Nogitsune

Nogitsune 野狐
Description	Teen Wolf Myth
First Appearance	Riddled
Last Appearance	The Divine Move

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article only concerns the Nogitsune character seen in Season 3 of Teen Wolf. It is not designed to be comprehensive coverage of the Japanese myth or the real world concept of the Nogitsune.

The Nogitsune is the primary antagonist for the final 12 episodes of Teen Wolf Season 3.

Described as a "dark kitsune," the Nogitsune possesses the body of an individual for no other purpose than to create chaos on which it then feeds. While the creature can be summoned, it is dangerous. Once it is present, it cannot be controlled.

The role of the Nogitsune was shared between Dylan O'Brien (Nogitsune/Stiles) and Aaron Hendry who portrayed the creature in its bandaged and bomber-jacketed original form.

History

The Nogitsune was first summoned by a Kitsune named Noshiko Yukimura in 1943 in an attempt to gain her revenge on the soldiers at the Oak Creek Internment Camp during WWII. Instead of inhabiting her, as she had prayed, it inhabited the bandage wrapped dead body of her lover, Corporal Rhys.

He proceeds to kill everyone at the prison camp and Eichen House, the hospital where Rhys died.

He is finally stopped by Noshiko and a female werewolf named Satomi in the tunnels beneath the camp. Upon his "death" a fly flew out of the host body and was captured by Noshiko.

She later placed it in a jar and buried it beneath the Nemeton.

Season 3

It is released from the Nemeton in Beacon Hills due to the events of Season 3(a). The Darach's actions and the surrogate sacrifice performed by Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, and Allison Argent frees the spirit from the stump where it had been buried since 1943.

Using the doorway that the sacrifice left open in Stiles' mind, the Nogitsune possesses him.

Dr. Deaton uses Wolf Lichen to temporally stop the Nogitsune, but it eventually takes over Stiles again,

After Stiles is freed from the possession, the Nogistune takes Stiles' form.

The Nogitsune is defeated and its body destroyed. The spirit attempts to flee in the form of a fly, but is captured inside a box made from the wood of the Nemeton.

Season 6

While the creature did not return, the Anuk-Ite projected the shape and voice of the Nogitsune and Void Stiles in an effort to get Scott to open his eyes in The Wolves of War.

Riddles

The Nogitsune is overly fond of riddles. Riddling at Stiles throughout his attempts to possess his body.

This seems to stem from the fact that one of the first soldiers he killed in 1943 was also fond of riddles and had been spouting a steady stream of them just before the Nogitsune killed him.

Examples of riddles the Nogitsune had asked Stiles in episode 18 season 3B. 

- What is bigger the more you take away? A hole.

- What gets wetter the more it dries ? A towel.

- When is a door not a door ? When it's ajar.

- Everyone has it, but no one can lose it... What is it?  A shadow.

Abilities

The Nogitsune seen in Beacon Hills in 1943 and 2011 seems to have a number of heretofore unseen supernatural abilities.

Mass Hallucinations

The Nogitsune was able to give Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Kira the same hallucination of being in a snowy garden when they were actually still outside the school.

Emotional Vampirism

Nogitsune/Stiles absorbs and feeds on negative emotions caused by pain, chaos, and strife. He did this directly through physical contact with Scott. The nogitsune also seems to draw them from chaotic events around him.

Possession

The fox spirit can possess its primary host and, through the use of flies that come from within the host body, possess others.

This ability seems to work on dead bodies as well since Corporal Rhys was apparently dead when the spirit took him.

Instantaneous Transport

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the first instance, it is unclear if this is an actual ability or simply a dramatic device employed by the writers. The second time it happened he was with the Oni so it is unclear if he did the transporting.

Nogitsune/Stiles seemed to be able to move quickly from location to location disappearing from Derek's loft and showing up at Eichen House moments later.

Nogitsune/Stiles along with the Oni were able to instantaneously transport from the tunnels below Oak Creek to the surface.

Enhanced Abilities

Nogitsune/Stiles employed strength and fighting skills on par with the other supernatural creatures on the show.

Weaknesses

Wolf Lichen

Wolf Lichen grown in an area where another Nogitsune bled was shown to briefly incapacitate the creature.

Mental Attack

While fully possessing a host body, the Nogitsune seemed almost indestructible. Its grip was loosened by Scott and Lydia inside Stiles' mind so the nogitsune created a new Void Stiles. The new host was more vulnerable as it slowly stole Stiles' life force.

Transformation

A Shugendō (修験道) scroll revealed that the dark kitsune could be expelled when the host's body was "changed". In the case of the Beacon Hills creature, Scott bit the host body which caused the spirit to flee because “you can’t be a fox and a wolf”.

Foxfire Sword

Kira's sword, once enhanced with foxfire, helped finish off the nogitsune's host but the spirit itself survived.

Nemeton Wood

The Nogitsune spirit is originally contained inside the Nemeton. After it's final human-form host body dies, it takes on the form of a housefly and is recaptured inside a box made from the wood of the Nemeton.

The Other Nogitsune

A Young Chris Argent confronted another Nogitsune while doing an arms deal on behalf of his family's business. (Read More...)

This is not the same spirit that possessed Stiles later in Beacon Hills.