Kuchisake-onna is a rather disturbing legend surrounding a seemingly ordinary woman wearing a surgical mask, as though to protect others from catching her cold. She appears before those walking alone at night, usually children, and asks, 'Am I beautiful?' If you answer no, you are killed with the pair of scissors Kuchisake-onna carries. If you answer yes, she takes off her mask to reveal her grotesque grin, a mouth that has been slit from ear to ear. 'How about now?' she will ask; she will kill you if you say no, and cut you an identical smile if you say yes. Rumor has it that a few answers will confuse Kuchisake-onna long enough for you to escape: 'You're average,' or, 'Meh, so-so'. According to myth, Kuchisake-onna was a woman disfigured by her husband when he found out she was cheating. After he viciously cut her mouth, he asked her, 'Who will think you are beautiful now?' This is popular urban legend in Japan, and appears in dozens of movies, manga and anime.
