Be prepared to fight off any virus with this punching Amabie figurine

This punching Amabie figurine is ready to fight off the coronavirus, or any virus that tries to come your way.

The miniature figurine was designed by parts manufacturer, Castem Co. and shows an Amabie yokai in a battle ready position. This time, Amabie’s hair becomes an arm with a clenched fist that is ready to throw a punch.

Castem is one of many companies and individuals that have produced all kinds of Amabie this year. Their range includes figurines, pure copper Amabie amulets, three dimensional Amabie stickers, and a large Amabie statue of 40cm which is installed at the company’s headquarters.

Amabie is a half-human, half-fish yokai (Japanese spirit creature) that is said to protect people from the plague. There is an old legend from the Edo period, where an Amabie emerged from the sea and told of a prophecy; “Good harvest will continue for six years from the current year; if disease spreads, draw a picture of me and show the picture of me to those who fall ill.” as recorded in Kenji Murakami’s book 妖怪事典 (Dictionary of Yokai 1999 edition).

As if following those ancient orders, Amabie depictions have cropped up all across Japan since the start of the pandemic, and have made tributes to the plague-defeating monster in the form of illustrations, food and even firework displays.
The word ‘Amabie’ has become so popular this year that it has even been selected as one of the top ten buzzwords of 2020, and has been credited with raising the spirits of the online community as the coronavirus took hold.