History Main / Tanuki

* ''Anime/TheLaughingSalesman'': It's heavily implied that Moguro Fukuzou himself is a bakedanuki, given his rotund appearance, trickster nature and his tendency to appear in the place of tanuki statues. One client, high on shrooms, even sees him ''as'' a tanuki.

* ''Anime/TheLaughingSalesman'': It's heavily implied that Moguro Fukuzou himself is a bakedanuki, given his rotund appearance, trickster nature and his tendency to appear in the place of tanuki statues. One drunkard even sees him ''as'' a tanuki.

* The {{Kemono}} {{Hentai}} manga ''Build Tiger'' has a tanuki named Inari as a VillainOfTheWeek. Given the manga's [[{{Fanservice}} premise]], it's not surpising that his balls are his most prominent feature, and he even uses them as his primary means of attack by way of PartialTransformation. Oddly enough the name "Inari" is more associated with [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] than tanuki.

* Of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Sentret and Zigzagoon are both designed after the tanuki. Sentret resembles the folklore version, with its round-tipped tail, while Zigzagoon resembles a real-life version. Sentret can spot an enemy from great distances and emits a loud cry as a warning. Though insignificant in battle, with below average statistical abilities and a small pool of moves to learn from, Zigzagoon can be useful as a party member. It is one of the few Pokémon that can have the "Pickup" ability, which will sometimes give you very rare items such as Rare Candy and PP Up, and its evolution, Linoone, can learn most HM moves, which are used to progress through otherwise [[InsurmountableWaistHeightFence insurmountable obstacles]]. Interestingly, in ''Gold and Silver'' it seems there was intended to be a tanuki Pokemon referencing the ''Kachi-Kachi Yama'' tale, which made it far enough into development to [[https://tcrf.net/File:PM2F_387.png get a graphic]] but was ultimately cut.

* In ''Gururin'' (a PuzzleGame for the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo), one of your opponents is a drunk tanuki who seems to prefer wine over sake.

* In ''Gourmet Warriors''/''Gurume Sentai Barayaro'' for the SNES, the second phase of one of the bosses is a robotic tanuki.

* One of your opponents in ''Gururin'' is a drunk tanuki who seems to prefer wine over sake. And now you've heard of ''Gururin''.

* By entering a code in ''Waku Waku 7'', you can make the win counter a tanuki head.

* ''Mario Kart 8'' has a "Tanooki Kart'', and is (as you might expect) Tanooki Mario's signature Kart.
* ''The Battle Cats'' for Android has a tanuki named Kachi-Kachi.

* Of ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'', Sentret and Zigzagoon are both designed after the tanuki. Sentret resembles the folklore version, with its round-tipped tail, while Zigzagoon resembles a real-life version. Sentret can spot an enemy from great distances and emits a loud cry as a warning. Though insignificant in battle, with below average statistical abilities and a small pool of moves to learn from, Zigzagoon can be useful as a party member. It is one of the few Pokémon that can have the "Pickup" ability, which will sometimes give you very rare items such as Rare Candy and PP Up, and its evolution, Linoone, can learn most HM moves, which are used to progress through otherwise [[InsurmountableWaistHeightFence insurmountable obstacles]]. Interestingly, in ''Gold and Silver'' it seems there was intended to be a tanuki Pokemon referencing the ''Kachi-Kachi Yama'' tale, which made it far enough into development to [[https://tcrf.net/File:PM2F_387.png get a graphic]] but was ultimately cut.

** Later, the samurai Kinemon has eaten a Devil Fruit that grants him the tanuki power of shapeshifting/disguising himself and other people if he/they place a leaf (or stone) on their head. For a long time it was unknown what exactly the Devil Fruit is, until the Wano arc, which is named the Fuku Fuku no Mi (known as Garb-Garb Fruit in english).

* ''Manga/YuunaAndTheHauntedHotSprings'': Koyuzu Shigaraki is a young tanuki who usually takes the form of a little girl with tanuki ears and a tail. She can transform herself and others into other people or objects by using leaves. She still isn't very good at shapeshifting herself, which is why she still has her ears and tail in her human form.

* The NotSafeForWork {{Animesque}} FurryWebcomic ''Red Hot Party'' features Hoshi, a tanuki who debuts as a VillainOfTheWeek but joins the protagonists after they [[DefeatMeansFriendship defeat him]] and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy free him from the mind control]] the BigBad put him under. Appearance-wise he borrows heavily from the traditional depiction, being big & fat with the hat and gourd of sake in some appearances, and this comic [[NotSafeForWork being what it is]], he has a huge set of balls that [[{{Sizeshifter}} he can make even bigger]] and [[GroinAttack often uses in combat]]. Side comics introduce his brother Dai who is even ''more'' stereotypical, having all the same abilities in addition to using leaves for transformations, and being TheTrickster and perverted (but non-villainous) in contrast to Hoshi's StraightMan.

* Oversized testicles (''kintama''), symbolizing financial luck [since ''kintama'' literally means "golden ball(s)); this is an exaggeration of the RealLife raccoon dog's already-large testicles[[note]]Whether this applies to ''female'' tanuki as well is highly variable from one depiction to the next. Obviously for the real-life animal it does not. For fictional tanuki however, it sometimes does, while other depictions instead give female tanuki [[GagBoobs equally large breasts]] instead.[[/note]]

* Oversized testicles (''kintama''), symbolizing financial luck [since ''kintama'' literally means "golden ball(s)); this is an exaggeration of the RealLife raccoon dog's already-large testicles[[note]]Whether this applies to ''female'' tanuki as well is highly variable from one depiction to the next. Obviously for the real-life animal it does not. For fictional tanuki however, it sometimes does, while other depictions instead give female tanuki [[NonMammalMammaries equally large breasts]] instead.[[/note]]]

Tanuki (commonly transcribed as "tanooki") are a type of canid that lives in Asia (and now Europe), commonly referred to in English as "raccoon dogs". In Japanese mythology, tanuki are said to have magic powers such as VoluntaryShapeshifting (usually performed with a [[TransformationTrinket leaf on their forehead]]). Pranksters and tricksters, Tanuki spirits are generally [[BigFun fat and jolly]], like to drum on their bellies (a sound which has the Japanese onomatopoeia "ponpoko"), and are associated with good luck.

They can also cause certain... [[ValuesDissonance problems]] during localization outside of Japan due to them being characterized with ''enormous'' testicles. Another issue is their tendency to be erroneously [[DubSpeciesChange localized as "raccoons" or "badgers"]], as raccoon dogs are close to unknown in America. These errors are less common in Europe, which has a large feral population of tanuki, and there aren't many problems localizing raccoons and badgers into Japanese media, as actual raccoons and badgers are present in Japan. [[note]]although much of the knowledge (and subsequent introduction) of raccoons in Japan may have been from the cartoon Rascal Raccoon, which became unusually popular in Japan. The titular character was adopted as a pet, but was eventually forced to release him, which many Japanese may have found out the hard way.[[/note]]

Many of the tropes that Americans associate with [[RascallyRaccoon raccoons]] also apply to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon_dog raccoon dogs]] or (in Japanese) ''tanuki''. Though raccoon dogs are canids and not true raccoons[[note]]Thus making them more closely related to dogs and foxes, which are also members of the same family[[/note]], they enjoy the same reputation in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese folklore that true raccoons share in the Western Hemisphere -- both this and their superficial resemblance to raccoons are the reasons this animal is called "raccoon dog" in English.

They can also cause certain... [[ValuesDissonance problems]] during localization outside of Japan due to them being characterized with ''enormous'' testicles. Another issue is their tendency to be erroneously localized as "raccoons" or "badgers," as they are close to unknown in America. These errors are less common in Europe, which has a large feral population of tanuki, and there aren't many problems localizing raccoons and badgers into Japanese media, as actual raccoons and badgers are present in Japan. [[note]]although much of the knowledge (and subsequent introduction) of raccoons in Japan may have been from the cartoon Rascal Raccoon, which became unusually popular in Japan. The titular character was adopted as a pet, but was eventually forced to release him, which many Japanese may have found out the hard way.[[/note]]

* Izuku's quirk in ''Fanfic/TurningANewLeaf'' is a mutation quirk that manifests as a pair of animal ears and a raccoon tail. He also capable of shapeshifting, being able to transform into other people and even animals using a leaf.

* Oversized testicles (''kintama''), symbolizing financial luck (since ''kintama'' literally means "golden ball(s)); this is an exaggeration of the RealLife raccoon dog's already-large testicles[[note]]Whether this applies to ''female'' tanuki as well is highly variable from one depiction to the next. Obviously for the real-life animal it does not. For fictional tanuki however, it sometimes does, while other depictions instead give female tanuki [[NonMammalMammaries equally large breasts]] instead.[[/note]]

* Oversized testicles (''kintama''), symbolizing financial luck (since ''kintama'' literally means "golden ball(s)); this is an exaggeration of the RealLife raccoon dog's already-large testicles[[note]]Whether this applies to ''female'' tanuki as well is highly variable from one depiction to the next. Obviously for the real-life animal it does not. For fictional tanuki however, it sometimes does, while other depictions instead give female tanuki [[GagBoobs equally large breasts]] instead.[[/note]]

* '''''My Master Has No Tail''''' is a manga and anime about a Tanuki girl who discovers that people in Taisho-era Osaka no longer fall for the old tricks, and decides to learn Rakugo from a Kitsune, as a new kind of trickery.

* Tanukichi's (No Relationship to [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the other Tanukichi]][[note]]Tom Nook in the English version[[/note]]) [[EmbarrassingFirstName first mame]] from ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'' is a pun based on the Tanuki. [[LampshadeHanging Ayame points out the implications of the name]].

* Tanukichi's (No Relationship to [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the other Tanukichi]][[note]]Tom Nook in the English version[[/note]]) [[EmbarrassingFirstName First Name]] from ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' is a pun based on the Tanuki. [[LampshadeHanging Ayame points out the implications of the name]]

* Quite a few appear in ''Literature/EightMillionGods''.

** Mamizou Futatsuiwa, the BonusBoss of ''VideoGame/TouhouShinreibyouTenDesires'', whose character is based on the tanuki FolkHero [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzaburou-danuki Danzaburou-danuki]]. Initially hailing from Sado[[note]]a Japanese city-island known for its large tanuki population[[/note]], she decides to stay in Gensokyo after being called to defeat the FinalBoss only to discover that the player character already took care of things. She also plays a prominent role in the manga ''Manga/TouhouSuzunaanForbiddenScrollery'', where she subtly manipulates Kosuzu towards pro-youkai beliefs.

* ''My Master Has No Tail'' is a manga and anime about a Tanuki girl who discovers that people in Taisho-era Osaka no longer fall for the old tricks, and decides to learn Rakugo from a a Kitsune, as a new kind of trickery.

* Tanukichi's ([[Main/NamesTheSame No Relationship]] to [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the other Tanukichi]][[note]]Tom Nook in the English version[[/note]]) [[EmbarrassingFirstName First Name]] from ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' is a pun based on the Tanuki. [[LampshadeHanging Ayame points out the implications of the name]]

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': A flashback to Kirishima's middle school days features a nameless student who resembles a tanuki and has a Quirk that can temporarily turn leaves into money, referencing various folktales where tanuki turn leaves into money in order to trick people. Some bullies try to force him to make some leaves into money for them until Kirishima steps in to defend him.

* ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'': Keiwa Sakurai, a.k.a. Kamen Rider Tycoon, is based the Tanuki, who is one of the rivals of the eponymous protagonist in the Desire Grand Prix.

* ''Manga/TheFoxAndLittleTanuki'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin naturally]] features one, the eponymous tanuki cub Manpachi. He's a CheerfulChild who has TheGift when it comes to transforming himself [[BalefulPolymorph or others]] into this or that, and the "pachi" in his name is spelled with the kanji for "eight".