Is the multiple-tailed fox a popular story in Japan?

sailorharmony2000 · Very bored Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 143

Digimon--> Kyubimon
Pokemon-->Ninetales
Yu Yu Hakusho-->Yoko Kurama's other form
Naruto-->self explanatory

I notice one thing in common: I keep hearing about/seeing fox demons with many tails, usually with 6 or 9 tails, that are extremely powerful. For this to appear in at least 4 different anime that have nothing to do with one another, is this based on a story/legend/fable in Japan or something? I know sometimes existing stories in the culture appear in some anime and I was wondering was this one of them.
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DG-sama · Moderator Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 2294

It's based on a japanese mythical creature called the kitsune. A kitsune is a fox spirit that grows tails as it ages. The more tails it has, the older and more powerful it is.

MysticBlade · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:26 am Post subject:

[quote]It's based on a japanese mythical creature called the kitsune. A kitsune is a fox spirit that grows tails as it ages. The more tails it has, the older and more powerful it is.[/quote]

Hmm... that explains Naruto, then, what with the kitsune in there having nine tails, and is extremely powerful to have its spirit sealed into a baby like that. That's good, that, basing an anime on a mythical theme.
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Yunalesca · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:32 am Post subject:

Yep, i realised that when i saw those shows that they had based the characters on the kitsune. Oh and Shippo from Inuyasha, he's a kitsune too.
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SirTyler48 · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject:

A tail is for each 100 years it has lived, I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsune

If a kitsune has 9 tails, it has lived for a thousand years.

anti_sk8r · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:52 pm Post subject:

[quote]If a kitsune has 9 tails, it has lived for a thousand years.[/quote]
...You mean 900 years...

Anyway, i'm not too hot on this Kitsune thing. I think it's been too overplayed. I thought the whole Ninetails thing in Pokemon was pretty cool, what with the curse and stuff, but than I started seeing it in a lot of other anime and it seems somewhat repetitive now.
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SirTyler48 · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:

No. You see, after 100 years old, the Kitsune will start to gain tails. Blame the Japanese who thought it up, not me =_=

anti_sk8r · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject:

100 years...1 tail

200 years 2 tails

300 years 3 tails

400 yars 4 tails

500 years 5 tails

600 years 6 tails

700 years 7 tails

800 years 8 tails

900 years 9 tails (GASP)

Doesn't matter. Like I said, it's sort of tedious anyway.
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SirTyler48 · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject:

? You're still wrong.

Let me show you.

100 Years - 0

200 Years - 1

300 Years - 2

400 Years - 3

500 Years - 4

600 Years - 5

700 Years - 6

800 Years - 7

900 Years - 8

1,000 Years - 9

Dude. Read the articles.

anti_sk8r · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject:

No. You're still wrong.

You said they gain tails every 100 years and that they start after 100. But by that you're now saying that they gain tails after 200 years and for some reason they switch to 100 year intervals.

Also, there's no reason to read an article about a mythical being because magical foxes that live for centuries don't even exist. Therefore, there is nothing factual to even base an argument on in the first place...
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SexySpoonsWillRuleUsAll · Rookie Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 37

[quote="SirTyler48"]
100 Years - 0[/quote]

Wouldn't it be born with one tail?

SirTyler48 · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:06 am Post subject:

No, because in the myth, the fox would grow 1 tail when it reaches 200, and then, it will grow another at 300, and... well, so on and so forth.

Erm... I think we just created a rift in time...o.o

SexySpoonsWillRuleUsAll · Rookie Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 37

Er... yeah. Like myths aren't unclear enough already. But, since it's a fox, you would think it'd be born with a tail, then grow a second after 100 years and etc.

anti_sk8r · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:52 am Post subject:

^That's what I thought. Than he was like "No. Only every 100 years." So I was like "Ok. So at 100 years old he gets a tail." Than he was like "No. 200 years."

WTF?
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SirTyler48 · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:45 am Post subject:

MY BRAIN IS HURTING...