The 5 Naughtiest Anime Cats

Kim Taylor-Foster
TV Anime
TV Anime

Anime cats are plentiful. In fact, anime is a hotbed of fabulous felines. But while some anime cats are cute-as-a-button little kitties, others are a bit more mischievous. Here’s our pick of the naughtiest feline furballs to grace anime.

The Cat King from The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns is a modern anime classic. The 2002 film introduced the world to the Cat King, a troublesome fella who is actually evil incarnate. He might be royalty but he behaves reprehensibly. The fluffy, grey, moustachioed moggy kidnaps kindly schoolgirl Haru Yoshioka after she saves the life of his son, Lune, the Cat Prince. His plan? To marry her off to his son. The King brings Haru to the Cat Kingdom, where she is gradually transformed into a cat. However, when Prince Lune steps in to say that there is another he wants to marry, the King tries to marry Haru himself. That ain’t cool, bro.

Kamineko, the cat from Azumanga Daioh

Kamineko_(Azumanga_Daioh)
Kamineko -- is he cute, or deceptively so?

Kamineko literally means “Evil Cat.” And he seems to bear main protagonist Sakaki ill will. When Sakaki tries to stroke the anime cat, he opens wide and latches onto her hand with his massive teeth. He even tries to gather a gang of cats together to attack her. Kamineko is a sly operator, laying on the charm and cuteness to lure you in for a pet – and then he bites! Eventually, Sakaki gets her own cat and apologizes to Kamineko for stroking him when he clearly doesn’t like it. He proceeds to pretend he wants some attention and when Sakaki goes to pet him, he clamps his teeth onto her. We can’t help loving him for it, though.

Arthur from Code Geass

anime cat Arthur Code Geass
Suzaku taking a bite to the arm from Arthur.

Arthur might be generally friendly, but he’s kind of cruel to Suzaku, one of the main characters in Code Geass. Even though Suzaku is fond of the cute little grey fluffball with adorable black eye patch, Arthur mischievously insists on biting him on the hand or leg whenever he gets the opportunity. In Arthur’s defence, he hadn’t had the best start in life — he was a stray before the student council decided to adopt him.

 Kuroneko, the Photobombing Cat from Trigun

anime cat girl Kuroneko Trigun
Trigun's cute anime cat Kuroneko

Kuroneko is a much-loved background character in Trigun. This anime girl-cat also features in the manga — but she appears in every episode of the anime series. Her appearances in the manga are more sporadic. This cheeky little wide-eyed black cat is included in the list for her mischievous nature. Kuroneko is there primarily for the audience, a fourth-wall-breaking, impish little photobomber, appearing out of nowhere and stealing a scene. Parading in the foreground and pausing to poke out her tongue cheekily is typical Kuroneko. She loves to punctuate the action with a hilariously timed meow, and even pops up at the occasional crucial moment to foil a plot, throw a spanner in the works or puncture the tension.

Beerus, the Cat God from Dragon Ball

This list isn’t complete without the God of Destruction. And, of course, the God of Destruction is a cat. Named Beerus. But Beerus isn’t all bad, despite his job title. His role is to maintain balance in the universe, and this is achieved by destroying planets when necessary. However, this has meant that he’s responsible for the deaths of many billions of people — something that doesn’t seem to bother him.

Beerus is wily — he will often threaten to destroy Earth by way of getting what he wants. He’s not good in the morning, either, awakening after several years of slumber in a foul mood. He likes to assert his dominance and is quick to anger at the smallest things – whether it’s getting beaten at Hide-and-Seek or being refused dessert.

Do you have a favorite anime cat that didn’t make our naughty list? Tweet your nominee for naughtiest anime cat @getfandom.

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Kim Taylor-Foster
Kim Taylor-Foster is Entertainment Editor for Fandom in the UK. She was raised on an unsteady diet of video nasties and violent action flicks.