Yokai Bestiary 5E – a Monsters Compendium from Japan

August 13, 2025 Sergiusz Junczyc

Format: 8.5 x 11, 120 pp., PDF & Hardcover/Paperback

System: 5e compatible (homebrew)

Contents: 47 monsters + 11 “Greater” forms, all with full stat blocks, lore & adventure hooks

CR Spread: 1/8–20

LINK TO THE BOOK

If you’re searching for fresh monsters for your 5e table—not another owlbear—this book delivers. Yokai Bestiary 5e is a focused bestiary inspired by authentic Japanese folklore: 47 core creatures + 11 Greater variants, complete 5e stat blocks, rich lore, lair actions, regional effects, and instant plot hooks. It fits naturally into adventures, campaigns and sits comfortably among the best 5e books for GMs who want variety fast.

What’s inside?

Designed for both players and GMs, this collection expands your dnd monster book with spirits, demons, undead and beasts that feel new yet run smoothly at the table.

A lore page for every creature, rooted in time-tested legends and oral tradition—perfect for lore lovers and anyone building japanese or Japan-inspired arcs. These very tales laid the foundation for our monsters’ stories, revealing each creature’s essence, unique background, hidden mysteries, and the ancient wisdom of elders.
A matching 5e stat block—balanced, play-tested and labeled with side icons for monsters by CR.
Lair actions, regional effects and optional templates that plug straight into encounters.
Drop-in plot seeds, adventure hooks and GM tips to run tonight, not “someday”.
Optimized for parties of 1–3 PCs at levels 7–10, and easy to adapt across CR 1/8–20.

Want specific flavors? Add undead threats (ghosts, gashadokuro), cunning fey, or sea monsters for coastal games (umi-bōzu, funayūrei). Forest treks get new tension with mountain monsters like tengu or yamamba. Whether you need a quick 5e monster or a full monster list to stock a region, you’ll find ready-to-run options.

👹TENGU – CR 5 Skirmisher, Medium Fey (Yokai)

Skybound Adept: ignores rough mountain terrain, Dashes as a bonus action while flying.

Masterful Swordsmanship: katana strikes count as magical and tack on 2d6 extra damage once each turn.

Misty Displacement (recharge 5-6): gives attackers disadvantage and lets the tengu glide straight through hostile squares.

Sudden Gale: a 15-ft cone of wind that knocks PCs prone—a perfect opener before the tengu leaps back into the canopy.

In Japanese myth, a fiery “star” splits the night sky and lands with a thunderous roar. Monks call it a tengu—a winged spirit of the mountain. Some claim these creatures are the corrupted souls of arrogant priests; others whisper that the great daitengu train heroes before cursing them to tragic fates. Wherever the truth lies, villagers still leave offerings on lonely shrines to keep the birds of ill-omen at bay.

Book spread from the Yokai Bestiary dnd book featuring the dnd monster Kitsune, complete with a folklore legend and 5e stat block. This supplement is perfect for fans of dnd books, dnd 5e books, and those looking for new dnd monsters, d and d monsters, and dungeons and dragons monsters based on Japanese mythology for their campaigns. a4play.com

🦊KITSUNE – CR 5 Controller, Medium Fey (Shapechanger)

Shapechanger plus at-will disguise self: perfect for long-con infiltration adventures.

Flickering Reflection: clever players who think to use a mirror gain advantage to pierce the illusion.

Foxfire: choose fire or psychic damage on the fly to exploit vulnerabilities.

Beguiling Kiss (recharge 5-6): charms a target for one minute and leeches 1d10 psychic every round—subtle, terrifying, and wonderfully theatrical.

Kitsune are fox spirits whose magic—and number of tails—grows with age. They can be guardians, matchmakers, or vengeful foes. One tale tells of Abe no Yasuna, who rescued a white fox only to wed the very same spirit in human guise. Their son, Abe no Seimei, became Japan’s greatest onmyoji—a mage who could command demons and banish undead monsters.

Quick reference: Monsters by CR

0–3: Akaname, Jinmenju, Noppera-Bo, Karakasa, Bura-Bura, Boroboroton, Biwa Bokuboku, Seto Taisho;
4–8: Yuki-Onna, Yamamba, Futakuchi-Onna, Wanyudo;
9–13: Gashadokuro, Kappa Patriarch; 14–18+: Wanyudo - Hellfire Whee, Tengu Grandmaster.

Ready to add something strange and beautiful from Japan to your next session? Pick up the Yokai Bestiary today, drop a cool new encounter into your homebrew setting tomorrow, and watch your table realise that powerful 5E monsters don’t always come from the Abyss—sometimes they swoop down from a misty cedar forest with the cry of an angry Tengu. [Order Now!]

MONSTER LIST:

1. Umi-bōzu (海坊主) “Giant ocean spirit, appearing at night to terrify seafarers.”
2. Yuki-onna (雪女) “Ethereal female spirit emerging in snowstorms, freezing travelers with her icy breath.”
3. Tesso (鉄鼠) “Rat-like monk spirit clad in iron, born from obsessive rage against priests.”
4. Tōfu-kozō (豆腐小僧) “Childlike spirit carrying tofu on a tray, surprising nighttime travelers.”
5. Akaname (垢嘗) “A small monster that licks filth.”
6. Jinmenju (人面樹) “Tree bearing fruit with human-like faces that laugh and chatter.”
7. Noppera-bō (のっぺら坊) “Ghostly apparition with a smooth face, frightening victims at night.”
8. Yamamba (山姥) “Solitary mountain witch luring travelers, sometimes helpful but often dangerous.”
9. Kitsune (狐) “Intelligent, shape-shifting spirits, known for both benevolent and trickster behavior.”
10. Bura-bura (ぶらぶら) “Spirit of a paper lantern, floating around deserted houses, startling passersby.”
11. Te no me (手の目) “Spectral spirit with eyes on its palms, haunting graveyards and temples.”
12. Kappa (河童) “Amphibious creature with a water-filled head bowl, known for pranks and sumo challenges.”
13. Tanuki (狸) “Shape-shifting creatures with large bellies and magical leaf hats, known for playful mischief.”
14. Mokumokuren (目目連) “Haunted doors covered in blinking eyes, observing and unsettling onlookers.”
15. Tsukumogami (付喪神) “Household objects gaining sentience, mischievous or vengeful toward owners.”
16. Nue (鵺) “Beast with a monkey’s face, raccoon dog body, tiger limbs, and snake tail.”
17. Futakuchi-onna (二口女) “Witch with a ravenous second mouth hidden behind her head.”
18. Wanyūdō (輪入道) “Flaming wheel with a man’s face, patrolling roads and ferrying souls to Hell.”
19. Bakeneko (化け猫) “Supernatural spirit cat with shape-shifting abilities and malicious or protective powers.”
20. Ashiarai Yashiki (足洗邸) “Enormous dirty foot crashing through ceilings, demanding to be washed immediately.”
21. Enenra (煙々羅) “Living monster of swirling smoke, often formed from the souls of the virtuous.”
22. Obariyon (おばりよん) “Childlike spirit clinging to a victim’s back”
23. Funayūrei (船幽霊) “Ghostly spirits of drowned sailors, sometimes sinking boats by scooping water aboard.”
24. Hashihime (橋姫) “Jealous female spirit haunting bridges, terrifying passers with vengeful rage.”
25. Nurikabe (塗り壁) “Invisible spirit blocking travelers, causing confusion and unexpected detours.”
26. Amemasu (アメマス) “Legendary creature, resembling a giant trout, sometimes causing floods and disasters.”
27. Nuppeppō (ぬっぺっぽう) “A gelatinous humanoid composed of lumps of flesh, lacking any visible facial features. It emits a terrible stench, making it extremely unpleasant to be around.”
28. Oni (鬼) and Namahage (生剥) “Fierce demons scaring villagers, enforcing good behavior through intimidation and punishment.”
29. Tearai-oni (手洗い鬼) “A giant demon hand that suddenly appears in a bathroom or restroom.”
30. Karakasa (唐傘) “Tsukumogami of an old umbrella with one eye, hopping around on a single leg.”
31. Konaki-jiji (子泣き爺) “Infant-like spirit transforming into an old man, immobilizing unsuspecting victims.”
32. Boroboroton (ボロボロとん) “Haunted futon that strangles sleepers, driven by neglectful owners.”
33. Aka-kuchira (赤鯨) “A blood-red whale spirit terrorizing the seas.”
34. Kosode-no-te (小袖の手 / Kimono Sleeve Hand) “Disembodied spirit hand emerging from kimono.”
35. Biwa-bokuboku (琵琶牧々) “Haunted biwa (lute) spirit wandering at night, playing eerie melodies.”
36. Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛) “Massive ground-dwelling monster, spinning elaborate webs to ensnare victims.”
37. Gashadokuro (餓者髑髏) "Giant Skeleton formed from countless starved corpses, towering over towns at night.”
38. Zashiki-warashi (座敷童子) “Childlike household spirit bringing good fortune, mischievously playing pranks.”
39. Onibaba (鬼婆) “Old woman demon preying on travelers, infamous for cannibalistic tendencies.”
40. Dorotabō (泥田坊) “Spectral ghost emerging from swampy fields, lamenting over neglected farmland.”
41. Nure-onna (濡女) “Serpent-bodied spirit by the shore, entrapping victims with a crying child.”
42. Seto Taishō (瀬戸大将) “Malevolent spirit of a warrior doll from the Seto region, capable of stirring wars.”
43. Tengu (天狗) “Avian spirits with long noses, skilled in martial arts.”
44. Hitotsume-kozō (一つ目小僧) “One-eyed childlike spirit scaring passers, often more mischievous than harmful.”
45. Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) “Vengeful spirit asking about her beauty, revealing a grotesque slit mouth.”
46. Azuki-arai (小豆洗い) “Mysterious spirit washing azuki beans near rivers, frightening with eerie sounds.”
47. Nobiagari (のびあがり) “Phantom ghost that grows taller when approached.”
48. Rokurokubi (ろくろ首) “Female spirit whose neck elongates at night, haunting unsuspecting people.”