"Backbeard" is a monster found in Japanese popular culture that is typically thought of as an "American yōkai". The first known appearance of Backbeard was in "100 Ghosts and Hauntings of the World" in the August 1965 issue of Shonen Book, although the creature was popularized by artist Shigeru Mizuki in the manga series GeGeGe no Kitarō, where Backbeard serves as a major antagonist. It is usually depicted as a black mass of tendrils with a single, giant eyeball in the middle. Its name was possibly derived from that of the bugbear.
The bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the bogeyman and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. Its name is derived from the Middle English word bugge ("a frightening thing"), or perhaps the old Welsh word bwg ("evil spirit" or "goblin"), or old Scots bogill ("goblin").
In medieval England, the bugbear was depicted as an unnerving bear that lurked in the woods to scare children. In a modern context, the term bugbear serves as a metaphor for something which is annoying or irritating, often with a connotation that the fear or loathing it inspires is disproportionate to its small threat.
Description[]
The Bugbear is a more powerful version of the Peeping Eye, although it has mythological roots and varies in look and appearance from time to time.
Bugbears appear in the last part of Celia's castle: The Pinnacle. They're almost immune to Electric and have no other attacks aside from wandering about and trying to touch Soma. The player should be aware of the electric ball at the end of their tails, though.
Its soul grants Soma the Resist-Thunder ability, which provides him with great resistance against Electric-based attacks.
In Order of Ecclesia, Bugbears are about the same as in Dawn of Sorrow. What changes is the sound they produce after waking up, which is now an electrical crackling. Their attack pattern has also been improved a bit and now they primarily try to hit Shanoa with their electrified tails by trying to fly above her.