Jibanyan is a nekomata-type Yo-kai of the Charming tribe. Originally a house cat named Rudy (Akamaru), he belonged to a teenager named Amy (Emi-chan). He sacrificed himself to push Amy from an oncoming truck’s path, dying at an intersection. Misinterpreting her grief as calling him pathetic, his lingering sadness bound him as a residual haunting there. He obsessively challenges trucks with his "Paws of Fury" attack to avenge his death, though always fails due to insufficient strength.

After encountering Nate Adams (Keita Amano) at the intersection, he requests help retrieving Amy’s stolen photo. Nate’s acknowledgment of Jibanyan’s bravery forges their friendship. Jibanyan then resides with Nate, frequently eating Chocobars and idolizing Next HarMEOWny. His personality balances fierce determination in battles with occasional laziness or reluctance toward trivial orders.

In "Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!" Episode 2, Jibanyan travels eight years forward alongside Shogunyan and Robonyan F-Type. He aids an adult Amy in her design career, demonstrating unwavering loyalty despite her inability to see him.

Combat revolves around rapid paw strikes, culminating in his Soultimate Move "Paws of Fury." Fusion creates variants: merging with Roughraff yields rebellious Baddinyan, while combining with Coughkoff produces sickly Thornyan. When offered a chance to undo his death, he refuses, affirming he would save Amy again.

Appearing across films, games, and anime, he is often required to unlock the legendary Shogunyan. His design features a chipped left ear, yellow chest haramaki, bell collar, and two tails tipped with blue hitodama flames. He speaks by pronouncing "N" as "Ñ" and appending "nyan" to words.