I Did It All for Tanuki!

Shigaraky is a tanuki-like robot who appears in Yamato Man’s stage in Mega Man 6. He’s a minor enemy with no backstory to speak of, but he’s noteworthy for a couple of reasons. Firstly, his name is an obvious reference to the Japanese town of Shigaraki – which has been producing ceramic tanuki statues since ancient times. Also, I feel compelled to mention that Shigaraky attacks by launching metal orbs from his crotch. This seems kind of random, but it makes sense to anyone who is familiar with mythical tanukis. Incidentally, tanukis are are often depicted with huge balls. Most of the tanukis on this list don’t make any reference to this unusual physical characteristic, but Shigaraky embraces this hallmark in a dramatic fashion. It’s impossible to ignore his balls because he literally throws them in your face.

One of the levels in The Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimilation sees James riding atop a giant tanuki with huuuuuge nads. The mythical creature goes by the name J. Li Tanuki and implores the gaijin mortals to “bow to his cojones.” The fucking flaming tanuki balls are surprisingly powerful, and the Nerd puts them to good use. Rest assured, those things aren’t just there for decoration. As it turns out, James can actually defeat his enemies by simply smashing them with the tanuki’s magic scrotum. I know he’s the angriest gamer you’ve ever heard, but that’s pretty crass even for his standards. The entire thing basically amounts to a juvenile sight gag, but J. Li Tanuki feels right at home in the AVGN universe. You can finish the stage in a matter of minutes, but J. Li Tanuki leaves a lasting impression with his great balls of fire.

As the owner of the biggest automotive company in the galaxy, Dodon Pa plans on using his resources in pursuit of universal peace. To that end, he invites Sonic the Hedgehog and his Shitty Friends™ to an elaborate Grand Prix. Incidentally, he uses racing to promote the concept of teamwork across the universe. Although his philanthropy is admirable, Dodan Pa’s superior intellect makes him arrogant and condescending. (You’d probably have a big head too if you were the king of your own planet!) Sonic’s friends are reluctant to trust Dodon Pa, and their opinions are largely informed by harmful tanuki stereotypes. They assume that he’s in cahoots with Eggman and work tirelessly to subvert his evil plans, but it turns out that Dodan Pa wasn’t actually evil at all. He’s mysterious and eccentric, but his hearts in the right place.

Akari Ichijou looked out of place in The Last Blade, and it was strange to see a young girl mixed in with a roster of swordsmen and battle-hardened warriors. She was anything but helpless, however, since she had the ability to summon evil spirits and bind them to her will. “Ponta” Akari was introduced in the PlayStation port of the game, and had all the abilities as the real Akari did. Ponta was actually a male tanuki in disguise, of course, and he was merely parading around as Akari in order to cause mischief. He can mimic nearly all of her gestures, and his tanuki mannerisms are seldom seen outside of his victory poses. The real Akari isn’t especially pleased with his antics, but I’m impressed by his shapeshifting abilities. He could easily pass as a real teenage girl if it wasn’t for his distinctive tail.

Yo-kai Watch is centered around supernatural spirits from Japanese folklore, so it was all-but-guaranteed that a tanuki would be featured in the game. Teastroyer has all the hallmarks of the mythical tanuki. He has a distinctive leaf on his forehead, he engages in mischief, and we all know what the giant bell between his legs represents. He also has the ability to shapeshift into almost anything. He can seamlessly blend into the background, and he takes the form of everything from a lamp to a television set. One of Teastroyer’s most notable traits is the oversized tea kettle that he wears. This is actually a reference to a Japanese fairy tale called Bunbuku Chagama. (In this story, a tanuki turns himself into a tea kettle to repay an old man for rescuing him.) Fittingly, Teastroyer is known as Bunbuku Chagamaru in Japan.

Tanuki Justice is a retro-themed run ‘n gun platformer set in feudal Japan. The game stars a pair of nameless tanuki siblings, and they’re being recognized together since there’s no valid reason to single out one of them over the other. As the brother-sister duo set out on a path of justice, they have to contend with waves of enemies that were lifted right out of Japanese folklore. Their adventure is light on story and exposition, but what the game lacks in narrative, it more than makes up for with shurikens. The tanukis are armed with an endless supply of ninja stars, and they can fire them with the frequency of a machine gun. If they manage to fill up their magic gauge, they can potentially devastate their enemies with a mega shuriken! It just goes to show that there’s no problem that a well-aimed throwing star can’t solve.

Renowned as the “Bake-danuki with Ten Transformations,” Mamizou Futatsuiwa is a master of disguise. She enjoys playing tricks on humans and goes out of her way to confuse them. At the same time, she legitimately wants to integrate with human society. This isn’t as hard as it sounds, since she can change her appearance at will. Her tail will twitch when she’s excited and her ears stand up when she’s surprised, but she does an otherwise stellar job of concealing her true identity. Mamizou can also make other objects and creatures transform. For example, a pile of leaves can be morphed into a rabbit that will attack her enemies. Conversely, she can potentially turn an opponent into something completely harmless. When she’s feeling cheeky, she can even transform into a copy of her opponent and use their own moves against them!

In Japanese folklore, tanuki gain shapeshifting abilities from leaves. In a similar vein, Mario is able to transform into Tanooki Mario after finding a magic leaf. Transformations are a big part of the tanuki myth, so Mario’s a good fit for this list even though he’s not a real tanuki. Besides, he’s done more to popularize the tanuki myth in the West than anyone else on this countdown. One of the most interesting things about Tanooki Mario is his uncanny ability to turn into a statue. To the uninitiated, this ability seems arbitrary and out-of-place. As it turns out, it’s yet another reference to tanuki folklore. Tanuki statues are seen as symbols of good luck in Japan, so they are commonly found outside shops and shrines. Mario apparently has luck on his side too, as he’s essentially invincible when he’s a statue.

In 1986, Taito released a lighthearted shoot ’em up called Kiki KaiKai. The game starred a young shrine maiden named Sayo-chan, and it focused on her quest to defeat various spirits from Japanese mythology. A shapeshifting tanuki named Manuke served as the last boss in the game, but he’s probably more famous for his role in the Super Nintendo sequel. Sayo-chan and Manuke – renamed Pocky and Rocky in the West – ultimately join forces to take on a new group of renegade spirits. Rocky turns out to be a pretty good partner, and he compliments Pocky quite nicely. The mischievous tanuki primarily attacks by swinging his tail, and he can even reflect projectiles back at his enemies! He can also throw leaves at his opponents or gain temporary invincibility by turning into a statue. He uses every trick in the tanuki playbook, and his efforts should be applauded.

Tom Nook is described as a raccoon in English versions of Animal Crossing, but his name and personality traits make it clear that he’s really a tanuki. (This ultimately explains why all of the items that he sells can be transformed into leaves!) Tom Nook actually draws inspiration from one of Japan’s most well-known tanuki myths. Danzaburou-danuki of Sado Island was a tanuki known for lending money to those in need. In a similar vein, Tom Nook loans you money in Animal Crossing and basically controls the entire economy. The tanuki is a symbol of wealth and trickery, and nobody embodies these qualities more than Tom Nook. He’s a crafty businessmen who you are almost always indebted to, after all. You can potentially pay off your mortgage in a single day by selling bugs to his nephews, so it’s hard to complain.