Japanese Art of Extraordinary Beings

Demons, sorcerers, ninjas…explaining the origins of Japan’s dark heroes from the perspective of Japanese art.

In many “dark fantasy” manga and anime, which are hugely popular today, characters use extraordinary abilities to carve out their destiny.

In Japanese art, too, characters who can be seen as prototypes of those manga and anime characters with extraordinary abilities, such as sorcerers or samurai who control magical beasts, have often been depicted. The…