Nero is Purr-Fect for DEATH BATTLE!

             

Nero, the Black Cat

Meow Rangers/Zipsa Rangers was created by AHNJOO it can be read on Webtoon

DISCLAIMER: The Imgur Purge of May 2023 deleted many linked scans. Until I am aided in reclaiming all missing images (which are marked with an asterisk*) this message will remain here.

Welcome back to the blog! I just realized that I've covered quite a few felines in my blogs. There's Aeris, Sir Kiljaos, the Lackadaisy cats, heck, there's even a few other kitties I have planned for future blogs! I'm a cat person myself, so the more the merrier. Not only is this another cat blog, but it's the first villain blog in quite a while! It's also the first webtoon series I've covered that is daily pass exclusive. For those unaware, after a few months when a certain Webtoon original has completed, most of the chapters can only be read daily unless you pay coins earned/bought on the app. Thankfully I had enough scans from when I read the series before it was barred as a daily pass series. As is the case for completed series, expect spoilers.

Background

"It's my destiny to relieve the suffering of my kind… I cannot die, even if there's only a 1% chance of it happening!!"

What can be said about cats that hasn't already? They're cute, cuddly, and make for great pets. There are millions of people out there that adore those lovable furballs. What if I told you that humanity's love for cats isn't out of free will?

Millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, they were wiped out not by a meteor, but cats. Felines are actually highly intelligent mindbending aliens who call themselves cat people, and hail from Planet Cat. They traveled to our big blue planet to cultivate catnip. With the dinosaurs out of the way, they still needed laborers to aid in growing catnip. Thus, they manipulated the genetics of existing primates to create c-monkeys, otherwise known as human beings. Cat people viewed humans as slaves without basic rights, and started to rely on them more as human society progressed. Cats always had a place in humanity's cultural awareness, but took the back seat as centuries passed and kelt their true natures a secret. Even today humans love cats, but they don't realize their love is rooted in genetic manipulation.

In the modern world, cats treat Earth as a vacation planet where they can unwind and let themselves be taken care of by ignorant c-monkeys. Unfortunately as humans evolved, they damaged the environment leading to catnip production suffering. Even worse, some humans were abusive towards cats.

Many cat people saw humanity's cruelty and believed they should be extinguished. Others saw hope in humanity, and wanted to stop the hateful cats from destroying them. In order to do that, these rebellious cats bonded with their human masters, bestowing gifting them special watches to turn them into powerful armored fighters known as Meow Rangers.

The greatest threat to peace on Earth was the cat people's planetary subjugation corps, and the one in charge was the strongest warrior of the cat people, Nero.

There isn't a single cat person that doesn't know of the tuxedo cat and her fearsome accomplishments. Nero is charismatic, cunning, and a natural born leader. Her empathy for her feline companions burns as strongly as her hatred for humanity. Nero's goal is to free relieve the cat people of their suffering on Earth by committing mass genocide against their oppressors. She has been able to serve her people for centuries thanks to being infused with a Meow Gem, a powerful gem full of energy that has boosted her strength and lifespan tenfold. She also possesses a Kiti Watch, which allows her to transform into a body that very much resembles a human. That way, she can fight the Meow Rangers on even footing. Despite her violent desires, she did attempt to solve the conflict between cat people and Meow Rangers peacefully. However, she was betrayed by humans and trapped inside a device called Schrodinger's Box for many years.

With Nero gone, there were fewer threats that the rangers had to deal with. Eventually the group dissolved, with only the middle aged Korean man Hoyeol Choi being the last remaining active ranger. Everything was calm for a while… until Nero finally managed to break out and unleash a giant cat on Goyang City. While it seemed like an impossible task, Hoyeol and the newest Meow Ranger and series protagonist, Hyemin Lee, were able to stop the cat from terrorizing the city.

Nero made a splash with her grand return, but her surprise attack drained most of the energy she had left. She sought out a new servant to take care of her, and that happened to be a barista named Jijeong Yu. She was demanding towards him, forcing him to fight for her and run errands for him. She even gave him a Kiti Watch of his own so he could gain a strength enhancing outfit so he can properly protect her as her butler. Despite her treatment of him, Jijeong became immensely loyal to her. When he was young, he was peer pressured into throwing rocks at a cat. Now he had a chance to repent by taking care of her.

Her primary objectives were to kill Hoyeol and take the Meow Gem he possessed after beating her giant cat. Absorbing the Meow Gem would not only completely replenish her energy, but it would give her enough so she could contact Cat Planet's space ship to send reinforcements to eliminate the humans. As she attempted to do both, Jijeong slowly began exhibiting more catlike traits. Unknown to him, nanobots from his watch entered his cells to slowly turn him into a cat person over time.

After gaining enough energy through cat food, she was strong enough to send a telepathic announcement to all the cats in the city to seek any of her remaining followers. After which, three cats showed up to challenge her to a fight so she could prove she's worthy of leading them. She bested all three of them, so they became her lieutenants. Her new allies were the beefy and steadfast Muscle Cat, the psychokinetic mutant Psy Cat, and the ex-Meow Ranger Shadow. Together, they secretly recruited random civilians to build up Nero's brigade of Magical Cats.

The once mild-mannered Jijeong became much more confrontative with people who abuse cats and became fully dedicated to Nero's cause. He related to her hatred for humanity, so he decided that he would give his life to help her achieve her goals. Over time, Nero would grow attached to her butler. Sure, he'd blunder here and there, but his loyalty and love for her won her over. She even showed genuine concern several times when he was in great danger. It's even revealed that she caused his transformation into a cat person so he isn't targeted when the cat people eventually massacre the humans. Of course, she also loved her lieutenants like family, doing anything in her power to ensure their safety.

Eventually, Nero managed to recover her Meow Gem and absorbed its power to send a telepathic message to the cats in space. She said that humans must be terminated and she required more war supplies to erase them. While she was defeated by the Meow Rangers, she was successful in calling for support. The cats from offworld later sent the delegate Dbdbdib to Earth. He told her and her cronies that they couldn't ship all their supplies at once. Not only that, but her reputation has worsened in the eyes of the cats in space due to her repeated losses. In spite of that, she offered him to join her on her conquest, which he accepted. Little did she know that DB had his own agenda, needing a Meow Gem to bring a seemingly more peaceful solution to the fight between C-monkeys and cat people.

As Nero prepared for war, Meow Rangers recruited more to their cause. With more civilians having joined both sides of the conflict, chaos ensued. Even the previous leader of the Meow Rangers Hyeonmin returned. The fight grew especially heated when the Meow Rangers tried to intercept Nero's supply drop. It ultimately resulted in the deaths of Muscle and Hoyeol, and DB obtained Meow Gems for himself. He later confronted Nero and the remaining lieutenants about his true aims. It is revealed that he needed needed Meow Gems to activate a reverse teleportation device to make it safer for the cats' spaceship to land. DB made Nero feel weak and purposeless for letting her emotions get in way of the operation and letting Muscle get himself killed. He convinced her to give up her own Meow Gem since she lacked resolve to do her own job well.

Thus began his plan, as he called down the cat peoples' ship onto Earth and cats all over the planet dropped their acts and started talking in front of their servants. It turned out that DB was actually the prince of the cat people, having enlisted into ranks in hopes of getting his own Meow Gem transplant. That way, he alone may rule over Cat Planet as immortal dictator. Like Nero, he wanted to cleanse humanity, but instead, he wanted to develop a new type of human that is genetically fearful of cats instead of loving. That way, Earth would be a true paradise for cats once again. Rather than saving Earth's cat people from their suffering like Nero wanted, DB didn't want to spare them either. It was overpopulated by uneducated and uncultured cats that residents of Cat Planet didn't want to associate with. Nero was understandably infuriated by this betrayal. Before being forced off his ship with Shadow, DB kidnapped Psy Cat in order to experiment on her and replicate her powers.

Nero and Shadow kept a low profile for a month as cats now had the same rights as humans. Humans were none the wiser that this peace was a facade, and that they'd all eventually be turned into treats or test subjects. The Meow Rangers had lost, as cats ruled the world. Their defeat loomed over Hyemin's head, along with the death of Hoyeol and the comatose and injured Hyeonmin. As she started to accept the new status quo, she was approached by Nero and Shadow, who saw her as the strongest remaining Meow Ranger. Nero wanted to join forces with her and the other Meow Rangers to get her revenge against DB and save Psy Cat. She's super reluctant at first, but eventually caves in as other remaining Meow Rangers join them. Over time, Hyemin and Nero turned over a new leaf. Their relationship grew so strongly that Hyemin gave her hope in humanity and considered her just as much of a family member as her lieutenants and butler.

Nero successfully staged a plan to infiltrate the cat's space ship and save everyone on it. They couldn't stop DB from getting his Meow Gem transplant and Hyemin held him off as much as she could. When she couldn't fight anymore, it was Nero who stepped in to finish him off. And so the fight between cat people and Meow Rangers came to end. The ship had vanished, but cats still integrated in human society. Hyemin was still recovering from the fight with DB, so Nero stayed with her to absorb residual energy from her body. Shadow and Psy Cat dwelled with Hyemin too, along with Jijeong, who was now 100% transformed into a cat person.

For a while, it seemed like there was nothing left to worry about. That is, until news came out that Area 51 was experimenting and torturing on cat people. This news enraged Nero and Shadow so much that they returned to their old selves and tried one last time to destroy humanity. Psy Cat had learned to love humans, so she stayed behind to return Hyemin her watch to stop Nero once and for all. Nero didn't want to hurt Hyemin, but she needed her catsuit in order bring back the ship. She nearly killed Hyemin trying to accomplish this, but as a last resort, Hyemin trapped Nero in Schrodinger's Box again.

A decade passed until cat people deemed it was time to free her. During this time, humans and cats truly lived in harmony. Due to the failures of Nero and DB trying to conquer humans, they accepted humans instead and tried to not repeat their mistakes. Not only were cats and humans on equal standing in society, but humans were able to terraform Mars into a habitable planet for the cat people. She reunited with Shadow and witnessed Psy Cat's peaceful last moments. Shadow was glad that Nero's dreams were finally realized, that the cat people from Earth had a peaceful world all to themselves. After meeting up with the Meow Rangers once more, she congratulated them on doing what she couldn't—saving both humans and cat people. On the day of mass migration, Nero and Shadow boarded the ship to Mars and flew off to start a new life.

At last, the cat people's suffering had ended.

Equipment

Kiti Watch and Magical Cat Uniform

In order to effectively combat humans, Nero uses a device called a Kiti Watch to transform into a form resembling a human. More on the transformation itself later. The Kiti Watch is also able to grant the wearer a suit dubbed the magical cat uniform. The suit resembles a tuxedo cat's fur pattern with a big red bow and yellow buttons. Her human servants gain masks along with their suits. Not only does it add a layer of protection, but it boosts the wearer's strength.

Tail

In her human form, she can use it for whipping or strangulation

Meow Gem

Meow Gems are jewels that emit great amounts of energy, which boost the power of whoever wields it. Whereas typical cats would need to draw power from Meow Gems externally, Nero's Meow Gem was infused into her forehead. It has allowed her live indefinitely. Not only are all the calories she eats converted into energy for her gem, but she can absorb the power of other Meow Gems that don't belong to her. It even lets her give energy to others at will. However, if she isn't careful, she can run out of energy and become just as weak as any normal cat. When her Meow Gem is full of energy, she's nigh invulnerable. Bullets can't even pierce her skin.

Claws

She can sharpen her nails into claws so she can pierce her opponents. When she's absorbed enough energy, she can easily puncture Meow Rangers' catsuits with them.

Longcat

A special type of cat that is exclusively in the breed of Turkish angora, longcats are more like weapons of mass destruction than sentient beings. As their energy increases, so does their size. They become kaiju-sized, making the entire city their playground. When they reach their final form, they stand on their hind legs and their body becomes longer. Hence the name Longcat. They can grow so long that their upper halves can be seen from space. Aside from causing cataclysmic chaos by simply playing around, they can shoot massive deadly lasers. Longcats are able to grow from eating, absorbing energy from Meow Gems, and especially drinking water, which massively accelerates their growth. Their digestive system is more efficient than any creature's on the planet. Nero has unleashed a longcat on Goyang City on multiple occasions, and defeating them was always a monumental task. Like how Muscle and DB previously demonstrated, Nero can theoretically use her Meow Gem to fuse with Longcat to become so powerful that she grows to the size of a building and be able to fire lasers like Longcat. However, she has never been pushed to even attempt to do that before.

Magical Cat Brigade

Later down the line, Nero recruits more humans to her cause to become Magical Cat footsoldiers. Using location tracking and coercion tactics, she's able to call upon her hundreds of minions to aid her in combat. All are equipped with Magical Cat uniforms that boost their strength, agility, and durability. They don't have any weapons on hand and have little training as civilians, but under Nero's guidance, they can quickly overwhelm foes with sheer numbers. While they are more susceptible to brainwashing while wearing the suits, Nero added an extra precaution in that removing their watches and going against orders sends excruciating pain through their bodies. It's easy for them to follow her when she can just brainwash them.

Abilities

Cat Form

Nero's true form. While physically weaker than her human form, she's still no slouch. Even as a cat she can rapidly punch and kick her opponents with her soft paws. Nero can also turn into her cat state to escape tight situations or throw her opponents off guard.

Human Form

Nero can shift from her cat body into the form of a human. To any normal pedestrian she'd look like a normal human. Anyone with a means of blocking her brainwashing signal would be able to see her cat ears and tail, outing her as a cat person.

Mind Manipulation

Still think you're safe around cats? That's what they want you to think. Literally. All cats have passive brainwashing powers, and prolonged exposure to them makes people pay tribute to cats without even realizing it. Enjoying cat videos, feeding strays on the streets, these acts are done less out of free will and more so hypnotism. Of course, they also use their brainwashing powers to keep humans from ever remembering their true nature. This is why humans keep forgetting about her acts of terrorism and the Meow Rangers. Verily, Nero herself can use her mind powers offensively outside of just brainwashing. She can force people to do what she says with perfect obedience. While Meow Rangers' watches are able to suppress the brainwashing waves caused by cats, Nero's Meow Gem can amplify her mind powers so much that they can even overwhelm a Meow Ranger (at least when she still has the energy to).

Illusions

Along with being able to brainwash and control people, she can trick humans with illusions. Like before, Meow Rangers are unaffected by these powers, but any normal person is completely fooled. Even her human appearance is an illusion, as only Meow Rangers are able to see her cat ears and tail.

Telepathy

When cats purr, they're actually sending telepathic messages to each other. With enough energy, her telepathy can reach to outer space.

Energy and Life Absorption and Energy Bestowal

Instead of eating, she can steal the energy from other Meow Gems to increase her power. She has to be physically touching the Meow Gem or whoever is fused with it to absorb its energy. She can also drain the life force from people in small amounts, but that only happens when a person pets her (not to mention, it's only useful in boosting her telepathic capabilities). She's also able to give her own energy to others to boost their strength.

Immortality (Types 1 and 2)

Being infused with the Meow Gem made Nero immortal. Her exact age is unknown, but she has lived for multiple centuries. Not to mention, when Nero's Meow Gem is full of energy, it allows her to shrug off injuries that would normally be fatal to humans.

Emotion Manipulation

Like the scan says, her toe beans have a calming effect on humans. She uses this to her advantage by pummeling them with her beans so they're soothed enough to spill out information.

Enhanced Agility

Nero has catlike reflexes and great agility. She has naturally fast reaction speeds and doesn't need a catsuit to jump great distances.

Barrier Generation

When her Meow Gem has enough energy, she can form an energy shield around her body

Techniques

Continuous Meow Punch

A signature attack among Meow Rangers and cat-people alike, they throw a flurry of relentless punches

Cat Claw Powerup

Swiping with her claws generates deadly slashes that tear through whatever's in sight. It's strong enough to rip through concrete like butter.

Hairball Breath

Spitting a hairball at her opponent is gross enough to take them by surprise

Meow Hectopascal Kick

Oddly specific name for an attack, but I do suppose kicks can cause great amounts of pressure

Sequential Cat Claw Powerup

An enhanced version of her Cat Claw Powerup that sends even more slashes her opponent's way

Narrowing Cone Cat Claw Powerup

Used above her opponent, she swipes her claws so her slashes form a cone shape that descends upon her target.

Feats

Overall

• Knocked out two bystanders with her tail
• Has unleashed longcats on cities on numerous occasions
• Has extensive military experience
• Due to being infused with a Meow Gem, she's able to force humans to do what she says with her mind bending powers. Any normal cat that would attempt to do that would kill off their own brain cells
• Nero is has lived for multiple centuries
• Defeated Muscle Cat, the physically strongest cat in Goyang City, then the powerful telekinetic Psy Cat immediately after
• Orchestrated the recruitment of hundreds of Magical Cats
• Ate thousands of cat cans in one sitting
• Was able to reclaim Longcat and send a telepathic message to the cats in space
• Survived being trapped inside Schrodinger's box three times. When one is trapped inside it, they are sealed in a superpositioned space made from quantum spacetime. They are forced into a state of quantum uncertainty - being between alive and dead - and the only way to make it out alive is decided by probability alone or if outside forces cause it to open—which has a high chance of killing whoever is inside. She escaped Schrodinger's seal on her own once out of the three times she was trapped.
• Overpowered two Meow Rangers trying to punch her face at the same time by catching their wrists mid-punch and squeezing them so tightly they fell over in pain
• Able overpower strong and experienced Meow Rangers like Hyemin and Hyeonmin Lee, and Hoyeol Choi
• Brainwashed an entire classroom into believing she is a new transfer student
• Rescued Shadow as he fell from the cat ship
• Defeated three cat people at once that were trying to jump Hyemin's owner Chiwa
• Successfully orchestrated an infiltration of the cat ship to rescue Psy Cat and all humans on board
• Killed Prince Dbdbdib after his Meow Gem transfusion, turning him into an immortal powerhouse with psychokinetic abilities. While Hyemin was the one who mostly fought him, Nero is the one that landed the killing blow
• In the past, she looked after the child of a comrade that was killed by the Meow Rangers. This child would then grow up into the prestigious cat person scientist Dr. Grey
• Nearly killed Hyemin Lee and stole her catsuit

Strength

• Her sharpened claws can pierce a human arm through a cat suit and decapitate people
• Threw Hoyeol into the ground, cracking it
• Her Cat Claw Powerup can tear through solid walls
• Wearers of the Magical Cat suit can break bones when defending strikes
• Sent a telepathic message to space made her purr at such a great magnitude that it felt like an earthquake
• Killed DB, who could destroy a car with the swipe of his claws, telekinetically lift an entire lake, have the power to push someone into the Earth's core, have the power to throw someone into outer space, and shoot energy through clouds
• She gave all of her energy to Shadow, causing him to tower over buildings. The power he holds is strong enough to "cover the world in darkness" and plunge the Earth into a nuclear winter
• Longcats are responsible for the extermination of the dinosaurs, many of which were positioned around Earth, scorching the planet in their final forms. This link contains a multi-continent calc for a singular longcat.
• Longcats in their long forms can shoot lasers that can destroy multiple city blocks (MCB)
• Even in its weakest form, Longcat wrecked a park's pathway with its energy beam breath

Speed

• Longcats rapidly punch so fast their paws appear to be a blur*
• Her fists leave afterimages during Meow Punch
• Scales to Muscle Cat and Shadow, who can dodge lasers (the Kiti Gun lasers are capable of curving, so they likely aren't FTL)
• Scales to Psy Cat, who redirected a laser that nearly hit her
• Jumped in front of a laser to block it with a car door*
• Longcats in their smaller sizes can dodge lasers (the smaller they are, the faster they become)*
• Can flick away rocks at the speed of mach 3 (supersonic+)
• Flicks away lasers multiple times after absorbing Longcat's energy*
• Ran so fast that the force of her speed caused nearby guards' outfits to rip to shreds

Durability

• Endured a punch that was able to crunch the soda can she was holding*
• Endured a taser shock*
• Was punched away so hard by a Meow Gem-powered Hyemin that it created a sonic boom*
• Survived a blast from the Cat Cannon, which can fire through a city block*
• Scales to Hyemin, whose catsuit has the durability of every Meow Ranger's combined. It allows her to survive being crushed by an entire lake dropping down on her*
• Survived being caught in a MCB-sized explosion when she was inside the Cat Mech. The entire area was completely destroyed, save for Hyemin's building-sized Sphinx mech*
• Survived being impaled through the torso*

Weaknesses

• Her true form is ill-equipped to go against humans
• She may be a genocidal maniac, but she isn't above her own feline instincts. She finds it very difficult to fight back the urge to feast on cat food, chase laser pointers, and sit in boxes.
• She loses her immortality and becomes physically vulnerable when her Meow Gem loses energy. Sometimes spending too much energy reverts her to her true form. The feeling of empty energy is comparable to anemia.
• The Kiti Watches of the Meow Rangers cancel out the mind manipulating waves that Nero produces
• Surprisingly, Nero's biggest weakness is her frail heart. If anyone such as her butler Jijeong or any of her lieutenants are put in danger, she'll put aside whatever she's doing to save them. It can make her act recklessly or force her to submit so they are left unharmed.
• The best way for a Meow Ranger to have a chance at defeating Nero outside of using Schrodinger's Box is to wield the power of another Meow Gem

Matchup Potential

Nero vs Kamen Rider Horobi (Kamen Rider)

(thumbnail by Vibe Check)

Vibe Check

Connections: Leaders of non-human extremist/terrorist groups who want to destroy humanity, yet still take an interest in a particular human for different reasons. Their abilities are centered around the animals they represent/are.

I received this matchup when I asked a pal who's knowledgeable in toku if they knew any toku characters that fit Nero well. While I do lack proper knowledge on Horobi himself to say whether or not this matchup is actually good, the connections provided do sound fun and I could see it being a neat fight. It's a toku villain fight, there could be nods to their cat-like and scorpion-like natures, and I'd imagine it could be pretty over-the-top.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it