Ghost Train (ゆうれい電車 Yūrei Densha) is a GeGeGe no Kitarō story that first appeared as a chapter of the Shonen Magazine run. The plot is a rewrite of the second half of the rental manga story In the Face of the Enemy. It has been adapted for the 1968, 1985, 1996, 2007 and 2018 anime versions of "GeGeGe no Kitarō".
Characters[]
- Kitarō
- Nezumi-Otoko
- Mizuki (First appearance)
- Masakichi
Plot[]
At a bar in Shinjuku one night, Kitarō and Nezumi-Otoko are drinking with two human men. The four of them are discussing the existence of yōkai, which the two men find absurd. Nezumi-Otoko tells Kitarō not to bother with close-minded people like them, which the two men take offense to. One of the men (from here on referred to as "Mizuki", on account of him having the same design Mizuki always gave himself) punches Kitarō on the head when he and Nezumi-Otoko laugh at them. Nezumi-Otoko points out a large bump on Kitarō's head, so Kitarō promises to give both men the same bump. Mizuki scoffs at this and the two leave for the train station.
At the station, Mizuki's friend tries to get two tickets to Chofu, but the man at the booth says the last train has already run. The station master (Kitarō in disguise) then walks by and informs them that there is one last train, heading for Tama Cemetery. The two men go to the platform, where they are surrounded by ghostly looking passengers in a creepy fog. A thin station attendant blows a flute and a lone train car pulls up. The zombie-like crowd slowly enters into the train with the two men.
Mizuki brushes off his friend's concern over how cold it is in the car when a group of train attendants suddenly arrive and light some incense. The passengers start humming a funeral dirge and Mizuki's friend wonders if they boarded the wrong train. Mizuki again brushes off his concerns as the train begins moving. As the train passes Deathbed Station and stops at Casket, Kitarō walks by as the conductor to inspect tickets. The train begins moving again, heading for Cemetery Urn Station. Mizuki notes how creepy all the station names are so his friend suggests they get off at the next station. Mizuki finally starts to worry and refuses the idea, as a station called Cemetery Urn is bound to be dangerous. He insist they continue to Tama Cemetery, as he at least knows the area there.
The train passes Cemetery Urn Station, and the two men see an old, boney woman holding a lantern and watching them pass by. The train passes over a bridge and the surrounding suddenly change to a dark area with smooth rocks all over the ground. Mizuki begins to panic and sees that the other passengers have suddenly become corpses, both human and animal-like. The two try to run for the door, but outside is nothing but a creepy desert-like landscape. Mizuki realizes that the train must be heading for Hell and begins banging on the conductor's door, begging him to stop the train. His friend opens the door and Kitarō and a bunch of yōkai burst out of the door. Mizuki screams and runs for the window to jump. His friend tries to stop him, but they soon both agree jumping to their deaths is better than being eaten alive by yōkai.
The two jump out of the train window, hitting their heads on rocks as they hit the ground. They awake some time later and see before them a rusted old train car. Mizuki wonders if they hallucinated the whole thing, but Kitarō and Nezumi-Otoko appear and reveal it was all an illusion cast by Kitarō's powers. Kitarō points out that they both have bumps on their heads from hitting the rocks, the same size as the one Mizuki gave him. The two run for their lives into the night.
Remakes[]
Manga[]
- Bokura picture book - Ghost Train (ゆうれい電車の巻)
- 1st Grade Learning Magazine - Ghost Train (ゆうれいでんしゃのまき)
- Poplar picture book - Ghost Train (ゆうれい電車)
- Yōkai Sen Monogatari - Underworld Line! Ghost Train (冥界行！幽霊列車)
Anime[]
- 1968 Anime
- Episode 7 - Ghost Train (aired February 14, 1968)
- 1985 Anime
- Episode 6 - Hell Journey! The Ghost Train!! (aired November 16, 1985)
- 1996 Anime
- Episode 53 - Cemetery journey: Ghost Train! (aired January 19, 1997)
- Kitarō's Ghost Train (theme park video, opened March 20, 1999)
- 2007 Anime
- Episode 9 - The Ghost Train Goes to the Other World (aired May 27, 2007)
- 2018 Anime
- Episode 7 - Ghost Train (aired May 13, 2018)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is Nezumi-Otoko's first true appearance in the Shonen Magazine series. Prior to this he had only made background appearances in "The Cruise to Hell" and "Obake Nighter", as well as a cameo appearance as a priest in "Neko-Sennin".