An active professional animator has designed a brand new kaiju to promote tourism and revitalize the city of Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Known as “Sasebo Kaiju Nyaon,” the creature is a hybrid between a cat, a burger, and a kaiju, which is absolutely adorable, if you ask us at Kaiju United. The project will also provide several community initiatives, including creating trick art in local shopping arcades, collaborating with local businesses, supporting rescue cat activities, and nurturing young local creators, so if you didn’t already love Sasebo Kaiju Nyaon, you will now! This cat is for a good cause, and several events are being planned to promote the character and enrich the Sasebo community.
©Yokoyama Ai / Sasebo Kaiju Nyaon Project
According to the creature’s designer, Ai Yokoyama, Sasebo Kaiju Nyaon is “inspired by the Sasebo Burger, a symbol of the city’s harmonious and diverse food culture, and the deep affection shown by locals towards the cats watched over warmly in Sasebo and across Nagasaki.” Additionally, Yokoyama added that “the character intentionally bears the title of “Kaiju” to be highly accessible to overseas audiences and dynamically convey the appeal of Sasebo.” The origins of the creature’s concept began when Yokoyama started visiting Sasebo Port on the way to visit their father’s family grave on Ojika Island. While walking through the streets and enjoying the port scenery waiting for the ferry, Yokoyama experienced the warmth of the local community, inspiring a strong desire to give back to Sasebo using their professional skills, leading to the creation of this project.
To commemorate the character’s debut, the team behind the project will hold a special autograph and merchandise event in Sasebo City inside “Wai Wai Boueki” Kashida Buiolding from Friday June 12th-13th, 2026, with hours on Friday beginning at 17:00 and Saturday’s hours running from 14:00 to 17:00.
The building’s official address is as follows: “Wai Wai Boueki” Kashida Building 2F, 7-14 Shimase-cho, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture TEL: 0956-25-2271.
Merchandise featured at the event includes the Nyaon Merchandise Set, which is priced at 12,000 JPY, but is first-come, first-served, meaning registration closes when the capacity is reached. Customers who do purchase this merch set will receive a custom illustration and autograph drawn on the spot on a shikishi board by Ai Yokoyama. The full set will include the illustrated & autographed shikishi board, a T-shirt (with your choice of white or black), a limited run of acrylic stands (once these are out, they will be replaced by a poster), and Cat Charity Goods. Please note that there are no reservations or holds; these special items are available only to those attending the venue on the day. Additionally, payment at the venue is cash only, so be sure to bring cash to pick up your incredible Nyaon Merch Set.
©Yokoyama Ai / Sasebo Kaiju Nyaon Project
If you would like to attend this event, please apply via the official website with your selected preferred date.
The campaign will extend beyond this initial event, with goals to bring the project international in the works. The project has key initiatives, including revitalizing the shopping arcades that have shuttered into photo op spots for people to share on social media, such as the Wings of Kujukushima, a Giant Sasebo Burger, and the appearance of Nyaon. Local shops will receive collaborations and store exclusive items, incentivizing shopping at local business. To give back to the community, there will be efforts to support local aspiring artists, giving them a chance to work the Nyaon IP to develop their skills in practical workshops. The organization’s aim is to create an environment where young, aspiring illustrators, animators, and manga artists living in Sasebo can work on the front lines nationally and globally while staying in their hometown.
For those collectors out there… stay tuned, as we can confirm that a sofubi figure of Nyaon is in development and is planned to release internationally to bring awareness to the project and the tourism boosting efforts behind Nyaon. As a final note, a portion of the project’s proceeds will be graciously donated to rescue cat activities and animal welfare funds in Sasebo City, with the intent being “the more the character is loved, the more local cats are saved.” So if any of our readers love kaiju, food culture, or our beloved feline friends, you will want to support this project and its goals, as it’s undoubtedly supporting a local city and independent artists.
About Ai Yokoyama
Ai Yokoyama is a professional animator, illustrator, and character designer, formerly of MADHOUSE INC. Their vast body of work includes Initial D (New Initial D the Movie), work as an Animation Director on Attack on Titan Season 2, the Chief Animation Director for Terra Formars, and Character Design for BAYONETTA: Bloody Fate. They are currently serving as Chief Animation Director for the Liar Game TV anime project.
