Japanese man who spent lakhs to transform into a dog now wishes to become other animals

A Japanese man, who was much in the news last year for spending two million yen (roughly INR 12 lakhs) to become a dog, now says that he wishes to become other animals like a panda, bear, or more.
The man, who hasn't revealed his true name, is known as Toco. He documents his life and experience of transforming into a dog-- a border collie to be precise-- on his YouTube channel ‘I want to be an animal'.In 2023, Toco's dream of turning into a dog was fulfilled by a Japanese costume manufacturing company named Zeppet and they took 40 days to create Toco's dog outfit. Zeppet is known for providing costumes for TV serials and commercials. Talking about how the costume was made, a Zeppet representative said in an earlier interview, “The point is that the skeleton of a dog can be reproduced on the skeleton of a human. Since the structure of the skeleton is very different, we spent a lot of time studying how to make it look like a dog.”
In a 2022 interview, Toco had shared that he always wanted to impersonate a dog but because he his colleagues thought it was weird of him, Toco decided not to reveal his identity. "I've thought about it since I can remember," Toco told MailOnline. He further said, “My colleagues think it's weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can't show my real face."
More recently, Toco spoke to a Japanese news outlet named WanQol and spoke about his experience of becoming a border collie. "It really is a happy experience to be able to become something other than myself. I get excited and happy being someone other than myself."
He even spoke about the challenges he has faced in his transformation. "However, dogs and humans have different skeletal structures, and the way we bend our legs and arms is different, so it's very difficult to move in a way that looks like a dog's. I'm currently researching movements that look more dog-like. Also, cleaning it when it gets dirty is a bit of a pain. When I go outside, I get dirt on it, and dust gets stuck in my fur, so it takes a lot of work to clean it every time," he said.
He also said that he would like to become other four-legged animals like a panda or a fox. “Of course, I would like to become another animal as well,” Toco revealed. He further said, ""I want to try to become other animals. I could realistically become another dog, a panda, or a bear. A fox or a cat would be good, but they're too small for a human to try... I hope to make my dream of becoming another animal come true someday," he further shared.
Toco has roughly 65,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel where he documents his life as a border collie. He shares videos of him walking, eating or being pet by others on the streets while he is dressed up as a border collie. He also shared that many people connect with him online and tell him that they too want to turn into an animal.
Meanwhile, psychologists say that Toco's love for becoming an animal might be because of him being a Therian-- a term for people who identify themselves as an animal species that is not human. The word 'Therian' is a short form of 'therianthrope'. It is derived from the ancient Greek word ther, which means “wild beast”, and anthropos which means “human being.”
However, Therians should not be confused with the term Furry-- which is used for people who occasionally like to cosplay in a "fursuit" or an animal's costume. Talking about this, Dr Elizabeth Fein-- Associate Professor of Psychology at Pittsburgh's Duquesne University, told The New York Post, "It's important "to distinguish between furries, who are fans of anthropomorphic animals... and therians, who on some level identify as a creature other than human."
It is interesting to note that people like Toco who identify themselves as non-human animals in a human body were largely isolated for years. But with the emergence of the internet, they have now been connected leading to the formation of various groups on social media that are dedicated to therians and furries. So much so that in 2022, a convention called Midwest FurFest was organised in which thousands of people from more than 50 countries had participated.
What are your views on Toco and his unusual desire of turning into an animal? Do you also know of other people like this? Tell us in the comment section below.