Katsuo Ningen – The One and Only Bonito-Headed Guy from Kochi, Japan

Who Am I?

◆ Birthday: Can’t remember… but old enough to drink, that’s for sure. 🍶

◆ Hometown: Off the coast of Tosa, Kochi

◆ Hobbies: Surfing the waves and single-line fishing 🎣

◆ Career:

・2011–2012: PR Ambassador for Kochi Prefecture’s antenna shop in Ginza, Tokyo (a specialty store promoting local products).
・2013: Promoted to “Special Mission Chief.”
・2017: Became Associate Editor of Kochi-ke no ○○, Kochi’s official lifestyle website.

Since 2011, I’ve been hanging out on Twitter, then jumped on Facebook in 2012, Instagram in 2015, and most recently Threads in 2023. For over a decade, I’ve been sharing all kinds of Kochi news and fun tidbits with everyone out there!

⇒カツオ人間Twitter

⇒カツオ人間Facebook

⇒カツオ人間インスタグラム

⇒カツオ人間スレッズ

That photo above? Yep, it’s my official promo shot.
And when I step into the two-dimensional world, I look like this… 

but in real life, the 3D version of Katsuo Ningen is way cuter, don’t you think? 🐟

My Rise to Fame

My big break came in 2012 when I appeared in Kochi’s migration promotion commercial, “Live in Kochi.” That’s when people really started to notice me.

From there, things took off:

We even shot a film called “Katsuo Ningen THE MOVIE: Let’s Meet at Harimaya Bridge.”

Then came “Katsuo Ningen THE MOVIE 2.”

But the real talk of the town? My very own photo book. It sold out and went into reprint, hitting a total of 10,000 copies. Not bad for a fish-headed guy, huh? 

Collabs & Encounters

Life’s been full of fun surprises:

I made a song together with Kochi-born singer-songwriter Mayo Okamoto.

I got teased (and later befriended) by manga artist Rieko Saibara.

Author Hiro Arikawa, who openly calls herself a fan, even joined me for a book signing and handshake event.

We ended up holding hands, going on a “date,” and—my favorite memory—she even fed me lunch. 🥢💖

Festivals, Travels & More

Every summer, I take part in Kochi’s Yosakoi Festival, the city’s biggest and liveliest dance festival.

But my adventures don’t stop in Kochi. I’ve also gone to meet fans in:

Osaka

Tokyo

Kobe

Kyoto

Fukuoka.

And back home, I keep busy with “serious” work too—like visiting tourist spots, 

helping out with local harvests of Kochi specialties such as eggplants and buntan citrus… 

before heading out for, well, another round of drinks.

Closing Message

I’ll keep sharing news, stories, and quirky moments from Kochi through Kochi-ke and all my social media channels. So stick around, follow along, and let’s keep enjoying Kochi together. Deal? 👍