Revenge
In the story of Shiramine, a king's spirit turns into a goblin and takes revenge from his family. Kibitsu no Kama tale is about a vengeful ghost of a wife who kills the lover of her husband, and Story of a White Snake Demon who kills his lover's wife out of jealousy.
Cannibalism
The story Aozukin displays the theme of cannibalism. An old monk loses his sanity due to his lustful desires and turns into a cannibal and starts tormenting the villagers.
Supernatural Elements
Ueda Akinari's stories have supernatural elements such as goblins, deities, demons, and mystical animals. The Carp of My Dream, and A Serpent's Lust, both stories have animals with uncanny ability as the main character.
Salvation
The theme of salvation is prominent in most of the stories of Ugetsu Monagatari. In the story of A Serpent's Lust, a monk captures a lustful snake demon. Aozukin is the story of a monk who helps an abbot's spirit to achieve his final beatitude
Folklores
Akinari has taken the idea for his stories from the popular folklores of Japan and China. Ueda has rewritten the fables and made them more eerie and interesting for readers.
