History Main / FoulFox

[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/ChickenLittle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/124_011thinking.jpg]]]]

* ''Literature/FengshenYanyi'': Daji is a sadistic 1000-years old ''[[{{Kitsune}} huli-jing]]'' sent by the goddess Nu Wa to punish King Zhou for his blasphemy towards her, corrupting him into a maniacal tyrant and feeding his darkest side. She has an entire family of equally evil, man-eating fox spirits dwelling in the hollow tomb of Emperor Huang, which can appear as spotless immortals and fairies but reek of tomb and corpses.

* ''Literature/FengshenYanyi'': Daji is a sadistic nine-tailed ''[[{{Kitsune}} huli-jing]]'' sent by the goddess Nu Wa to punish King Zhou for his blasphemy towards her, corrupting him into a maniacal tyrant.

* ''Literature/AesopsFables'': The fox character in Aesop's fables is portrayed as a clever and cunning antagonist who uses trickery to get what he wants. [[KarmaHoudini Sometimes it works]], but [[KarmicDeath sometimes it doesn’t]].
** In ''The Fox and the Goat'', a fox falls down a well and gets trapped. He sees a young goat and convinces the goat to join him because he was enjoying his time there. As soon as the goat lept into the well, the fox used him to escape and left the goat to die.
** In ''The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox'', a bear and a lion find a lost goat and begin to argue about who gets to eat it. While the two were fighting, the fox ate it and ran away with the body to eat it.
** In ''The Fox and the Crow'', the hungry fox encounters a crow eating a piece of cheese and uses its charm to convince the bird to sing. When the crow sings, it drops the cheese and the fox runs away with it.

** Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark from ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' are the vengeful spirits of normal Zorua and Zoroark that succumbed to the harsh conditions of the Hisui region [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything after being driven from their original homes by humans]]. Hisuian Zoroark can even create illusions so real, they cause physical harm in and out of the body.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}} has a few.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': "Honest" John Foulfellow is an anthropomorphic fox who has no problem conning children out of their money and freedom (He even has the word "Foul" right in his name!), and it's implied he's willing to do hits as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': "Honest" John Foulfellow is an anthropomorphic fox who has no problem conning children out of their money and freedom, and it's implied he's willing to do hits as well.

Compare SavageWolves, WickedWeasel, ThoseWilyCoyotes, BearsAreBadNews and for the aquatic equivalents, DeviousDolphins.

SubTrope of PredatorsAreMean, ScavengersAreScum and KillerRabbit. May overlap with FantasticFoxes, {{Kitsune}} and/or FoxFolk. For other fox stereotypes, see FoxyVixen and CunningLikeAFox.

Compare SavageWolves, WickedWeasel, ThoseWilyCoyotes and for the aquatic equivalents, DeviousDolphins.

SubTrope of PredatorsAreMean and ScavengersAreScum. May overlap with FantasticFoxes, {{Kitsune}} and/or FoxFolk. For other fox stereotypes, see FoxyVixen and CunningLikeAFox.

Compare SavageWolves, WickedWeasel, ThoseWilyCoyotes.

* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': Ahri is a fox-like vastaya who emotionally manipulates and [[YourSoulIsMine absorbs the souls]] of her victims.

Compare SavageWolves, ThoseWilyCoyotes.

Compare SavageWolves, WickedWeasel.

Compare SavageWolves, AngryGuardDog, and {{Hellhound}} for another trope about wicked, wild canids.

[[folder:Music]]
* The German parody rap band The Orsons wrote a song titled "Der Fuchs plant nichts Gutes" (Ger. "The Fox Is Up To No Good") about a nefarious fox that steals guns from a farmer to raid his chicken coop, before escaping across the border in a stolen car.
[[/folder]]

* The Korean kumiho is a multi-tailed fox with a taste for human liver.

** All fox hengeyokai characters must be of Evil alignment (ChaoticEvil, NeutralEvil, or LawfulEvil).

* The only fox in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' is Crazy Redd, a shady salesman who runs a black market shop. Although he typically does have some genuinely rare items that can't be obtained anywhere else, they're mixed in with overpriced common items, and from ''[[VideoGame/AnimalCrossingWildWorld Wild World]]'' onwards, paintings and artwork he sells have a high chance of being forgeries.

* ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit'': Mr. Tod is an antagonistic fox who is usually seen trying to eat Peter Rabbit and his friends. He also tends to think of himself as somewhat of an evil genius and takes pride in being the top predator in the area.
* A ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch based on ''Film/EmmetOttersJugbandChristmas'' has Emmet invite Frankie Fox as the newest member of the jug band. However, the rest of the band are weary, as foxes are their natural enemies. Sure enough, Frankie attacks them all during their performance of "We're All the Same on Christmas Day."

SubTrope of PredatorsAreMean. May overlap with FantasticFoxes, {{Kitsune}} and/or FoxFolk. For other fox stereotypes, see FoxyVixen and CunningLikeAFox.

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'' foxes often attack the cats and compete with them for prey. This is why calling someone a "fox-heart" is a very bad insult. Because the foxes either don't have language or [[TranslationConvention don't have one that the narrative translates]], the implication is that they're savage beasts.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' has Fiona Fox. As a child, Fiona was imprisoned by Dr. Robotnik during his rise to power as a result of being abandoned by Sonic and Mighty the Armadillo. Understandably, she developed a grudge against the two for what happened, and over time, her grudge worsened the darker aspects of her personality, until eventually, she fell from grace entirely and became an outright villain. Fiona has a history of mild illegal activity, including robbery. She's also extremely clever and has an acute memory. However, she is clearly reluctant to talk about her past. When she chose to follow a darker path in life (likely due to her past), she developed a relationship with Scourge, Sonic's EvilCounterpart, preferring him to the virtuous real deal. She is also great at gymnastics, as she once performed a backflip off a bamboo tree.

This trope has some basis in RealLife. Wolves are fine adversaries against adults, being vicious and skilled predators. Cattle ranchers and sheepherders are especially wary of wolves. Coyotes, too, for the same reason. Foxes, however, are too small for cattle and sheep, but can still terrorize a farm with pigs or chickens. Farmers have also discovered how intelligent and devious foxes can be, by thwarting farmers' attempts to shield their livestock from foxes. Also, unlike many other predators, foxes can adapt to an urban environment remarkably well and can lose all fear of humans in the process, which can be disconcerting to those who don't expect to find wild animals in the middle of a busy city acting like they own the place, especially if they have young children. Plus, foxes have been a staple of folklore that's OlderThanFeudalism, and even if they are depicted as a [[FantasticFoxes fantastic fox]], you will always come across subversions.

* In most of Literature/AesopsFables, a fox is the clever antagonist that uses trickery to get what he wants. [[KarmaHoudini Sometimes it works]], but [[KarmicDeath sometimes it doesn’t]].

* Br'er Fox is one of the most frequent antagonists of the Uncle Remus stories, whose activities frequently revolve around trying to eat main character [[GuileHero Br'er Rabbit]].