化け猫bakeneko
Quick definition:A bakeneko is a cat from Japanese folklore that has transformed into a supernatural creature, able to change shape, walk on two legs and sometimes bring harm or mischief to humans.
Meaning
Bakeneko is the name for a cat that has become a supernatural being in Japanese folklore. Stories describe such cats changing their appearance, standing and walking on their hind legs, speaking like people and sometimes taking human form. Many tales say a cat gains these powers after living to a great age or growing unusually large. Bakeneko belong to the wider group of Japanese spirits and monsters known as yokai.
In anime and manga, bakeneko appear in several ways. Some are frightening creatures that haunt households or trick travellers, while others are mischievous or even friendly characters. Cat-like characters with strange powers or a habit of walking upright often borrow from the idea, and a bakeneko may be played for horror, comedy or gentle fantasy.
The bakeneko matters to fans because it is one of the best-known yokai, and it shows how Japanese folklore feeds modern storytelling. Learning the term helps explain many cat spirits and cat-themed monsters that turn up in series.
Origin:Bakeneko combines bake, from the verb bakeru, meaning to change or transform, with neko, meaning cat, so it literally means a changed cat. Tales of shape-shifting cats were told in Japan well before the modern era, and the creatures were popular subjects for storytellers and artists. Anime and manga later adopted the bakeneko as a stock monster and character type.
Example:A typical bakeneko scenario is an old household cat that begins to behave oddly, standing up on two legs at night or moving about the house when nobody is watching. In anime and manga, the same idea might appear as a cat-like character with unusual powers and an unnatural calm, whose true nature is gradually revealed to the main characters.
Did you know?Bakeneko is often confused with nekomata, another cat yokai usually described as having a forked or split tail. The two are closely related in folklore, and storytellers sometimes treated one as a later form of the other, so the boundary between them is blurry.