Cat-Eyed Boy is the son of Nekomata, a cat demon, and a human mother. Half-demon, half-human, he is shunned by both worlds. He is raised by a foster mother, Miya, who has to beg for food, and he becomes a mischievous nuisance to the village he lives in. When a demon called Nadare-Maneki (the Landslide Summoner) attacks, Cat-Eyed Boy must try to save himself and his foster mother from its relentless attacks.

Our lonely, scorned hero interrupts his quest to find his birth mother to save a village from a monster called the Long-Neck. The Long-Neck demands an annual sacrifice of a young maiden to quell his appetites. Because this year's victim, Shizue, resembles his foster mother, Cat-Eyed Boy decides to fight the evil fiend before continuing his journey.

The Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his search for his mother, but he's in dire straits from hunger. A friendly boy named Tatsuo saves him and takes him to his grandmother's house for food and shelter. However, Tatsuo's family has been cursed by the Rat Snake, a giant, vicious predator.

The Kodama tree spirit, an ancient oak with a black heart that sucks the life out of its victims.

The Tear Witch and the Wailing Man, an ancient malevolent witch who lives on her victims tears, and her son, who eats the victims after they've been wrung dry.