Summary
No journey is complete without some loveable animals tagging along. As has become the standard in games in more recent years, the necessity of being able to pet certain animals (primarily dogs) has become an essential marketing tool. you may pet the dog? Well then the game must be great!
Thankfully,Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessis a great game regardless of the dogs it lets you pet. That said, there are quite a few animals you’re able to pet here, maybe some you wouldn’t typically expect to pet. We’ve listed each and every one of them for you to decide which is the cutest and best animal to pet.
That is a rhetorical statement. All of these animals are equally worthy of affection.
11Cat
Cats are one of those animals that you could bizarrely describe humans as having a parasocial relationship with. We idolise them, have at times viewed them as gods, and generally just treat them as better than us. It’s funny, but Kunitsu-Gami doesn’t fight this.
Cats are everywherein the game, and rarely by themselves. If you pet one of them, more will approach expecting the same treatment. They’re very entitled animals, but very pettable. They’re also weirdly large.
10Dog
Did you know that dogs are one of the first animal species to have been domesticated? There’s a reason they appear in just about every culture in history with such prevalence and also why they’re so distinct from their wolven ancestors.
In Kunitsu-Gami, you actually do find a dog in just about every base you repair, though typically only one at a time. These take the form of Shiba Inu, a dog breed native to Japan. They are very cute, extremely fluffy, and massively pettable.
9Chicken
There are more chickens than peoplein this world, and by quite a large metric. There are over four times more of them than humans. They vastly outnumber us. Good thing they haven’t developed class consciousness yet.
There are plenty of chickens to be found in Kunitsu-Gami as well, and they are by far the most numerous of all the animals in the game. Sadly, you can’t strictly pet them as they run away when you approach, but maybe Soh has given them a good reason to be afraid.
If you wait long enough at base or during a mission, animals will approach Yoshiro and she’ll start petting them.
8Pig
Here’s a fun fact - pigs are not native to Japan and were first introduced to the then-many independent kingdoms of Japan through the Ryukyu Kingdom from China. It took quite a while for pigs to become a popular source of food, though their noses were still plenty helpful for foraging.
Pigs are quite widespread in Kunitsu-Gami, and, according to the game itself, are a great source of fertiliser, amongst other things. They also lie flat on their belly when you rub them, which is just adorable.
7Sparrow
The Sparrow, more commonly known as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, has quite a large distribution around the world though holds a special place in Japanese culture. For example, the Suzume Odori form of dance is inspired by the movements of a Sparrow.
They are also, however, a very small bird. As such, Soh cannot pet these little guys. If they are quiet (or very fast) they can at least get close enough to see them flying away in shock.
6Cow
In sharp contrast to pigs, Cows have existed in Japan for thousands of years, though not for the same purpose as much of the world. Here, they were treated primarily as work animals and a source of fertiliser.
You can find them on plenty of farms in Kunitsu-gami, just existing. While they may not have been raised for milk or meat, they still serve a great purpose - to be petted by Soh.
5Snake
Snakes are often given a bad reputation. They’re covered in scales and slither, instead of soft fur and ambulating. They contain vast amounts of venom that can kill you. That, however, is all irrelevant because they are quite cute, actually.
Snakes are quite rare in Kunitsu-Gami, only appearing in dark levels such as caves. Find them in the bases afterwards and they’ll be coiled up, relaxing. Soh can even pet them because snakes are quite loving. If only you’dgive them a chance.
4Pheasant
Of the many animals that can be found in Kunitsu-Gami, pheasants are perhaps not one that might have been expected. It seems oddly specific in a game filled with more generically branded animals such as ‘dog’ and ‘cats’.
A pheasant is a bird, yes, but a bird with a specific relationship with humans. They are often hunted, but also seen as strong paternal animals. They’re also the national bird of Japan, which likely explains the more specific animal choice.
Specifically, the Green Pheasant is the national bird of Japan, and is native to the country.
3Boar
What’s the difference between a pig and a boar? We could get into the specifics of the length of their tusks, gender, domestication and so on. Or we could go for what the average person will notice - a boar will try to kill you, while a pig won’t.
In Kunitsu-Gami, you actually don’t see any domesticated boars. Instead, they can only be found during missions as defiled animals. They’re also the only non-Seethe entity to actually attack you. Just beat them up a little and they’ll be your friend again. That will have to suffice for petting.
2Rabbit
Funny enough, there are not strictly rabbits in Kunitsu-Gami, but plenty of hares. Of course, this definition gets slightly more complicated when the English language name of Japan’s native animal, the Japanese Hare, is actually called the Field Rabbit in Japanese.
The game calls them rabbits, so that’s what we’ll call them. They’re everywhere. You can find them in missions and in bases, and they’re also scarily big. Give them a little chin scratch to show your affection.
