Japanese mythology and folklore represent one of the world's richest supernatural traditions, with an enormous catalogue of yōkai (supernatural beings), yūrei (ghosts), and kami (gods/spirits). Supernatural draws on this tradition more selectively than it does European or Judeo-Christian sources, but the borrowings are notable.
Kitsune
The most significant Japanese creature in the show is the kitsune, the fox spirit. In Japanese tradition, kitsune are intelligent, long-lived, and powerful — they grow additional tails with age and wisdom, can create illusions, shapeshift, possess humans, and generate fox-fire. The show strips the kitsune down to a monster-of-the-week format, focusing on the predatory feeding aspect while losing much of the nuance of the Japanese original.
Shojo
The shōjō — a spirit from Japanese folklore associated with alcohol — appeared in Season 7. In traditional lore, the shōjō is a red-faced sea spirit that loves sake. Supernatural adapted this into an invisible, alcohol-linked spirit that could only be seen while intoxicated and killed with a samurai sword blessed with a specific Shinto blessing.
Broader Influence
Japanese horror cinema (J-horror) also influences Supernatural's ghost episodes. The show's treatment of vengeful female spirits — particularly those with long dark hair, tied to water, or connected to specific objects — owes as much to films like Ringu and Ju-On as to traditional Western ghost stories. The visual language of J-horror became part of Supernatural's DNA in its early seasons.
Creatures from this Tradition
- Kitsune - Fox-like creatures in human form that feed on the pituitary glands of human victims.