Aka Manto
Encyclopedia
Aka Manto is a Japanese urban legend
about a malicious spirit who haunts public and school toilets, who will ask you if you want red paper or blue paper. In some version he will ask you if you want a red or blue cape. Often described as a beautiful man in life and hounded constantly by admirers, he now wears a mask to hide his face.
Sometimes the voice will ask you if you want a cape rather than paper. If you agree to red, the skin on your back is ripped off to resemble a red cape. If you ask for blue, all the blood is drained from your body.
One popular version of the story changes the choice from red paper to a red vest:
A police man and woman were called to a school after a student reported hearing a male voice in the girl's bathroom. The police woman went to the bathroom while her male partner waited outside. When inside the stall a voice asked “Shall we put on the red vest?” The police man outside, who was listening at the door, heard his partner answer “Yes”. A sudden scream and loud thud followed. When the policeman opened the bathroom door, he found the police woman decapitated. Her blood had soaked into her vest, turning it red.
Another version of the story says that if you ask for yellow paper, you have your head forced into the toilet you've just used.
Japanese urban legends
Japanese urban legends are enduring modern folktales of paranormal creatures and their attacks on innocent victims. They rarely include the fantastical or animistic yokai of earlier Japanese superstition, and are mostly based on onryo, Japanese ghosts who have become vengeful spirits and take...
about a malicious spirit who haunts public and school toilets, who will ask you if you want red paper or blue paper. In some version he will ask you if you want a red or blue cape. Often described as a beautiful man in life and hounded constantly by admirers, he now wears a mask to hide his face.
The Legend
If you're sitting on the toilet (usually the last stall), a mysterious voice will ask you if you want red paper or blue paper. If you answer red paper, you will be sliced apart till your clothes are stained red. If you choose blue paper, you will be strangled till your face turns blue. Any attempt to trick Aka Manto by asking for a different colour will result in you being dragged to the netherworld. The only correct answer to say is 'No paper'.Alternative versions
Aka Manto is sometimes referred to as Aoi Manto (Blue Cape).Sometimes the voice will ask you if you want a cape rather than paper. If you agree to red, the skin on your back is ripped off to resemble a red cape. If you ask for blue, all the blood is drained from your body.
One popular version of the story changes the choice from red paper to a red vest:
A police man and woman were called to a school after a student reported hearing a male voice in the girl's bathroom. The police woman went to the bathroom while her male partner waited outside. When inside the stall a voice asked “Shall we put on the red vest?” The police man outside, who was listening at the door, heard his partner answer “Yes”. A sudden scream and loud thud followed. When the policeman opened the bathroom door, he found the police woman decapitated. Her blood had soaked into her vest, turning it red.
Another version of the story says that if you ask for yellow paper, you have your head forced into the toilet you've just used.
In fiction
- The Aka Manto appears in an episode of the Ghost StoriesGhost Stories (anime), also known as Ghosts at School, is a 19-episode anime series created in 2000 by animation studio Pierrot and Aniplex for Fuji Television, based on a book series by Toru Tsunemitsu....
and Ghost HuntGhost Hunt, originally titled , is a light novel series written by Fuyumi Ono. It follows the adventures of the Shibuya Psychic Research Center as they investigate mysterious occurrences all over Japan with a team of other spiritualists and clever assistants. Although the last novel was published in 1994,... - Appears in the children's version of Shin Megami Tensei video game series.