Kotatsu-neko (コタツネコ, Kotatsu Cat or Heated Table Cat?) is a large ghost cat who loves kotatsu and haunts Ataru Moroboshi's room.
Biography[]
Kotatsu-neko in life
Born somewhere during the Edo period (suggesting him to be at least a century old as of the series' timeframe), Kotatsu-Neko formerly lived as an ordinary stray cat, but when he tried to find warmth in the winter, he was thrown out of every house he sneaked into and ultimately froze to death. Incensed by the mistreatment and neglect he received in life, he came back as a vengeful spirit with a love for kotatsu. As of the series' timeframe, Kotatsu-Neko is often seen in Ataru's room or sitting with Cherry in front of his tent or drinking tea with the Tomobiki High School Principal, to whom he seems to be close, and gets along well with Ten. Kotatsu-neko is also super strong and has bested even Ryūnosuke and Benten with his mighty palm strike. The only characters to ever best him have been the Haunted Kotatsu and Oyuki.
Appearance[]
Kotatsu-neko appears to be a enormous cat that is around 10 times bigger than normal cats, his whole body covered with white fur and some black big spots at left ear, back of lower body and right leg. Apart from that, Kotatsu-neko has a big eyes with small pupils, tiny black nose and some short whiskers at his face. Although Kotatsu-neko gets some razor claws, most of the time it always keep them in his paws.
Personality[]
Although Kotatsu-neko became a bakeneko out of a resentful grudge, he is remarkably placid, docile and friendly. He is generous and compassionate to those he considers friends, and is usually quite polite and easy-going. However, he is stubborn, and he is fiercely protective of kotatsu that he has claimed for himself. He won't hesitate to use violence to defend himself or to assert his ownership of a kotatsu.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Strength - Kotatsu-neko possesses incredible strength and is easily comparable to Shinobu in his raw physical might. He can effortlessly send human-sized opponents flying with a single attack.
- Sumo - Kotatsu-neko is shown to be a master of sumo wrestling techniques. In his introductory story, he uses a somewhat obscure sumo throw technique called the Komatsuku to defeat Ataru. However, he is most iconic for his use of the Tsukioshi - the signature palm thrust attack of sumo wrestling.
Relationships[]
In general, Kotatsu-neko's easy-going personality and laidback nature makes him a friendly figure who gets on well enough with most people that he meets. However, a few characters stand out in particular for their relationship with the bakeneko.
Kotatsu-neko is arguably Ten's best friend, more so even than Rei, whom Ten actually seems to admire. Their relationship began when Ten encountered Kotatsu-neko one winter's afternoon and invited him to the Moroboshi household to get warm, something that made Ten his friend for life. Kotatsu-neko often comes through for Ten in a pinch, such as when he offers to take Ten as his plus-one to the Mendo family Christmas Party in Chapter 163, and he's usually happy to do anything Ten asks.
Kotatsu-neko and Cherry first met when Cherry approached the bakeneko to try and exorcise him from the Moroboshi household during Kotatsu-neko's first appearance. He took a gentle approach, pointing out that Kotatsu-neko was waiting in vain for an unplugged electric kotatsu to get warm, and that seems to have made the two of them friends. Kotatsu-neko is often sighted at Cherry's campsite, sharing Cherry's scavenged stews.
While how they met is never explained, Kotatsu-neko and the Principal of Tomobiki High clearly regard each other as good friends. Kotatsu-neko makes multiple appearances at Tomobiki High, and is usually seen in the Principal's company when he does.
The first meeting between Kotatsu-neko and Ataru didn't go very well, as Kotatsu-neko stole Ataru's kotatsu and first blockaded Ataru from going downstairs to dinner, and then wouldn't let Ataru warm himself under the kotatsu afterwards. Despite this, the two seem to have patched things up, for they interact on friendly terms in subsequent meetings, and Kotatsu-neko is even seen in Ataru's room in some chapters.
Speech[]
Kotatsu-neko is rather carefree and does not speak, usually only making grunts and mumbling sounds.
Trivia[]
- Kotatsu-neko's favorite food seems to be taiyaki, fish-shaped grilled batter cakes stuffed with various sweet or savory fillings, as these are the food he is most frequently depicted eating.
- Kotatsu-neko clearly draws inspiration from the bakeneko family of yokai. These yokai are comprised both of the vengeful spirits of cats, as well as cats that have gained magical powers by virtue of having survived to a long age. With his backstory as a vengeful cat's ghost that returned due to his grudge against the living, Kotatsu-neko has the archetypal bakeneko backstory, but his amiable nature and obsession with kotatsu and taiyaki put a comedic spin on the tale.
- Kotatsu-neko may have been a prototype of the Chinese bakeneko Maomolin from Rumiko Takahashi's later manga/anime, Ranma ½.
- Kotasu-neko is featured in the 1000 yen bill in the anime version of Rumiko Takahashi's manga, Kyokai no Rinne.
- His seiyū provide the voice of Legendary Phoenix from Ranma ½.
Media Appearances[]
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