Grim Reaper Yokai

**Grim Reaper Yokai** are beings who are the personification of death.

## Physical Appearance

Grim Reaper Yokai can have various appearance. Some are the typical skeleton wearing a black cloak and carrying the signature scythe. Some have a more human-like appearance but has the same powers as the grim reaper. Some possess a monstrous form that can be based on the Undead Yokai like vampires and dullahans.

## Description

Grim Reaper Yokai are the personification of death. Their job is to guide the spirits of the dead to the afterlife where they would either head to the Spirit Plane or to the Scarlet Domain. But some grim reapers would actively cause the death of humans. Sometimes it would be both. Grim Reaper Yokai are neutral for the most part. They can join the sides of good and evil as long as they can continue with their jobs.

## Abilities

* Afterlife Transport/Afterlife Traveling
* Death Empowerment
* Death-Force Manipulation
	+ Death Field Projection
	+ Death Inducement
	+ Life-Force Absorption
	+ Mediumship
	+ Reanimation
	+ Resurrection
* Death Sense
	+ Chrono Vision
* Eternal Rest Inducement
* Invisibility
* Menacing Presence
	+ Fear Inducement
* Possession
* Soul Manipulation
	+ Soul Absorption
	+ Soul Removal
	+ Soul Summoning
* Spiritual Awareness
	+ Soul Reading
* Undead Summoning
* Weapon Manipulation traditionally a scythe, but swords are common too.
	+ Cutting/Sharpness Manipulation regardless of what weapon the user has, it's *sharp*.
	+ Death Infusion
	+ Weapon Creation/Weapon Summoning
	+ Weapon Proficiency

### Variations

* Absolute Attack
* Afterlife Border
* Afterlife Marking
* Amortality
* Death Embodiment
* Necromancy
* Necropresence
* Necroscience
* Scythe Proficiency
* Skeleton Physiology
* Spirit Physiology or Transcendent Physiology
* Unavertable Death
* Absolute Death Inducement
* Wing Manifestation

### Types of Grim Reaper

* Dullahan Physiology
* Shinigami Physiology

### Associations

* Afterlife Lordship
* Angel Physiology
* Death Aspect Manifestation

* Death Transcendence
* Demon Physiology
* Life and Death Manipulation
* Samsara Manipulation

## Pop Culture

The grim reaper is one of the classic monsters. They're one of the many costumes that people would dress up as during Halloween. Day of the Dead also has a grim reaper as an entity in which it is a skeleton to represent the colorful skeletons. There are many characters throughout the various forms of media who has the role of the grim reaper or is the grim reaper themselves. Most popular examples are Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, The Reaper of the Cards from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Botan from Yu Yu Hakusho, Death from Family Guy, and Uncle Death from Let It Die.

## Variations

### Undead Yokai

In most versions, the grim reaper is depicted as being a living skeleton who wears a black cloak and carries around a scythe. They're known as the personification of death.

### Shinigami Yokai

Shinigami are known as "death spirits" of Japanese folklore. They're responsible for seeing that a person dies at their appointed time and then guiding their spirit to be judged in the afterlife.

### Dullahan Yokai

Dullahan is usually seen riding a black horse and carrying their head. The head's eyes are massive and constantly dart about like flies, while the mouth is constantly in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese.

## Life in the Hidden World

Grim Reaper Yokai are both respected and fear upon the Yokai community. As the personification of death, they play an important role as being guides for the spirits of the dead. Grim Reapers are mostly seen as cloaked skeletal winged figures with scythes or sickles that claim the souls of the deceased and take them to their respected afterlife's, however this is not always the case and they have been seen in varies forms throughout history, even appearing as angels, demons and spirits. Shinigami and Dullahan Yokai are examples of being grim reapers from their respective folklores. Grim Reaper Yokai can be both benevolent and malevolent. Though they remain neutral for the most part.

## Symbolism

The Grim Reaper appears in our dreams to symbolize a change or the ending of some important phase in our lives. The Grim Reaper in your dream often symbolizes the end of something in your life (symbolic death) and the need to accept that fact. Maybe you need to part your ways with a good friend or give up on something important.