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Play the Monster.
Haunt Modern Japan.
Yōkai! is a tabletop roleplaying game where players embody Japanese spirits in modern Japan. Folklore defines what you can do, consequences define who you become, and the system stays lean so play feels fast, focused, and alive.
Meet the Yōkai
Meet the Yōkai
In Japanese folklore, yōkai are spirits, creatures, and supernatural beings that inhabit the margins of the human world. They appear in old shrines and maid cafés, late trains and everyday fears. Some are playful, some cruel, some tragic, many impossible to fully understand.
Yōkai! brings these beings into modern Japan while preserving what defines them. Their powers, limits, hungers, and taboos come straight from folklore and tradition, shaped into play without losing their bite. Players step into the role of a yōkai and move through a modern world, where humans might fear you, worship you, bargain with you, or try to get rid of you the old-fashioned way: charms, fists, demon hunters, or a bag of beans to the face.
Modern Japan, No Reskin
Modern Japan, No Reskin
This is not “fantasy but Tokyo.” Convenience stores, commuter trains, love hotels, backstreet temples, and corporate towers all matter. The setting reacts like a real place that hates being haunted.
Trusted Voices
Clean rules, smart gimmicks, and cultural work done right. Yōkai! is subarashii.
As a scholar of Japanese art and curator of yōkai-focused exhibitions, I was struck by the depth of research behind Yōkai!. It is a rare example of a game that combines cultural accuracy with genuine playability.
Ever saved the party by stuffing them into your own scrotum-bag of holding, chomped down two Oni and then barfed them out like a disgusting hairball? I have.
We brought Yōkai! to an art exhibition to see if it could meet the standards of a curated cultural project. It did more than that: the audience engagement and reactions showed we had created something special.
Rules That Stay Invisible
Rules That Stay Invisible
With ultra-simple mechanics at its core, Yōkai! is easy to learn and a joy to play. It welcomes newcomers, excites experienced players, and lets anyone explore Japan through folklore, pop culture, horror, or humor, all while enjoying the thrill of playing the monster for once.
Fear and Reverence Matter
Fear and Reverence Matter
Power comes from being seen. The more you terrify or inspire, the stronger you get. The city notices. Hunters notice. Every legend you build sharpens the knife pointed back at you.
A Visual Masterpiece
A Visual Masterpiece
Yōkai! comes to life through a collaboration with Japanese artist Yuta Kawakami. His illustrations capture the unsettling beauty and raw presence of yōkai with cultural depth and contemporary edge. What you see on this page is only a glimpse.
The artwork gives weight, texture, and atmosphere to every page, turning the book into a piece you return to even when you are not playing.
Tested, Played, Trusted
Tested, Played, Trusted
Yōkai! grew through real play, public testing, and serious cultural research. The authors worked closely with traditional sources and Japanese cultural authorities to treat folklore with respect, building a game that values authenticity as much as playability.