Wolfman

The **Wolfman** is a supporting character of the movie *"Wolf Children"*. He is the father of Yuki and Ame, and the partner of Hana.

## Information

The Wolfman, whose actual name is unknown, is the descendant of the Japanese wolves, a species that inherited both the blood of humans and wolves and went extinct roughly a hundred years ago. As a result, he can switch between the form of a wolf and a human, making him a werewolf. After his parents died during a young age, he moved in with relatives who knew nothing about his secrets. As soon as he was old enough to get a driver's license, he left for the city to find a job and live independently. He meets Hana at university where she offers him to share her textbook after learning that he is not actually a student.

The Wolfman is suspicious and cold towards strangers, though on the inside is a kindhearted man who enjoys to read and learn new things. After growing warm to Hana, he moves in with her and takes up a job with a moving service. He also learns to cook and fixes decent meals. He, however, seems to be driven by his natural paternal instincts, as he uses his wolf form to also hunt prey for Hana.

## Appearance

As a human, the Wolfman appears as a tall, handsome man with lightly tanned skin and dark green eyes. His thick, black hair frames his face while growing down to his neck on the back of his head. He has thick eyebrows and grows a minor stubble. His clothing of choice usually consists of a plain white shirt which is ripped at the neck in combination with a simple pair of pants.

In his wolf and werewolf forms, the Wolfman's fur is dyed in a light gray shade, with a darker gray travelling from the bridge of his nose to his back, and down to his tail. The fur of his underbelly is white. During his transformation into his werewolf form, his eyes appear golden and change to blue once fully transformed.

## Wolf Children

Hana first meets the Wolfman during her second year of university, where he attends a lecture while claiming to not be a student. When Hana offers him to share her textbook with her, the two become friends and end up spending more time together. He learns of the origin of her name and tells her about his desire to have a home of his own. When Hana implies that she wants to live with him, he asks her to go out again the following day, but fails to show up to their promised meeting. When he finally shows up, he leads Hana to a mountain, where he reveals himself to be a werewolf and shares his story with her, admitting that he was scared what she may think of him.

Following his reveal and Hana's acceptance of his secret, the two spend a night together and start a relationship. The Wolfman moves in with Hana and they enjoy a happy time full of affection. When Hana one day feels sick and goes to the hospital, the Wolfman learns that she is pregnant and is overjoyed. During Hana's pregnancy, he does his best to feed her and even catches a pheasant for her. When their first daughter is born on a snowy day, they call her "Yuki" and wonder about what future may be in store for her. In the spring of the following year, their second child is born on a rainy day, whom they named "Ame".

When he does not return home from his shopping trip during a day with heavy rainfall, Hana goes out to search for the Wolfman. To her shock, she discovers his lifeless body after he had died following a drop into a canal during the chase after pheasant, likely driven by instinct to hunt for his family. His wolf body is exposed by the city who do not recognize him as a person, leaving no body for Hana to bury. Instead, his driver's license from then on serves as a shrine dedicated to the Wolfman.

The Wolfman appears in Hana's dream in the night of his death, where he slowly turns into his wolf form and leaves her. Hana interprets this as him saying to take good care of their children.

The Wolfman once more appears in Hana's dream at a later point, where she mistakes him for Ame at first. Overjoyed to be reunited, the two share an affectionate embrace and the Wolfman praises Hana for how well she has raised their two beloved children. When Hana worries about where Ame has gone off to, he reassures her that their son will be fine, as he is already an adult who has chosen a future for himself as a wolf.

## Relationships

#### Hana

The Wolfman meets Hana at university and begins to spend more time with her after she offers to share her textbook with him. Although he is cold to her at first, he quickly grows warm to her and the two share their free time by visiting the library and taking walks. Eventually, the Wolfman expresses his wish to find a home, to which Hana responds that she would greet him every day, implying that she wants to move in with him. Despite scheduling another date, the Wolfman does not show up the next day until much later. After apologizing, he leads Hana up to a mountain, where he reveals his werewolf form to her and shares his story with her. The two start a relationship and move in together, and eventually have their two children together, naming them Yuki and Ame. Their relationship is an affectionate one, where the two of them share their hobbies and provide food for each other.

Even after his death, Hana stays in love with him, honoring his driver's license which serves as a shrine. He appears in her dreams twice, once to say his goodbyes and once more to praise her for her good work in raising their children.

#### Yuki and Ame

The Wolfman is shown to be a loving father who wishes to provide for his wife and children, which ultimately leads to his demise. While alive, he wonders what the future will hold for them and what people they will grow up to be, though unfortunately does not get to meet his second child. When Ame chooses to live his life as a wolf, the Wolfman appears in a dream to Hana, praising her for her efforts in raising their children, and reassures her that Ame would be fine with his choice, since he is already an adult.

## Trivia

* The Wolfman is generally referred to as "Ōkami", which translates to "Wolf" in Japanese. An official name has never been released.