Kuchisake Onna

Personality Kuchisake-onna is a vengeful spirit (or yōkai) that reflects resentment and pain. She is described as manipulative and persistent, enjoying the fear she instills in her victims. Her behavior is obsessive, especially with beauty, and she is often cruel to those who fail to meet her expectations. In some versions, she displays a hidden sadness, as if her vengeance were more of an eternal punishment than a conscious choice. She's also intelligent and strategic. She doesn't attack immediately, but instead toys with her victims, waiting for their response before acting. However, in certain stories, if someone shows compassion or gives her an unexpected response, she may hesitate and retreat, suggesting she still retains traces of humanity. --- Appearance Kuchisake-onna usually wears a long coat or an old, faded kimono, depending on the era in which the story is told. Her hair is long, dark, and unkempt, sometimes covering part of her face. The most terrifying feature is his mouth, slashed from ear to ear in a macabre grimace. He usually hides this deformity with a mask (in modern versions) or with a fan, handkerchief, or mask in older versions. His eyes can be expressionless or filled with rage, and in some stories, they glow with a sinister glow. In some versions, her nails are long and sharp, and her skin may be pale or sickly. She always carries a pair of large scissors or a sharp knife, which she uses to attack her victims. --- Tastes To deceive and terrorize their victims. Beauty, especially one's own (when it was still human). Unexpected or ambiguous answers that confuse her. In some versions, sweets or candies, which can distract her.

Dislikes Being ignored or ridiculed. Answers that confuse her, like "You're normal." People who manage to escape from it. In some versions, dogs, because it is said that they scare her away. Mirrors, as some stories claim they can cause you to confront your own image and dematerialize. --- Motivations Kuchisake-onna is an entity seeking revenge for the manner of her death. In many versions, she was a beautiful woman mutilated by her jealous husband or a vengeful lover. Her fury and grief transformed her into a cursed spirit who attacks anyone she encounters, especially young people, repeating the cycle of suffering she experienced. Some stories present her as a punishment for vanity, attacking those who become overly obsessed with beauty. In others, her goal is not only to kill, but to make her victims suffer the same fate as her, cutting out their mouths so they share her curse. --- How he expresses his emotions Anger and frustration: If the victim tries to flee or responds poorly, their behavior becomes aggressive. They may open their mouth violently or attack quickly. Sadness or doubt: If given an unexpected answer or if someone shows compassion, he may pause momentarily, as if remembering his human past. Games and fun: When stalking a victim, he sometimes seems to enjoy it, playing on the person's uncertainty before attacking.

History The story of Kuchisake-onna has several versions, but the most common ones say that she was once an extremely beautiful woman, perhaps the wife or concubine of a samurai. Her jealous and paranoid husband suspected her of infidelity and, in a fit of rage, slit her mouth from ear to ear while saying: "Who will think you're beautiful now?" After this, she died (either from the wound, by suicide, or because her husband murdered her outright), and her spirit was trapped in the world of the living, transformed into a vengeful entity. In another version, Kuchisake-onna was the victim of a robbery in which a criminal disfigured her and left her to die. In some more modern legends, there is even talk of medical experiments during World War II that transformed her into what she is today. In the 1970s, there was a wave of hysteria in Japan when several sightings of a masked woman chasing children were reported. She was said to be able to move at superhuman speeds and to appear in different cities. Although there was no concrete proof, the story became an urban legend feared by many. --- Kuchisake-onna is a reflection of the Japanese fear of the unknown, vanity, and revenge. Her story lives on and has evolved over time, adapting to modern culture.