Oni
Oni are horned, tusked ogres with iron clubs, embodiments of misfortune and fierce strength. Once human or born as demons, they punish the wicked, guard hell, or terrorize villages until driven off with beans and drums.
Story beats
- 1) Oni roam mountains or serve in Jigoku (hell), wielding spiked kanabo clubs.
- 2) Some stories make oni fallen humans twisted by cruelty or resentful spirits given bodies.
- 3) In Setsubun festival, people throw roasted soybeans while shouting "Oni out! Fortune in!" to ward them away.
- 4) Heroic oni (like Shuten-dōji) may be slain by disguised warriors, while repentant oni become guardians of temples.
Context & symbolism
Oni embody externalized wrongdoing and karmic retribution. Bean-throwing rituals give communities agency against unseen ills, while stories of reformed oni emphasize change through discipline.
Visually striking—red or blue skin, tiger-skin loincloths—they also map to directional wards, protecting gates they are bound to.
Motifs
- Horns, fangs, and iron clubs
- Bean-throwing exorcism
- Bridge or gate guardianship
- Former humans turned demon through vice
Use it in play
- Setsubun defense: hold a shrine while oni assault; bean caches act as ammunition.
- Redeem an oni guard by undoing the vow that binds it to a corrupt master.
- Storm an oni fortress disguised as monks bearing sake, echoing Shuten-dōji’s tale.
- Seek an oni’s strength as ally—earn it by surviving three blows of its kanabo.