Voice actor Inada Tetsu, who voiced the landlord (ooya) in the anime Yani Neko, has shared a memorable encounter with ONE PIECE creator Oda Eiichiro. In a September 28 post on X, Inada revealed that Oda greeted him with a sudden shout of ‘Yani Neko!’—and the reaction has stunned both fans and people connected to the series.
What Is Yani Neko?
Yani Neko is a manga by Nyan Nyan Factory, serialized in Kodansha’s Young Magazine. Set in a world where humans and beastfolk coexist, it follows beastfolk who smoke cigarettes and live lazy, aimless lives. They have no money and no life skills, and they have tossed their manners and morals away along with their cigarette butts. At the center is Yani Neko (real name: Satou Yaniko), surrounded by a cast of not-quite-hateable ‘trash cats.’ Their daily lives are pretty dirty, but the story offers just a little bit of encouragement.
The anime adaptation aired in July 2026 and became a major topic.
Oda Eiichiro’s Unexpected Greeting
Inada, who voiced the landlord in the anime, posted on X on September 28. He wrote that when he met Oda Eiichiro-sensei—known as Odacchi—for the first time in a while, Oda looked at his face and said, ‘Yani Neko!’ Inada added that if he had known, he would have shaved his head and beard and shown up in ‘that look.’ Although they had plenty of things to catch up on, the conversation was almost entirely about Yani Neko. He said he was happy that Oda truly enjoys the work.
Yani Neko Staff and Fans React
Inada’s post surprised not only X users but also people involved with Yani Neko.
Nyan Nyan Factory member Mikirou-san posted, ‘I was completely startled when I saw the author comment in Jump.’ Oda Eiichiro had indeed mentioned the work in the author comment section of Weekly Shonen Jump’s table of contents.
Tenshou-san, the representative of Bibury Animation Studio—the studio behind the Yani Neko anime—quoted the news with a simple ‘Amazing!’
Fans responded with surprise and amusement. Comments included: ‘Oda Eiichiro and Yani Neko!?’, ‘So Oda Eiichiro isn’t just watching Yani Neko—he’s hooked?’, ‘Thank you for this wonderful story!!’, ‘I knew it—creative people really connect with this’, ‘I laughed first at the fact that Odacchi even knows Yani Neko’, ‘The phrase "Yani Neko approved by Oda-sensei" is just unfair’, ‘So Odacchi-sensei was watching Yani Neko too!!’, ‘Oda-sensei is watching Yani Neko. He does seem like he’d like it’, ‘So now the landlord equals Yani Neko in his mind, lol’, and ‘When I saw Oda-sensei’s author comment in this week’s table of contents, it all made sense.’
The author comment appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump 2026 issue 44, priced at ￥320. Price and availability are as of the article’s publication.
By Satou Erika
