Best Manga & Anime Based On Japanese Mythology

Mythological beings have been incorporated into many anime and manga over the years. These myths usually stem from real life legendary beasts that have been recorded in historical accounts and have yet to be proven. Whether these beings are real or not is completely up to the person pondering the question, but as readers and watchers of the genre, one can learn many things about them.

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By  Aditi Jeyanathan

Now, most Japanese media (which includes tales from Japanese mythology) use most of the material provided in the legends. There are some authors who add their own ‘spice’ to these historical legends, yet they still make sure to include the basic characteristics of each piece of folklore. For fans of Japanese mythology, these are the best anime/manga to check out.

12 Inuyasha

The Infamous Dog-Demon In Japanese Folklore And The Priestess From The Future

The anime Inuyasha is a fan favorite when it comes to ypkai and demons. The entire show centers around Kagome Higurashi, a 15-year-old girl who accidentally gets transported to the Sengoku period and meets a half-demon named Inuyasha. Like his name suggests, Inuyasha is the son of a Great Demon father and a human mother. Despite his hybrid blood, he too has the powers of the dog yokai.

Yokai is an umbrella term in Japan for all mythical creatures that range from ghosts, to demons, monsters, shapeshifters, and any other mysterious phenomena. Inuyasha’s father being a Great Demon classifies him as a Yokai Dog spirit. The same can be said for Inuyasha’s half-brother, Sesshomaru, who is also a Daiyokai. Most of the characters in Inuyasha are taken from Japanese myths, as most of them are spirits and monsters that were famous during the Sengoku period.

11 Noragami

Features Gods And Phantoms From Japanese Folklore

There are various religions that originate from Japan, and each of them has multiple gods that they worship. Noragami is a famous anime that incorporates deities from religions such as Buddhism and Shintoism. A good number of the gods in Noragami are indeed real gods, but some of their names are not identical to the ones found in historical texts. Aside from Yato, the main character who potentially represents the God of Calamity in Japanese texts, viewers may also notice Izanami, the famous Goddess of Creation in Japanese mythology who is also represented in the show.

Noragami follows Yato, who is a minor god that has been thrown aside and barely has any followers. He meets Hiyori Iki, a regular middle school girl who was hit by a bus and now has issues with her soul frequently slipping out of her body. It is here, when she meets Yato and asks for his help in fixing her soul, that she learns about the parallel world where phantoms linger. The series is very popular and a great example of what it means to take inspiration from historical texts, featuring various gods, myths, legends, and spirits.

10 Nura: Rise Of The Yokai Clan

A Family Full Of Mythological Entities And Demons

A human by day and a Yokai by night, Rikuo Nura is a half-human, half-yokai boy that grew up as the young master of the Nura Clan. His house is full of yokai, and this includes his grandfather, who’s a well-known Yokai in the spiritual world. Despite growing up in these supernatural circumstances, the last thing Rikuo wants is to become a Yokai. He tries to do as many good deeds as he can every day to counteract the effects but eventually accepts his destiny when the evil yokai begin to target the things he loves.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan has different types of yokai in Japanese folklore that are included in the story. Most of them are related to animals like crows and foxes, with some antagonists in the series bordering on demons due to their constitution. The series portrays more low level yokai in Japanese mythology as powerful beings, and viewers may enjoy learning the unique abilities each one has.

9 Black Bird

A Romance Between A Mythological Bird Of Prey And A Human

Age gap relationships are a hit or miss when it comes to manga, and Black Bird definitely falls under that category. The story follows Misao Harada, a high school girl who has been able to see demons and spirits since she was a child. Like every teenage girl, she too wishes to find love and get a boyfriend. Her answer lies in the mysterious stranger that moved in next door, Usui Kyou, who tells her that he’s her long-lost childhood friend and first love.

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When Misao is attacked by one of the demons she sees, Kyou ends up saving her and reveals himself to be a Yokai who is the clan leader of the Tengu. Turns out Misao has a special ability that, when consumed by Yokai, gives them immense power. So, it’s up to Kyou, who is the only one that can protect her. The Tengu are legendary creatures in Shintoism and often take on the appearance of birds of prey in Japanese mythology. Aside from the Tengu, this manga also includes creatures like Kitsune (Fox Spirits) and Snake demons from Japanese myths.

8 Tougen Anki: Dark Demon Of Paradise

Two Famous Japanese Folklore Creatures Trying To Annihilate One Another

Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise, or more commonly known as Tougen Anki, is set in a very tumultuous world where Oni and Momotarou are mortal enemies. The Momotarou are a type of humanoid species that can produce black bacteria to be manipulated in various ways. They unfortunately seek to eradicate all Oni species, as they deem them to be a physical threat to humans and themselves. Oni, on the other hand, are the oppressed, as they have been hunted for centuries simply due to the contents of their blood. The story follows Ichinose Shiki, the inheritor of the blood of Oni, who is unaware of his heritage, only learning his background after the loss of his foster father.

The Japanese myths in this manga, the Oni and Momotarou, are very famous beings in the culture. Tougen Anki has a very different twist to it, despite the similar appearance they each have. In the manga, Oni can manipulate their blood for their own use, just like the Momotarou’s abilities. Whereas in Japanese folklore, Oni were demonic monsters who were cruel and malicious. Momotarou, on the other hand, is not exactly related to Japanese folklore but can be considered a mythical tale, as it is a very famous children’s story that has been passed down since the Edo period.

7 Natsume’s Book Of Friends

A Boy, His Mysterious Cat, And The Book Of Japanese Spiritual Beings

Ever since he was a kid, Natsume Takashi has had the ability to see Yokai. It’s because of this that he’s never really been able to make friends. Since he inherited this power from his grandmother, he also received The Book of Friends upon her death. The Book of Friends contains the names of hundreds of Yokai and spirits that his grandmother bullied into servitude. The Book is practically a prized possession in the supernatural world, and Natsume chooses to release all the spirits within the book.

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Viewers can come across a variety of Yokai in the form of spirits or demons in Natsume's Book of Friends, one being the main character of the series, Madara or Nyanko-Sensei. Nyanko-Sensei is an Inugami and, in Japanese folklore, is considered to be a dog spirit. He’s one of the more famous spirits in Japanese mythology that has been incorporated into this anime, but there are many Yokai that vary from foxes, to snakes, horses, as well as ghost spirits.

6 The Demon Prince Of Momochi House

Blends Spirits From The Supernatural World Found In Japanese Folklore

The Demon Prince of Momochi House centers around the life of orphan Momochi Himari, who unexpectedly receives the old Momochi family estate as an inheritance. The house is known to be haunted, but because she has nowhere to go, she decides to move in despite everyone’s warnings. It’s here that she meets Aoi, Ise, and Yukari, three handsome men who occupy the house illegally. They try to make her leave, but Himari chooses to stay, and it’s during that night that she finds out her house is on the border of the human world and the spirit world.

All the boys that Himari meets are Yokai and Ayakashi. Aoi was actually a human, who was unintentionally turned into a Nue when he entered Momochi House. A Nue is a legandary yokai spirit in Japanese folklore that sometimes becomes a Mononoke (these are vengeful spirits according to historical texts). They have usually been described as chimeras (hybrids), and this can be seen in Aoi’s design with his cat ears, bird feathers, and fox tail. Ayakashi, on the other hand, are a type of Yokai that appears on the surface of a body of water, as seen in Yukari’s water snake form.

5 Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague

Features The Descendant Of Yuki-Onna

The tale of Yuki-onna is one of the most renowned stories in Japanese folklore. Yuki-onna, or otherwise known as the Snow Woman, is a snow spirit depicted in a lot of media across the world. Her legend stems from as far back as the Muromachi period (1300-1500), and despite her inhumane beauty that draws people in, her eyes are known to strike terror in mortals. She carries a snowstorm where she goes and is often represented in interspecies marriages in many ancient stories.

Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague adopts a similar premise, where Himuro Yukiya is actually the descendant of Yuki-onna, and whenever his heart becomes warmer, his surroundings become colder. The manga depicts his daily life as an office worker and the growing crush he has on his colleague, Fuyutsuki Miyo, who is quite emotionless. The series also includes a Fox Spirit hybrid who is a descendant of the Kitsune - another type of Yokai in Japanese folklore. The story is rather sweet, following the budding relationships of both these hybrids, just trying to control their powers in the modern world.

4 Hozuki’s Coolheadedness

Introduces An Oni Demon That Manages Hell With His Supernatural Spirits

Hoozuki works as the Chief of Staff to the King of Hell and is in charge of what kind of hell the dead will be sent to. Hell is a well-organized mess with the help of Hoozuki, whether it be offering advice to Momotarou from Japanese folklore or lending a hand to the Christian Hell department. He’s just the best at multitasking, micromanaging, and negotiating to keep things running smoothly behind King Enma’s back.

Hoozuki’s Coolheadedness brings in several creatures from Japanese folklore that many viewers may recognize. Hoozuki himself is an oni demon, Momotarou is the famous hero from the myths, and Karachi is the rabbit from the Kachi-kachi Yama folktale. There are also Tengu and a representation of the Goddess of Creation, Izanami, in the story. The series also incorporates many myths from East-Asian culture, not just Japanese mythology.

3 In/Spectre

Exposes The Hidden Yokai And Ayakashi From Folklore In The Modern World

In/Spectre is an anime that viewers may either love or hate. It tells the story of Iwanaga Kotoko, a Goddess of Wisdom who acts as the intermediary between the real world and the supernatural world. She meets Sakuragawa Kuro, a college student that she has been in love with for two years, and tells him of her powers. Kotoko ends up finding out about his own powers as a Yokai, and the two agree to help each other quell the abnormalities that are usually kept hidden.

In/Spectre includes many characters from Japanese folklore, like Yuki-onna and other types of Yokai with unique abilities. There are monsters as well that have been classed under yokai because of their negative constitutions that have made them murderous. The anime community has mixed reviews on In/Spectre as many of them seem to prefer the source material (manga or light novel) because the information is easier to digest.