Kappa are green-skinned reptilian water spirits the size of children that can be found in the Japanese-inspired land. They have shells and beaks like turtles, and their limbs are rubbery and flexible, with webbed hands and feet. On top of their heads is a dish-like indentation which must be filled with water for the kappa to survive. Their favorite foods are cucumbers and human innards. Kappa love playing games and causing mischief. They are excellent swimmers and are skilled at shogi and sumo wrestling. They are knowledgeable about medicine and possess miraculous healing magic. Kappa have a strong sense of honor - they never break promises and never forget good deeds, and they expect the same from humans. If you perform a favor for a kappa, it will always remember your kindness. If you break a promise to a kappa, you will make an enemy for life.[1]
For their small size, kappa are deceptively strong. They love playing pranks like tripping people and horses, then pulling them into rivers. But kappa are not all fun and games; they can be deadly too. "Beware of kappa" signs are often posted near lakes and rivers. Offerings of cucumbers - a kappa's favorite food - are left on the banks to keep them happy. One kappa is more than strong enough to hold an adult human underwater and drown them. They use their flexible arms to reach up through their victim's anus and tear out the internal organs - a kappa's second favorite food. The surest way to defeat a kappa is to use its sense of honor against it. If you bow, the kappa will match your bow. Bow low enough, and when the kappa bows back, the water will spill out from the dish on its head. While the dish remains full, a kappa possesses superhuman strength. But if it ever empties their strength vanishes, and they can be overpowered. Thus defeated, a kappa will agree to perform a favor in return for sparing its life.[1]
At some point, when the witcher/ronin Geralt learnt that kappa were killing villagers, he was rightfully surprised. He knew kappa, while dangerous, were not inherently violent. After encountering a group, they fled from him instead of putting up a fight, and then tugged at his feet playfully instead of attacking him when he entered their swamp. Kappa are social creatures, but they tend to rank low on the social ladder: They often serve as underlings of more powerful spirits in this case, the guardian of the swamp: a tatsu. Geralt realised kappa were not enemies of the villagers and were just doing their master's bidding and protecting their home, so he decided to spare them.[1]
Trivia[]
- In Japanese folklore, a kappa (河童, "river-child") — also known as kawatarō (川太郎, "river-boy"), komahiki (駒引, "horse-puller") — is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai.
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