- "Meow... Meow... Meow..."
- ―The orphaned kitten
The orphaned kitten (named Mimi, Tama or Chibi) is a kitten the player may interact with in Shenmue.
Biography
The kitten's mother was run over and killed by the black car Lan Di was in. Megumi Mishima was crying with the kitten when its mother was killed. Megumi's mother wouldn't allow the kitten to stay at their home, so she kept it in a box at the Yamanose Shrine.
Shenmue
Ryo Hazuki feels he and the kitten have a lot in common because both of their parents passed away the same date and as a result of the same killer. Kids in the neighborhood also come to take care of the kitten. The kitten's leg heals eventually and she walks around the shrine.
After Ryo is informed by Master Chen that Lan Di left for Hong Kong, the kitten runs away. Ryo found her at a residential place near the shrine. Nozomi Harasaki was also looking for her.
Later on, before Ryo gets the job at the New Yokosuka Harbor District the kitten jumps on a roof at the shrine. Megumi was scared when the kitten jumped down, but was relieved when she saw she was okay. Around this same time, Megumi's mother Fusayo Mishima allows her to keep the kitten at her home.
Shenmue II
The only time the kitten is mentioned is during a conversation with Fangmei Xun. Ryo comments her eyes remind him of the cat which offends her.[1]
Name
The kitten's name purely depends on the name Ryo chooses.
- Mimi (ミミ): This is the kitten's name if Ryo chooses it, does not choose a name at all or if he chooses "Sasuke". Megumi likes this name because it means her ears are so cute.
- Tama (タマ): Another chooseable name. This was the name of Megumi's sister Mayumi Mishima's cat, which she also kept at the Yamanose Shrine.
- Chibi (チビ): Another possible name for the kitten. "Chibi" means "the little one" in Japanese.
- Sasuke (サスケ): Megumi dislikes this name because it's a boy's name. If Ryo chooses it, he says "so she can grow up to be big and strong like a ninja". This is the only name the kitten cannot have, as it will result in her name being defaulted to Mimi.
See also
- Duck, another animal character
Trivia
- Although this should be obvious, Shenmue depicts a concerning and dated way of caring for animals. Leaving kittens in boxes for weeks and expecting neighborhood kids to care for them or check on them every once in a while is considered improper, as they may be hit by a car, starve, be subjected to harsh weather conditions, be killed by a wild predatory animal, be abducted and tortured by psychopaths, etc. In addition, kids can be rowdy and injure small animals. The proper course of action is to give the animal to the local animal shelter, ideally a no-kill one. The kitten's leg is injured or broken, requiring veterinary care, but everyone in the game expects it to heal on its own. The orphaned kitten survives in Shenmue, although many stray animals do not. It should not be surprising that the kitten actually goes missing.[2]
- Ryo can feed the cat cow milk, although the vast majority of cats should not drink milk, with water being superior.
Gallery
