The Translation of the term Youkai in Inu-Yasha

[Neosevangel]

I brought this up in another forum but I've decided to bring it up again in a forum of its very own.


I'm just about positive now the term youkai does not mean demon. I've studied Japanese mythology and have discovered that the closest thing in Japanese mythology to a demon was an "oni". (Which ironically in Inu-Yasha was translated as ogre. But those two are interchangeable but Youkai I don't think is.) A person in the last forum said the literal translation of the word (which is bewitching apparration(spelling?) doesnt' as much matter as what the word means and he/she said it was demon. Well one website (actually two can't remeber them though shoot!) said youkai basically meant magical monsters" (like fairies and goblins in western mythology) and that demon was not a good translation. In light of this new revelation I'm upset with the American versions. They made In-Yasha darker than it really is.

Anyway please I want to hear your responses to see what you think and does anyone at all agree with me?



Friendship at its finest!

[Debitt]

Youkai can be used in many contexts, though the most common from what I've seen is demon, it can also be used to refer to a ghost or a spirit or an apparition. The 2nd kanji in "youkai" is the same as in "kaitou", which, if you're familiar with DNAngel, translates to something along the lines of phantom thief.

And you have to remember - the term "demon" when used in Japan is something completely different from the biblical demon. Japanese demons are usually spirits - the closest example I can think of from western lore is the dryad, or the tree spirit (you're probably familiar with these if you've read C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia). The Japanese "demon" can either be good or evil, and there are plenty of either. I think the Inu-Yasha translation isn't "bad" persay, once you put it into perspective. It's hard to get an exact translation of a word from Japanese to English, and the cultures are VERY different.

[Bokushi_Ash]

Yeah, like Kokuro said, our demons and their demons are different. She(the artist) could have very well made him a demon, and he still could have been a good guy, but no youkai doesn't translate into demon in my dictionary either. My dictionary says something like phantom, ghost.

[Neosevangel]

But is it okay to watch Inu-Yasha in the perspective that I described?

[Debitt]

Well if you feel comfortable with not equating a "demon" from the Japanese perspective with the demons from the Bible, then I see nothing wrong with watching Inu-Yasha. Of course my convictions may be entirely different from yours, so in the end it's really between you and God.

[Heart of Sword]

Yes, Youkai does mean "magical monsters".

However, in Japan, a demon is one of those "magical monsters", so it could be translated either way, I guess.

In Japan, demons are the same thing that dragons are here in America. Demons are like monsters to them, they don't mean the biblical demons, kind of like most of America does not see the dragons in fairy tales as the dragon Satan.

I like Inu-Yasha, it's a funny manga/anime and has a good story, but it's up to you whether you'll watch it or not.


(Also, Inu-Yasha is only half demon. One could keep that in mind too.)

[Kisa]

No matter the term for it if you feel comfortable watching it and/ or just look at it as fantasy and not real then its ok.... LOTR has alot of goblin wizards and stuff, its all just fantasy.

[termyt]

Because of "demon's" negative connotation in the west, perhaps "sprite" would have been a better term, yet "sprite" doesn't exactly invoke a fearsome image. I've also seen it translated as "monster," but I think demon invokes the best image, if you can get past the western interpretation.

[Fireproof]

The translation issue is a bit of a sticky one. One time, I was telling someone about a chapter or Yu Yu Hakusho, and she was surprised about how many demons were mentioned. Then I explained that "demon" has a completely different meaning in Japanese stories. It's basically describing some mythical being, good or evil.
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^0^
Inu-Yahsa is on tonight! Can't wait 'til 11:30. (Central timezone don'cha know.)

[Neosevangel]

Okay let me clarify what I'm trying to say. What I'm actually saying is that they shoudn't call every magical creature in Inu-Yasha a demon. Only appropriate ones like Royakan or the oni etc. I'm not implying that every Youkai's not a demon. Just a lot of them aren't. Sorry for so much confusion! (or aleast I think I caused confusion)

[Debitt]

I believe they opted to call most of the characters demons because "magical creature" or "spirit" sounds awkward, as many characters in Inu-Yasha are both tangible and do not practice magic. Youkai is best equated to (and in my personal opinion, best translated to) a spirit or a demon. Oni is more specifically equated to a creature like an ogre, that is more grotesque, bruteline, and frightening. Yasha is another term for a demon (a female demon in particular, which is why Inu-Yasha's name puzzles me).

I am not very well versed in the hierarchy or classification of creatures in Japanese mythology, though my relatives who are tend to use the term demon in the same manner as Inu-Yasha does. I'm curious, what creatures in Inu-Yasha are "appropriate demons" and which aren't? I remind you that the Japanese ideal of a demon is much different than the Judeo-Christian demon, and therefore the definition of a "proper demon" by Japanese terms may be much different than yours.