"Yo-kai Watch" is an anime that's hugely popular with children. It tells the story of the interactions between humans and yokai. Some of the cute mascot characters that appear in "Yo-kai Watch" are Jibanyan, Koma-san, and, making their debut in the second season, USApyon! "USApyon" is a so-called "American yokai" that hails from America. USApyon looks like a rabbit wearing a space suit, but what kind of character is he? In this article, we'll introduce 10 charms of "USApyon"!
USApyon's Charms 1. He's so cute!
USApyon, as a mascot character, is, first and foremost, adorable! He has a distinctive appearance, featuring a light blue body and a custom-made space suit. He also wields a mysterious ray gun called "Rabbit Shot." He often fires this "Rabbit Shot" at Inaho. His unique cuteness has made him extremely popular with both young children and women! There are also many merchandise items for sale, such as stuffed toys and key chains. They're soothing, aren't they?
USApyon's Charm #2: His Unique Catchphrase!
USApyon has a unique way of speaking. First of all, he uses "me" as his first-person pronoun and "you" as his second-person pronoun. That's just what you'd expect from someone from America! Incidentally, he calls his partner, Misora Inaho, "Inaho." He also speaks by adding "-dani" to the end of his sentences. (Example: USA Pyon Dani!) This "-dani" is apparently a dialect used mainly in Mikawa, Nagano, Shizuoka, Shimane, and other areas. USA Pyon is originally from America, but there has been much discussion online about the origin of this dialect. However, the words "mongee" and "-zura" used by Koma-san are also used in several regions, so it may be a mixture of various dialects.
The Charm of USApyon ③: He's Actually a "Usurakage Tribe"
The yo-kai that appear in Yo-kai Watch are divided into different tribes. Cute yokai like Jibanyan, Koma-san, and Princess Fubuki belong to the "Pretty Tribe," soothing yokai like Honobono belong to the "Warm Tribe," Bakuro-baba belongs to the "Scary Tribe," Robonyan belongs to the "Go-Ketsu Tribe," and so on... They are divided into groups based on their characteristics. USApyon looks cute, so you might think he's a Pretty Tribe member, but he's actually a Usurakage Tribe member! The Usurakage Tribe is made up of many slightly darker characters, such as Negativeon, Hikikomori, and Count Cavity.
Support the Usurakage Tribe!
The "Usurakage Tribe" has always seemed somewhat gloomy and often ranked last in favorite tribe rankings, but with the addition of USApyon, their reputation is beginning to improve! Dondoro, the secret boss in the game, is also a Usurakage Tribe, and they're gradually gaining attention. USApyon's cute appearance is also attracting attention for the contrast with his true identity as a member of the Usurakage tribe. Perhaps this is due to his shy personality and difficulty making friends.
USApyon's Charm 3: Rabbit? Otter? So many mysteries...
Is USApyon a rabbit?
USApyon is wearing a space suit with rabbit-like ears. His name is "Usapyon," so you'd think he must be a rabbit! But that's not true. USApyon is not a rabbit, but a different creature.
The Bullied Otter Era
In life, USApyon was a ferret-like animal (probably an otter). He admired rabbits and wandered into a rabbit hutch, where he lived. However, because he was the only one who looked different, he was bullied by the other rabbits. ...In fact, USApyon has a sad past, and this is one of them. There has been no official announcement that he is an "otter," but he looks like an otter, and in a TV special on Yo-kai Watch, when USApyon was announced, a caption appeared asking "Is it a rabbit? Or an otter?", so the theory that he is an otter is quite strong. He is a character with many mysteries.
USA-PYON's Charm ④: His Dark Past...
Meeting Dr. Hughley
USA-PYON (the otter) was bullied in a rabbit hutch. He was rescued by Dr. Hughley, a rocket engineer working for the American space agency NASU. Dr. Hughley named USApyon "Chibi" and decided to take him back to NASU.
As an experimental animal...
USApyon was placed in a small cage and began living inside the rocket. He was to be the first small animal to go into space, so he was trained and sent into space on a new rocket. It's very sad, but at that time USApyon's role was to be an "experimental animal." However, USApyon himself was unaware of this. Before they knew it, "developing a rocket that could go into space" had become a shared dream between Dr. Furey and USApyon. USApyon's eyes lit up when Dr. Furey told him, "You'll be the first small animal in the world to go into space."
A tragic accident occurs...
Just as the rocket was about to launch, a tragic accident occurs. Startled by the roar of the rocket's thrust, USApyon escapes from his cage and goes on a rampage inside the rocket! He crashes into the rocket's control panel and other objects, and ultimately gets electrocuted... The rocket then lost control and exploded. USApyon died and became a yokai.
Searching for the Professor
Dr. Hurley was held responsible for the rocket explosion and was fired from NASU. He also gave up on his dream of developing a new rocket, which was a promise to USApyon. He has been missing ever since. USA Pyon heard that he was in Japan and came to Japan to search for him. There is even an episode where we find out where Dr. Hughley is! If you're interested, be sure to check out the anime.
The charm of USA Pyon 5. The Ina-Usa duo is a perfect match!
USApyon's partner is the second protagonist, Inaho Misora. Inaho is a self-proclaimed "all-around otaku" with a particular passion for science fiction. She's known for her blunt bob and round glasses. Inaho and USApyon's "Inausa" duo are an odd couple, but they're a perfect match!
How the Two Met
The two first met at an anime store like Animate. Inaho was feeling down because she couldn't buy a limited edition figure of her favorite anime, "Space Beauty Therapists." However, a mysterious product catches Inaho's eye. Hearing a mysterious song saying "Buy it, buy it," he turns around and finds a mysterious object called the "Space Watch." It is sold as an "item that allows you to communicate with space," and Inaho, a sci-fi geek, gladly buys it. However, it turns out to be a "Yokai Watch," an item that allows him to see yokai. And so, Inaho sees USApyon through the "Yokai Watch," not the "Space Watch." This is how the two first met.
Completely opposite personalities!
Inaho, who speaks with the fast-paced manner typical of otaku and tends to get carried away when it comes to things she likes, and USApyon, who is serious and often plays the role of the straight man, are polar opposites. Inaho is always getting told off by USApyon for saying something unnecessary. Although the two seem like an odd couple, they do have some things in common, such as being a bit shy and not good at making friends.
The "Inausa" Anime Series
For many years, the "Inausa" anime series has been broadcast. Up until now, there have been many popular series, such as "Inaho and USApyon's Rocket Chibi Chibi Kumitateal," in which USApyon diligently builds a robot, and "Inaho and USApyon's Mysterious Detective Agency," in which the two solve the problems of monsters. No matter what you say, the two of them work so well together and are so cute! Inausa is so soothing. By the way, while the official name for these two is "Inausa," the pairing of these two in fan fiction is also called "Inausa."
USApyon's Charm ⑥: When he gets angry, he's unstoppable!
USA-PYON is usually a serious character who plays the straight man, but he also has a short temper. He has a very low boiling point, and when he gets angry, he goes into "Vader Mode," a serious, uncontrollable state.
What is Vader Mode?
This mode is activated by USApyon pressing the buttons on both sides of his helmet. When he presses the button, black smoke appears and fills the helmet. After the smoke has filled, red eyes appear. He then fires lasers with the "Rabbit Shot" gun he always carries with him. Incidentally, after the mode ends, he inhales the black smoke through his nose. He basically uses it to punish Inaho, who is always talking too much, but he intentionally misses the laser so that it doesn't hit Inaho. That's an unexpected touch!
Even stronger? What is Emperor Mode?
The "Vader Mode" mentioned earlier is activated quite frequently. However, there is actually an even more powerful mode called "Emperor Mode"! To activate it, he must become even more enraged while in Vader Mode. It is activated by pressing two buttons on the top of the helmet. His eyes change even more from Vader Mode, his space suit turns pink, and he even wears a dark cape around his neck. He flies through the air at high speeds and his special move transforms into the incredibly powerful "Imperial Beam," demonstrating combat power that is incomparable to Vader Mode.
USA Pyon's Charm 7. His voice actor is Shigemoto Kotori!
Speaking of USApyon, her voice is also incredibly cute. She's voiced by Kotori Shigemoto, a member of "Dream 5" and "Kotori with Stitch Bird." She's primarily active as a singer, TV personality, and fashion model. This role of USApyon marks her first time as a voice actress, so it's a big surprise! It's a perfect fit for USApyon's voice and is very cute. At the time, the ending theme was "Space Dance!" sung by Kotori with Stitch Bird. Currently, Shigemoto Kotori is also active as a gravure idol.
USApyon's Charm 8: What happens when she takes off her space suit?
USA-pyon looked like an otter when he was alive. Perhaps due to his admiration for rabbits, he now wears a space suit with rabbit ears. However, his appearance without the suit is shocking. With a light blue body, a towel around his neck, and boxer shorts, it's hard to imagine this from his usual cute appearance. Looking at him like this, he does look like an otter. By the way, some USA Pyon plush toys have a removable space suit helmet. He's cute in light blue too.
USA Pyon's Charm 9: Is he actually capable? Smoother than Whisper
Whisper, the "yokai butler" of the first protagonist, Keita, calls himself a butler, but he's not very helpful. His knowledge of yokai is so limited that when Keita asks, "Whisper! What's that yokai?", he quickly looks it up on his Yokai Pad before answering. Moreover, he refuses to admit that he cheated. In comparison, USApyon is quite talented. Since USApyon is also an American yokai and came from America, he doesn't seem to know much about the yokai that live in Japan. However, when he encounters a Japanese yokai, he is able to look it up quite smoothly on his yokai pad and pass on the information to Inaho. Thanks to this, the story progresses quite smoothly. As a yokai butler, he may even be a better yokai butler than Whisper.
Summary of USApyon's charms!
That concludes our summary of USApyon's charms from "Yo-kai Watch"! We've discovered new charms about USApyon that go beyond his cute appearance. We also learned some surprising facts about him, such as his dark past and his earnest, but easily irritable, temperament. Also keep an eye out for his famous duo with Inaho, "Inausa"!
