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Everyday is an international day but August 8th is a little more special here at Cat with Monocle. Why? Because it’s International Cat Day! To celebrate, we’re posting our top 10 protagonist cats in video games, anime, and movies. The list contains cats that are the main character or shares the same spotlight as the main character. Side characters like Mewoth from Pokémon , Luna from Sailor Moon, and Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service does’t make this list. The list also contains one franchise per character.
Top 10 Protagonist Cats in Video Games
#10 – Kiki (Gato Roboto)
Official Synopsis: Pounce inside of your cozy armored mech and set off on a dangerous trek through an alien underworld full of irritable creatures and treacherous obstacles in a valiant effort to save your stranded captain and his crashed spaceship.
#9 – Pluto (Crypt Custodian)
Official Synopsis: Crypt Custodian is a charming metroidvania about cleaning up the afterlife. Play as Pluto – a mischievous cat who has died, and is sentenced to be the afterworld’s janitor… FOREVER! Hang out with other doomed ghosts, battle beasts, and explore a vastly expansive landscape.
#8 – Dawn (Copycat)
Official Synopsis: A poignant narrative-driven game about rejection, belonging and the meaning of home. It follows the story of a newly adopted shelter cat whose space in the home is taken by a copycat. Bring the tissues.
#7 – Kuon (Umbraclaw)
Official Synopsis: Umbraclaw tells the story of Kuon, a house cat who has died in the mortal world, after she awakens in the Soulplane, a realm of the dead. She must challenge the perilous underworld to return home to her owner in this 2D action adventure.
#6 – Bubsy (Bubsy)
Official Synopsis: Is Bubsy a celebrated icon from the mascot wars of the early 90s or a platforming punchline? Explore the franchise’s troubled history and enduring popularity. What could possibly go wrong?
#5 – The Catventurer (Cat Quest)
Official Synopsis: The multi award-winning Action RPG. Some say ‘Diablo with Cats’ others a ‘Super-cute Skyrim’, whatever your take, Cat Quest’s loot-fuelled cat-venture is as beautifully crafted, as its combat and magic are ultra-satisfying. Universally adored by critics – it’ll have you purring for joy!
#4 – The Cat (Little Kitty, Big City)
Official Synopsis: You’re a curious little kitty with a big personality, on an adventure to find your way back home. Explore the city, make new friends with stray animals, wear delightful hats, and leave more than a little chaos in your wake. After all, isn’t that what cats do best?
#3 – Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)
Official Synopsis: NIGHT IN THE WOODS is an adventure game focused on exploration, story, and character, featuring dozens of characters to meet and lots to do across a lush, vibrant world. You play as Mae, a 20-year-old college dropout who returns home to the fading mining town of Possum Springs.
#2 – Blinx (Blinx: The Time Sweeper)
Official Synopsis: Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a fast-paced action game featuring a cool, clever new character in wild, warped worlds. The ability to control the flow of time provides a totally new 4-dimensional gaming experience.
#1 – Cat (Stray)
Official Synopsis: Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten cybercity and find their way home.
Top 10 Protagonist Cats in Anime
#10 – Yani (Chainsmoker Cat)
Official Synopsis: Catgirl Yani struggles to pay her rent and keep a job while feeding her smoking habit. As her loved ones’ concerns grow, she must rethink her future.
#9 – Tama (I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet)
Official Synopsis: After dying in battle against the forces of evil, a knight is reborn as a behemoth—one of the most powerful monsters in the world! However, baby behemoths look an awful lot like adorable house cats. Just when he thinks his situation couldn’t be more confusing, a beautiful elven adventurer rescues him from the brink of death and adopts him as her pet. This “cat’s” baffling journey is just getting started.
#8 – Daru (She and Her Cat -Everything Flows-)
Official Synopsis: Based on one of Makoto Shinkai’s earlier works, She and Her Cat -Everything Flows- follows the life of a college student and her black cat.
#7 – Yukichi (The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today)
Official Synopsis: Saku is your typical workaholic who happened to take in a stray black kitten, Yukichi. But when Yukichi started growing, it seemed like he would never stop! Now, he’s the size of a bear and takes pride in his culinary skills and domestic chores. With a cat like that, it’s hard to tell who’s looking after who. Regardless, they share a special bond that’s both amusing and heartwarming.
#6 – Haru (My Roommate Is a Cat)
Official Synopsis: The story of Mikazuki Subaru, a novelist who is shy and struggles in relationships with other people, and a cat who was dumped by humans and lived a tough life on the streets. Through a twist of fate, the two of them end up living together. This heartwarming tale illustrates day-to-day life through the eyes of both man and cat. These moments seem trivial, but as they build upon themselves, the two become family and find happiness in their life together.
#5 – Miyo/Taro (A Whisker Away)
Official Synopsis: A peculiar girl transforms into a cat to catch her crush’s attention. But before she realizes it, the line between human and animal starts to blur.
#4 – Anzu (Ghost Cat Anzu)
Official Synopsis: Precocious tween Karin finds herself abandoned by her father in rural Japan. Living in a temple with her grandfather, she meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious layabout tasked with looking after her. Distrustful of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs for the townsfolk and befriends the eccentric local forest spirits. In an effort to win Karin over, Anzu accidentally makes a deal with the devil, and all Hell breaks loose.
#3 – Speedy Cerviche (Samurai Pizza Cats)
Official Synopsis: It’s felines fighting felons in this fantastic furry farce! A mixed-up city of old and new, Little Tokyo is an old-fashioned Japanese city populated by robotic animals, where samurai cats working out of a pizzeria punish packs of pugnacious pillagers all to protect the peace of the people.
#2 – Chi (Chi’s Sweet Home)
Official Synopsis: A heart-warming story of a kitten’s daily adventures and its owner family.
#1 – Doraemon (Doraemon)
Official Synopsis: Fourth-grader Nobita Nobi tries to improve his present life so that his loyal cat robot, Doraemon, can return to his home in the future.
Top 10 Protagonist Cats in Movies
#10 – Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7, Jake (The Cat from Outer Space)
Official Synopsis: An extraterrestrial cat named Jake is forced to crash-land his spaceship on Earth. Jake then proceeds to lead a physicist, his girlfriend, the Army, and a team of baffled scientists on endless escapades during his unscheduled and hilarious visit!
#9 – D.C. (That Darn Cat!)
Official Synopsis: When the irrepressible and always hungry D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch for a collar, it becomes a tip-off to an unsolved robbery and kidnapping. You don’t know who’s tailing who as nosy neighbors, jealous boyfriends, and a highly allergic FBI agent play a game of cat and mouse to crack the baffling case.
#8 – Felix (Felix the Cat: The Movie)
Official Synopsis: Felix uses his magic bag to free a princess from a warlike duke in another dimension.
#7 – Garfield (The Garfield Movie)
Official Synopsis: After a midnight snack raid with Odie goes awry, Garfield and his long-lost dad must pull off a daring dairy heist to settle the score with an angry cat.
#6 – Milo (The Adventures of Milo and Otis)
Official Synopsis: When mischievous Milo the cat and his pal Otis the dog become separated, the two cross mountains, plains and snow-covered lands to find each other.
#5 – Oliver (Oliver & Company)
Official Synopsis: Oliver, a feisty young cat, explores New York in this thrilling animated classic cleverly based on Charles Dickens’ timeless story, OLIVER TWIST — featuring unforgettable songs performed by musical greats Billy Joel, Huey Lewis and Bette Midler! Joined by a pack of hilarious characters — dogs Dodger, Tito and their pals — Oliver knows he’s found a lifelong friend and a real home.
#4 – Danny (Cats Don’t Dance)
Official Synopsis: A world of cats and Danny is trying to break into ’30s Hollywood. His only problem is that he’s a cat, and he can’t understand why he’s only getting parts playing an animal. He gets into trouble with a human star and almost sees his chance at a movie career disappear.
#3 – Duchess (The Aristocats)
Official Synopsis: In the heart of Paris, a kind and eccentric millionairess wills her entire estate to Duchess, her high-society cat, and her three little kittens. Laughs and adventure ensue as the greedy, bumbling butler pulls off the ultimate catnap caper. Now it’s up to the rough-and-tumble alley cat, Thomas O’Malley, and his band of swingin’ jazz cats to save the day.
#2 – Cat (Flow)
Official Synopsis: A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Gints Zilbalodis (Away) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.
#1 – Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots)
Official Synopsis: Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots, just named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull, is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the real villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty. Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws. Be sure to watch Puss’ latest film, The Last Wish!
What cat protagonist did we miss? Which one is your favorite feline?
