Sekiro: 7 Weirdest Enemies (And What They Represent)
4. Corrupted Monk
This illusionary first appearance of the Corrupted Monk is akin to a ghost with all its purple transparency, and there's plenty more that aligns with a reading of this enemy as a nightmare from beyond our mortal coil.
The Preta, or "Hungry Ghosts" of Japanese folklore are creatures that are marked by their tiny heads and slender necks against much larger bodies, a representation of their greed and eternal appetite that they can never quite sate. But what is this monk hungry for?
Well, considering you crack her open to find a... surprise, and that she's an everlasting immortal being, you can argue she's never satisfied as a figment of what she once was. The Corrupted Monk is metaphorically hungry for her humanity in the face of a lifetime as a spirit. Her bastardisation of religion has left her wanting, now a guardian of the bridge left to stand sentinel for eternity.
As an aside, The Corrupted Monk seems to be wearing a Hannya mask, a theatrical device used to represent a female demon - not worlds away from the classic representation of Oni, demonstrating her demonic nature.
In her hands, she clutches traditional Buddhist prayer beads, wielding her corrupted faith as a weapon.