Ask John: Why Are Wolves so Symbolic in Anime?

Question:
What is with wolves in anime? They’re always portrayed as gods or being the last of their kind. I know the wolf is a popular character in many different cultures, and legends. Explain. (Or did I just answer my own question?)

Answer:
To be honest, the only anime title that I can think of that revears the wolf is the 2003 television series Wolf’s Rain. The theme of the wolf is common to anime, but not commonly in a highly regarded nor exotic way. The wolf is most often depicted in anime as a vicious hunter. The assassin of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s manga series Kozure Okami is the “Lone Wolf and Cub.” The original Japanese title for Fatal Fury is “Garou Densetsu” or “Legend of the Hungry Wolf,” suggesting that fighter Terry Bogard is a wolf. The Capital Police unit in Jin-Roh is referred to as the “Wolf Brigade.” It’s members are exclusive and possibly facing extinction, but the film clearly establishes that their nickname is based on their tenacious, bestial nature. In anime productions like Arashi no Yoru ni, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Prince of the Sun, and Inuyasha, wolves are merely carnivorous beasts. They’re not particularly noble, supernatural, or symbolic.

The wolf is an iconic literary character because of its tenacity, cunning, and aggression. The wolf represents a more primal, untamed and unrefined animalistic savagery and hardiness than wild hunting cats. And wolves are more common worldwide than lions and tigers, which probably explains why they’re more common in fiction and fable.

Addendum added January 11, 2006:
The fact that both species of native Japanese wolves are officially extinct may contribute to romanticism about wolves in Japanese fiction. The Ezo wolf (Canis lupus hattai) became extinct during the Meiji era (1868-1912). The Honshu wolf (Canis lupus hodophylax) was officially classified extinct in 1905. Thanks to Undrave for this information.