Toro Inoue

Toro (トロ), full name Toro Inoue (井上トロ, Inoue Toro), also known as the Sony Cat, is a fictional character created by Sony Computer Entertainment. He is an anthropomorphized cat who participates in numerous events and tries to act like a human.^[1]

Toro first appeared in the PlayStation game Doko Demo Issyo, and has since appeared in every PlayStation platform. While not as popular in the west, he serves as Sony's mascot in Japan - in particular, of the PlayStation Network.

Character

The character is an anthropomorphized white cat of a super deformed design style. Toro is characterized by its big, trapezoid-shaped face, a rectangular-shaped body, and its vast variety of face expressions. Toro's family name originated from a debugger called Toro 'Inoue' (井上 Inoue).

Character profile:

• Birthday: May 6
• Favorite foods: chūtoro, oratosquilla oratoria, nattō roll
• Dislikes: to be put in a box made from corrugated fiberboard

Video game appearances

Toro first appeared in July 1999 as the main character (chatterbot) in the video game Doko Demo Issyo (also transliterated as Doko Demo Issho and meaning "Together Anywhere") on the Sony PlayStation, and included support for the PocketStation.

Though not referenced directly, there are several cat villagers that bear a striking resemblance to Toro in the Nintendo game series, Animal Crossing.

In 2004, Dokodemo Issho was released on the PlayStation Portable, a free demo being available in the Japanese PlayStation Store.

Toro stars in the PlayStation 3 title Mainichi Issho ("Everyday Together"), a talk show-like game where Toro delivers daily news together with Kuro, his black cat neighbor. Players can also answer trivia questions to win game money (Myale) and prizes such as furniture to decorate Toro's in-game apartment; an online IQ versus test game is also possible. Mainichi Issho is available free of charge download in the Japanese PlayStation Store only. A sequel to the game titled Weekly Toro Station was released on November 2009 as a replacement for Mainichi Issho.

Toro is a playable character in Everybody's Golf 5.^[2] He also appears as a playable character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, with Kuro assisting him during one of his super attacks.^[3]

Toro is the main character of the free downloadable PlayStation Vita game Toro's Friend Network, in which the player must help him make friends so that he can save Kuro who has been kidnapped.

Guest and cameo appearances

Toro and Kuro both appear as exclusive fighters for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Street Fighter X Tekken by Capcom, in which Toro mimics Ryu's fighting style, while Kuro mimics Kazuya's fighting style.^[4] This was their first game appearance outside Japan, predating PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (both are fighting games that were released in 2012). Toro alone appears in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F (available with the "Popipo Special Edition" downloadable content), where his appearance is used for multiple accessories and he stars in the "PoPiPo (Toro and Kuro special edition)" PV.^[5]

Toro and Kuro both appear as NPCs during specific quests in White Knight Chronicles 2.^[6] Toro and Kuro also appear in the MMO Phantasy Star Online 2 as Vita exclusive NPCs that the players can take with them on missions, and can eventually get them as MAGs for their characters. Toro is summonable by the player in Destiny of Spirits.

Toro costumes appear in LittleBigPlanet (available as a downloadable content),^[7] and in Tales of Graces f^[8] and Tales of Hearts R. Sony also made Toro and Kuro a free DLC plush for the player's character to wear in Tokyo Jungle for the PlayStation Network.^[9] In celebration of Toro's 15th birthday, and the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation, crossover images featuring Toro, Kuro and Freedom Wars characters were released.^[10]

References

External links

• Doko Demo Issyo official website (Japanese)