Yo-kai Watch (series)

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Yo-kai Watch
English logo
Original Name	妖怪ウオッチ
Translation Name	Yo-kai Watch
Developed by	LEVEL-5
Published by	Nintendo
First game	Yo-Kai Watch (2012)
Latest game	Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yokai Academy Y: Wai Wai Gakuen Seikatsu

Yo-kai Watch (Japanese: 妖怪ウォッチ, Yōkai Wotchi) is a multimedia franchise by LEVEL-5, consisting of a series of role-playing games, animated adaptations and a manga series. The series officially debuted in late 2012, with the manga coming first before the video game was released in 2013.

Creation and development

With the success of Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and Little Battlers Experience, Level-5 decided to create a new IP that would last for a very long time. The keyword that one day came to Akihiro Hino's mind was "Youkai", and said to have already imagined the setting inside of him. He thought about mixing classic mythology with modern-day themes, which was when the title of the franchise "Yo-kai Watch" came in; evoking a combination of both. Level-5 art director Takuzo Nagano was ordered by Hino to design the characters and setting which were written down from what was inside his head.

Planning and development started in 2010, where the franchise was originally intended for "men and women" due to their other IPs such as Inazuma Eleven already fulfilling the younger audience. The Yo-kai were designed to come from "an old-fashioned setting", which were what Nagano imagined in his head when it came to "youkai". Some of the first drafts were described by Nagano as a "Showa-period atmosphere", rivalling that of Gegege no Kitaro, while evoking the vibe of The Laughing Salesman.

Eventually, the direction of the franchise were changed to be more child-friendly, where they ended up using Doraemon as their inspiration for further character experimentation. The main characters were designed to be modern-day representations of the characters from Doraemon, such as Nate lacking confidence unlike Nobita and Whisper not having any knowledge unlike Doraemon. This was because Akihiro Hino wanted the characters to be more relatable to go with a modern-day setting.

The franchise was announced at the Level-5 Vision Event in October 2011, where the game was shown running on an unspecified system. The game ended up being re-purposed for the Nintendo 3DS. The manga adaption of Yo-kai Watch was first released in Japan on December 15, 2012, seven months before the game's release.

Derivative works

Anime

Yo-kai Watch
Anime poster
Original Name	妖怪ウォッチ
Translation Name
Created by	LEVEL-5
Region	Japan
First broadcast	January 8, 2014
Episodes	214
Studio	TV Tokyo MediaNet, Dentsu, OLM
Supervisor	Shinji Ushiro
Written by	Emi Onodera
Produced by	Yoshikazu Kuraya (TV Tokyo), Kyofumi Kajiwara, Haruka Tomatsu, Etsuko Sakura
Original network	TV Tokyo
State	Finished

Plot

This section may contain major spoilers! Consider skipping these contents if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media releases.

There are many things in the world that cannot be explained, but they are actually the work of Yo-kai. There is a kind of watch that allows humans to see these monsters with their own eyes, which is the Yo-kai Watch. As for the good or bad luck of encountering Yo-kai, only the person involved knows.

When our protagonist, Nate, went up the mountain to catch insects one summer vacation, he chased a glowing beetle through the dense forest and came to an open area in the forest. In the center of this open space is a big tree. Under the tree was an old machine, called a Crank-a-kai, and a voice said "throw it down". When he took out the only 100 coins he had left and twisted out the Crank-a-kai, a ghost named Whisper, who called himself a "Yo-kai Butler", flew out of the machine. Whisper pesters Nate to let him become his personal butler. As soon as he got home and saw Nate's parents arguing, Whisper took out the Yo-kai Watch and gave it to Nate, allowing him to see the Yo-kai possessing his parents and successfully solving the problem. From then on, the protagonist can see all kinds of incredible Yo-kai appearing around him.

Main characters

Humans

Nathan "Nate" Adams (天野（あまの） 景太（けいた）)
	The main character. He is an elementary school student in grade 5→6, 11→12 years old. Studies in Springdale's Elementary School. He has no special advantages or disadvantages, his abilities are average in all aspects, and he cares about his averageness. As long as Katie is happy, he's happy.
CV: Haruka Tomatsu, Johnny Yong Bosch
Kate "Katie" Forester (木靈（こだま） 文花（ふみか）)
	The heroine and Nate's classmate. She has excellent grades, is easygoing, and is often praised for her cuteness. She is an only child.
CV: Aya Endou
Edward "Eddie" Archer (今田（いまだ） 干治（かんち）)
	Nate's classmate. He has a cheerful personality and has an affinity for electronic products. He is possessed by Yo-kai as frequently as Katie, but is easily inspirited by Yo-kai whose Inspiriting brings benefit to people.
CV: Chie Sato
Barnaby "Bear" Bernstein (熊島（くましま） 五郎太（ごろうた）)
	Nate's classmate. He has a strong physique, likes yakitori, has a bold personality, is powerful, but is prone to crying.
CV: Toru Nara / Tadashi Miyazawa (Episode 6)
Hailey Anne Thomas (未空（みそら） イナホ)
	She debuted as the second heroine in Episode 77. She studies in Class 1, Grade 5, of Springdale Elementary School in Springdale. She likes anime and manga, and her favorite show is Sailor Cuties, she also likes science fiction, space and aliens. Now, she and Usapyon set up a Yo-kai detective agency.
CV: Aoi Yuuki

Yo-kai

Whisper (ウィスパー)
	One of the protagonists in the game. A ghost-like butler Yo-kai. He actually doesn't know anything about Yo-kai. He often has to look at the "Yo-kaipedia" in the Yo-kai pad to find out about his opponent. He has a lot of respect for Classic Yo-kai.
CV: Tomokazu Seki
Jibanyan (ジバニャン)
	One of the main Yo-kai in the game. He is a jibakurei who resembles a cat. He is a Yo-kai from the Charming tribe. He said that he lost part of his memory and became a Yo-kai because he was run over by a car while trying to save his owner. He is recognized by the apron worn in the upper part of his body. He likes eating chocolate bars and his favorite idol group is "Next HarMEOWny". Jibanyan is the only Yo-kai with the most variants.
CV: Etsuko Sakura
Komasan (コマさん)
	A Yo-kai of the Charming tribe, he is based on a komainu. He likes to eat ice cream, and is characterized by the two blue flames on his head. His catchphrase is "Oh my swirls!". He cares about his brother Komajiro and his mother very much. He used to live on the countryside and didn't know much about the city, unlike Komajiro.
CV: Aya Endou
Komajiro (コマじろう)
	A Yo-kai of the Charming tribe based on a komainu. His evolved form is Komiger. He also likes to eat ice cream and is known for the two brown flames on his head. He likes and admires his brother very much. He doesn't know much about the countryside and the people there, but his brother Komasan understands it better than him.
CV: Aya Endou
Usapyon (USAピョン)
	A Yo-kai based on a ferret. A Merican Yo-kai of the Shady tribe, he dreams of becoming a rabbit. Possessing a laser gun, he looks like an astronaut, with a space suit. His favorite snacks are donuts and pudding. Like Whisper, he doesn't know much about Yo-kai.
CV: Kotori Shigemoto

Related music

Opening themes

• "Gera Gera Po no Uta" (ゲラゲラポーの歌) (Episode 1-36, 51)

Lyrics: Motsu, Composer, Arranger: Tomoki Kikuya, Singer: King Cream Soda

Ending themes

• "Yo-kai Exercise No.1" (ようかい体操第一) (Episode 1-24)

Lyrics: Lucky Ikeda, Takashi Takagi, Composer: Tomoki Kikuya, Arranger: Hirofumi Hibino, Singer: Dream5

• "Don-Don-Dooby-Zoo-Bah!" (ダン・ダン・ドゥビ・ズバー！) (Episode 25-50)

Lyrics: Motsu, Takashi Takagi, Composer: Tomoki Kikuya, Arranger: Tomoki Kikuya, Singer: Dream5, Sergeant Burly (motsu)

• "Space Dance!" (宇宙ダンス!) (Episode 77-101)

Lyrics: Takashi Takagi, Composer: Tomoki Kikuya, Singer: Cotori With Stitchbird

Yo-kai Watch!
Original Name	妖怪ウォッチ!
Translation Name
Created by	OLM
Region	Japan
Episodes	36
Studio	TV Tokyo, Dentsu
Directed by	Ryosuke Izumiyasu, Fumiya Hojo
Series composition	Yoiichi Kato
Written by	Yoiichi Kato, Keiichiro Ochi, Takamitsu Kono, Natsuko Takahashi, Yuka Yamada
Character design	Takuzo Nagano, Miho Tanaka
Music by	Kenichiro Saigo
Licensed by	AniMax Asia
State	Finished

Plot

Keita Amano, an ordinary fifth-grade elementary school student in Sakuragaoka, is also living an ordinary day today. He seems to have experienced extraordinary things in his memory. It would be great if he could experience it again today, right? As he thought this, something extraordinary seemed to have happened. The vague shadow was shaking in front of him. Was it an illusion?

It wasn't until he was hit by something while crossing the road that Keita remembered that he had known many Yo-kai and wore a Yo-kai Watch to uncover the supernatural events in his life. However, the Yo-kai Watch was recently upgraded to an elder version. He was possessed by Wazzat and completely forgot about the Yo-kai. But fortunately, he remembered it all, and he moved to the house next to the girl Fumika who was close to him. Everything started to become unusual and unpredictable again. Today is also a day to use the Yo-kai Watch to discover new Yo-kai! Wait, who is that white Yo-kai? It doesn't seem to have any sense of existence?

Characters

Main article: #Characters

External links

• Anime official website (Japanese)