Neko Majin

Neko Majin are pudgy, bipedal cat creatures with round bodies, large eyes, and perpetually amused expressions. Despite their cuddly appearance, they possess genuine combat ability and magical powers that put them well above ordinary beings. Their name combines "neko" (cat in Japanese) with "majin" (magical being), accurately describing what they are: magical cat people.

Their biology blends feline traits with the kind of supernatural resilience common to Dragon Ball's magical races. They are tougher than they look, faster than their round bodies suggest, and capable of learning advanced fighting techniques that would challenge warriors from the main Dragon Ball continuity.

The Neko Majin appear primarily in Toriyama's "Nekomajin" manga, a series of short comedic stories that playfully references the Dragon Ball universe. The most notable connection occurs in "Nekomajin Z," where a Neko Majin named Neko Majin Z has trained under Goku himself and developed a Super Neko Majin form that parodies the Super Saiyan transformation. The story even features Vegeta appearing as an antagonist, firmly connecting the Neko Majin world to the Dragon Ball continuity in a humorous fashion.

These crossover moments are played entirely for laughs, with the absurdity of a fat cat matching or even frustrating Frieza's soldiers serving as the central joke.

The Neko Majin represent Akira Toriyama at his most whimsical. While Dragon Ball grew into an increasingly high-stakes action franchise, the Nekomajin stories embraced pure comedy and absurdity. The existence of cat creatures who can go Super Saiyan is inherently ridiculous, and Toriyama leaned into that ridiculousness completely.

Notable members include Neko Majin Z, the Goku-trained fighter, and several other Neko Majin who appear throughout the short manga series. Their canon status within Dragon Ball proper is debatable, but Toriyama's direct authorship and the explicit crossover appearances give them a unique position as semi-canonical inhabitants of the Dragon Ball multiverse.