History Main / ThoseWilyCoyotes

Coyotes in general though have a special place as [[TheTrickster tricksters]], [[SpiritAdvisor guides]] and a link to the [[SpiritWorld unseen world]]. Other times, they are associated with the darker aspects of mysticism, along with cruelty and deceit, and may be a Skin-walker in disguise.

Compare CunningLikeAFox and CleverCrows, who share a lot of the same associations as the Coyote, as they play similar roles in Native American Mythology. May be used as part of an {{Animal Motif|s}}. See also AnimalStereotypes and CruelCoyotes.

Compare CunningLikeAFox and CleverCrows, who share a lot of the same associations as the Coyote, as they play similar roles in Native American Mythology. May be used as part of an {{Animal Motif|s}}. See also AnimalStereotypes.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': The title character in "The Coyote" is shown to have trickster qualities, engaging in distraction and lying to try and get Bolt to leave him alone. Bolt even references this when he says "Don’t you dare try to distract me, got it? You guys all come complete with a loaded bag of tricks. Everybody knows that!" There are further allusions to the TropeCodifier WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner in some of the dialogue.

* In the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' universe, SCP-2547 is a pack of thousands of various canids (including coyotes) that surrounds desert towns and blocks all entry and exit. The pack is led by the anthropomorphic coyote designated SCP-2547-1 by the Foundation, who calls himself The Reverend... but those in the know can see he's clearly Coyote the Trickster. He uses his supernatural powers to drain all the water from the towns he occupies, then demands offerings in order to receive water from him. The clincher? He won't tell you what he'll accept as an offering, and if you get it wrong, you get transformed into one of those feral canids in his pack, with no intelligence or memory of who you were remaining.

Then again, other times he's a bit of a [[TheFool fool]], and can get himself into trouble, thinking he's got everything figured out. Outside of Native American portrayals, various other portrayals of coyotes don't take them quite as seriously as they take foxes and wolves, including [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner one coyote]] who is arguably one of the most memorable {{Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain}}s ever. Non-American media on other hand also treat coyotes as SeldomSeenSpecies.

** [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Wile E. Coyote]] represents the ultimate aversion to this trope. He comes up with all sorts of seemingly cunning plans to catch the roadrunner. Tapping into the fool aspect of coyote mythology, it never works. This has been justified in-universe as being because his beloved AcmeProducts don't work when utilized for nefarious means.

** [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Wile E. Coyote]] represents the ultimate aversion to this trope. He comes up with all sorts of seemingly cunning plans to catch the roadrunner. Tapping into the fool aspect of coyote mythology, it never works. This has been justified in-universe as being because his beloved {{ACME}} products don't work when utilized for nefarious means.

* Tech E Coyote from ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' is the team's GadgeteerGenius. Unlike his other counterparts, he's definitely a good guy.

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'':
** Wile E.'s JuniorCounterpart, Calamity Coyote shares his affinity for plans and gadgets... and unfortunately, his bad luck. Calamity is also much less antagonistic than his ''Looney Tunes'' counterpart.
** The main antagonist of the episode, "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS1E65HighToon High Toon]]" is The Coyote Kid, who essentially resembles Wile E. Coyote in cowboy attire. He is the leader of the Coyote Gang, a gang of coyote outlaws who rob Prairie Junction every day at High Noon. Like Wile E., he and his gang occasionally [[TalkingWithSigns communicate with each other by holding up signs]].

* Wile E. Coyote from ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'', who comes up with all sorts of seemingly cunning plans to catch the roadrunner. Tapping into the fool aspect of coyote mythology, it never works.

Compare CunningLikeAFox and CleverCrows, who share a lot of the same associations as the Coyote, as they play similar roles in Native American Mythology. See also HeroicDog for the similar domestic dog equivalents. May be used as part of an {{Animal Motif|s}}. See also AnimalStereotypes.

Compare CunningLikeAFox and CleverCrows, who share a lot of the same associations as the Coyote, as they play similar roles in Native American Mythology. May be used as part of an {{Animal Motif|s}}. See also AnimalStereotypes.

* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'': While the Pleistocene coyotes rescued initially avert this at the moment of their introduction due to being helpless victims of a tar pit at the time, they ultimately prove a bit of a nuisance for the park staff after they end up engaging in an [[AnimalJingoism irksome rivalry]] with the park's [[NobleWolf dire wolf pack]]. And for bonus points, the male leader of the pack [[MeaningfulName is explicitly named after]] [[''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' Dag]]/

Then again, other times he's a bit of a [[TheFool fool]], and can get himself into trouble, thinking he's got everything figured out. Outside of Native American portrayals, various other portrayals of coyotes don't take them quite as seriously as they take foxes and wolves, including [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner one coyote]] who is arguably one of the most memorable {{Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain}}s ever.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1561064515064365200
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

%%* The "Coyote Gospel" story in ''Comicbook/AnimalMan'' in which Coyote suffers for our world.
* A ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain who stole powers of the IneffectualSympatheticVillain Spot and proved much more devious in using them called himself Coyote.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{Gen13}}'' one-shot "Medicine Song", Sarah Rainmaker's evil stepdad Greywind got his mystical powers after somehow managing to outwit Coyote. Coyote decided to let him keep the powers out of amusement.

%%* The half-Native American main character in ''Literature/TheWalkerPapers'' series is mentored by a coyote spirit.
* Half-Native American Mercy from the ''Literature/MercyThompson'' series can turn into a coyote. [[spoiler: This turns out to be because her father is Coyote from Native American myth. This is also why she's such a magnet for trouble and why she's able to escape from what should be certain death time after time.]]

%%* In ''[[Literature/TheCompanyNovels Sky Coyote]]'' by Kage Baker, the role of "Sky Coyote" is taken on by the cyborg Joseph in order to convince a Chumash Indian community in California to evacuate in advance of European exploration.
* In a series of novels by Michael Bergey, including ''New Coyote'' and ''Coyote Season'', Coyote reincarnates as a genetically engineered coyote to learn how to use science as well as magic.
* In ''Literature/{{Summerland}}'' by Creator/MichaelChabon, a coyote is the primary antagonist, who tries to destroy the world so that he can change his status from "Changer" (trickster) to "Maker", and create a universe all of his own.

%%* In ''Changer'' and ''Legends Walking / Changer's Daughter'' by Creator/JaneLindskold, the shapeshifting Changer took the form of a coyote and had a family. Someone killed most of them save for the Changer and his daughter, a coyote pup, and the Changer returns to civilization to find out who did it.
* Coyotes appear in ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'', but not as much as dogs or foxes. They're sneaky, cruel, and dangerous animals that act as essentially larger [[CunningLikeAFox foxes]]. In fact, the dogs consider them just as bad as foxes for their sneaky ways. Dogs and wolves don't get along with them.

* Played with in ''Literature/TheLastDogs''. The coyotes in the series are savage but not very smart as they were easily fooled by the main character Max, who mentions to the coyotes where to find rabbits, only for him and his friends to escape from them in a canyon.
* Bella's main enemies in ''Literature/ADogsWayHome'' are coyotes. While trying to find her way back home through mountains, she keeps on coming across hungry coyotes who try to attack her. They're smart hunters but Bella is smarter.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Crimestrikers}}'', Audrey Claymore is a heroic example. She's both an anthro coyote from a WorldOfFunnyAnimals and an expert crimefighter who is accidentally [[FishOutOfTemporalWater brought forward in time]] from the local equivalent of TheWildWest to ThePresentDay.

* Chase from ''Crowfeathers'' is occasionally visited and advised by his best friend's spirit guide, who takes the form either of a normal coyote or of a boy with coyote ears/tail/paws.

* Wile E. Coyote from ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'', who comes up with all sorts of seemingly cunning plans to catch the roadrunner. Tapping into the fool aspect of coyote mythology, it never works.
%%* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Homer"]], Homer's spirit guide is a coyote voiced by Music/JohnnyCash.
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'':
** Wile E.'s JuniorCounterpart, Calamity Coyote shares his affinity for plans and gadgets... and unfortunately, his bad luck. Calamity is also much less antagonistic than his ''Looney Tunes'' counterpart.
** The main antagonist of the episode, "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS1E65HighToon High Toon]]" is The Coyote Kid, who essentially resembles Wile E. Coyote in cowboy attire. He is the leader of the Coyote Gang, a gang of coyote outlaws who rob Prairie Junction every day at High Noon. Like Wile E., he and his gang occasionally [[TalkingWithSigns communicate with each other by holding up signs]].

%%* The Polite Coyotes (from the ''Tex Tinstar'' segment of ''The Shnookums And Meat Funny Cartoon Show'') were all patterned in voice and mannerisms from Music/TheBeatles.
* The WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts have Ol' Bent Tail, who was often pitted against WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup. He is shown to be quite cunning and a MasterOfDisguise, able to make himself look like a plant or rock to escape detection. Unfortunately, he is often saddled with his dimwitted son, who fouls up his schemes with his bumbling.

* The ''[[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comic book features Antoine D'Coolette, a cowardly coyote with good intentions, and Patch, Antoine's opposite number from a mirror universe, known for being cunning, deceptive, and cruel.

* Tech E Coyote from ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' is the team's GadgeteerGenius.

-->'''Bolt''' ''[asking if Charlie eats them or not]'': How about roadrunners?
-->'''Charlie''' ''[frowning]'': Seriously? That’s bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. One of my uncles ate one once when he was desperate -- said it was too gamy, nothing resembling the acme of food experiences. Told me it took forever to catch the darned thing, too.

[[caption-width-right:350:This isn't going to work...]]

* In ''Literature/{{Summerland}}'' by Creator/MichaelChabon, Coyote is the primary antagonist, who tries to destroy the world so that he can change his status from "Changer" (trickster) to "Maker", and create a universe all of his own.

* In at least one ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' novel, [[MagicalNativeAmerican Chakotay]] goes on a VisionQuest and finds himself confronted by Coyote. And just to make things more complicated for Tattoo Boy, Coyote speaks with the voice of Q, the ultimate trickster.