Teke Teke

As presented in the surveyed sources, Teke Teke is framed as the onryō (vengeful spirit) of a schoolgirl whose body was split in half by a train after she became stuck. The spirit is an aggrieved, personified revenant whose mutilation and neglect at death (sources link neglect by station staff in one telling) motivate her vengeful activity in modern urban settings.

Core descriptions identify her as a young woman or schoolgirl who is bisected at the waist or otherwise lacks lower limbs. She travels by propelling her upper body with her hands or elbows and thus has no normal locomotion. Variant accounts (notably the Kashima Reiko form) emphasize that she is legless and specifically haunts bathroom stalls. Some tellings add implements such as a scythe, but that is described as a variant attribute rather than a consistent or core feature.

Teke Teke pursues people in urban night settings—notably around train stations in the canonical telling—and kills by slicing victims in half at the waist in a manner that mimics her own disfigurement. Because she lacks lower limbs, she moves by dragging her torso on hands or elbows, producing the signature scraping sound. Variant behavior (Kashima Reiko) involves approaching occupants of bathroom stalls, asking where her legs are, and ripping or slicing those who give unacceptable answers. Some versions include a folkloric mechanic where learning Kashima's story brings an appearance within a month unless the story is spread.