Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe

Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe (Japanese: 鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎, Hepburn: Kitarō Tanjō: GeGeGe no Nazo) is a 2023 Japanese animated dark fantasy film, directed by Gō Koga and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino; the film is based on the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga series by Shigeru Mizuki. Produced by Toei Animation and distributed by Toei Company, Birth of Kitarō commemorates Mizuki's 100th birthday, and is the 4th film in the franchise. It is a prequel to the 2018 anime series, which tells the story of Kitarō's birth, focusing on a salaryman named Mizuki (based on Shigeru Mizuki himself) and Kitarō's father. However, unlike the main series, it was made as a horror story aimed at adults.

The film stars the voices of Toshihiko Seki, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, and Toshio Furukawa, with Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shōji, and Masako Nozawa reprising their roles from the 2018 anime series. Birth of Kitarō was released in Japan on November 17, 2023, and an uncut version, titled True Birth Edition, on October 4, 2024.