The Kappa

The Kappa is a well-known creature from Japanese folklore- often referred to as an "imp" in American translations (in videogames, for example). The Kappa attacks swimmers from below, sucking the blood from the anus. I actually took this into unpleasant consideration when drawing the mouth. The Kappa is kind of a monkey-turtle-cucumber combination. Different depictions of the Kappa show it with and without the turtle shell. The Kappa always has a bristly tuft of hair surrounding a depression in its crown, filled with water. If you are able to cause the Kappa's water to spill, you gain control over the Kappa. The Kappa, as a species, are highly intelligent, and are extremely skilled at bone-setting.