Black Cat

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Black Cat
Biographical Information
Japanese	クロ猫
Rōmaji	Kuro Neko
Alias	Kuro's Inner Self
Personal Information
Birthday	1st August
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Status
Status	Alive
First Appearance
Manga Debut	Chapter 5 (Vol. 1)
Anime Debut	Episode 3
Portrayal
Japanese Voice	Yuki Kaji
English Voice	Chuck Huber

Black Cat (クロ猫 Kuro Neko) is a small anthropomorphic black cat that appeared in Kuro's mind. He is a part of Kuro and the one in charge of his power.

Appearance

The Black Cat takes the appearance of a black cat doll with a long unruly tail, red round eyes, and stitches around his ears and on his mouth. When Mahiru entered Kuro's mind the second time, he is shown to wear a witch hat.

In his true form, the Black Cat looks identical to Kuro. He's of the same height and build as Kuro with black hair, red eyes and pale skin. He wears a dark jacket, a collared shirt that appears to have stitches in the front, dark pants and shoes. He is shown to have stitches on the corners of his mouth and horns on his forehead.

He is also shown to have two large black nails piercing his hands, as well as one embedded into his chest.

Personality

The Black Cat seems to represent Kuro's inner feelings as he always points out what Kuro truly feels whenever the latter tries to hide it.

Storyline

First Encounter

The Black Cat congratulates Mahiru for his birthday.

The Black Cat first appears when Mahiru's consciousness enters Kuro's mind. The Black Cat welcomes Mahiru by congratulating him on his "birthday" and tells the Eve that they are inside Kuro. He motions Mahiru to follow him so he can give the Eve his birthday gift, which Mahiru assumed to be his Lead. He explains to Mahiru that he is a part of Kuro and is in charge of the Servamp's power. He then shows Mahiru a pile of gifts and tells him that he can choose whichever one he like. He warns Mahiru, however, that once he chooses he can't return to this place but he'll become an adult that can protect others. He explains that Mahiru's end will be the same no matter what he choose, though the routes he can take are all different and what's important is that his answer matches who he is.

Battle Against Sakuya, Berkia, and Otogiri

The Black Cat gets drowned by Mahiru's overflowing feelings.

When Mahiru starts to doubt his power and choice, this also affects Kuro, prompting Mahiru's feeling to overwhelm and seep into Kuro. Inside Kuro's mind, the Black Cat is drowning due to Mahiru's overflowing mind, asking Kuro what they should do. He then states that if Mahiru never met Kuro, he wouldn't have become this way and when Kuro does something, the world always falls under misfortune. This causes Kuro to lose control of his power and it manifests into the form of a much bigger version of the Black Cat as it slowly tries to engulf Mahiru. Fortunately, this was stopped by the Servamp of Envy, Jeje, who shoots Kuro several times until he changes back into his cat form.

Captured by C3

The Black Cat taunts Kuro's contradicting actions and words.

When Kuro and Mahiru got captured by C3 and try to find a way out, Kuro reveals to Mahiru that there still many things he hasn't told the Eve but he refuse to tell him because Mahiru will definitely involve himself into vampire business. To Kuro's surprise, Mahiru honors Kuro's wish and decides to trust him, allowing him to keep the story until Kuro himself is ready to tell him. Kuro hides his surprise by feigning disinterest. When separated from Mahiru, the Black Cat appears and points out how pathetic Kuro is for being happy after hearing Mahiru's words and reminds him that C3 makes him remember lots of things. The Black Cat continues to taunt Kuro by telling Kuro that he is nervous of how Mahiru will react if he knew about "that" and how he is getting lost right now. He points out that Kuro is pathetically lost as shown by the fact that his words and actions are all contradictory. The Black Cat then suggests that they break down C3 while they are at the place since they hate C3. All these thoughts clearly disturb Kuro who forcefully pushes it away.

Kuro's Past

The Black Cat offers stronger weapons for Mahiru.

Kuro suddenly becomes a black ball and unable to get out after encounter against Tsubaki's subclass, Higan, so Mahiru takes him to Mikuni's shop where Mikuni's acquaintance, Johann, gives Mahiru a drink that sends him to Kuro's mind once more. The Black Cat tells Mahiru that Kuro doesn't want to see him, but Mahiru doesn't buy it and keeps looking for Kuro until he reaches a door under the desert where the Black Cat is waiting him. The Black Cat changes Mahiru's clothes into a black suit and makes him sit and watch a fragment of Kuro's memories. After witnessing Kuro's memory, the Black Cat muses that the only thing eternal as long as Mahiru is a human is the sin of man. Mahiru then finds himself holding the Black Cat upside down, prompting him to let the cat go. The Black Cat expresses his seeming disappointment that Mahiru came this far, stating that he should just leave Kuro alone. He then suggests that Mahiru pry open one of Kuro's secrets so he may learn many things. He offers to give Mahiru another weapon stronger than broom so he can break the secrets and he should break them all open. However, Mahiru just wants Kuro to let him in so he doesn't need weapon.

C3 Troubles Continue

Mahiru wakes up at a school desk to the Black Cat explaining the nature of Jinn using a blackboard. While Mahiru is confused, the Black Cat continues on undisturbed, referencing a textbook and an upcoming assignment. As he gains greater awareness, the Black Cat tells him that they are in a space that represents Mahiru’s mind: unlike the previous meetings, where they were in Kuro’s mind. Mahiru reacts negatively to that, but is interrupted by a young boy. The young boy is a manifestation of Tsurugi’s thoughts, which have entered Mahiru’s inner world. The Black Cat fusses over the young Tsurugi, confused as to how it could end up there. After Mahiru talks with Tsurugi, the Black Cat tries to interject, reasoning that it’s pointless for Mahiru to try to save and understand him. Mahiru dismisses his worries, patting the Black Cat on the head.

Once Kuro retrieves the black box from Touma, Mahiru uses Elpis. Transported inside Touma’s inner world, Mahiru awakes in the bottom of a well. The Black Cat congratulates Mahiru on his success and then reiterates that Mahiru’s quest is pointless and that he should give up on trying to understand others. Given Mahiru’s shorter lifespan, the Black Cat reasons he should try achieving something else. Mahiru disagrees, explaining how trying to understand others gives his life meaning, however short it may be. He then calls Black Cat “Kuro”. As the Black Cat warns Mahiru against using that name, they’re interrupted by the ground shaking. When the tremor stops, the Black Cat is nowhere to be seen. Later, the Black Cat appears when Touma talks about his motivation behind creating more Servamps.

By Any Other Name

Kuro and Mahiru visit Gear's house. As Mahiru looks around, he hears a voice calling for his attention. Searching for the source, the voice guides his attention to a black rose in a vase. Mahiru is drawn into Kuro’s inner world, appearing upside down before an unknown man. The figure welcomes him with a familiarity that confuses Mahiru, quickly falling down to the floor. Mahiru notices the figure’s resemblance to Kuro, and the figure questions Mahiru’s confusion between their appearances. It then recounts Mahiru’s past experiences with it, from as early as helping Mahiru with his lead, to when they met in the desert of Kuro’s mind. Mahiru finally recognizes this figure as the Black Cat.

The Black Cat becomes eager, suggesting that Mahiru must have come to get a certain power. It leads Mahiru to a memory of a younger Sleepy Ash, before the real Kuro himself intervenes and pulls Mahiru back into the waking world. While Gear, Mahiru, and Kuro have a discussion, the Black Cat can be heard faintly chuckling from inside the flower. Kuro then decides to open up to Mahiru about his past.

In the distant past, a bereft Sleepy Ash confesses to Gear about his vampirism. He claims that at night, the Black Cat takes over his body and forces him to drink blood. Gear agrees to perform a ritual on Sleepy Ash that will allow him to separate the Black Cat from himself, manifesting its power in a flower. Sleepy Ash insists that Gear get rid of it, but Gear secretly keeps it.

Mahiru in the present day asks about the identity of the Black Cat, and Gear can’t say for certain. He reveals that the source of these Inner beings are unknown, but they are likely the source of a Servamp’s immortality and superhuman abilities. Kuro is reluctant to re-absorb the rose, as the uncontrollable strength might force him to go after and end Mahiru’s life. After Mahiru settles down for the night, Kuro comes to rest outside of his door. The Black Cat is shown as a shadowed silhouette, before creeping over Mahiru’s bed, a candelabra in hand.

Entering the Inner World

Kuro decides to eat the rose and face the Black Cat. The inner world is brought to life, and the Black Cat relishes in their proper reunion. After taunting Kuro, it begins to fight him, smashing a candelabra over his head. In the outer world, Kuro has transformed into a raging black lion.

As the fighting continues, the Black Cat has the upper hand. Kuro loses his jacket to the fire blasted his way. He tries to escape, questioning if this is even a proper fight. Back in the outer world, the gang has been fighting for nearly two days. The black lion seems to settle, melting away and leaving Kuro standing there. Excited, Mahiru rushes forward. Quickly, the Black Cat reveals itself to have taken over Kuro’s body, sending an attack forward. Gear engages in combat, with Yotaro providing support. The pair seem to be fairing well when a surprise attack leaves Gear seriously injured. Having received encouragement from Yotaro, Mahiru calls out Kuro’s name. Throwing his lead to use Elpis, a locked black box manifests on the figure’s chest and the lead transforms into its key.

Mahiru and Kuro are both knocked out, Kuro in his cat form. Meanwhile, Mahiru descends into the inner world, beckoned by the familiar ring of Kuro’s bell. Entering into a castle, he finds the Black Cat sitting on a throne with a large black rose, with what appears to be Kuro lying in a puddle of blood at his feet. Mahiru watches as unnamed figures reenact Kuro’s death as a human, and the Black Cat asks what Mahiru thinks of it. Opening up a story book, he recounts how mundane and ordinary human Kuro’s life was. Mahiru is summoned into its pages and tries to call out for Kuro, before realizing this is far away from the person he knows.

Mahiru and the Black Cat watch as Kuro’s human memories play out. A group of livestock went missing and the feudal lord will deal out a harsh punishment to all the villagers unless someone takes the blame. Recognizing someone has to do it—in a moment that resonates with Mahiru—‘Kuro’ volunteers. As ‘Kuro’ is skipping towards his inevitable end, Mahiru tries to intervene. The Black Cat restrains him, reminding Mahiru that this is only a recounting of the past. It then invites Mahiru to watch ‘Kuro’s death. As it unfolds, the Black Cat narrates about how human beings are mortal, but their sins and bad actions outlive them.

‘Kuro’ is then reborn as a vampire, Sleepy Ash. Sleepy Ash’s creator tells him that his entire village was sacrificed in the process. Given Sleepy Ash’s desire to save everyone, this causes him to fall into anguish. He is overwhelmed by his darkness and turns into a black lion— a form of the Black Cat. The Black Cat tells Mahiru that because Sleepy Ash rejected it, it only became stronger. Every night it would take over Sleepy Ash’s body, until Gear separated them.

Pulled back into the inner world, Mahiru regroups with what appears to be “Kuro”. They head out to find the Black Cat, but something about the scenario makes Mahiru feel uneasy. In the real world, darkness creeps out of Kuro’s cat body and grabs Mahiru’s body in a large claw. Gear is unable to stop the claw from dragging Mahiru’s body into a black puddle.

Back in the inner world, “Kuro” guides Mahiru closer to the core of Kuro’s psyche. Mahiru’s suspicions of “Kuro” are confirmed when the figure calls Mahiru weak, something the real Kuro would never do. The Black Cat reveals itself and attacks Mahiru, but Mahiru is hesitant to fight it when given his Spear lead. He transforms the lead into its broom form, and invites the Black Cat to join him on it. Baffled, the Black Cat hangs off Mahiru’s broom as they fly deeper into Kuro’s psyche.

Mahiru and the Black Cat arrive at human Kuro’s gravestone. Mahiru reads out Kuro’s human name and the real Kuro makes an appearance. The two discuss Kuro’s relationship to his creator and Mahiru surmises that many of the Servamp conditions were a result of the creator not wanting Kuro to be lonely. The Black Cat points out the nature of Kuro and Mahiru’s relationship: a contract that binds them forcibly together. If people didn’t make these obligations, nothing would connect them. Mahiru reasons that even without the contract, him and Kuro would have become friends. This breaks the chains of the contract and the Black Cat notes that this may interfere with the Count’s vision.

Mahiru asks Sleepy Ash what he would like to be called, and the Black Cat is surprised when the answer is ‘Kuro’. Kuro turns to the Black Cat and resolves to accept it as a part of himself. The Black Cat is overjoyed and confesses that the only reason it had caused Kuro strife was due to him rejecting it. It promises to protect the part of Kuro that is important, even if it may cause harm to others. Kuro re-absorbs the Black Cat, then him and Mahiru both pray beside the gravestone.  The Black Cat is seen hovering over it in its cat form, fading away.

Return to Reality

Kuro and Mahiru fall out of the inner world back into reality, winding up on an airplane. The two exit and do re-con on Mahiru’s broom. They hear the Black Cat’s voice and see it as a flame on the end of Kuro’s tail. It announces that the ritual has begun, pointing out the large flaming skeleton waltzing through the city. It explains that this thing is called “Pandora”, and it is sucking up the life force of the surrounding citizens, making its way to the summoner. The same process happened with Kuro’s village before his rebirth. It confirms that there’s no use trying to destroy parts of Pandora, as it will just reform.

Relationships

Mahiru

The Black Cat greets Mahiru every time he ventures into someone’s inner world. When it comes to navigating Kuro’s inner world, it often tries to distract Mahiru from the task at hand or dissuade him from continuing further. However, despite these interventions, it will usually guide Mahiru through memories and scenarios that he discovers. Mahiru finds the Black Cat strange, and anytime he asks the Black Cat about itself, it will usually dodge the question. When it comes to matters that don’t directly involve Kuro, the Black Cat is more open, such as explaining the true nature of Jinn.

The Black Cat seems excited to view Mahiru as a prospect for its power, as Kuro has long since rejected its strength. It will typically try to persuade Mahiru to choose its power or violence as a solution to his problems.

Kuro

The Black Cat is the demonic source of Kuro’s Servamp powers, and dwells within Kuro’s inner psyche. Upon becoming a Servamp, Sleepy Ash rejected his vampirism, and thus, its source: the Black Cat. Sleepy Ash’s rejection caused the Black Cat to become restless and take over Sleepy Ash’s body at night time, turning into a black lion. In this form, the Black Cat would cause Sleepy Ash to wreak havoc and destruction. This continued until he begged Gear to separate the Black Cat’s power from himself, keeping it contained within a black rose. While not cutting off the Black Cat entirely, it weakened Sleepy Ash’s abilities tremendously and limited further possession.

By the time Sleepy Ash meets Mahiru, the Black Cat and Sleepy Ash seem to have reached a tenuous state of cohabitation. The Black Cat will sometimes try to alert Kuro of dangers, but more often will just reinforce Kuro’s anxieties about himself and others. With Mahiru’s help, Kuro is able to accept the Black Cat as a part of him and they reconcile. Afterwards, their relationship is less adversarial, as the Black Cat pops up to provide commentary and helpful observations. In battle, Kuro is able to swap control between himself and the Black Cat with ease.

Trivia

• In a 2022 popularity poll, Black Cat came sixty first in the WEB version of the poll.