Ghost of Yōtei’s Bamboo Strikes Feature Adorable Baby Foxes That Cheer You On — Yes, You Can Pet Them
Ghost of Yōtei’s bamboo strikes return as a small, fast minigame that still matters mechanically — because they raise your spirit gauge — and emotionally, because tiny foxes show up to cheer you on. The feature mixes simple inputs, a risk of extra buttons, and a delightful audience you can pet.
What are bamboo strikes?
Bamboo strikes are a returning optional activity from 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima that appear in Ghost of Yōtei. They are quick-time-event style challenges scattered around the open world. Importantly, completing bamboo strikes affects gameplay: they raise your spirit gauge, which in turn lets you heal during combat and use certain powerful moves.
How the minigame works
In Yōtei, a bamboo strike is a three-round sequence. The rounds require three, five, and seven inputs respectively. Additionally, there is a chance an extra piece of bamboo will fly up; when that happens you must press two extra buttons quickly to finish the round. Completing two full bamboo strike minigames will increase your spirit gauge.
Baby fox audience
While you play, small animals often appear in the background. Specifically, tiny fox kits — one with dark fur and one reddish-brown — will run up and watch. Occasionally a baby bear joins them. When you successfully finish a round, the foxes make a little celebratory animation: jumping, wagging tails, and waving their paws. Also, you can pet them.
Community reaction
Players have shared clips and posts highlighting the foxes. For example, streamer Radec posted a clip on X that the source reported had been viewed 3 million times and received nearly 100,000 likes as of that report. Radec’s post reads exactly: “I love how baby foxes will cheer you on in Ghost of Yōtei [loudly crying face].”
I love how foxes will cheer you on during bamboo strikes in Ghost of Yotei 😭 pic.twitter.com/fIboq6fUzx
— Radec (@realradec) October 3, 2025
Reddit threads are similarly full of players gushing about the detail. For instance, see a thread praising the foxes, another about foxes cheering during bamboo strikes, and a wider discussion about distractions in the game.
Other community posts noted how the game’s many small features pull players away from the main revenge story, for example posts about players choosing side activities over the main quest such as repeated minigames and meme riffs like the highway sign joke, WWE Undertaker memery, and distracted boyfriend-style posts.
Why it matters
Objectively, the bamboo strike is both a gameplay mechanic and a piece of world detail. Mechanically, it supports combat by restoring the spirit gauge. Meanwhile, the foxes are a small aesthetic flourish that many players find memorable. Consequently, these tiny details can change how players spend their time in the game: they often pause the main narrative to enjoy minor, repeatable activities.
For additional context about how small details can become talking points in games, the source mentioned other fringe topics, such as an article about horses in a different game; you can read more on that here.
