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Catbus

anime character

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 26, 2026
Entity authorityQ4236159
Source-derived summary

Catbus (Japanese: ねこバス, Hepburn: Nekobasu) is a fictional character in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is a large, grinning, twelve-legged cat with a large bushy tail and a hollow body that serves as a bus, with windows and seats covered with fur. In the original Japanese version of My Neighbor Totoro, Catbus is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta, and it was voiced by Frank Welker and Carl Macek in the English-language versions.

Legacy

Catbus has gained popular reception since the release of My Neighbor Totoro. It has been described as "one of the most iconic characters from Studio Ghibli" as well as "almost as recognizable as Totoro himself". It has inspired merchandise such as clothing, toys, and a vehicle at Ghibli Park in Nagakute. Additionally, Catbus's baby, Kittenbus, stars in a sequel to My Neighbor Totoro titled Mei and the Kittenbus.

The velvet worm species Eoperipatus totoro was named such due to how the species resembles the Catbus in its elongated, multi-legged appearance.

See also

List of fictional cats

List of fictional cats in film

List of fictional buses

References

Further reading

Watsuki Nobuhiro (2005). The Art of My Neighbor Totoro.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Catbus” is anime character. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Catbus, anime and character, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2005—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Catbus, anime and character is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “anime character” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4236159. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2005.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Catbus”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Catbus primary sources, Catbus archive and Catbus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Catbus”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Catbus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.