Based on Edo-period sources, this depicts an old bear transformed into a yokai. It usually keeps to deep mountains and avoids human presence, but during famines or seasonal shifts it slips down to villages under cover of night to carry off livestock. Its upright gait can be mistaken for a human silhouette, and its tracks mingle human and bear prints. Tales of great strength tie it to local megalith lore, serving as an unspoken boundary marker for dangerous mountain zones. In slaying legends, communal coordination, selective use of hunting tools, and reverence for the mountain deity are emphasized, and the Oni-Bear is told as more than a mere beast—a symbol that brings calamity to those who break the laws of the mountain. Descriptions in early modern illustrated compilations heighten its uncanny nature while reflecting memories of real bear attacks, showing the intersection of folk environment and ghostly tale.
Character Profile
This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.
Yokai Type - Traditional Yokai
Category - Animal Shapeshifters
Rarity - Uncommon
Personality - taciturn, cunning, relentless
Compatibility - at odds with mountain hamlet livestock, keeps distance from guardians of mountain taboos
Abilities - brute strength (moving large boulders), silent movement while walking upright, excellent night vision and sense of smell, sprinting through the mountains while carrying livestock
Weaknesses - blocked den entrances drive it toward the exit, group hunts with spears and firearms, dislikes fire and loud noises
Habitat - the deep mountains of Kiso Valley in Shinano Province, caves and burrows on mountain slopes, animal trails during snowy seasons
🔮Yokai Compatibility Test
For more detailed information and diagnosis results about Tradition-faithful Oni-Bear, please click here.