Cyborg Kuro-chan

Kuro breaks his control chip, escapes and becomes a vigilante. Kuro has many allies, who help him out during instances such as urban destruction, parallel universes, outer space, and battles between other cats and cyborgs. Adapted into an anime series by Studio Bogey and produced by its parent company, Public & Basic and TV Aichi. The series aired on TVA, TV Tokyo and their affiliates from 2 October 1999 to 30 December 2000 for 66 episodes. The manga and anime have been exported to several countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. An English dub aired on Animax and the first 14 episodes of the dub were released on VCD. A large number of merchandise has been made based on the manga and anime, and two additional volumes, entitled Cyborg Kuro-chan: Extra Battle, were published. Reviews for the series note the simplistic and cartoonish art style, and a thin storyline which is mainly centered on gags and comedic violence.

• Title — Pīlì Kùlè Māo • Developer — Lonaisoft • Publisher — Lonaisoft • Genre — Shoot 'em up • Platforms — Microsoft Windows • Released — 2002

• Title — Kaettekita Cyborg Kuro-Chan • Publisher — Konami • Genre — Shoot 'em up • Platforms — PlayStation • Released — 28 November 2002

• Title — Cyborg Kuro-chan 2: White Woods no Gyakushū • Publisher — Konami • Genre — Shoot 'em up • Platforms — Game Boy Color • Released — 19 October 2000

• Title — Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! • Publisher — Konami • Genre — Shoot 'em up • Platforms — Game Boy Color • Released — 23 March 2000

• Type — tv series • Director — Yoshihiro Takamoto • Producer — Akifumi Takayanagi (TV Aichi) Kouki Matsuura (Public & Basic) • Writer — Yū Yamamoto • Music — Kei Wakakusa Toshiyuki Arakawa • Studio — Public & Basic • Network — TXN (TVA, TV Tokyo) • First — 2 October 1999 • Last — 30 December 2000 • Episodes — 66

• Type — manga • Title — Cyborg Kuro-chan: Extra Battle • Author — Naoki Yokouchi • Publisher — Kodansha • Magazine — Comic BomBom • First — December 2002 • Last — December 2005 • Volumes — 2

• Type — manga • Author — Naoki Yokouchi • Publisher — Kodansha • Magazine — Comic BomBom • First — September 1997 • Last — December 2001 • Volumes — 11

• Name — Cyborg Kuro-chan • Ja Kanji — サイボーグクロちゃん • Ja Romaji — Saibōgu Kurochan • Genre — Action, Comedy

Kuro is a housecat for an old couple who cannot defend themselves and are in frequent danger. They rely on him to keep burglars from invading their house, at which he is skilled. Despite his courage, he is in love with the neighborhood dog, Pooly, and he sets out to confess this one day. While heading to see her, he and Pooly are ambushed and injured. Kuro is then kidnapped by Dr. Go, a mad scientist, and transformed into a cyborg with invincible steel frames and unlimited strength, the latest in a line of robot cats used for world domination, called the "Nyan-Nyan Army". He somehow, though, breaks a chip supposedly used to control him, and he escapes Go's laboratory as well as destroying it, while he now realizes that he is now bipedal and can speak human language. He comes to terms with his predicament, while maintaining his lifestyle as an average housecat. However, Go feels that Kuro is ungrateful to him, and he and the Nyan-Nyan Army, including the most well-known Mi, set out to find and kill him, though they eventually surrender and decide to live a more peaceful life. Often, Kuro will save his owners and the city from trouble. He has multiple adversaries, including Go's Nyan-Nyan Army. Dr. Go and Mi help Kuro out in the toughest situations. Throughout the course of the series, there are phantasmal and extraordinary predicaments that Kuro and his friends must solve.

• Illustration — Promotional image of the characters of the series. Slapstick humor is combined with action, while accompanied by Yokouchi's distinctive style of drawing.

Kuro (クロちゃん, Kuro-chan) - The main character who was kidnapped by Dr. Go and turned into a cyborg cat, along with various features and weapons. Though he has a horrible temper, appears unenthusiastic about helping others, and gets angry and out of control easily, he is good-hearted and cares for others more than he lets on. Despite being the hero, he frequently shows un-heroic behavior such as using Romeo as a weapon or at times dragging others into trouble because he feels like it and likes to rampage for comedic effect. He uses a Gatling gun as a signature weapon. He is usually seen sleeping on the veranda of his owner's house. He was named Kid (キッド) as a kitten before being adopted by his owners.. Dr. Go (剛くん, Gō-kun) - The main antagonist and a major antihero, an eccentric inventor who wishes world domination by creating cyborg cats as weapons of mass destruction. His plan completely backfired when Kuro took away the control chip and through sheer willpower of his own. He later stops from his plans in world domination and decides to live in a more peaceful way of living with Mi and later Kotaro. Although Kuro and his relationship is turbulent and hostile at times, Kuro does respects him as an inventor. His real name is Mantaro Go (剛万太郎, Gō Mantarō). Mi (ミーくん, Mī-kun) - A cyborg cat created by Dr. Go to at first save his life and later aid him in dominating the world. He appears as a frequent "goon" of his but is in fact kind-hearted and noble. At a later part of the story where Go accepts defeat and turns down on his conquest to world domination, he is now often seen helping him and in times helping Kuro too. Though they are more friendly rivals now, Mi and Kuro will often get into fights which are sometimes instigated by Mi himself. Although he is usually kind he, like Kuro, has a fierce temper when pushed. Opposite to Kuro, Mi prefers a sword as his standard weapon. With the Devil Chip, he can fuse himself to any weapon and create additional items to them. He is also a great cook.., Matatabi (マタタビ, Matatabi)- A regular tabby cat who wears a red tattered "cloak" and has an eyepatch over his right eye. He was a childhood friend of Kuro, but he declared himself his enemy after a tussle leads to him losing his eye. He has an arsenal of weapons he hides in his cloak with his main weapon being a wooden boomerang which he can use to hit targets at great distances or a chainsaw. Though he is serious, he can be quite lazy and gluttonous with little self-control at times and sometimes needs to be forced by Kuro into helping. He is also skilled in craftsmanship and an experienced carpenter. He is the only one to refer to Kuro as Kid.. Kotaro (コタロー, Kotarō)- A boy genius dressed in a cat suit who helps Dr. Go and Mi out by assisting in their inventions or building his own. He has an obsession over Kuro, and tries to prove to be as powerful as him. This idea of his was the result of being an outcast. He is experienced in technology, with an IQ of 200. The reviewer for Manga-News describes Kotaro as walling himself into his world of video games, but also regards Kotaro as an author surrogate.. Nana (ナナちゃん, Nana-chan)- A female android with a rabbit-like appearance that was created by Kotaro from a table lamp. She develops a love interest in Kuro, who denies her; she accepts his rejection after numerous attempts to win his heart, though it is shown that he does care for her. She is also great at Knitting and often knits a scarf to Kuro..

• Name — Kuro • First — September 1997 • Creator — Naoki Yokouchi • Voice — Chika Sakamoto • Species — Cyborg cat • Gender — Male

Grandpa and Grandma (ジーサン、バーサン, Jīsan, Bāsan) - The elderly couple who treat Kuro as a companion. They are not immune to trouble, never learn much, and are in need of Kuro's rescue frequently. However, they have no idea that Kuro is now a cyborg, though he intends to keep this secret. respectively. Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一郎, Suzuki Ichirō) - A schoolteacher who also admires Kuro. He is an avid otaku, and often gets himself involved into Kuro's shenanigans. Suzuki is portrayed by Toshiyuki Morikawa. Megumi (めぐみ, Megumi) - A female firefighter who is Suzuki's crush. She is a quick thinker in most situations, such as putting out even the least dangerous of fires in her debut appearance in the anime. In the manga, Megumi was portrayed as an otaku like Suzuki but was toned down in the anime. Megumi is portrayed by Sayuri Yoshida. Romeo (ロミオ, Romeo) and Juliet (ジュリエット, Jūrietto) - A duo of alien robot lovers. They are very optimistic, no matter what happens. They later marry and have a child together. Romeo is voiced by Kosuke Okano, while Juliet is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida. Dunk (ダンク, Danku) - Kotaro's cyborg lion friend. He was an ordinary lion, but he was involved in a near-death experience. Dr. Go successfully revived him in his current cyborg form. Later on in the series Dunk gets modified by Kotaro's father who gives him the ability to speak using text boxes appear out of his head. Dunk is quite timid, gentle, and pure. He is voiced by Isshin Chiba. Chieko Okada (岡田チエコ, Okada Chieko) - A girl with a deep hatred for Kuro and very powerful supernatural abilities, including ESP and telekinesis. Another notable feature of hers is her voluminous hair. Goro Nagase (長瀬 五郎, Nagase Gōrō) - A boy Chieko met on a camping trip who came from an abusive household. He is a big dreamer, but he is a loser. He boasts a large scar from his abuse. He ends up being temporarily turned into a cyborg after being gravely injured with Cheiko attempting to teach him how to be human again. Goro only appeared in the manga.

Doctor White Woods (ドクターホワイトウッズ) known as Dr. Big (ドクターホワイトウッズ) in the anime who is an American mad scientist who came to Hokkaido to conquer the world but was defeated by Kuro and friends. His face is comically huge but has a very short stature. Like Dr. Go, he specializes in cyborg technology but with dogs which were powerful. He made only one appearance in the anime but made another in the manga as a security warden of a large prison. He also appears as the antagonist of the 2nd game and made a cyborg called BB, which looks just like Kuro. He is voiced by Isshin Chiba Tendou (天道, tendo) - The rival of Doctor Go in the past as students and the guy responsible for the demise of Mi's mother. Unlike Go whose allies are cats and specializes in robot technology, Tendou prefers to use dogs and is proficient in genetic engineering and modified his dog Patrasche (パトラッシュ) who went around killing cats like Mi's mother on his command. He makes a reappearance in the anime years later where he attempts to use Kotaro's robotic knowledge to get revenge on Doctor Go. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta. Nyan Nyan Army (ニャンニャンアーミー, Nyannyanāmī) - A squadron of cyborg cats created by Dr. Go. Mi is the first in the line, created by Go from the remains of his pet kitten. There are four other remaining members who used to be strays taken care of by Go in his younger days before being gravely injured by a fire - #2, nicknamed Spyder, who can expand his arms, legs, and neck, #3, who also fights with his own sword and boasts a panda disguise, #4, who also has a bad temper and has a fierce hatred of Kuro for ruining Dr. Go's plans and humiliating him several times, and #5, who is seen with a robot companion, Lassie, and also uses a Gatling gun. #2 is voiced by Yuko Sasamoto, #3 is voiced by Rika Komatsu, #4 is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida and #5 is voiced by Mami Nakajima.

Kazuma (カズマ) is one of Suzuki's class representative. Despite being a class representative, he skips classes and makes a fool of Suzuki like other students. Along with Satoko, they appear a lot out of the other students and sometimes come along on adventures. He is voiced by Rika Komatsu. Satoko Yoshino (吉野 里子, Yoshino Satoko) is one of Suzuki's class representatives. As a class representative, she is kind and takes her responsibilities serious and kindly guided Chieko who had just transferred, around the town. Like Kazuma, they appear a lot out of the other students and sometimes come along on adventures. She is voiced by Yuko Sasamoto. YaYaYa aliens (ヤーヤーヤー星人, Yāyāyā boshijin) - A trio of friendly aliens that boast incredibly dangerous weapons. They are often also seen wearing special bracelets that can enlarge or shrink their targets. Their names are Yai (ヤーイ, Yāi), Yasu (ヤースー, Yāsū), and Yachi (ヤーチー, Yāchī); Yai is the leader. The aliens are anime-original characters. Princess Mimi (ミミ姫, Mimi-hime) - An alien princess who closely resembles Nana. Malo was supposed to marry her, but she refused and ran away. Despite her ladylike looks, she is actually quite selfish, she only appears in the anime and is voiced by Hiromi Tsunakake. Prince Malo (マロ王子, Maro-ōji) - An alien prince of the YaYaYa group. He bears a striking resemblance to Kuro. Malo is supposed to be courteous and he has the opposite personality from Kuro, but he eats like a vampire, and he also boasts offensive British gas, he only appears in the anime and is voiced by Chika Sakamoto Yo (よくん, Yokun) - A caricature of the manga's creator, Naoki Yokouchi. He makes fleeting appearances in some anime episodes. He is depicted wearing a purple trenchcoat with a similarly colored hat. Pooly (プーリィ, Pūryi) - A stray pink poodle who was Kuro's crush in the beginning of the series. In the anime version, she lived in a house but moved away. She is voiced by Yuko Sasamoto. Lily (リリィ, Riryi) - Mi's first love. She was abandoned by her owner and lived as a stray for a brief time before being adopted by a girl she had saved from an accident. She is voiced by Yuko Sasamoto. Marie (マリー, Marī) - A stray dog in Kuro's past with a similar appearance to Pooly, but with pointed ears. She had been a surrogate mother to Kuro as a baby for a brief time before he was taken. She is in the manga only.

The manga was originally released in issues of Comic BomBom from September 1997 until December 2001 with a total of 56 chapters. The chapters were then released across eleven volumes by Kodansha between 1998 and 2002. In Germany, Egmont Manga & Anime published the first three volumes. In France, Pika Édition published the entire series. It has been published in Indonesia by M&C Comics. A sequel series, Cyborg Kuro-chan: Extra Battle (サイボーグクロちゃん 番外バトル, Saibōgu Kurochan Bangai Batoru) was published from 2005 to 2006. Like the original, it has been published in Indonesia by M&C Comics.

Cyborg Kuro-chan was adapted into an anime series produced by Studio Bogey for TV Tokyo. The anime aired at 8:00am on Saturdays on TV Aichi affiliated networks from 2 October 1999 to 30 December 2000 for 66 episodes. The series was initially ordered for 26 episodes, but production was later extended to the end of March 2001, with the intended episode count now at about 78. However, producers Studio Bogey and Public & Basic declared bankruptcy in December 2000. Episode 66 was finished and aired after the bankruptcy, and would be the last episode of the series; episodes 67–72 were promoted in Japan's Telemaga magazine, but never aired, while episodes 67–78 were replaced with rebroadcasts of older episodes. The opening theme is Guruguru Kuro-chan by Lady Q, who also sung Damedame no Uta for Crayon Shin-chan. Two closing themes were created, those being Positive Vibration by Sister K, and Parapara Kuro-chan by Kyuu. The anime has been exported to several countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It has been broadcast on such channels including Spacetoon and Italia 1. While the Tagalog Dub aired in the early 2000s had its opening theme performed by the Rap Group Salbakuta. The Italia 1 airing had an Italian opening that was sung by regular contributor Cristina D'Avena and Giorgio Vanni, titled "Roba da gatti". In India it aired titled Auto Cat. Naoki Tatsuta was the narrator, a caricature of the creator of the manga.

In Japan, the anime was released on VHS by Media Factory and Public & Basic (PIBI). The first series was of tapes were episodes 1–26. a 2nd series was released but was rental only. only the first 53 episodes were released after Public & Basic shut down. The series was later released in Japan on several video streaming services such as Amazon Video and U-NEXT. No DVDs or Blu-rays have been released in Japan, likely due to licensing issues regarding the defunct production companies. Other countries like Indonesia and China saw the episodes released on VCD. Episodes have been uploaded onto YouTube worldwide by Mondo World, owned by Grupa BB Media Ltd., who own the distribution rights to the series in Europe, but these uploads were removed in 2026.

Takara Tomy made toys based on the characters. In 1999 the company released posable figures of the characters which included bendable limbs and detachable weapons, they also made trading cards and figures of Kuro and Mi with action features. In 2000 the company release 4 vehicle toys based on the Battleborgs from episode 19 of the anime, Matatabi, Kuro, Mi and Cyborg Kuro were released. Tomy also made special boxed figures which contained many accessories including weapons. These were the last Kuro-chan toys released by Tomy.

• Illustration — The cover of Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! for Game Boy Color. Konami published video games based on the series. Kaettekita Cyborg Kuro-Chan (帰ってきた サイボーグクロちゃん, Cyborg Kuro-chan Came Back), a shoot 'em up, was released for the PlayStation on 28 November 2002. Two Game Boy Color games were also released: Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! (サイボーグクロちゃん デビル復活!!, Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil's Revival) on 23 March 2000, and Cyborg Kuro-chan 2: White Woods no Gyakushū (サイボーグクロちゃん2 ホワイトウッズの逆襲, Cyborg Kuro-chan: White Woods' Counterattack!!) on 19 October 2000. Official game guides were released for the Game Boy Color games. Taiwanese developer Lonaisoft also published a Windows game in 2002 under the title Pīlì Kùlè Māo (霹靂酷樂貓); this was a 2D platform shooter loosely inspired by Mega Man.