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. Slaking combines sloth and gorilla features. Mamoswine is clearly a wild boar meets woolly mammoth. Eelektrik an electric eel and a lamprey. These are only some of the more obvious examples.

It’s officially regarded as a cat

Back in 2021, Sneasel’s inclusion in an official Cat Day illustration caught many fans off guard, but this wasn’t the only or even the first time Sneasel has been likened to a cat. Various parallels were drawn between it and Meowth in the Sharp Claw Pokémon’s debut episode, Pop Goes the Sneasel, including Meowth asking if it could evolve into one and cosplaying Sneasel for the motto sequence. More examples of Sneasel and its evolution being represented as cats can be seen below this article.

Sneasel’s retractable claws also suggest feline inspiration. “Its paws conceal sharp claws. If attacked, it suddenly extends the claws and startles its enemy.”

This may have come as less of a surprise to Japanese fans, given that the 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 alternate reading of itachi, 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

Not only did Sneasel’s design become less and less weasel-like, but even its cry—one of the unique few in the beta—was swapped for more of a “nya,” and its Pokédex category from いたち Weasel to a more generic かぎづめ Claw.

Multiple yokai inspirations?

Let’s start our speculative journey by looking at another Japanese yokai: kasha. Sometimes interpreted as a malicious cat spirit—nekomata—these creatures were 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” (拉). Coincidentally(?), there are depictions of mountain-dwelling “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 0.9m—compared to Sneasel’s height of… 0.9m!

Alternatively, the ラ ra at the end of its name may derive from 野良 nora (stray/feral) or 恨 ura (hostile).

Occasionally depicted with three tails, nekosho is another form of nekomata that may have inspired Sneasel. (We haven’t been able to find any three-tailed examples predating Sneasel, but that isn’t to say there aren’t any.)

Some contenders from outside Japan

Sneasel bears some resemblance to cat-sith, black—sometimes bipedal—cats from Celtic folklore with a single white spot on their chest, claimed to be witches or demons in disguise. They were thieves, like the kasha above, sneaking into cemeteries to steal human souls before they could depart to the afterlife. The line of feathers down its back as well as the hedgehog-like appearance of its 1999 design may reference the sharp bristles cat-sith are sometimes described as having on their backs, and its feathered ear may reference Puss in Boots, a fairytale character commonly associated with the cat-sith in Japanese media (see Megami Tensei‘s Cait Sith and Blood Brothers‘ Cat Sidhe).

Qiongqi is a wicked creature from Chinese mythology described as a winged tiger (sometimes a cow with porcupine quills) that shares its name with a variant of kamaitachi (窮奇). It’s also the origin of Chien-Pao, another Dark/Ice Pokémon with both felid and mustelid traits. The winged aspect could explain Sneasel’s feathered appearance.

Sneasel could also be connected to the Great Cat of Heliopolis, Mau. According to Egyptian mythology, Ra (hold on, is that where the ラ ra comes from?) 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! The Egyptian theme could also explain Sneasel’s eyeliner-like markings.

Similar to Persian and Espeon (as well as the more rabbit-like Carbink), Sneasel may pull some inspiration from carbuncles, creatures from South American lore said to resemble small mammals–like cats or rabbits–with precious gems growing from their head.

A feminine counterpart to Meowth?

Sneasel may be, in part, a spiritual successor of Rinrin and Bellrun, Dark-type, female-only black cat Pokémon cut from Gen. II, speculated to have been intended as counterparts to Meowth and Persian on account of evolving at the same level and sitting next to Konya (baby Meowth) in the beta Pokédex.

Though not exclusively female (just as Meowth isn’t exclusively male), Sneasel does have various “feminine” features. Long nails, lashes, jewelry-like gems, a pink Shiny… The rivalry between the two has also been highlighted in the anime.

The feminine aspect could be linked to the previously mentioned cat-sith, as witches are traditionally female, but Sneasel could also blend the idea of Japan’s lucky black cat with the unlucky international association. A maneki-neko (lit. “beckoning cat,” aka lucky cat) with a raised right paw is said to be the male and invites wealth, while a figure with a raised left paw is said to be the female and invites customers, with the exception of calico (tri-color) cats, which are considered male regardless. (Meowth seems to be a cross between a calico and a Siamese cat, possessing two colors on a beige base.)

等 -ra is also a feminine pluralizer, opposite of the masculine 達 -tachi. Possible wordplay there, sounding like itachi. Its name may be pluralized because kamaitachi are said to attack in groups (referenced with Sneasel’s Beat Up attack).

Kamaitachi aren’t always weasels

Given that cats have transformed into a variety of yokai in Japanese folklore, Sneasel could simply be a cat-turned-kamaitachi, the “feathers” doing little more than evoking the image of leaves swirling around the dust devils kamaitachi are said to ride upon. 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, while Reppamon and Kyukimon from Digimon seem to be fox versions.

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. The markings and poison could also reference face makeup and nail polish, lending more to the feminine aspect mentioned earlier.

What cat or combination of cat-like subjects Sneasel may draw exact 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.