Toro Inoue

Toro (トロ), full name Toro Inoue (井上トロ, Inoue Toro), also known as the Sony Cat, is a fictional character created by Sony Interactive Entertainment. He is an anthropomorphized cat who participates in numerous events and tries to act like a human.[1]

Toro
PlayStation character
Toro (left) and Kuro (right) holding PocketStation units
First appearanceDoko Demo Issyo (1999)
Created bySony Interactive Entertainment

Toro first appeared in the PlayStation game Doko Demo Issyo, and has since appeared in every PlayStation platform. While not as popular in the west, he serves as Sony's mascot in Japan - in particular, of the PlayStation Network.

Character

The character is an anthropomorphized white Japanese bobtail cat of a chibi design style. Toro is characterized by its big, trapezoid-shaped face, a rectangular-shaped body, and its vast variety of face expressions. Toro's family name originated from a debugger called Toro 'Inoue' (井上 Inoue).

Character profile:

Video game appearances

Toro first appeared on July 22, 1999 as the main character (chatterbot) in the video game Doko Demo Issyo (also transliterated as Doko Demo Issho and meaning "Together Anywhere") on the Sony PlayStation, and included support for the PocketStation.

In 2004, Doko Demo Issyo was released on the PlayStation Portable, a free demo being available in the Japanese PlayStation Store.

Toro stars in the PlayStation 3 title Mainichi Issho ("Everyday Together"), a talk show-like game where Toro delivers daily news together with Kuro, his black cat neighbor. Players can also answer trivia questions to win game money (Myale) and prizes such as furniture to decorate Toro's in-game apartment; an online IQ versus test game is also possible. Mainichi Issho is available free of charge download in the Japanese PlayStation Store only. A sequel to the game titled Weekly Toro Station was released on November 2009 as a replacement for Mainichi Issho.

Toro is a playable character in Everybody's Golf 5.[2] He also appears as a playable character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, with Kuro assisting him during one of his super attacks.[3]

Toro is the main character of the free downloadable PlayStation Vita game Toro's Friend Network, in which the player must help him make friends so that he can save Kuro who has been kidnapped.

Guest and cameo appearances

Toro and Kuro both appear as exclusive fighters for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Street Fighter X Tekken by Capcom, in which Toro mimics Ryu's fighting style, while Kuro mimics Kazuya's fighting style.[4] This was their first game appearance outside Japan, predating PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (both are fighting games that were released in 2012). Toro and Kuro appear in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F (available with the "Popipo Special Edition" downloadable content), where their appearances are used for multiple accessories and they star in the "PoPiPo (Toro and Kuro special edition)" PV.[5]

Toro and Kuro both appear as NPCs during specific quests in White Knight Chronicles 2.[6] Toro and Kuro also appear in the MMO Phantasy Star Online 2 as Vita and PS4 exclusive NPCs that the players can take with them on missions, and can eventually get them as MAGs for their characters. Toro is summonable by the player in Destiny of Spirits. Toro and Kuro make an appearance in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls in a Monokuma assembly line.[7] Taro also appeared as a DLC bomber in the September 2018 update to Super Bomberman R. [8]

Toro costumes appear in LittleBigPlanet (available as a downloadable content),[9] and in Tales of Graces f[10] and Tales of Hearts R. Sony also made Toro and Kuro a free DLC plush for the player's character to wear in Tokyo Jungle for the PlayStation Network.[11] In celebration of Toro's 15th birthday, and the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation, crossover images featuring Toro, Kuro and Freedom Wars characters were released.[12]

References
  1. Gantayat, Anoop (2004-07-12). Dokodemo Issho Goes Online. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-11-27
  2. "Everybody's Putter Golf with TORO :: Game :: PlayStation® Asia - Hong Kong". Asia.playstation.com. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  3. "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Toro Combo Exhibition « Shoryuken". Shoryuken.com. 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  4. "Toro and Kuro to appear in Street Fighter x Tekken!". Capcom-europe.com. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  5. Ishaan. "Here Are Sony Cats, Toro And Kuro, In Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f DLC". SiliconEra. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  6. "Sony Cat Mascots Appear in White Knight Chronicles 2 - Andriasang.com". Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved 2013-12-08.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  7. http://i.imgur.com/OjH8CFp.jpg
  8. http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2018/09/19/super-bomberman-r-spooky-fun-update/
  9. "LittleBigPlanet™ LittleBigPlanet™ Toro Costume | PS3™ Add-Ons | Games - PlayStation®". Us.playstation.com. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  10. "Tales of Graces f - Pascal Gets a Sony Entertainment's Mascot Toro Costume". Abyssal Chronicles. October 27, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  11. "Tokyo Jungle™ Tokyo Jungle™ Toro Plush Costume | PS3™ Add-Ons | Games - PlayStation®". Us.playstation.com. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  12. "Freedom Wars Celebrates Toro's 15th Birthday". Siliconera. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
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