Will My Little Pony touch on Japanese Mythology?

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

We all know that My Little Pony is full of Greek Mythology(Plus European Myth like Dragons and Unicorns).  Examples include

 

-Pegasi(A lot of em like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, the Wonderbolts, Bulk Biceps and Derpy Hooves)

-Griffins(Gilda)

-Armor Designs

-Manticore(From Friendship is Magic part 2)

-Cerberus

-Chimera(From Somepony to watch over me)

-Cockatrice

-Minotaur(Iron Will)

-Orthros

-Phoenix

-Sea Serpent(Steven MagneT)(Also of Scandinavian lore)

-Siren(The Dazzlings)

-Ursas(Minor and Major)

-Centaur(Tirek)

 

But I wonder, do you think My Little Pony should also visit Japanese Mythology, or any other Myths not covered in the series?  Some of the Japanese Myths I would like for them to touch upon includes(But is not limited to)

 

-Kappa

-Tanuki(Japanese shapeshifting raccoon dog)

-Kitsune(8-tailed trickster fox)

-Yamata No Orochi(8-headed Snake.  Would make a fine antagonist for My Little Pony)

-Yokai(Supernatural monsters, sometimes referred to as Ayakashi, Oni(Demons), Tengu or Mononoke)

-Obake(Shapeshifting spirit)

-Samurai

-Ninja

-Shogun

 

What do you think?  Do you all think Japanese Myth should be adapted into My Little Pony?

[DJShy 911]

I dunno about the actual show, but I have a deep gut feeling that there is a good chance of it happening in the background of a IDW comic.

[chirox the pony 1,336]

Well to my understanding MLP was influenced by anime so I think the writers may think about that at some point. 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Well, not all of those things you mentioned were even European. Dragons are a worldwide myth and Griffins are a myth from Persia I believe.

 

As for using Japanese myth, I would not bet on it happening. Should it happen? Perhaps, even if children aren't going to have extensive knowledge of worldwide myths.

[WindyParadise 59]

I could see some elements of different cultures from Asia in general being put into the show.

 Though shape-shifting is already covered by the changeling(and Discord) so I don't think they will add anything regarding that.

[11th Doctor Whooves 794]

I would love if they did that!  I love Japanese mythology, so seeing MLP with that stuff would be awesome!

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

I think it would be interesting if it was touched upon; though in a subtle manner at best. I like how various forms of fiction can serve as an amalgamation of various cultural traits that exist within the realm of reality.

 

As such, I'd be interested in seeing if the writers could implement traits from various cultures; including the Japanese.

[GammaDove 428]

I would think that there will eventually be some more Japanese mythology based plot, but it may take a while.

[deadprofile 1,122]

I am not sure it will happen ...looking at it practically, few westerners know, let alone understand Japanese mythology. Mind you many people are into manga/anime and understand to the extant of the media they consume...However, anime/manga is not as mainstream among early Millennials (those born in early 80's and were too old for the kids anime boom of the 90's) and Gen Y people (anime is very obscure to that generation), which encompasses the creators/writers/directors/etc... of the show.   

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by Treble Bolt

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

That is actually a very interesting and well worth put out idea to see and behold

 

It is no surprise every cartoon has some sort of anime/Japanese type reference hidden somewhere through a character or inspiration

 

Though it may not be entirely possible, I am interested to see if they can pull this off, mainly creatures from Japanese mythology like the kitsune

[Invincible 2,092]

It'd be actually interesting if they could visit some of the countries surrounding equestria, and such other countries are all based off different mythologies.

[Redeye 399]

I'd honestly rather have it take a shot at Norse Mythology first.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

I wouldn't rule out the inclusion of a character from Japanese mythology. Despite the heavy focus on Greco-Roman mythology, they do pull from other sources from time to time, with Ahuizotl being the standout example. If they find a character that could be written and adapted well into the MLP canon and convincingly added into the narrative when the chance comes up, I'm sure they could do it.

[Odyssey 5,717]

Probably not, I think they'll stick to the usual Greek mythology and the well-known mythological creatures. Not to mention that most Yōkai are a little... not family friendly.

 

I would really love it if they did include Yōkai, however. I really love Japanese mythology, so I'll definitely be pretty happy with whatever. They'll probably stick to the well-known Yōkai like the Kitsune, but it'll be very nice if something else like the Tanuki.

[Zekromic 1,054]

Well, not all of those things you mentioned were even European. Dragons are a worldwide myth and Griffins are a myth from Persia I believe.

 

True, but those dragons are specifically europeans, since the asian ones are snakelike, and normally not hostile. 

 

Anyway, I don't expect they use japanese mythology in the show, but I wouldn't rule out one or two things referencing to the japanese culture

[Tao 8,261]

MLP tends to hit mostly on western or semi western like culture

for its well roots sadly.  Seeing even a samurai pony would be

the high light of my year in cartoons and given the richness

of japanese culture/folklore, well it is sad  that we only see

it in anime and minus Avatar and not in the West I wish we

could see more.....

[Plato's Pony 455]

Well, if you notice near the beginning of the first episode, you see this:

 

 

Which, to me, looks a whole lot like this:

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong in assuming the Yin and Yang have anything to do with Japanese mythology.

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

Well, if you notice near the beginning of the first episode, you see this:

 

 

Which, to me, looks a whole lot like this:

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong in assuming the Yin and Yang have anything to do with Japanese mythology.

It's called a Taijitu actually.  And it's more associated with Chinese Philosophy.

[Plato's Pony 455]

It's called a Taijitu actually.  And it's more associated with Chinese Philosophy.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

Remember the dojo in Call of the Cutie, and the ninja like outfits in eps like MMMystery.

[Snoochi 28]

Well being a huge fan of Anime i would love to see some japanese mythology but it probably would not happen because japanese mythology is not as well known as Greek or European so i'd say no 

[AlbaTross 1,586]

It'd be actually interesting if they could visit some of the countries surrounding equestria, and such other countries are all based off different mythologies.

This is probably the best way they could go about implementing other mythologies. I don't think the audience needs to have extensive knowledge of any mythology implemented. I doubt the younger audience has any kind of knowledge of sirens, yet that didn't stop them from being featured in Rainbow Rocks.

 

If the Mane Six travel beyond Equestria in season 5, maybe we'll see something akin to Asian mythology. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that Middle Eastern mythology is more likely to make an appearance, but anything's possible. It's possible the Mane Six will stay within Equestria and just travel sometimes to other locations within the country, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. The comics might be a good place to explore these things though.

[Falsey 44]

I certainly wouldn't mind if they did something with Japanese mythology, or at least inspired by it. Shinto mythology alone has a metric ton of potential, I mean, they have literally thousands of mythological creatures. It really is an interesting culture, or at least to me it is. I'm biased though, as I have long been fascinated with the culture of Japan.