Classification: Legendary & Supernatural Humanoids

Temporal Range: 17th - 19th Century

Geographic Range: Wherever they have fallen asleep

Diet: Blood

When the Nukekubi wakes in the dead of night to begin her midnight hunt, her body does not rise with her. Rather, her head detaches and floats away from the rest of her body and she goes off in search of blood to drink. Meanwhile, the rest of her lies in bed until morning, when her head returns and she can become whole again. During the day, the person goes about life as normal and many do not know they can become Nukekubi at night. One giveaway though is the red marks at the base of the neck, where the head is prone to detaching from. Somewhat akin to a “cut here” line.

Nukekubi is seen as a form of a curse as the head leaving is similar to the soul leaving the body. This has been compared to somnambulism, where sleepwalkers wander off during the night and can even be commanded to commit horrible deeds. The Nukekubi has been known to drink blood and attack people during the head’s nightly excursions. Some stories even describe the heads chasing people through villages and attempting to bite holes in doors in order to get to their victims.

It is thought that the only way for the curse to be lifted is for the victim to die. However, another story explains that if the body of the sleeper is moved, then the head cannot reattach. Our field agents report that moving the body and then setting a trap for the head when it returns is the best way to capture one, but beware of not only their teeth but also their sheer rage.

NOTE: This creature should not be confused with Rokurokubi which, while belonging to the same category of Yōkai, extends her neck to ungodly lengths rather than separating it entirely from her body.