Movies

Dejiko from Di Gi Charat, a typical example of a catgirl.

A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline accouterments 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.

Catgirls are typically not considered furry because they most often resemble humans with cat-like embellishments rather than being an anthropomorphic cat, though this is not always the case, as the definition and appearance of catgirls vary from country to country, person to person. Eastern catgirls are usually depicted as having minimal feline characteristics such as slitted eyes, tails, and ears (with different color ear-fur than their hair), while Western catgirls are more often portrayed as more feral, 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 example, 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.

Schrödinger from Hellsing, a catboy.

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 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

Catgirls who always have real ears and a tail

Aruruu, Eruruu and the rest of their species from Utawarerumono
Chen from Perfect Cherry Blossom.
Fancia (and her catgirl friends) from manga and game series Kitty Kitty Fancia.
Miruru from Tenshi ni Narumon
Mithra, the race of cat-like humaniods from the video game Final Fantasy XI
Mitsue, a catgirl merchant NPC from Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
Nia from DearS
Sanada (and her underlings) from UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie
Yoriko from Da Capo
Koto from YuYu Hakusho. (Koto is often mistaken for being a foxgirl due to her red hair and tail, but she has referred to herself as being feline.)

Nekomusume

Katt (Rinpoo in the Japanese version) from Breath of Fire 2
Natsuki from Hyper Police
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.)
Felicia from Darkstalkers (actually an actual mythological nekomusume despite the fact she is portrayed as American)
Xiao from Dark Cloud (because she is a cat turned into a human, it could be argued that she is a true nekomusume.)
Daena from Legend of Mana. She is a full-blown catgirl complete with ears, tail, and fur.
Cheetara, Wilykit, Pumyra, and Jagara from ThunderCats.
Tigress from Gauntlet Legends.
Mirri the Cat Warrior from Magic: The Gathering.

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)

Girls who transform into catgirls

• Ichigo Momomiya (Zoey Hanson in the English adaptation) from Tokyo Mew Mew (The English version is titled Mew Mew Power)

Ichigo in her transformed state from Tokyo Mew Mew

• Sumire Shoda from Gakuen Alice

Girls who are seen wearing catgirl costumes regularly

Cham Cham from Samurai Shodown II
Dejiko (aka Princess Chocolla, Digiko, or Di Gi Charat) and Puchiko (aka Petit Charat or Cappuccino), stars of Di Gi Charat
Hazuki from Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase
Koboshi from Pitaten
Meek and Rinna from Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat
Nya from To-Y

Catboys

Kyo Sohma from Fruits Basket.
Most characters from Loveless.
Schrödinger from Hellsing
Takuto from Full Moon O Sagashite

Live action catgirls

Cat Lady in the motion picture Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), portrayed by stuntwoman Linda Fetters.
Kitty from the movie Monkeybone played by Rose McGowan

Webcomic catgirls

Aevy Eye from Impy and Aevy (link)
Anya from Tsunami Channel (link)
Kate from Anime Arcadia (link)
Kitten from Underpower (cat/human cyborg) (link)
Yuki, Maya and Tina from Caribbean Blue (link)
Three numbered catgirls from Bonobo Conspiracy (link)

Others

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
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
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. Kagaya-hime is a tortoiseshell cat that transforms into a woman and assumes the role of a warrior.
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)

Hazuki from Tsukuyomi-Moon Phase

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
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 Maha from .hack and .hack//SIGN respectively (although Maha is male)
Miau from Little Monica (she behaves like a catgirl, wearing cat ears and a tail as well)
Miss Nyako and her neice, Konyako, from Eden's Bowy
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
Nei and Fal (a.k.a. Rika) from Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star IV respectively.
Neko (a staff member) and the species Kera'sha from the book series Dragon Tamers, appearing from the second book onwards.
Nina from Words Worth

Koboshi from Pitaten

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
Pink from Dragon Pink
Ray Kon from "Beyblade"
Sera from Sonic the Hedgehog
Shader from Chrono Crusade
Shina from Bloody Roar 2 and subsequent games.
Taruto and others from Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto
Thornn from X-Force.
Uriko from Bloody Roar 2 and subsequent games. (Uriko was not a catgirl in the first game.)
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

See also

• Kemonomimi

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.