An analysis of how Japanese millennium-old romantic Kitsune might have somehow influenced modern day K-Drama romantic fox spirits.
East Asia carries rich cultures with overlapping mythologies, with one being about nine-tailed fox creatures that can transform into human. In Japan, it is Kitsune while in Korea, China and Vietnam, it is ‘Gumiho/Kumiho’, ‘Huli Jing’, and ‘Hồ ly tinh’ respectively. In Japan, however, the Kitsune can also be nine-tailed or just one-tailed, depending on the regional variation of the folklore. These mythical fox creatures have captured human imagination for centuries and inspired several artistic productions, for example; South Korean dramas (known as K-dramas) have produced romantic stories between Gumiho and humans. In one scene of K-drama Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020), actor Lee Dong-Wook’s Gumiho character is cooking for his human girlfriend, while often looking at her with the caring intensity only a true lover can show.
Painting of Kuzunoha, the legendary Kitsune (fox spirit) from Japanese folklore. Photo : Abeno by Yamakawa Shūhō (1928), Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
In another scene in K-drama My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010), actress Shin Min-a’s naive and kind-hearted Gumiho character, who is not used to humanity’s capitalistic ambitions, takes up odd jobs to earn money – only because she wanted to gift her human boyfriend an expensive camera. For millions of viewers, this is the perfect romance: a supernatural being, powerful yet tender, crossing boundaries to love a human with respect, care and loyalty. Modern K-dramas like these have captured global attention by telling stories where fox spirits are no longer predatory monsters but loyal, devoted partners.
But these romances are a remarkable departure from classical Korean folklore. Traditionally, the Gumiho is a cautionary figure, a “monstrous other” that seduces, deceives, and sometimes destroys humans. Even in old Korean newspapers from early 20th century, there have been articles published which negatively portrayed gumiho, including unusual cases blamed on this mythical creature. For example, the Korean daily newspaper Maeil Shinbo on October 26, 1913, reported an unusual case of a victim being possessed by a Gumiho. The gumiho was often used as a metaphor to describe bureaucratic corruption in those newspapers’ opinion and commentary section. This gives us a clear idea regarding the perception of Koreans regarding this mythical creature in that bygone era.
The love story, as glorified in television dramas today, would have been unthinkable even a century ago. So how did K-dramas transform the feared fox into a romantic icon? And why does this transformation echo Japanese Kitsune mythology, where human-fox relationships have long been celebrated ?
Korean myths have long cast the Gumiho as a warning. First appearing in Silla kingdom during 9th century, and later Joseon-era folktales, the Gumiho is usually a pretty-looking female, seductive, and dangerous. Her interest in humans often comes with sinister intent: consuming human hearts or livers to maintain her powers. Marrying a human is almost always a perilous act; a symbolic reflection of societal fears surrounding outsiders or those who cross cultural and social boundaries.
Scholarly research reinforces this interpretation. In the peer-reviewed paper Lures and Horrors of Alterity: Adapting Korean Tales of Fox Spirits by Sung-Ae Lee from Macquarie University, the author argues that fox-human stories traditionally metaphorize anxieties about intercultural and interracial marriages. The fox is humanity’s “monstrous other,” symbolizing difference and the potential dangers of engaging with the unknown. Even children’s picture books retain this cautionary tone, ensuring that the folklore conserves social norms while subtly warning against straying from the familiar. Other scholarly studies noted that Gumiho was often used in the patriarchal Korean peninsula, to dehumanize beautiful women who didn’t conform to societal expectations.
Yet, over time, a narrative shift occurred. Filmmakers and TV writers began experimenting with the Gumiho mythos, portraying fox beings as moral, empathetic, and loving. The Gumiho could now be heroic, loyal, and emotionally complex — a figure whose value is measured by deeds, not origin or identity. Modern K-dramas have taken the Gumiho myth and reshaped it for contemporary audiences. No longer merely a symbol of otherness, the fox becomes a persona of empathy, a protector, and a devoted partner. The romantic narrative aligns viewers with the Gumiho’s perspective, challenging Korea’s centuries-old assumptions about monstrosity and alterity. By humanizing the supernatural, these dramas also comment on cultural acceptance: love, trust, and loyalty are virtues that transcend social, ethnic, and even species boundaries.
It is in this reinterpretation that the parallels with Japanese Kitsune myths become clear.
While Korea cautioned against fox-human unions, Japan embraced them – recording the Kitsune as a devoted, loving and loyal wife to humans. The first ever story of a relationship between Kitsune and human appeared in the Nihon Ryōiki book written by Buddhist monk Kyokai during the years of 787-824 C.E. According to Kyokai’s research in Mino province (today southern Gifu Prefecture), he came to know about a century-old story about a man from Ōno district who fell in love with a beautiful woman and married her. They even had a child together, while unbeknownst to everyone that she was a Kitsune. After she was exposed, she had to leave but she frequently visited her human husband and child, as per her husband’s wishes. This was a tragic love story of separation, loyalty and longing. After the publication of this story, many other romantic stories like this – some bittersweet, some with a happy ending, continued to be recorded in ancient books and oral retelling. Another famous romantic story from 10th century was about the son of a samurai, Yasuna from Settsu province (today southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture) who saved the life of a fox (kitsune). Later, out of gratitude and love, the same Kitsune transforms into a charming woman called Kuzunoha and marries him. They gave birth to a son, who later grew up to become the historically famous astrologer, government advisor and court official Abe no Seimei. He is also a legendary figure in Japanese folklore, with belief that he inherited mystical powers from his Kitsune mother. Even in other stories, children born out of human-kitsune union are said to have mystical abilities. While Japanese folklores usually see Kitsune as romantic partners in fox-human unions, in many other regional legends, it also appears as tricksters and harmful to humans. However, those stories still do not reduce the image of Kitsune to a dangerous and brutal man-eater, unlike Korean folklores which often takes a darker tone regarding this mythical being. In Otogi-banashi (Japanese fairy tales), Kitsune appear as kind-hearted beings who help humans out of gratitude for them. Even in Konjaku monogatari (a book that compiled thousands of folk stories, written during late Heian period), which usually presented the Kitsune as a trickster or with ill-intent towards humans, also recorded stories of the same creature repaying kindness to humans. According to writer and researcher Kiyoshi Nozaki, Kitsune generally are not wicked or ferocious in nature, rather good-natured. This is completely contrary to the usual depiction of Gumiho in classical Korean folklores. Nozaki in his book, Kitsune: Japan's Fox of Mystery, Romance & Humor (1961) also writes that Kitsune in 4th-5th century were generally regarded as man’s friends, and both would indulge in light-hearted pranks on each other as sign of friendship. One reason behind why fox spirits enjoyed greater positive attention in Japan, compared to Korea and China – might be due to the widespread worship of Inari Ōkami, a deity in Shinto religion worshiped for prosperity in agriculture and industry. Kitsune or fox spirits were associated with Inari as its messengers.
Photo : Kitsune at Nezu Shrine, Tokyo. By Susann Schuster on Unsplash
Thus, in Kitsune folklore, the emphasis is on behavior over identity: the fox’s moral character, loyalty, and devotion are paramount. Rather than being feared, Kitsune-human marriages are seen often in a positive manner. Festivals, shrines, and ritualized storytelling further reinforce the positive cultural framing. Even in modern day Japan, animes and mangas generally portray the Kitsune as a loyal, caring and loving partner – reminiscent of the country’s native folklores.
Some have argued that romantic fox spirits might not be a Japanese invention, but rather have a Chinese origin owing to the fact that East Asia’s mythical fox spirits first appeared in China’s Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), compiled from the Warring States period to the Western Han period (4th to 1st century BCE). This fox spirit folklore was later transmitted to other parts of East Asia, where the folklore developed their own variations. The first ever story of a relationship between a fox spirit and a human appeared in the Tang era Chinese novel by Shen Jiji, “Ren Shì Zhuan” (The Tale of Miss Ren), written sometime between 760-800 C.E. The story is about an already married Zhang who fell for Miss Ren, described as ‘utterly beautiful’. Miss Ren was a fox spirit in reality, however that didn’t stop Zhang from developing an extramarital affair with her – which ended in a tragic way with the death of Miss Ren. This story reflected the tales of lust, concubinage and social realities of the elites during Tang Dynasty. However, in modern contemporary sense, this isn’t considered ‘true romance’, but rather a tale of extramarital affair with a supernatural being. This takes us back to the Nihon Ryōiki’s story, where the man had a legal marriage with a Kitsune and stayed loyal to her until his death. This technically makes Japan the first East Asian country to successfully narrate a true romantic story between a fox spirit and a human – the one that matches the narrative of modern-day romantic K-dramas, Japanese mangas and even Chinese dramas. During the Tang Era, Silla Kingdom, and Heian period; China, Korea and Japan shared extensive trade and diplomatic relations. The rich cultural exchange between China, Japan and Korea helped Japanese romantic folklores about Kitsune reach Chang’an (Tang capital) and Gyeongju (Silla capital) – particularly stories from Nihon Ryōiki. While Korea retained its traditional depiction of the fox spirit, China started experimenting with how it perceived this mythical being. While fox demons continued to exist in Chinese mythology, the fox spirit also later started to appear as romantic and devoted partners in literature – likely inspired from the Japanese romantic Kitsune folktales that were exported to China during Tang era and after. In 1766, compilation of classical Chinese stories in a book called Liaozhai zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio) by Pu Songling was published, which contained the story of romantic monogamous relationship between a human boy called Wang and a ‘pretty’ girl named Yingning, who was a fox spirit. From there, Chinese writers chimed in with Japanese Kitsune stories, creating more romance stories between fox spirits and humans – which would continue to change how people saw this mythical being in upcoming centuries in both China and Japan.
The romanticization of fox-human relationships in K-dramas may be coincidental, a creative reinterpretation of Korea’s own mythology. Yet the resemblance to Japan’s centuries-old Kitsune narratives is striking. This cannot be completely disregarded that both Korea and Japan have shared cultural ideas with each other since Heian period, and even continues to this day. From 1970s, Japanese and South Koreans have inspired each other in several artistic productions. There have been several successful adaptations of Japanese dramas and movies in South Korea and vice versa. It won’t be too far-fetched to theorize that Japanese Kitsune folklores have inspired the K-drama writers in some way or the other, regarding the romanticization of the fox spirit. Both involve shape-shifting foxes, devotion, and human love; both explore boundaries between worlds; and both invite audiences to reconsider what it means to accept the “other”. Modern storytellers, consciously or unconsciously, align their narratives with universal themes: love, loyalty, and moral virtue over fear, prejudice, or societal constraints. K-dramas, therefore, do more than entertain; they participate in a long tradition of humanizing the supernatural, echoing motifs that Japan has celebrated for over a millennium.
This narrative evolution carries broader social significance. In K-dramas, the fox-human relationship can also be read as a metaphor for intercultural or interracial relationships. By presenting the fox as moral, loving, and protective, contemporary dramas suggest that humanity and virtue are measured by behavior, not ancestry or background.
Similarly, Japanese Kitsune tales have long emphasized that loyalty, care, and devotion define the worth of the fox, rather than its supernatural origin or identity. The parallels highlight a fascinating cross-cultural dialogue: folklore evolving to advocate openness, empathy, and acceptance in human relationships.
Ultimately today, the fox; whether Kitsune or Gumiho or Huli Jing — teaches us that love, loyalty, and moral virtue can cross boundaries. The monster of the past becomes the partner of the present, reminding us that in folklore as in life, empathy and devotion are what truly matter.
「伝説から銀幕へ。怪物であることをやめた狐が最後に見つけたのは、愛だった。」
"Somewhere between myth and screen, the fox stopped being a monster and learned how to love."
A small note from the author Ifaz Ali Khan : "Hello dear readers, I hope you enjoyed reading this article. By the way, I am here to mention that this article is dedicated to my homie Srijita - an adherent fan of Lee Dong Wook. Who knows, maybe one day, a kitsune/gumiho looking like the ever dashing Lee Dong Wook would just hop into her life....till then, don't stop being curious !"