TV-Series
Description
Baabu is the beloved pet cat of the protagonist, Chihiro Furuya, in the anime Sankarea: Undying Love. His death and subsequent resurrection serve as the primary catalyst for the series events. Baabu was originally a stray kitten taken in by Chihiro and his family after their mother left home. He received his name due to the unique, muffled sound of his meow, a result of a permanent nasal inflammation that left him with a stuffy nose. This "babu" noise became the name he is known by. At just one year and five months old, Baabu was tragically killed in a car accident, an event that deeply saddened his owner.
Driven by grief and his obsession with the undead, Chihiro attempts to resurrect Baabu using a recipe from an old book. After several failed attempts, and with encouragement from Rea Sanka, Chihiro creates a successful resurrection potion using poisonous hydrangea leaves from Rea's family garden. Although the potion did not produce immediate results, Baabu eventually reanimated as a zombie cat. His appearance changed dramatically after his revival; his eyes became vacant and glowing, turning a striking red color, and he developed heterochromia, or odd-colored eyes. Like Rea, who would later become a zombie under similar circumstances, Baabu must regularly consume hydrangea leaves to maintain his reanimated state and often coughs up a ball of the leaves, similar to a live cat coughing up a hairball.
Despite his undead state, Baabu retains a loyal and affectionate personality, particularly towards Chihiro, his rescuer and owner. He is also depicted as clever and observant. However, his condition comes with significant drawbacks. As a zombie, Baabu experiences a "turbid period," primarily at night, during which he loses control and becomes aggressive. During these episodes, he was responsible for attacking and eating other small animals in the village. This aggressive state eventually leads him to attack Chihiro, which results in a defensive action that paralyzes Baabu and causes him to lose one of his legs. This event forces Chihiro to confront the reality of his pet's existence. Baabu later receives a prosthetic leg to help him move and wears a special coat with pockets for dry ice to slow down his bodily decay. A vaccine he was drenched in during an incident at ZoMA helped to suppress his turbid period.
Baabu's role in the story is foundational. His death and Chihiro's subsequent success in reviving him have far-reaching consequences. Because Baabu did not wake up immediately after being given the potion, Rea mistakenly believed the mixture was a poison and drank it herself, hoping to escape her oppressive life, which set the stage for her own transformation into a zombie. In a special OVA episode, Baabu narrates his own story, which includes meeting and falling in love with a female cat. Recognizing that his uncontrollable zombie nature could harm her, he makes the difficult choice to leave her while she sleeps, sacrificing his own chance at happiness for her safety. After a long period, Baabu passes away peacefully and is buried with a stone slab to mark his grave.
Driven by grief and his obsession with the undead, Chihiro attempts to resurrect Baabu using a recipe from an old book. After several failed attempts, and with encouragement from Rea Sanka, Chihiro creates a successful resurrection potion using poisonous hydrangea leaves from Rea's family garden. Although the potion did not produce immediate results, Baabu eventually reanimated as a zombie cat. His appearance changed dramatically after his revival; his eyes became vacant and glowing, turning a striking red color, and he developed heterochromia, or odd-colored eyes. Like Rea, who would later become a zombie under similar circumstances, Baabu must regularly consume hydrangea leaves to maintain his reanimated state and often coughs up a ball of the leaves, similar to a live cat coughing up a hairball.
Despite his undead state, Baabu retains a loyal and affectionate personality, particularly towards Chihiro, his rescuer and owner. He is also depicted as clever and observant. However, his condition comes with significant drawbacks. As a zombie, Baabu experiences a "turbid period," primarily at night, during which he loses control and becomes aggressive. During these episodes, he was responsible for attacking and eating other small animals in the village. This aggressive state eventually leads him to attack Chihiro, which results in a defensive action that paralyzes Baabu and causes him to lose one of his legs. This event forces Chihiro to confront the reality of his pet's existence. Baabu later receives a prosthetic leg to help him move and wears a special coat with pockets for dry ice to slow down his bodily decay. A vaccine he was drenched in during an incident at ZoMA helped to suppress his turbid period.
Baabu's role in the story is foundational. His death and Chihiro's subsequent success in reviving him have far-reaching consequences. Because Baabu did not wake up immediately after being given the potion, Rea mistakenly believed the mixture was a poison and drank it herself, hoping to escape her oppressive life, which set the stage for her own transformation into a zombie. In a special OVA episode, Baabu narrates his own story, which includes meeting and falling in love with a female cat. Recognizing that his uncontrollable zombie nature could harm her, he makes the difficult choice to leave her while she sleeps, sacrificing his own chance at happiness for her safety. After a long period, Baabu passes away peacefully and is buried with a stone slab to mark his grave.