Tomoe’s reference is the Yokai from Kamisama Kiss manga series Kamisama Kiss (Japanese: 神様はじめました, Hepburn: Kamisama Hajimemashita, lit. "I Became a God", "God Began" or "Debut as a Deity") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Julietta Suzuki and serialized by Hakusensha in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume. Tomoe is the guardian spirit of a forgotten Shinto temple, as well as an aide to the Earth God. He was the right hand of Mikage, but was forced to become the spirit-helper of the new Earth God, Nanami. Yokai (妖怪, "strange apparition") are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word yokai is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." Yokai are also referred to as ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪) or mamono (魔物). Yokai are not literally demons in the Western sense of the word, but are instead spirits and entities, whose behavior can range from malevolent or mischievous to friendly, fortuitous, or helpful to humans. Yokai often have animal features (such as the kappa, depicted as appearing similar to a turtle, and the tengu, commonly depicted with wings), but may also appear humanoid in appearance, such as the kuchisake-onna. Some yokai resemble inanimate objects (such as the tsukumogami), while others have no discernible shape. Yokai are typically described as having spiritual or supernatural abilities, with shapeshifting being the most common trait associated with them. Yokai that shapeshift are known as bakemono (化け物) or obake (お化け).