Deep Dive: Why Sneasel is a cat

[icycatelf]

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? Find out in our new article here!

 

[Devalue]

Thinks of it as a cat for one simple reason: exposure. Rarely sees weasels in anything. (Read about them in the old Redwall books. Offered little in the way of useful illustrations.) Cannot recall ever seeing one in real life either.

Plastered cats all across the internet, on the other hand. Lived with some too. Bears the closest resemblance to Sneasel among known animals (which is not a large catalogue). Has pointy ears, claws, and a cry very similar to Meowth. (Sneasel versus Meowth.) Good enough.

 

[Shrew]

That cat artwork was the first time it occured to me that Sneasel could be a cat.

I remember lots of episodes where Meowth dressed up as Sneasel.

 

[Timz0r]

It's because a lot of people don't know the difference between mustelids and felids. Mustelids belong to the Caniformia branch, while felids belong to the Feliformia branch.

 

[icycatelf]

Thinks of it as a cat for one simple reason: exposure. Rarely sees weasels in anything. (Read about them in the old Redwall books. Offered little in the way of useful illustrations.) Cannot recall ever seeing one in real life either.

Plastered cats all across the internet, on the other hand. Lived with some too. Bears the closest resemblance to Sneasel among known animals (which is not a large catalogue). Has pointy ears, claws, and a cry very similar to Meowth. (Sneasel versus Meowth.) Good enough.

Interestingly, proto Sneasel (the literal weasel) used a totally different cry! Its category also changed from いたち (weasel) to かぎづめ (claw), suggesting that the final product was no longer intended to be interpreted as a weasel (at least not strictly).

Y'know, I've got to wonder if Sneasel's end design might've been a last stitch effort to salvage Rinrin/Bellrun, female-exclusive, Dark-type black cat Pokémon that seem to have been intended as counterparts to Meowth/Persian (Rinrin evolves at the same level and sits right next to Konya, baby Meowth, in the beta dex). Sneasel does have several "feminine" features: make-up (Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler even go as far as painting their face and nails), jewelry, long nails, pink Shiny... The anime has also highlighted the rivalry between the two on more than one occasion.

I wonder if Rinrin's being female-only had ties to cat-sith, and subsequently black cats in general, being seen as witches? I would say that it's a nod to black maneki-neko, which often have the left paw raised—especially when part of a set and apparently signifies the female—but that alone wouldn't explain the Dark typing.



EDIT: Just realized another potential meaning for the "la" in Nyula. Not Japanese, but it's a feminine definite article in French, Spanish, and Italian. Normally used before instead of after a word, but it would tie in with the above. It's feminine in Japanese, too! Only used to refer to groups though. Perhaps because the kamaitachi are said to attack in groups?

EDIT 2: What was that about the left paw?

 

[KalloFox34]

It's because a lot of people don't know the difference between mustelids and felids. Mustelids belong to the Caniformia branch, while felids belong to the Feliformia branch.

This is reminding me of how Zangoose is called a "Cat Ferret" in the Pokédex.

Since mongooses are Feliforms despite looking an awful lot like mustelids, it's kind of clever if you think about it.

 

[icycatelf]

Another possible connection between the kamaitachi and cats: Kamaitachi can also be written as 窮奇, a name shared with a legendary Chinese creature sometimes depicted as a winged tiger. It was this creature that inspired Chien-Pao, another Dark/Ice-type with both felid and mustelid features. It could also be another explanation for Sneasel's feathers.

Added these new connections to the article!

 

[icycatelf]

Added the cat-like cry to the article, as well as the retractable claws mentioned in the Pokédex.

EDIT: Added nekosho—a higher-ranking nekomata—as yet another potential point of inspiration. Dunno how well it holds up, however, on account of being unable to find any three-tailed examples predating Sneasel and the fact that Weavile only has two tail feathers.