Line #22 Literature/Inukami


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9	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_inukami.jpg]]
10	''Inukami!'' ("Dog Gods!") is a series of LightNovels written by Mamizu Arisawa and illustrated by Kanna Wakatsuki, which was published under the Creator/DengekiBunko imprint from 2003 to 2008 for 17 volumes. It was adapted to a manga illustrated by Mari Matsuzawa, which was serialized in ''Dengeki hp'' from 2005 to 2008, and a 26-episode anime in 2006.
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12	Keita Kawahira is one of a family of Inukami users - a clan who makes contracts with the titular dog spirits in order to protect the local populace from evil spirits, and deal with specific supernatural threats for a price. His cousin Kaoru already has 10, and the time has come for Keita to get one of his own. He finds himself partnered with Youko, a feisty type with an inclination to throw fireballs. With that setup, a series begins full of violence, cuteness, perversity, and dogs. Keita tries to get on the good side of Kaoru's Inukami while he's away, and Youko tries to keep him in line.
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14	A fun series, if on the strange side at times. Compare with ''Literature/{{Akikan}}'', as they were both originated in light novels later adapted to anime.
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16	----
17	!!''Inukami!'' provides examples of:
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19	%%* BalloonBelly: Tayune in the ending.
20	* BatmanGambit: One episode featured the inukami plotting to take advantage of Keita's perverted tendencies, sure their plan would work immediately. Except he showed restraint, foiling their plan.
21	* BattleCouple: Youko would ''like'' to be this with Keita, and from the perspective of [[EveryoneCanSeeIt EVERYONE ELSE]] they are. Keita himself only sees her as his monster busting partner.
22	* BespectacledCutie: Igusa is the cute glasses girl of the harem.
23	* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler:When Kaoru is hurt, Nadeshiko turns brutal and releases the fury she's been holding back after she murdered a village long ago.]]
24	* BigBad: Sekidousai's inventions form the basis of early plots and his EvilPlan drives the second half of the show.
25	* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Keita kisses Youko in the climax, as they fly toward the GreaterScopeVillain, undeniably returning the affection she's shown him the entire series.]]
26	* BlowYouAway: Kaoru's primary mode of attack is wind based.
27	* BoundAndGagged: Of the played for laughs variety. Keita wants to use a magic pot to gain a harem but Youko interrupts him so he tapes her. She breaks free so he uses chains, [[RunningGag she breaks free again, he uses more chains etc.]]
28	* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:Sekidousai and Dai Youko, because Jesei used up their power. It's unknown if this is permanent or if they're just exhausted.]]
29	* BumblingDad: Dai Youko, Youko's father, is both SealedEvilInACan and the goofy dad type in one.
30	* CallingYourAttacks: Keita has to call upon spirits to empower his carved rubber frogs.
31	* CensorBox: The elephants, they're on parade. It's usually right around the crotch area and usually on Keita.
32	* CheerfulChild: Tomohane is the youngest in the harem and consistently in good spirits.
33	* ChekhovsGunman: Remember the kappa that hung out in the background? [[spoiler:He saves Keita in the climax.]]
34	* ChivalrousPervert: Keita, and those four Citizens of Darkness guys who he often shares a jail cell with, are in jail for their perversion: public nudity, panty stealing, etc. Other than that, they're ok people.
35	* ClingyJealousGirl: Youko will not tolerate Keita showing interest in other girls and when they're together she's likely to grab his arm or some other affectionate gesture.
36	* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted. Sendan's group, even as a whole, is less powerful than Youko is by herself but they're even worse off when fighting individually. Youko is just that much more powerful than they are.
37	* CombatPragmatist: Keita. From KansasCityShuffle to hiding his explosive frogs in his clothing, there's little he won't do to win.
38	* CombinationAttack: Kaoru's Inukami can group up in threes (sometimes nine of them excluding Nadeshiko) to perform a powerful spell.
39	* ControlFreak: Sendan, being the pack's alpha, has to lead meetings and direct the others.
40	* [[CuteMonsterGirl Cute Monster Girl and Cute Monster Guy]]: All female inukami look like normal human girls except for their tails. The gender aspect of the trope is absent because Hake is just as humanly attractive.
41	* CurbStompBattle: Yoko so outclasses Sendan's group she looks like a bully, even though ''they'' attacked ''her''.
42	* ADayInTheLimelight: Some episodes have Youko hardly appear at all.
43	* DefectiveDetective: Shirou Karina, a detective with a lightsaber and a strong amount of personal determination. He frequently ends up in situations he'd rather not be in.
44	* DespairEventHorizon: Pushing people past this is the [[spoiler:GreaterScopeVillain's EvilPlan]].
45	* DyingCurse: [[spoiler:The GreaterScopeVillain told one to Kaoru after being outwitted and vanishing.]]
46	* EmbarrassedByAChild: Keita frequently finds himself naked and frequently, the same little boy is there to point at Keita. It is a RunningGag throughout the series.
47	* EmotionEater: [[spoiler:Jesei]] who feeds on despair. He says [[EvilTastesGood nothing is more delicious than provoking despair]]. Naturally this means pushing people past the DespairEventHorizon.
48	* EvilIsHammy: All the villains love dramatic gestures and speaking in dynamic voices. The heroes are more restrained in their actions.
49	* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:Jesei]] will go to any lengths to cause despair, from murder and beatdowns to reading Youko's diary aloud.
50	* EvilPlan:
51	** Sekidousai is the first villain to last more than two episodes and seeks to create a world where 'all desires are free' which involves nudity in public.
52	** [[spoiler:Jesei]] wants to provoke despair to feed himself.
53	* EvolvingCredits: The start of the ED changes to reflect wherever Keita and Youko are at the moment.
54	* {{Expy}}: A CuteMonsterGirl with green hair falls in love with a perverted human boy and punishes him for chasing other girls with her superpowers. Does this describe Youko or [[Manga/UruseiYatsura Lum]]?
55	* FanService / FanDisservice: It's often very hard to determine whether it's the former or the latter. The latter much more than the former since that is where much of the show's humor comes from. The former is so few in comparison that one tends to forget that there's any {{fanservice}} at all. Part of this is a lot of the fanservice is directed to [[YaoiFangirl the girls]]... much to Keita's chagrin.
56	* FlashStep: [[spoiler:Nadeshiko]] when she gets serious she can move extremely quickly.
57	* ForTheEvulz: Sea Of Violence claimed that he made [[DealWithTheDevil contracts with humans who want wealth]] at the price of him taking their (and their descendants') souls when they reach a certain age, just for the fun of it and he particularly enjoys curb stomping all of their attempts to stop him from taking their souls.
58	* FryingPanOfDoom: Youko uses one on Keita several times to punish his perversion, if a fireball is too much trouble.
59	* GondorCallsForAid: When the main cast can't defeat a HumongousMecha, Kawarazaki calls to all the perverts and nocturnal lurkers of the city and they ZergRush the thing. It's not quite TheCavalry because Keita still has to finish it off and defeat wasn't imminent. Among them are the Panty Thief, Dr. Peeping Tom and the chief clerk.
60	* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: Jesei is more powerful then Sekidousai and is the final boss but had nothing to do with the bulk of the plot.]]
61	* GrimReaper: Shinigami appear to be a natural enemy for the Inukami.
62	* HaremGenre: In this case Keita, the main character, is not the one with the Harem. His much more talented cousin has a harem of dog girls but this doesn't stop Keita from trying to steal them. It's ultimately a DownplayedTrope as they become more friendly with him over the course of the series. They still prefer Kaoru over him, of course, but there's a definite change of attitude.
63	* HidingBehindYourBangs: Hake's bangs cover one of his eyes. Though not shy, it's likely a reference to his reserved personality.
64	* ImmortalImmaturity: Youko is more than 300 years old, but still acts like a spoiled little girl. Her father Dai Youko is no better - Hake even says, after describing his terrifying powers: "He's just like a child. No, it's even worse because he's an adult." [[note]] Youko's father spoiled her but the time frame implies she would've had to be alone for long enough that she shouldn't be so bratty especially since her time on the mountain with the Inukami was supposed to be a miserable experience. [[/note]]
65	* ImpossibleThief: The panty stealer; even through pants.
66	* IAmNotLeftHanded: Both Keita and Youko hold back during fights, but only Youko has a justification; she thinks her CanisMajor form will scare Keita away [[spoiler:even though she's a fox]].
67	* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Furano tries to be one by moving her sleeve down but it doesn't work on Keita.
68	* InnocentInnuendo: Frequently with Keita and Youko but much to Youko's displeasure, they don't have that sort of relationship.
69	* IronButtMonkey: Keita can take most of Youko's (comical) abuse, even shrug off a [[{{Fireballs}} Dai Jaaen]] in the face.
70	* InterspeciesRomance: "I don't want puppies for kids!" bemoans Keita during a LovePotion incident.
71	* {{Invisibility}}: The Peeping Doctor's ability is to peep without being seen.
72	* IWasQuiteALooker: The head of the family was quite a PluckyGirl back then.
73	* {{Jerkass}}: Keita and Youko both, but [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold they're not entirely bad]].
74	** Keita is a pervert who takes Youko for granted and is generally less interested in fighting evil than scoring with clients.
75	** Youko tends to be extremely selfish, abusive and Keita tends to suffer far more than her and because of her.
76	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Youko is responsible for Keita's black sheep status and she gets away with this.]]
77	* KickTheDog:
78	** Keita: When he first meets Youko, he loudly fantasizes about how she would cook his meals, clean his house, and perform other services for him. Even later on, he constantly refers to her as [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman only his "dog"]]. [[note]] The cooking and cleaning and whatnot is apparently in the job description, but Youko's ego is too big. [[/note]]
79	** Youko: [[spoiler:it's stated Keita is the {{black sheep}} of the family because he couldn't get an Inukami. Turns out that when Keita went out and was supposed to find an Inukami as part of the coming of age ceremony for his clan, Youko scared them all away so years later she could force a contract between the two while threatening to kill him]].
80	* LaughablyEvil: Many of the villains are funny but they are FAR from harmless.
81	* LittleBitBeastly: Inukami look human except for their tails.
82	* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Inukami, regardless of gender, appear to be emotionally dependent on their human partners.
83	** Hake says he was depresed and bored of living before contracting Keita's grandmother and predicts he will be again once she dies.
84	** Youko is super clingy to Keita and jealous of any other girl he shows interest in.
85	** Sendan declares that her group's "body and mind exist for Kaoru" and the rest of her group agree.
86	* LovableSexManiac: Keita spends all of his free time chasing girls.
87	* MadeOfIron: Not only can Keita take the Dai Jaaen, but villains have difficulty hurting him. This is not stated to be an actual ability that he has. He's just more durable somehow than a human ought to be.
88	* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Jesei was this to Sekidousai]], though he's more of a GreaterScopeVillain since they had completely seperate plans and the latter isn't even foreshadowed until an InfoDump in the third to last episode. However, the trope is fulfilled because the former hijacked the latter's plan.
89	* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:"Youko" is the Japanese word for fox spirit.]]
90	* {{Meido}}: Nadeshiko looks the part (apron, headdress etc) and does domestic stuff for Kaoru.
91	* {{Miko}}: Furano dresses the part but otherwise doesn't fit because she doesn't do anything related to a shrine or even anything religious.
92	* MoeAnthropomorphism: Dog girls in this case.
93	* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: [[spoiler:Jesei]] died pre-series and that death started a plan that reached into the show's climax.
94	* NakedFirstImpression: This is how one of his clients gets her first impression of Keita... The part that was staring her in the face was his "proud son".
95	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Kei always ends up naked in public whenever he pisses off his familiar, Youko. Youko teleports him out of his clothes and into the most populated place nearby that the cops are already familiar with him and the local perverts who are always in jail think of him as one of their own.
96	* {{Necromancer}}: [[spoiler:Jasei is a lich and did this sort of thing with Kaoru ]]
97	* NoHoldsBarredBeatDown: [[spoiler:Jesei]] to everyone. He outclasses the entire cast to the degree that he can NoSell their best shot. He keeps knocking them down to feed on their despair.
98	* TheNudifier: Youko often removes Keita's clothes, and is the first episode villain's ability [[spoiler:[[FemaleGaze which he only aimed at male targets]]]].
99	%%* {{Obake}}
100	* OjouRinglets: Sendan wears this style and is TheLeader of Kaoru's inukammi.
101	* OlderThanTheyLook: Kei is 20 at the end of the second episode.
102	* OnlyMostlyDead: [[spoiler:Kaoru]] isn't dead; he's just floating around somewhere as an incorporal spirit. All his friends need to do is find his soul and plug it back in his body.
103	* {{Otaku}}: Naoki Kawarazaki often chases Tomohane with cosplay and addresses her with a name from a show.
104	* OurLichesAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Jasei, who is also a mummy, and whose SoulJar situation is complicated]].
105	* PantyThief: Boss, but his master cranks it up to eleven by stealing through pants.
106	* PetTheDog: Fortunately for him, Keita has as many of these moments as his KickTheDog ones. Such as leaping out a window to catch Igusa's book.
107	* PlayingWithFire: ''Jaaen!'', the fireball, is Youko's favorite attack.
108	* PokeThePoodle: Youko during the fight with Kaoru's inukami; Tomohane was caught outside the shield they made and Youko put a finger on her forehead but, instead of attacking her, Youko (using magic) took off her panties.
109	* PublicExposure: Sekidosai is an exhibitionist (unlike the others, he has a ''Mammoth'' censor instead of everyone else's elephants) and he hates it when forced to put on underwear.
110	* RedBaron: Keita is better known as "King of Nudity" among the Citizens of Darkness than his own name, [[EmbarrassingNickname though he's horribly embarrassed by it.]]
111	* ScaryShinyGlasses: Kawarazaki, Chief Clerk and Sea of Violence as well. The first two are creepy (yet pleasant) perverts and the later is an evil spirit.
112	* SealedEvilInACan: Dai Youko, Sekidousai, and Youko too were all sealed away at one point. Youko is asked to keep Dai Youko sealed.
113	%%* ShortFilm
114	* SilentBob: Tensou. She communicates with others via rapid, well done sketches.
115	* SingleMindedTwins: Imari and Sayoka, two of Kaoru's Inukami, speak and act in unison.
116	* SpecialEditionTitle: The ED's sudden change from a song about friendship between girls (featuring the Inukami ladies) to a song about friendship between manly men is surprising and hilarious.
117	* {{Stripperific}}: Keita in a rare male example although it's (almost) never by his choice; Youko teleports him out of his clothing when he upsets her.
118	* StuffBlowingUp: Tiny little rubber frogs are the inukami trainer's personal explosives.
119	* TeleportersAndTransporters: Youko's ''Shukichi'' skill can teleport someone to another location, and out of their clothing.
120	* ThanatosGambit: [[spoiler:Sea of Violence]] slips in one last "screw you" before dying; a contagious bad luck curse activated by his death.
121	* {{Tsundere}}: Youko is very affectionate with Keita, when she's not teleporting him out of his clothes or fireballing him.
122	%%%%* The Nudifier is already present.
123	* ThisIsADrill: Sekidousai's robot assistant, Xanthippe, has a drill in the groin area. Then it gets bigger...
124	* TokenMiniMoe: Tomohane is the only child in Kaoru's harem.
125	* TooKinkyToTorture: The Chief Clerk is a masochist.
126	* TheReveal: Wonder why Youko is afraid of dogs, even cute little puppies? [[spoiler:It's because she's really a fox spirit, and dogs are foxes' natural/traditional enemies.]]
127	* UsedToBeASweetKid: Keita; it's implied his failure at attracting an Inukami and subsequent BlackSheep status broke him.
128	* VillainousBreakdown: When the constant beatdown fails to work and Keita inspires the group, [[spoiler:Jesei]] loses focus, asks why he's losing, and his SoulJar shatters.
129	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Most inukami can turn into CanisMajor form when required.
130	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Hake was bored until he met the head of the family and [[MayflyDecemberRomance once she's gone]] he will be lonely.
131	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes:
132	** Youko is very scared of (normal) dogs but, strangely, she is fine with inukami in dog/wolf form.
133	** Hake is extremely afraid of fleas.
134	* XanatosGambit: Round 2 with Sea of Violence. [[spoiler:Youko set up a force field that cannot be broken so long as she is alive and [[BatmanGambit used the ruse of a boxing match with Keita to lure him inside the ring]]. If Keita won, than great; bad guy's dead. If he lost, at least Sea of Violence would be trapped and unable to harm her client.]]
135	* XanatosSpeedChess: Youhko played an impressive game when the Kawahira family asked for her help in resealing her dad. [[spoiler:When straight-up renewing the seal failed, she told him she was living together with Keita and having sex every night. He then mellowed into a [[IWantGrandkids happy future grandparent]] who'd like to keep the world in one piece for their sake. Thus, she turns a possible EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt into a wedding for herself and Keita.]]
136	* YamatoNadeshiko:
137	** Nadeshiko. She's sweet, domestic, and even refered to as 'traditional japanese girl' by Keita. As per the trope, she has the inner iron to call him out on being an asshat and invoke GoThroughMe when Yoko is about to kill Sendan.
138	** Hake counts as a male example because he dresses in traditional clothing, is always polite, never a pushover and devoted to his partner.
139	* {{Yandere}}:
140	** Hake claims to be one: "I expel other inukami and own my master all on my own."
141	** Youko, [[spoiler: engineered Keita's black sheep status so she, like Hake, could have her human partner all to herself.]]
142	%%* YaoiFanGirl: Igusa and possibly Tensou.
143	* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Keita is disgusted by the genuine respect minor antagonists like underwear theif and Peeping Doctor show him and can't stand the title they refer to him with, King of Nudity. Although he IS just as perverted as they are, and did such an act in the episode, the title is actually Youko's fault.
144	* ZergRush: Those Citizens of Darkness people brought down Xanthippe, and later [[spoiler:Jasei's undead minions]], by charging and underwhelming the target with sheer numbers.

Context Literature / Inukami