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From time to time, we’ve all noticed the presence in anime and manga of the hybrid characters known as nekomimi. Nekomimi is Japanese for “cat ears” and refers to the young girls who possess the same characteristics of a cat, such as a cat ears, a cat tail, and the same personality as a feline. They’re extremely common in Japan and America. They can pop up anywhere! You might find them in a comic book, in a movie on your shelf, or in an anime you watch everyday. But just did where did the nekomimi originate from and how did they end up in present day Japan? Let’s find out!

Cat Girl Origins in Ancient Egypt

First, let’s take a few steps back into history for some education. For a better understanding we’ll need to go all the way back to 2890 B.C. in Ancient Egypt. Surprising, isn’t it? The original “catgirl” was known as Bastet, formally known as the lioness warrior goddess of the sun. She is now more widely known as the cat goddess of Ancient Egypt. She was depicted as a lioness or also as a woman who possessed the head of a strong female feline. During this era in Egypt, cats were considered to be sacred and incredibly special. They rid the land of rats and unwanted critters and served quite useful to the people. Because of this, cats in Egypt who belonged to royalty were often dressed in jewelry and gold, and even given the luxury of eating from the food plates of their owners.

However, chasing rats wasn’t the only talent of the cat goddess. She also took on the role of a loving and gentle mother, so women who wished to become pregnant would often wear jewelry or amulets with Bastet’s picture. The goddess was worshipped for many generations and highly regarded in Egypt during this time. Not only was she highly regarded for these reasons, but she also was known as the keeper of the hearth and home, the guard for women’s secret, the protector against spirits and of sickness, and of course, the goddess of cats. Who knew that cats had such an influence over an entire culture so long ago?

Cat Girls Appear Japan

Now let’s fast forward a little bit. In the 1950s, the nekomimi started emerging in Japan in different forms of entertainment. The manga series Hakaba Kitarō featured a cute and charismatic girl (Neko-Musume) who would seemingly transform into part cat whenever she was hungry, upset, or frustrated. This was one of the first appearances of a cat girl, although there wasn’t an official name for them yet. Little did we know that this would be the start of a worldwide phenomenon.

Note: At the time there was also quite a bit of lore surrounding cat spirits that roamed modern day Japan known as Bakeneko which is suspected to be where the idea of nekomimi originated, although this isn’t confirmed.

Cat Girls Arrive in America

Around the same time in history, the catgirl phenomenon started to pop up around the world. Around the 1940s in America, Catwoman was featured as a villain in the earliest version of Batman. We are often used to hearing about Batman’s enemies as being the Joker or the Riddler. Some movies portray Catwoman as being a heroine when her actual beginning was much different. She was actually a villain and one of Batman’s enemies in his universe.

This appearance was followed by the band Josie and the Pussycats, along with the Cats Musical. However, all of these examples featured women wearing cat costumes, whereas Japan’s anime scene featured more women who were actually a physical hybrid of the animal. The trend seemed to start spreading like wildfire and the number appearances of the nekomimi only began to increase over the years!

Cat Girls in Manga

If you aren’t familiar with the concept, chances are you’ve come across nekomimi in some sort of comic, TV series, or manga and you just don’t realize it! In the mid 1990s, people began to cosplay as the nekomimi. But what kind of characters were they cosplaying as? Let’s start off with comics.

Hellcat

Catgirls were featured in an endless number of comics. The number one and original comic catgirl would be Hellcat. Hellcat was also known as Patsy Walke and is one of Marvel’s oldest and most classic superheroes. Patsy Walker was created in 1944 by the lovely Ruth Atkinson. The character Hellcat is a young woman living in the Suburbia of America when she meets Hank McCoy, a superhero who is part of the X-Men group. Due to her desire to become a superhero herself, Patsy joins the Avengers and then acquires a special suit that enhances her already athletic abilities to become more cat-like. The suit gave Patsy the catlike imagine with pointy ears at the top of the mask. She then adopted the name Hellcat and was featured in several other comics throughout the years.

Catwoman

Another very famous catgirl featured in the comics is the very recognizable and famous Catwoman, she has been portrayed by Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Pfeiffer, and, most famously, Julie Newmar. While most of us might recognize Halle Berry as Catwoman from the modern day American movie, there is very rich history to the character! Catwoman was first featured in the 1940 Batman comic #1. She was originally portrayed as a villain to Batman who was also known as Selina Kyle. She had the reflexes and behavior of a cat and was often seen wearing a tight black suit and carrying a whip. Over the years, Catwoman’s identity has shifted from villian to antiheroine and is widely known for having a complicated relationship with Batman throughout the rest of the series.

Tigra

Next on the list is Tigra. Tigra was originally a crime fighter in comics, but in 1972 she became more cat like. She is a member of the avengers and she possesses all the qualities of a cat. She has excellent speed, all of a cat’s senses, speed, retractable claws, and she is covered from head to toe in fur that makes her resemble a tiger, hence the name Tigra. She was known for being the historical defender of the Cat People which was a race from the Dark Ages. Tigra, being wild and untamed, defended the Cat People and tried to restore the community as best she could. Tigra had striped fur that covered her entire body. She had razor-sharp claws on both her hands and feet and her teeth were quite pointed like a cat’s. Her eyes had become much like a tiger and her senses were incredibly heightened. During her story, she had become stuck in this form of her cat self but she is then given an amulet that allows her to change back and forth between her car form and her human form at will.

Tigra’s abilities were a combination of energy, science, and magic. She had orange and black stripes that covered her body and a long list of capabilities. She had full control over her tail which isn’t always the case in these comics. She was also able to heal much faster than a regular everyday human. Something that is not always mentioned in comics featuring a catgirl is heightened hearing. Tigra was able to hear a wider range of frequencies and could clearly hear things that were far away. This is a quality that cats have that is seldom mentioned.

Kitty Pryde (Shadow Cat)

The fourth on our list is Kitty Pryde, also known as Shadow Cat. So what’s Kitty’s story? She was born in Illinois and began having intense headaches at age 13. This was a signal that her powers were coming to the surface. Kitty learned she had mutant powers and was able to move through solid materials as if she was a ghost or a shadow. She was able to do this very quiet and skillfully, very much in the manner that a cat would move about a difficult situation. Kitty then joined the X-Men Group and was known to advocate for the peaceful coexistence of humans and mutants in the world. Although she was very feisty, she had a good heart. She went through several name changes that included Sprite, Ariel, and eventually ended up with Shadowcat. Kitty, despite the name, actually did not present any physical cat-like features.

Black Panther & Shuri

Black Panther most certainly has to take a spot on our list! The Black Panther is a superhero that once again appears in the Marvel Universe. His character was known as the first black superhero to appear in mainstream comics in America. Black Panther, also known as T’Challa, was meant to be the next chief of the Panther Tribe in the African city, Wakanda. In order to obtain this title, he had to eat a special herb that granted him heightened senses, speed, agility, strength, durability, better reflexes and healing, much like a black panther itself. This also allowed him to contact the Panther god. Through these powers, T’Challa is eventually able to form a connection with the panther god and take hold of his powers.. This character dressed in black and included a mask with two pointy black ears similar to a panther’s.

Although T’Challa was the original Black Panther, later on in the series he was injured and fell into a coma. His sister, Shuri, took over his role as the Black Panther and was able acquire his powers, including the heightened senses and strength. She had taken on the same costume, a full black outfit with two black pointed ears at the top. Although T’Challa later on healed and went back to taking care of his duties, Shuri still continued on fighting crime as his female counterpart.

Cheetah (Priscilla Rich)

We can’t forget a few classics and Cheetah is definitely one. All of us recognize Wonder Woman, but do you know about her adversary, Cheetah? She first appeared in the comic books in 1943. Although there were many different versions of Cheetah through the years, the first and most classic version was Priscilla Rich. Priscilla was a debutante from a wealthy family and suffered from a split personality disorder. After being upstaged by Wonder Woman and failing to kill her herself, Priscilla finds that her reflection is that of a cheetah. She then begins to have a conversation with her reflection in which the cheetah-like girl tells her that she is Priscilla’s true self and that she should do everything she is told to do. This is the beginning of a long running battle between good and evil. Her powers included the appearance of a cheetah complete with spots, superhuman speed and superhuman strength.

Catgirl (Kitrina Falcone)

Speaking of classics, everyone’s heard of Batman, right? Well, one of Batman’s enemies was Kitrina Falcone or also known as Catgirl. Kitrina was known for being very unique and her story starts off portraying her in an abusive friendship with her uncle. She was first known as “kittyhawk” and this later evolved into Catgirl. Catgirl’s first appearance was in Batman #692. She was known to have befriended Catwoman and was an excellent escape artist.

She Cat (Jessica Hunt)

Last on our list for comic cat girls is She Cat. She Cat appeared in the Femforce comic book by AC Comics. She Cat’s real name is Jessica Hunt and was the daughter of Dr. Thaddeus Hunt. The doctor brought a statue of a cat-demon to America and the spirit of the statue made an attempt to possess Jessica. She luckily was able to stop the demon from fully possessing her, but somehow kept the powers of the demon. She now had cat-like powers such as strength and agility. Like most other characters in this genre, she also had cat-like reflexes and senses. She often donned a revealing red costume that also had a facemask with two pointed ends resembling cat ears.

Cat Girls in Anime

The concept of the catgirl then began to leak over into TV series and movies. A big source of the diversity in nekomimi in TV is anime.

Ichigo (Tokyo Mew Mew)

One of the most popular shows featuring a catgirl is an anime known as ‘Tokyo Mew Mew‘ that was serialized from a manga in the early 2000s. The storyline followed five young girls who had been infected with the DNA of five different endangered animals. This DNA gave the girls special abilities that allowed them to form the “Mew Mews”. The leader of the group is a girl named Ichigo. Ichigo takes the form of a cat during her transformations, complete with cat ears, cat-like teeth, and a tail.

Eris (Asobi ni Iku yo!)

Another very popular show that features the adored catgirl is ‘Asobi ni Iku yo!‘. This series appeared in 2010 on television and the story revolves around, once again, a young girl named Eris who meets a gentleman named Kio. Eris possesses cat ears and states that she is an alien not from this world. This particular series took on a more suggestive and sexual nature, unlike other series who portray nekomimi with more cute and innocent qualities. Although the tone of this series was different from others, it did follow the basic detail for what nekomimi is. Eris was in fact a human-cat hybrid who possessed the same characteristics as a cat.

Cat Girls in Fashion

The nekomimi not only influenced TV, movies, and comics, but they also influenced some of the most popular trends that we see today, especially fashion. As the trend grew, the popularity skyrocketed as well. Fashion adapted to the nekomimi fascination and began showing up in some very creative ways.

Cat Makeup

One of the most unique trends is the use of cat makeup. The eyes are the main focus of this trend when it comes to makeup. The eyeliner is winged up and out from the outer corner of the eye to replicate the image of a cat’s eye. The trend was so popular that in 2012 a popular cosmetics company began to sell a “cat eyeliner,” which was a fine eyeliner pen that made small and precise lines easier to draw on the eye. Some would also style their hair in a way that make them appear as though they had pointy cat ears on top of the head which were just carefully placed bunches of hair that were fixed with hairpins.

Cat Ears

This also escalated to the actual wearing of cat ears. They could often be clipped into the hair or come attached to a headband for easier wearing. It wouldn’t be completely absurd to see a young girl walking down the street with cat ears! There are also fascinations with collars even. Some will wear collars similar to a cat’s complete with a bow and bell for added cuteness.

Neurowear

Then Japan founded the idea of the augmented human body. This was a project that used brain wave sensors to gauge emotion. This specific product was a headband that had a sensor attached to the forehead and two cat ears on the top. When the wearer put on what was known as neurowear, they were able to control the ears actions by using their thoughts and emotions. The cat ears would change position based on how you were feeling, much like a cat’s. They could react to fear, curiosity, and much more. The ears were motorized and could be swapped out for dog ears or even devil horns, though cat ears remained the most popular. Surprisingly the ears could run on only four AAA batteries and sold for several hundred dollars. The neurowear premiered in 2011 and proved to be quite popular.

Clothing

Some of the less extreme fashions include portrayal of cat characteristics in everyday clothes. For example, some clothes can be made to resemble a cat. Gloves were seen sewn or printed with the picture of a pawprint on the hand. There are also a wide array of clothing options when it comes to nekomimi! Some hoodies were made to be very cat-like. Some had the print of a cat’s fur while also having cat ears attached to the hood so that when the hood is worn over the head, it would give the image that the owner did indeed have cat ears. These also includes hats or beanies that also had cat ears knitted into them.

Many nekomimi in anime are portrayed as normally wearing lolita outfits. ‘Lolita’ is normally in reference to a sexually promiscuous girl. The lolita fashion is very popular among the nekomimi community. The outfit normally consists of revealing clothing that could often be mistaken for a maid’s outfit. There are many instances where nekomimi are found to be wearing these outfits and the fascination has leaked out into the real world. Another clothing item that normally accompanies this specific style is the use of knee high socks. These were often adorned with bows or even sometimes resembled cat faces at the top of the stocking. These were to be paired with the short and suggestive skirts of the lolita outfit.

Summary

The origination, history, development and growth of Cat girls and nekomimi is not only fascinating, but the trend is continuing to grow. You can find evidence of the fascination in the beginning times of Ancient Egypt all the way into the present day. Cat girls have been around in many different forms in all forms of media and will continue to evolve as time goes on. They continue to charm their way into the hearts of their fans, whether that be through manga, anime, movies, and comics. And who doesn’t love cats?

You can find examples of cat girls and nekomimi practically everywhere. They are in your favorite comics, movies, anime, manga, anywhere you can think of! You might have just not realized it. The number of fans for the nekomimi is always expanding and could always use more! So next time you see a cat-like character in a movie or anime, take some time to appreciate the culture and story behind it! It is an interesting culture full of history and lore. Educating yourself on the subject could open you up to a whole new world you never even know. And who knows, you could grow to love it just like millions of others have!

Perhaps you’ve heard the term “kawaii” or “moe” in reference to Japanese culture. But do you actually know what it means? It can actually mean a variety of things! ‘Moe‘ is defined as a description of something youthful, innocent, or precious. It’s often linked with femininity and will often be used to describe young and cutesy characters in anime or manga. The best way to describe it would be: “If you want to hug and squeeze it, then it’s probably moe!” Moe inspires that loving feeling in your heart.

Kawaii, on the other hand, actually means lovable, cute, or adorable. It’s used to describe something that has a cute quality and can be used to describe people, things, appearance, behavior, and a wide array of other things. The fad began in Japan in the 1970’s. Girls began to dress in a cuter fashion in order to make themselves unique and stand out in a crowd.

The idea behind kawaii and moe products is that they are originally meant to be family-friendly. Animals, food, and everyday objects are meant to be targets of the art. They are normally meant to have cute faces and expressions that fit the kawaii style. This trend is extremely good for marketing and merchandising. Suppliers are able to sell a wide array of kawaii products because of the high demand that fits the needs and wants of the fans. Whether you just want a t-shirt with your favorite kawaii or moe character on it or you want a bear-shaped toaster that spits out bear-shaped toast, you can find anything your little heart desires.

Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is a character that we all have heard of at some point or another during our lifetimes! Hello Kitty was made by Sanrio in 1974 and was known as a small white cat who always wore a small pink bow on one side of her head. She often wore an adorable pair of overalls as well. She was supposed to represent the childishness and innocence of young girls at the time. The marketing was mainly geared towards younger girls. She first made her debut on a coin purse in 1975. The character trend only exploded from then on out. Her worth skyrocketed up to $7 billion as of 2014. She began to appear on anything and everything you could purchase. Purses, home appliances, jewelry, clothing – anything that was marketable was fair game for Hello Kitty! Some even used her as a source of comfort. In Taiwan, a hospital even installed a Hello Kitty-themed maternity ward. She was pictured on everything from room decor, birth certificate covers and even the nurse’s uniforms. She was thought to help ease the stress of the child birthing process.

Gudetama

Another one of the most famous kawaii products is Gudetama. You probably have seen him on multiple different products that fit the kawaii description pretty well. He is an unhappy egg that has been cracked. The same company (Sanrio) that created the phenomenon Hello Kitty also created Gudetama. He has several catch phrases that make him memorable such as “Seriously, I can’t”, and things such as “ugh” or “meh”.

Sanrio, the creator of Hello Kitty, says that the inspiration behind the mopey Gudetama is that eggs are lazy and “lack spunk”. When asked why he chose an egg for his next kawaii sensation, he replied that his inspiration was food. Food is actually a whole culture in itself for the Japanese culture all the way from teas of every kind to sushi in every form and combination that you can imagine. Food even crept its way into the fashion scene when marketers began splashing food patterns and designs on all sorts of clothing brands. This combination of two phenomenons resulted in an explosion of a new kind of kawaii.

Gudetama serves as an antihero in both Japanese and Western culture. Because of his lazy and apathetic attitude towards – well, everything – he is supposed to be teaching us a lesson on laziness. He allows us to laugh at it and aspire to not be like him.

Doraemon

Another quite famous character is a robotic cat named Doraemon. He was featured in a manga series back in December of 1969. Yes, kawaii was even present almost 50 years ago! Doraemon travels back in time from the future and meets a young boy. Doraemon was sent back to help protect and guide the young boy named Nobita. Doraemon is also able to carry an endless amount of supplies with him known as gadgets. To add to the kawaii characteristics he has, he also has a hat known as the bamboo-copter that allows him to fly wherever he’d like. Interestingly enough he also has a door known as the Anywhere Door that can open up and take you to anywhere you want to go. Doraemon continues to be a classic Kawaii character in Japanese culture and will remain so for many years to come!

You can find these kawaii characters just about anywhere you go. On your bed, in the bathroom, kitchen – anywhere you can think of, there’s a product and a place for kawaii. You can be as bold or as subtle as you’d like, from wearing a whole kawaii outfit to even just having a Gudetama keyring.

Kawaii & Moe Idols

During this time, there was also a rise in the number of kawaii and moe idols. In the 1980s, a Japanese pop singer name Seiko Matsuda came to light. For some she was named the “Eternal Idol” of the Japanese kawaii scene. During her time as a pop singer, she had a whopping 24 consecutive number one hits. This completely shattered the record of a previous pop start of nine consecutive hits. She is known as one of the top Kawaii idols of her time and her popularity was mainly due to her ‘burikko‘. Burikko really means she gave off a very innocent vibe and was overly cute. She was popular to young women because of this and many girls sought to be more like her for these reasons.

Moe Marketing

But how do brands get us to love these kawaii and moe characters? This question inspired a whole new revelation known as ‘Moe Marketing’. Moe marketing was used in Japan for many years as a way to advertise for the Japan Self Defense Forces. This marketing featured moe characters as members of the self defense forces and were used on posters, advertisements, and even on the side of a Japanese military helicopter. There was much controversy regarding this kind of marketing, as it didn’t inspire much confidence or trust in an army that was made up of otaku. But what exactly are the otaku?

Otaku

Otaku is a Japanese term for someone who has an obsessive personality towards certain things or interests. In this specific case, it is geared towards the anime and manga fandom. The word ‘otaku‘ is a term for someone else’s house or their family. When used in slang, it can mean that someone is a geek or a nerd. It can be referring to someone who is a fan of something in particular. The best way to describe it would be someone who is specialized in a certain area of a hobby, such as anime or manga. In some cases, people tend to see this word as describing someone who is so obsessed that they have trouble relating to reality.

Akihabara District

So where would you normally go looking for the otaku hangouts? Look no further, the district of Akihabara is there to cater to all your needs. This district is an attraction center for the otaku and has many stores that carry endless amounts of anime, manga, video games, and other popularly collected items. There are also several different cafes where the waitresses will dress up and act as if they were actually anime characters. They can often be found wearing a maid’s outfit and their job is to serve the otaku that congregate there. They even refer to some of the customers as “master”. For a little more money, you could have them sing you a little song. Role-playing is even allowed in some cafes. In this regard, the customers would be able to imitate their favorite anime characters.

10 of the Most Popular Kawaii & Moe Girls in Anime

Still not sure what exactly kawaii or moe is? Well let’s give you some examples! Here are 10 of the most popular kawaii and moe girls in anime!

Tsukasa Hiirago (Lucky Star)

Tsukasa is known for her bright purple hair that is adorned with a soft yellow bow on top and makes her appearing in the series Lucky Star. She is kawaii because of her clumsy and careless characteristics and mannerisms. She’s very forgetful and tends to oversleep most of the time. She also wears her heart on her sleeve for all to see and is a great cook!

Fuko Ibuki (Clannad)

Fuko carries around wooden moe starfish that she carved herself to give to others in order to spread joy which puts her in my top 10 list! She appears in the series Clannad. She loves to daydream and space out and is known for being quite the loner. Although she prefers time alone, that doesn’t make her any less kawaii in our eyes!

Tooru Ichii (A-Channel)

All of us have that one short friend who is full of sass and feistiness and would stick up for any of her friends if she needed to. That’s our girl Tooru! Tooru is especially moe because of her oversized knee socks that are always falling down on her long legs, forcing her to constantly be trying to pull them up. She looks much younger than she is, so don’t let her looks fool you! She’s just as mature despite looking quite childish.

Mirai Kuriyama (Kyoukai no Kanata)

Another clumsy girl on the list is Mirai. Everyone loves a girl in glasses, right? Mirai wears a pair of bright red and thick rimmed glasses, along with a much-too-large sweater that makes her appear small and innocent. As if she wasn’t cute enough, she strangely enough keeps a blog about bonsai trees. But don’t let her cute demeanor fool you, she has a few dark tricks up her sleeve!

Tomoko Kuroke (Watashi ga Montenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!)

Tomoko has a head of unruly black hair and two jade green eyes. She spends most of her time playing video games and watching anime and rarely sleeps. She’s socially awkward and clumsy, but that just adds to the fact she’s moe!

Morgiana (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Morgiana is a small girl who has a big heart! She has a hard time being careful and this can often get her into trouble. She loves fish and has been through her fair share of hardships during a lifetime of slavery, but she’s one of the most moe characters.

Meiko Honma (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai)

She may be dead, but that doesn’t stop the cuteness! All Meiko wants is for other people to be happy and tries to reunite all of her friends even after her death.

Popura Taneshima (Working!!)

When Popura was born, she was named after the tall and strong tree with the hope that she would end up tall in her adulthood. However, Popura ends up incredibly short which adds to the fact she’s kawaii! She’s full of spirit, and she doesn’t let her size get her down.

Nunnally Lamperouge (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch)

One of our kindest kawaii girls is Nunnally! She always has something nice to say to her friends and is a perfect example of the saying that bad things sometimes happen to good people. Nunnally was blinded and crippled after a cruel attempt to murder her, but she doesn’t let her disabilities get her down.

Kobato Hasegawa (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)

If Kobato isn’t the epitome of kawaii then we don’t know what is. Kobato is extremely clingy and very shy. She’s always looking for the affection and attention of her big brother, which makes things quite difficult when she doesn’t get it. It just adds to the cuteness that she is constantly dressed in a lolita style outfit!

Kawaii Boys

The concepts of kawaii and moe have become a worldwide phenomenon. The sudden spread of the fascination caused the emergence of an endless amount of trends, fashion, and products. One of these trends was kawaii boys. They are normally dressed as youthful and cute Japanese boys who are the epitome of what we know as kawaii. In the media, these trendy boys have been called “genderless kei”, in which kei translates into style. Their styles are all very different and can be mistaken as feminine, but they are far from. They are made to be more childlike than feminine. They aren’t trying to appear as women or girls, but aiming specifically for the kawaii feel.

Kawaii Fashion

When it comes to fashion, this perhaps play the biggest role in the kawaii trends. There are several sites, such as Kawaii.i Campus, that sell specifically kawaii fashion. They even provide categories such as Gal, Gothic, Lolita, and others. The fashion consists of cutesy and sometimes elegant dresses that have a certain uniqueness to them. The Lolita fashion specifically consists mostly of dresses that more often than not are adorned with some kind of lace or frill material. They’re often very juvenile and flattering. It can also be described as a late Edwardian kind of look. If you were to travel to Harajuki in Japan, you would find a district that is known for its street fashion where everything is considered kawaii. The streets are lined with shops and hangouts that are dedicated to the kawaii idea. People here often dress in lolita and other kawaii manners.

Summary

The kawaii and moe culture have a wonderful way of bringing people together. There are several conventions and cons that are dedicated to the kawaii culture where people interested in the lifestyle can gather and meet one another. When you’re involved in a kawaii community you’re connecting with others who have the same interests as you which is something all of us are looking for. The fanbase is extremely welcoming and open to new ideas. They pride themselves on being unique and different. Seeing as every person in the community has a different sense of fashion or style, it doesn’t matter! You’re welcome in all areas no matter if you just enjoy a few kawaii or moe things here and there, or if you go all out and dress the part for all to see. It doesn’t look like the trend is going to disappear anytime soon and will only continue to grow and spread joy!

Before we jump into my Top 10 list, I would like to provide some background on the nekomimi. Nekomimi literally translates to “cat ears” and refer to the cat-human hybrids that possess a human body with cat-like characteristics such as cat ears, a tail, and personality. Nekomimi hold a special place in the hearts of all their fans. With their lovable personalities and charismatic demeanor, what’s not to love? The nekomimi are also known as nekos or catgirls. They can also be referenced as nekomusume which translates to “the daughter of a cat”. These are often referred to as cat daughters or cat girls.

Another common topic in the realm of the nekomimi is bakeneko, which translates into “changed cat”. Bakeneko is often confused with the nekomata, which is another cat-like yokai. A yokai is known in Japan as a ghost or a phantom and also a supernatural spirit or demon. The cats in Japan are often seen as yokai for several reasons:

• The irises of their eyes change shape depending on the time of day
• They lick and ingest blood.
• They walk without making a single sound.
• They are difficult to control.

Their looks, such as their claws and teeth, often play a role in this description as well. The yokai date back to the Kamakura era, when historical lore describes cats that do strange things that make them seem quite suspicious. There was often fear that the bakeneko were feline demons who were there to cause mischief and trouble.

Nekomimi Folklore

In some popular folklore, there was the idea that if a cat lived beyond seven years, the cat would kill the person that raised it. Because of this, some people decided while getting a cat how many years they would raise it before getting rid of it because of the fear the cat would eventually kill them if they didn’t listen to this absurd superstition. Also, if a human were to kill a cat, that cat would come back as a bakeneko and curse the human that brought about it’s untimely fate.

As these stories and superstitions evolved, it often led to more creative lore such as cats manipulating the dead, possessing humans, and shapeshifting into humans or other animals in order to trick people. The stories even began to leak over into China. In China, it is said that after a cat has been raised for three years or more by a human being, the cat would bewitch them. Cats with long white tails were known to do this. It was also believed that they could channel the spiritual energy of the moon. Many people in Japan began to cut the tails of cats because of this particular superstition, but with white cats, it did not matter if the tail had been cut or not. In these cases, many Asian cultures killed white cats out of fear they would be bewitched.

Maneki Neko

But don’t let those stories scare you! In Japanese culture, the term kawaii refers to something being cute such an item or person. The nekomimi definitely fall into this category in Japan. But why is this? Cats actually are far more important in many cultures and history than one might think. The Japanese have had quite a history with felines. Many, many years ago the Japanese people who were of a high stature lived with cats. There is a saying called Maneki Neko – which translates to “good fortune” in English. This is what you often see as a statue of a cat with a bent arm that waves back and form. It is a symbol of good luck, and this is why you see it in many Japanese businesses. The hope is that the luck of the cat will bring good fortune to the business.

The legend behind the popular figurine is quite interesting. An old landlord states that he saw a cat across from him waving his paw back and forth. Interested in the cat’s gesture, the landlord began to walk towards the cat. When he approached the feline, a bolt of lightning struck in the exact same place he was previously standing in. The landlord took this as a sign of good fortune and luck because of the cat’s waving.

In Japan there is also shrine – known as Neko-jinja – dedicated to cats. That’s right, a whole shrine to worship the cat! While cats were known to help control pests such as rats and mice, the Neko-jinja shrine was built in reference to an old tale about fishing. Fishermen used to think the presence of a cat at the docks and inns were a sign and prediction of fish and weather patterns. One day while collecting rocks for nets, a few fishermen witnessed one of the rocks falling and hitting a cat, unfortunately killing it. Because the fishermen relied so much on the cats, they took this cat’s death to heart and built a shrine in his memory on the island.

There are many more legends associated with our felines friends. For example, stories of the nekomata are very popular. Nekomata legend revolves around the belief that when a cat reaches a certain age, it will grow a second tail and take on human like qualities, such as standing up and speaking as if a human would. This brings us to our top 10 list!

Top 10 Nekomimi Cat Girls in Anime

1. Tsumiki Miniwa (Acchi Kocchi)

This purple-haired catgirl appears in the popular anime Acchi Kocchi. She is best known for having deep purple hair and eyes, and from time to time she takes on a different form with cat ears and a tail. This anime focuses on the romance between Tsumiki and a serious young gentleman named Io Otonashi. The show revolves around the fact they are not quite in a relationship yet, but are more serious than a friendship. Tsumiki, our favorite catgirl, is always pure-hearted, but she can also be very sarcastic and witty when she wants to be. She most often sprouts cat ears and a tail when she sees something that brings her joy, such as Io.

2. Laura Bodewig & Charlotte Dunois (Infinite Stratos)

This lovable duo is most known for their roles in the anime Infinite Stratos. Laura is a transfer student into the IS Academy, and she is also the representative for the country of Germany. Her appearance is quite unique in the sense that she has long and silky silver hair, her right eye is a deep red color, and she wears an eye patch over her left eye which is yellow. Charlotte is also a transfer student and represents the country of France. She is a spy with purple eyes with blonde hair. The two girls both tend to wear cat pajamas with ears on the hood. This is found to be humorous as Charlotte and Laura tend to be portrayed as very mature and put together. The cat pajamas seem to represent the child-like quality they both share.

3. Kirara Bernstein (GJ Club)

Kirara makes her debut in the anime GJ Club. She is the tallest and often the strongest out of all members of the club. She is known for her bright blue eyes and short blonde that resembles cat ears. Her most interesting quality is that she can talk to cats. She also often takes on the personality of a cat in the way that she eats quite a bit of meat and is very protective of the meat she eats. She only shares with a select few people and also has a phobia of spiders.

4. Blair (Soul Eater)

Blair is from the ever famous anime and manga series Soul Eater. Blair is one of the lesser-known characters in the anime. She is a black cat and possess several strong powers. The most important one is her ability to transform into a beautiful young human woman. She can create explosions in the shape of pumpkins and uses a giant flying pumpkin to get around. The show revolves around several characters with special abilities and powers that can be channeled through their souls. Since she is a cat, she has nine souls, and Blair also has the special characteristic of being able to channel her many souls.

5. Tatenashi Sarashiki (Infinite Stratos)

Tatenashi is also from the anime Infinite Stratos. She represents the country of Russia which compliments her excellent combat skills that earned her to advance to the Cadet level in the series. She is most recognizable for her short blue hair that pairs nicely with her dark red eyes. She is quite attractive in the respect that she’s quite curvy. She is also known for dressing quite suggestively. She also wears a pair of cat ears and a tail in a suggestive manner.

6. Ako Suminoe (Kiss x Sis)

Ako appears in the anime Kiss x Sis as a 17-year-old high school student. She has a twin sister, Riko. Her appearance is actually quite normal. She wears her red hair in a ponytail with a clip to keep her bangs out of her face and her eyes are a deep chocolatey brown. Ako is very successful and exceeds in everything she does. She prides herself in being very proper but can also be very emotional and secretly perverted. Within episode six of the anime, Ako changes her hairstyle to two pigtails and now has a pair of cat ears which then changes her name to “Ako-nyan”.

7. Koneko Toujou (High School DxD)

Koneko takes the form of a small girl from the anime High School DxD. She is known for her shockingly white hair and beautiful hazel eyes. In the anime she has a different form known as her Nekomata form. In this form she has a pair of cat ears the same color as her hair and two tails. During the transformation her eyes become more angular and cat-like. This makes her seem quite child-like and adorable – the same as a small kitten would be!

8. Cyan Hijirikawa (Show by Rock!!)

Cyan, also known as Shian, is the main character of the show Show by Rock!! Her most attractive feature is her large and bright turquoise eyes and her dark blue hair. Her hair falls in large ringlets, and she is often seen wearing the fluffy white hat of a maid. Furthermore, like most of our favorite characters, Cyan possess two black cat ears and a black cat tail. She also possess a large pink guitar called the Strawberry Heart. She also wears black and white striped socks that go above the knee, and she can often be seen wearing a pink bow with a bell around her neck – much how a cat would!

9. Mashiro Mitsumine (Mikakunin de Shinkokei)

Mashiro, a fairly young girl from the anime Mikakunin de Shinkokei (also known as Engaged to the Unidentified), is another one of our famous catgirls. She has long beautiful dark brown hair which is tied up into a white bow. At times in the series, her hair is very tail-like in the sense that it straightens, curls, and wags depending on what her mood is (very similar to a feline). Mashiro was able to enroll in a much older class due to the fact she’s able to use hypnosis to fit into crowds despite only being 9 years old.

10. Ao Nanami (Yozakura Quartet)

Last but not least is Ao Nanami. Ao is from the anime series Yozakura Quartet. She works for a life counseling office and is one of the main characters of this storyline. She is quite small with light blue hair that falls just below her chin. She is very pale and has deep blue eyes. Her hair has two “antennas” which are made to look like cat ears. She is mainly known for wearing a black hat that takes shape around her cat-like ears, but when she wants to be more discreet about her appearance, she will wear a black band to hide her ears.

Summary

The nekomimi and cats in general play a big role in culture in Japan. They are known for many things such as good fortune and are a huge influence in anime and manga. The relationship between people and cats can be traced back over 9,500 years and have been a hugely significant animal in many other cultures other than Japanese. So next time you come across a stray cat that wanders into your path, think of it as a sign of good fortune that’s to come your way!

Also be sure to check out my reviews of the best cat ear headphones! Cat ear headphones are one of my favorite ways of getting into the spirit of nekomimi. ฅ(=චᆽච=ฅ)