What is a Cat Girl
Cat Girls
A catgirl (猫娘, nekomusume) is a female kemonomimi character with feline traits, such as cat ears (猫耳, nekomimi), a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body.
They are not individuals who are literal cats but individuals who only look superficially feline.
Catgirls are found in various fiction genres, particularly in Japanese anime and manga.
Catboy is a term for the male equivalent of said character type
History
The oldest mention of the term nekomusume comes from an 18th-century misemono (見世物) in which a cat/woman hybrid was displayed.
Stories of shape-shifting bakeneko prostitutes were popular during the Edo period.
The popularity of the nekomusume continued throughout the Edo and Shōwa periods, with many tales of cat/woman hybrids appearing in works such as the Ehon Sayoshigure (絵本小夜時雨) and Ansei zakki (安政雑記).[3]
In Kenji Miyazawa’s 1924 work, Suisenzuki no Yokka (水仙月の四日, literally The 4th of Narcissus Month) is the first modern day example of a beautiful, cat-eared woman.
In 1936, the nekomusume experienced a revival in kamishibai.
The first anime involving catgirls, titled The King’s Tail (Ousama no Shippo), was made in 1949 by Mitsuyo Seo.
In America, the DC Comics character Catwoman first appeared in 1940, and Cheetah first appeared in 1943.
Catgirls were further made popular in 1978 manga series The Star of Cottonland, by Yumiko Ōshima.
By the 1990s, catgirls were common in Japanese anime and manga.
Catgirls have since been featured in various media worldwide.
Enough of a subculture has developed for various themed conventions and events to be held around the world, such as Nekocon.
Reception
Japanese philosopher Hiroki Azuma has stated that catgirl characteristics such as cat ears and feline speech patterns are examples of moe-elements. Azuma argued that although some otaku sexual expression involves catgirl imagery, few otaku have the sexual awareness to understand how such imagery can be perceived as perverted.
In a 2010 critique of the manga series Loveless, the feminist writer T. A. Noonan argued that, in Japanese culture, catgirl characteristics have a similar role to that of the Playboy Bunny in western culture, serving as a fetishization of youthful innocence.
List of catgirls and catboys
This is a list of catgirls and catboys
— characters with cat traits, such as cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body.
The list excludes anthropomorphic cats (e.g. Hello Kitty, Top Cat, The Cat in the Hat), humans dressed in cat costumes, and characters that fully transform between cat and human and not some in-between stage.
It may include characters that wear a cat-themed costume, but only if there is strong recognition as a catgirl or catboy by news sources, as with Catwoman.
For franchise characters, they are listed by their originating media, with ones in manga and anime listed separately from television and film.
In anime and manga
- Himari Noihara, a bakeneko from Omamori Himari
- Ichigo Momomiya, who transforms into a catgirl, from Tokyo Mew Mew
- Cheshire Cat from Pandora Hearts
- Yuni/Cure Cosmo from Star Twinkle PreCure
- The Caitan race from Cat Planet Cuties
- Dejiko from Di Gi Charat
- Felix/Ferris Argyle from Re:Zero
- Ikuto Tsukiyomi from Shugo Chara!
- Kyou Souma in Fruits Basket
- Sailor Tin Nyanko from Sailor Moon
- Izutsumi from Dungeon Meshi.
- Schrödinger (Hellsing) from the fictional manga series Hellsing
- Leone, an assassin for Night Raid in Akame ga Kill
- The Puma Sisters from Dominion: Tank Police
- Blair from Soul Eater, a cat who can transform into a catgirl form.
- Koneko Toujou/Shirone, a nekomata from High School DxD
- Neferpitou, a “literally deadly catgirl” from Hunter x Hunter.
- Panther Devas, They consisted of Tōran, Karan, Shunran & Shūran from Inuyasha episode 75.
- Tsumiki Miniwa, a very feline schoolgirl from Place to Place, often shown with cat ears, a tail, or, rarely, even a complete cat.
- Blake Belladonna, one of cast members in RWBY: Ice Queendom.
- Yoruichi from Bleach
In animation
- Blake Belladonna, a character of the Faunus race from RWBY
- Catra from the She-Ra franchise.
- M’Ress, a Caitian communications officer from Star Trek: The Animated Series[23]
- Olive, a catgirl in High Guardian Spice
- Pururin, a catgirl Puru Puru Pururin, a show-within-a-show in the novel Welcome to the N.H.K.
- T’Ana, a Caitian doctor and head of medical aboard the Cerritos from Star Trek: Lower Decks
- Ortensia the Cat, the girlfriend of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
- ThunderCats, an alien race of feline humanoids.
In literature and comics
- Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) from the Spider-Man franchise
- C’Mell, from the 1962 science-fiction short story “The Ballad of Lost C’Mell”, a woman who was created from cat DNA.
- Catreece, a main character in the Reality Check! comic by Rikki Simons and Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons
- Tigra from Marvel Comics
- Catwoman from DC Comics
- Kitrina Falcone, the main DC universe Catgirl; a protégée of Catwoman
- Carrie Kelley, a DC Comics superheroine who also adopts the Catgirl moniker
- Cheetah, an enemy of the DC Comics hero Wonder Woman
- Nyara, a human who was transformed into a catgirl by her father’s magical experiments, from Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar book series
- An ancient Western story of Venus and the Cat, famously reflected Jean de La Fontaine’s fable “The cat changed into a woman”, has a catgirl protagonist. She is usually a cat turned into a normal-looking woman but retaining feline character.
- The troll bloodline consisting of Nepeta Leijon, Meulin Leijon, and the Disciple from the webcomic Homestuck
- Pandora and other Helpers in the webcomic Pandora’s Tale
In animated film
- Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, a cat-man from The Cat Returns.
In live-action film and television
- Aissa from the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, played by Fairuza Balk.
- Chloe, Alek, Jasmine, and Valentina from The Nine Lives of Chloe King, who are part of the Mai, a cat-like race descended from Bast.
- A Caitian Cat Lady from the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, portrayed by stuntwoman Linda Fetters. Originally Introduced in Star Trek: The Animated Series. Also seen in Star Trek Into Darkness.
- Dr. Katherine “Kat” Manx from Power Rangers S.P.D., played by Michelle Langstone
- Katarina from Dark Angel Season 2 episode 5: “Boo”, played by Sarah Carter.
- Kitty from the 2001 film Monkeybone played by Rose McGowan
- Tiger Cub, a werecat from the 2004 film Night Watch
- Cup Jon Dee, a member and practicing economic magician from the Satanic Temple in the 2019 documentary Hail Satan?
In video games
- Kokonoe Mercury, a half-cat scientist from the BlazBlue series
- Taokaka, another BlazBlue character, who is the guardian of her village in the game series
- Felicia, from Darkstalkers
- Katt (“Rinpu Chuan” in the Japanese version), from Breath of Fire II
- Cham-Cham, from Samurai Shodown
- Neco-Arc and other “Neco Spirits” from the Tsukihime / Melty Blood series
- Len & White Len, from the Tsukihime / Melty Blood series
- Misaki, a human who is granted a wish to transform into her cat Yoriko, during which she is a catgirl, from the 2002 visual novel Da Capo
- Diona (Chinese: 迪奥娜), a bartender who is of the Kätzlein race from the 2020 RPG Genshin Impact
- The Mithra race from Final Fantasy XI
- The Miqo’te race from Final Fantasy XIV
- The Nekos race from the Nekopara visual novel game series.
- Kyaru from Princess Connect! Re:Dive
- Xiao from Dark Cloud
- The Gormotti race from Xenoblade Chronicles
- Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles 2
- Mio from Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Na’el from Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
- Che’nya from Disney Twisted-Wonderland
- Kuneko from Cassette Beasts
- Moneko, and her sister Neneko, from The Battle Cats
- Lovely Feline of the Divine Transcendence, Bastet from Puzzle And Dragons
- Toxic Cat, Fire Cat, Heavenly Cat, Thunder Cat, and Blessed Kitty Cat from Indie Rogue-Like Deck Builder game, Rogue Adventure
