Kappa, a Japanese creature, attacking the Austrian ship Kaiserin Elizabeth.
Kappa are a fabricated creatures used by the Japanese. They are used to attack ships, like kraken, though unlike kraken they do not destroy the ships that they attack, and only kill enough of the crew to force the ship to surrender. These creatures are controlled with sound waves from a submarine. They have webbed feet, green scaly skin, and can climb the smooth surface of ships easily.
In the series[]
Kappa are introduced in Goliath. Alek and Deryn are on the Leviathan when it fights off the airship cover of Kaiserin Elizabeth, an Austrian ship being attacked by kappa. The kappa eat or kill some of the crew, who unsuccessfully try to fight the kappa with bayonets, cutlasses and guns. The remaining crew surrenders the ship to get the kappa called off by the Japanese. Deryn is unnerved by the violence of the creatures.
Trivia[]
Kappa is named after a demon in Japanese folklore.