Kappa

Codename

KAPPA-254027

Type

Water Spirit

Region

Japan

Location

Rivers, ponds and canals across Japan

First sighting

Edo period (river-spirit tales date back to the 8th century)

Alias

Kawataro, Gataro, Kawako, Suiko

Known associates

—

Investigator case notes

The Kappa is a mischievous water creature from Japanese folklore, said to lurk in rivers, ponds and village canals. Agents describe it as about the size of a child, with green scaly skin, webbed hands, a beak-like mouth and a turtle shell on its back. Its strangest feature is a small dish on top of its head that holds water: if the water spills, the Kappa loses its strength. Old stories say it loves cucumbers, challenges people to sumo wrestling and plays tricks on anyone who swims too far from shore. Agency tip: Kappa are famously polite, so if you meet one, bow deeply and it will bow back, spill its water and have to let you go.