Japanese Mascot of the Week #3 - Toire-kun the Toilet Boy

A weekly series introducing the strangest yuru-kyara mascots Japan has to offer.

Hometown: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture (Yokohama Resources and Wastes Circulation Bureau, North Office)
2015 Yuru Kyara Grand Prix Ranking: 1429th of 1727

Toire-kun (pronounced toy-ray, the Japanese approximation of "toilet") is the mascot for the Yokohama Resources and Wastes Circulation Bureau's North Office (not the lousy South Office, those jerks.) His one and only job is to inform citizens of the importance of toilet-related counter-measures in the event of a disaster. What that entails isn't included in his official profile so your guess is as good as mine. Please do not sit on Toire-kun.

Japanese Mascot of the Week - #2 Nukamura-kun

A weekly series introducing the strangest yuru-kyara mascots Japan has to offer.

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Hometown: Ogura, Kita-Kyushu
2015 Yuru Kyara Grand Prix Ranking: 1690th of 1727

Nukamura-kun is the embodiment of Ogura's local specialty, nukamisodaki, rice bran-pickled headless fish. Perhaps the busiest half a fish in all Japan, Nukumura-kun is constantly rushing around on trains, traveling back and forth between his hometown and Tokyo to spread the word about nukamisodaki.

Japanese Mascot of the Week - #1 Jinenja

The first installment of a weekly series introducing the strangest yuru-kyara mascots Japan has to offer.

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Hometown: Shiroi City, Chiba Prefecture
2015 Yuru Kyara Grand Prix Ranking: 1070th of 1727

Jinenja is the Jinenjo (wild yam) Ninja from the Underground Kingdom of Neba Land (Sticky Land) in Shiroi City, Chiba Prefecture. When the Grated Yam Princess, Tororo Hime, was kidnapped, the brave Jinenja chased after her mysterious and formidable kidnapper but was attacked and ran away. After barely escaping with his life, Jinenja found himself in the jinenjo fields of Shiroi City where he was saved by a kind farmer. The farmer awarded Jinenja the City's strongest weapon, the jinenjo, and Jinenja began his special training to rescue the Grated Yam Princess. This training is ongoing and, by the looks of it, Grated Yam Princess better not hold her breath.

Japan's 10 Most Terrifying Yuru-kyara Mascots

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Yuru-kyara (ゆるキャラ), literally "soft characters", are usually cute, anthropomorphic amalgams of the local products and landmarks of regions and cities that are intended to help boost tourism. They're seriously big business in Japan with approximately 1700 yuru-kyara entered into the 2014 Yuru-Kyara Grand Prix and still others that weren't. Amid all this cuteness, however, there exists a truly terrifying category of yuru-kyara that is the product of a designer's sense of humour, a tactic to enliven a town's dull image, or the unfortunate and unintentional result of a sincere attempt at cuteness.

For your consideration, in no particular order, the top 10 most terrifying yuru-kyara Japan has to offer.