The tragic backstory of Yo-Kai Watch’s Jibanyan is based on a real-life incident

You’re famous now, kitty!

Jibanyan, one of Yo-Kai Watch‘s most popular mascots, has quite a sad tale to tell when players meet him in the game. He was once the loving companion of his owner, a girl named Amy, before he got run over by a truck and turned into a Yo-Kai. From then on, he spent his time in the afterlife trying to get revenge on passing cars at the intersection where he was killed. The cars always win.

In a recent interview, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino revealed that Jibanyan’s tragic origins were actually based on a personal experience of his. On his way home one day, he found an abandoned kitten on the side of the road and almost took it home with him.

“I passed it by at first, thinking that I probably couldn’t keep a cat at home, but it was just so cute, I thought to myself ‘I gotta do this!’ So I came back a few minutes later, but by that time, it had already been hit by a car.”

This really brings a whole new level of sadness to the Jibanyan character, but at the same time I think it’s awesome that the poor kitty has been immortalized in a video game. You rule, Jibanyan!