It’s widely accepted that Sneasel is based on the kamaitachi (lit. “sickle weasel”) a spirit, or yokai, from Japanese folklore said to ride upon the wind and inflict wounds upon its victims with sickle-like arms. It’s even right there in its name: sneaky + weasel. Despite this, why do some fans continue to insist that Sneasel is a cat?

Here’s the thing: Pokémon can (and often do) have multiple inspirations. Just look at Slaking and Mamoswine.

It’s officially regarded as a cat

Back in 2021, many fans were caught off guard seeing Sneasel’s inclusion in an official Cat Day illustration, but this wasn’t a one-off occurrence. Even Team Rocket’s Meowth saw some feline qualities in Sneasel when he asked if he’d be able to evolve into a Sneasel back in the Generation II episode “Pop Goes the Sneasel.” Various other examples of Sneasel/Weavile being represented as cats can be seen below this article.

This may have come as less of a surprise to Japanese fans, given that the Sharp Claw Pocket Monster’s original name, ニューラ Nyula, starts with にゅー nyu (cat’s purr). The idea to combine a cat with a kamaitachi may stem from nyu containing an old Japanese word for weasel, ゆう yu, and/or the fact that both are creatures known for slashing with claws.

(That said, despite still using this name, Sneasel’s earliest beta did look like a straight up weasel. Perhaps it initially had another meaning and they came up with this interpretation as they revised its design? Check out our previous article on the development of Sneasel below.)

The curious development of Sneasel

Multiple yokai inspirations?

Sneasel could also draw minor inspiration from kasha, a yokai sometimes interpreted as a type of cat spirit. Kasha are said to abscond with human corpses, either feasting upon their flesh or carrying them to the underworld. This may be evidenced by the ラ ra at the end of Sneasel’s Japanese name, which can be translated “to carry off.” Coincidentally(?), there are depictions of “moryo” kasha whose red, rabbit-like ears aren’t too dissimilar from Sneasel’s single feather-like ear. The creature is even said to stand about the same height as a three-year-old child—approximately Sneasel’s height!

(Speaking of Sneasel’s feathers, which may evoke the image of leaves swirling about the dust devils kamaitachi are said to ride upon, could they simultaneously be a subtle nod to the spectral flames worn by kasha? Just speculating.)

“Deathcats” from around the world

Sneasel also bears some resemblance to cat-sith, black—sometimes bipedal—cats with a single white spot on their chest, claimed to be witches or demons in disguise according to Scottish folklore. They were thieves, like the kasha above, sneaking into cemeteries to steal human souls before they could depart to the afterlife. (It may be worth noting that Sneasel was among the lucky Pokémon not to be cut from Pokémon Sword and Shield, games whose region is based on Great Britain.)

Sneasel could also draw inspiration from the Great Cat of Heliopolis, Mau, another feline associated with the underworld. According to Egyptian mythology, Ra would descend to the underworld every night in the form of a cat, slaying the serpent god of darkness with a flint knife that, in some depictions, does look an awful lot like a red feather!

Kamaitachi aren’t always weasels

Alternatively—or perhaps as a double meaning—the ラ ra at the end of its Japanese name may derive from nora (stray/feral). Given that cats have transformed into a variety of yokai in Japanese folklore, Sneasel could simply be a cat-turned-kamaitachi.

While there don’t seem to be any well-known legends in which a cat becomes a kamaitachi specifically (let us know in the comments if you’re aware of any), there is a tale of a mantis becoming one.

(Kaibyou Kamaitachi from Yokai Watch also seems to be a cat version of the kamaitachi…)

Bonus: Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler

The newest additions of the Sneasel family would bring along even more feline connections. Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler’s poison-soaked claws may reference both bahg nakh (“tiger claws”), claw-like weapons traditionally soaked in poison, as well as bacteria on cat claws that can induce cat scratch fever. Their fur color and patterns bring to mind “lilac” point cats, though mustelids can have similar fur patterns.

What cat or cat-like figure(s) Sneasel draws specific inspiration from is anyone’s guess, but it’s evident that Sneasel was indeed intended to be a cat—or at least part cat. What do you see more in Sneasel: cat or weasel? Have you noticed any other possible cat connections not covered here? Drop a comment!

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Edited by Aldo and bobandbill.