Video Game / Fox Spirit: A Two-Tailed Adventure

Fox Spirit: A Two-Tailed Adventure is an interactive story by Choice of Games, written by Amy Clare Fontaine. It takes place in Feudal Japan, where a young fox transforms into a two-tailed Asian Fox Spirit on their 100th birthday and searches the human village of Hoshimori for the Star Ball, which is believed to grant immortality to those who are worthy of it. Along the way, they meet other fox spirits and humans and discover that they recently are going to war with each other after centuries of peace. Depending on their outlook on them because their family was killed by Daichi, a fox-hating human farmer, 20 years ago, the protagonist can try making peace between the two factions or ally with either the Human Empire or the Wild Masters to destroy the other. Alternatively, they can try changing Daichi's views on foxes or kill him in revenge. Whatever path they choose, the protagonist can either become a divine messenger, a folk hero, a cunning trickster, or a demon, or their place in the world can remain an enigma by the end of their journey.

The first three chapters and part of the 4th can be played here for free.

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Fox Spirit contains examples of:

A-M

• Actual Pacifist:
  • A highly cautious protagonist can avoid battles for the most part and resolve conflict peacefully.
  • Kusora believes that the Wild Masters can be stopped without violence because fighting would only lead to more violence, but Hisako disagrees.
• Affluent Ascetic: Hisako, despite being chief, lives in a shack beside the castle because she wants to understand her people's living conditions. She uses most of the government money to fund projects to improve Hoshimori instead of spoiling herself with a lavish lifestyle. However, she still has to manage the castle for Emperor Yoshifuji under his orders, and Nizo, one of the officials, scoffs at her lifestyle and threatens to tell the emperor of her "transgressions" unless the protagonist can use their mind manipulation well to change his mind.
• The Ageless: Fox spirits, if given the gift of immortality, can live for many centuries without aging one bit, but they're still vulnerable to being killed.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Regardless of the protagonist's gender, Kahi fits the role of the "bad boy" in their relationship. He's extreme in his plans to destroy the Human Empire, but he uses his dashing looks to seduce the protagonist into the Wild Masters. The protagonist, in turn, admires his courage and wisdom as leader, but they'll feel conflicted if their allegiance with the Wild Masters isn't strong enough.
• Alliance Meter: The player can track their allegiance towards the Wild Masters or the Human Empire, and there's a hidden meter that tracks their progress towards making a peaceful resolution or destroying the opposite faction at war.
• The Apprentice: The protagonist can train under the Wild Masters if their allegiance is strong enough at the end.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: Noboru is an arrogant noble who looks down on peasants and wishes to live away from them, but he must play along to fend the Wild Masters off from Hoshimori because he's a fox spirit going undercover as a human for 50 years, and he doesn't want any other fox spirit taking the Star Ball from him.
• Armor-Piercing Question: If the protagonist is brave enough, they can stand up for themself and call out Daichi for his hatred of foxes in their first meeting in 20 years at his farm. They ask him how many other fox spirits he talked to other than them, and with a tear in his eye, he only answers, "Just one." It's the fox spirit that killed his wife when Ren was a baby, which drove him to kill all fox spirits for Ren's protection.
• Asian Fox Spirit: The protagonist is a two-tailed fox who recently became a fox spirit on their 100th birthday and learned magic.
• Battle in the Rain: The final confrontation with Daichi happens on a rainy night, and the protagonist can fight him to exact revenge on him for killing their family.
• Big Sister Bully: Chiyo bullied one of her younger brothers with mind control out of jealousy over her younger littermates. However, she quickly regretted it when he got injured by a mother wolf when Chiyo tricked him into entering the wolf's den, and she returned him to their parents' den before running away and deliberately scarring herself.
• Bonding over Missing Parents: During the final confrontation with Daichi, the protagonist can empathize with Ren over their deceased mother because they, too, lost their parents in a tragedy.
• Brains and Brawn: Noboru is the brains to Rinka's brawn, as he does the planning to keep the Star Ball away from other foxes while she does all the killing.
• Brought Down to Normal: Fox spirits lose their heightened senses when they shapeshift into humans and have to make do with their less powerful vision and smell.
• But Thou Must!:
  • The protagonist can't turn down the rescue mission Inari assigns to them, gladly accepting it at best or pretending to do so at worst.
  • The protagonist can't say no to Azumi's challenge to outwit her in a game of hide-and-seek because all the possible choices have them saying yes.
• Calling the Old Man Out:
  • During the final confrontation with Daichi, the protagonist can encourage Ren to call him out for his hatred towards fox spirits. The success of this action depends on the protagonist's relationships with them.
  • If the protagonist dies but Ren had a very close bond with them, they will call out Daichi for not understanding why they love foxes so much and run away to the capital, where they can pursue their artistic career without being judged.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: The protagonist needs enough endurance to best Noboru in a drinking match or else they'll faint in their second glass and fail to extort info about the Star Ball from him.
• Career-Ending Injury: If the protagonist injures Chiyo's paw to stop her from planting bombs around Hisako's castle, she won't show up in the final battle.
• Chekhov's Party: Early on, Noboru invites the nobles to a lavish party, which the protagonist sneaks in by surreptitiously getting an invitation or through another way if they fail to get one. This turns out to be a distraction so he can plan with Rinka and his army his escape to the mountains with the Star Ball in hand.
• Cunning Like a Fox: The protagonist can lie and manipulate others with illusions and trickery to achieve their goals, and they can end their journey as a trickster. According to their father Ono, humans see foxes as clever creatures because they're more attuned to the earth than them.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: If the protagonist tries pursuing a romantic relationship with Ren, they'll come into conflict with Ren's fox-hating father Daichi. He'll warm up to them if he has a change of heart towards foxes, otherwise he'll be suspicious of them at best or chase the protagonist out of his farm at worst, forcing them to visit Ren in secret. If the couple decides to run away to the capital, Daichi will visit them if he has a change of heart, otherwise Ren will cut ties with him if the protagonist failed to redeem him. But regardless of what happens, the protagonist will be happy that they found love with Ren.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Despite her cold demeanor, Hisako is stressed about the war deep down, but she keeps a straight face for the sake of her village. The protagonist can help her warm up to them by allying with the Human Empire and comforting her in her castle.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: The protagonist has a lot of paths to go down as a newly incarnated fox spirit, but they can choose to keep their place in the world an enigma and keep searching.
• Deus ex Machina: If the protagonist gets caught by Noboru and Rinka for sneaking into their meeting, the fox siblings will threaten to kill them for it. Regardless of their success or failure to defend themself, Noboru will go through with his death threat, only for Rinka to tackle him and get into a fight with him, wanting to kill them herself. The protagonist will use this distraction to escape, and this scene is even called "rinka_ex_machina" in the game files.
• A Dog Named "Dog": One of the suggested names for the protagonist is "Kitsune".
• Downer Ending: If the protagonist dies in their fight against Daichi, Ren will mourn their death. Depending on how close they were before the protagonist's death, Ren will either run away to the capital to pursue their artistic career without being judged, stay with Daichi but no longer make fox paintings to appease him, or fully repair their relationship but destroy all of their fox paintings out of spite.
• Elopement: If they're trying to date them, the protagonist can propose to Ren to run away with them to the capital so the latter can pursue their dream job as a painter.
• Even Evil Has Standards: A demonic protagonist can still strive for peace between the two factions, believing that one destroying the other would leave them with no one else to terrorize.
• Familiar: Just as the legendary fox spirits are loyal to their goddess Inari, Kusora is also loyal to their master, Hisako, the chief of Hoshimori. Likewise, Rinka is loyal to her human brother, Noboru, who's actually a fox spirit like her.
• Family of Choice: The protagonist feels this way if they join the Wild Masters in the end, having found a fox family they can call their own.
• Fantastic Racism: The humans and fox spirits used to live in harmony until the Wild Masters destroyed Hoshimori and stole from the villagers. There are a few humans, like Ren, who are friendly to fox spirits, but the spirits are being hunted down for what the Wild Masters did. On the other side, the Wild Masters seek to defeat the Human Empire for killing their kin, believing that stopping them will give foxes more time to grow up and become fox spirits.
• Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Daichi tries to keep his child Ren away from foxes and fox spirits despite their love for them because he believes that they're monsters and wants to protect Ren. It's revealed that his wife Ayaka was killed by a fox spirit when Ren was a baby, and he'll do anything to protect them from them.
• Farmer's Daughter: A rare Japanese example: Ren is this by default unless the protagonist desires only a male partner. She's a sweet, innocent farm girl who's heavily sheltered by Daichi, who doesn't want her to go near foxes despite her love for them.
• Folk Hero: The protagonist can end their journey as one by being brave and stepping into battle often.
• Follow in My Footsteps: Ren is an aspiring painter and wants to sell their paintings for a living, but because their family is poor, they can't afford lessons to flourish as one, and Daichi wants them to help out at the farm to make ends meet. Despite this, Daichi still supports their passion by buying them art supplies and will be even more supportive if he has a change of heart towards foxes.
• Forbidden Friendship: The protagonist can become best friends with Ren, but their friendship will be at stake with Daichi because of his hatred for foxes. He'll warm up to them if he has a change of heart.
• Foreshadowing:
  • As they pick up clues to where the Star Ball is, the protagonist starts becoming suspicious of the arrogant noble Noboru. He keeps a tablet that has an illustration of a fox biting down on the Star Ball, bans foxes from attending his party, wears strong perfume to mask his foxy scent, patrols the woods at night, and his servants could hear strange sounds coming from his chamber. He also has a fox spirit sister named Rinka, which the protagonist finds unusual. It turns out that Noboru's the fox spirit who killed others of his kind and disguised himself as a noble for 50 years, as foretold by Himiko. He's also planning to leave Hoshimori after the party with his Youkai army and the Star Ball in hand.
  • If the protagonist bravely calls out Daichi for his hatred towards foxes in their first meeting at the farm in 20 years, he'll say with a single tear that he only met one other fox spirit before the protagonist's family. It's the one that killed his wife when Ren was a baby, and he vowed to kill any fox that trespasses into his farm to protect Ren.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: If Ren likes the protagonist enough, they'll forgive them for killing or injuring Daichi, but they won't forget what they did. It'll then take a long time for the two to repair their friendship/relationship.
• Forgot About His Powers: Whenever Kusora gets afraid or stressed, they often forget that they have magic. This happens during their rescue mission with their protagonist, where they get stuck in a rockslide and the protagonist has to rescue them.
• Foul Fox: The protagonist can become a demonic blight in the end if they're cruel towards others.
• Freudian Excuse: Daichi hates fox spirits and kills any that come near his farm because his wife was killed by one when Ren was a baby. He knows that killing fox spirits won't bring his wife back, but he does so to protect Ren from them.
• Gender Flip: Ren will be a boy if the protagonist desires only a male partner, otherwise, she's a girl.
• Graceful Loser: If the protagonist beats Azumi in hide-and-seek, she'll bow to them in respect and tell her fellow Wild Masters of their victory.
• Gray-and-Grey Morality: When confronted by Kahi on what they think of humans, the protagonist can Take a Third Option and have a realistic outlook: that not all humans are bad. He'll scoff at them for being "indifferent" to the Wild Masters' cause.
• Heel Realization: If the protagonist successfully convinces Daichi that not all fox spirits are bad, he'll realize that he had been holding an unhealthy grudge towards them just because one killed his wife when Ren was a baby. He'll apologize for hating all foxes just because of this and will be more supportive of Ren's love for them. How the protagonist feels about this depends on the player because just like how Daichi killing foxes didn't bring his wife back, forgiving him for killing the protagonist's family didn't bring them back either. But at least the protagonist knows that their father would've been proud of them.
• Humanlike Animal Aging: The protagonist was a fox kit when their family was killed 20 years ago. In real life, foxes have a lifespan of 3-4 years, but the foxes in this game live much longer than that and also age at the same rate as humans. Then again, these are magical foxes that become fox spirits on their 100th birthday.
• Humans Are Flawed: While Hisako is loyal to the emperor, she doesn't worship him like a god, but rather acknowledges that he's human like everyone in the village. She recognizes his flaws and acknowledges that even he needs advice from village chiefs to run the government.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Kahi believes that humans are a cancer because "they take what they need and destroy what seem to be too wild for them to use and abuse, with no concern for other creatures." Having witnessed the protagonist's family's murder by Daichi and being unable to do anything about it back then, he's staging a revolt against the Human Empire as revenge for what Daichi and the other humans did to fox spirits. He also believes that destroying the village will free the Ten-Tailed Vixen and restore the wildness to the forest.
• I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: The protagonist can feel this way towards Hisako if they become her advisor at the end, having grown close to her as a friend.
• If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: If the protagonist fails to convince Kahi that he should forgive them for attacking Chiyo to stop her from planting bombs around Hisako's castle, he will unleash his foxfire on them, but spare them at the last moment because if he killed them, he'd be just like the humans he's fighting against.
• I'm a Humanitarian: If the protagonist successfully finds Noboru and Rinka in the former's family den in the mountains, Rinka will lick the protagonist and beg Noboru to let her kill them herself, saying that they're pretty tasty. It's implied that she ate the guardians of the Star Ball after killing them and tried eating the protagonist at the beginning of Chapter 5.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: The protagonist is a hundred-year-old fox spirit on a quest to find the immortality-granting Star Ball if the player wishes, yet they're physically and mentally the equivalent of a young adult like the 20-year-old Ren.
• Immortality Seeker: The protagonist can find the Star Ball that was stolen from Hoshimori by another fox spirit, which was made by the Ten-Tailed Vixen and is believed to grant immortality to those who are worthy of it. According to Himiko's vision, the thief killed others of their kind to steal it and is now living in Hoshimori disguised as a noble. This turns out to be Noboru, who also gathered an army of magical creatures to help him get the Star Ball, and is planning to take over the Human Empire from within and leave with the Star Ball in his paws to give to his mate Akira and their kits.
• Interface Spoiler:
  • If the protagonist meets the nine-tailed fox spirit in Chapter 1 and the player checks the in-game stats right after, they can see that Kahi's reception of the protagonist has changed depending on if they successfully impressed him with their shapeshifting. He's the same fox the protagonist meets again in Chapter 4, and he's the leader of the Wild Masters.
  • The achievement "Extermination" spoils the fact that you can Kill All Humans, not just destroy Hoshimori's Human Empire.
• Interspecies Romance: While fox spirits are sapient beings and can freely talk with humans, there's a taboo with the two species dating each other. Fox spirits can shapeshift into humans to get around this, and Ren and Hisako are potential human love interests.
• Intrepid Reporter: Tamao is a young, inquisitive fox who wants the big scoop from the protagonist regarding their adventures so far. He eagerly listens to their story to relay it to the warring factions at the climax in hopes to convince them to make a truce or destroy the opposing faction.
• In Vino Veritas: When the protagonist follows Noboru into the bar, they can offer to refill his cup with rice wine to trick him into spilling more information about the Star Ball.
• It's All About Me: A self-centered protagonist can brag stories about themself towards others to sway them into sympathizing with them.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: If cornered by Noboru and Rinka for sneaking into their meeting with their Youkai army, the protagonist can try mind-reading Noboru, fighting him to exhaustion, or threatening to crush one of his dragon soldiers on him to force him to confess that he plans to leave Hoshimori with the Star Ball the next day.
• Karma Meter: The player can check their reputation by tracking Hoshimori's attitude towards foxes, which rises and falls depending on their actions in the village. It's how the game determines their path towards being a Folk Hero or a demon, and if their reputation is good enough, they can get support from the village in convincing the Human Empire and the Wild Masters to make peace between themselves.
• Kill All Humans: The protagonist can ally with the Wild Masters to destroy Hoshimori and can even exterminate the entire human race if they win.
• Killer Rabbit: If they fight in the war and are charming enough, the protagonist can transform into a baby fox or a puppy to lure the enemy faction in with their cuteness before mauling them all to death.
• Killing in Self-Defense: The protagonist can try justifying their murder of Daichi as this to Ren to soften the blow it had on the latter. If they're self-centered enough, the protagonist will add that it's part of their survival instincts.
• Lady of War: Hisako is a samurai who fights gracefully in battle and her armor doesn't hinder it.
• Laser-Guided Karma: If the protagonist fails to destroy the Star Ball, the Ten-Tailed Vixen will invoke her wrath on them and shrivel up their left forepaw as punishment for their hubris. They'll still believe that they did the right thing, even if the ghosts of deceased fox spirits will haunt them for the rest of their life.
• Last Stand: The protagonist's mother Nozaki fought valiantly to the end against Daichi to protect her family, even if she knew she was overpowered.
• Letting Her Hair Down: The protagonist imagines Hisako removing her braids and letting her hair flow free if they have a crush on her, hoping she can loosen up from her political duties to be with them.
• Living Legend: The Wild Masters are the most powerful and long-lived fox spirits, and their legends have been passed down through many generations. They're said to be wise teachers who'd climb down the mountains to share their knowledge in magic with those who are worthy of them, and are celebrated for their patience and wisdom. The protagonist heard of them from the stories their parents told them before they died, and they're shocked to see them in person when Kahi leads them to a hidden waterfall to meet them.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Daichi kept his wife's death to a fox spirit a secret from Ren, lying to them that she went on a trip to the capital and would return someday. When Ren discovers the truth in Chapter 9, they're shocked and conflicted about their love for foxes, especially the protagonist.
• Long-Lived: Fox spirits have a natural lifespan of 200 years, but finding the Star Ball can let them live many centuries longer.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: The protagonist is the third-born child in a litter of seven, though this is the average size for foxes.
• Master of Illusion: Fox spirits can quickly conjure up illusory disguises that let them retain their fox senses while being another species, but they can't be kept steady for long. Gentaro, one of the Wild Masters, is a master of this.
• Mind Control: A cunning, self-centered protagonist is skilled enough to brainwash people to do their bidding or implant Fake Memories as cover-ups by projecting themself inside their consciousness. Chiyo, one of the Wild Masters, is a master of this ability and uses it to possess the protagonist if they fail to stop her from planting bombs around Hisako's castle.
• Missing Mom: Ren's mother isn't mentioned in the story until Daichi confides to the protagonist that she was killed by a fox spirit when Ren was a baby. When Ren comes across him that night, they're shocked that he kept this a secret from them for 20 years and lied to them that their mother was away at the capital for a trip and would return one day.
• Motive Misidentification:
  • The protagonist assumes that Daichi is killing foxes because he's just being overzealous about protecting his farm, but they eventually learn that he's killing them to protect Ren after the latter's mother was killed by one.
  • At first, the protagonist thinks that the thief stole the Star Ball all for themself, but if they successfully confront them in the climax, they'll discover that Noboru stole it to give to his family so they can become immortal.
• Motor Mouth: A speedy protagonist isn't just swift in their movements, but also in their talking. They can rattle on to others to distract them.

N-Z

• Never My Fault: After killing Daichi, the protagonist can blame it on Chiyo's possession of them to try saving face to Ren. They'll have to be very cunning to make this lie believable, or else Ren will see through it and hate them more.
• Nice Guy:
  • Ren is a friendly painter who loves foxes despite Daichi's hate for them, and Ren is happy to see the protagonist whenever they meet. That is, until Ren learns the truth about their mother, and they'll feel conflicted about their admiration for them.
  • Kusora is a quiet fox spirit who serves Inari out of kindness to her people. They're polite towards the protagonist, even if the latter's mean to them or they mess up in missions, but Kusora won't call them out so they won't hurt their feelings.
• Non-Human Non-Binary:
  • Kusora is a nonbinary fox spirit and is referred to with "they/them" pronouns by the other characters.
  • The protagonist had two siblings who didn't identify as dog foxes (males) or vixens: Daitan and Nami.
• The Nose Knows: Foxes have a very keen sense of smell and use it to track others, but Rinka uses her illusory magic to conceal her scent to prevent others from tracking her.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Noboru stole the Star Ball, not for himself as the protagonist thought, but to give to his family to ensure their survival and build their empire together. However, his mate Akira calls him out for stealing it in the first place because she believes that a selfish fox like him doesn't deserve it.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: If they're generous enough to do it, the protagonist can regurgitate food for a fox couple to get their help in changing Daichi's attitude towards foxes or injuring him, while they guard their den in return. The couple will then do as ordered off-text, but from how Daichi reacts, the protagonist can tell that they've succeeded.
• One-Winged Angel: At the climax of the war, Kahi transforms into a big, fiery, hulking, vulpine monster and razes Hoshimori. How much destruction he does depends on the protagonist's loyalty to the Wild Masters.
• Opposites Attract: A demonic protagonist can see their potential relationship with Kusora, who advocates peace and kindness in the name of Inari, as this if they have a crush on them, but they'll feel that their notoriety will come into conflict with them.
• Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: The villagers of Hoshimori see Inari as a goddess, but in other communities, she manifests as a god, both a god and a goddess, or neither depending on the circumstances.
• Painful Transformation: Fox spirits can feel their organs twisting and turning as they shapeshift.
• Playing with Fire: Brave fox spirits are most skilled in foxfire, which they make by rubbing their tails together and summoning fireballs with their magic.
• Polyamory: It's possible to get into more than one romantic relationship at once in the story, and no one will notice or see the protagonist as a cheater.
• Posthumous Character: The protagonist's family was murdered by Daichi 20 years before the events of the main story, and the trauma still hangs onto them during their adventures. They loved their family dearly, especially their parents, who told them stories of the Wild Masters and taught them how to hunt. Kahi also witnessed the murder and feels guilty of not doing anything back then, so he attempts to recruit the protagonist into the Wild Masters as payback for what the humans did to foxes.
• Prehensile Tail: Fox spirit tails are strong and flexible enough to hold objects in their tips.
• Psychopathic Manchild: Rinka is an insane fox spirit with an unnerving smile and her tongue constantly lolling out, and is prone to bursting into laughing fits, but she acts like an Annoying Younger Sibling to Noboru. She even demands Noboru like a bratty kid to let her kill the protagonist herself if they confront them because she hasn't killed anyone for 50 years and wants to do it again.
• Pyromaniac: Kahi is the Wild Master of foxfire, and he enjoys burning things down as stress relief. He takes pride in it if the protagonist calls him a maniac for it, but he won't hesitate to incinerate anyone who offends him.
• Rage Breaking Point: The normally calm and collected Gentaro will get seriously angry with the protagonist if they injured Chiyo the day before the final battle and Azumi was injured during it.
• Real Name as an Alias: If the protagonist's name is Yuki, they still use their name when impersonating a young child with the same name or a junior emissary called "Yuki Kobayachi" when trying to solicit the party invitation from Noboru's servant, Hayao.
• Redemption in the Rain: The final confrontation with Daichi happens on a rainy night, and the protagonist can try to convince him to change his mind about killing fox spirits when he and Ren split up after an argument regarding the latter's mother's death to one.
• Relationship Values: The player can track how much Ren, Hisako, Kusora, and Kahi like the protagonist, whether they're aiming to date or befriend them. They can also track how much closer they are to changing Daichi's attitude towards foxes or killing him.
• Relatively Flimsy Excuse: When trying to solicit the party invitation from Noboru's servant, if the protagonist isn't cunning enough to convincingly disguise themself as an emissary to Hoshimori, they'll claim that they're Noboru's distant cousin who's visiting from a distant town. The servant will see right through it and interrogate them some more, and the protagonist, not fast enough to come up with more lies, will claim that they're a very distant cousin and run away.
• Reluctant Warrior: Because of his guilt towards witnessing the protagonist's family's death to Daichi, Kahi feels apprehensive about warring against the humans, so he burns things down to comfort himself.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: A highly charming protagonist can use their adorableness to endear others around them, calming them down.
• The Rival: A demonic protagonist can see Kusora, who advocates peace and kindness in the name of Inari, as a Worthy Opponent, but they'll feel conflicted if they wish to befriend them.
• Rugged Scar: Chiyo has a scar running from her left eye to the base of her ear. She's not willing to talk about where she got it unless the protagonist can ask precisely ask her why so they can try learning her backstory to convince her and the Wild Masters to find a peaceful resolution with the Human Empire. She scraped her muzzle against a rock wall to remind herself of the abuse that she made on her brother when she tricked him into wandering into a wolf den.
• Samurai: Hisako is a Rare Female Example, and she leads an entire army of samurai to protect Hoshimori from their enemies.
• Sexy Discretion Shot: The protagonist can engage in Kahi's "flirtatious play" with him if they go for a romantic jaunt in the woods with him. He'll lick the protagonist and pin them down, but the scene cuts away to them waking up from a blissful doze curled up with him to Azumi's owl form's screech.
• Shrinking Violet: Kusora is a shy, soft-spoken fox spirit who doesn't like being in the spotlight.
• Sidetracked by the Analogy:
  • If the protagonist fails to make their mouse illusion convincing enough when they try eavesdropping on Noboru and Rinka, this conversation happens, though Rinka's not wrong:
    Noboru: I smell a rat.
    Rinka: Really? I smell a fox pretending to be a mouse.
    Noboru: It's a human saying! It means there's a spy afoot!
  • If the protagonist isn't worldly enough when asking Hisako for any news from the village, this exchange happens in response to them not being in the know:
    Hisako: Perhaps you've been living under a rock in the forest for the past few years.
    The Protagonist: I...I was living in a den. On a hill.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Regardless of the protagonist's gender, their relationship with Ren or Kusora is this, but this trope is played straight if the protagonist identifies as female while Ren is a boy and gender-inverted if vice-versa.
• Sole Survivor: The protagonist is the last surviving member of their family after Daichi killed them 20 years ago. They turn out to be the first fox in a hundred years to become a fox spirit, which is why Kahi sought them out to try convincing them to ally with the Wild Masters.
• Stargazing Scene:
  • During the party, the protagonist can sit with Kusora under the cherry blossom tree and look at the stars together as part of their date/hangout.
  • If the protagonist goes for a romantic jaunt with Kahi the night before the war, they can choose to go stargazing with him instead of engaging in his "flirtatious play".
• Starving Artist: Ren is a talented painter, but they can't afford lessons to flourish as an artist. Nobody wants to buy their paintings because the lower-class people need to spend money on necessities while the nobles see their art as low quality compared to the highbrow art from the capital. The protagonist can help them sell their paintings to bond with them.
• Stealth Expert: A highly cautious protagonist is skilled in blending in and sneaking around to avoid trouble, snatch things without being caught, or eavesdrop on others.
• The Strategist: A worldly protagonist can use their strategic thinking to help the Human Empire or the Wild Masters train for battle.
• Strictly Professional Relationship: The protagonist can feel this way towards Hisako if they become her advisor at the end, believing that it might complicate their work relations.
• Tanuki/Kitsune Contrast: Tanuki, or raccoon spirits, are just as as skilled in magic as fox spirits are, but aren't as clever as them, at least according to legend. The protagonist meets one named Kiko on the way to Noboru's party and they can either eavesdrop on her, sweet-talk her, trick her, or intimidate her into giving them more information about the Star Ball. She'll curse the protagonist by lowering one of their stats if they fail, boldly claiming that tanuki aren't as stupid as fox spirits think.
• The Tease: If the protagonist is attracted towards males, they'll be surprised at Kahi's flirting with them because their parents never told them anything about his seductive ways.
• Technicolor Blade: Daichi carries a sword that glows blue runes, which was given to him by Noboru. He uses this to fight the protagonist during their final confrontation.
• Torches and Pitchforks: If the protagonist fails to convince the villagers that the Human Empire and the Wild Masters can make peace between themselves, they'll bring out their torches and march towards the faction opposite of the one the protagonist is supporting to bring them down.
• Tough Leader Façade: Hisako is a no-nonsense chief who takes her job as head of her army seriously. She also ties her hair in a martial topknot so it won't get in the way in battle. Deep down, she seeks peace in the village like her people do, but she hides that because she has to stay strong for the upcoming war.
• Tragic Keepsake: If the protagonist dies but bonded well with Ren beforehand, the latter will keep a painting of the two of them in memory of them. Ren lied to their father that they would stop making fox paintings, and had been painting this one in secret.
• Trans Tribulations: If the protagonist decides to hang out with Kusora during the party, they'll confess that they felt lost in the world growing up because they didn't identify as a dog fox (male) or a vixen. Even if their family loved them, they believed that they were going through a phase and hoped that they'd come out as "normal". Once they started serving Inari, they felt more comfortable as themself, realizing that labels given to them by others such as gender or race don't define who they are on the inside as they only divide them and cause conflict. Whether the protagonist is dating or befriending them, Kusora will thank them for listening to them and grow even closer to them.
• Vegetarian Carnivore:
  • While foxes are omnivorous, the protagonist can opt to have a vegetarian diet, and Azumi will disguise herself as a berry when she pranks them while foraging.
  • If the protagonist chases Noboru and Rinka up the mountains and throws the fisherman's eel at them near the river, the narration will ask the protagonist if they're sure about eating it despite them being vegetarian. They can either decide against it or eat it just to prank the fisherman, whether breaking their vegetarian vow just this once or forgoing it entirely.
• Villainous Breakdown: If the protagonist successfully drives Rinka away during their final confrontation with Noboru, Akira will call him out for stealing the Star Ball to give to their family because he doesn't deserve it and demand him to give it up for the protagonist. Noboru will break into tears and not even bother trying to get it back.
• Violence is the Only Option: Hisako, having fought many wars before, believes that the Wild Masters must be stopped with violence, but only as a last resort because she and Kusora seek peace in the village.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Fox spirits can shapeshift into humans or other creatures, but it's time-consuming and they exchange their vulpine abilities for whatever abilities their new form has. Azumi, one of the Wild Masters, is a master of this ability, and she can combine two forms into one, such as with her winged wolf form.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist:
  • Hisako declares that all unfamiliar fox spirits must be killed, whether or not they're innocent, because they might be allied with the Wild Masters, who have been destroying Hoshimori and stealing from the villagers. Kusora disagrees because they believe they need to hear their side of the story, but the protagonist can convince Hisako to try resolving the conflict peacefully.
  • On the other side, Kusora sees Kahi as a monster for harming the humans, but Kahi believes that the village must be destroyed because they had been destroying their forest and killing foxes before they could become fox spirits.
  • Daichi may look like a menacing farmer who kills any fox spirit who stumbles upon his farm, but he does so because he wants to protect Ren from them after a fox spirit killed the latter's mother when they were a baby.
  • If they're kindhearted enough, protagonist can try justifying themself as this if they kill Daichi by telling Ren that they're free to pursue their artistic career without being pressured by him to work at the farm. They know that killing him wasn't the right way to do it and their actions aren't excusable, but Ren will understand that they had good intentions.
• We Used to Be Friends: After learning about their mother's death to a fox spirit, Ren views the protagonist with contempt after they've bonded. If the protagonist kills Daichi but fails to justify themself, Ren will cut ties with them and beat them up before leaving, and will hate them even more if the protagonist tried manipulating them with a charm. Ren will also cut ties with the protagonist if they severely injure Daichi, but if the latter dies to him, Ren will destroy all the fox paintings they've made in the epilogue, even the one of themself and the protagonist.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When Kusora stands up for the protagonist when their cover gets blown during the party, which didn't allow fox spirits except for Inari's messengers to attend, the protagonist can call them out for not standing up to the other fox spirits sooner. The protagonist will also accuse them and the divine messengers of taking advantage of being invited to better serve Inari. Kusora will then whimper and profusely apologize for failing their duties, for it was a genuine oversight on their part, and the protagonist will also say sorry for jumping to conclusions.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: The protagonist can choose not to find the Star Ball, or if they do, choose not to use its immortality-granting powers and either destroy it or give it to Inari's messengers to guard it. How they feel about giving up the chance to be immortal is up to the player because the protagonist's parents wanted them to continue where they left off and they wouldn't live long enough to grow a third tail.
• Workaholic: Kusora is so devoted to Inari that they often forget to rest from their duties as divine messenger. The protagonist can remind them to take a break during the party.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When attacked by Daichi at his farm, the protagonist can pretend to be injured to lure him in before fighting back if they're cunning enough to pull off the trick without him seeing through it.
• You Killed My Father: The protagonist can seek revenge on Daichi for killing their family if they wish. If they succeed, they'll get closer to their goal as a demon, but this will severely damage their relationship with Ren, and they'll admonish them for killing their father.

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