Grow a Garden Characters
Complete Guide to Tanuki, Kitsune, Raiju and Kodama (2025 Update)
Master your interactions with all special characters in Grow a Garden. Learn about their locations, favorite foods, friendship rewards, and special abilities. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about Tanuki,Kitsune, Raiju, and Kodama.
💡 Character Overview
Special characters in Grow a Garden provide unique abilities, quests, and rewards. Building friendship with these characters is key to unlocking powerful garden enhancements and rare items. Each character has specific preferences, locations, and available times.
How To Build Friendship
- • Bring them their favorite foods daily
- • Complete their special requests and quests
- • Visit them during special events
- • Give them gifts related to their nature
2025 Update Changes
- • All characters now offer 5 friendship levels
- • Ability to summon characters with special items
- • New seasonal events and interactions
- • Character-specific accessories and tools
Character Details
Learn about each character's abilities, friendship levels, and how to maximize your interactions with them.
Tanuki
Forest Guardian
A shapeshifting raccoon dog with magical abilities and a love for delicious food.
Location
Bamboo Forest (North of Main Plaza)
Available Times
6AM - 8PM daily, All day on Saturdays
Favorite Foods
Porridge, Sushi
Disliked Foods
Burger, Hot Dog
Special Abilities
- •Seed Blessing (Increases growth speed of plants by 25%)
- •Leaf Shield (Protects plants from pests for 24 hours)
- •Recipe Mastery (10% chance to double cooking output)
- •Treasure Sniffer (Can locate buried treasures once per day)
Friendship Levels
| Level | Name | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stranger | 0-50 points | Basic seed pack once per week |
| 2 | Acquaintance | 51-150 points | Daily watering assistance for 3 plants |
| 3 | Friend | 151-300 points | Leaf Shield ability unlocked |
| 4 | Good Friend | 301-500 points | Recipe Mastery ability unlocked |
| 5 | Best Friend | 501+ points | All abilities unlocked + Tanuki Charm (permanent inventory item) |
Special Events
Tanuki Festival
When: First weekend of each month
Special event where Tanuki offers unique quests and rare rewards.
Full Moon Transformation
When: During full moon phases
Tanuki reveals its true form and teaches special garden techniques.
Pro Tips
- •Always bring Porridge when first meeting Tanuki to start with bonus friendship points
- •Complete daily tasks for Tanuki to rapidly increase friendship
- •The Tanuki Charm allows you to locate one rare ingredient per day
- •During the Tanuki Festival, friendship points are doubled
Kitsune
Fire Fox Spirit
A mystical nine-tailed fox with control over fire and illusions. Known for wisdom and mischief.
Location
Sacred Shrine (Eastern Mountains)
Available Times
7PM - 5AM daily, All day during New Moon
Favorite Foods
Sushi, Cake
Disliked Foods
Soup, Ice Cream
Special Abilities
- •Fox Fire (Speeds up cooking time by 30%)
- •Illusion (Can duplicate one ingredient per day)
- •Fire Shield (Prevents plants from freezing during winter)
- •Wisdom Whisper (50% chance to reveal hidden recipe variations)
Friendship Levels
| Level | Name | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wary | 0-75 points | Basic fire essence once per week |
| 2 | Curious | 76-200 points | Fox Fire ability unlocked (15% effect) |
| 3 | Intrigued | 201-350 points | Fox Fire improved (30% effect) + Illusion ability |
| 4 | Respectful | 351-600 points | Fire Shield ability unlocked |
| 5 | Honored Ally | 601+ points | All abilities at full strength + Kitsune Tail (permanent accessory) |
Special Events
Fox Dance
When: During New Moon phases
Spectacular fire display that grants "Inspired" status (+25% to all actions) for 48 hours.
Tail Ceremony
When: Once player reaches Honored Ally status
Special one-time event that grants the rare Kitsune Tail accessory.
Pro Tips
- •Kitsune prefers visits during nighttime hours
- •Bringing Prismatic Sushi guarantees a friendship level increase
- •The Kitsune Tail accessory reduces cooking failures to zero
- •Complete Shrine purification tasks to rapidly gain friendship points
Raiju
Thunder Beast
An electric legendary creature that takes the form of a wolf or dog wreathed in lightning.
Location
Lightning Peak (Thunderstorm Mountain)
Available Times
Only during thunderstorms or with Lightning Rod item
Favorite Foods
Hot Dog, Burger
Disliked Foods
Cake, Waffle
Special Abilities
- •Lightning Speed (Instant travel between any two garden locations)
- •Thunder Harvest (Harvest all ready plants instantly once per day)
- •Storm Caller (Can trigger rain once per day)
- •Electric Shield (Plants protected from all negative effects for 12 hours)
Friendship Levels
| Level | Name | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wary Beast | 0-100 points | Lightning essence once per storm |
| 2 | Curious Creature | 101-250 points | Storm Caller ability (30% chance of success) |
| 3 | Thunder Companion | 251-450 points | Lightning Speed ability unlocked |
| 4 | Storm Friend | 451-700 points | Thunder Harvest ability unlocked |
| 5 | Lightning Bond | 701+ points | All abilities at full power + Raiju Claw (permanent tool upgrade) |
Special Events
Thunderstorm Ritual
When: During major game thunderstorms
Raiju performs a ritual that charges all tools with lightning for 24 hours, doubling their efficiency.
Lightning Feast
When: After reaching Lightning Bond + full thunder moon
Special feast where feeding Raiju 5 of its favorite foods grants the Electric Touch ability.
Pro Tips
- •Use the Lightning Rod item (purchasable from Mystic Vendor) to summon Raiju outside of thunderstorms
- •The Raiju Claw tool upgrade reduces all garden work time by 40%
- •Feed Prismatic Hot Dogs to gain double friendship points
- •Complete lightning collection tasks to rapidly gain friendship
Kodama
Tree Spirit
Mysterious forest spirits that dwell within ancient trees. Their presence brings fortune and growth.
Location
Ancient Grove (Hidden Forest Area)
Available Times
Dawn and Dusk (5AM-7AM, 5PM-7PM)
Favorite Foods
Salad, Porridge
Disliked Foods
Pizza, Donut
Special Abilities
- •Spirit Growth (Plants grow twice as fast for 12 hours)
- •Forest Blessing (10% chance for double harvest)
- •Tree Whisper (Reveals location of rare seeds once per week)
- •Spirit Shield (Protects entire garden from disasters for 24 hours)
Friendship Levels
| Level | Name | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noticed | 0-60 points | One random seed per visit |
| 2 | Acknowledged | 61-175 points | Forest Blessing ability (5% chance) |
| 3 | Trusted | 176-325 points | Spirit Growth ability unlocked |
| 4 | Honored | 326-550 points | Tree Whisper ability unlocked |
| 5 | Spirit Bound | 551+ points | All abilities at full strength + Kodama Vessel (summon Kodama once per day) |
Special Events
Spirit Festival
When: Spring Equinox and Fall Equinox
Kodama gather in the Ancient Grove, offering blessings and rare spirit seeds to worthy gardeners.
Luminous Night
When: Once per season on the 15th
The Kodama perform a light display that enhances all plants for the next 72 hours.
Pro Tips
- •Kodama are extremely shy - move slowly around them
- •Plant at least one Ancient Tree in your garden to increase Kodama visit frequency
- •The Kodama Vessel allows you to gain their benefits anywhere in the game
- •Offering Prismatic Salad will make all Kodama in the area visible
Character Combinations & Advanced Strategies
Learn how to effectively combine character abilities and maximize your garden productivity.
Tanuki + Kodama Combination
When both characters are at max friendship level, combining Tanuki's Seed Blessing with Kodama's Spirit Growth creates the "Nature's Harmony" effect, which:
- •Increases plant growth speed by 60% (instead of just 25% + 100%)
- •Provides 25% chance of rare seed drops when harvesting
- •Gives all plants Gold quality rating
Kitsune + Raiju Combination
The "Elemental Fusion" effect occurs when Kitsune's Fox Fire and Raiju's Electric Shield are activated within 10 minutes of each other:
- •Creates "Storm Fire" cooking effect, reducing cooking time by 50%
- •Adds "Elemental Infusion" to all cooked dishes for 24 hours
- •50% chance to upgrade ingredient rarity during cooking
All Four Characters Strategy
The ultimate "Spirit Garden" effect occurs during the Equinox Festival when all four characters are present at level 5 friendship:
- •Creates a permanent "Mystical Garden" plot where Prismatic ingredients can grow
- •Unlocks the "Spirit Feast" special event where all characters gather
- •Grants the "Spirit Gardener" title and unique garden decorations
- •Unlocks the hidden Enchanted Garden area with exclusive seeds
Seasonal Strategy (2025)
The 2025 update introduced seasonal character bonuses that rotate throughout the year:
- •Spring: Kodama provides double friendship points and special plant boosts
- •Summer: Raiju appears more frequently and offers enhanced lightning powers
- •Autumn: Tanuki offers special harvest bonuses and rare seed trades
- •Winter: Kitsune's fire abilities are enhanced, protecting crops from frost
Related Content
Explore more guides and resources to enhance your Grow a Garden experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Grow a Garden characters
How do I find the hidden characters?
Tanuki is available from the beginning in the Bamboo Forest. Kitsune appears after reaching Level 15 and completing the "Sacred Shrine" quest. Raiju only appears during thunderstorms initially or after obtaining the Lightning Rod. Kodama starts appearing after planting an Ancient Tree seed and waiting for it to mature.
How quickly can I raise friendship levels?
With daily interactions and perfect gifts, you can typically raise one friendship level per week. Using Prismatic versions of favorite foods doubles the friendship points earned. Special events can provide significant friendship boosts, so plan your character interactions around events for maximum efficiency.
Do characters interact with each other?
Yes! After reaching friendship level 3 with at least two characters, you may occasionally witness them interacting with each other in the wild. These interactions sometimes trigger special mini-events or quests. During seasonal festivals, all characters gather in the Main Plaza, offering a rare opportunity to interact with all of them at once.
Can I lose friendship points?
Yes, giving disliked foods or failing character-specific quests can reduce friendship points. Avoiding a character for more than 14 in-game days will also cause a small friendship decay. The 2025 update added a "Friendship Stabilizer" item from the Premium Shop that prevents friendship decay for 30 days.