There are Kitaro in the world all around you…there might even be a Kitaro next to you right now!
But… what’s a Kitaro?
It might be difficult for English speakers to understand.
For a very long time, the only people who even talked about Kitaro on English internet were turbo-otaku — the freaks among freaks, if you will.
Of course, things are different in the modern age. As of 2024, you can pick up a greatest hits volume of Mizuki’s original manga at even the most obscure Barnes & Noble! You can stream the latest series on Crunchyroll, every last episode.
But…why would the average weeb want to? Why would they care? What weight does 50+ years of mostly untranslated work have in a subculture where facts and context are eschewed for making shit up and vibes?
Well, there’s a LOT of extremely high quality BL fanart out there now because of the new movie (👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻) so…there’s that.
I’ve thought about this long and hard, and the best way I can convey the cultural position Kitaro has is through the closest analog we have– Scooby Doo. It’s spooky, has gone on for decades, everybody has seen it as a child and likes it to some extent, and it has good messages about the shittiness of modern society.
So, imagine if Scooby Doo was based on a work by a absent-minded kid who could talk to spirits, became a great artist, got his drawing arm blown off fighting in WW2, learned how to draw with his other arm, then became a legendary artist and scholar who died in his 90s. That’s what it is! THAT’S Kitaro!
But what’s a Kitaro?
Well, Kitaro is a creepy kid. He looks weird, unsettles people, and is literally demonic.
Go Nagai’s take — Demon Prince Enma! In which Kitaro is hot-headed instead of sleepy. The serious 2000’s series and the silly 2010’s one are both on Tubi. I saw a few episodes of the 2010’s series and I enjoyed it alright, but you have to be in the proper mood for that sort of old man raunchiness.
Fujio Fujiko A asked, “What if Kitaro was a bullied child?” and created Mataro is Coming!! I can’t read this yet, but I love the art! It’s viscerally upsetting seeing bullying and revenge witchcraft depicted in a Doraemon-esque style.
Circling back to Mizuki — Akuma-kun is Kitaro with a western occultism bent instead of a Japanese one…so instead of being a respectful son, he’s pushy, rude, and domineering towards the being that gives him power, lol. The latest series is on Netflix and is directed by the same director of the 80’s one, Junichi Sato. I watched the first episode on my family’s Netflix, it was great! While I don’t want to pay for Netflix, I want to watch Akuma-kun legally, so I will wait to watch the rest.
Anyway, while Kitaro is very much a creepy kid, that’s not all he is. Beyond that, I’ve identified three main Kitaro attributes:
1) His fringed, emo-esque hair that covers an eye,
2) his willingness to get his shit wrecked in the name of a greater good (justice), and
3) His love of smoking.
Hm…silver emo hair, gets fucked up a lot, smokes constantly….
Hello Ginko! Mushishi is such a wonderful, atmospheric series that really makes you contemplate the beauty and brutality of nature and the unseen world. And Ginko is so cute and cool! He really does feel like a grown up Kitaro, how he would be like after his awkward teen phase. He is always helping people, and always getting hurt. And he has a genuine, plot related reason for smoking all the time. I love Ginko! He’s so cool!!
The first season is on Hulu, and I’ve seen about half of it. It’s a gorgeous, relaxing work, and I highly recommend it.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t even finished the arc where Luffy recruits Sanji to join his crew, but it’s pretty clear that Sanji is at least a Kitaro-lite (lol). One Piece is obviously very good, it’s just not the sort of thing that drives me insane.
This figure! I really love this figure. I finally picked up a Nitro+CHiRAL (my phone autocorrected that 🤔) game because of this figure. And yes, I bought it because Towa looks like a Kitaro. And I mean, isn’t he? In a perverted way. The hair, the single eye, the gothic prince backstory, the lethargy, the constant constant smoking, how he’s always getting hurt within an inch of his life — albeit, he does it for art and hedonism instead of justice, lol.
Slow Damage is so fun and thrilling! It can get really intense, so I’ve been slowly getting through the game. I beat Taku’s route quickly, but Rei’s route is taking a lot longer — I get so worried about everyone! But I’m excited to see the depths of depravity that that game will go.
And there you have it! The wonderful world of Kitaro. Let’s all sing together now — ゲゲゲ の ゲ！