Kitarō is the main protagonist of the manga Hakaba Kitarō written between 1960 to 1964 by Shigeru Mizuki. Originally published as a series of rental books, interest in the series allowed it to be picked up as a serialized manga (under the slightly changed name Hakaba no Kitarō) in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 1965. This revival would see wider release in 1967 under the name of GeGeGe no Kitarō, as the word 'Hakaba' (graveyard) was considered too dark for audiences at the time. Since then, the series has been adapted for television a total of six times, not counting live-action works, all carrying the GeGeGe name. The manga would not be directly adapted into anime until the release of a 13 episode series in 2008, nearly 50 years later, which was animated by Toei Animation like the rest of the GeGeGe adaptations and ran as the late-night counterpart to its 5th series on noitaminA. It would not be until 2008 that this version would be adapted to animation.
Kitarō is a yōkai boy born in a cemetery, and aside from his mostly-decayed father, the last living member of the Ghost tribe. He is missing his left eye, but his hair usually covers the empty socket.
Story[]
1950's Japan. A time of change but also of great inequality. In this era lives Mizuki, a man of modest means. His life changes for good when two members of the Yurei tribe move in next door. The couple is elderly, and hopes to live to see the birth of their son because they are the last of their kind. Unfortunately, the couple dies before this joyous occasion and Mizuki buries the mother. Out from the grave crawls a boy, Kitarō.
Mizuki originally intends to kill him, but cannot bring himself to do so. He adopts the boy, much to the joy of Kitarō's father, who has revived as a walking eyeball. Kitarō is a strange child whom his classmates jeer at for his deformity (his missing left eye) and anti-social tendencies. Mizuki's mother cannot bear him because he seems to talk to himself. Kitarō's sole joy is Neko, a girl who turns into a cat when she smells or sees rats and fish. She has a beautiful singing voice which lands her a place on a local talent show when Kitarō suggests she become a singer. This joy is short-lived. Through a series of tragic events, Kitarō finds himself heartbroken, homeless, and broke. This only serves to fuel his bad behavior...
Appearance[]
Kitarō is a young boy with brown hair that covers his left eye, and he wears a black and yellow striped chanchanko over a navy blue Showa-era school uniform. He also wears Japanese style wooden sandals, called geta. He is missing his left eye. The origin behind this varies depending on the story. In the Hakaba Kitarō manga, it is just assumed he bashed his eye while climbing out of the grave, but in the Hakaba Kitarō anime it is explained that after he emerged from the graveyard, a terrified Mizuki threw him away and ran, and the infant Kitarō hit his eye against the edge of the gravestone. In the rental manga, Kitarō is sometimes depicted missing his right eye instead. It was also common for Medama-Oyaji to rest in the empty socket and emerge from Kitarō's bangs, usually startling people. After the GeGeGe no Kitarō era began, whether or not Kitarō was missing an eye depended on the adaptation.
Personality[]
Kitarō's main distinction between himself in this series, and his more heroic counterpart in Gegege, is this. The Kitarō most know protects humans, or at worst plays scary pranks on the more foolish ones. Kitarō in Hakaba however drives a couple to hang themselves, presumably out of madness. A detail in the manga that's somewhat glossed over in the animation, however, is that these two were serial killers. Kitarō doesn't seem to go after the innocent at all, and even spares a manga artist's life in the aforementioned hanging episode, as he wasn't guilty of anything. He can however, play cruel jokes with an equally cruel twist of fate on the foolishly greedy or arrogant. He does show occasional concern or altruism for certain characters as well, although this dissipates as the series progresses or in other cases is backed by an ulterior motive.
This Kitarō, and the Gegege No Kitarō that most know, share a similar grisly origin, background, and a few quirks but the similarities really end there. Whereas the Kitaro most know is generally benevolent and stands up for what's right, this Kitarō is sardonic and lackadaisical. While Gegege no Kitarō is a powerful fighter, using an array of often bizarre abilities, Hakaba Kitarō is more of a trickster, relying on illusions and cunning to defend himself...but he's otherwise not too tough. Gegege no Kitarō and his father don't feel the need to pursue money (although the temptation pricks at him every now and then.), but Hakaba Kitarō downright loves money and spends a good portion of the series trying to make a coin or two. Standard Kitarō treats Neko Musume like a sister and is oblivious to her advances, while Hakaba Kitarō is downright infatuated with her predecessor Neko in a total role reversal.
Gallery[]
