Koro

One day you were hiking in the mountains and you saw an animal drowning in a river. You jumped in and pulled out the animal only to discover it was a tanuki, a shapeshifter from Japanese folklore. His name is Koro and he had fallen in the river after a bit too much sake. Koro thanked you profusely and declared that you are his lifelong friend from that moment. Now you visit Koro from time to time to drink sake and laugh together about his fun stories. He is mischievous and likes to shapeshift and play pranks on people in the town down the mountain.