So...Brand doesn't know the slightest thing about how the amount of tails a Kitsune has can be problematic?

At the very least I thought he would have a bit of an idea, but I suppose not everyone really told him so *shrug* :v

The only Kitsune he ever met was a useless waste of fur, so he probably never bothered to learn anything about him.

Tail lore incoming

Tail promotion

What's the big deal about tails? What's the big deal about tails?!

Tails are one of the most important parts!

So many tails to tell. How many you ask? Too many to count.

"But if I'm wrong and he does kill us. You're fully justified to say 'I told you so'."

I think Roko is right. Suzucon-sama is after something much bigger than just erasing a few "guests." And he just walked off with it prior to their getting a room in his shrine...

There are also fates worse than death.

Tail fanboy right here

"Tails get more views, Brand," is about as pithy as anything.

For once I don't need to go deep into the lore. Tails are a measure of both the age and the power level of the kitsune, sort of like a karate belt mixed with an age marker. The older and more powerful, the more tails - up to nine, the kyuubi no kitsune.

When they get their ninth, they turn from demigods to straight up deities, and become among the most powerful kami. The Fox of Eight Tails is not to be trifled with. The Fox of Nine Tails is just about omnipotent.

Think a yao no kitsune (fox of eight tails) wouldn't want that ninth? Oh, you bet they would. Brand is kinda right about "self-interest."

I think they're both right.
Roko and Brand.
Roko is right.
Suzocon doesn't want to kill them. He could have easily done it with his power if he had wanted to do. But he didn't do it. This proves that Roko is right.
And Suzocon can help them all.
But Brand is also right. Suzocon also has a self-interest.
He won't help without getting something in return.
I can imagine that Suzocon wants two things in return for his help.
The eye stone and the tail.

I see a real threat in Miyo.
Maybe a spy and thief from the puppetmaster?

One of my theories involves Miyo, yeah. I'm holding that one under my hat because other than Miyo himself, there is little evidence of it yet. I'll say this much, though: That tail in the Eyestone has to be a Chekov's Gun and it is no coincidence that Suzucon-sama's servant is an empty shell. Like a Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. And the Eyestone, one of the most powerful artifacts in the world, suddenly finds itself with no power - after they set foot on his island.

It all adds up, IMHO, to Nothing Good.

I'm 90% you're making an assumption about the status of the eyestone that isn't supported by the story up to this point.

Basically, how do we know that it was the island that depleted the Eyestone, and NOT! the accident?

Actually, I went back and looked through the early part of the story, and the eyestone, prior to Saida using it, had a lighter purple sparkle to it. At no point after Saida used it, did it have that sparkle. Not before it fell off of the Quetz floating island, not when it was found and put in Darya's collection, and not when they put it in Rokko's ball for safekeeping.

No, I don't think the island itself had anything to do with the eyestone being unusable. Actually, I would think that the eyestone being drained was why Darya had zero clue why it was important other than Rokko trying to steal it/it being a very big pearl.

you've gotta go to the tail DMV to get another one and its like 4 hours and then you've gotta wait like 3 weeks and if you get approved you have to go back to the tail DMV and do it again

well brand, currently you're 90% tail

Could Roko really possess Miyo's body and make his way to the 8-Tailed Ketsune's apartment?

If he wanted to kill them he certainly would’ve done so by now…

Also tails = power, Rocko already explained that a couple pages ago

The tails actually tell a bigger story than "he's powerful," but yeah, Roko 's quick summary is right. Suzucon-sama is a powerful demigod - aiming for godhood. And he needs but one more tail to achieve it.

Indeed! And we know there’s a rail in the eyestone…

(Also I saw some of your comments before and I’m very fascinated about the lore!)

The lore of the kitsune is very very deep - the are one of the oldest and most famous of the kami, or Shinto gods. Some of the earliest folklore dates back to the 5th Century! I'm not an expert at it, but I've read a lot. But for the purposes of the comic, just keep in mind there's two basic kinds:

The Nogitsune, Yako-kitsune, or plain kitsune - These are wild and dangerous spirits and were said to be the terrors of ancient Japan. They also *tended* to be low powered, living by their cunning and sharp wit rather than by their power. They usually had a single tail.

The Inari-kitsune, some of the oldest folklore in Shinto. Inari Ōkami is one of the most venerated gods in Shinto - they are the god of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, agriculture and industry, and general prosperity and worldly success, and they ride upon a kitsunegami. The kitsunegami (Fox gods) associated with them are incredibly powerful, including the famous kyuubi no kitsune - the Fox of Nine Tails himself. "Good," however, does not mean "nice." However, someone worshipping Shinto encountering one would be like Christians witnessing the Second Coming of Christ.

Contrary to popular belief, not all kitsune are gods. The word kitsune literally means "fox" - nothing more. It's just that in ancient Japan, all foxes were considered gods, and were venerated as such. That use of the word sticks to this day!

I would only add a word of caution, as fun as it is to speculate how Virmir's mythology intersects with Shinto mythology: He can go his own way, and it may be no clue to the nature of Suzucon-sama other than "extremely powerful, cunning, and temperamental." And a lot of the modern Japanese storytellers, like the great Miyazaki-sensei, do the same - put their own spin on it.

If you want a fantastic introduction to Shinto mythology and how it clashes with the modern world, I'd highly recommend the movie Pom Poko (literally, drumbeat). While the main characters are tanukigami - another venerated Shinto god - the kitsune clan makes an appearance, and in a most unexpected way.

So cool!

And very true (my friends and I have our own unique Kitsune lore for our characters)

Interesting!

There's still at least one question not brought up. Why does Miyo have no soul? and wouldn't that mean Roko can possess him?

Miyo is a soulless construct. Kitsune can do that when they get enough power. And possessing her would be akin to theft, BAD. IDEA.

Considering how possession works in Virmir's world, it could be much, much worse than just thievery. It might be the equivalent of a Palantir in Middle Earth... a corrupt object with a line straight to Suzucon-sama's head. Try to manhandle it, and you'll find the Flaming Eye staring right back at you. I doubt even Roko is that dumb.

"I SEE YOU."

NEVER think something is too dumb for Roko to do...


"There are two things that are infinite. The universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe! -Albert Einstein

I did wonder that too, and was under the impression she was a lifeless body that washed on shore and that he brought back to life with his power

In any Virmir world, tails are a requirement to perfection. Ergo, more tails equals more perfection.