Noppera-bō are Japanese creatures who appear frequently in Japanese folklore and media, even influencing popular titles such as Silent Hill and possibly related to the Mujina Sightings in 1959.
Relation to Slender Man[]
They are faceless beings who often frighten others by making their faces dissapear. While they are not usually reported to attack people, they tend to target those who trespass on spiritual grounds, and frequently work together.
Typical Noppera-bō Tale[]
A typical Noppera-bō story goes as follows:
- A man is wandering and goes somewhere he shouldn't.
- He sees someone crying, and asks what is wrong
- The girl turns her face to reveal she has no face.
- The man runs away screaming, and someone asks him what is wrong.
- He tells the person about the "No-Faced creature"
- The person listening says, "No face? You mean like this?" and their face dissapears.
- The man screams some more and this continues to happen over and over for quite a while.
- Everyone except the man is a Noppera-bō
Variations usually include the man trespassing on burial sites, or otherwise doing something he was not supposed to be doing. The wife who told him not to do it will sometimes be revealed to be the Noppera-bō.
Sightings[]
Interestingly, there are still sightings of these creatures today, notably the Mujina Sightings in 1959 are believed to have actually been a Noppera-bō.
Other Yokai[]
A similar Japanese yōkai is the ashinaga-tenaga, a spirit with extremely long arms and legs. Another, more obscure, yōkai, known as the Mikoshi-nyudo, also bears a striking resemblance to Slenderman, having a tall and malleable body and killing humans in wooded areas.
