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Description
Yo-kai Watch
(Yōkai Wotchi)GenreAction, Comedy, SupernaturalMangaWritten byNoriyuki KonishiPublished byShogakukanEnglish publisherDemographicShōnenMagazineCoroCoro ComicOriginal runJanuary 2013 – presentVolumes14Anime television seriesDirected byShinji UshiroProduced byYoshikazu Kuretani (TV Tokyo), Kiyofumi KajiwaraWritten byYoichi KatoMusic byKenichiro SaigoStudioOLM, DentsuLicensed by
Pucchigumi (2014)[5]Original runFebruary 2014 – presentVolumes3Manga4-Panel Yo-kai Watch: Geragera Manga TheaterWritten byCoconas RumbaPublished byShogakukanDemographicShōnenMagazineCoroCoro Comic SPECIALOriginal runOctober 2014 – presentVolumes1MangaYo-kai Watch: 4-Panel Pun-ClubWritten bySanta HarukazePublished byShogakukanDemographicShōnenMagazineCoroCoro Ichiban!Original runApril 2015 – presentVolumes2MangaKomasan 〜A Time for Fireworks and Miracles〜Written byShō ShibamotoPublished byShogakukanDemographicShōnen, SeinenMagazineHiBaNaOriginal runApril 10, 2015 – September 10, 2015Volumes1MangaYo-kai Watch BustersWritten byAtsushi OhbaPublished byShogakukanDemographicShōnenMagazineCoroCoro ComicOriginal runJune 2015 – October 2015Volumes1Video games
- Yo-kai Watch (2013)
- Yo-kai Watch 2 (2014)
- Yo-kai Watch Busters (2015)
- Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version (2015)
- Yo-kai Sangokushi (2016)
- Yo-kai Watch 3 (2016)
- Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 (2017)
- Yo-kai Watch: The Movie (2014)
- Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan! (2015)
- Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daibōken da Nyan! (2016)
- Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu (2017)
Yo-kai Watch (妖怪ウォッチ Yōkai Wotchi)[a] is a mixed-media franchise of role-playing video games and toys, created and developed by Level-5 and Hasbro. The first game in the series was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.[6] Several games in the series have been released, including two more main series games, Yo-kai Watch 2 and Yo-kai Watch 3, along with several spinoffs on both the 3DS and mobile devices.
Six manga adaptations have also been produced; one, a shōnen manga series that began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic from December 2012, became an award winner. An anime television series produced by OLM, Inc. began airing in Japan from January 2014 and was a ratings success, boosting the franchise in popularity,[7] and began airing in North America from October 2015.[8][9] An animated film was released in December 2014; with two more films being produced.
It had a brief period of huge popularity in Japan, being compared there to the Pokémon franchise.[10][11][12] Despite its disastrous United States launch, it has garnered a cult following in North America.
Concept[edit]
The franchise was first thought up as a "Doraemon" IP, something that could be long lasting over a long period of time. Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, researched extensively what makes a franchise long lasting and came up with Yo-Kai Watch.[13]
Yo-kai Watch revolves around befriending Yo-kai that are haunting the city. They are based on traditional Japanese yōkai, but often with clever twists. If one befriends a Yo-kai, they get their friendship medal, an object that allows one to summon Yo-kai. With these, they can summon Yo-kai to either fight other Yo-kai, befriend others, or solve everyday tasks.[14]
The basic plot for most of the media is that the main character (Either Nate (Keita) or Katie (Fumi)) obtains a Yo-kai Watch through Whisper, a butler Yo-kai. They then befriend Jibanyan, a cat Yo-kai who haunts an intersection because he thinks Amy (Emi "Emi-chan") called him lame for dying.
Media[edit]
Video Games[edit]
The main video game series is a role-playing video game where the player (Nate or Katie) befriends Yo-Kai and fights bad ones. Emphasis is placed on fighting the Yo-kai. All of the main series games have the same battle style; using the 3DS's touchscreen during battles to rotate amongst the player's Yo-kai at will. All of the Yo-Kai have special abilities called Soultimate moves that can be used an extra powerful attack.[15]
Yo-Kai Watch[edit]
The first game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch was announced in 2011 at the Tokyo Game Show[16][17] and first released in Japan on July 11, 2013.[18] It sets the foundation for the rest of the video game franchise, introducing all of the main mechanics.
Yo-kai Watch 2[edit]
The second main game in the series, split into two versions, Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits (Ganso (元祖) and Honke (本家 in Japan, both can be translated as "original") was released on July 10, 2014[19][20] Yo-kai Watch 2 expands the areas to be explored with nearly 100 new Yo-kai in the present day of the Kemamoto region and the past, where the player time travels to meets traditional Yo-kai and sees their grandfather, who made the predecessor to the Yo-kai Watch. There was also a third version (Shinuchi (真打 Shin'uchi, "Headliner") released in Japan, featuring characters and scenarios not initially included in Ganso and Honke.[21][22] It was released in the west on September 29, 2017 as Psychic Specters[23]
Yo-kai Watch 3[edit]
Yo-kai Watch 3 Sushi And Tempura, released in July 2016,[24] features two main characters playable at the same time: Nate and Inaho. The first half of the game has Nate and his family moving to the United States to the fictional town of Saint Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Meriken" (メリケン) Yo-kai can be found. The other half of the game focuses on Inaho, and her partner Yo-kai Usapyon, who run a detective agency together.[25] A third version was eventually released in Japan on December 16, 2016[26]
Other Games[edit]
The Data Carddass game Yo-kai Watch: Tomodachi UkiUkipedia (妖怪ウォッチ ともだちウキウキペディア) was first location tested in late December 2013, and debuted at the Next Generation World Hobby Fair Winter 2014 before being released in early 2014. The game is played much like Bandai's other Data Carddass games, in which the player uses an interface resembling a slot machine to determine the events of a battle between 3 of the player's Yo-kai against 3 enemy Yo-kai, after the player sought them out on the game interface. Winning the game awards the player a card that can be used for future Tomodachi UkiUkipedia play.
A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Busters (妖怪ウォッチバスターズ Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu) was first announced in the April 2015 issue of CoroCoro Comic, allowing up to four players to cooperate in battling boss Yo-kai.[27] The first two versions of the game, Aka Neko-dan (赤猫団, "Red Cat Troupe") and Shiro Inu-tai (白犬隊, "White Dog Corps"), were released on July 11, 2015. Announced alongside Yo-kai Watch Busters was the upcoming third game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch 3 which features two main characters playable at the same time. Keita and his family have moved to the United States to the fictional town of Saint Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Meriken" (メリケン) Yo-kai can be found. The other half of the game focuses on Inaho Misora, introduced to the anime series in the Second Season, and her partner Yo-kai Usapyon.[28] Accompanying these games' releases were announcements of Yo-kai Sangokushi (妖怪三国志, lit. "Yo-kai Three Kingdoms") in collaboration with Koei Tecmo's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series as well as several mobile games.
In August, a collaboration with Ubisoft to release a special version of the Just Dance series was announced, set to feature songs from the anime's soundtrack,[29] was released on December 5, 2015. A free expansion for the two Yo-kai Watch Busters games called Getto-gumi (月兎組, "Moon Rabbit Team") was released on December 12, 2015, adding characters and settings featured in second anime feature film Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!.[30]
Spin-offs[edit]
- Yo-kai Watch Busters (Nintendo 3DS, 2015)
- Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version (Wii U, 2015) – Co-developed and published by Ubisoft as part of the Just Dance series
- Yo-kai Sangokushi (Nintendo 3DS, 2016)
- Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 (Nintendo 3DS, 2017)
Smartphone apps[edit]
- Yo-kai Land (iOS, Android, 2015)
- Yo-kai Taiso Dai-Ichi Puzzle da Nyan (ようかい体操第一 パズルだニャン Yōkai Taisō Dai-Ichi Pazuru da Nyan, lit. "Yo-kai Exercise No. 1: Puzzle Meow) (iOS, Android, 2013)
- Yo-kai Watch: PuniPuni (妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに Yōkai Wotchi Punipuni) (iOS, Android, 2015)
- Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble (iOS, Android, 2016)
- Yo-kai Daijiten (妖怪大辞典, lit. "Great Yo-kai Dictionary") (iOS, Android, 2017)
- Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm (妖怪ウォッチ ゲラポリズム Yōkai Wotchi Gerapo Rizumu) (iOS, Android, 2017)
Manga and Comics[edit]
Six manga adaptations based on the series have been published by Shogakukan. A shōnen manga series by Noriyuki Konishi began serialization in CoroCoro Comic from December 15, 2012. This series has been licensed by Viz Media under its Perfect Square imprint.[31] A shōjo manga series by Chikako Mori, titled Yo-kai Watch: Exciting Nyanderful Days (妖怪ウォッチ～わくわく☆にゃんだふるデイズ～ Yōkai Wotchi ~Wakuwaku Nyandafuru Deizu~), began serialization in Ciao magazine from December 27, 2013.[32] A yonkoma series by Coconas Rumba, titled 4-Panel Yo-kai Watch: Geragera Manga Theater (4コマ妖怪ウォッチ ゲラゲラマンガ劇場 Yonkoma Yōkai Wotchi Geragera Manga Gekijō), began serialization in CoroCoro Comic SPECIAL from October 2014. Another yonkoma series by Santa Harukaze, titled Yo-kai Watch 4-Panel Pun Club (妖怪ウォッチ 4コマだじゃれクラブ Yōkai Wotchi Yonkoma Dajare Kurabu), began serialization in CoroCoro Ichiban! from April 2015. A shōnen and seinen manga series by Shō Shibamoto, titled Komasan 〜A Time for Fireworks and Miracles〜(コマさん 〜ハナビとキセキの時間〜 Komasan 〜Hanabi to Kiseki no Jikan〜), began serialization in HiBaNa on April 10, 2015 and ended on September 10 of that year. A manga series based on Yo-kai Watch Busters by Atsushi Ohba began serialization in CoroCoro Comic in June 2015[33] and ended in October of that year. A new comic series was announced in January 2017, courtesy of IDW Publishing, and was released in May 2017.[34][35]
