List of Samurai Pizza Cats characters

The following is a list of Samurai Pizza Cats characters.

Contents 1 Heroes 2 Allies 3 Villains 4 Mecha 5 References

Heroes

In Japan, the heroes are known as the Himitsu Ninja Tai Nyanki ("Secret Ninja Team Nyanki").

• Speedy Cerviche (pronounced "ser-vee-chay") (Yattarō ヤッ太郎): Speedy Cerviche is the leader of the Samurai Pizza Cats.^[1] As his name implies, Speedy is nimble and fast on his toes, a trait which comes in handy both when delivering pizzas and when fighting crime. He wields the magical Ginzu sword (Masamasa), whose power is unleashed in almost every episode as Speedy's special attack, the Cat's Eye Slash. Speedy is very self-confident and loves to pose for the camera after each victory. He has a sharp sense of humor and often provides sarcastic and witty dialogue but remains very committed to his duties. He has green eyes and wears white armor. There has been controversy over the spelling of his name. Initially it was thought that Speedy's surname was spelled "Service" ("service" pronounced with Italian phonics sounds like "ser-vee-chay," making the name "Speedy Service" a tidy pun). However, most official packaging (such as the VHS box for the movie) spells his name "Cerviche," making it the de facto spelling. Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche or seviche) is actually a seafood dish prepared not by cooking but by using citrus to treat the meat. Voice: Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese), Rick Jones (English)

• Polly Esther (Pururun プルルン): Polly Esther is the only girl on the team. Although Speedy is the leader, Polly does her fair share of bossing her teammates around. She has a dynamic, independent personality, but a dangerously short and violent temper. Polly battles evil with the power of love: she plays a flute when going into battle, her projectile weapons are heart-shaped, she has a sword with hearts on the handle (Kirakira), and she can charm foes to make them move in the range of her razor-sharp claws. She has blue eyes and wears red and pink armour. While Guido and Speedy never remove most of their armour even at work (a parody of Superman hiding his identity only by wearing glasses), Polly removes her armour on two occasions, during which she is shown with short red hair and a hairband upon which her ears sit. Her name is a play on the word polyester. Voice: Ai Orikasa (Japanese), Sonja Ball (English)

• Guido Anchovy (Sukashii スカシー): Guido Anchovy is the resident cool dude of the group. Tall, dark-furred, and a smooth talker, he is often seen chasing after girls, although he has little success in romance. Guido's weapon of choice is the Samurai Sunspot Umbrella,^[2] which can fire rings, fire a heat beam, be spun to hypnotize enemies, and be used as a club (when closed) or a shield (when open). Its handle conceals Guido's sword (Pikapika). Guido has red eyes and wears blue armour. His name is a reference to the anchovy fish, and Guido is common Italian given name, and is also used as a slang term for a young, male Italian-American in New York. Voice: Juurouta Kosugi (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)

Allies

• The Narrator: Always unseen in the English version and only seen once in the Japanese version, the Narrator provides voiceover for the episodes and interacts with the characters. Like Speedy, he often makes witty or sarcastic comments, many of which spoof plot holes and clichés, and even reads the wrong narration in one episode of the US version. Occasionally, in the US version, some of his lines are changed, and a different, more "politically correct" Narrator takes over. For instance, the original Narrator's line, broadcast in Canada, was: "And so, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Samurai Pizza Cats, movie-goers around the world can thrill to yet another pointless display of senseless violence and meaningless destruction!" while the US version used the PC Narrator's voice and was changed to: "movie-goers around the world can thrill to yet another heroic display of untamed bravery and never-ending action!" Voice: Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)

• Francine (Otama おタマ): Francine is the feline owner of the Pizza Cat Restaurant. She does not actively participate in missions, but still plays a vital role. Wherever the Samurai Pizza Cats are needed, either to deliver a pizza or to battle evil, she operates the launching cannon (in a parody of the live-action Japanese film Cyber Ninja) which blasts the heroes in the air toward their destination. She also handles communications and finances, and is known in the English language version for speaking in rhyme. Various sources (including the IMDB) often list Francine's surname as being Manx, but her last name is never actually given in the show. Manx — referring to a breed of cat — was improvised by a fan, and has since been widely adopted as fanon. Voice: Satomi Koorogi (Japanese), Pauline Little (English)

• The Rescue Team (Otasuke Ninja): Whenever the Samurai Pizza Cats are in serious trouble, they ring the bell on their collars, alerting Francine to call part or all of the Rescue Team into action. Ironically, one lone member of the Rescue Team is usually able to accomplish what the three front-line heroes could not. The Rescue Team comprises four more cats, each with a different ability based on one of the classic four elements:
  • General Catton (Rikinoshin リキノシン): a play on real life's General Patton, Catton has a pair of flamethrowing cannons on his back. He is the leader of the Rescue Team. He generally speaks in clichés ("I have not yet begun to fight! You ain't seen nothin' yet!"). Voice: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)
  • Bat Cat (Mietoru ミエトル): this cat uses a wing and propeller device to become airborne. His English name is most likely a play on Batman, though he does not resemble the character. Voice: Tsutomu Kashiwakura (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)
  • Meowzma O' Tool (Gotton ゴットン): this member of the Rescue Team has drills on his gloves, helmet, and tail that allow him to burrow under the earth. Voice: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Rick Jones (English)
  • Spritz T. Cat (Nekkii ネッキー): unlike most cats, Spritz loves the water. He uses high pressure water jets. The "T." stands for "the." His name is a play on Fritz the Cat, a comic book character created by Robert Crumb. Voice: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Mark Camacho (English)

The Rescue Team demonstrates some Super Sentai-like abilities: the members can combine their powers by joining their backpacks into unlikely weapons. Spritz and the General create what appears to be an acid-shooting machine gun, and Bat Cat and Meowzma create what was referred to once in the English series as the "singing robot wrecking rotor," which fires an electrified vortex. Finally, all four members can combine their equipment into a larger energy cannon (the "Super-Duper Wonder Weapon") that must be supported by the whole team and fires a blast nearly equivalent to that of the Ginzu sword.

• Lucille (Omitsu おミツ , Omi-chan おみっちゃん): a sheep and owner of a tea house, Lucille is the main object of both Speedy's and Guido's affections, and a primary cause of conflict between them. Her hairstyle and shoulder pads conceal a number of homing missiles, which are launched in Itano Circus fashion whenever she gets overly-emotional. She has an older brother named Wally, who works as a sushi chef. Her Japanese name, Omitsu, may be a reference to the character Omitsu from Ganbare Goemon, with whom she shares many similarities, such as her occupation and relationship to the main characters. Despite being female, she possesses ram-like horns. Voice: Yuko Mizutani (Japanese), Susan Glover (English)

• Big Al Dente (Inuyama Wanko-no-Kami 犬山ワンコー守): a dog, Big Al is chief of the Palace Guard. He is also the boss of the Samurai Pizza Cats and assigns their missions. His name is a reference to the al dente pasta cooking method. Voice: Kōzō Shioya (Japanese), A.J. Henderson (English)

• Emperor Fred (Shogun Tokugawa Iei Iei 徳川イエッイエッ): a panda and legal ruler of Little Tokyo, Emperor Fred does not hold any real power because he is insane and tends to act like a scat singer (according to one of the other characters, he lost his sanity after having his wisdom teeth removed). His usual utterance is simply his name ("Fuh-RED!"), and on some occasions he takes to scat singing. However, he does speak coherently in at least four episodes. He is married, but his wife only appears in the episode "Princess Vi's Hippy Dippy Mom" when she comes home from traveling the world; she also has a cameo in the last episode "The Big Comet Caper". Voice: Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)

• Princess Vi (Tokugawa Usako 徳川ウサコ): full name Violet, Princess Vi is the young rabbit daughter of Emperor Fred, and unofficial ruler of Little Tokyo. She is rather spoiled, selfish, petty, and temperamental. She has a tendency to banish all who displease her to Prisoner Island (which is actually a tropical paradise) or, later, Extras Island when the former is overcrowded. Princess Vi is devoted to her absent mother, and they have a very unusual family dynamic—they try to beat each other up when they first re-unite. Her name is a reference to Princess Di. She also seems to have a crush on Bad Bird and wants to marry him instantly, however Bad Bird has his own reasons by running away from her. In the series, she fails to marry him three times (Field of Screwballs, All You Need Is Love, and Princess Vi's Happy Dippy Mom). She did not find someone else when the series ended. Voice: Maria Kawamura (Japanese), Susan Glover (English)

• Guru Lou (Nekomata Reikainosuke 猫股霊界之介, Daisensei 大先生): an old cat, Guru Lou lives alone in the mountains outside Little Tokyo. Whenever the Samurai Pizza Cats are in great trouble, they seek his advice, however reluctant he may be to give it. Through his own ineptitude, he helped the Pizza Cats unlock the power of the Supreme Catatonic. Voice: Kenichi Ogata (Japanese), Walter Massey (English)

• Carla (Okara おカラ): a crow, and Bad Bird's childhood sweetheart; she loved him as a child, and still has feelings for him. She calls him Birdie. She looks like a crow, raven, or tengu creature; she has orange hair and wears red ribbons in it. She works as a clown in the local circus. Voice: Chieko Honda (Japanese), Sonja Ball (English)

• Mother/Momma Mutt and Junior (Itsumono Oya and Itsumono Ko 伊津茂乃母, 伊津茂乃子): a small but constant part of the show, this canine mother and her son appear to make a silly comment every time the Samurai Pizza Cats blast off on a mission. They can be surprisingly sharp-tongued, making social criticism toward both their own world and the real world. In KNT, they may have been tanuki instead of dogs. When the group traveled to the past, Junior's grandmother was shown to be very similar to him. Voices: Momma Mutt: Yuko Mizutani (Japanese), Sonja Ball (English); Junior: Ai Orikasa (Satomi Koorogi in first episode) (Japanese), Pauline Little (English)

• The New York Pizza Cats: Little Tokyo is not the only city under the protection of a Pizza Cat team. Episode 38, "A Mission in Manhattan", involved the Samurai Pizza Cats traveling to the city of New York and meeting their counterparts:
  • The Sundance Kid (Michael). The shortest of the New York Cats, he uses twin six-shooters against his adversaries with pinpoint accuracy. Voice: Ryo Horikawa (Japanese), Rick Jones (English)
  • Deedee (Madonna). A tall and curvaceous cat who uses a whip to punish the bad guys. Voice: Hiromi Tsuru (Japanese), Sonja Ball (English)
  • Cosmo (Prince). Like Deedee, he is taller than the Samurai Cats, and is suave and agile. He uses a rapier in combat. Voice: Show Hayami (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)

Villains

• Seymour Cheese (Kitsunezuka Ko'on-no-Kami 狐塚コーン守): the prime minister of Little Tokyo; more often referred to as the Big Cheese. In the Japanese version he is a fox, but in the English version he identifies himself as a rat, a modification to reinforce his position as an enemy to the cats. He is the prime antagonist of Little Tokyo, and the Supreme Commander of the Ninja Crow Clan. He tries to seize control of the city, but is invariably thwarted by the heroes or his own incompetence. He has the bad habit of literally exploding with anger every time he is disappointed at his failure, which usually happens near the end of every episode. He has a large extended family of many nationalities all over the world, all who are involved in crime and mayhem, and also have his quirk of exploding when angered. The Big Cheese is a flamboyant and openly gay showoff, prone to overacting, crossdressing (usually a cheerleader outfit), and flirting with male subordinates. His voice is strongly reminiscent of comedian Paul Lynde. His English name is a pun on "See more cheese". Voice: Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese), Dean Hagopian (English)

• Jerry Atric (Karasu Gennarisai カラス幻ナリ斉): a bald, elderly crow, Jerry Atric is the Big Cheese's trusted advisor and boss of the Ninja Crows. His voice of reason counterbalances the Big Cheese's impulsive nature. He is second in command of the Ninja Crows. His name is a play on the word geriatric, which refers to the elderly or the branch of medicine dealing with treating the elderly. Voice: Naoki Tatsuta (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)

• Bad Bird (Karamaru カラ丸): a crow, Bad Bird is the youngest leader and the first among the Big Cheese's army of ninja crows. He could be in his twenties (20s) or thirties (30s) years old. He is the arch-nemesis of the Samurai Pizza Cats and rival of Speedy. He executes most of the Big Cheese's plans. Bad Bird and his henchmen follow the age-old archetype of raven ninja, or Tengu. Bad Bird usually wears a Japanese monk outfit (an outfit with a giant concial straw hat) when he's going out. Bad Bird is the only bad guy to reform and he has a girlfriend name Carla Crow. Voice: Koichi Yamadera (Japanese), Michael O'Reilly (English)

• Ninja Crows (Karasu Ninja): Jerry Atric and the Big Cheese's personal army of henchmen, these crows are led by Bad Bird. There are both males and females in the group. They are often the first to face the Pizza Cats in battle, and, with a few exceptions, are defeated easily because of their lack of training. When they are not doing any evil schemes for the Big Cheese, they serve as his bodyguards, chauffeurs, deliverymen, machine builders, laundromats, housekeepers, maids, baby sitters, errand boys/girls, and other odd jobs. Voice: Rick Jones (English)

• Yard Bird (Choinaa Nana Gou): a hyperactive and very fast flightless bird that appeared in only a few episodes, mainly as the Big Cheese's delivery boy. He has a design defect that causes him to explode if he stops moving for more than two seconds. In KNT, the character was modeled after Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Japanese reading Jakkii Joinaa-Kaashii, Choinaa rhymes with Joinaa), the Olympic gold medalist, while his English name is derived from the famous 1960s English rock band The Yardbirds (which is itself derived from the nickname of jazz legend Charlie Parker). Voice: Mizutani Yuuko (Japanese), Mark Camacho (English)

• The Rude Noise (Yami no Yon Nin Shu): a heavy metal band of four crows that is sometimes hired by the Big Cheese, the Rude Noise are the villains' equivalent of the Rescue Team. The Rude Noise is composed of:
  • Bad Max, a.k.a. Crow Magnon (Zankaa ザンカア): Leader of the Rude Noise. His name is a play on Mad Max, a character from a movie by the same name, played by Mel Gibson; his alias is a play on the prehistoric man of the Cro-magnon caves. His outfit has axes, an eye patch. Voice: Yasunori Matsumoto (Japanese), Arthur Grosser (English)
  • Cannonball Battery (Bonkaa ボンカア): His name is a play on famous jazz saxophonist Julian Cannonball Adderley. He has a high-pitched voice, which is diametric to his rather large size. He also tends to make strange comments, such as wondering if hair coloring works on feathers. Big blue armor crow. Voice: Kōzō Shioya (Japanese), Terrence Scammell (English)
  • Mojo Rojo (Rekkaa レッカア):wears a red armor. Voice: Hiroyuki Shibamoto→Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese), Rick Jones (English)
  • Ronnie Geissmuller (Wokkaa ウォッカア): His name is a play on Johnny Weissmuller. His armor his green. Voice: Masami Kikuchi (Japanese), Rick Jones (English)

The Rude Noise also have a Sentai-like ability that has been demonstrated in at least two versions. Both of these group attacks are preceded by some sort of formation flight of the crows which is followed by an emission of thick, black smoke. The first group technique conjures a giant indestructible robot. The other technique was called "Operation: Smogberry, Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" (in the English version), where the Rude Noise become a giant crow made of a murderous miasma of smoke that makes dive bombing attacks.

Mecha

Each episode features at least one Mecha, usually as part of the villains' plot to take over Little Tokyo. However, the Samurai Pizza Cats also have some technology at their disposal.

• The Supreme Catatonic (Nyago King ニャゴーキング): a giant robot that aids the Pizza cats whenever they get into a tight spot. The Catatonic is summoned by a signal sent out by Speedy's Ginzu sword. It has two forms: Sphinx mode, which is the form it assumes when not being used, and a giant robot form for battling. The Supreme Catatonic is also what launches the Goonie Birds. The robot is armed with fish-themed weapons, such as a fish spear and fish blaster. Polly and Guido normally operate the robot in battle. When not being used, the Supreme Catatonic is stored in a statue in Mt. Coochie. The name is a reference to the catatonic state.

• Goonie Birds: Pterodactyl-like robot suits. They are ejected from the Sphinx's mouth before it changes into its robot form. They transform the Cats into their Extra Topping Pizza Cats mode, thus giving them the ability of flight.

• Villain of the day: Nearly every episode presented a unique villain mecha central to the plot. Mecha used by the villains included a "double-decker" robot based on the father and son from "Lone Wolf and Cub" named The Monster Masher (based on the classic song), a giant hot-tub robot (used to scare people into joining health spas), Long Tall Sally (a play on the song lyric of the same name), the Samurai Sun-Spot 16 Robot (an orbital fan-dancing robot that blocked the sun from Little Tokyo, preventing the Pizza Cats from recharging their solar powers), and others.

References