History Main / TanukiKitsuneContrast

Dogs can also be added to upgrade the duo to a trio, with both ''henge'' fearing man's best friend for [[EvilDetectingDog their ability to see through disguises]]. The [[OuijaBoard ouija-like]] game ''kokkuri'' is written with the characters ''fox-dog-tanuki'', though in this case the "dog" may be a reference to {{Tengu}}.

* VideoGame/SlyCooper and his [[DatingCatwoman nemesis/love interest]] Carmelita Fox are a western variation of this-- Sly is a free-spirited raccoon thief and Carmelita is a professional and dedicated fox police officer.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': In ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush Adventure]]'', Tails the Fox gets his own DistaffCounterpart in the form of Marine the Raccoon, the latter resembling a Tanuki in appearance and serving as Blaze's MissionControl in the same way the former is to Sonic.

-->-- ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'', ''[[Recap/KamenRiderGeatsEp16SchemeIRFoxHunting Scheme IR: Fox Hunting]]''

-->-- '''Keiwa Sakurai''' to '''Ace Ukiyo''', after the former outwitted the latter while respecting each other's savviness, ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'', ''[[Recap/KamenRiderGeatsEp16SchemeIRFoxHunting Scheme IR: Fox Hunting]]''

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': In ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush Adventure]]'', Tails the Fox gets his own DistaffCounterpart in the form of Marine the Raccoon, the latter resembling a Tanuki in appearance and serving as Blaze's MissionControl in the same way the former is to Sonic.

** This trope extends to Kurama and Shukaku's [[PowersViaPossession respective hosts]], the titular Naruto and his EvilCounterpart Gaara before the time skip. While Naruto is indeed more poweful thanks to having the Nine-Tailed Beast sealed within, he can't tap into Kurama's power without risking physical injuries or going berserk. Gaara, however, is able to physically transform into his Tailed Beast form (thus unleashing its full power) long before Naruto can do the same, and can do so without any of the aforementioned risks.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Fox and raccoon dog have been playable subraces of the obake-based "Hengeyokai" race since it debuted in the "Oriental Adventures" {{sourcebook}} for ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition'', with very marked differences. Fox hengeyokai were characterized as DitzyGenius types, with a +1 bonus to Intelligence but a -1 malus to Wisdom. Racoon dog hengeyokai, in comparison, were DumbMuscle, with a +2 bonus to Strength and a -2 malus to Wisdom. Both were presented as [[AlwaysChaoticEvil being restricted to all three Evil alignments (Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic)]]. In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'', they lost the alignment restriction and were both ditzy (-2 Wisdom), but kitsune were graceful (+2 Dexterity) and tanuki were strong (+2 Strength). Finally, in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFourthEdition'', they were rewritten drastically in terms of basic abilities to be largely identical -- fox hengeyokai are faster, but raccoon dog hengeyokai are able to climb.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': In ''VideoGame/SonicRush Adventure'', Tails the fox gets his own DistaffCounterpart in the form of Marine the raccoon, the latter resembling a Tanuki in appearance and serving as Blaze's MissionControl in the same way the former is to Sonic.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'': ''The Dream Hunters'' is kicked off by a wager between a Tanuki[[note]]called a "badger", but that's mostly because Creator/NeilGaiman is [[{{Retraux}} deliberately mimicking how a 19th-century British translator would've adapted a Japanese folktale]][[/note]] and a Kitsune over who can drive a local monk off his temple property first. While the Tanuki mostly uses bluster, trying to intimidate the monk with the Emperor's crest or a demon army, the Kitsune uses the age-old DamselInDistress routine, with... [[InLoveWithTheMark unfortunate]] results.

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* No ''actual'' tanuki or kitsunes are in ''LightNovel/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'', but Jeffrey and [[spoiler:his boyfriend, Joachim,]] are compared to this by narrator Seigi.

* The main characters of ''Kamen Rider Geats'' are kitsune-themed and tanuki-themed heroes, Kamen Riders Geats and Tycoon, respectively. Both are rivals competing in the "Desire Grand Prix". From the first episode, Geats is showy, flashy, and very much TheAce, while Tycoon is a naïve WideEyedIdealist who has no real ambition.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'': Inkopolis Plaza features two statues of tanuki and kitsune located right across from one another, which are decorated in [[SiblingRivalry Callie and Marie's]] team colors during Splatfest celebrations. This trope eventually played into the second Japanese Splatfest, whose theme was "Red Fox vs. Green Tanuki" in reference to the real-life Maruchan series of cup noodles of the name respective name (see the Real Life folder below).

* The requisite ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' example would be Ran Yakumo, the resident kitsune of the series, and Mamizou Futatsuiwa, a tanuki introduced later on who tends to get into mischief. Not surprisingly, the two don't like each other at all, and Mamizou (who's based on Danzaburou-danuki) is even stated to have driven the entire fox population away from her native island of Sado.

In Japanese folklore, the ''{{Tanuki}}'' (or raccoon dog) and &&[[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]]'' are perhaps the two most recognizable members of the ''henge'', a subset of {{Youkai}} consisting of supernatural, ShapeshiftingTrickster animals with human intelligence.

* ''Anime/InuYasha'': Shippou -- a young fox youkai -- [[RunningGag tends to be frequently mistaken]] for a tanuki, something which [[IAmNotWeasel riles him up without fail]]. (Miroku's friend Hachi actually is a tanuki, though he and Shippou don't interact significantly.)

In Japanese folklore, the {{Tanuki}} (or raccoon dog) and [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] are perhaps the two most recognizable members of the ''henge'', a subset of {{Youkai}} consisting of supernatural, ShapeshiftingTrickster animals with human intelligence.

In Japanese folklore, the {{Tanuki}} (or raccoon dog) and {{Kitsune}} are perhaps the two most recognizable members of the ''henge'', a subset of {{Youkai}} consisting of supernatural, ShapeshiftingTrickster animals with human intelligence.

** In another story, Danzaburou came across a boastful kitsune who bragged on about his shapeshifting abilities, so the former claims to the latter that he can turn into an entire feudal lord's procession before dissappearing. Sure enough, the procession promptly arrives, so the kitsune hops on the feudal lord's basket under the impression it's all part of Danzaburou's illusion... [[MistakenForAnImposter but it wasn't]], and the kitsune is immediately captured and executed for his trouble.