Yasaburō Shimogamo, the third son of the Shimogamo tanuki family, inhabits a Kyoto shared by humans, tanuki, and tengu. His father, Sōichirō Shimogamo, once held the prestigious role of Nise-emon, leader of Kyoto's tanuki, until the human Friday Fellows captured and consumed him in a hot pot. This tragedy deeply shapes the family and Yasaburō's path. Yasaburō embraces a carefree and mischievous nature, attributing his actions to "idiot blood" inherited from his father. This drives his pursuit of an "interesting life," marked by playful antics and a willingness to dive into precarious situations. Despite this apparent recklessness, he shoulders significant responsibility for his family, mediating sibling conflicts and shielding them from threats, particularly those posed by his uncle Sōun and the rival Ebisugawa tanuki clan. Sōun's resentment over losing the Nise-emon title and Yasaburō's mother to Sōichirō fuels his antagonism and betrayal, culminating in Sōichirō's demise. As a tanuki, Yasaburō wields advanced shapeshifting, transforming into diverse human forms or objects. He sometimes adopts a female schoolgirl guise for humor or strategy. Beyond transformation, he navigates complex social landscapes, maintaining ties with humans, tengu, and fellow tanuki. He regularly tends to his tengu mentor, Professor Akadama, offering supplies and companionship despite Akadama's difficult demeanor. This bond connects him to Benten, a human woman Akadama abducted and trained in tengu magic. Yasaburō shares a complex, ambiguous relationship with Benten; she is both an object of his affection and a source of peril due to her Friday Fellows membership and involvement in his father's death. Their interactions weave together attraction, wariness, and philosophical exchanges on life and consumption. Family loyalty anchors Yasaburō. He supports his eldest brother, Yaichirō, struggling under the burden of succeeding their father as Nise-emon. He provides emotional grounding for his second brother, Yajirō, trapped in frog form by guilt over inadvertently contributing to Sōichirō's capture during a drunken outing. Yasaburō patiently interacts with his timid youngest brother, Yashirō, who often loses his human form when frightened. Their mother, Tōsen Shimogamo, remains a protective figure, and Yasaburō shares her deep appreciation for family bonds despite their eccentricities. His journey involves confronting his father's legacy. Initial investigations uncover Yajirō's role in the events leading to Sōichirō's capture and Sōun's orchestration of the betrayal. Yasaburō processes these revelations without seeking vengeance, choosing instead understanding and reconciliation. This path leads him to Professor Yodagawa (Hotei), a Friday Fellows member who appreciates tanuki as both sentient beings and culinary delicacies. Later developments see Yasaburō addressing the fallout from his broken arranged marriage to his cousin, Kaisei Ebisugawa. Sōun severed the engagement after Sōichirō's death, partly due to Kaisei's unique ability to disrupt Yasaburō's transformations simply by being seen in her true form. Despite this complication and Sōun's hostility, Yasaburō and Kaisei gradually rebuild their relationship, culminating in the reinstatement of their engagement. He also engages with Akadama's estranged son, Nidaime, further connecting the worlds of tanuki and tengu. Throughout, Yasaburō consistently balances his inherent tanuki love for whimsy and chaos with pragmatic observation. He avoids hatred even towards those complicit in his father's death, focusing instead on protecting his family's present and future while honoring their past through living fully and embracing the "ecstatic" potential of life. His journey embodies themes of forgiveness, coexistence, and finding joy amidst grief without forgetting its origins.