Films: The Great Yokai War (2005)
Alias: Various, notably Yasunori Kato, Agi, Yomotsumono, the Tsukumogami (Kikai), Sunekosuri, Shojo, Kawataro, Daitengu, General Nurarihyon, ittan-momen, Azukiarai, Ippondatara, the Quilin
Type: Mystical
Location: Civilized Area/Forest
Height/Weight: Ranges from that of a guinea pig (Sunekosuri) to three times that of an average human (Tsukumogami).
Affiliation: Good (the Yokai), Evil (Kato's forces)
Summary: Remember when the mischievous yet good-natured Yokai faced off against the evil forces of the Daimon? Well, prepare for something on a scale not seen since! Where thousands of yokai are pitted against what could be the end of their world as they knew it!
History: In the Yokai-infested lands of the East, all is not well. The vengeful Oni known as Yasunori Kato seeks vengeance against modern man for its destruction of Japan's old ways. He hopes to resurrect and fuse with the vile demon of abandonment and anger, Yomotsumono. To do this, he kidnaps hapless Yokai, and turns them into twisted half-machine monsters known as the Tsukumogami, which he unleashes on mortals. Only the Yokai of the world and the prophesied Kirin Rider (a boy named Tadashi in this case) can hope to stop him!
Notable Kills: See Final Fate.
Final Fate: Kato comes awfully close to fusing with Yomotsumono, but he ends up having to kill his lovely assistant Agi the sprite to do so, and is too consumed by the guilt of it to notice the crazy Yokai Azukiarai drop a positivity-laced adzuki bean into the concoction. Kato's merging backfires horribly, destroying Yomotsumono as well as his Tsukumogami army, who where getting their asses soundly kicked by the thousands of Yokai who thought it was all just a big party. The Yokai are triumphant, but Tadashi loses his ability to see them after growing up. And Kato is still at large. The battle is far from over...
Powers/Abilities: The Yokai have all kinds of powers, mostly based around positivity and the elements. They also cannot be seen by people who are either too mature or not drunk enough.
Weakness: Anything conventional, though for Kato and the demonic forces he worships, positivity in any form sours their ability.
Scariness Factor: 3-The oftentimes awful effects work sort of diminishes any sort of fright one might get from the villains, particularly the horrifying amalgamations of metal that are the Tsukumogami. There are also a lot of good Yokai, particularly the bumbling and lovable Kawataro. At the very least, Kato has one Hell of a menacing presence, and that's no accident either...
Trivia: ...truth be told, Yasunori Kato is actually the villain-protagonist of his own series, "Teito Monogatari" a historical fantasy novel series about him trying to destroy Tokyo with the vengeful spirit of samurai Taira no Masakado, with all sorts of characters getting in his way.
-This film was directed by Takashi Miike, one of the most notorious directors from Japan, with over a hundred films under his belt. Most of his varied works focus on an interplay of extreme sex and violence ("Audition", anyone?), as well as a very dark sense of humor. That said, he also likes to do more lighthearted works, such as this film, and his favorite film is "Starship Troopers".
