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. Like Henry from Horrid Henry (The TV show), Matakichi isn't a troublemaker. He's just a cool guy who likes doing whatever he feels like. He gets into fights, but it's only to protect the people he cares about, like Chikuwa, or to retaliate against someone who struck him first. If anything, characters like Leo and Beat are the real delinquents since they either bully others or force them to listen to long-winded, egotistical speeches.

You can be a tough guy, but that doesn't mean you should cause trouble just to become a nuisance to others.

When I say I got hooked on this manga, I really mean it. I've been so into it that I've tried to archive as much as I could. Since I know so much about Namenayo! I thought I'd create a shrine dedicated to the manga and everything surrounding it.

Click on a link to learn more about Namenayo! and it's cast!