The WORST episodes of Mushi-Shi

Every episode of Mushi-Shi ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Mushi-Shi!

They are neither plants nor animals. They differ from other forms of life such as the micro-organisms and the fungi. Instead they resemble the primeval body of life and are generally known as "Mushi". Their existence and appearance are unknown to many and only a limited number of humans are aware of them. Ginko is a "Mushi-shi" who travels around to investigate and find out more about the "Mushi". In the process, he also lends a helping hand to people who face problems with supernatural occurances which may be related to the "Mushi".

Last Updated: 11/27/2024Network: Tokyo MXStatus: Ended
The Green Seat
star
8.07
251 votes

#1 - The Green Seat

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/23/2005

Shinra, a boy living in a forest with mysterious powers, calls for Ginko, The Mushishi, to help him with his problems. While Ginko is staying with Shinra, he tells him all about Mushi and his powers. Later on, while walking in Shinra's house at night, Ginko finds a Mushi... But this isn't an ordinary Mushi, it's Shinra's grandmother!

Directors: Hiroshi Nagahama
Watch Now:Amazon
Tender Horns
star
8.13
175 votes

#2 - Tender Horns

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/6/2005

On silent snowy nights, when no sounds can be heard, many people go deaf in one or both ears. The doctors can't do anything, so they think it might be paranormal. Ginko looks into some of the villager's ears and he tells them that the cause is a Mushi called "Un". After dealing with their small problems there is one more person who has lost sound in both of his ears and his condition is very different than the other people's, as he has also grown four horns on his head.

Directors: Tatsuyuki Nagai
Watch Now:Amazon
The Sound of Rust
star
8.24
125 votes

#3 - The Sound of Rust

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/28/2006

In a cold mountainous region, Ginko is wandering around the snow cover plain when he hears a sound ringing through the cold air and he also notices some rust on a tree. Ginko enters a nearby town to find the rust covering everywhere, including the people. The village chief tells Ginko that this is a sickness that has been affecting the town for 14 years that the people have been slowly losing the movements of the limbs and it's said that a girl called Shige is the cause of it.

Directors: Osamu Yamazaki
Watch Now:Amazon
Hidden Cove
star
8.28
85 votes

#4 - Hidden Cove

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/9/2014

Yura and Sumi, the former's caretaker, were close friends. Eventually, as they were moved apart, Yura could still feel Sumi's presence. However, whenever that happened, she'd become like an empty shell, worrying her father. As Ginko comes to know of the case, he proceeds to offer them advice, as the condition is caused by a mushi that can connect people's minds.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Pillow Pathway
star
8.32
144 votes

#5 - The Pillow Pathway

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/13/2005

Ginko hears a rumor around town that a man is has prophetic dreams every once in a while. He suspects that Mushi are living in his dreams. He gives the man medicine to keep them under control and says he will come back when he has used about all of them. When Ginko returns, the village is deserted and torn up. Ginko finds the man alone in is house. The man then tells him about what happened while he was away.

Directors: Koichiro Sohtome
Watch Now:Amazon
Those Who Inhale the Dew
star
8.34
131 votes

#6 - Those Who Inhale the Dew

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/27/2005

Ginko is on another adventure as he is brought to a very peculiar island, by a young boy Nagi. Ginko is taken to see a girl, who the island inhabitants refer to as "Ikigami" and is said to be able to perform miracles however Ginko discovers that there is more to this.

Directors: Dan Odawara
Watch Now:Amazon
Valley of the Welling Tide
star
8.34
90 votes

#7 - Valley of the Welling Tide

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/14/2014

Ginko falls unconscious on a snowy mountain. He is helped by locals who somehow manage to grow their fields despite the weather, mainly because of a worker with unabated stamina. But at what cost does this vigor come?

Watch Now:Amazon
Journey in the Field of Fire
star
8.41
98 votes

#8 - Journey in the Field of Fire

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 6/4/2006

"Build a fire - night comes... Light a fire - darkness comes... Hide the fire - flames arisen from corpses creep in..." Ginko meets another Mushi-shi, which happens to be a young lady called Yahagi and surrounding the village she lives in is a new variety of Mushi growing on the mountain's fields. It's becoming so bad that the village people are at risk and as a last resort they plan to burn the entire mountain but Ginko doesn't think that this is the right option.

Directors: Toshinori Narita
Watch Now:Amazon
Where Sea Meets Man
star
8.42
122 votes

#9 - Where Sea Meets Man

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/11/2005

Ginko is waiting along the sea shore, for a transport to get him across the bay when he meets a man called Shirou, who lost his wife under strange circumstances. Ginko seems interested and decides to listen to his story about how he lost his wife in a swarm of sea snakes, during fog. Ginko later comes back with information on the Mushi that caused the bizarre events.

Directors: Toshinori Narita
Watch Now:Amazon
The Traveling Swamp
star
8.45
132 votes

#10 - The Traveling Swamp

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/20/2005

Adashino-sensei is looking to buy some of the items that Ginko has obtained on his journey. He especially wants the wine cup that was drawn by Shinra, But Ginko says it's too rare to be sold to collectors. He tells Adoshenei-sensei about the strange being he met while in the forest and he also explains how the swamp is moving towards the sea. This looks like the work of a Mushi...

Directors: Kenichi Imaizumi
Watch Now:Amazon
The Light of the Eyelid
star
8.45
172 votes

#11 - The Light of the Eyelid

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/30/2005

A girl named Sui has an unusual disease that causes pain in her eyes whenever she sees light. She has to be locked in a pitch black shed that has no light in it. A boy named Biki helps Sui by removing bandages, giving her food, and just talking to her. Biki's mother is worried about him getting the illness, so she tells him not to stay as long as he normally would with Sui. One day while Biki is talking to her, she tells him why she has that illness: There are Mushi in her eyes. Biki continues to take care of her until one night when he is reading by a candle, a strange pain comes to his eyes.

Watch Now:Amazon
Raindrops and Rainbows
star
8.45
129 votes

#12 - Raindrops and Rainbows

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/4/2005

On a rainy day Ginko takes a rest from his travels and comes across a man named Kourou who seems to be obsessed with a rainbow. To pass the time Kourou reminisces in his past, with the events which led to him pursuing rainbows whenever they appear. Ginko explains to him that the rainbow which he is searching for is actually a Mushi known as "Koda" but there seems to be more to it.

Directors: Koichiro Sohtome
Watch Now:Amazon
Sunrise Serpent
star
8.48
108 votes

#13 - Sunrise Serpent

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/12/2006

It is spring, and Ginko is taking a boat through a river, when the boat's boy, Kaji, asks Ginko whether he could help his mother, who's forgetting things and can't sleep. At first glance it may appear to be progressive amnesia, however something isn't right.

Directors: Ryo Miyata
Watch Now:Amazon
Mirror Lake
star
8.49
95 votes

#14 - Mirror Lake

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/3/2014

Ginko encounters a young woman being followed by a mysterious, watery creature. The woman becomes weak, and her family believes it to be lovesickness. Ginko reveals the truth of the mushi attached to her, but the woman must decide whether to give up her body to the mushi, or to dispel it and continue living.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Heavy Seed
star
8.50
111 votes

#15 - The Heavy Seed

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/18/2005

While on his journey, Ginko stumbles upon a town which has yielded a great crop this year, thanks to their ancestors. However, it is said that someone must be sacrificed in exchange. Ginko finds this peculiar and decides to investigate further, by going to see the village "Saishu-sama" (chief mourner) who may have something to do with it.

Directors: Koichiro Sohtome
Watch Now:Amazon
The White Which Lives Within the Ink Stone
star
8.51
112 votes

#16 - The White Which Lives Within the Ink Stone

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/8/2006

Some kids enter Adashino-sensei's shed and find a lot of strange things, but there's one thing in particular that interests them. It's night and Adashino-sensei is called upon to look at one of the kids, a girl who has become bitterly cold, and the cause is a mysterious ink stone she touched. Luckily for Adashino-sensei, Ginko is passing through the village, and he shows him the ink stone, which he identifies it as a "Kumohami".

Directors: Tatsuyuki Nagai
Watch Now:Amazon
The Pretense of Spring
star
8.53
137 votes

#17 - The Pretense of Spring

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/5/2006

"When all are sheltering within, there comes an imitation of spring. Linger in bliss for too long and your flesh will soon be frozen..." Caught in a blizzard, Ginko is decides to look for shelter and finds a home where the owner, Suzu allows him to stay the night. The next day Ginko sees a boy, Miharu who seems to be fascinated by Mushi. Ginko learns that Miharu once disappeared into the mountains in the winter and then suddenly came back in spring, able to see Mushi. Miharu has been repeating this since and it may be caused by a "Harumagari" so in the end, Ginko decides to teach him more about Mushi.

Directors: Dan Odawara
Watch Now:Amazon
Wind Raiser
star
8.53
90 votes

#18 - Wind Raiser

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/7/2014

While on board a boat, Ginko meets a young man who has developed a connection to a flock of bird-type mushi able to create wind.

Watch Now:Amazon
Cloudless Rain
star
8.54
93 votes

#19 - Cloudless Rain

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/24/2014

A woman afflicted by a water-type mushi decides to make use of her condition to help those in need.

Watch Now:Amazon
Clothes That Embrace the Mountain
star
8.54
105 votes

#20 - Clothes That Embrace the Mountain

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/26/2006

This story is about a mysterious genius artist named Kai who left his family to become better known for his talents and as a parting gift his sister made him a Haori (Man's Kimono). One day he got bored and made a Haura (painting inside the jacket) on his Haori. His master saw this and recognized his talents, so he gave Kai jobs with clients and he quickly started to become well known for his work but his fame came at a price.

Watch Now:Amazon
One-Night Bridge
star
8.55
102 votes

#21 - One-Night Bridge

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/22/2006

Just managing to cross the treacherous Kazura Bridge, Ginko meets up with a man on the other side who takes him to meet a lady called Hana, who fell from the same bridge 3 years ago. Even though Hana survived, all she does is sit under the sun and nothing else and nobody seems to know what's wrong with her. Hana is feared to be a "Tanimodori", which are people whose minds and memories are wiped clean and they die on the night that the "One Night Bridge" shows up. From the info gathered Ginko knows that Hana is possessed by a Mushi called a "Nisekazura".

Watch Now:Amazon
Banquet at the Forest's Edge
star
8.61
114 votes

#22 - Banquet at the Forest's Edge

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/5/2014

A sake brewer once lost his way home and chanced upon a strange ceremony. There, he tasted a sweet, glowing sake that he's never been able to forget. Years later, his son has followed in his footsteps and is trying to brew a sake to match his dad's. When he, too, encounters a late-night ceremony, he pretends to be part of it, meeting Ginko during the occasion.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Hand That Caresses the Night
star
8.64
96 votes

#23 - The Hand That Caresses the Night

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/26/2014

A young man has the power to lure animals to him using a scent issuing from his hand. He inherited this power from his father, and it makes hunting easier. But it makes the meat from his prey taste foul. More serious is the risk of losing his mind to the power and confusing family with prey. There's a cure, but will the boy be willing to give up his power?

Watch Now:Amazon
Thread of Light
star
8.64
76 votes

#24 - Thread of Light

Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 11/16/2014

A young boy named Gen troubles his father by being too rough with other kids, who pick on him due to his absent mother. The child, too strong for his age, also claims to be able to see strange creatures that no one else sees. As Ginko arrives at Gen's place, the story behind Gen's strength is revealed as the mushishi recounts the day he met a woman who'd woven a mysterious seamless garment.

Watch Now:Amazon
Sea of Otherworldly Stars
star
8.67
82 votes

#25 - Sea of Otherworldly Stars

Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 11/23/2014

Izumi is alone in a world that mirrors our own. Having forgotten how she came to be there, she remains trapped while her family searches in vain. Her father believes she has been kidnapped, while her mother and sister Mizuho believe that she is still inside the house, even though they cannot see her. Ginko crosses into the other world to try to save her.

Watch Now:Amazon