A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline accoutrements on an otherwise human-shaped 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.
Eastern catgirls are usually depicted as having minimal feline characteristics, such as eyes with vertical pupils, tails, and ears (with different color ear-fur than their hair). Western catgirls are more often portrayed as more animal-like in appearance, with full body fur and claws being their most prominent aspects. Of course, this is only a very general rule of thumb and not true for all cases. For instance, some Japanese examples of catgirls include characters such as Escaflowne’s Merle, the Puma Twins from Dominion: Tank Police, or Aisha Clan-Clan from Outlaw Star, who are more feline in mannerisms than they initially appear to be. In some shonen series, however, a (usually villainous) catgirl may be portrayed as the leader of a band of anthropomorphic animals.
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 chibi 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 catboys. Understandably, bishōnen catboys are typically associated with shōjo manga and yaoi.
Catgirls outside of Anime
Catgirl characters are also found outside of anime, manga, and video games. Often, such catgirls are more like humanoid cats than their Japanese counterparts, for example Cheetara from ThunderCats. Fantasy games have catgirl characters, such as Magic: The Gathering’s Mirri and Purraj. Some live-action shows and movies, as well as western comics and animation, have featured various cat-like characters. In addition, catgirls make occasional appearances in Western science-fiction, like Cordwainer Smith’s cat-derived Underperson C’Mell (who appears in Norstrilia and The Rediscovery of Man).
List of catgirl characters
Catgirls who always have real ears and a tail
Alia and Lotte Liese from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s
Bagi, title character of Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature
Chen from Perfect Cherry Blossom
Karura Utawareru Mono
Fancia (and her catgirl friends) from manga and game series Kitty Kitty Fancia
Felina Feral and the rest of her species from SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
Jenny from Bucky O’Hare
Koto from YuYu Hakusho (often mistaken for a foxgirl due to her red hair and tail, but has referred to herself as feline)
Lin from Breath of Fire V
Meppy from recent issues of Ninja High School
Ming Ling and siblings from Chronicles of the Cursed sword
Miruru from Tenshi ni Narumon
Mithra, the race of cat-like humanoids from the video game Final Fantasy XI
Mitsue, a catgirl merchant NPC from Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
Natsuki Sasahara from Hyper Police
Neo, Catgirl announcer in Anime OVA Idol Project
Nia from DearS
Mirage fromAladdin
Pink from the H anime Dragon Pink
Rose from Riviera: The Promised Land
Sanada (and her underlings) from UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie
Tabby from .hack//Roots
Kit Cat monster from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
Nekomusume
Daena from Legend of Mana
Katt (Rinpoo in the Japanese version) from Breath of Fire 2
Nyara from Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series (the result of her father’s blood magic)
Felicia from Darkstalkers (an actual mythological nekomusume, although portrayed as American)
Mirri the Cat Warrior from Magic: The Gathering
Nina from Words Worth
Roseroar from The Day of the Dissonance by Alan Dean Foster
Sheeba from Savant Garde
The Thundercats Cheetara, Wilykit, Pumyra, and Jagara, from the eponymous show
Tigress from Gauntlet Legends
Xiao from Dark Cloud (a cat turned into a human)
Girls who always have real cat ears
Kizna Towryk from Pilot Candidate (she is not actually a catgirl, but has implanted cat ears)
Mao from the PlayStation2 game Shining Tears (no tail, but natural cat ears and catlike agility)
Mariah from Beyblade
Yoriko from Da Capo
Yuiko Hawatari from Loveless
Girls who transform into catgirls
Ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew Mew
Sumire Shoda from Gakuen Alice
Girls who are seen wearing catgirl costumes regularly
Cham Cham from Samurai Shodown II
Di Gi Charat (Dejiko) and Petit Charat (Puchiko), stars of Di Gi Charat
Hazuki from Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase
Koboshi from Pitaten
Matsuri-chan from Ichigo Mashimaro
Mike Charat (Mike) and Rinna Charat (Rinna) from Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat
Nya from To-Y
Noah from Suikoden IV
Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura
Catboys
Jedit Ojanen and Raksha Golden Cub from Magic: The Gathering
Kyo Sohma from Fruits Basket
Ritsuka Aoyagi from Loveless
Ortega from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness.
Takuto from Full Moon o Sagashite
Gabriel Solo from Moonlight Meow
Siam and Butchie from One Piece
The traveling salesman Neko, his name a play on Nekomusume, from Secret of Mana
The Desert Coral member Levinas, from the Manga Desert Coral
Wan Derbard from KO Beast
Fleance from Pandect
Naota from FLCL (for one episode)
Schrödinger from Hellsing
Live action catgirls
Allasandra in the Sliders episode: This Slide of Paradise, played by Melinda Clarke.
Cat Lady in the motion picture Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), portrayed by stuntwoman Linda Fetters.
Dr. Katherine “Kat” Manx Power Rangers: S.P.D. played by Michelle Langstone
Kitty from the movie Monkeybone played by Rose McGowan
Sailor Luna from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (started as a cat) played by Rina Koike
Webcomic catgirls
Three numbered catgirls from Bonobo Conspiracy
Aevy Eye from Impy and Aevy
Anya from Tsunami Channel
Kate from Anime Arcadia
Kitten from Underpower (cat/human cyborg)
Lucy Sally Jessible Sheila Linda Nikashi from Badly Drawn Kitties
Yuki, Maya and Tina from Caribbean Blue
Katrine “Kitty” Navalos from The Rogue’s Gallery
Flora and other members of the Keidran race from TwoKinds
Others
Aisha Clan-Clan from Outlaw Star
Anna Puma and Uni Puma from Dominion: Tank Police (Also androids.)
Brittany Diggers from Gold Digger (comic)
Boo Cat from Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet
Cheetah (comics) from Justice League Unlimited
The Cheshire Cat from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland
Chinami and Yuriko from Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan
Fal (also known as Rika) from Phantasy Star IV
Fam from Ruin Explorers
Feral (comics) from X-Force
Hojo no Ruri from Onmyou Taisenki
Kagaya-hime from the novel Fudoki (book) by Kij Johnson (a tortoiseshell cat that transforms into a woman and assumes the role of a warrior)
Kohaku from Melty Blood (she has several animations as a catgirl)
Kuaru from Lunatic Night (possibly a doggirl; all that’s said is that she can transform into a “furry beast”)
Lethe from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Maggie the Cat from Gargoyles
Max from Dark Angel (TV series) (she looks human but is spliced with feline DNA, as are the other members of the X-5 group)
Maya from Geobreeders (she can look like a catgirl, though she usually chooses not to)
Merle, Naria and Erya from Vision of Escaflowne
Mia and Macha from .hack and .hack//SIGN respectively (although Macha is male)
Miau from Little Monica (she behaves like a catgirl, wearing cat ears and a tail as well)
Myao, a witch from the Playstation game Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
Lt. M’ress, a Caitian communications officer (voiced by Majel Barrett), from Star Trek: The Animated Series
Nei from Phantasy Star II
Neko (a staff member) and the species Kera’sha from the book series Dragon Tamers
Nekoko from Kannazuki no Miko
Norn from Atelier Iris
Nuku Nuku (also known as Atsuko Natsume), title character of All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (a cat/human cyborg, with human appearance)
Miss Nyako and her niece, Konyako, from Eden’s Bowy
Odd Della-Robbia from Code: Lyoko (while not technically a cat/human hybird, Odd’s form on the virtual reality Lyoko includes over-sized 3-fingered paw-like hands and a prehensile tail - he also displays cat-like-reflexes and mannerisms, has been referred to as ‘a cat’ and has been seen to meow)
Para-dice from Oban Star Racers
Ray Kon from Beyblade
Sara (Sera) from Sonic the Hedgehog
Shader from Chrono Crusade
Shalimar Fox from the TV series Mutant X is a woman whose unique genetics give her various feline abilities
Shina from Bloody Roar 2 and subsequent games
Taruto (and others) from Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto
Teekl from the Batman mythos (a cat who can transform into a hybrid humanoid form, familiar of Klarion the Witch Boy)
Thornn from X-Force
Tigra (Marvel)
Tiger Cub from Night Watch (2004 film)
Uriko from Bloody Roar 2 and subsequent games (not a catgirl in the first game)
White Tiger X Team from Beyblade and Beyblade G-Revolution
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