(1991-1992) Appearance The original character was simply described as a youthful military officer with no specific age. The character evolved in popular culture though and his image began to change. In modern depictions, he is generally described as a tall man with an unnaturally long face. His classic outfit is composed of the traditional uniform of a Japanese Imperial officer, complete with a service dress, cap, gloves, sword and a cape. On the backs of his white gloves are red inscriptions of the "Seiman" (the pentagram), the magic symbol of Abe no Seimei. Powers and abilities Kato is incredibly proficient in a variety of eastern magic, most notably the art of Onmyōdō, possessing abilities that rival the Tsuchimikado Clan, descendants of Abe no Seimei. He extensively employs black shikigami to do his bidding, and he can also summon goho doji. He is also known to use kodoku (worm toxins) to control and manipulate his victims. To prolong his life, he performs the shijie technique from time to time. As a trained imperial officer, he is quite proficient in the use of a katana. He is also fluent in Mandarin and Korean. Analysis Hiroshi Aramata has described his original vision of the character as closely resembling the English occultist Aleister Crowley. In other interviews, Aramata has stated that he wanted the character to symbolize both the heretical and official sects of onmyoji. Dr. Noriko T. Reider, assistant professor of Japanese Studies at Miami University, argues that Kato is an exemplary example of evolving, postwar sentiments about oni in Japanese culture. Some scholars and enthusiasts have also likened the character to a Japanese version of Dracula, with the plot of Teito Monogatari being a loose recreation of the famous horror story. Adaptations In the Tokyo Grand Guignol stage adaptation of Teito Monogatari, Katō was played by Kyūsaku Shimada. Shimada went on to portray Katō in the films Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988) directed by Akio Jissoji, and Tokyo: The Last War (1989) directed by Takashige Ichise. He also provided his voice to the Japanese dub of the anime Doomed Megalopolis (1991–1992) directed by Rintaro. In the 1995 spinoff film Teito Monogatari Gaiden (1995) directed by Izo Hashimoto, the nurse who gets possessed by Katō's spirit is portrayed by Kazuhiko Nishimura. Etsushi Toyokawa portrayed Katō in The Great Yokai War (2005), directed by Takashi Miike. For this film, Katō is dressed in a