On July 16, 2026, on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED), the voice actors of the anime "YANI NEKO" became a hot topic for looking exactly like their characters.

"YANI NEKO" is based on a manga by the manga artist group "Nyan Nyan Factory." It is a comedy work depicting the daily life of the heavy smoker protagonist Yaniko Sato (commonly known as YANI NEKO), and features amusing interactions with her junior colleague and landlord who live in the same apartment building.

When photos of the voice actors playing YANI NEKO and the landlord were introduced on Xiaohongshu (RED), the resemblance of their appearances to their respective characters became a hot topic.

Chinese internet users commented, "Did they decide on the voice actors first and then draw the characters to resemble them? Or did they find voice actors who looked exactly like the characters?" and "Perhaps they started looking like this while playing the roles?"

Furthermore, there was a flurry of astonished voices regarding the striking resemblance between the voice actors and their characters, with comments such as "They are the characters themselves," "They might as well appear in a live-action version!" and "There's a voice actor interview video online, and they really do look just like the characters."

In addition, many voices specifically focused on Inada's appearance, saying, "Tetsu Inada (who plays the landlord) is cosplaying just by sitting there (lol)," and "Tetsu Inada, when did you start looking like this? You didn't look like this before, did you?" (Translation/Editing: Iwata)

ヤニねこしっかり見始めたけど
アニメすごいね
いつも通り声優さん調べたらめちゃにてたwてかそっくりすぎない？
リアタイしたいけど
明日ネトフリでみるかあpic.twitter.com/njEyFPpaOu

— あちゅ (@achu_66) July 16, 2026