Sora Tanka
As a lifelong otaku and pop culture enthusiast, I explore underground animation, vintage cinema, and the hidden gems of streaming media, then guide fellow fans toward shows worth their time.
Published: August 27, 2026 | 8 min read | Last updated: August 27, 2026
Chainsmoker Cat just became the anime everyone is talking about, and if you have already burned through every available episode of Yaniko lighting up in her trash filled apartment, you are probably hungry for the next fix. Finding anime like Chainsmoker Cat means chasing that same blend of crude adult comedy, catgirl absurdity, and characters who make objectively terrible choices and then live with the fallout as a coping mechanism. Yani Neko's mix of dark humor and disaster prone slice of life is not exactly common, but a handful of shows nail the same energy from different angles. Below are five picks worth your queue, chosen for how closely their tone, cast, or vibe echoes the parts of Chainsmoker Cat you probably cannot stop thinking about.
⚡ Quick Answer
If you are hooked on Chainsmoker Cat's mix of catgirl comedy and adult dysfunction, try Aggretsuko for workplace rage, Mr. Osomatsu for deadbeat adult chaos, You're Being Summoned, Azazel for crude demon summoning gags, Nekopara for pure catgirl charm, and Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan for burnt out irony. Five different angles on the same "adulting is a mess" energy.
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Why Chainsmoker Cat Became 2026's Must-Discuss Anime
Chainsmoker Cat, known in Japan as Yani Neko, follows Yaniko, a catgirl whose entire life orbits around cigarettes, regardless of what it costs her apartment, her job prospects, or her sister's patience. NyanNyanFactory's original manga has run in Weekly Young Magazine since February 2023, and the Bibury Animation Studios television adaptation premiered on Tokyo MX and BS11 on July 3, 2026, pulling in a much bigger audience than a niche seinen comedy usually gets.
In my experience, shows built entirely around one character's bad habit usually run out of jokes by episode four. Chainsmoker Cat surprised me by using Yaniko's smoking as a lens for something closer to workplace burnout and family disappointment, and that is the thread I looked for when building this list. I skipped anything that leaned purely on catgirl fan service and prioritized shows where the humor comes from adults failing at basic life tasks, since that is the actual engine driving Yani Neko's popularity.
📊 Key Stat: Over 240,000 MyAnimeList users have already scored the Yani Neko manga, averaging 6.44 out of 10, a visibility level most niche seinen comedies never come close to reaching (source: MyAnimeList).
⚠️ Important: Every title on this list, including Chainsmoker Cat itself, is written for adult audiences and leans on smoking, drug references, or crude humor for its comedy. None of these are appropriate viewing for younger anime fans.
"is within acceptable limits in terms of freedom of expression"
How We Picked These Anime Like Chainsmoker Cat
Ranking criteria here comes down to three things: how closely a show's humor comes from adults being bad at adulthood, whether it has that same crude, unfiltered comedic edge instead of gentle slice of life warmth, and whether it is easy to actually find and start watching today. Pure catgirl aesthetics without the dysfunction did not make the cut on their own, and neither did anything too soft edged for Yani Neko's audience.
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5 Anime Like Chainsmoker Cat You Need to Watch
1. Aggretsuko
Retsuko is a red panda office worker who screams death metal karaoke to survive her soul crushing job, and that gap between her cute exterior and genuine adult rage is the closest thing on this list to Yaniko's own contradiction. Best for: anyone who liked the workplace failure angle more than the catgirl gimmick. Watch it if: you want the same "cute design hides real burnout" trick. Skip it if: you specifically wanted more smoking jokes, since this one swaps vice for corporate despair.
2. Mr. Osomatsu
Six identical adult brothers, all unemployed, all lazy, all incapable of holding down a job or a relationship, played entirely for chaos rather than sympathy. It is Chainsmoker Cat's closest cousin in terms of "these people are a disaster and the show knows it." Best for: fans who want more characters failing at life instead of just one. Watch it if: rapid fire absurdist gags land for you. Skip it if: you preferred Yani Neko's slower, more grounded pacing.
3. You're Being Summoned, Azazel
An office worker accidentally becomes a demon summoner's assistant, and the crude, deadpan chaos between her and her monstrous coworkers has the same rude, unapologetic comedic engine as Chainsmoker Cat's apartment building cast. Best for: the vulgar humor crowd. Watch it if: you liked Yaniko's landlord dynamic specifically. Skip it if: you want a cat theme; this one is demons, not catgirls, and availability varies by region and streaming service.
4. Nekopara
If the actual catgirl design is what hooked you rather than the dysfunction, Nekopara leans all the way into that with six Nekos running a patisserie together. It is far gentler than Chainsmoker Cat tonally, but shares the cast structure of multiple catgirls with distinct personalities under one roof. Best for: viewers who want comfort over chaos. Watch it if: catgirl charm is the main draw. Skip it if: you wanted more of Yani Neko's dark comedy edge.
5. Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
A children's show exercise instructor keeps letting his genuine adult exhaustion and cynicism slip through his upbeat on air persona. It trades Yaniko's smoking for a more general portrait of burnt out adulthood, but the "cheerful surface, miserable underneath" formula is nearly identical. Best for: viewers who liked Yani Neko's quieter, sadder moments. Watch it if: workplace mask-slipping comedy appeals to you. Skip it if: you want more overt gross out humor.
💡 Pro Tip: If you are watching specifically for the smoking habit satire, start with You're Being Summoned, Azazel's early episodes, since its chaotic dynamic between Rinko and her demon coworkers mirrors Yaniko's landlord relationship almost beat for beat.
| Anime | Vibe | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Aggretsuko | Workplace rage comedy | Netflix |
| Mr. Osomatsu | Deadbeat sextuplet chaos | Crunchyroll |
| You're Being Summoned, Azazel | Crude demon summoning gags | Varies by region, check current listings |
| Nekopara | Pure catgirl comfort | Crunchyroll |
| Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan | Burnt out adult irony | Crunchyroll |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chainsmoker Cat about?
Chainsmoker Cat, known in Japan as Yani Neko, follows Yaniko, a catgirl whose life revolves around cigarettes despite the toll it takes on her apartment, her job prospects, and her worried sister. The Bibury Animation Studios adaptation leans into gross out slice of life comedy built around addiction and bad decisions.
Is the Chainsmoker Cat anime still airing?
Yes. The television adaptation premiered on Tokyo MX and BS11 on July 3, 2026, based on NyanNyanFactory's ongoing seinen manga that has run in Weekly Young Magazine since February 2023. New episodes continue to air weekly as of this writing.
Why was Chainsmoker Cat investigated by Japan's broadcasting watchdog?
Japan's Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization reviewed a season two episode after viewers flagged a self injection scene involving a supporting character. The committee reached no formal consensus, though one member argued the scene fell within acceptable creative limits for a late night broadcast slot.
What should I watch if I liked Chainsmoker Cat?
Fans point to Aggretsuko and Mr. Osomatsu for similarly frustrated, poorly coping adults, You're Being Summoned, Azazel for the same crude chaotic energy, and Nekopara if the catgirl designs are the main draw. Each swaps out Yaniko's smoking habit for its own flavor of dysfunction.
Is Chainsmoker Cat appropriate for younger viewers?
No. The manga and anime are written for adult audiences, playing chain smoking, drug references, unemployment, and messy apartment living for dark comedy. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes it under a seinen imprint aimed at older readers, and the anime airs in a late night broadcast slot in Japan.
Final Thoughts on Anime Like Chainsmoker Cat
None of these five will feel like a one to one replacement for Yani Neko, and honestly that is the point. Chainsmoker Cat's specific mix of catgirl absurdity, addiction, and dark family comedy is genuinely rare, so the closest matches come from picking apart what actually made it work for you: the workplace burnout goes to Aggretsuko, the deadbeat chaos goes to Mr. Osomatsu, the crude office dynamic goes to You're Being Summoned, Azazel, the catgirl comfort goes to Nekopara, and the quiet adult exhaustion goes to Uramichi Oniisan. Start wherever your favorite part of Yaniko's disaster of a life points you.
