The origins of the legend are unclear, with many variations. Some accounts claim Hanako-san is the ghost of a girl who was killed during a World War II air raid while playing hide-and-seek, while others say she was murdered by a stranger or died by suicide in a school bathroom due to bullying. Regardless of its exact origin, the story has haunted the collective imagination of Japanese school children for decades, inspiring countless works of fiction, film, and anime.
