A Ghost or Spirit (幽霊, Yūrei) is the soul or spirit of a deceased being that no longer has a physical body to "occupy" but is still present in the living world for varying reasons.
Able to alter their visibility and shape depending on how powerful they are, ghosts are reportedly able to display abilities that otherwise negate the laws of time and physics. They are most notably able to, depending on how strong they are, performing varying levels of telekinesis and take possession of other beings.
Reports of ghosts manifesting within human culture is widespread, dating back to pre-literate history. They are believed to tend towards occupying particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life.
General information[]
Ghost are the souls of the deceased, regardless of whether they were humans or Liminals during their lifetime. As Lala reveals in Chapter 38, at death only the body dies while the soul is immortal, so that theoretically every person could become a Ghost. However, ghosts that can still come into contact with the living seem to be rare in general.
After his death, Wladislaus Drakulya was able to appear as a ghost and take control of his daughter, but the exact method how Ghosts can arise is nor known. However, the case of Wladislaus implies that the soul of a deceased person must cling strongly enough to the world of the living if they believe that they still have something to do. They also seems to need a specific object with which they can hold a connection to the world of the living, like Wladislaus with his medaillion.
As "Heralds of Death", Dullahan and other psychopomps like Grim Reapers are able to bring the souls of the deceased out of the realm of mortals and into the beyond. To this end, they use their scythes to separate the connections between the Ghosts and the objects that they hold in the world of the living, as in the case of Wladislaus medaillon. For this reason, many Ghost fear them deeply. According to Lala, what Wladislaus did was wrong as the dead are not allowed to torment the living.
Physiological Attributes[]
- Electromagnetic Interference - All ghosts disrupt nearby electronics with their presence.
- Thermokinesis - Nearly all ghosts can lower or drop the surrounding temperature with their presence.
- Invisibility - Ghosts can remain invisible to the living, but they may appear as a blur or faint light. However, when they want, they can appear as they were in life though it takes a while to gain that level of strength. They appear in wispy, distorted, flickering forms.
- Telekinesis - They are able to move virtually anything with their minds if they have enough concentration on the objects. With practice, they can become stronger telekinetics, able to manipulate many simple objects at once. Very powerful ghosts are highly capable telekinetics, able to throw people like demons can.
- Intangibility - Without a body, these spirits are able to move without hindrance even if objects are in their way, as they can phase through them with ease. They are naturally intangible, as such they can phase through solid matter unfazed.
- Environment Manipulation - Most ghosts have shown to have the ability to manipulate the elements like wind, fire, electricity, water, and dropping temperature. Affinity to fire or water is usually because of the manner of a person's death and the ghost's origin. Manipulating electricity and dropping temperature are the two common signs that indicate a ghost's presence.
- Material Attachment - Ghosts could latch their essence to objects that have been very close to them in their life. Until these objects are destroyed, the ghost could continue to manifest itself and haunt. Other ghosts could relocate the objects, allowing them to move around and away from their original haunting location.
- Possession - A ghost can enter and take possession of the bodies of living beings.
- Mental Influence - Angry, vengeful ghosts or spirits can sometimes manipulate peoples minds and drive them crazy and can then manipulate the people they drove crazy to do their will.
- EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) - A ghost ability, where they can communicate through electronic devices, cassette records, cell phones etc.
- Shapeshifting - Some ghosts have displayed the ability to alter their form, shifting between what they looked like when they were alive, and a more disturbing and decayed version of themselves.
- Flight - Ghosts are able to hover above the ground.
- Spiritual Ward Vulnerability: Ghosts are reportedly vulnerable to spirit wards, magical spells, incantations, pure minerals such as iron and salt, and certain items/weapons that are built specifically to interact with spirits (such as Lala's scythe).
- Energy Absorption: As they can not derive energy from nutrient intact, ghosts gain energy from absorbing the thermonuclear or electrical energies around them (due to this, they disrupt nearby electronics with their presence). This often results in "Cold Spots" forming as the ghost absorbs the heat in the area for energy. In addition to thermonuclear and electrical energies, ghosts can also absorb "life energy" or "vitality" from living beings to sustain themselves. Depending on how much energy the ghost absorbs the process can often leave the living being tired and physically weakened.
Subspecies[]
Jack-O-Lantern[]
Jack-O-Lanterns are said to be mischievous spirits or otherwise supernatural beings who travel the realm of twilight between the living and dead.
Stemming from Irish folklore, they are known for having carved out vegetable lanterns (like turnips or pumpkins) in their possession, which they use to light their way through the twilight. They also use these lanterns in attempts to lead travelers astray. But they are commonly seen as carved pumpkins.
Will-O-Wisp[]
A Will-O-Wisp is a race of spirits that appear as flickering flames that often lure people to alternate destinations or traps. Found in swamps and marshes, they are attributed to being a hope or goal that leads one on but is impossible to reach (as the Will-O-Wisp keeps moving out of reach).
Vanishing Hitchhiker[]
- Main article: Vanishing Hitchhiker
The Vanishing Hitchhiker is an urban legend in which a person travelling by vehicle encounters a hitchhiker and offers them a ride to a destination. While appearing in all manner human, the hitchhiker subsequently vanishes without explanation during, immediately upon or after the conclusion of the trip; revealing themselves to have been a ghost.
Members[]
In the Manga[]
- Wladislaus Drakulya (Ghost)
In the Game[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The sexual attraction to ghosts and the phenomenon of sexual encounters between ghosts and humans is known as "Spectrophilia".
- Ghost Marriage is a term used to refer to a marriage where one or both individuals are already deceased.
- Since Ghosts are the souls of deceased beings, they cannot be considered as Liminals per se unless they were Liminals before their death. However, this may only apply to standard ghosts, since humans who become Jack-O-Lanterns or Will-O-Wisps upon death may be considered as Liminals because they then belong to a specific Ghost subspecies.
- While Ghosts and their subspecies are considered as normal Liminal species in Monster Musume: Online and participate in the Exchange Between Species Program, they seems to be very rare in the manga series as no other ghosts have appeared with the exception of Wladislaus, and many other characters don't even believe that Ghosts actually exists. According to Lala in Chapter 51, Ghosts have no right to commit violence against the living, which implies that the souls of the deceased are generally no longer allowed to interact with the living, and therefore they are probably more withdrawn and try to avoid contact.
- While both humans and Liminals can become Ghosts after death, it is not known whether this can also happen to animals.
- In Chapter 30, Kimihito sees his long-dead great-grandfather standing on the other side of the Sanzu River in one of his near-death experiences, which, if Kimihito didn't just imagine this apparition, may have been his ghost.