Namenayo! Nameneko Matakichi's Strongest Legend (or just Namenayo!) is a manga drawn and written by Seto Kazuyoshi that's based on the highly popular Namenayo photographs created by Satoru Tsuda.

I bought a copy of the first volume alongside volumes of some other manga. I never really read it until that same night. Once I did, I instantly became hooked.


The manga centers around Matakichi, a delinquent cat who roams the city on his motorcycle, Tiger. Joining him is Chikuwa Idonaka, a good-natured high schooler who wants to support his struggling family. No matter where he goes, Matakichi makes new rivals and gets into intense fights or bike races while also dealing with average high school scenarios like winning dodgeball tournaments with incredible attack techniques and thwarting the school staff's attempts to make him late for school.

Why I Like Namenayo!

Part of the reason why I like Nameneko Matakichi's Strongest Legend is due to it's intensity and overall coolness. There's a huge level of absurdity that the manga prides itself in. Despite meaning business most of the time, the characters get so bizarre that they can easily catch you off guard. One minute, Matakichi crushes someone under his bike, and before you know it, he's fighting someone on a scaffolding using nothing but chains as a weapon while free falling. In a way, the manga takes its weirdness and somehow makes it all look so hardcore.

I just adore how Namenayo! focuses on all of these cats who are meant to be delinquents but aren't all that bad. They wear cool clothes, they get into fights, and some of them even race around on motorcycles. You can be a tough guy, but that doesn't mean you should cause trouble just to become a nuisance to others.

Most of the characters only fight because they want to protect the people they care about. This is especially true with Matakichi, who doesn't strike back against someone unless they strike him first.

I want to read the entire manga. But I only had the budget and time to buy the first volume. I want to buy all of them someday and enhance my love for Matakichi's Strongest Legend. There are always complete sets being sold and they're pretty affordable.