"One Story, or the Same Idea Four Times?"

After four nine-tailed fox legends across East and Southeast Asia, this episode asks the bigger question: did this story spread along real trade and religious networks, or did unconnected cultures independently invent the same kind of villain? The investigation pulls in parallel legends from India, Persia, and West Africa, tests both explanations against the evidence, and argues the real answer is more interesting than either option alone. Episode 7 of an animated series exploring the darkest myths of East Asian history.