Kori no Tatakai is the battle of the Foxes and Tanuki. In Japanese folklore, foxes (kitsune) and tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus, a doglike animal with raccoon-like facial markings) are both inherently magical, and are shapeshifting tricksters. Battles between the two animals are rare, and usually take the form of shapeshifting competitions. Foxes are more magically powerful, but tanuki are better tricksters, which often enables them to win.