GeGeGe no Kitarō (Sea Monster Transformation)

Though unknown in America, Kitarō  is one of Japan's most beloved fictional characters. He started life in a 1959 manga series by Shigeru Mizuki. This was adapted into the anime GeGeGe no Kitarō in 1968 and followed by another anime adaptation in 1971, followed by another in 1985 and others 1996, 2007, and 2008.

Kitarō is a yōkai (demon) boy with only one eye, and has various adventures involving the conflict between his fellow yōkai and humans. Many of these involve him getting transformed into various creatures, as the next few posts on this blog demonstrate...

One of Mizuki's manga stories features Kitarō being transformed into a gigantic sea monster (I think it's supposed to be a whale, but why is it covered in hair?). This story was adapted multiple times by the various anime over the decades.

Let's start with the 1968 series, episode 5, "Large Sea Creature." This is in black and white and I've combined the transformation with the reversion scene from the next episode.



Next comes a version of the same scene from episode 67 of the 80s series, "Large Sea Creatures of the Jungle":



The last version is from the 1996 animated movie, "The Great Sea Beast," which takes considerable liberties with the original story. But it does preserve the transformation and reversion:



Lastly, here are scans from the original manga, showing Kitaro's original sea monster metamorphosis and his reversion.

GeGeGe no Kitarō (Cow Monster Transformation)

Some further transformations from GeGeGe no Kitarō. The original manga featured a story where Kitaro was turned into a cow-demon-monster, and this was adapted by three versions of the anime.

I've combined the three transformations into one clip. Here's the breakdown.
TF #1 is from episode 15 of the 1971 show--"Cow Demon":

TF #2 is from episode 42 of the 1985 show, "Cattle Demon Ghost Story." This starts a brief reversion of a previous victim of the cow demon curse reverting to humanity:

TF #3 if from  episode 14  from the 1996 show, "Cow Demon Resurrection." Unfortunately the transformation is interrupted by bumpers for the commercial break.

GeGeGe no Kitarō (Rat, Cat, Raccoon Dog, and Dinosaur Transformations)

Here are some miscellaneous transformations from the later series of GeGeGe no Kitarō.
The first three are courtesy of the 1996-98 series.

Here's a quick rat transformation from episode 103, "Cornered Rat Specter":



Next comes a brief cat transformation from episode 28, "Ticket Tan Town Cat Fantasy." Nekomachi, nekomachi!



The third transformation is the best in this post--a raccoon dog (tanuki) transformation from episode 110, "Revolt of the Eight hundred and Eight Raccoon Dogs." The clip runs slightly long, since I was unable to clip the middle bit, but there's a reversion scene at the end:



Lastly, from episode 28 of the 2007 series, Kitaro is changed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The transformation is regrettably obscured by a flash of light, but you can see his intermediate forms within the glow.

Hakaba Kitarō (Werewolf Transformation)

After the first five anime series of GeGeGe no Kitarō, it was decided to make a show more faithful to the  the original manga. The result was 2008's Hakaba Kitarō. In episode 7 there happens to be a werewolf transformation (though in human form the werewolf looks a lot like a vampire).

"Life is Short" (Age Progression Transformation)

A reader named Smee suggested featuring the X-Box commercial "Life is Short." Many thanks, because the commercial, though over a decade old, features some excellent age progression morphing:



The commercial was apparently banned in the UK at the behest of idiots. The message is certainly bleak and nihilistic, but all I object to is the conclusion: if life is short, don't spend it playing video games.

Sunlight (Werewolf Transformation)

This short hand-animated Twilight parody features a werewolf transformation at the 1:05 mark:



Because the TF is quick, I decided to include a collage for your benefit:

Now that I've learned to make these, expect them more often!

Artboy Design (Werewolf Transformation)

Here is a Halloween-themed webcomic featuring a nicely drawn-out "werewolf" metamorphosis. Thanks to Mike for the alert!

Jinrou Chronicle (Werewolf Transformation)

The plot synopsis for this manga reads: "When the full moon rises, the sleeping beast's blood awakens. Which of fated twins will the Wolf God choose?"
I won't say which twin it is, because I don't care, but his transformation begins here.

Monster Soul (Werewolf Transformation)

Monster Soul is a fantasy manga starring a group of monsters. Aki, the main protagonist, transforms into a "DiaWolf" (a werewolf with horns) whenever he gets emotional. The transformation begins  here.

Pan's Grotto (Goat and Satyr Transformations)

This comic by the TF artist Navetsea was clearly inspired by the man-to-satyr-to-goat transformation in the "Blind Pilots" music video (which can be seen in an earlier post). But unlike the music video, it has a more upbeat and...orgiastic ending (making it not safe for work). Read it here.

As a bonus for satyr lovers, here's a link to Navetsea's similarly-themed comic "Cleon and the Cursed Flute."

EDIT: Someone reported encountering malware while accessing Navetsea's site. Though I had no problems, I felt I should report this.

"Métamorphose" and "Eyline" (Cat and Monster Transformations)

Here are two short comics I found on a hentai website, which means they're not safe for work. The transformations aren't strong enough to merit individual posts, so I've grouped them together.
In "Eyline," a dude transforms into a hulking monster, beginning here.
In "Métamorphose", a bored housewife's cat tranforms in order to her please his mistress. Read it here. Hot comic, but I wish it was longer.

Colmillos, el Hombre Lobo (Werewolf Transformation)

Colmillos, el Hombre Lobo (1993), is a little-known Mexican horror film about a ranch-hand who turns into a werewolf. What makes the film really interesting is that it's situated before the rise of CGI and clearly influenced by An American Werewolf in London, so the transformation uses prosthetics, inflating bladders, and all the glorious old effects that occur in front of the camera, not in a computer. And though Colmillos is a low-budget film, you can tell that genuine thought and effort went into the transformation scene. All of that makes this a sort of lost gem from the brief era when filmmakers around the world had their eyes on AWIL and not on a computer screen.

Sukia (Werewolf Transformation)

Sukia is an adult-themed Italian comic from the late 70s (though the only scans I could find are in Spanish). The title character is a vampire seductress and her assistant Gary is a flaming gay man--the first major homosexual character in Italian comics, distinguished for being proud and unashamedly promiscuous.

In issue 13 Gary turns into a werewolf, right when he's about to get it on with a hot guy:

Nothing spoils the mood like eating your partner. Poor Gary goes home to confess everything to Sukia. She tells him (I have no idea why) to sleep in the same bed as her and her boyfriend, and he of course transforms again...

Too bad the werewolf looks more like a stub-tailed ape than a canine. In case you're interested in the rest of the story, Gary kills another person and wakes up naked the next day. He hits a woman with a rock, steals her clothes and dresses in them, and gets picked up by a horny guy who makes Gary go down on him. Alas, in mid-fellatio he discovers Gary is actually a man and beats the shit out of him. Sukia learns about this and gets even with Gary's attacker by tracking him down, sucking his blood, and castrating him. She gives his severed penis to Gary as a present. He throws it out of the window and it's eaten by cats.

Ah, you might ask, but is Gary ever cured? Yes! They meet a professor who says that female werewolves have been cured by fucking male wolves, so a male werewolf would have to fuck a female wolf. Gary says he is not fucking anything female, so an alternative solution is found:

It works! Now if only this cure was more widely used...

Legend of the WereStallion (Horse Transformation)

One of the all-time most popular posts on my blog has been "Legend of the Werehorse," a multi-part comic by Mamabliss, based on a short story at furaffinity. The author also commissioned another comic adaptation of his story, this time drawn by Gillpanda, an artist with more manga-influenced style (and a penchant for drawing big bellies and bottoms). This second version is titled "Legend of the Werestallion," and like the original is not safe for work. As with a manga, the panels should be read right-to-left.

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

So readers, which version do you prefer? Gillpanda's or Mamabliss's?

Werewolf Breeding (Werewolf Transformation)

Werewolf Breeding is a Korean webcomic (presented here in an English translation). So far there's been one transformation scene--it begins at the bottom of this page and continues onto the next.

Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators (Alligator Transformation)

(Many thanks to Tailbulger for bringing this to my attention.)

Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators is SyFy's latest foray into deliberate stupidity, following on the heels of such crapterpieces as Sharknado. The premise is a little less outlandish this time, since it merely involves humans turning into large alligators who shoot spines out of their tales. The victim is a hunky cop, and the transformation first hits him at 69:12 mark, and then resumes at 70:07. The film can be viewed here.
(Note: The video link is good quality, but has pop-up ads. You do not need an HD codec to view the video, so don't install it. If you have trouble viewing the video, several other links are here. Many thanks to Tailbulger for bringing the film to my attention.)

The transformation has a promising beginning but falls victim to the budget. Pretty good reptilian make-up is used to represent the first stage of the transformation, as you can see in this behind-the-scenes photo found by Mike, an old friend of this site:

Alas, everything afterward pretty much happens offscreen.  You see an alligator tail pop into the frame, but you don't see it burst out of the cop's pants. Tailbulger comments that "it's not always a question of budget--stuffing a large cone down the back of the cop's pants to simulate a growing tail would have cost nothing. Nor would a 'ripping' sound effect. What it boils down to, I think is laziness or lack of imagination, and that really annoys me, as I'm sure it annoys you." Definitely.

Damaged Circuits (Age Progression)

"Damaged Circuits" is one of those anti-drug commercials that are more likely to drive kids to drugs than away from them, but it's distinguished by some beautifully rendered age progression--the morphing is almost flawless. So put down your crack pipe and watch.

Arania's TF Art (New Link)

A wise reader named Extrenica suggested that I include a link to Arania's Transformation art. This excellent suggestion made me wonder why I hadn't linked to her before, since I've followed her work for years. Arania is one of the longest-running TF artists on the web, and she regularly updates her massive gallery at the end of every month. Her reliability means she receives many commissions, and her work is evenly split between male and female transformees (though I think she's more comfortable drawing females; her male subjects tend to have female-sized feet and waists). She's so prolific that it would take too much space to single out particular pieces, but they can all be viewed here by scrolling down to "transformation sequences." Each sequence is labeled with the type of transformation and the sex of the transformee, and that makes browsing easy.

Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō (Dog Transformation)

Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō (伏 鉄砲娘の捕物帳, "Fuse: A Gun Girl's Detective Story") is an anime feature film, and "fuse" refers to a race of half-human half-dog beings who consume human souls. Shino, the fuse star of the film, looks human, but with each soul he eats turns more dog-like, so that by the end he resembles a lanky werewolf. The final transformation is well animated, with muscle and fur seeming to stream across Shino's body.
This clip was edited together from several different scenes in the film, so keep that mind...

Zombillenium (Demon Transformation)

Zombillenium is a "bande dessinée" from France. Volume One has recently been translated into English, but for this update I had to use scans from a Spanish translation.
The Zombillenium is a themepark for supernatural creatures. Into this stumbles a normal human, Aurélien, who gets bitten by a vampire and a werewolf, and starts to change...but into what?.
One thing I should note--the pages used here are collages of different panels edited together by yours truly. So if they seem disjointed, don't blame the artist!

Anyway, we first see our hero gradually start to transform, with growing hair, ears, and fangs. I confess, I threw in the last half of this page just for beefcake...

Aurélien gets a lowly job at Zombillenium, but the irritation from a yappy dog causes his monster self to emerge...

Yup, it's a demon. Following are several unrelated scenes of Aurélien showing his demonic side.

Eventually we see his full-grown devilish form, and it's a beauty. As the last panel demonstrates, the French are more casual about nudity than us uptight Americans.

That's all, alas. The second volume doesn't have anything worth excerpting here and I'm not aware of a third.

Brady's Beasts (Werewolf Transformation)

Brady's Beasts seems to one of those Canadian cartoons that never aired in the States. In episode 16, "How to Date a Werewolf," we're treated to a gradual transformation. It begins at the 7:05 mark (to which the video is cued), resumes at 8:06, and finally kicks into high gear at 8:50.

The Art of DanteVergilLoverAR (Werewolf, fox, and dragon Transformations)

I was recently contacted by the artist DanteVergilLoverAR, who asked if I could include a link to her artwork. I'm happy to do so, since I'm familiar with and have enjoyed it. She's drawn many werewolf sequences in strong-lined style, and her werewolves are hulking, snarling monsters with pounds of rippling muscle. Besides lycanthropes, she's also featured dragons, foxes, and hyenas. Of the sequences that involve male transformees, I can point out the following:

"Full Moon Cocktails": 01, 02, 03

"Carnal Eventide": 01, 02, 03, 04

"C.E.": 01, 02, 03, 04

"The Date Request" (werefox): 01, 02, 03, 04

"The Curse Within": 01, 02, 03

"Crimson Moon Night" (dragon): 01, 02, 03, 04, 05

"Amative Curfew": 01, 02

"Birth of the Weredragon": 01, 02, 03, 04

"Dragon...iade" (dragon): 01, 02, 03, 04, 05

"Wereyena" (hyena; one-panel)

"The Promulgate": 01, 02, 03, 04

"Delphic Item": 01, 02, 03, 04, 05

The Golden Ass (Donkey Transformation)

Here's a treat for my readers--the granddaddy of all transformation stories! The Golden Ass (aka The Metamorphoses of Apuleius) is a novel from Roman times, written by Apuleius, namesake of yours truly. Dating from the second century A.D., it concerns a young man named Lucius, the victim of a spell gone wrong: instead of turning into a bird, he becomes a donkey and has many picaresque adventures. After eating a crown of roses, he turns back into a human.

Apuleius derived his story from a now lost work, possibly written the Greco-Roman satirist Lucian. Another very similar work was also derived from this source. Called Lucius, or The Ass, it offers the first version of the donkey transformation:

So Palestra stole softly into the room and fetched me the bottle. I tore off my clothes and rubbed the stuff all over me--but the result was not at all what I intended. A tail shot out behind me, my fingers and toes disappeared and were replaced by four great nails, exactly like hooves, my hands and feet lost all resemblance to human ones, my ears grew long and pointed, and my face swelled up to a monstrous size. I turned around to look at myself, and found that I was nothing more or less than a donkey.

Apuleius closely followed this description, but added an amusing detail:

I hastily tore off all my clothes, dipped my hands eagerly into the box, drew out a good quantity of ointment, and rubbed all my limbs with it. I then flapped my arms up and down, imitating the movements of a bird. But no down and no signs of feathers appeared. Instead, the hair on my body was becoming coarse bristles, and my tender skin was hardening into hide. There were no longer five fingers at the extremities of my hands, for each was compressed into one hoof. From the base of my spine protruded an enormous tail. My face became misshapen, my mouth widened, my nostrils flared open, my lips became pendulous, and my ears huge and bristly. The sole consolation I could see in this wretched transformation was the swelling of my penis...

Incidentally, the above translation is from the Oxford World's Classics edition, which I recommend to anyone who wishes to read this still-amusing novel for themselves. The influence of The Golden Ass is hard to underestimate--it likely inspired the donkey transformation scene in Carlo Collodi's Pinnocchio, leading to Walt Disney's classic adaptation, which features the most famous donkey transformation of them all.

But we're here to discuss a comic adaptation of The Golden Ass by the great erotic artist Milo Manara. Le metamorfosi o l'asino d'oro is an abridged but faithful retelling of Apuleius, and I'm happy to offer my readers several scans in English. However, since this is a Manara comic, keep in mind that these pictures are not safe for work.

It's hard to see how a film would do better than this. Manara's excellent draftsmanship vividly conveys the bristly hair growth and grotesque, rubbery facial contortions of the original transformation. And he doesn't forget to do justice to the "sole consolation" of being a donkey!

Here we see Lucius return to his studly human form:

Wasn't that fantastic? I love it when I can cover two thousand years of transformations in one post. Many thanks to Lucian, Milo, and good old Apuleius!

Tara Duncan (Werewolf Transformations)

Tara Duncan is a French fantasy cartoon. One of its minor characters, Fabrice, happens to be a werewolf, and he's seen transforming in episodes 6 ("Frère de crocs") and 15 ("Le regard de Claire"). The first two transformations in this clip are from the former, the last TF from the latter. The transformations are somewhat disappointing, since rely too much on the old cheat of having glowing light obscure the changing body parts.

Rated A For Awesome (Monkey Transformation)

Rated A For Awesome is a computer animated series made in Canada. In episode 12 (or 24, since each episode consists of two stories), the main character Les gets his DNA mixed with a monkey's. The first part of his transformation starts at school--sadly the second part occurs off camera. I've roughly edited together a  video for your enjoyment...

Wolfenjump (Werewolf Transformation)

Wolfenjump is an online anthology of indie/anime comics that have a wolf theme. One of these comics, titled "Luna," also has a werewolf transformation. See it here.

Versipellis (Werewolf Transformation)

Many thanks to Werefan for making this clip possible.

The clip below is from a hard-to-find Italian short film. The transformation itself is abbreviated (and it looks like the rest of it would have involved skin-ripping), but as werefan points out, the real glory of the film is the werewolf suit, with its excellent design and menacing face. Proof yet again that old-fashioned special effects can still kick CGI's ass.

Hor Taew Taek Waek Chi-Mi (Werewolf Transformation)

Hor Taew Taek Waek Chi-Mi  apparently is the third installment of a transvestite ghost-comedy franchise. (yeah, you heard me right), and this time werewolves and vampires are involved. It's an incredible farrago, but here's a quick and shoddy werewolf transformation, with added slow-motion replay at the end.

Apparently the werewolf (the hunk with the chin beard) is confronting the vampire (the hunk in the pool who can get changed quickly). Or so I think. It's not as if explaining it would make this clip make sense. But at least the werewolf is a stud.

Le Collège Invisible (Werewolf and Zombie Transformations)

This comedic bande dessinée is about some teenagers attending a school for magic (sounds familiar?). In Volume 2, Thomas (the hero William's best friend) contracts lycanthropy, giving rise to the following dialogue:

-- Uh ... William, I'm growing hair.
-- At our age that's normal Thomas. It's puberty, your body changes, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
--No, I'm really growing hair.


The comic than skips ahead a couple pages before returning to the transformation:

I'm not going to translate the whole page, but "couché" obviously is equivalent to "sit!"


After Thomas wakes up human the next day, he's told of his condition, and asks if he was bitten last month. That should be easy to verify, says William:

"Ah," says William, "you see, I was right...you can still see the mark. Crazy! My friend is a werewolf. My cousin will be jealous--his friend is just a redhead."


Later we get a one-panel transformation:

After this, we get another one-panel TF in Volume 4, when Thomas is in a magic competition with someone who foolishly generates a fool moon...

Lastly, in Volume 7 Thomas is held at gunpoint and comes up with a visual simile:

And that's all. The series has reached 10 volumes, but with no decent werewolf transformations in the last three entries. However, as a bonus I'm throwing in a zombie/ghoul transformation from Volume 5. Enjoy mes amis!

Homemade Werewolf Animation 3 (Werewolf Transformations)

Hello everyone, and sorry about my absence (June was a depressing month). But I'm back, and many thanks to Drake for prompting the post below.

I'm not a big fan of computer animation. I can't even recall seeing a really good computer-animated werewolf transformation. Until today that is--thanks to an artist named Medhue.

Let's start with his early test animation:

Pretty good, and the multiple angles are a nice bonus.


Here's a later, more atmospheric effort:

As with the earlier piece, Medhue has taken advantage of the smoothness of digital effects, but he's used it to  further detail the transformation, instead of using the too-fast morphing we're used to with computer animation.


And now we come to his magnum opus (so far):

More and more cartoons on TV are computer animated. Should any of these shows try a transformation scene, I hope they're as good as Medhue's.

The Art of Petplayer976 (Werewolf Transformations)

Today we're pairing an entry in the home-made werewolf animation series with one of our occasional art spotlights. The artist is Petplayer976. We'll start with her animations:








As her deviantart account also demonstrates, Petplayer is a big werewolf fan. Her art, like her animation, is anime inspired and has a spiky look and bouncy energy. When it comes to werewolves she loves drawing painful grimaces, popping/cracking flesh, exploding clothes, blood spurting from new claws, drool-leaking snouts, and monstrous glowing-eyes. Just what I like!

She's drawn several werewolf sequences, both for her own enjoyment and as commissions:

The first is "Shadow Werewolf," an early, rougher-looking work: 01. 02. 03. 04.

Her next sequence, "Night After Yesterday," is more assured: 01. 02. 03. 04.

"The Anniversary Gift" is something of a departure, since it features a were-panda! 01. 02.

"Prom Nightmare" returns to lupines:  01. 02. 03.

"Can't Fight the Moon":  01. 02.

"Wilson's Nightmare":  01. 02.

"Not Really the Night":  01. 02. 03. 04.

We take another departure with "Bloodshed," an alien Zergling TF:   01. 02. 03. 04. 05.

Back to wolves with "Sunrise," but this time it's a transformation back to humanity:  01. 02. 03. 04.

There are also some one-page works that depict werewolves in mid-transformation, such as "Bring The Pain," "Night Beast," "Contest Entry," and "Halloween in the Saints."

Homemade Werewolf (and Werecat) Animation, Part 2 (Werewolf/Werecat Transformations)

This is a sequel to my earlier post on amateur/homemade animation. Let's start with this fast but very fluid werewolf transformation:




The same artist, Eric Strother, surpasses this with a superb and beautifully smooth puma transformation--look at how the entire process occurs in one shot, with no cutaways:




Next comes a finely detailed werewolf transformation from Luis M. Pérez Suárez, showing a gentleman enjoying his change into a well-muscled lycanthrope. This TF uses cutaways to good effect:




We'll take a brief detour out of 2D animation with "An American Werewolf in Maya." I think this is better than many of the transformations we see in computer-animated cartoons:




An anonymous comment on my earlier post reminded me that I forgot to include one of the greatest amateur werewolf animations of them all. Created back in 2004 by William Short of "Voria Studios", this is a definite classic:

In many respects it's an example of the archetypal modern werewolf transformation: shots of the expanding back developing ridges and bursting through clothing, extreme muscle growth, and snout formation--all accomplished with cinematic direction and an excellent soundtrack of moans, groans, and snarls.