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1[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tanuki_statue_8406.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:260:In case you're wondering, those things down there aren't legs.]]
3
4->''"...tanuki seem to exist simultaneously in this world and the otherworld. In folklore, they are tricksters, often portrayed as somewhat bumbling and potbellied, with a penchant for drinking sake, changing shape and impersonating Buddhist monks. One of the tanuki's most famous characteristics is its gargantuan scrotum, which it employs for all sorts of creative shape-shifting--numerous woodblock prints and other images illustrate the powers of this magnificent paraphernalia."''
5-->--''The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore''
6
7''Tanuki'' (commonly transcribed as "tanooki") is the Japanese word for 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.
8
9They 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 North 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]]
10
11Many of the tropes that Americans associate with [[RascallyRaccoon raccoons]] also apply to raccoon dogs. 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.
12
13'''The eight traits commonly associated with the tanuki:'''
14
15* A hat, to be ready to protect against trouble or bad weather
16* Big eyes, to perceive the environment and help make good decisions
17* A sake bottle, representing virtue
18* A big tail, providing steadiness and strength until success is achieved
19* 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 equally large breasts instead.[[/note]]
20* A promissory note, representing trust or confidence
21* A big belly, for bold and calm decisiveness
22* A friendly smile
23
24Tanuki are [[TanukiKitsuneContrast often paired]] with [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]], usually as rivals with [[WeakButSkilled less raw power and ambition but more skill at shapeshifting and trickery]] - a famous expression is "the fox has seven disguises, but the tanuki has eight." In fact the term ''kitsune-tanuki'' ([[AlternateCharacterReading pronounced "kori"]]) exists to refer to them collectively, and can also be used to mean a sly or deceptive person. Likewise the fortunetelling game [[OuijaBoard Kokkuri]] is written with the characters ''kitsune-dog-tanuki''.[[note]]Either a reference to [[EvilDetectingDog the ability of dogs to detect shapeshifters]], or to {{Tengu}} (whose name is written as "heavenly dog").[[/note]]
25
26Tanuki are particularly associated with alcohol in Japan. This may be the result of a story in which a tanuki orders liquor using money that is actually leaves he transformed with his magic; it transforms back into leaves after the tanuki departs. Their statues often are placed outside bars.
27
28Sometimes their large genitals are just there, but in some stories, the tanuki use them for a variety of purposes. You can see some humorous examples [[http://pinktentacle.com/2009/06/all-purpose-tanuki-testicles-prints-by-kuniyoshi/ here]], though they might not be safe for work.
29
30Finally, they're the inspiration for "Tanuki-ese", a grade-schooler code that's roughly the Japanese equivalent of PigLatin. See, [[AlternateCharacterReading written with different characters]], "tanuki" can be interpreted as "ta-nuki" - "without the ''ta''". In other words, remove the "ta" character(s) from a seemingly ordinary sentence to - hopefully - get a completely different message (or, conversely, randomly add the character "ta" between syllables in the sentence you want "coded").
31
32Compare RascallyRaccoon, its Western Hemisphere counterpart and the source of the English-language name "raccoon dog". Can overlap with HeroicDog if the tanuki is portrayed as more outright heroic.
33
34----
35!!Examples:
36
37[[foldercontrol]]
38
39[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
40* A one-episode character in ''Manga/ZeroNineZeroEkoToIssho'', which, not having ever mastered the transformation business, would hide by possessing people. LastOfHisKind. Is used to cause a ShipTease and maybe, just maybe, advance the plot.
41* ''Ame to Kimi to'', or ''With You and the Rain'', is a SliceOfLife manga about a woman taking in a tanuki as a pet. While it doesn't possess many of the traits associated with mythical tanuki, it does have the traditional leaf on its head and is [[IntellectualAnimal extremely intelligent]], able to communicate with humans [[TalkingWithSigns through writing]]. It also insists that [[BlatantLies it's a perfectly normal dog]].
42* ''Manga/AndYetTheTownMoves'': Josephine is actually Hotori's dog, but she looks very much like a Tanuki. After her friends make fun the similarity, Hotori has a dream where Josephine informs her that since she's apparently a Tanuki, she's leaving the family to instead live among the other Tanuki's in the mountains.
43* ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'': Tanuki-Oni. Originally a villain in his debut in the Omusubiman theatrical short, he [[HeelFaceTurn switched sides]] when he was introduced in the series. His main motive is to win Batako's heart, as he has a massive crush on her. His most common transformations are a bat (that he uses for transportation outside of his mountain-side cave) and a gigantic ox-like monster (this is his main attack form). His disguises are often given away by his tail, which remains when he transforms.
44* The Amanojyaku Labyrinth arc of ''Manga/AsTheGodsWill'' features these in statue and symbol form.
45* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Tanumaro is a tanuki ayakashi specifically based on the folk tale ''Bunbuku Chagama'', where a tanuki disguised himself as a tea kettle. However, the tea kettle body is his natural state and [[AKindOfOne it's something his clan, if not all tanuki, share]].
46* ''Anime/BeastWarsNeo'': The Transformer Heinrad transforms into one of these. His corresponding toy prominently features the large testicles (he's got a clock on his stomach. The alarm bells are... lower.) which become the upper legs in robot mode.
47* ''Anime/BNABrandNewAnimal'': Michiru used to be human, then she suddenly transformed into a tanuki beastman. She initially tries to pass herself off as a raccoon, but it's quickly pointed out her tail doesn't have enough rings. She also has a limited shapeshifting ability to change parts of her body into those of other species, and RubberMan her arms and tail, though it takes her a while to learn how to re-assume human form (which ordinary beastmen can do).
48* The {{Kemono}} {{Hentai}} manga ''Build Tiger'' has a tanuki named Inari as a VillainOfTheWeek. Given the manga's [[{{Fanservice}} premise]], it's not surprising 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.
49* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'': A RunningGag is people mistaking [[RobotBuddy Doraemon]] for a tanuki when they first meet him since he doesn't have any cat ears. [[BerserkButton This is a good way to annoy him]].
50* ''Manga/TheFoxAndLittleTanuki'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin naturally]] features one, the eponymous tanuki cub Manpachi. He's a CheerfulChild who has TheGift when it comes to transforming himself [[ForcedTransformation or others]] into this or that, and the "pachi" in his name is spelled with the kanji for "eight".
51%%* ''Gauche the Cellist'' has a small tanuki as one of the titular character's teachers.
52* ''Manga/GugureKokkurisan'': The tanuki Shigaraki, a prankster who drinks and gambles a lot.
53* ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'': A tanuki once started impersonating Nube, not out of mischief, but simply because it was a regular animal possessed by a trickster spirit. Unfortunately for Nube, it was very fond of wreaking havoc across town, up to and including streaking the school and giving Miss Ritsuko an up-close and personal encounter with a tanuki's pride and joy... while still in Nube's shape.
54* In ''Anime/InazumaElevenAres'', Tonegawa Tousen's mascot is a tanuki who can shapeshift into a girl, whose TransformationTrinket appears to be her leg bracelet.
55* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': Miroku's buddy Hachi is a man-sized tanuki that normally dresses like a human and often uses his shapeshifting to become a kind of [[GiantFlyer giant floating windsock]] that transports Miroku around. Shippo is a ''[[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]]'' who [[IAmNotWeasel angrily corrects]] when he's sometimes referred to as a tanuki because of his shapeshifting abilities and small stature.
56* ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has a brothel of female Tanuki [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold prostitutes]] that make various periodical appearances. [[AsianFoxSpirit Tomoe]] knows them all by name and before [[PluckyGirl Nanami]] showed up, [[MrViceGuy regularly visited]] the place.
57* The anime ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' includes a tanuki appearing during the Motion Picture Club's first project meeting which distracts Asakusa and Mizusaki. Kanamori openly compares her to a tanuki during production for the Robot Club's promotional short (complete with a brief CutawayGag of [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/738/994/901.png Asakusa with a tanuki-esque domino mask and a magic leaf on her head]]) and jokingly refers to her as a tanuki after throwing a net over her in Episode 11. Additionally, [[https://www.1999.co.jp/itbig67/10671893b_m.jpg one piece of merchandise]] for the show is a plushie of [[BunnyEarsLawyer Asakusa]] in a tanuki kigurumi. This motif is likely due to her overall appearance, since in Japan people with round faces and wide eyes are often described as having "tanuki faces," and is additionally compounded by Asakusa's wide-brimmed hat and genial smile, also traits common among depictions of tanuki in folklore. A degree of AuthorAppeal also seems to factor into it given that the manga's author frequently retweets clips of tanuki on his Twitter account.
58* ''Manga/KemonoJihen'': Kohachi Inugami is a bakedanuki and the proprietor of the Inugami Detective Agency. Despite his casual demeanor, he's a skilled detective and a responsible guardian to the boys under his care. His abilities allow him to transform between a human form and his bake-danuki form at will, turn his skin into metal over time, and create objects out of thin air like a gun.
59* ''Manga/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.
60* ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'': Maeno is obsessed with tanuki and is constantly badgering the manga authors working under him to include them in all their works. Since they're very obvious InUniverse {{Creators Pet}}s, most of the other characters hate them, to the point that the anime's opening shows Sakura and Hori violently destroying one.
61* ''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 Mina Ashido steps in to defend him.
62* ''Manga/MyMasterHasNoTail'' 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.
63* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', the one-tailed beast Shukaku is an enormous demon in the form of a huge (and somewhat insane) tanuki, though it [[{{Bowdlerize}} lacks the oversized testicles]]. His [[PowersViaPossession host]] Gaara can also create a statue of Shukaku out of sand similar to wayside statues seen in Japan. In reference to the tanuki[=/=][[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]] rivalry, Gaara is introduced as an EvilCounterpart to the kitsune-possessed Naruto. While Shukaku is much weaker than Naruto's Nine-Tailed Fox, Gaara is able to physically transform into his Tailed Beast (thus unleashing its full power) long before Naruto can do the same and without the physical injuries Naruto suffers for most of the series.
64* The tanukis ''Manga/OmaeTanukiNaraneeKa'' are looking to bolster their numbers, usually by looking for [[DrivenToSuicide suicidal]] person, forcibly transform them into a fellow tanuki and let them experience their new existence. Usually it ends up with their target learning to appreciate life again and regains their will to live.
65* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
66** Tony Tony Chopper is mistaken for a tanuki by nearly every character he encounters outside of the crew. He is a reindeer, but his small and cute appearance leads to confusion. He also happens to have shapeshifting powers.
67** 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).
68%%* Ponta, the TeamPet from ''{{Anime/Raideen}}''.
69* ''Sengoku Choujuu Giga'', Tokugawa Ieyasu is [[https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/sengoku-choujuu-giga/videos/206579 represented as a tanuki]].
70* ''Manga/ShamanKing'':
71** Ponchi is a Tanuki that makes a pair with Conchi, a fox (or ''[[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]]''), which is another animal regarded with mystical powers of deception in Japanese mythology. The less said about his testicles, the better. Suffice it to say that he inverts the GroinAttack. Fitting with their mischievous sense of humor, both he and Conchi are {{Captain Ersatz}}es of WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy.
72** Yoh's father, Mikihisa Asakura, has a more traditional fox/tanuki pair, named Imari and Shiragaki, as his spirit allies.
73* ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'': Tanukichi's (no relation to [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the other Tanukichi]][[note]]Tom Nook in the English version[[/note]]) [[EmbarrassingFirstName first name]] is a pun based on the Tanuki. [[LampshadeHanging Ayame points out the implications of the name]].
74* ''Manga/TamamoChansAFox'': Mitarai initially appears to be a tanuki, and has the typical powers of shapeshifting and casting illusions on leaves and sticks. However, she's actually a raccoon. [[spoiler:But she learned her powers from a real tanuki.]]
75* Episode 28 of ''Anime/TimeBokan'' features a tanuki robot, complete with shape-shifting.
76* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura:''
77** A tanuki named Oshima shows up in a story that is a parody of the classic Japanese fairytale of "The Grateful Crane". He wants to repay Ataru's kindness after Ataru frees him from a tanuki trap whilst he is disguised as a crane, but he can't think of how to do it, until he reads a kid's storybook with the Grateful Crane in it. He attempts to turn into a maid for Ataru... but just looks like himself in a dress. He tries to create money for Ataru from transformed leaves... but can't pull it off. When Ataru gets mad and calls him a stupid tanuki, he borrows from the ending of the Grateful Crane and uses it as an excuse to turn into a crane and leave.
78** A second tanuki, also named Oshima, appears in the third NonSerialMovie as the slightly bumbly sidekick to the film's antagonist. Colored gray, she is more competent with her magic than her counterpart, and first appears as a cute teenage human girl with [[LittleBitBeastly a tanuki's ears and tail]].
79* The Tanuki from the Kincho clan in Shikoku guards the Orb of Gold in ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}''.
80* ''Manga/YuunaAndTheHauntedHotSprings'': Koyuzu Shigaraki is a young female tanuki who usually takes the form of a little girl [[LittleBitBeastly 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.
81* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' has a one-shot manga-only story early on where Yusuke and Botan encounter one who attempts to help an old man about to pass on.
82* In Buichi Terasawa's ''Takeru'', the titular hero's sidekick is a CartoonCreature who appears to be partially translated into a tea kettle and can fully shift form of a large flying tea kettle which can be ridden on. His name is Bunbuku, and he's clearly a reference to the ''Bunbuku Chagama'' tale, and thus seems to be some sort of alien tanuki.
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Fan Works]]
86* In the ''Animal Crossing'' fic ''Fanfic/SliceOfHeaven'', tanukis are a myth in real life but exist in the MundaneAfterlife. Tom and his similar relatives are special residents in Animal Crossing who run general stores.
87* 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. [[spoiler:He later finds out that it's not a Quirk - he's an actual youkai.]]
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Film - Animated]]
91* A clan of them feature in ''Anime/PomPoko''. The American dub calls them [[RascallyRaccoon raccoons]] (likely to make it easier to translate the numerous songs about them) and [[{{Bowdlerise}} refers to their testicles as "pouches"]].
92* In the Japanese localized version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', the male newscaster for Zootopia News Network is a raccoon dog named Michael Tanuyama, whose appearance is like the tanuki from Japanese folklore complete with a straw hat and a leaf on his head.
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Literature]]
96* ''Literature/InCryptid'' has the tanuki character Ryan Yukimura, a bartender at the club Verity works at. His species can appear as a human, a raccoon dog, or a giant tanuki monster. They can also temporarily [[TakenForGranite turn parts of themself to stone]].
97* ''Villa Incognito'' by Creator/TomRobbins has several sections about Tanukis as a TheTrickster and frequently mentions their giant scrotum.
98%% * Quite a few appear in ''Literature/EightMillionGods''.
99* ''Literature/TheEccentricFamily'' is a novel about a family of Tanuki living in Kyoto that has been adapted into an anime series.
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
103* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Kripke allegedly draws a picture of "a 'raccoon' with an engorged scrotum" on Sheldon's survey. It was quite probably intended to be a tanuki.
104* ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'': Keiwa Sakurai, a.k.a. Kamen Rider Tycoon, one of the rivals of the eponymous protagonist in the Desire Grand Prix, has a [[AnimalMotifs Tanuki motif]].
105* ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' had a Tanuki comic book artist as a MonsterOfTheWeek. The series calls him a Mujina (which actually refers to a badger youkai, but the name is interchangeable with "Tanuki" in some regions), but his appearance and mannerisms are very much Tanuki, complete with drumming his belly. Renamed Artistmole for Season 3 of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''
106[[/folder]]
107
108[[folder:Music]]
109* Tanuki are a common subject of ''warabe-uta'' (traditional songs sung to Japanese children).
110** In an instance of cultural translation, one of these songs, whose original words are about a tanuki at the Shojoji temple, has become a song about a raccoon named Shojoji who is always hungry. The Japanese words makeru-na suggested macaroons, so Shojoji craves "macaroons and macaroni, jellybeans and pink spumoni" (or, depending on the version, pink baloney, or pink abalone). A version for the Mickey Mouse Club included both an inset of a woman singing the original Japanese song and a skit with Mousketeers singing the Americanized version.
111[[/folder]]
112
113[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
114* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has long had the tanuki, or "raccoon dog", as one of the possible breeds of hengeyokai (basically an Asian animal-based {{Voluntary Shapeshift|ing}}er). They first appeared in the 1st Edition supplement ''Oriental Adventures'', where they were described as always evil, with enhanced strength but lower than normal wisdom. They later reappeared in 3rd edition's remake of the same sourcebook, where they lost the "Always Evil" aspect. They made their final appearance to date for 4th edition in issue #404 of Dragon, where they lost the wisdom penalty (indeed, wisdom and charisma were the "floating" ability score boosts), and finally gained a climbing speed.
115* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', tanuki are [[BeastMan monstrous humanoids]] with the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] subtype, tend to be ChaoticNeutral, can create items from nothing, supposedly change objects into other objects, and [[BoozeBasedBuff get more powerful when]] [[DrunkenMaster they take a swig of sake]]. Also, they have a slam attack that they don't need to have their paws free to use.
116* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' has drum-playing baby tanuki (though the English cards call them "raccoons") named Ponpoko and Tantan.
117* In ''TabletopGame/KitsuneOfFoxesAndFools'' a "Friendly Tanuki" is one of the possible ally cards. They improve the Wit trait by +3.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Video Games]]
121* A blue tanuki is the boss of Waphoon in ''Go Go! Mile Smile!''. It attacks by throwing bottles of sake at Mile and Yard and uses its leaf to warp from platform to platform to avoid being hit himself.
122* The Tanooki Suit for Mario in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' is based on the appearance of a tanuki and named after it (though with the spelling of the name Anglicized), minus the large testicles. When Mario wears it, he has the same abilities as he does as Raccoon Mario while also being able to turn into a statue, which makes him invulnerable to enemy attacks at the cost of movement, making it so enemies pass by Mario without harming him. Since the Japanese name of "Raccoon Mario" was actually "''shippo'' [tail] Mario," it was most likely meant to be a LittleBitBeastly version of a tanuki rather than a raccoon. (For the reason given at the top of this page, it's significant that the powerup which turns Mario into this form is a leaf.)
123* ''VideoGame/MonsterSanctuary'' contains a rare non-Japanese example. The tanuki is a shapeshifter that can appear disguised as any monster commonly found in the area, it wears a leaf on its head, and uses the elements of wind and earth.
124* Of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Sentret and Zigzagoon are both designed after the tanuki. Sentret resembles the folklore version, with its round body and 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.
125* ''VideoGame/ShounenKinindenTsumuji'' features a tanuki statue made by Tsumuji's father which has all 8 traits.
126* [[PunnyName Tom Nook]] from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' is a tanuki in the original Japanese versions of the games; the English localizations officially call him a raccoon, but his PunnyName still makes it clear what he ''really'' is. Of note is the fact that all furniture items in the games (such as those that Tom Nook sells) are transformed into leaves when put in one's inventory. And, naturally, Nook's [[ChasteToons nephews]] Timmy and Tommy are also tanuki, although this is less obvious. Tanuki statues also appear. Prior to ''New Leaf'', he normally wore only an apron, a nod to tanukis' large testicles (though oddly enough, his uniforms for both Nook 'n' Go and Nookington's have him wear a [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal a shirt with no pants]]). He’s also said to [[TanukiKitsuneContrast have a rivalry with Crazy Redd]], who’s a fox.
127* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/JitsuSquad'' is a former human warrior under a curse, who turns him into an andromorphic tanuki. He still retains his fighting skills, however.
128* The ''VideoGame/KikiKaiKai'' series of CuteEmUp games features a Tanuki named Manuke (translated as Rocky the Raccoon), who was originally the FinalBoss from within the original arcade game, but has since became a playable character from within the second entry in the series. Manuke also appears as a boss in ''[[VideoGame/BubbleBobble Bubble Symphony]]'' and ''Pop n' Pop''.
129* ''VideoGame/TanukiJustice'' stars a pair of tanuki ninja siblings, out to defeat the forces of darkness.
130* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' has these youkai showing up here and there, but there are two notable ones:
131** Mamizou Futatsuiwa, the {{Superboss}} 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.
132** The ExpandedUniverse manga ''Oriental Sacred Place'', chapter 11, featured an unnamed tanuki who almost successfully impersonated [[CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame]].
133* Ibuki of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Super Street Fighter IV]]'' has a pet tanuki named Don.
134* [[UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu Ieyasu Tokugawa]] in ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' is associated with the tanuki, in contrast to his rival Mitsunari Ishida, who is associated with the [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]].
135** ''Samurai Warriors'' 3 has the Murasame Castle Mode, in which one can find 33 tanukis in order to unlock a character.
136* ''VideoGame/ShadowTacticsBladesOfTheShogun'' includes a realistic-looking one named Kuma. It being a stealth game, [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eVzNkBj7I8I/maxresdefault.jpg as the pet of Takuma]], Kuma is one of Takuma's gameplay tools. Kuma is able to be ordered around wherever because no one suspects [[BeneathNotice a common raccoon dog]], and distract guards by [[CutenessProximity acting adorable]].
137* In ''Sengoku Rance'', UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu ''is'' a tanuki.
138* The boss of the alternate fourth stage in ''Sexy VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' is a tanuki, whose prominent kintama are a FakeWeakness. The music for the BossBattle is a medley of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the ''warabe-uta'' tune "Genkotsu-yama no Tanuki-san."
139* Fox's trainer in the Training Mode of ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' and its Platform/Nintendo3DS remake is a tanuki by the name of [[https://starfox.fandom.com/wiki/Yaru_de_Pon Yaru de Pon (or DePon)]].
140* ''[[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon The Legend of the Mystical Ninja]]'' has a tanuki statue marking checkpoints between action stages. In the Platform/SuperFamicom sequel ''Ganbare Goemon 2'', the statues mark the LevelGoal, and break open to release plenty of ''koban'' coins.
141* ''Comic Bakery'' has a bunch of tanuki trying to eat the bread and generally disrupt things.
142* ''VideoGame/{{Ponpoko}}'' stars a hungry tanuki.
143* Mamedanuki from ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''.
144* Dodon Pa from ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' is a mysterious tanuki (and is referred to as such even in translations) who invites the characters to race. Amy and the others know about tanuki stereotypes and don't trust him. He's also described as funny-looking and chubby.
145* One of ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'''s playable "gods" (which also include non-god heroes and creatures like Hercules, Jormungandr, and Mulan) is [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzaburou-danuki Danzaburou-danuki]] (here just shortened to "Danzaburou"), a Hunter-type character who uses a BambooTechnology shotgun and rockets.
146* In ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'', the first DLC chapter of the Vita remake has a tanuki disguised as various monsters as the second boss; [[spoiler: even the "haunted house" the fight takes place in is part of the disguise.]] After the fight, he takes on the player character Okoi, a vengeful shapeshifting cat, as a disciple.
147* In ''Musya: The Classic Japanese Tale of Horror'', the first boss is a tanuki that first appears disguised as a beautiful girl and breathes fire after taking swigs of sake. The lower part of its sprite was edited for the American release.
148* In ''VideoGame/TheAngryVideoGameNerdIIAssimilation'', the Nerd spends a stage riding a tanuki with "fucking flaming tanuki balls". [[GroinAttack You can smash his huge nads into enemies if you wish.]] [[InvertedTrope It kills the enemies, too!]]
149* ''Tanukids'', a MazeGame released with one of Creator/{{Compile}}'s Platform/PC98 Disc Station issues, stars a father tanuki who carries around a flask of sake while [[GottaRescueThemAll rescuing the kids]] and plays his belly like a drum.
150* ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch2'' has a tanuki boss named Teastroyer. He disguises himself as Jibanyan and tricks the protagonist into buying him food. After finding him out you fight him and he then he fuses Jibanyan and Komasan into Jibakoma.
151* The first ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'' features a large statue of a tanuki in Inkopolis Plaza, right across from one of a [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]]. Both statues are decorated during Splatfest celebrations, with the tanuki being decorated in the color of Marie's team. This played into the second Japanese Splatfest, whose theme was Red Fox vs. Green Tanuki.
152* In ''Yam! Yam!?'', a 1990 puzzle arcade game, the main characters are tanukis.
153* The Arcade/Super Famicom puzzle game ''Dharma Dojou'' has tanukis as one of the blocks the character needs to clear. They also show up in the ending.
154* In ''VideoGame/GourmetWarriors'', the second phase of one of the bosses is a robotic tanuki.
155* A tanuki shows up as one of the party guests at the end of VideoGame/PsychoFox.
156* ''VideoGame/KeioFlyingSquadron'' has a tanuki named Dr. Pon as one of the characters. They also show up as statues.
157* Hit the wrong bell in ''Drop Rock Hora Hora/Drop Off'' for the PC Engine and a tanuki drops onto you.
158* The plot of ''Hana Taaka Daka!'' for the PC engine is kicked off when a tanuki kidnaps a fox's girlfriend. The enemies also revert into small tanukis when defeated.
159* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' has as one of the treasures in the Great Cave Offensive a "Raccoon Doll" that's probably supposed to be a tanuki. Also, there's Pon, who makes his first appearance in ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'' and becomes a recurring character in the Kirby-verse afterward.
160* The main character of ''Batten Tanuki no Daibouken'' is a tanuki who happens to be a martial arts expert. The cover also features a real tanuki--frankly, that seems to be the most memorable part.
161* ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' has the [[https://megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Shigaraky Shigaraky]] who launches...orbs...from between its legs.
162* ''VideoGame/NinjaBaseballBatMan'' has them in statue form.
163* In ''Gururin'' (a MatchThreeGame for the Platform/NeoGeo), one of your opponents is a drunk tanuki who seems to prefer wine over sake.
164* In ''Musashi no Bouken'', a Dragon Quest clone for the NES, you find a tanuki companion almost immediately after starting the game. He operates independently in battle, gaining new skills by collecting certain leaves.
165* Film/TheGoonies game for Famicom has a tanuki as one of the collectables.
166* Sachen's ''Q Boy'', an unlicensed game for the NES, has tanukis as one of the first enemies you encounter.
167* ''VideoGame/TokyoAfterschoolSummoners'' features two tanuki characters as recruitable allies: Gyobu, a [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters Neighbourhood Friendly]] {{Yakuza}}, and Goemon (whose real name is Shukaku), a LargeHam [[KabukiTheatre Kabuki]] performer. Both of them have the standard chubby body type, amicable personality, and access transformation & illusory magic, and because of [[{{Fanservice}} the type of game this is]], allusions are made to them being generously sized in their nether regions though it's not actually shown. Their names are also taken from popular tanuki folklore.
168* ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' has a scrapped Minigame called "Tanuki (or Tanooki) and Monkey", featuring a tanuki instructor named Ponta.
169* ''VideoGame/KemonoHeroes'' features a ghostly tanuki {{Samurai}} as the boss of Stage 2.
170* In ''Gekisha Boy 2'', one of the stages has a tanuki statue you can take several pictures of.
171* One of the players you can add to your team in ''Softball Tengoku'' is a tanuki.
172* By entering a code in ''VideoGame/WakuWaku7'', you can make the win counter a tanuki head.
173* Yasu, one of the titular character's assistants in ''Samurai Kid'' for the GBC is a tanuki. Interestingly, the other assistant is not a kitsune as might be expected, but a monkey.
174* A tanuki statue shows up in ''Super Bishibashi'' for arcades, and showed up in the ''Bishibashi'' spin-off ''Steering Champ'', but was edited out of the European version of the latter.
175* ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' has a "Tanooki Kart'', and is (as you might expect) Tanooki Mario's signature Kart.
176* ''VideoGame/TheBattleCats'' for Android has a tanuki named Kachi-Kachi.
177* The Playstation port of ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' has an exclusive character called "Akari" Ichijou or "Ponta" Akari, who happens to be a tanuki who took the form of the real Akari to mess around.
178
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180
181[[folder:Visual Novels]]
182* One of the romance options in the [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Furry]] HGame VisualNovel/{{Morenatsu}} is a tanuki named Kounosuke Kuri, who is fittingly [[BigBeautifulMan chubby]] and has an interest in the supernatural. He also has a younger brother named Yukiharu who is much the same.
183[[/folder]]
184
185[[folder:Webcomics]]
186* ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'': Itsuki Kitamura is a tanuki who works as an auto mechanic with the main characters' father. While he has the right body type for a stock tanuki character and wears a groin-covering {{fundoshi}} in possible reference to ''kintama'', he subverts the stock personality by being TheComicallySerious, and is less a representative of the traditional tanuki as he is an AffectionateParody of a young Japanese person entering the workforce.
187* ''Webcomic/{{Outsider}}'': The Tenuki, one of the Umiak client species, are short, round and furry bipeds with bushy tails and feisty natures.
188* The NotSafeForWork {{Animesque}} Furry Webcomic ''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.
189* ''Tribal Circumstances'' (also known as ''A School of Humans and Kemonos'' in the English translation) is a SliceOfLife {{Ecchi}} web manga that focuses on a school populated by students who range from normal human to BeastMan on the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism, and the shenanigans of them trying to understand the quirks of each others' species. Among them is an anthropomorphic tanuki named Happei who, as a young person [[TruthInTelevision detached from many of the traditions of Japanese folklore]], [[PopculturalOsmosisFailure doesn't quite "get" some of the prominent stereotypes associated with tanuki]] and laments being associated with large bellies & big ballsacks. The punchline comes when his [[AsianFoxSpirit fox]] friend, whom he envies for being associated with more "cool" things, points out that [[IResembleThatRemark he really does have a big belly and large balls]].
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Western Animation]]
193* ''WesternAnimation/MaoMaoHeroesOfPureHeart'' has Tanya Keys, a tanuki bounty hunter and former partner of Mao Mao. As a tanuki, she can shapeshift into other people, imitate their voices perfectly, and turn leaves into objects like ice cream, ropes, or even anchors.
194[[/folder]]
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