"Obake karuta" is an early example of the common Japanese fascination with classifying monsters and creating new ones. The game is one of the earliest attempts by Japanese companies to categorize legendary creatures, label them, define them, and subsequently market them. As such, it is a precursor to the "Godzilla" films of the 1950s and later. Even more closely, "obake karuta" resembles the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or "Pokémon Trading Card Game", which also involves collecting cards that represent fabulous creatures. In fact, many Pokémon were designed specifically after creatures from Japanese mythology.