Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-26397825-20150713052232/@comment-26397825-20151028011904

They start with one tail and grow up to nine of them and are malevolent. The fact that they are malevolent automatically disqualifies them being based off a kitsune, since kitsune are messengers of Inari and pranksters, not malevolent.

I think it has enough similarities with a Gumiho to be classed as 'based off'. After all, lots of things in this show are 'based off' and yet show no actual resemblance to the originalnbeyond passing similarities.

And Ahpolki can name it whatever language they want. Considering our languages technically don't even exist in the RWBY universe.