WHO ARE TIKBY AND MANANG?

The two creatures seen battling for the disc in the Manila Spirits 2005 logo are legendary mythical beasts in Philippine folklore, known as the tikbalang and the manananggal.

The tikbalang is a nocturnal giant with the head and upper torso of a horse, and the lower body of a man. It is said to have a mischievous, almost cruel sense of humor, as it is fond of getting travelers lost in the woods; the only way for them to find their way out is to reverse their shirts and wear it inside out. Hey, we’ve heard worse.

The manananggal is a being who, at night, sprouts wings and separates her upper torso from the rest of her body. The manananggal is usually female in gender, and goes flying off at night in search of blood and newborn babies. We think they’d make perfect longs too.

These two powerful creatures represent the extreme, cutthroat level of competition we’re expecting to see at this year’s tourney: higher jumps, sick layouts, and impossible D’s. This year, Ultimate goes on a supernatural high with Manila Spirits 2005.