Catgirl
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article deals with the Catgirl in popular culture. For information of historical interest on the mythical creature, see Nekomusume.
- See Carrie Kelly for the sidekick Catgirl in Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again. For BDSM petplay, see human animal roleplay.
A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears and a cat tail, but an otherwise human body; they are found semi-commonly in anime and manga either as a form of cosplay or actual body parts, as well as in a few video games (Dark Cloud, for example). Catgirls wishing to look especially cute will wear over-sized mittens and shoes that look like paws. "Catgirl" can sometimes be modified to refer to other woman/animal combinations that are sometimes found, usually mammals like bunnygirls, foxgirls and (more rarely) doggirls; see kemonomimi.
Catgirls are typically not considered furry because they resemble humans with cat-like embellishments rather than being an anthropomorphic cat. This even includes characters such as Escaflowne's Merle, the Puma Twins from Dominion: Tank Police, or Aisha Clan-Clan from Outlaw Star, who are more catlike than usual.
Ordinary humans, such as Hikaru Shidou from Magic Knight Rayearth, will sometimes sprout cat ears or a tail in order to illustrate their excitable personalities. This is similar to the phenomenon of becoming chibiTemplate:Fact and is mostly a stylistic quirk from manga artists. In Japanese, catgirls are usually called nekomimi (猫耳)—literally, "cat ears"—rather than the literal term nekomusume (猫娘). Sometimes characters do not actually feature cat-like ears or such an accessory but their hair sticks out and resembles cat ears.
Characters in anime and manga may momentarily develop a catlike mouth. This is usually used to emphasize mischievous thoughts or comments by a character. Rebellious boys are more often compared to dogs (InuYasha being a popular example) or wolves. The "lone-wolf" characterization is very common for brooding, aggressive, socially isolated males, while comparisons to dogs usually refer to adorably rebellious but ultimately harmless boys. However, in certain anime and manga series, such as Loveless, a boy may be compared to a cat in a similar way catgirls are. In those occasions, they are sometimes referred to as catbois (or catboys). Understandably, Bishōnen catboys are typically associated with Shōjo and yaoi.
In some circles, catgirl is a disparaging term for a stereotypical hyperactive and obnoxious fangirl, who might wear cat ears as an accessory while at conventions.
List of catgirl characters
- Aevy Eye from the wecomic, Impy and Aevy (though it's just part of her outfit)
- Aisha Clan-Clan from Outlaw Star
- Annapuma and Umipuma from Dominion: Tank Police (Also androids.)
- Aria and Lieze Lotte from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's
- Blaze the Cat from Sonic The Hedgehog
- Cat Lady in the motion picture Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), portrayed by stuntwoman Linda Fetters.
- Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet. Voiced by Emma Thompson
- Cham-Cham from Samurai Shodown II (not actually a catgirl, but wears cat ears)
- Chen from Perfect Cherry Blossom.
- The Cheshire Cat from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland
- Chinami and Yuriko from Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan
- Dejiko (aka Princess Chocolla, Digiko, or Di Gi Charat) and Puchiko (aka Petit Charat or Cappuccino), stars of Di Gi Charat
- Fam from Ruin Explorers
- Fancia from manga and game series Fancia.
- Felicia from Darkstalkers (actually an actual mythological nekomusume despite the fact she is portrayed as American)
- Foxxy Love from the TV series Drawn Together.
- Grace from El Goonish Shive (shapeshifter with squirrel-girl and cat-girl forms, either with or without body fur; also, several other cast members, both female and male, have appeared in non-canon art as catgirls or bunnygirls, and the character of Ellen uses a catgirl avatar online)
- Hazuki from Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase (she is not actually a catgirl, but wears cat ears and behaves like one)
- Hojo no Ruri from Onmyou Taisenki
- Ichigo Momomiya (Zoey Hanson in the English adaptation) from Tokyo Mew Mew (The English version is titled Mew Mew Power)
- Dr. Katherine "Kat" Manx (Cat Ranger) from Power Rangers SPD A feline alien and head of research and design at the SPD Academy. She created the Delta Morphers alongside the parents of the B-Squad Rangers. Unlike most catgirls, Dr. Manx does not have a tail (or if she does, it was never shown on the program). (Portrayed by Michelle Langstone)
- Kate from the webcomic Anime Arcadia (link)
- Katt(Rinpoo in the Japanese version) from Breath of Fire 2
- Kitty from the movie Monkeybone played by Rose McGowan
- Kizna Towryk from Pilot Candidate (she is not actually a catgirl, but has implanted cat ears)
- Koboshi from Pita-Ten (she is not actually a catgirl, but wears cat ears)
- Kohaku from Melty Blood (she has several animations as a catgirl)
- Kuaru from Lunatic Night (cat or dog? All that's said is that she can transform into a "Furry Beast")
- Lethe from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
- Mao from the PlayStation2 game "Shining Tears" (no tail, but natural cat ears and catlike agility)
- Maya from Geobreeders (she can look like a catgirl, though she usually chooses not to)
- Maya from the webcomic Caribbean Blue (link)
- Meek and Rinna from Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat
- Merle, Naria and Erya from Vision of Escaflowne
- Miau from Little Monica (she behaves like a catgirl, wearing cat ears and a tail as well)
- Miruru from Tenshi ni Narumon
- Miss Nyako and her neice, Konyako, from Eden's Bowy
- Mithra, the race of cat-like humaniods from the video game Final Fantasy XI
- Myao, a witch from the Playstation game Rhapsody:A Musical Adventure
- Lt. M'ress, a Caitian communications officer (voiced by Nichelle Nicols), from Star Trek Animated Series
- Most characters from Loveless.
- Natsuki from Hyper Police (a nekomusume)
- Nei and Fal (a.k.a. Rika) from Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star IV respectively. There is some dispute that the "Nei-type" or "Numan" is not a catgirl because they lack tails. (See discussion page for more info)
- Neko (a staff member) and the species Kera'sha from the book series Dragon Tamers, appearing from the second book onwards.
- Nia from DearS
- Nina from Words Worth
- Atsuko Natsume a.k.a. Nuku Nuku from All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (she is a cat/human cyborg, with human appearance)
- Norn from Atelier Iris
- Nya from To-Y (not a real catgirl, just wears fake ears and a tail)
- Nyara from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar Series (She is the result of her father's blood magic. She has pointed ears, slitted eyes, and retractible claws. Thus, it could be argued that she is a true nekomusume instead of a catgirl.)
- Pink from Dragon Pink
- Primula (Rim-chan) from Shuffle (However she just wears a maid uniform with cat ears and tail for a short scene.)
- Ray Kon from "Beyblade"
- The Puma Twins, Anna and Uni, from Dominion Tank Police
- Sanada (and many others) from UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie
- Sera from Sonic the Hedgehog
- Shader from Chrono Crusade
- Shrödinger from Hellsing (Actually, he is a catboy, cat ears and all.)
- Taruto and others from Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto
- Tina from the webcomic Caribbean Blue (link)
- Uriko from Bloody Roar
- White Tiger X Team from "Beyblade" and "Beyblade G-Revolution"
- Win 2K-tan. She is not actually a catgirl but she wears cat-ear-shaped computer speakers on her head
- Yoriko from Da Capo
- Yuki, Maya and Tina from the webcomic Caribbean Blue (link)
- Xiao from Dark Cloud (because she is a cat turned into a human, it could be argued that she is a true nekomusume.)
See also
External links
- The Catgirl Webring hub; a listing of catgirl websites
- Imageboard dedicated to drawings of catgirls.
- Wilde Home for Wayward Catgirls, a large collection of original catgirl art.
- Nekomimi no Densetsu, a hub of catgirl webcomics.
- Catgirl Image Collection, a forum for catgirl anime.
- Sky Lounge Garden contains many softcore pornographic catgirl pictures.is:Kisustelpa