The Eccentric Family (Uchouten Kazoku) tells the whimsical yet poignant tale of the Shimogamo tanuki family in Kyoto, centering on carefree third son Yasaburō as he navigates rivalries with tengu and humans. Key themes include family bonds, the search for purpose amid absurdity, impermanence, and living vibrantly despite loss and societal pressures.
This curated collection of 25 canonical quotes captures these elements through character growth, emotional highs from peaceful reflections to tense confrontations, spanning key arcs like paternal legacy, tengu mentorship, and tanuki leadership struggles.
Once, I wrestled with the difficult question of how one should live as a tanuki
Episode 1 (Soaring Higher)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Defines his carefree philosophy, sparking growth from idleness to purposeful chaos amid family tensions.
I like you so much I want to eat you… but then you’d be gone
Episode 5 (The Taste of Hot Pot)
Benten (Suzuki Satomi)
Captures her conflicted love-hate bond with Yasaburō, highlighting themes of consumption as twisted affection.
As long as you live, there’s no way to escape saying good-bye
Episode 13 (series finale, Season 1)
Unnamed Shimogamo family member
Echoes grief over father Soichirō’s death, urging acceptance of loss in eternal family cycles.
Well, you can’t have your tanuki and eat it too
Episode 10 (Moonlit Rooftop)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Confronts Benten’s cannibalistic whimsy, blending humor with pain of interspecies divides.
Our idiot blood manifests again
Recurring (multiple episodes)
Shimogamo Brothers (Yasaburō, Yōichirō, etc.)
Reveals self-deprecating pride in flaws, tying paternal inheritance to resilient sibling unity.
Tengu, tanuki, humans… why are all of you so foolish?
Episode 7 (Foolish Surroundings)
Professor Akadama
Grumpy tengu laments dependencies, showing Yasaburō’s growth through caregiving duty.
To hell with tradition! To hell with the future of the tanuki world!
Episode 12 (Rebellion Arc)
Yōichirō Shimogamo
Eldest brother’s rage defies norms post-father’s demise, fueling leadership arc drama.
It’s a manifestation of our idiot blood
Episode 3 (Family Folly)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Satirizes father’s fate as stew, blending comedy with guilt-driven character evolution.
I’m definitely going to eat you up!
Episode 1 (Initial Encounter)
Benten
Teasing threat underscores her dominance, evolving into vulnerable emotional complexity.
After reaching the apex of tanuki society, Dad’s own foolishness caught up to him
Episode 9 (Paternal Reflection)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Mocks yet honors Soichirō’s end, deepening themes of legacy and foolish ambition.
I don’t suppose you’d ever go for a tanuki
Episode 1 (Human-Tanuki Divide)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Vulnerable plea to Benten exposes identity struggles, pivotal for romance arc.
Our mother doesn’t believe for one minute that her children are notorious losers
Episode 2 (Maternal Faith)
Narrator (family voice)
Highlights unwavering love amid tanuki society’s scorn, emotional anchor in chaos.
Voracious spirit-beings like you give the others a bad name
Episode 6 (Rival Clash)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Challenges Ebisugawa foes, marking shift from playfulness to protective resolve.
I realized that there’s nothing else I need to do besides live an interesting life
Episode 1 (Philosophy Core)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Affirms idleness as virtue, contrasting battles with serene self-acceptance theme.
But if you eat the thing you like, then the thing you like will be gone!
Episode 5 (Hot Pot Dilemma)
Benten
Paradox of desire reveals her trauma, humanizing amid Friday Fellows tension.
Humans are Cthulhu to us tanuki
Implied (food chain motif, Episode 4)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Evokes primal fear, connecting peaceful Kyoto life to existential survival threats.
I sustain myself with the love of family
Adapted family motif (Episode 11)
Shimogamo Mother
Reinforces bonds transcending species rivalries in reconciliation arc.
The arrogant do not long endure: They are like a dream one night in spring
Echoed philosophy (Episode 8)
Professor Akadama
Warns of hubris, mirroring father’s fall and tanuki-tengu power shifts.
Every time we see Soichirō – take a sip
Recurring homage (vision arcs)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Nostalgic ritual honors ghost father, blending humor with profound loss.
I’m a human, what do you expect?
Episode 1 (Benten’s retort)
Benten
Admits irreconcilable differences, yet sparks Yasaburō’s defiant pursuit.
Yasaburō is altruistic to a fault
Episode 12 (Heroic Stand)
Narrator insight
Praises selflessness in saving brothers, climax of growth from slacker to savior.
A frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean
Episode 6 (Yajirō’s Exile)
Yajirō Shimogamo
Symbolizes isolation guilt, urging broader worldview in family redemption.
I felt I understood how to live an interesting life
Episode 13 (Resolution)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Culminates arc from doubt to fulfillment, tying themes across seasons.
Family is where life begins and love never ends
Adapted (maternal arc, Episode 10)
Shimogamo Mother
Affirms enduring ties despite absurd deaths and rebirths.
The only rock I know that stays steady is the family
Episode 11 (Unity Moment)
Yasaburō Shimogamo
Amid rival battles, underscores family’s role as constant in flux.
