Netflix Trese: Every Supernatural Creature Explained
Bringing the beautiful and terrifying creatures of Philippine folklore to the small screen.
Trese, the newest original Netflix anime, made a splash as a unique and exciting action horror series, even with only a limited 6-episode pilot season.
Animated by LEX + OTIS and directed by Jay Oliva, known for his work on DC animated films like Justice League Dark and for storyboarding the Snyder Cut, the series does its homework when it comes to every little detail seen in the show.
The series showcased a ton of unique, fantastical, and terrifying creatures from Philippine Mythology rarely seen in other shows or films. Though many more exist in various horror stories across the thousands of Philippine islands, Trese is able to showcase a good number of them, some more prominently than others.
While more prominent creatures and their tribes are seen and named, many others don't get speaking lines, or are only observed in the background. However, their appearances and designs are so unique that they're easy to identify even without Trese pointing them out.
Here's a list of every single supernatural creature seen in Trese season 1, all of which are based on real, legendary creatures from Filipino folklore - some even going beyond the Philippines to other countries.
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Spoilers for characters and some events in the Trese series.
12. Gods, Emissaries, And Babaylan
Deities like Ibu, the Manobo goddess of death, and Talagbusao, Bukidnon god of war, play significant roles in the series. They were held in high regard among different indigenous groups, and their stories were much more widespread in the islands's pre-Catholic era.
We don't get to see Ibu herself, but see her Emissary, who is dressed in Spanish era clothing when she speaks to Alexandra Trese. She seems to be based on the belief that there were certain gods humanity could not speak to directly, and would therefore need messengers or emissaries.
The butterflies from her mouth seem to be based on a popular supersition in the Philippines that butterflies or moths are the souls of dead loved ones.
Another element of pre-colonial religion that has survived in some capacity to modern day is the babaylan, often a cis or trans priestess who was held in high regard and presided over many rites, from birth to coming of age and even death.
They were also known as healers and doctors. In modern day, many still practice babaylan techniques and specialties, from the "Hilot" for physical healing such as massage, to spiritual healing, and other such practices.