Surprised the article didn't mention that Pikachu itself, or rather its evolutionary line, is based on a yokai called raijuu. Even the name itself is just a pun, with "chu" being the onomatopoeia for the sound a mouse makes. Although I guess it's not a very interesting yokai.
ZexionSephiroth said:
I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'd like to be able to see the Youkai treated as a "living" being with its own thoughts and desires, instead of just being some creature that does it "cause it can", or some other excuse not to give them a personalty by forcing them into a role.
Touhou. Although honestly the bits treating them as normal people with magic powers are significantly less interesting than the bits treating them as otherworldly entities with strange priorities and cultures.