Dokebi are the creatures at the center of DokeV's identity. The player finds them, befriends them, carries them, and fights alongside them. The overview article frames how Dokebi sit inside the game; this page focuses on who they are and how the game has reframed them.
Folklore Origin
Dokebi is a modern, game-friendly spelling of dokkaebi (도깨비), figures that have lived in Korean folktales for centuries. The detail that matters most for DokeV is how they come into being. Unlike ghosts, they are not the souls of dead people. They are formed when a spirit takes hold of an inanimate object, often something humble and worn: an old broom, a household tool, a bloodstained item. The object wakes up with a personality and often a streak of mischief. Traditional stories paint dokkaebi as tricksters who wrestle humans, reward generosity, punish greed, and vanish at the first crow of a rooster.
The folklore details above are background, not gameplay specifications. DokeV draws on dokkaebi tradition for its name, look, and tone, but every concrete behaviour, ability, and type in the game is whatever Pearl Abyss has shown on the record. Lore that exists only in older Korean folktales is not a substitute for what the build itself confirms. See the Combat System article for what has been demonstrated about Dokebi in fights, and the Overview for the game's full premise.
DokeV's Adaptation
DokeV keeps the spirit-from-an-object idea but pulls the tone in a softer, more contemporary direction. The stated framing is that Dokebi live harmoniously together with humans and draw strength from people's dreams. Dreams are the resource that empowers them, which gives the player a reason to befriend Dokebi rather than fight them off. Building bonds is the central activity, not a side effect of catching them.
Design Direction
The Dokebi shown so far lean into whimsy and modern reinterpretation. The folklore root is preserved (a spirit possessing an object) but the objects are present-day, and the silhouettes are deliberately cartoonish. A few designs have been confirmed in public footage:
Confirmed Dokebi | Description |
|---|---|
Alarm Clock with Headphones | A walking alarm clock wearing a pair of headphones. The clearest expression of the spirit-of-an-object idea: a household device come to life with a music habit. |
Panda and Polar Bear Hybrid Boxer | A chunky bear-shaped Dokebi combining panda and polar bear features and wearing boxing gloves. Reads as a sparring partner more than a wild animal. |
Llama Mount | A llama-shaped Dokebi large enough to ride. Functions as a mount in the open world. |
Beyond those examples, the wider pool shown in trailers skews toward plush-toy creatures with rounded shapes and home-appliance forms that take everyday objects and give them faces and limbs. The look reads as a toy-shelf brought to life rather than a traditional fantasy bestiary.
Capture and Summon
Dokebi are stored and carried in small prismatic discs. The disc is the in-fiction container the player keeps on hand, and Dokebi are summoned out of it when needed. The clearest summon moment in shown footage is the start of a fight, where a Dokebi appears beside the player as a real-time ally. The full creature loop is covered in the combat system article.
Where You Find Them
Dokebi are scattered across DokeV's open world rather than penned into specific dungeons, with sightings shown across cities, rural and coastal areas, and festival environments. Finding them is part of normal exploration. New players easing in should also see the getting started article.
Unconfirmed Details
A great deal about Dokebi has not been disclosed. Open questions include:
Full catalog and named individuals
: roster size at launch and any list of names.
Type and growth systems
: elemental or role categories, and whether Dokebi change form.
Capture and bonding mechanics
: minigames, item requirements, trust meters.
Party-size limits
for carrying or deploying Dokebi in a fight.
Stat blocks
: hit points, attack values, growth curves.
Traditional folklore items
: whether the dokkaebi gamtu (invisibility hat) and dokkaebi bangmangi (magic club) appear in any form inside DokeV.
Treat specific rosters, type charts, or stat numbers from outside this article with caution.