Kitsune

## Overview

**Kitsune** are a supernatural species of Japanese fox spirits that are also commonly referred to simply as "foxes." They are creatures who live for many centuries.

Kitsune possess a multitude of supernatural abilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, and agility; a natural aptitude for weaponry and combat, production of Foxfire; and accelerated healing. However, some of the powers possessed by this species are specific to an individual Kitsune type. Kitsune accumulate tails throughout their lives that increase their powers, and the most powerful Kitsune are said to have nine tails.

## History

Little is known about the history of Kitsune with regards to the  universe, but it has been implied that they have existed for at least a thousand years, as that is how long the oldest known Kitsune, the Nogitsune, is said to have lived. How Kitsune were created and when this occurred remains a mystery for now, as is where the Kitsune spirits who are not on Earth reside, such as the Kitsune ancestors Noshiko Yukimura referenced in *The Fox and the Wolf* or the Nogitsune prior to being summoned to earth by Noshiko.

## Supernatural Rules and Characteristics of Kitsune

On *Teen Wolf*, Kitsune are bound by certain metaphysical rules, much like every supernatural species. Known as tricksters, the rules governing Kitsune are rather subtle. These restrictions affect their everyday life as well as their status and talents.

It has been referenced in folklore, myths, and other stories that Foxes and Wolves do not get along, though this is not always demonstrated in practice, as evidenced by both Noshiko and Kira Yukimura's friendships and romantic relationships with Werewolves.

According to the Shugendo scroll, the only reliable way to exorcise a Nogitsune or other Kitsune with the ability to possess humans using *kitsune-tsuki* is by changing the body of the Kitsune's host. In the case of Stiles Stilinski, who was possessed by a powerful Nogitsune of 1,000+ years of age, this meant changing their body by having an Alpha Werewolf, Scott McCall, give him the Bite to turn him into a Werewolf as well. While this did not end up happening to Stiles himself, Scott did give the Bite to the Nogitsune's new vessel, which was an exact clone of Stiles that the Nogitsune had created with the immense amount of power he gained from the chaos, strife, and pain it had consumed. This caused the vessel to turn into dust after Kira stabbed it with her magical katana, but the Nogitsune lived on in its fly form. It is unknown what would happen if this happened to a Kitsune in a vessel with an actual human spirit inside of it, but it is possible that it would turn into a Werewolf or other werecreature.

Kira found she is unable to read the coded novel featuring the Dread Doctors, which had been written by Gabriel Valack to help trigger repressed memories, specifically those memories that had been purposely suppressed by the Dread Doctors themselves. Mason Hewitt offered input by telling her about research he had done on Kitsune that stated the fox spirits have difficulty with language. He recounted a myth where people could identify Kitsune by saying "*Moshi moshi*" (Japanese for "hello") on the phone, because saying the word "*moshi*" twice was a language trick that was used to both confuse and, by extension, identify Kitsune. He then surmised that Kira can't properly read the novel because the entire coded story is one big language trick and it confuses the Fox part of Kira. Noshiko helped Kira overcome this issue by instructing her to read the book backwards, as since it was the story itself that was confusing Kira's Fox, and reading it backward would allow her to achieve the desired effects without needing to fully understand the plot in order to access it.

## Kitsune Tails

Most of a Kitsune's power comes from their tails, though how they specifically gain these tails is unknown; in some Japanese legends, Kitsune gain a tail for every century they are alive, but in others, they gain a tail for each Kitsune ability they master. it appears that Kitsune gain a tail when they meet certain milestones. For example, Kira Yukimura gained her first tail after she successfully triggered her healing ability to survive what would have otherwise been a fatal stab wound to the heart. The greatest number of tails a Kitsune can achieve is nine, which is how many tails Noshiko Yukimura possessed upon her family's arrival in Beacon Hills.

Some Kitsune who live in the human world create physical representations of their tails in order to keep them safe on Earth. Noshiko made her nine tails into a set of long, thin, black ceramic knives called*kaiken*, whereas Kira's first tail is made of a large shard of obsidian that has been shaped by her father Ken into a *shuriken*, or throwing star. However, since the Nogitsune seemed surprised and confused upon learning that Noshiko had turned her tails into *kaiken*, it is implied that making physical representations of Kitsune tails is not necessarily a common practice among their species.

Tails possess great mystical power which can be used to perform powerful spells (although doing so will often cost the Kitsune the tail that they are using as a power source), and the older a tail is, the more power it contains. For example, Noshiko used at least seven of her nine tails to summon and control Oni demons to kill the Nogitsune; she first used her five most recent tails to summon five Oni, and when three of them were killed, she used three of the next older tails to replace them, which she stated would be more powerful due to the tails being older and possessing more mystical energy. The Nogitsune then took one of her last tails, which was one of the oldest and thus the most powerful, which gave him the power he needed to cast his own spell and take ownership of all five Oni to do his bidding. It is unknown if a Kitsune can regain their tails after they have been lost, stolen, or broken in this manner; it is possible that once their power is used, the tail is lost forever.

## Appearance

Thus far, Kitsune have only been shown in a human form, either because they have human heritage like Kira, or because they are old enough to be able to shapeshift into a human form, like Noshiko and the Nogitsune. Since Kitsune are frequently referred to and grouped with shapeshifters such as Werewolves and Werecoyotes, it appears to be likely that they can take other forms as well; however, a Kitsune's true form remains unknown (though some speculate it is similar in shape to their aura), as does information regarding other shapes that a Kitsune can take.

All Kitsune have flaming auras that surround their human bodies in the shape of a large fox, which seems to become bigger and more fierce-looking with every tail they gain. These auras can be made visible with flash photography, and supernatural creatures with enhanced vision can see them when they use their glowing eyes. As a result, young Kitsune must learn how to conceal this aura in order to hide it from supernatural beings. Conversely, Kitsune can also make their aura visible to the naked human eye if they will it, or, in some cases, if they lose control over their inner Fox spirit, which has happened to Kira on several occasions, such as during her battle with the Chimera Tracy Stewart at the Beacon County Sheriff's Station, when Lydia Martin, a humanBanshee, saw her aura. Though Kitsune have normal human eyes while in human form, they can make their irises glow orange/gold, which, much like with most supernatural creatures, allows them to better access their supernatural abilities. Nogitsune, or Void Kitsune, are also noted for having large chrome fangs and glowing white eyes rather than orange/gold, though they possess the power to conceal both of these physical traits from even supernatural eyes as well, if they wish to do so.

## Personality

Kitsune are trickster spirits, and their mischievous behavior has caused them to gain a reputation for being amoral and even evil in some myths and legends. However, in reality, Kitsune simply have their own unique sense of honor and do not really understand the concepts of "right" and "wrong," nor do they seem to have any interest in learning about it, although Kitsune living in the human world have been shown to demonstrate empathy and consideration for others more so than those who remain outside of it. Because Kitsune have their own code of honor, they can often react very badly if they're offended, especially if they are a *yako* such as a Nogitsune.

It is said that foxes and wolves do not get along, and this can also be true for Kitsune and Werewolves, though there exceptions to this rule, such as Kira, who is not only a member of a werewolf pack, but is also in an aromantic relationship with the True Alpha Werewolf Scott McCall. Kitsune can also have very a dark sense of humor, particularly the Nogitsune, who take more pleasure in causing chaos than *zenko* types of Kitsune. Void Kitsune also are known for feeding upon chaos, strife, and pain (along with other negative emotions like fear, stress, and anger), which gives them more power; as a result, they typically focus solely on creating as much of those emotions in the people around them as they can. It is unknown if there are other types of Kitsune who need to feed on the various emotions of others for sustenance and/or increased power in a similar manner. However, despite some of their more negative characteristics, Kitsune can also be very loyal to the people they care about, and will do serious harm to anyone who tries to hurt their loved ones.

## Powers and Abilities

The full range of powers that a Kitsune possesses remain unknown, especially since there is very little known about the majority of the types of Kitsune. However, they all seem to have the same basic powers in addition to other specialized abilities based on the Kitsune's specific type.

### Common Powers

These are abilities that have been demonstrated on the series that all Kitsune appear to possess.

* **Super Strength**: Kitsune have been shown to possess superhuman strength, though the strength of most Kitsune is still inferior to that of average werecreatures unless they are especially old and/or powerful. After gaining her first tail and having her powers amplified and unbalanced by the Dread Doctors, Kira demonstrated heightened strength when she was able to slice Noshiko's katana in half with her own during a fight, and the Nogitsune was shown throwing Derek Hale, a then-Beta level Werewolf, across the room with ease. Noshiko was also shown using her sword to cut through a thick chain that was locking the front gates to Camp Oak Creek. Kitsunes are stronger than humans. They can easily knock down and overpower humans with little difficulty. Like with Werewolves, Skinwalkers, and other shapeshifters, a Kitsune's strength increases in its fox form.
* **Super Speed**: Kitsune are extremely fast creatures; even young Kitsune such as Kira have been shown to run so fast that they're almost a blur, and she far exceeded the speed of Danny Mahealani, the most talented human cross-country runner on the Beacon Hills High School team. Kira was even shown to be slightly faster than Scott, a True Alpha, as he struggled to keep up with her when she first discovered her super speed and began to run through the woods.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes**: Kitsune are very agile beings who can jump very high and very far, as well as perform extraordinary gymnastic and acrobatic feats without any training. This also helps Kitsune in battle, because they are able to easily dodge, flip, and spin away from incoming attacks. Both Kira and Noshiko demonstrated incredible feats with their agility, including forward layouts, pirouettes, and spinning kicks during battle and sparring sessions.
* **Accelerated Healing**: Kitsune possess an enhanced regenerative healing ability that gives them immunity from any human illness or condition. It also allows them to heal from minor to moderate wounds in moments, and even severe injuries, such as being stabbed in the heart, can be fully healed within hours. However, in certain Kitsune like Kira, who has human heritage on her father's side, the ability to heal wounds must be activated with pain in order to work for the first time. It is likely that their perfect immune systems and accelerated healing ability means that they cannot become intoxicated by alcohol or recreational drugs due to their bodies repairing the damage that causes the intoxication effects too quickly, just like Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and other shapeshifters with enhanced healing abilities.
* **Longevity**: Kitsune are very long-lived creatures who can potentially live for centuries as a result of their advanced healing powers, which keeps them from dying due to most natural causes and slows their aging down tremendously. The oldest two Kitsune on the series are the Nogitsune, a 1,000-year-old Void Kitsune, and Noshiko Yukimura, a 900-year-old Celestial Kitsune. As a Kitsune advances in age, they will also grow in general power as well, making the eldest the most powerful in the species. In fact, the Nogitsune has even shown a potential to be immortal, as he insisted he could not be killed due to his age, and every attempt to kill him has only resulted in the destruction of his human host, which doesn't truly end his life-- it simply reverts him to his fly form, which can then be trapped in a mystical container from which he could possibly be released again in the future.
* **Intuitive Combat and Weaponry Skills**: Kitsune possess an innate ability to fight in close-quarters combat, especially with melee weapons. Both Kira and Noshiko have demonstrated a natural ability to fight at an advanced level with katanas with no known previous training. Kira has also demonstrated a proficiency in wielding *nunchakus* in battle, and was able to use both Allison Argent's mini-crossbow and a long length of chain as weapons without any prior training. Kira has even admitted that her expert ability to fight with katanas "just sort of happened," suggesting that there is some sort of supernatural/biological muscle memory involved in this ability.
* **Foxfire Production**: Kitsune possess the ability to create fire or lightning, known as *foxfire* or *kitsune-bi*, by rubbing their tails together. The foxfire can then be produced from within the body, though Kira, the only Kitsune shown to use large amounts of foxfire so far in the series, prefers to channel her lightning-esque foxfire through her hands. It has been implied that the form of foxfire produced by a Kitsune varies based on the specific type of Kitsune they are; Kira, as a Thunder Kitsune, produces ice-blue electricity as her foxfire, whereas Noshiko, a Celestial Kitsune, produces reddish-pink sparks from her fingers.
* **Immunity to Electricity**: Because they can create foxfire, Kitsune are immune to the effects of electricity.
* **Aura Manipulation**: All Kitsune have flaming fox auras around them, and, with age and experience, they can learn to both conceal the auras from supernatural eyes or make them visible to even human eyes.
* **Shapeshifting**: Kitsune are often referred to as "shapeshifters" due to their trickster nature, and at one hundred years of age, a Kitsune gains the ability to assume a human form. Kitsunes can take human form by shapeshifting into a human. They can also shapeshift into their true appearance, a large fox creature.
* **Invulnerability:** Kitsune are invulnerable to any form of harm. They can only die if they're stabbed in the heart, or starvation.

### Specific Powers

The following are abilities that have been demonstrated on the series that appear to be possessed by specific types of Kitsune. There are likely many more abilities than what is listed below that currently remain unknown, due to the fact that only three different Kitsune have been shown on the series thus far.

### Thunder Kitsune

* + **Electrokinesis**: This is an ability possessed by Thunder Kitsune, and it can be considered an advanced form of foxfire production. Thunder Kitsune like Kira can siphon electricity from any source with no ill effect to themselves, can use their own self-generated electricity to turn on electronic devices such as light bulbs, and can create bursts of lightning that have been shown to do anything from stopping a person's heart to repairing a broken katana blade. Kira specifically has even demonstrated the ability to siphon so much electricity that she has caused large-scale blackouts on at least three different occasions. Because she is a Thunder Kitsune, Kira was able to create foxfire before she knew she was a Kitsune, despite the fact that she had no tails to rub together.

### Celestial Kitsune

* + **Astral Projection**: Noshiko demonstrated the ability to project her spirit to Kira when she was taken hostage by Kate Argent at La Iglesia. With this ability, she was able to assist Kira in learning how to trigger her healing ability so she could survive the stab wound to her chest she sustained from Scott while he was a Berserker. It is unknown if this is an ability specific to Celestial Kitsune, or if this is an ability all Kitsune can use with practice and age.

### Void Kitsune

* + **Nogitsune Flies**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune like the Nogitsune to control flies. These flies, once in the Void Kitsune's control, can enter the bodies of others and allow the Kitsune to control them. These flies have been used by the Nogitsune to force William Barrow to kidnap Kira and to try to trigger her foxfire in order to jump-start the Nogitsune's control over Stiles Stilinski, as well as to increase the pre-existing rage in Derek Hale, Isaac Lahey, and the twins Ethan and Aiden, causing a fight between them that distracted the pack from what the Nogitsune was doing. It is implied that wild purple reishi mushrooms can counteract this fly possession, as can physical removal of the fly from inside the body of their hosts. When a Nogitsune's vessel is killed, its spirit will remain in the form of a fly, which can then be imprisoned within a magical object such as the Triskelion Box, which was made out of wood from the Nemeton. This fly can also enter the body of another being and possess them, as is what presumably occurred when the Nogitsune possessed Corporal Rhys and Stiles.
	+ **Possession**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune (and possibly other forms of Kitsune) that allows them to possess the body of a human. This ability was used by the Nogitsune to possess Corporal Rhys in 1943 and to possess Stiles Stilinski in 2011. Though it was implied that Nogitsune can possess other Kitsune who have shapeshifted into human bodies (since Noshiko prayed to her ancestors for *kitsune-tsuki* so that the Nogitsune could possess her and give her the power to heal from her extensive wounds and get back at the corrupt Camp Oak Creekmilitary members), it is unknown if they are capable of possessing other supernatural creatures.
	+ **Pain Absorption**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune that allows them to siphon pain from a person through tactile contact, as Void Kitsune feed off of chaos, strife, and pain. This ability works in the same way as it does for a Werewolf-- the Nogitsune places their hands on the body of the person whose pain they're trying to take, and the veins in their hands and arms become black as they transfer the person's pain into themselves. This ability then gives the Nogitsune more power and sustenance.
	+ **Illusion Casting**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune (and possibly other types of Kitsune) to create life-like illusions. In the case of the Nogitsune, he used this ability to create several dreams in which to communicate with his host, Stiles Stilinski, along with several visions to distract Scott McCall and Lydia Martin when they entered Stiles' mind to forcefully give Stiles control over his body again. He also used it to make Scott, Lydia, Stiles, and Kira believe that they were in Ikeda's Japanese garden, complete with falling snow and Oni demons; these illusions were so realistic that Kira and Scott both believed that they had been cut multiple times by Oni swords until they broke through the illusion.
	+ **Teleportation (possibly)**: This is an ability that is potentially possessed by Void Kitsune (and possibly other types of Kitsune) that allows them to travel from one place to another almost instantly without moving in the space in-between. This seemed to be demonstrated by the Nogitsune in *De-Void*, when he disappeared from Derek's loft in the blink of an eye and then appeared in the basement of Eichen House a short time later.

## Weakness

Kitsune are difficult to kill.

* + - **Heart destruction:** A Kitsune can only be killed by being stabbed in the heart with a knife or dagger. This is the only known method of how to kill them.
		- **Decapitation:** The act of removing the Kitsune's head will result in death.
		- **Heart Extraction:** It is possible that removing the Kitsune's heart will result in death.
		- **Starvation:** Without a regular supply of human heart, they will die.
		- **Internal Combustion:**This will work if you can manage a remote explosive into the digestive system. Then, bombs away. [This will incinerate the heart and organs]