Yo-kai Watch (妖怪ウォッチ Yōkai Wotchi?, trademarked in Japan as Youkai Watch and Yokai Watch, lit. Spirit/Monsters Watch) is a series of role-playing video games and a mixed-media franchise, created and developed by Level-5. The original game was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in July 2013 and was released in North America by Nintendo in November 2015.
A sequel, Yo-kai Watch 2, was released in three versions; Ganso and Honke, which were released in Japan in July 2014, and Shinuchi, released on December 13, 2014. A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Busters, was released in July 2015. A third title, Yo-kai Watch 3, was released in July 2016.
Six manga adaptations have been produced; a shōnen manga series that began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic from December 2012, a shōjo manga series that began serialization in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine from December 2013, two shōnen yonkoma series that began serialization in CoroCoro Comic SPECIAL and CoroCoro Ichiban! from October 2014 and April 2014 respectively, a shōnen and seinen manga series that was serialized in HiBaNa from April to September 2015, and a shōnen manga series based on Yo-kai Watch Busters that was serialized in CoroCoro Comic from June to October 2015. An anime television series produced by OLM, Inc. began airing in Japan from January 2014 and began airing in North America from October 2015.
An animated film was released in December 2014, with a second film following in December 2015. A third film was released in December 2016. A fourth film was announced for release in 2017.
Plot[edit]
See also: List of Yo-kai Watch characters
One day while searching for bugs in the woods near the town of Springdale (Sakura New Town in Japan), a boy named Nate (Keita) comes across a peculiar capsule machine next to a sacred tree. When he opens one of the capsules up, it brings forth the Yo-kai Whisper who gives Nate a special device known as the Yo-kai Watch. Using this, Nate is able to identify and see various different Yo-kai that are haunting people and causing mischief. Joined by the cat Yo-kai Jibanyan, Nate and Whisper start befriending all sorts of Yo-kai which Nate can summon to battle against more ill-intentioned Yo-kai that happen to live in his town, causing terrible trouble. He also goes on adventures around the town with his Yo-kai partners to help his human friends Bear (Kuma), Eddie (Kanchi), and Katie (Fumi-chan; also the choice for the female player character in the video games) deal with their various problems often caused by other Yo-kai.
Later on, a new girl named Inaho moves into town, being in a different homeroom class from Nate. She receives her own Yo-kai Watch and meets the space Yo-kai USApyon, who wants her help in restoring the happiness of a scientist he accidentally upset. They then open up a detective agency to investigate many Yo-kai "crimes" plaguing the city.
In the video game Yo-kai Watch 3, Nate, Inaho and their befriended Yo-kai team up with Mac to stop a common threat.
Gameplay[edit]
Yo-kai Watch is a role-playing video game where the player searches around Springdale (Sakura New Town) for Yo-kai using the 3DS's touchscreen. Players befriend Yo-kai by giving them a food that they like before, beginning, and/or during battle, and after defeating the Yo-kai it approaches the player character and gives them its Yo-kai Medal, allowing it to be summoned at will. Yo-kai can also be acquired through an in game Crank-a-kai by collecting in-game coins or using Play Coins. Certain Yo-kai are necessary for completing the game's main quest, and special rare Yo-kai are acquired through various subquests. Yo-kai have the capability to evolve into more powerful versions of themselves if they reach a certain level, or they can evolve by combining with particular items or other Yo-kai. The Yo-kai are divided amongst eight different tribes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are also Legend Yo-kai that can only be obtained by collecting a particular set of Yo-kai listed in the Yo-kai Medallium, a compendium of the different Yo-kai the player has encountered or befriended, as well as Boss Yo-kai that cannot be befriended in the original game, but can become the player's friends in Ganso and Honke.
When the player encounters a Yo-kai, they enter into battle with it using six Yo-kai that the player has befriended previously. The touchscreen is used during battles to rotate amongst the player's Yo-kai in battle at will. It is also used either to clear up status effects on the player's Yo-kai or to charge up the Yo-kai's special abilities.
A common in-game event is "Oni Time" (Terror Time), where the player character enters a nightmare realm where they look for treasure chests with special items in them all while trying to avoid being seen by other Yo-kai. If spotted, the player is chased by the powerful Oni Yo-kai Gargaros (Red Oni in the Japanese version), who can easily wipe out the player's party unless they can escape. It is possible to defeat Gargaros, but only if the player's Yo-kai are particularly powerful.[10] The player can also encounter similarly powerful Namahage Yo-kai if the player crosses the street on a red light, but the encounter may be beneficial if the player follows the rules.
Players can also participate in several side quests for experience and bug-catching and fishing minigames to obtain special items.
Yo-kai Watch 2 expands the areas to be explored with nearly 100 new Yo-kai in the present day of the Kemamoto region and the past, where he meets traditional Yo-kai and the predecessor to the Yo-kai Watch.
Video games
The Yo-kai Watch video game was announced by Level-5 at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. It was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on July 11, 2013. As of February 2014, the game had sold over 500,000 retail copies. In January 2014, Level-5 filed for a trademark in the United States for "Yo-kai Watch" and released it to retail stores and the Nintendo eShop on November 6, 2015. Nintendo announced that they would be publishing the game in North America for a Holiday 2015 release.
The Data Carddass game Yo-kai Watch: Tomodachi UkiUkipedia (妖怪ウォッチ ともだちウキウキペディア) was first location tested in late December 2013, and debuted at the Next Generation World Hobby Fair Winter 2014 before being released in early 2014. The game is played much like Bandai's other Data Carddass games, in which the player uses an interface resembling a slot machine to determine the events of a battle between 3 of the player's Yo-kai against 3 enemy Yo-kai, after the player sought them out on the game interface. Winning the game awards the player a card that can be used for future Tomodachi UkiUkipedia play.
A sequel, Yo-kai Watch 2, was released in Japan on July 10, 2014 in two editions; Ganso (元祖) and Honke (本家, both can be translated as "original"). CoroCoro Comic began running a contest for readers to design a new form for the game's mascot Jibanyan that would appear in the new game as well as in the manga in CoroCoro. These were revealed to be Buchinyan, a fusion of Jibanyan and Whisper available in an update to the original game (as well as adding special Komasan and Tsuchinoko partners), and Fuyunyan, a heroic Yo-kai that is central to the plot of the games. Ganso and Honke will also feature Yo-kai that are unobtainable in the other version, including boss characters. Other new features include Z Medals, old Medals, train travel, bike racing, climbing poles, and a "spooky red box" that causes the player to fart or rewards a special item. In collaboration with Tomodachi UkiUkipedia, the arcade game will feature unique local Yo-kai representing eight regions of Japan, that can be used in Yo-kai Watch 2 by using a code found on the game's prize card. On December 13, 2014, a third edition of Yo-kai Watch 2 subtitled Shinuchi (真打 Shin'uchi, "Headliner") was released in Japan, featuring characters and scenarios not initially included in Ganso and Honke.As of November 2014, the Ganso and Honke editions had sold a combined 2,881,810 copies.The Ganso and Honke versions sold over three million copies in 2014, making it the best-selling video game in Japan in 2014.
A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Busters (妖怪ウォッチバスターズ Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu) was first announced in the April 2015 issue of CoroCoro Comic, allowing up to four players to cooperate in battling boss Yo-kai.[27] The first two versions of the game, Aka Neko-dan (赤猫団, "Red Cat Troupe") and Shiro Inu-tai (白犬隊, "White Dog Corps"), were released on July 11, 2015. Announced alongside Yo-kai Watch Busters was the upcoming third game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch 3 which features two main characters playable at the same time. Keita and his family have moved to the United States to the fictional town of Saint Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Meriken" (メリケン) Yo-kai can be found. The other half of the game focuses on Inaho Misora, introduced to the anime series in the Second Season, and her partner Yo-kai Usapyon. Accompanying these games' releases were announcements of Yo-kai Sangokushi (妖怪三国志, lit. "Yo-kai Three Kingdoms") in collaboration with Koei Tecmo's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series as well as several mobile games.
In August, a collaboration with Ubisoft to release a special version of the Just Dance series was announced, set to feature songs from the anime's soundtrack, was released on December 5, 2015. A free expansion for the two Yo-kai Watch Busters games called Getto-gumi (月兎組, "Moon Rabbit Team") was released on December 12, 2015, adding characters and settings featured in second anime feature film Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!.