Nekomiya Mana (Nekomata) — Zenless Zone Zero

Biography

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Zenless Zone Zero

Nekomiya Mana猫宫又奈

Feline Thiren Agent of the Cunning Hares (Gentle House)

Nekomiya Mana, better known as Nekomata, is a playable feline Thiren Agent in HoYoverse’s action RPG Zenless Zone Zero. She joins the Cunning Hares, the odd-job crew also known as Gentle House, bringing exceptional agility, blade-based Physical attacks, a taste for mackerel, and a mischievous habit of eyeing other people’s wallets. Her buoyant manner makes her easy to underestimate; the early story gradually reveals the streetwise experience and guarded loyalties beneath it.

Biography

A Streetwise Cat in New Eridu

Nekomata is a cat Thiren who approaches life in New Eridu with the resourcefulness of someone accustomed to relying on herself. She enjoys needling people, is quick to spot an opportunity, and rarely lets others see the whole plan. Although she appears carefree when she first meets the Cunning Hares, her interest in their commissions is more complicated than a simple search for a payout.

Her street experience informs the way she approaches trouble: she watches people closely, moves quickly, and often uses jokes or a deceptively innocent manner to keep others guessing. She is bold enough to enter dangerous Hollows, but agility and observation matter as much as nerve once she gets there.

An Unusual Encounter with the Cunning Hares

The opening chapter, Cat’s Lost & Found, introduces Nekomata through a commission involving Nicole Demara’s Cunning Hares and a claimed lost family keepsake. The ensuing work brings the crew into conflict with the Red Fang Gang and the Vision Corporation’s redevelopment operation. Nekomata’s motives are not as straightforward as her playful introduction suggests; her hidden reasons for approaching the team are part of the chapter’s central mystery.

As Vision’s redevelopment plans put local residents in danger, the unfolding case tests whom Nekomata trusts and what she is willing to risk for people who cannot offer her anything in return. Her judgments about the Cunning Hares become harder to maintain as she sees how the crew actually behaves.

An Agent with Her Own Way of Working

Among the Cunning Hares, Nekomata works alongside Nicole Demara, Anby Demara, and Billy Kid. She brings agility and a talent for improvisation to the crew without adopting anyone else’s idea of orderly conduct. Her optional three-part Agent Story, Cat and Mouse Game, pairs her with Public Security officer Ollie in an investigation that puts her judgment, quick thinking, and ability to work with an unlikely partner to the test.

Personality and Motivations

Nekomata is exuberant, curious, bold, and fond of teasing people. She chases enticing prospects, especially when food or money is involved, and her pranks give the impression of an incorrigible trickster. Her particular love of mackerel is a personal taste, not proof that every cat Thiren shares it.

Her humor often hides how carefully she reads a situation. In her Agent Story, she notices inconsistencies in a client’s account, improvises when plans go awry, and has the patience to help a less experienced ally navigate danger. She can be exacting about payment, but her choices also show that money does not always come first.

Trust is a meaningful part of her characterization. Her background makes her wary of easy assurances, yet she is capable of reconsidering a judgment when confronted with other people’s actions. That tension between self-protection and a desire for belonging is much more important to her story than her cat jokes alone.

Appearance

Nekomata has dark hair styled in a high ponytail, prominent black-and-white cat ears, reddish eyes, and two long, banded tails. Her compact silhouette and feline features are central to the official character design. A bell at her neck and red accessories reinforce the playful cat motif.

Her default outfit combines red, black, and white pieces with an asymmetrical, street-ready look: a fitted top, shorts, detached sleeves, strapped elements, and tall, reinforced footwear. She uses short bladed weapons, which complement her quick close-quarters movements.

Quick facts

Other name: Nekomata
Species: Cat Thiren (feline Thiren)
Current affiliation: Cunning Hares / Gentle House
Agent classification: S-rank · Physical · Attack
Combat type: Slash
Birthday: July 30
Height: 148 cm
English voice actor: Alice Himora
Signature food preference: Mackerel

Abilities

Feline agility and quick reactions

She fights with extraordinary speed, rapid positional changes, and close-range slashes. Her nimbleness and precision allow her to evade danger and strike from advantageous angles.

Limitations: Her short-range style depends on closing distance and responding well to enemy movement.

Physical Attack techniques

As a playable Physical Attack Agent, she uses chained slashes, dash attacks, dodge counters, and a large-area finishing attack. Her skill names include Kitty Slash, Phantom Claws, and Claw Smash.

Streetwise observation and improvisation

She shows a knack for catching inconsistent stories, improvising explanations, and adjusting to a rapidly changing situation. Her streetwise judgment comes from observation rather than supernatural foresight.

Limitations: She is not infallible; her conclusions can be mistaken, and even she needs allies when a situation spirals.

Relationships

Nicole Demara

Leader and teammate

Nicole leads the Cunning Hares, the team Nekomata joins. Their rapport mixes respect, bargaining, and exasperation over the agency’s finances.

Anby Demara

Teammate

Anby’s deadpan manner makes a natural contrast to Nekomata’s energetic teasing. Their cooperation grows through the Cunning Hares’ work, even when Anby is unimpressed by Nekomata’s antics.

Billy Kid

Teammate

Billy is a fellow Cunning Hare whose enthusiasm and theatricality give Nekomata ample opportunities for playful commentary.

Belle and Wise

Proxy associates

The siblings who operate as Phaethon work with the Cunning Hares. Nekomata’s early commissions bring her into contact with their guidance and their Random Play video store.

Interesting facts

An official Agent Record includes a joke in which Nekomata asks whether Billy’s equipment can dispense mackerel.

The small character interaction extends her food fixation into a specific running gag with a teammate, rather than presenting it as a generic trait of all cat Thirens.

The Chinese official character listing writes her name as 猫宫又奈 and displays the shorter label NEKO.

It identifies the original-language naming used by the game’s Chinese publisher and distinguishes it from the English nickname Nekomata.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nekomiya Mana in Zenless Zone Zero?

She is Nekomata, a playable feline Thiren Agent whose story connects the Red Fang Gang with the Cunning Hares in New Eridu.

Is Nekomata part of the Cunning Hares?

Yes. She becomes a member of the Cunning Hares, the freelance crew also officially called Gentle House.

What kind of character is Nekomata in combat?

She is an S-rank Physical Attack Agent who specializes in swift, close-range slash attacks and evasive movement.

Why is she called Nekomata?

Nekomata is the nickname Nekomiya Mana uses for herself. It suits her catlike appearance, including her two tails; she is a feline Thiren.

Does Nekomata like fish?

Yes. She especially likes mackerel, although her fondness for fish is a personal preference, not a trait of every cat Thiren.

Does Nekomata have a character-focused story?

Yes. Her optional Agent Story is titled Cat and Mouse Game and follows an investigation with a Public Security officer.

Who voices Nekomata in English?

Alice Himora is credited as the English voice of Nekomiya Mana on the official Zenless Zone Zero character roster.

Major story spoilers below.

Silver, the Red Fang Gang, and the Desire for Revenge

Nekomata’s initial request to recover a family keepsake is a pretext. Raised around the Red Fang Gang, she regarded its leader, Miguel Silver, as a parental figure. After Silver dies following the gang’s confrontation with the Cunning Hares and the Hollow, she blames Nicole’s group. She therefore approaches them under false pretenses, intending to draw them into the Dead End Hollow and expose them to the deadly Dead End Butcher. Her apparent willingness to cooperate is initially part of an attempted revenge trap.

The revenge plan begins to unravel as she sees the Cunning Hares repeatedly risk themselves for people who cannot repay them. Their choices undermine her belief that they are merely self-interested people responsible for her loss. Instead of carrying out her intended vengeance, she increasingly acts alongside them.

A Risk Taken for the Residents of Canvas Street

Vision Corporation’s demolition plans place residents of the old area in danger. Nekomata takes Charles Perlman hostage and confronts Vision’s representative Sarah, offering herself as a scapegoat associated with the Red Fang Gang if the corporation evacuates the threatened people. The gesture is not a calculated route to a prize: she is prepared to surrender her own future to try to stop the demolition.

Sarah reveals that Perlman cannot compel her to comply and proceeds with the detonation. The operation nevertheless fails to kill the residents: Nicole and the others bring them to safety, while Belobog Industries and Public Security arrive with reporters, exposing Vision’s wrongdoing. As Nekomata prepares to drift away once more, Anby and the others invite her to join their meal, signaling that she need not remain alone.

A New Home with Gentle House

After the rescue, Nekomata arrives at Random Play with prints of the group photograph from their celebratory buffet meal. Nicole formally introduces her as the newest member of the Cunning Hares. Nekomata now has a place in the crew she once planned to betray, while keeping her mischievous habits and enthusiasm for a good bargain.

Cat and Mouse Game: An Unlikely Partnership

In her optional three-part Agent Story, Nekomata takes a commission connected to Ollie, a Public Security officer whose nervous manner and undercover work initially complicate the investigation. As they pursue criminals dealing in illicit Ether resources, she detects inconsistencies, helps him maintain cover, and adjusts plans when the situation becomes dangerous. A rescue and an improvised impersonation underline both her resourcefulness and her willingness to protect an unlikely ally.

When the sting turns against Ollie, he uses the tactics Nekomata has discussed with him to trap the criminals near Ethereals, and she defeats the gang members. Ollie subsequently speaks about his upbringing at an orphanage and the responsibility he feels toward children who look up to him. Moved by what the case means to him, Nekomata forgoes her share of the reward, insisting instead that he keep being a good example to those children.

About a week later, Nekomata brings Random Play fish that Ollie and the orphanage children caught as thanks for her help. She tries to use her new friendship to impress Anby, but Anby calmly agrees that she is a model Cunning Hare, leaving Nekomata wrong-footed. The understated comedy closes a case in which she chose a friend’s responsibilities over her own payment.

Additional story facts

Ollie told the children at his orphanage that their presents were from Nekomata; the children then went fishing with him to thank her. She later shared part of the catch with the Proxies.

Their gift connects her choice to waive her commission fee to the children Ollie hoped to inspire, and she passes some of the fish on instead of keeping it all.

The post-crisis keepsake Nekomata brings to Random Play is a photograph of six people taken at the team’s meal.

A concrete group souvenir quietly completes the early story’s movement from her estrangement to being welcomed by the Cunning Hares.

Spoiler questions

Why does Nekomata initially try to endanger the Cunning Hares?

She believes they caused the death of Red Fang Gang leader Miguel Silver, a fatherly figure to her, and engineers a dangerous commission as revenge. She changes course after seeing their effort to save civilians.

Does Nekomata sacrifice herself during the Vision Corporation crisis?

No. She offers to turn herself in as the supposed Red Fang Gang culprit to protect the residents, but Vision rejects the bargain. The people are rescued, and she survives to join the Cunning Hares.

How does Nekomata join the Cunning Hares?

After the crew risks their lives to save the demolition-zone residents and includes her in a celebratory meal, Nicole later introduces her formally as the newest member of Gentle House.

What happens in Nekomata’s Cat and Mouse Game Agent Story?

She assists Public Security officer Ollie with an operation against criminals, rescues him when the plan goes wrong, and eventually gives up her commission fee when she learns why the case matters to the children he hopes to inspire.

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