An OC I created towards the end of 2019. Originally the name was reserved for an idea back in 2010: What if Matt had a Japanese name, or was born Japanese? Back then, I was hesitant to do anything like that, finding it a bit unoriginal coming up with a Japanese name to an otherwise not-Japanese character. I had been inspired though, as friends of mine had done similar things with characters of their own creation, and I felt "Maybe I should consider doing something similar?" I never enjoyed hopping on bandwagons, so the thought remained only just a placeholder in the event I ever did anything with it.
Later, in 2019, I began working on a series of designs for my character Matt. Having made him back in 2001, I felt his ordinary appearance could use a few small tweaks, and soon went down the rabbit hole in a number of redesigns. Eventually, I settled on a particular look that came to be used for a different character, one that was originally inspired by Matt and intended for use with a different character, and that was the foundations for the drawing above.

The above drawing I drew sometime in 2020, when I felt this new emerging character of mine (named Mitsuo, after the old idea from 2010) needed to have an actual appearance if I wanted to use him in places and with friends of mine. The above design, while a bit stiff, was intended to be a simplification of what I had intended for the character. A random sheen of light was added to the frumpy hair on top to help highlight his hair. The idea of having five tails was tentative in the beginning--I was originally going to leave the number of tails Mitsuo was to earn open-ended, although upon a suggestion from a few friends of mine, I decided to leave the number of tails at five (as Mitsuo is a Kitsune).

Mitsuo's backstory is a big scarce, as his original conception was to be used in an online RP with a friend of mine. Eventually he began getting used in several different online RPs, which made it more difficult to create a backstory for him. Still, for what backstory of him there is, I'll provide it here.
Mitsuo was born and raised in a small remote Kitsune village, which lay beyond a mysterious forest. A large rock in said forest serves as a sort of landmark to those seeking the village, but unless those individuals are in the company of a Kitsune, or are Kitsune themselves, the village location will remain invisible to the naked eye. The village is watched over and protected by a white nine-tailed Kitsune, known by the Kitsune as Lady Setsuna, who ensures the safety of the village and grants the growing Kitsune a tail for their good deeds, or upon every 100th year, as is the custom of the Kitsune. Some rumour that the Kitsune Lady Setsuna is the goddess Inari, though even among the Kitsune, this remains unknown.
Mitsuo himself is a young Kitsune, who has worked hard and practised the various different magic known to Kitsune as the thirteen elements. While it would take hundreds of years to become proficient in these elements, Mitsuo has patience, and in doing so his training and good deeds have earned him the tails he now possesses. Still, while he does possess five, Lady Setsuna told Mitsuo that in order to obtain any further tails, he must venture outside of the village, and to learn the world around him. This could take years, even centuries before he would be granted another tail. With this in mind, Mitsuo makes trips outside of the Kitsune village, and returns to continue his training as overseen by Lady Setsuna.

Mitsuo is calm and patient, even playful at times. He possesses the wit and cunning as to be expected of a Kitsune, but also the abilities bestown to him from the Kitsune race. He is a good read of character, and can often read the auras of people in the room, sometimes able to use more simplified methods of telepathy to relay thoughts and messages to those around him. He is deeply understanding of others, and faithful and loyal to those important to him to the end. The road is long, but the journey is far from over still. The Kitsune Mitsuo makes every step along the way into a mysterious world. What roads lay before him? Where will he go to next? The rest is up to time.

Mitsuo belongs to me.
Artwork is by me.