Line #33 Main/CatNinja


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6	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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14	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/OthersidePicnic https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/28789896_17182_1.png]]]]
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17	Cats are stereotypically stealthy, quick, graceful, and acrobatic. Ninja are stereotypically stealthy, quick, graceful, and acrobatic. [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs So of course]], in a work involving both cats (whether as literal {{Talking Animal}}s, merely symbolic AnimalMotifs, or something in between) and ninja themes, you should expect the ninja role to tend towards cats.
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19	Cats in general have a reputation for being an adorable pet, as well as for being self-reliant, hunting down mice with either ruthless efficiency or sadistic pleasure, [[CatsHaveNineLives having nine lives]], and trying to sneak around everywhere. Ninja are renowned for being masters of stealth, difficult to kill, and ruthlessly efficient or sadistically deadly assassins. Naturally, some works of fiction ignore the fact that [[WithCatlikeTread cats tend to knock over household items]] and prefer to exaggerate their "stealthy" tendencies by turning felines into ninja.
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21	Typically expect characters of this nature to be either BadassAdorable or TallDarkAndHandsome. They may be an example of CatsAreSuperior if they're portrayed as arrogant, or CatsAreMean if they're antagonists.
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23	These cats often have all-black fur due to ninjas being generally portrayed as wearing all-black outfits.
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25	This need not apply solely to household cats; it is possible for some species of big cat, such as tigers or panthers, to be portrayed as ninjas - big cats are less common with {{Talking Animal}}s, thanks to RuleOfCute, but may be more common with AnimalMotifs, due to RuleOfCool.
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27	Not related to WithCatlikeTread or to ClassyCatBurglar (although all three tropes reference cats as stealthy animals). See also CatsAreSuperior, CatsAreMean, AnimalStereotypes (generally the cause of ninja cats), AnimalOccupationStereotypes, and GoodAnimalsEvilAnimals (when the cat ninjas are evil, often when they're [[CatStereotype black or Siamese]]). See also FemaleFelineMaleMutt (in cases of overlap, you can usually expect a cat ninja and a dog bruiser).
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29	Incidentally, February 22nd is both National Ninja Day and National Cat Day in Japan, because due to [[GoroawaseNumber multiple possible readings of the number in Japanese]] "2 2 2" can be read as either "nin nin nin" or "nyan nyan nyan", the stereotypical onomatopea for a ninja's footsteps and a cat's meow, respectively.
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32	!!Examples :
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34	[[foldercontrol]]
35
36	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
37	* In ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'', Nyanja is an anthropomorphic cat who strives to be a better ninja. This is reflected in his name, a portmanteau of "ninja" and "nyan", the Japanese word for "meow".
38	* From ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Yoruichi was once head of the Onmitsukido (the ninja branch of the Soul Society) and can transform into a cat.
39	* The anime ''Kyattou Ninden Teyandee'' (''Cat Ninja Teyandee'') is about a team of three anthropomorphic cats who are ninjas. It was localized in English as ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'', and as per the title the characters are called samurai, but [[SamuraiShinobi they still look and act more like ninjas]].
40	* Obi of ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' has a [[AnimalMotifs cat motif]] and is unquestionably a ninja even if he's never outright called such in the European based fantasy setting seeing as he is a StealthExpert kunai user who likes to keep his face covered and was formerly an assassin for hire.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Comic Books]]
44	* In ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'', the Human Delegation's security staff includes a [[UpliftedAnimal talking cat]] named Martin who specializes in sneaking and stealth, and [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205913/http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php?date=20080920 dons a full-on McNinja outfit]] when things get serious.
45	* ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' has three ninja clans each consisting of one animal. One of these clans is the Neko Ninja, which is made up of cats and have access to explosives.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Fan Works]]
49	* ''Fanfic/BloodAndRevolution'' has Saitou assigning animal motifs to most of the characters; Aoshi - a literal ninja, last head of the Oniwabanshuu -- is given a panther (made only worse once Aoshi becomes a vampire and develops [[AnimalEyes cat eyes]]). To Aoshi's annoyance, he eventually evolves into a chaos demon, and because YourMindMakesItReal his natural form does have a cat tail.
50	* In the [[http://nocek.tumblr.com/tagged/petvengers Petvengers]] fancomics, secret agents and assassins are usually depicted as chubby little cat people.
51	* Being turned into a cat-mutant in ''Fanfic/ShardsOfAMemory'' has not made Tang Shen any less effective as a kunoichi.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
55	* In ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots'', the cats (in particular Kitty Softpaws) are sometimes portrayed in a very ninja-esque way.
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57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
60	* ''Film/CatsAndDogs'' references this with literal ninja cat antagonists, which contrast the heroic "secret agent" dogs.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Literature]]
64	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel, ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', the titular cat, Maurice, is trapped in a dank underground cellar, pursued by massive killer rats operating under the eldritch direction of the evil Rat king. Maurice, a cat given human-level intelligence after a magical accident, has to pull off feats of Ninja-like combat to fight his way out and escape: these involve swimming through mud and sewage and wriggling through increasingly smaller spaces.
65	* In ''Literature/OthersidePicnic'', Sorawo and Toriko end up helping Akari, a girl being menaced by ninja cats. To get them to leave her alone, they head to Interstital space (the place between our world and the other side) and fight them head on. The ninja cats, armed with deadly weaponry, have the upper hand throughout the entire fight and when Sorawo uses her MagicEye on two of the cats, hoping they don't look like cats with true forms revealed, she discovers that [[spoiler:they look like cats]]. They're eventually able to get rid of them when Sorawo notices something inside Akari's body and has Toriko use her magic hand to pull it out then toss it away.
66	* The Cat tribe in ''Literature/TrashOfTheCountsFamily'', made up of [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Cat Beastmen]] who use stealthy techniques like SuperSmoke and assassinate people.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
70	* In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' season three, we meet [[TheDanza Katherine]] Hillard, nicknamed Kat, who is actually a spy for the bad guys who can shape-shift into a cat that Kim and Aisha adopt. Later on, after being freed of the brainwashing, Kat replaces Kim as the pink ranger- and given that the season is all about ninjas, well...
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Toys]]
74	* ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'': Okugatatchi, the mother of the ninja Gozarutchi, is a ninja herself and has the pointy ears, whiskers, and tail of a cat.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Video Games]]
78	* ''VideoGame/TheBattleCats'' features Ninja Cat as the first Special Cat to be unlocked. It serves as an upgraded version of Axe Cat, being faster, more powerful, and having multi-hit attacks, though it's ultimately still a CrutchCharacter.
79	* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': Taokaka the CatGirl (it's not made clear how catlike she is under her hood, but she and the others from her clan definitely behave like cats) becomes an actual ninja ([[HighlyVisibleNinja Bang's]] apprentice to be exact) in some joke endings.
80	* ''[[https://catninja.pro Cat Ninja]]'' is the flash online game where the main character is cat with ninja skills.
81	* ''VideoGame/ClawsOfFurry'': The [[PlayerCharacter Player Character]]s of the game are [[CatFolk anthropomorphic cat people]] who are trained ninjas.
82	* ''VideoGame/DoodleChampionIslandGames'': Lucky is explicitly referred to by the doodle's description as a Ninja Cat, which explains her ability to disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear at one of the sport's entrance.
83	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
84	** Throughout the series and in background lore, the Khajiit, a CatFolk race, are naturally inclined toward stealth, and can often be found as assassins, spies, and thieves in other provinces.
85	** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', some of the [[MurderInc Dark Brotherhood]] members that attempt to kill you are Khajiit, although none are in the core (joinable) group. The [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]] are also not above hiring Khajiit as assassins and spies, such as [[spoiler:the one that stalks you in Riften and another that is hired to kill Malborn]]. If the Dragonborn is a Khajiit, they naturally get a +5 bonus to Archery, Lockpicking, One-Handed, Pickpocket, and Alchemy, as well as a +10 bonus to Sneak, the ability to see in the dark for 60 seconds, and the use of their claws; this makes them great for stealth-based builds.
86	* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': In the fifth game, one of the types of cat that can be fought, are "Cat Ninja", who are "very evasive cats".
87	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has the Miqo'te race, which are basically people with cat ears, tails, and sometimes slitted pupils. The game also has a job called 'ninja'. So it's entirely possible to create yourself a cat-ninja in the game. The closest {{Non Player Character}}s get to this trope is probably V'kebbe the Stray, a former PirateGirl who joined the [[ThievesGuild Rogues' Guild]].
88	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'' gives us [[PunnyName Shurikit and Kittana]], two rival cats who are constantly practicing their ninja skills against each other. Shurikit also teaches Starfy a few abilities.
89	* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', you'll normally get the services of the catlike Palico to aid you in your hunts. Palicos can be dressed up in whatever manner you please so long as you have the requisite monster parts to make their wardrobe; of note would be the Palico Nargacuga set, which includes a FuumaShuriken as a weapon.
90	** As of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'', Hunters can now give their Palicos the Felyne Kamura Set, only this set includes a [[WoodenKatanasAreJustBetter bokken]] for a weapon.
91	* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'' has a species of ninja cats called the Caped Assassins (they don't really kill people) who randomly disappear and reappear.
92	* ''VideoGame/NekoAtsume'' has the elusive Whiteshadow, who can appear in your yard at random, either "scouting" or doing "espionage".
93	* ''[[https://catninja.pro/ Ninja Cat]]'' is a free online flash game at Kongregate, where you play a cat who is a ninja.
94	* ''Videogame/OrcsMustDieUnchained'' has Midnight, a CatGirl Ninja who serves the villain faction as a hired mercenary.
95	* ''Videogame/Pirate101'' has Shiriku Neko, a cat who was raised by a clan of ninja pigs. She even joins your crew after you complete her SideQuest.
96	* Interestingly, being a [[CatFolk Lombax]], Ratchet from ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' sometimes flirts with this trope - despite being a hero who deals primarily in [[{{BFG}} superior]] [[StuffBlowingUp firepower]]. In the second game, ''Going Commando'', he was shown in a ninja outfit in a presentation still about "stealth training", in ''Ratchet: Deadlocked'' one of the most difficult awards to obtain is the "Ninja Ratchet" skin ([[NotActuallyCosmeticAward that actually boosts his abilities a little]]), and in ''All-4-One'', he gets a ninja skin alongside Clank, Qwark, and Nefarious.
97	* ''VideoGame/SuperCatboy'' has a feline kunoichi as the first boss, who can spam her FlechetteStorm of blades all over the place. She's also a HopelessBossFight - you lose to her, your partner Weapongirl busts you out, and you face her much later in-game.
98	* ''VideoGame/SuperLuckysTale'': Master Mittens is this, or at least attempts to be. He certainly has the look down.
99	* ''VideoGame/SuperNinjaMeowCat'': As the title indicates, the protagonist is a ninja cat. They wield a ninja sword, and they can also pick up shurikens and other ninja weapons.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Web Animation]]
103	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' gives us Blake Belladonna, who is [[LittleBitBeastly a Faunus, a species that is mostly human but with a few animal-like traits]]. Downplayed in that while her moveset and penchant for stealth are similar to that of a ninja, the actual occupation doesn't seem to exist - even if the word "ninja" has been mentioned a few times. ''WebAnimation/RWBYChibi'' downright has a segment about Blake being a "[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Teenage Faunus Ninja Catgirl]]" who [[SmokeOut throws out smoke bombs]] [[CallingYourAttacks shouting "Ninja vanish!"]].
104	* In a short animation called ''WebAnimation/{{Neko}}'', there is a sleek, slim, black ninja cat in FeudalJapan fighting a robot who stole [[AmbiguousGender his/her]] mouse. Turns out it's [[spoiler:the ImagineSpot of a large, fluffy, semi-longhaired, but also black cat in a house in an AlternateHistory 1940s Paris, France fighting a vacuum cleaner.]] The short can [[https://youtu.be/WuszVKHhqfc be viewed here]].
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Webcomics]]
108	* ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'': ''Temple Crashers Part 2'' takes place in Pete's temple, where the magic within allows inhabitants to gain powers based on the clothing and outfits worn in. Grape and Max, both cats, game this system by wearing paper bags with the word 'ninja' scrawled on it. [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/07/24/the-cavalry-arrives/ As soon as they enter, it transforms them into more appropriate attire, scarves and masks included.]]
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Web Videos]]
112	* Brought up in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo Mean Kitty Song.]]
113	-->'''Mr. Safety''': This little kitty is a ninja, always stalking my feet...
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Western Animation]]
117	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': In the episode "Jake vs. Me-Mow", a tiny mummy cat assassin named Me-Mow is tasked with killing Wildberry Princess. Armed with sharp claws, poison, and ninja-like ability, she proves to be quite a handful for Finn and Jake [[LilliputianWarriors despite her diminutive size]].
118	* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'', Po encounters a group of cats who are master thieves. While not technically ninja (since they are from China) they use kunoichi-style distraction, and disguise, and follow a lot of ninja tropes.
119	* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiRabbitTheUsagiChronicles'' the Neko Ninjas are the only ninja clan from the comic to retain their ninjutsu trappings after becoming street gangs. And they're cats, with the leader being a ridiculously fluffy Persian.
120	* Dark Kat has some purple-furred ninjas, the Kommando-Kats, in the ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'' episode "Razor's Edge," although they really only get one scene showcasing their martial arts skills.
121	* Neeko from ''WesternAnimation/ChopChopNinja'' is an anthropomorphic cat who also happens to be part of the show's four-man group of ninjas.
122	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CatNinja