These yōkai are the source of many an ancient horror tale. The kappa relate to bums in more ways than one. "There's an idiom still used today, 'he no kappa' (a kappa's fart) that is used to refer to something easy, like 'a piece of cake'." Bowels of steal. Matt tells me they're "prodigious and powerful farters". These creatures have a list of peculiarities: a turtle-like shell, a depression atop their heads filled with water which when spilt weakens or kills them, as well as a love for cucumbers and sumo wrestling. One of the most well-known yōkai is the kappa, sometimes translated as "river goblin". While there's this playful nature to many of the creatures, some of them have darker origins. One of the most famous yōkai, Tofu Boy, is literally just a kid walking around with a block of tofu on a plate. The term doesn't simply translate to monster or demon, both of which have intensely negative connotations. ![]() Not every yōkai is dangerous or malevolent. While the yōkai aren't deities per se, they are part of a richly polytheistic and animistic system of traditional Japanese beliefs." "There's actually a saying, yaoyorozu-no-kamigami, which means eight million gods. "They come in an astounding variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from human or animal-like to haunted objects and personifications of natural phenomena," Matt says. Matt Alt, one of the authors of Yōkai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, and a video game localiser, tells me yōkai are "the things that go bump in Japan's night". Several creatures from its bestiary - such as the long-armed centipede, giant serpent and hate-filled demon - are directly inspired by a group of creatures called yōkai. The act isn't just gruesomely disturbing, it's also intensely unusual - so odd it'd be hard to conceive of originally, recalling that famous adage: "truth is often stranger than fiction." Sekiro is steeped in Japanese folklore and mythology. Due to the expense of the dye, it's likely only high level officials or members of the ruling samurai class could afford to wear the colour. As in Europe, purple often implies nobility and extravagance. The blades belonging to the Headless have a purple tinge. Accompanying the animation are various meaty groans and fleshy pulsations. ![]() Seizing you, the Headless wrenches a pale clump from your rear-end, holds it in the air victoriously, and finally reaches back behind its own arse to devour whatever it is it just removed. It's here a particularly distressing animation plays out. The creature turns invisible, before appearing suddenly to grapple you from behind. The most dramatic of the Headless' abilities is its unblockable grab attack. When it reaches critical mass (the status bar filling up completely), you die instantly. Alongside several other monsters in the game, the Headless cause a build-up of Terror. This is one of several decapitated warriors that hide out in the dark, waiting to slice you into ribbons with their giant glowing katanas. ![]() Inside the cave where the wind groans squats a Headless. Posted to one of its walls is a warning: "turn back if you value your life." If you choose to advance, using your grappling hook to swing round the cliffside and down into a cave below, you'll be rewarded with a confrontation with one of From's most disturbing enemy designs yet - as well as a quick death. ![]() A little way past the Chained Ogre - one of the first signs that not all is well in the land of Ashina - is a small shrine clinging to a cliffside. One of these encounters with terror can happen early on in Sekiro. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki once explained "it's important to have that sense of fear and terror" in order for players to go onto overcome it. Its latest game, Sekiro may have swapped out gothic spires and dungeons for silvergrass and sakura, but there's still darkness festering beneath the surface. From the feral beasts of Bloodborne to Dark Souls' assorted grotesques, FromSoftware has a habit of infusing its work with horror.
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