The two Kibakichi (跋扈妖怪伝 牙吉) movies are part of the wider Yōkaiden (妖怪伝) series, which began with Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons (さくや 妖怪伝, 2000), though only these latter two movies follow the same main character. The Yōkaiden series is itself the second of three attempts at a reboot of the Yōkai (妖怪) series, which was originally released from 1968 to 1969, though it ending up going in a different, far more adult-aimed direction and is not considered an official successor. The first reboot, the Yōkai tengoku (妖怪天国) series, was directed by Macoto Tezka and released direct-to-video from 1986 to 1990. The third and more direct and family-friendly reboot, the Great Yokai War (妖怪大戦争 Yōkai Daisensō) series, is directed by Takashi Miike and released from 2005 to 2021.