Have you ever gone to a public restroom in Japan? If you have… and lived to tell the
tale… it's because you were lucky enough to not bump into the evil and bloodthirsty spirit that
we'll introduce to you today: Aka-Manto, the spirit who resides in the last toilet.
Welcome to a new #ScaryTuesday, tiktakers!
This time around we visit once more the terrifying universe of Japanese spirits.
Have you noticed the obsession they have with restrooms? They are a common setting in Japanese
urban legends, and today we'll share with you one of the most famous ones: The legend of Aka-Manto.
This legend is so ingrained in Japanese pop culture that it has appeared in many different
manga, books and movies, gaining popularity even in other countries. It's the horrifying story of a
female spirit who dwells in the last toilet of the women's restroom. If you bump into her, you need
to be careful with the toilet paper you choose, because that could be the very last thing you do…
Her name means "red cloak" in Japanese, and its origin is difficult to pinpoint. The first images
of this character appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in the middle of the
Showa era – Japan's era of enlightenment. Around 1935, they said that a very handsome young man,
wandering around covered in a red cloak, used to hide in the lockers of Osaka's elementary schools.
Later on, in 1940, the legend transformed the man into a vampire who terrified the neighbors
at a neighborhood in Tokyo. Over the years it became vague if the figure was a man or a woman,
until the eighties, when the legend started getting popular again among young people,
and was then given the figure of a woman.
The legend then became that Aka-Manto was a student when she was alive,
subject to constant humiliation by her classmates. And once dead, her goal became getting revenge on
the rest of the world for the humiliations she had to endure in her school's restroom.
However, why did this legend become popular among Japanese students?
Well, because of the bloody game that Aka-Manto subjects her victims to!
This spirit will always look for the person at the last toilet of the line, and the legend says
that once you're finished doing your business, a sinister voice will ask you: "Red or blue paper?"
After asking this, two rolls of toilet paper of those colors will appear. And we are sorry,
but there is no right answer: Choosing any of them will lead to a horrible and painful death.
If you choose the red one, Aka-Manto will appear, and will tear out your neck's skin. She will do it
little by little, so you can feel the pain while you bleed to death… that's why the roll is red.
And if you choose the blue roll instead,
she will grab your neck too, but will strangulate you slowly, until your face
becomes blue. Other versions of the legend say that if you choose blue, Aka-Manto will
cut off your legs, and you will slowly bleed to death. In any case, your suffering is assured!
If for any reason you decide to say a different color, a hole beneath you will open towards some
kind of underworld, where white hands will grab and drag you into absolute darkness.
And if you can't speak, or decide not to respond,
time will stop around you, and you will be eternally trapped in the restroom.
Trying to escape by running away will not work either: If you try, Aka-Manto will materialize
before you, blocking the exit, and also ending your life. Trying to avoid her will be futile,
since they say that when she appears, the restroom becomes completely blocked
in an alternate dimension from which it's impossible to get out.
It seems useless trying to escape such a horrible apparition – Aka-Manto has a clear objective of
ending the lives of its victims, and will stop at nothing to achieve her ends.
That said, a few sources say that it is possible to save yourself: For instance, some say that,
if you calmly respond by saying that "you don't need any paper", then there will be a small
possibility that Aka-Manto will spare your life, depending on the mood she is in at the moment.
Others also claim that, if you answer that you want yellow paper,
the spirit will spare your life… but will then shove your head into the toilet as revenge.
That's a less painful destiny… but a pretty nasty one nonetheless.
In any case, tiktakers, remember that, if you ever go into a public restroom in Japan, it's
best to never use the last toilet of the line. Who knows what might be waiting for you in there…