asking for a different color of paper, cloak, or cape, it has been said that they will be dragged to an underworld or hell as a result. In some versions, choosing a "yellow" paper, cloak or cape will result in the occupant's head being forced into the toilet, sometimes until they drown. Those who bring toilet paper with them into the stall find that it vanishes before they can use it, allowing Aka Manto to present them with its options. Ignoring the spirit, or replying that one does not want or prefer either kind of paper, is said to make the spirit go away. In some accounts, rejecting both options and running away from Aka Manto will also result in the individual's survival. History Author and folklorist Matthew Meyer has stated that the Aka Manto has been recorded as a schoolyard rumor dating back as early as the 1930s. In that time, the word manto commonly referred to a sleeveless kimono-style jacket, whereas in the modern-day, manto is the Japanese word for cloak or cape. Because of this, different generations have had differing views of Aka Mantos supposed physical appearance. In popular culture Akagami-Aogami appears as the monster of the week in the second episode of the 2000 anime series Ghost Stories. The 2003 video game Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow features an enemy known as "Killer Mantle", which may have been based on the Aka Manto legend. The 2019 video game Aka Manto, developed and published by Chilla's Art, is based on the legend. In the 2021 South Korean television series Squid Game, players are recruited to a deadly tournament by a man who invites them to play the Korean children's game ddakji for cash. He offers them the choice of a red or a blue paper tile, but this choice does not affect the outcome. Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show's director, confirmed in an interview that this was a reference to the Aka Manto legend. Aka Manto appears as a boss in the early-access role-playing video game World of Horror. See also Akaname, a Japanese yōkai said to lick the filth in bathrooms and bathtubs Hanako-san, a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl who haunts school bathrooms Kuchisake-onna ("Slit-Mouthed Woman"), a Japanese urban legend about a disfigured woman who asks a question where either answer is dangerous Miss Koi Koi, an African urban legend of a