Toro Inoue, also known colloquially as “the Sony Cat”, is the main character of the Doko Demo Issyo series, and the unofficial mascot of Sony Interactive Entertainment, most prominently in Japan. He is a white bobtailed cat Pokepi (Pocket Person), known for having many distinct expressions and a tendency to dress up in various costumes in an attempt to display his humanity.
Origins
Toro first appeared as one of the five Pokepi in the original Doko Demo Issyo game, which was released in Japan on the PlayStation in July 22nd, 1999. He was most prominently featured in the game’s marketing, and its success saw him become a mascot for the PlayStation brand. As a result, he receives more focus in later entries of the series, serving as a main protagonist in more story-driven games.
During the PlayStation 3 era, Toro began finding more overseas fans through Mainichi Issho (Everyday Together) being a popular import download among those with Japanese PlayStation Network accounts. After Mainichi Issho’s discontinuation in 2009, Toro migrated to Weekly Toro Station, which ran until 2013.
Toro has remained mostly an icon of the East. Until recently, Doko Demo Issyo, and by extension Toro and his friends, have mostly evaded localisation. Most of his appearances outside of Japan consist of the numerous cameos he has made in many games primarily on Sony consoles, as a testament to his status as a mascot character.
Toro loves to dress up, and can be frequently seen wearing all manner of outfits and cosplays, even traditionally feminine outfits like skirts and dresses. He is often portrayed as gender ambiguous in the original Japanese media. He refers to himself in 3rd-person on occasion as well, giving his speech pattern a childish tone.
Story: Hello Kitty
When Toro was just a kitten, his parents had already passed away and he was left abandoned in a cardboard box. When no one would give him shelter, he ran away and wandered into an abandoned apartment, where he met a human and began to live with them. During this time he believed he was a human, and wanted to go to school and make friends. However, he eventually learned the nature of his existence as a cat and ran away again, becoming obsessed with the idea of becoming human.
He was eventually taken in by the elderly owner of a sushi restaurant, and was named Toro Inoue, after his favourite kind of sushi. Unfortunately, the owner passed away soon afterward, and Toro was alone again. Toro then wandered the world, in search of making his dream of becoming a human come true.
Toro’s wish is to become human, a goal he has sought in almost every game he has appeared in. He has tried many methods in an attempt to become human, with his most diligently chased idea being learning human words. He believes that he can become human in this manner, since he feels he needs to know what to say once he does become human.
He already seems to live a life very much like a human; he has owned an apartment and was later evicted, hosted a daily and weekly news program, along with many other activities. He still, however, meows and purrs frequently.
Legacy
Toro Inoue, became a mascot for the PlayStation brand. Gamesindustry.biz wrote in 2004 that Toro was “firmly established as a cultural icon in the Far East” as PlayStation’s mascot. The character was used in a variety of marketing materials in Japan, including billboards and television commercials. On several occasions, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Japan) and series developer BeXide have held public “birthday parties” for Toro featuring food, raffles, and charity events.
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine wrote in 2002 that Toro was used heavily as a mascot in Japan, but that the American Sony branch did not want a single mascot to represent the brand. Being mascots for the PlayStation brand, characters from the Doko Demo Issyo series have made a wide variety of crossover appearances in games on PlayStation platforms. While many of these cameos are exclusive to Japanese media, the ones that make it overseas make up the majority of Doko Demo Issyo’s presence outside of Japan.
Cameo appearances by Toro appear in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Street Fighter X Tekken, the Everybody’s Golf franchise, the LittleBigPlanet franchise, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA ƒ, the Astro Bot franchise, Touch My Katamari, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Toukiden: The Age of Demons, Dynasty Warriors 7, the Disgaea franchise, Terraria, Ape Escape: Million Monkeys, the Monster Hunter franchise, the Phantasy Star franchise, White Knight Chronicles 2, Tales of Graces F and Tales of Hearts R, Super Bomberman R, Ace Combat Infinity, Tokyo Jungle, Ragnarok Odyssey, Valhalla Knights 3 and many, many others.
