Ask John: Why Do Anime Men Fear Cats?

Question:
I’ve noticed several characters in anime have a fear of cats, such as Ranma and Ryo Saeba’s friend (can’t remember his name right now). Is there a particular reason for this?

Answer:
I’ve always been aware of this anime tradition, but I’ve never come across an explanation of it. I may be ignorant of the reason, but, at least in manga and anime, especially very masculine men seem to commonly have an aversion to cats. This is commonly used for comedic effect, and is just as often even parodied for humorous effect. Umibozo (AKA: Falcon) of City Hunter fears cats more than death itself, and Ryo, the City Hunter, commonly uses this phobia to taunt Falcon mercilessly. Ranma and What’s Michael take a different approach to the cat phobia by using it as the basis for broader humor. Makoto Kobayashi turns the stereotype upside down with his What’s Michael manga by creating tough yakuza members who actually do like cats but have to hide their affection and pretend to fear cats in order to maintain the appearance of a tough, aggressive, masculine man that’s afraid of cats. Rumiko Takahasi employs the traditional cat phobia in both Ranma and Urusei Yatsura. In Ranma, Shampoo loves male Ranma, but male Ranma hates cats. Coincidentally, Shampoo transforms into a pink cat when splashed with cold water. Thus Rumiko Takahashi expands the traditional male cat phobia by adding romantic sitcom to it. The use of the cat phobia is much more subtle in Urusei Yatsura. While Lum is overtly an “oni-girl” (demon girl), her fangs and tiger-striped bikini also suggest a cat-like quality, which layers the love/hate relationship between Lum and Ataru with a underlying cultural reference joke.