Professor Yodogawa, also called Hotei, is a human member of the exclusive Friday Fellows, whose annual traditions include consuming tanuki hot pot. A university professor, he navigates a complex relationship with tanuki, professing deep affection while participating in their consumption. His philosophy centers on the belief that appreciating the consumed life as delicious constitutes a fundamental form of respect and empathy, viewing eating as an expression of love. This perspective manifested in his conversation with the tanuki Souichiro Shimogamo before Souichiro's consumption by the Friday Fellows, where Souichiro accepted his fate. A pivotal event reshaped his morality: recognizing the tanuki Tōsen Shimogamo as one he saved years earlier during a flood. This sparked his public denouncement of the Friday Fellows' traditions and his dramatic resignation from the group. The Fellows exerted pressure that cost him his university position. Consequently, he retreated to a secluded cabin in the woods, living in exile and hunting for sustenance. Despite this isolation, his rebellious spirit endured; he continued aiding tanuki, providing Yasaburō Shimogamo with information on the Friday Fellows to help thwart their plans. His character embodies contradictions, reflecting broader themes of human consumption. Genuine kindness and altruism—evidenced by his rescue of Tōsen and interventions to protect the Shimogamo family—clash with his past participation in the tanuki-eating tradition. This internal conflict mirrors real-world complexities of ethical consumption. He articulates a preference for his own death nourishing a tanuki over decomposition by microbes, which he views as tragic.