A mystery figure calling himself “Catman” has completed a two-year, 4,000-mile walk across Australia while dressed in a full-body cat costume.
Viral sensation Kentaro Jin set out from Carnarvon in Western Australia in November 2023 and reached his destination of the Sydney Opera House on the other side of the country on Saturday evening, local time.
Dressed in leopard print, Jin pushed a yellow wheelbarrow across the coastline of the vast, arid country, raising roughly $50,000 for children’s cancer research along the way.
At the finish line, Catman was met by thousands of supporters and well-wishers, many of whom had followed his journey online. Some greeted him in cat outfits, others held signs reading “CATMAN.”
Jin has amassed over 850,000 followers on Instagram, where he has been sharing his humorous interactions with Australian locals along his journey.
He has never shared his face, remaining hidden behind his trademark mask.
The former construction worker is notable for his now-iconic good humor and cheerful demeanor. “I don’t want to be a hero trapped in a screen—I want to be a real presence that brings hope into the real world,” Jin wrote on his GoFundMe account.
During his travels, which he documented on social media, Jin would stop in to local towns and post about the connection he made with strangers. He was often given water, coffee and food along his journey.
One fan told SBS Australia “He’s just an inspiration, are you kidding? Walking from Western Australia? I can barely walk around the block of my house.”
He told SBS, “No, never finish. Catman just keep going! I’ll walk around the world!”
Not content with the walk, he is now planning to cycle back to where he started, eventually completing a full lap of the country.
Last year during a rare interview, Jin explained his journey across Australia was inspired by breaking up with his girlfriend in Japan.
“One day she told me she wanted to break up, and my reason for living crumbled in an instant, leaving me in deep sorrow,” he said.
“But when everything was gone and nothing seemed to matter anymore, my body felt incredibly light, and I felt like I could do anything. So, I decided to embark on a long-distance journey overseas, something I had longed for since my student days.”
He also revealed he had two catsuits and masks he rotated due to the funky stench, especially in the hotter climates across Australia.
“I sweated profusely every day and couldn’t wash my clothes, so I was tormented by my own stench in the tent at night. When the smell was too strong to sleep, I wrapped a bar of soap in a towel and tied it around my face like a mask to escape the odor and get some sleep.”
