folklore of many Caribbean societies, while regional variants differ in specifics a common theme revolves around a Duppy being either the unholy soul of a former human or a completely supernatural being in its own right - often the concepts can merge.

### Dybbuk Yokai

Dybbuk are malicious wandering spirits that causes harm and destruction to the living. They commonly possess a living person to accomplish a goal through them, acting as a vessel.

### Fear Liath Yokai

Fear Liath are a seemingly malevolent type of mountain-spirit found in Scottish folklore, especially those surrounding the summit of Ben Macdui (the second highest mountain in Scotland).

### Jack-in-Irons Yokai

Jack-in-Irons are a type of malevolent "ghost-giant" found in Yorkshire Folklore and is depicted as a large, often hideous man covered in chains who haunts lonely roads - armed with a spiked club the Jack-in-Irons preys upon unwary travelers and animals, beating them to death and taking their heads, which the monster then proudly displays on his chained form.

### Jikininki Yokai

Jikininki are cannibalistic ghosts in Japanese folklore that feeds exclusively on the dead, they are the result of cursed humans who have engaged in cannibalism during life and thus transformed into these wretched beasts as punishment, they have no pleasure in their actions and are forever plagued by an undying hunger.

### Kubukajiri Yokai

Kubakajiri are cannibalistic ghosts from Japanese folklore that manifests as an old man dressed in white burial shrouds who haunts graveyards and seeks out the corpses of others, taking the heads and devouring them, leaving behind a pool of blood and gore.

### Kuchisake-Onna Yokai

Kuchisake-Onna is a figure appearing in Japanese urban legends. She is a woman who was mutilated by her husband, and returns as a malicious spirit.

### Kuri Yokai

Kuri are malevolent demons from English folklore that haunts the shallow graves of those who died in the wilderness and are depicted as hideous goblin-like humanoids who lay in wait by the graves for unwary travelers, who they then attach themselves to and torment over the course of several days.

### Myling Yokai

Myling Yokai are demonic ghosts from Nordic folkore that was created from the souls of unhappy infants who had been abandoned and died without proper burial, these ghosts would haunt the areas near their deaths in pursuit of unwary travelers.

### Night Hag Yokai

Night Hag Yokai are malevolent creatures from Nordic folkore that was created from the souls of unhappy infants who had been abandoned and died without proper burial, these ghosts would haunt the areas near their deaths in pursuit of unwary travelers.

### Onryo Yokai

Onryo are spirits from Japanese folklore who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance using the spiritual powers they gain after death.

### Poltergeist Yokai

Poltergeists are manifestations of an invisible but noisy, disruptive or destructive entity. Unlike regular ghosts, Poltergeists haunt a particular person instead of a specific location.

### Revenant Yokai

Revenant Yokai are visible ghosts or animated corpses believed to return from the grave to haunt/terrorize the living.

### Ubagabi Yokai

Ubagabi are ghostly hags from Japanese folklore that manifests as a ball of flame with the disembodied head of an old woman inside it, the ghost of a woman who died of shame after being exposed as an oil-thief in her former life.

### Usutsuki Warashi Yokai

Usutsuki Warashi are the malicious "cousin" of the Zashiki-Warashi and as such is a child-like ghost that manifests itself as a dirty, unclean spirit that spreads misfortune and misery in place of the usual happiness and fortune of the Zashiki-Warashi.

### Vetala Yokai

Vetala are vampiric-demon-bat spirits of Hindu origins that possesses the corpses of the dead to torment the living.

### Wraith Yokai

Wraith Yokai are incorporeal evil spirit from the netherworld - distinct from demons - that drains the life energy of mortals in order to sustain their existence and may be able to steal souls as well.

### Banshee Yokai

Banshee Yokai are feminine spirits in Irish mythology, an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld who begins to wail if someone is about to die.

### Bean-nighe Yokai

Bean-nighe Yokai are a type of banshee from Scottish folklore that would take the form of an ugly old woman who sat by rivers or streams washing clothes, they were said to predict death and misfortune, often mourning over the clothes of those destined to die.

### Buruburu Yokai

Buruburu are ghostly yokai that would manifest to cowardly individuals and cause them to shiver, as well as induce them to flee.

### Genie Yokai

Genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic mythology that occupies a world parallel to that of mankind.

### Ghost Dragon Yokai

Ghost Dragons are a type of dragons who has spiritual powers.

### Oboroguruma Yokai

Oboroguruma are strange spirits from Japanese folklore that takes the form of a large ox-cart with a frightening human face on it - the spirit is not particularly harmful to humans but is anchored to the world between the living and dead due to lingering anger of ancient ox-cart owners who were denied a preferred spot during a period when cart spaces were hotly fought over.

### Ushirogami Yokai

Ushirogami are ghostly fear-spirits from Japanese folklore that enjoys tormenting lone women and attacks via playing cruel pranks such as tugging a victim's hair, materializing behind them and even altering the weather so as to cause strong gusts of wind that upset umbrellas and cause mischief.

## Life in the Hidden World

Ghosts are one of the most common yokai species in the Hidden World. They mainly live in cemeteries and graveyards where their bodies have laid to rest. Because they were originally human or animal, they can live in any region of the Hidden World and throughout the Surface World. Many cultures perform rituals to appease the Ghost Yokai. While some are benevolent and mischievous, others are malevolent and vengeful. Those who had died untimely will come back as vengeful spirits. Haunting those who had caused their deaths until they too die as well. Because of this, many humans would buy various items that would protect them from malevolent Ghost Yokai.

## Symbolism

The image of the ghost embodies, and in a sense symbolizes, the fears of beings who dwell in another world. The ghost returning may perhaps also be an apparition of the ego, of the unknown ego, springing out of the unconscious, inspiring an almost panic fear and being thrust back into darkness.