Anime and Manga
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: Naddy tells Rentarou this story in Chapter 171, putting a reverse Occidental Otaku spin on it.
- Assassination Classroom has the characters put on a play based on this, but it's a Fractured Fairytale that's mostly about the old couple's divorce and legal battle over the miraculous peach. Momotaro doesn't appear, the animals are trained by the old man to attack his ex-wife, and the "island of demons" is just a metaphor for the darkness of the human heart.
- In Dr. STONE, Senku is amazed to discover that the stone-age villagers who were born after the mysterious petrification of Earth in 2017note know the legend of Momotaro. He's even more stunned that their version of the story casts Momotaro as a musclebound Kenshiro lookalike with a bear, gorilla, lion, and crocodile as companions. Later on we find out that this version was written by Senku's father Byakuya shortly after the petrification.
- One chapter of Gakuen Babysitters has the babysitting club putting on a version of Momotaro in order to perform for the babies' parents, specifically Kirin's mother, as she's also busy with the drama club and their own play.
- Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure: One episode of the series shows Ageha telling the story to Elle-chan. Tsubasa is the pheasant, Mashiro is the monkey and Sora is the dog.
- Hozuki's Coolheadedness: The first episode started off with Momotaro causing trouble for the oni in hell. He appears after that as a regularly recurring character, having found a new job caring for the peach trees of immortality.
- The first two episodes of Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger involve the heroes restoring the world of this story, which was corrupted into a Sci-Fi epic.
- Kotaro Lives Alone: In episode 5, Kotaro learns the woman who runs the local supermarket is pregnant, but doesn't understand the concept since he thought babies were born from peaches, like in the story of Momotaro.
- My Monster Secret references the story when the cast are submitting ideas for their scripts for the school play. Shiho's submission is "Momobutttaro", a modified version of this fairy tale. We only get to see tiny snippets, but Class Representative Aizawa (whom Shiho wanted to play the lead role) claims that it's straight-up pornographic, and Shiho is "convinced" to abandon it with the threat that she'll have to star in it alongside Lovable Sex Maniac Shimada, who she's desperately been trying to avoid.
- Three of the guards in Nanbaka are themed after a dog (Kenshirou), a pheasant (Kiji) and a monkey (Samon) respectively.
- One Piece:
- The Admirals are all given code names that reference characters from the story, AoKiji (blue pheasant), KiZaru (yellow monkey), AkaInu (red dog), and more recently FujiTora (Wisteria Tiger) and RyokuGyu (Green Bull).
- The Wano also has several references to Momotarou. Kaidou resides on the island Onigashima which is obviously modeled after its namesake and he and his crew took control of Wano via force, representing the oni. The little girl O-Tama is able to make animal creatures into her allies with her kibi-dangos she can produce with her body. Momonosuke, the son of the deceased daimyou Kozuki Oden, also has a big role to play, notably as the lord of the Nine Red Scabbards who oppose Kaidou and Orochi. Another key player who is directly aiming for Kaidou's head is the main protagonist, Luffy, who adopts the undercover moniker Luffytarou. Representing the three animals we have Monkey D. Luffy, Marco the Phoenix and Yamato, who can turn into a mythical wolf.
- This is the inspiration for Peach Boy Riverside, and straight up referenced by the narrator when Sally, with the Peach eye ability, kills an oni.
- In the final arc of Rolling Girls one of the characters is a Gender Flip of Momotaro named Momo. Although her animal companions are different, and the demon is actually her biological mother performing a Zero-Approval Gambit.
- In Sakigake!! Otokojuku, the main character is named Momotaro. Since the manga tends to poke fun at WWII-style Japanese nationalism, this might be a reference to Momotaro's Sea Eagles and Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors.
- In Episode 14 of Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure, Minori reads the story of Momotaro to a group of preschoolers.
- In YuYu Hakusho, one villain is named Kuromomotaro, or "Black Momotaro" and is part of a team made up of evil versions of classic Japanese fairy tale characters. The kibi-dango are turned into magic spheres that give Kuromomotaro different animal-themed armors based on Momotaro's three animal companions.
- Volume 4 of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War has a Fractured Fairy Tale version. It was also adapted as a chapter of the Official Doujin, which ended with Momotaro and the Oni falling in love (since they were cast as Shirogane and Kaguya respectively).
- Ranma ½: Ranma asks his equally Book Dumb father what he knows about Romeo. His father's response: He was born from a peach. The English translation adapts this as he's from the planet Krypton.
Comic Books
- Usagi Yojimbo: In one issue, Usagi befriended a group of orphans and told them the story of Momotaro, casting himself in the lead role.
- X-Men Fairy Tales recast Cyclops as Momotaro, with Professor Xavier and other members of the original line-up in supporting roles.
Films — Animated
- In My Neighbors the Yamadas, a fantasy sequence near the beginning includes oldest son Noboru being born from a peach. (His younger sister is depicted coming from a bamboo stalk.)
- "What Am I for Momotaro" has Doraemon, Nobita and their friends deciding to travel to the past after finding proof that Momotaro allegedly exists.
Literature
- Broken Princess: A group of rebels use Monkey, Dog, and Pheasant as code names while their boss is code named Momotaro.
- A Certain Magical Index: During the Three Stories arc, Touma has to write a book report on Momotaro. Index looks the book over, says it is inaccurate, and recites how the story really happened, saying it is well known in the Magic Side. Touma rages that her version does him no good because it is different from the book, so if he tried to use it, he'd get an F and be accused of lying.
Live-Action TV
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers is a Sentai based on characters from the Momotaro folklore.
- GoGo Sentai Boukenger, episode 36 has the Boukengers meet a modern day incarnation of the character named Taro. He too is born from a giant peach Satoru and Eiji find in a river, grows into a 10-year-old within a day, and eventually helps the Boukengers retrieve a precious named the Kanabō from the Questers (whom he initially mistakes for Oni)
- Momotaros from Kamen Rider Den-O, naturally, is based on the tale, and his cars on the Den-Liner feature weapons based off of the three animals. The Imagin Anime shorts also have an episode where all the Imagin try to reenact the story, with... less-than-optimal results.
- Ultraman Leo has an episode titled "Japan Masterpiece Folklore Series - Mighty! Momotaro!" which is pretty much a Whole-Plot Reference to the Momotaro myth, with a bullied child becoming Momotaro, being accompanied by a band of animal sidekicks (consisting of a dog, monkey and chicken - they probably couldn't get a pheasant like in the myth) and the Monster of the Week being an Oni named Oni-on.
Video Games
- Doodle Champion Island Games: Momotaro and his animal friends play alongside Lucky the cat in the rugby game against some Oni, and finding Momotaro to lead his team is one of the sidequests.
- Doraemon 2: SOS! Otogi no Kuni, based on the manga of the same name, in which Doraemon and friends get to enter the world of fairytales. Nobita's level notably had him becoming Momotaro and launching projectiles from a peach-shaped vessel, and later battling a powerful Oni as the level's boss.
- "Onigashima" is a special event in Fate/Grand Order where the cast fight Oni on the island. Given the nature of the series, the cast are very aware that it's derivative of the original story. The characters play the part of Momotarou and his companions. Momotarou is played by the protagonist, the monkey is played by Sakata Kintoki, the pheasant is played by Fuuma Kotarou, and the dog is played by Ushiwakamaru who has to compete for it with Mash, Tamamo-no-Mae, Kiyohime and even Fou. The oni boss is played by Ushi Gozen.
- The Trainer Dressphere from Final Fantasy X-2 seems to be based on the legend, since the heroes' partner animals are a dog (for Yuna), monkey (Rikku) and pheasant (Paine).
- One stage in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 features an elderly Momotaro being forced out of retirement to defeat some rogue oni. He ends up convincing them to make an honest living by opening an amusement park on Onigashima.
- The first DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduces several Pokémon that reference the tale; Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti are based on the dog, monkey, and pheasant respectively, while Ogerpon is based on the oni and Pecharunt (introduced in the second DLC) is based on Momotaro himself. It's actually based on the Fractured Fairy Tale interpretation where Momotaro is actually a bandit who plunders innocent monsters for wealth, as the oni equivalent is an innocent victim, while the equivalents to the dog, monkey, and pheasant are vicious thieves and the Momotaro equivalent is the one who corrupted them into being that way. Fittingly, Pecharunt's original Japanese name is Momowarou, a corruption of Momotaro.
- Yo-kai Watch features Momonyan, a cat version of the hero debuting in Yo-kai Watch Blasters. Along with his retainers Puppynyan, Chimpanyan, and Pheasenyan. He first shows up in a subversion of the story told by Yo-kai movie director Directator where the Oni (Gargaros) wins in the end. Then a sequel where Momonyan fights off Kintaronyan (based on the hero Kintaro) and Odysseynyan (based on the hero Urashima Taro) before defeating the Oni as revenge.
Visual Novels
- The Dancing Blade: Katte ni Momotenshi! series is an adaptation of Momotaro's tale, with the main heroine, Momohime, being a Gender Flip version of Momotaro, whose Trademark Favorite Food is kibi-dango, and who got an Orphan's Plot Trinket's Cool Sword; also, Momohime's main companions are a man with a Powered Armor (Sarukichi, as the monkey), and two female Youkai with magic powers (Oinu, as the dog; and Kijime, as the pheasant).
- Fate/hollow ataraxia: Rin writes up a play for the archery club that's essentially a sequel to Momotaro where the hero must team up with various folkloric characters from Japan who also have the name "-taro" like Urashima Taro to traverse once more to Onigashima and fight the oni. As Rin was Writing by the Seat of Your Pants (she cranked out this first draft in two days), she inserts herself at the very end as the twist villain and there's No Ending.
Western Animation
- Samurai Jack told the story of Momotaro to a baby he was protecting.
- Super Why! used the tale of Momotaro to help Pig and his brothers to cooperate.
