Shisa

Shisa
Shisa as he appears in the 2007 anime
Name
Japanese	シーサー
English	Okinawan for "lion"
Profile
Species	Yōkai
Gender	Male
Home	Okinawa
Abilities	Drill tunneling Transformation
Affiliation	Kitarō Family (1980s)
Other Information
Best Friends	Nezumi-Otoko Kijimuna Akamata
Goals	Protect Okinawa Impress Kitarō
Determination	Unmatched
Naivety	Likewise
First Appearance
Manga	The Great Yōkai Gasha-Dokuro Lives (1985)
Anime	Series 3 Episode 73 (1987)
Portrayals
see Cast
Gallery

Shisa (シーサー) is a lion-like yōkai that lives in Okinawa. He was a main character for the second half of the third anime. He first appeared in the Saishinban GeGeGe no Kitarō story The Great Yōkai Gasha-Dokuro Lives.

Cast

• Keiko Yamamoto (Third & Fifth anime)
• Yōko Teppōzuka (Fourth anime)
• Teiyū Ichiryūsai (GeGeGe no Kitarō: Ibun Yōkai Kitan)

Appearance

Shisa is still a child so he is rather small. He is a light orange with a yellow tail and mane that rises into a point at the top of his head. He has big lips and two large fangs protruding from his mouth. In the fourth anime his skin and tail are a darker orange and his mane is green. In the fifth anime his skin is yellow and his mane and tail are green.

His large form looks closer to the legendary Shisa, a pig-nosed lion-like creature with a curly mane. In the fourth anime, his body and mane looked more like a normal lion. The fake large Shisa in the 3rd anime had a blueish-black body with blueish-gray hair and stood on it's hind legs.

History

80's Manga/Third Anime

After appearing in Saishinban GeGeGe no Kitarō, he suddenly begins accompanying the Kitarō Family on their adventures. After proving himself in the battle against Ōmukade, he is allowed to live with Kitarō. He plays a prominent role in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Kitarō Jigoku-hen, taking part in most of the battles in Jigoku. In Kitarō Kunitori Monogatari, he has returned to Okinawa and appears with his parents. His father looks like the Shisa of legend, while his mother looks like a bigger version of himself.

He first appears in episode #73 of the third anime adaptation, Shisa Appears!! The Great Okinawa Battle. Much like the manga at the time, he began to appear as a main character. He is good-natured and fairly naive, often getting tricked in going along with Nezumi-Otoko's schemes. He can use an elaborate paper doll to disguise himself as a giant Shisa. According to the Kijimuna, he is not as reliable as his ancestors. In his first appearance he tries to fight Kitarō, but afterwards he admires him and begins living with him as his disciple.

Fourth Anime

He appears in episode #63 of the fourth anime adaptation, Welcome!! Yōkai Hotel. While he does fight Kitarō and then reconcile with him like in the previous series, he does not reappear as an ally in later episodes. His good natured personality is still intact. Because of development he and Kijimuna are run out of their home forest and begin living around a local tourist hotel. He later helps out with rebuilding his hotel. In this series he has the additional ability to transform into a human.

Fifth Anime

In the fifth anime he first appears in episode #25 as a member of the Southern Japan team in the sports festival. He is also a good friend of Akamata. In episode #94, the Kyūketsuju holds the Kijimuna hostage and forces Shisa to do her bidding. He chases off Akamata and claims to be the 47 Yōkai Warriors representative of Okinawa. He lures out and fights Kitarō but is eventually defeated with the help of Akamata, revealed to be the true representative of Okinawa. He lives at a shrine in a banyan forest.

Abilities

Tunneling: Shisa is capable of digging through the ground by spinning around rapidly like a drill. Transformation: In the fourth and fifth anime, he is able to transform into a full sized Shisa, but in the third anime he could only achieve this with the help of paper doll disguise. He is capable of walking on his hind legs, even in his large form.

Legend

Shisa, or lion-dogs, are an important part of the folklore in Okinawa Island, Japan. It is said that when you place a statue or replica of the Shisa anywhere in the house, the family will have happiness and maybe fortune and good luck.