Aka Manto

Kanji: 赤マント
Kana: あかまんと
Pronunciation: Aka Manto (Ah-kah Mahn-toh)

TRANSLATION: Red Cloak / Red Cape
ALTERNATE NAMES: Aoi Manto (青マント, Blue Cloak); Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami (赤い紙青い紙, Red Paper, Blue Paper); Red Cape; Red Vest
ORIGIN: Showa period (1930s); urban legend / schoolyard rumor

HABITAT: Public bathrooms and school toilets; usually the last or fourth stall
DIET: None (some accounts: blood, fear)

ABILITIES:

• Appears inside locked or empty bathroom stalls
• Takes any toilet paper the victim brings into the stall
• Asks the trick question "Red paper or blue paper?"
• Matches the chosen color to the death method
• Takes victims into the underworld for off-list answers
• Moves between stalls without being seen

WEAKNESSES:

• Saying "I don't need paper" to both options
• Not answering the voice at all
• Leaving the stall before answering

OVERVIEW: Aka Manto is a famous Showa-era urban legend about a malicious masked spirit who appears in school and public toilets. The spirit asks every victim the same trick question — "Red paper or blue paper?" — and punishes both answers with a matching death.

APPEARANCE: Aka Manto appears as a tall man in a long flowing red cloak and a white mask. The mask covers his face, though some stories say Aka Manto is handsome and charming underneath. Other accounts give the spirit a sickly bluish-white face and no visible feet. In the 1930s when this legend appeared, "manto" referred to a short sleeveless kimono jacket, so older readers see him in a red vest rather than a full cloak. The single red garment is always the focal feature.

BEHAVIOR: Aka Manto appears late at night when a lone student comes to an older, seldom-used bathroom. The spirit asks "Do you want red paper or blue paper?" from the next stall. If the victim picks red, Aka Manto attacks until the clothes look like a red cloak. If the victim picks blue, the spirit attacks and takes the blood until the face turns blue.

INTERACTIONS: Aka Manto targets vulnerable people in isolated bathrooms, especially female restrooms in elementary and middle schools. The danger is extreme — every chosen color results in death. Off-list answers such as "yellow" cause him to hold the victim's head in the toilet water, and other colors result in being taken into the underworld. The only escape is to say no to both options or to leave without answering.

OTHER FORMS: Aoi Manto is the blue-cloak variant of the same spirit, and Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami is the question-only name. Regional versions include red vest, red cape, red hand, and red tongue, each with a matching color choice. A separate hairy yokai called the kainade sometimes appears in his place; instead of attacking, a hairy arm of the chosen color comes up from the toilet. The core mechanic — a forced color choice with no safe answer — remains the same across every form.