Nekomata Cats

Sunny, a Nekomata

**Nekomata Cats**, or simply **Nekomata**, are a species of cat-like magical beings.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

*Basic Powers*
* **Spell Casting:** The ability to cast spells and perform rituals.
* **Potion Making:** The ability to brew potions with magical properties.

*Active Powers*
* **Claw Extension:** Nekomata are able to make claws extend out of their fingers. Additionally, these beings are able to shoot their claws like thorns at a target and regrow them at will.
	+ **Venom Secretion:** Nekomata Cats are also able to generate venom or poison from their claws seemingly at will.
* **Supernatural Strength:** The power to be stronger than what is naturally possible for a human being. Sunny, a Nekomata, managed to forcefully push a door open that was blocked by a chair, which resulted into the chair breaking.
* **Supernatural Agility:** The ability to possess inhuman flexibility and movement.

*Passive Powers*
* **Self-Resurrection:** Nekomata Cats possess nine lives, meaning that they can revive from death eight times before dying for good upon dying for the ninth time. This power is a form of limited immortality.

### Abilities

* **Feline Physiology:** Since they are a supernatural cat-like being, Nekomata have enhanced flexibility, agility, durability, reflexes, and cat instincts which can all help them with fighting skills. Similar to cats, they can also purr, hiss and growl. Due to their animalistic wild instincts and their durability, they can also swallow small animals like birds whole without chewing.

## Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Nekomata, seemingly, have all the weaknesses of a typical mortal, as they can be killed as easily. Additionally, as they can live more than one life, when they reach their last life, they have no other chance to escape death.
* **Magic:** Nekomata are still susceptible to the effects of magic.
	+ **Manifestation:** Due to the fact that all of their lives are represented by tattoo-like tally marks on their wrist, a manifesting witch can easily draw them all away, simply by drawing the lines necessary until they have all turned red, effectively killing the Nekomata Cat.

## Trivia

* In Chinese and Japanese folklore, Nekomata are a kind of cat yōkai. There are two very different types: those that live in the mountains and domestic cats that have grown old and transformed into yōkai. They are said to be malevolent beings, haunting and killing people or blackmailing and enslaving people to do their bidding. They have the power of necromancy, which allows them to control corpses to do their bidding or haunt people. They also have the power to summon fire and cause destruction.
	+ City Nekomata are believed to be former domesticated cats turned into a yōkai. Being surrounded by humans, they have knowledge over them and how to manipulate them. They speak human languages, walk on two legs and generally imitate humans. They also have the power to disguise themselves to trick people, which may explain how Sunny turned herself into Kaela's mother.
	+ Mountain Nekomata are powerful Nekomata in the form of wild cats, such as leopards, tigers or lions. Sunny has spotted patterns on her arms similarly to that of a wild cat.
* Etymologically, the word "neko" means "cat" and "mata" means "once again" or "repetition", which may be a reference to them having two tails. They are also referred to as "forked cats".
	+ The Nekomata's ability to self-resurrect themselves in the reboot may also be a reference to this, as the Nekomata comes alive "once again" or with "repetition".