Cyborg Kuro-chan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids サイボーグクロちゃん (Saibōgu Kurochan)
Cyborg Kuro-chan
Cover of the first manga volume
Genre	Comedy
Manga
Written by	Naoki Yokouchi
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	September 1997 – December 2001
Volumes	11
Manga
Cyborg Kuro-chan: Extra Battle
Written by	Naoki Yokouchi
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	December 2002 – December 2005
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Yoshihiro Takamoto
Produced by	Akifumi Takayanagi Kouki Matsuura
Written by	Yū Yamamoto Takao Yotsuji
Music by	Kei Wakakusa Toshiyuki Arakawa
Studio	Studio Bogey
Network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run	2 October 1999 – 6 January 2001
Episodes	66
Game
Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!!
Publisher	Konami
Genre	Shoot 'em up
Platform	Game Boy Color
Released	23 March 2000
Game
Cyborg Kuro-chan 2: White Woods no Gyakushū
Publisher	Konami
Genre	Shoot 'em up
Platform	Game Boy Color
Released	19 October 2000
Game
Kaettekita Cyborg Kuro-Chan
Publisher	Konami
Genre	Shoot 'em up
Platform	PlayStation
Released	28 November 2002
Game
Pīlì Kù Yuè Māo
Developer	Lonaisoft
Publisher	Lonaisoft
Genre	Shoot 'em up
Platform	Microsoft Windows
Released	2002

Cyborg Kuro-chan (サイボーグクロちゃん, Saibōgu Kurochan) is a super fun Japanese manga and anime series. It was created by Naoki Yokouchi and first appeared in Comic BomBom magazine in September 1997. The story is about a normal housecat named Kuro. One day, he gets kidnapped by a crazy scientist! This scientist turns Kuro into a powerful cyborg cat. The scientist wants to use Kuro and other robot cats to take over the world. But Kuro breaks free from his control chip and escapes. He becomes a vigilante who fights for good. Kuro has many friends who help him on his adventures. They face challenges like city destruction, strange parallel universes, and even battles in outer space!

The Cyborg Kuro-chan manga was turned into an anime TV show. Studio Bogey made the anime for TV Tokyo. It aired from October 2, 1999, to January 6, 2001, with 66 episodes. Both the manga and anime became popular in many countries. There were also lots of toys and other cool stuff made based on the series.

What's the Story About?
Meet the Characters
Media
Images for kids
See also

What's the Story About?

Kuro is a regular housecat who lives with an old couple. They often need his help to keep burglars away. Kuro is very good at protecting them! He also has a crush on a neighborhood dog named Pooly. One day, while trying to tell Pooly how he feels, they both get hurt.

Then, Dr. Go, a mad scientist, kidnaps Kuro. Dr. Go turns Kuro into a super-strong cyborg with a steel body. Kuro becomes part of Dr. Go's "Nyan-Nyan Army," a group of robot cats meant to conquer the world. But Kuro is too strong-willed! He breaks the chip that controls him and escapes Dr. Go's lab, even destroying it a bit. Kuro realizes he can now walk on two legs and talk like a human! He tries to live a normal cat life, but Dr. Go and his Nyan-Nyan Army, including another cyborg cat named Mi, keep trying to catch him. Eventually, Dr. Go and Mi give up their world domination plans and try to live peacefully.

Kuro often has to save his owners and the city from danger. He faces many enemies, but Dr. Go and Mi sometimes even help him when things get really tough. Kuro and his friends often find themselves in strange and exciting situations they have to solve.

Meet the Characters

A picture showing some of the characters from the series.

Main Characters

Kuro (クロちゃん): He's the main hero! Kuro was a normal cat until Dr. Go turned him into a cyborg. He has a short temper and can get angry easily. But deep down, he's kind and cares a lot about his friends and owners. His main weapon is a Gatling gun. Before he was adopted, his name was Kid.
Dr. Go (剛くん): He's the mad scientist who created Kuro! Dr. Go first wanted to take over the world with his cyborg cats. But after Kuro escaped, his plans often went wrong. He eventually stops trying to conquer the world and lives a more peaceful life with Mi and Kotaro. Even though he and Kuro often fight, Kuro respects him as an inventor.
Mi (ミーくん): Mi is another cyborg cat made by Dr. Go. He was supposed to help Dr. Go take over the world. But Mi is actually very kind and noble. He often helps Dr. Go and even Kuro! Mi and Kuro are friendly rivals and sometimes get into fights. Mi uses a sword as his main weapon. He's also a great cook!
Matatabi (マタタビ): He's a regular tabby cat with a red cloak and an eyepatch. Matatabi was Kuro's childhood friend, but he became Kuro's enemy after an accident where he lost an eye. He hides many weapons in his cloak, and his favorite is a wooden boomerang. He can be serious, but also lazy and loves to eat. He's the only one who still calls Kuro "Kid."
Kotaro (コタロー): A super smart boy genius who wears a cat suit. He helps Dr. Go and Mi with their inventions and builds his own cool gadgets. Kotaro really looks up to Kuro and wants to be as powerful as him. He's amazing with technology and has a very high IQ.
Nana (ナナちゃん): She's a female robot that looks like a rabbit. Kotaro made her from a table lamp! Nana falls in love with Kuro, but Kuro doesn't feel the same way. Even though he rejects her, it's clear he cares about her. Nana is also very good at knitting and often makes scarves for Kuro.

Supporting Characters

Grandpa and Grandma (ジーサン、バーサン): They are the sweet old couple who own Kuro. They love him very much. They often get into trouble and need Kuro to rescue them. They don't know Kuro is a cyborg, and he tries to keep it a secret!
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木一郎): A schoolteacher who really admires Kuro. He's a big fan of anime and manga (an otaku). He often gets caught up in Kuro's crazy adventures.
Megumi (めぐみ): A brave female firefighter who Suzuki has a crush on. She's quick-thinking and good at her job.
Romeo (ロミオ) and Juliet (ジュリエット): They are a pair of alien robot lovers. They are always happy and positive, no matter what happens! They eventually get married and have a child.
Dunk (ダンク): Kotaro's robot lion friend. He used to be a normal lion but was badly hurt. Dr. Go turned him into a cyborg. Dunk is shy, gentle, and pure-hearted. Later, Kotaro's dad gives him the ability to talk using text boxes that appear above his head.
Chieko Okada (岡田チエコ): A girl who really dislikes Kuro. She has amazing supernatural powers like ESP (knowing things without seeing them) and telekinesis (moving things with her mind). She also has very big hair!

Bad Guys

Doctor White Woods (ドクターホワイトウッズ): Also known as Dr. Big in the anime. He's an American mad scientist who wanted to take over the world with powerful cyborg dogs. He only appeared a few times in the anime and manga.
Tendou (天道): He was Dr. Go's rival when they were students. Tendou is responsible for what happened to Mi's mother. Unlike Dr. Go, who uses robot cats, Tendou prefers dogs and is good at genetic engineering.
Nyan Nyan Army (ニャンニャンアーミー): This is a group of cyborg cats created by Dr. Go. Mi was the first one. Other members include #2 (Spyder), #3 (who wears a panda disguise), #4 (who hates Kuro), and #5 (who has a robot friend named Lassie). They were originally strays that Dr. Go took care of.

Media

Manga Comics

The Cyborg Kuro-chan manga series was first published in Comic BomBom magazine from September 1997 to December 2001. All the chapters were later collected into 11 manga books (called volumes) by Kodansha between 1998 and 2002. The manga was also released in other countries like Germany, France, and Indonesia.

A follow-up series, Cyborg Kuro-chan: Extra Battle (サイボーグクロちゃん番外バトル, Saibōgu Kurochan Bangai Batoru), was published from 2005 to 2006. It also had two volumes.

Anime TV Show

The Cyborg Kuro-chan anime series was made by Studio Bogey for TV Tokyo. It aired on Saturdays at 8:00 AM from October 2, 1999, to January 6, 2001. There were 66 episodes in total. The show was very popular, and even though more episodes were planned, production stopped after 66.

The opening song for the anime is Guruguru Kuro-chan by Lady Q. There were two ending songs: Positive Vibration by Sister K and Parapara Kuro-chan by Kyuu. The anime was shown in many countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. For example, it aired on channels like Spacetoon and Italia 1. In India, it was called Auto Cat.

In Japan, the anime was released on VHS tapes. Some episodes were also released on VCDs in countries like Indonesia and China. You can even find episodes uploaded on YouTube by Mondo World, who has the rights to distribute the series in Europe.

There were also three music CDs released for Cyborg Kuro-chan. The first CD single, Guru Guru Kuro-chan, came out in November 1999. A full soundtrack, Cyborg Kuro-chan: Strongest Uchimakuri Music Encyclopedia TV - Original Soundtrack, was released in June 2000. The last CD, Cyborg Kuro-chan Gatling mix, released in November 2000, had remixes of songs from the show.

Video Games and Toys

The cover of Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! for Game Boy Color.

Takara Tomy made many toys based on the characters. In 1999, they released action figures of Kuro and his friends with bendable parts and weapons. They also made trading cards. In 2000, they released four vehicle toys based on the "Battleborgs" from episode 19 of the anime, featuring Kuro, Mi, Matatabi, and Cyborg Kuro.

Konami published several video games based on the series.

Kaettekita Cyborg Kuro-Chan (帰ってきたサイボーグクロちゃん), a shoot 'em up game, was released for the PlayStation on November 28, 2002.
Two Game Boy Color games were also released:
- Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! (サイボーグクロちゃんデビル復活!!) on March 23, 2000.
- Cyborg Kuro-chan 2: White Woods no Gyakushū (サイボーグクロちゃん2 ホワイトウッズの逆襲) on October 19, 2000.

Official game guides were also made for these Game Boy Color games.

A Taiwanese company called Lonaisoft also released a Windows computer game in 2002. It was called Pīlì Kù Yuè Māo (霹靂酷樂貓). This game was a 2D platform shooter, a bit like the Mega Man games.

Images for kids

Promotional image of the characters of the series. Slapstick humor is combined with action, while accompanied by Yokouchi's distinctive style of drawing.
The cover of Cyborg Kuro-chan: Devil Fukkatsu!! for Game Boy Color.