Yaksha Yokai

**Yaksha Yokai,** or **Yakshini Yokai** for the female version, are a broad class of nature spirits who are connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness.

## Physical Appearance

Yaksha Yokai are described as humanoid beings. Some can look completely human but with mystical abilities associated with nature. Some may have tusks or horns. Some may even have a third eye on their foreheads.

## Description

Yaksha Yokai are known to be guardian deities. They're also known for having a duel personality. On the one hand, a yakṣa may be an inoffensive nature-fairy, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the yakṣa, which is a kind of ghost (bhuta) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travellers, similar to the rakshasa. These yokai are highly skilled at summoning, shapeshifting, and Yojutsu (Yokai Force). They have been trained for those techniques starting at a young age. Being taught how to control these powers and utilizing it for combat.

## Abilities

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

* Fertility Inducement
* Forest Manipulation
* Summoning
* Yokai Force Manipulation

## Pop Culture

Yaksha are often different depending on the media, such as being depicted as a race of yokai that specialize in Summoning and Yojutsu in Rosario + Vampire. Anime and manga series Inuyasha follows the story of a protagonist of the same name, which literally translates to "Dog Yaksha." Anime and manga series One Piece features a character named Donquixote Doflamingo, whose epithet is "Heavenly Yaksha."Anime and manga series Gin Tama follows protagonist Sakata Gintoki, once referred to as Shiroyasha (White Yaksha). Yasha is the name of the main antagonist in the first Yu Yu Hakusho film. Yaksha is one of the 5 characters in the remastered video game The Ninja Warriors Once Again. Fist of the North Star features a character named Black Yaksha near the end of the series. Video game Genshin Impact features a group of five yakshas as the guardian adepti (or xiānrén) of the Chinese-inspired nation of Liyue.

## Variations

### Spirit Yokai

Yaksha are a broad class of nature spirits. They're associated with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness.

## Life in the Hidden World

Because Yaksha are physically human, they can easily blend in with the humans of the Surface World. They're highly skilled in summoning, shapeshifting, and yojutsu. They can shapeshift into any animal they want. They can summon any creature like the phoenix or a dragon. They possess strong yokai energy that they utilize during combat. Yaksha Yokai act as guardian deities and protectors. They usually live in shrine temples where they protect ancient artifact from those who attempt to steal it.

## Symbolism

The yakshas (Sanskrit: यक्ष yakṣa; Pali: yakkha) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval era temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The feminine form of the word is yakṣī or yakshini (Sanskrit: यक्षिणी yakṣiṇī; Pali:Yakkhini). In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist texts, the yakṣa has a dual personality. On the one hand, a yakṣa may be an inoffensive nature-fairy, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the yakṣa, which is a kind of ghost (bhuta) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travellers, similar to the rakṣasas.