In recent times, the unusual and eccentric fascination of becoming something that we’re not and cannot be has become more and more popular, especially in many LGBTQ circles. There is one man in Japan, however, who has taken this fantasy to an extreme level, spending over $15,000 to make his dream a reality.

This man, who goes by the name Toco, purchased a costume from Japanese company Zeppet that required 40 hours of development in order for him to transform into his “true” canine self. He now even has his own YouTube channel with over 12,000 subscribers and more than a million views on his videos where he can be seen taking walks, playing around and even eating dog food.

In an interview with Mirror magazine, Toco admitted that he still hasn’t revealed his secret life as a ‘dog’ to some of his closest friends yet out of fear that they would think he’s strange. Hmm…I wonder why. He said: “I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird. My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.”

“Since childhood, I have had this unspecific fantasy of becoming an animal. I wonder whether it was a desire for transformation,” Toco explained.

The thing is that most of us realize that these are fun ideas that we have as kids, but they’re not realities. You can’t be something that you’re not.

#Watch | A man in Japan has fulfilled his bizarre dream of wanting to look like an animal!

Twitter user @toco_eevee has posted pictures of himself on Twitter “transformed into a collie”, a sheepdog breed that has its origins in Scotland.#INVideo pic.twitter.com/hOESUX7xkv

— INDIA NARRATIVE (@india_narrative) May 25, 2022

The strange fixation on becoming an animal has even spread throughout the US Military as well. This includes people who use pup play as an outlet for their stress caused by military service, creating personas as dogs or cats and expressing themselves through role-play during social gatherings or private events. It also encompasses soldiers who take part in training scenarios designed to replicate combat using their “fursonas” rather than human roles.