#catvestigating

And in case anyone's curious: the cat's first-person pronoun is 俺 (the kanji form is only used by Hanako and ghost!Tsukasa) and talks more like Tsukasa than Hanako.

Not that you need to know that though, just look into his little eyes....

I was rereading the new chapter again and I just realized this new little neko-chan introduces himself alongside some flowers! Hanakotoba is always one of my favorite parts of the series to discuss, so naturally I just had to make a post about this...

As you can tell by the title, this is the lantern flower (鬼灯). While they aren't shown in color in the manga panel, these flowers are known for their bright, red-orange bulbs that resemble paper lanterns.

The meanings for this flower are both plentiful and fun! First, the positive meanings are as follows: "natural beauty" and "peace of mind." While not every single flower meaning is likely considered or intended when AidaIro incorporates flowers into their work, I wonder if this is a clue that Tsukasa enjoys his new life as a toy cat?

I also want to mention that this flower is used in Obon celebrations! Obon is a festival to honor the dead wherein spirits that have passed on will briefly return to the mortal realm to visit their families and former homes. These flowers are then planted or decorated around a home so that the spirit can easily find their way back. By the way, the kanji used in the Japanese word for lantern flower, 鬼灯, can also be translated as "ghost light"!

Now, onto the darker meanings... "Deception"; "Lie"; "Tempt me"; "Lead me on"; "Infidelity"

These are... extremely concerning?! Not that I'm saying there's any infidelity going on here, but why are so many of these implying the cat might not be telling the truth...? What exactly could he be lying about, then? Is he actually the Clock Keepers' handservant and the resident mouser, or is he someone more important? What does he know...??

If I had to guess the reason AidaIro chose this flower for the cat, I think the "deception" meaning is likely the main one. Not to mention the cat is closing his eyes when he says this--a common (albeit not reliable) sign that someone is lying. Hmm, suspicious...

Of course, I can't neglect to mention that the reason lantern flowers are associated with "deception" is because of their extremely large calyx, AKA the thing that gives it its lantern shape. Calling it a flower is actually somewhat erroneous, since the flower itself has already wilted long before the lantern flower takes on its characteristic appearance. It takes on this shape to protect its seeds until they fall.

Now, if we wanted to interpret this negative meaning as positively as we possibly can, we could interpret the usage of the lantern flower to mean that the cat is simply not what it seems, and that if you peeled back its shell you would find something familiar underneath. I'm actually totally fine with this interpretation, as I find it really hard to imagine the cat is pulling wool over anyone's eyes when he keeps getting tricked by Ninja Yashiro Nene and seems really keen to get away from her. That said, it's always best to stay on our toes! Now stop me before I can explain why the flower is associated with "infidelity"...

Oh, and I wanted to mention that lantern flowers have shown up at least one other time in the series as well! Take a look:

You can see them in the lower right corner by Amane's bum!

There's likely no deep connection between these two images, but I am glad to see these flowers again. Especially since I didn't appreciate them and all their many meanings the first time I saw them with Amane. Hmm...! Now why were they drawn with Amane, I wonder...?

Within the last two chapters, we have gotten much more information on the cat, and I wanted to compile all of the interesting new information and update you all on how I'm feeling about it. Spoiler alert, there is no clear answer as to who the cat is yet, and you will not find it here. (Or will you...!? *Gasp*!)

While I was initially quite certain it was Tsukasa for several reasons, and I'm loathe to admit I'm ever wrong, I do think there is great argument for it being Amane. AidaIro has done a good job of keeping up the mystery. 👍

For one thing, the cat says he was human and was changed into this feline form after messing with the past. So the Clock Keepers were not punishing the supernatural Tsukasa for being an accomplice in the crime of destroying the Big Clock by turning him into a toy cat after all...and I'm inclined to take the cat for his word on this. (But you must admit, it would be fitting if he were being punished for both crimes incidentally!!)

It's also established that humans who change the past have a part of their soul taken out and put into a doll by the Clock Keepers. The fact that it's a part of the soul is especially interesting - it begs the question where the other part goes. And the fact that there are already a Yugi Amane and a Yugi Tsukasa accounted for in the altered world could explain how they are able to exist whilst another part of either (or both?!) of their souls dwell within the toy cat.

Anyway, given that the Clock Keepers very likely went back in time to 1968 to create this new timeline, and one of the twins was trying to fix the clock during this time to travel through time... well, it's very easy to imagine that they got punished for this. And of course, the one that I'm referring to is Amane.

However, we do know that Tsukasa was often with his brother during this time, and it's really not that hard to believe that Tsukasa (in all his multi-talented glory) could have done something to the past himself here. So while there is more evidence pointing towards Amane, we still can't completely rule out the possibility that it's the other Yugi either.

It's also still quite a mystery as to why the Clock Keepers chose to go back to this point in time... it seems the overall goal was to get rid of Tsukasa and the thing inside him. Additionally, Hanako can't remember why he tried to do it let alone whether he succeeded in fixing the clock or not, and Tsukasa claims nothing came out of Amane's efforts. There's really so much we don't know...so how can we know what the Clock Keepers were trying to change?

Well, we can't...but what if one of the twins actually did use the clock in the old timeline, then either suffered amnesia or didn't reveal this, and the Clock Keepers stopping him from doing that created this new timeline? Or maybe it's that they helped Amane finally do what he wanted, thus creating a new timeline, and then punished him afterward? Or what if Tsukasa (and/or the thing inside him) tried to get in the way, and were stopped and punished for that...?!

Personally, I like the idea that Amane was responsible for getting rid of Tsukasa in the new timeline for thematic reasons, but since the Clock Keepers more or less wanted that to happen, I would find it kind of cruel if that were the reason why he was being punished. That's another reason why I lean towards Tsukasa being the one punished - it seems more likely that he would do something the Clock Keepers would punish. Otherwise, perhaps the Clock Keepers are just strict about the rules, so even if Amane changed the past in the way they wanted they still had to punish him? 🤔 Uhh...anyway. This is a post about identifying kitties, not really a theory post...

In Ch. 124 and 125, the cat got quite close to Nene by riding on her shoulders multiple times. While he appears to derive no visible pleasure by being near her like this, you can't deny this behavior is reminiscent of when Hanako (the ghost) cuddles up to her. Still, there is enough plausible deniability here to cast doubt, and Tsukasa himself has gotten up close with Nene and even been carried around by her before:

I mean come on... he's even blatantly being compared to a cat here... I'm not that crazy!

Good boy!

Anyway, the other thing I wanted to mention is that the cut of the kitty's suit is similar to the trim on the old school uniform of Kamome Academy (aka the gakuran). I hadn't realized this until someone I knew pointed it out!

Additionally, as you can compare in the images above and below, he also exhibits a similar behavior to Hanako: explaining something with a starry wand.

But, both twins have worn the gakuran, so once again this is insufficient evidence for me. I find this all amusing nonetheless, and I cannot deny that the evidence once again stacks up in Hanako's favor. (Curses!)

It's a bit hard to explain, especially in a way that separates him from early!Hanako. This is also going to be incredibly informal. But I will try!

Hanako and Tsukasa have a tendency to end their sentences in katakana and just use more katakana than other characters in general, though I feel like that has dwindled in usage as the series has gone on. They will also sometimes extend words in a sing-songy type of way which is shared with the kitty, or just pronounce things improperly in general.

One thing about Tsukasa is he talks more... childishly than Hanako? Which I feel like is pretty obvious in the English version, too. But there's specifically this trend where he tends to end sentences in ね and な a lot that really gave me a Tsukasa feel when reading the kitty's dialogue.

Compared to kitty:

I will admit though it's not like Hanako doesn't talk like this either...? Like I said they have similar speech patterns that stick out from the other characters. I wish I could explain this better but ultimately it just sounds more like Tsukasa to me, heh. Anyway,

Another thing is that in his introduction, he quotes himself from his first appearance. The first time he and Nene meet in the story no less:

If you look closely you'll notice he says やるじゃん which means something similar to "not bad." He's complimenting her, right off the bat! Coincidence, or...?

For what it's worth I can't remember Hanako ever saying やるじゃん but I will say it definitely sounds like something he could say. The evidence is just stacked more in Tsukasa's favor for this one.

Regarding the laughter, I will admit, he actually uses a laugh that to my knowledge only Hanako/Amane has used: くひひ. It's a very distinctive laugh which is why I remember this. But there have been canonical instances of the Yugi Twins sharing eerily similar laughter so I feel confident dismissing this. Plus,

This アハハハ or あははは laugh is just soooo Tsukasa. Amane doesn't laugh like this very often. He isn't as much of an "ah ha ha ha" type of guy as Tsukasa. It's easier to imagine a Tsukasa くひひ than an Amane アハハハ to me. But still, Amane has done an Ahaha type of laugh before:

...So you can maybe dismiss this too. Just, for what it's worth, Tsukasa certainly goes Ahaha the most.

Honestly I think it does come down more to the cat's personality for me more than anything else. The cat's personality isn't exactly like either of the twins, but the thing that gets me the most about him is the way he treats Nene. I cannot imagine Hanako, in any lucid version of himself, treating Nene like the cat has. But Tsukasa, yes, definitely lol.

Hanako was smitten with Nene from the moment he laid eyes on her, and given the story of TBHK is at least partially about their epic tale of love and romance I find it hard to believe the cat wouldn't be at least somewhat smitten by her? But so far the cat's only felt pity for her and been surprised by her. I think the reason I feel his speech patterns more closely match Tsukasa is because it's more in line with the way Tsukasa treats people than the way Amane/Hanako tends to treat people (specifically Nene.)

Sorry if this answer was somewhat unsatisfactory! But thank you for the question. Someday it would be fun to take a deeper, better-researched dive into the speech patterns of the Yugi Twins, I think!

To end off...

1. The lantern flower usually symbolises “life within death” because when the “lantern” withers away, it looks like a fruit living within a skeleton shell. I think that makes it quite apt for the supernaturals like the cat and Amane :)

2. The lantern flower is toxic to cats! I think that makes its presence next to the cat in chp 123 all the more fascinating. Do you have any thoughts about this?

Thank you!

These are such fun facts. Thank you for researching and sharing with me!

The part about it being toxic to cats is especially funny to me... Did AidaIro know that or not...? Well, either way, it's not like he's a real cat anyway... he used to be a human, and now he's clockwork... There was never any threat to him!

If this cat IS Tsukasa then he’s even more dramatic than Hanako lmao which makes sense, since he seeks to mimic him a lot.

I’m interested in seeing him with other emotions ngl and a view of his own. Everything so far has been Amane or the entity and him which .. actually

Did Kako say that the root of the problem is Tsukasa or the demon god pit thing? Cause English translations make it seem that Tsukasa is straight up being possessed and I assume that’s as accurate as possible? Or is it less possession and more of a willing host cause in the new timeline, Tsukasa seems to be unable to have any agency for himself but if he still jumped into the pit at 4, just like the old timeline, how come in the new one, Tsukasa isn’t a willing hosts but in the old one, he is? 🤔 surely the same timeline consistencies happened like Amane is sick and Tsukasa wishes for him to get better?

Kako in the Japanese version does refer to the root of the trouble (災いの根) being the entity living inside Tsukasa, yeah.

The issue is that these claims are coming from other characters and not Tsukasa himself or even the entity. So that's why I'm not fully on board with the "Tsukasa is possessed" or "Tsukasa is doing this against his will" interpretations.

Anyway, about the new timeline... er... I'm not sure!!? I think you're referring to posts I made speculating that the rumor "Tsukasa-kun" at Kamome Academy is actually still Tsukasa. And it's totally possible I could have been wrong about that!

I have to presume Tsukasa still sacrificed himself if Amane didn't die from illness, but maybe he didnt...? Yugi-sensei implies he sacrificed his brother and parents to the Red House, after all. But how does Kitty Tsukasa fit into all this? Because right now it's looking like there are two different Tsukasas if one was a human that was sacrificed to the Red House and the other is a wind-up toy cat...

...Erm. It's very confusing! I almost wonder if the Clock Keepers somehow got a version of Tsukasa from the old timeline and turned him into a cat as opposed to the young Tsukasa of the new timeline. But I'm not sure how they would've done that either. Even if we say that the Tsukasa at school is the Entity, it's still difficult to imagine how Tsukasa was turned into a cat. How were the Clock Keepers able to take Tsukasa away from the Entity if he was sacrificed? Wouldn't he be trapped in the Red House? And isn't it a little messed up to punish a dead little baby by turning him into a cat???