Suzume: Does the cat die?

Suzume from Makoto Shinkai features a very cute cat in a prominent role, but does the small animal die by the end of the film?

Your Name and Weathering With You filmmaker Makoto Shinkai returned in 2023 with anime movie Suzume no Tajimari. It was one of the most anticipated films of the year, and you can check out our Suzume review to see if it lived up to the hype.

A coming-of-age story, Suzume follows the eponymous teenage protagonist on a magical trip across Japan to close magical doors before it’s too late. She’s accompanied by a magical cat, named Daijin, who steals everyone’s hearts, because of course they do.

The film ends on a heartfelt bittersweet note that involves Daijin. But does the feline survive the movie? We’ll explain, but first, warning: spoilers ahead!

Does the cat die in Suzume?

Sadly yes, the cat does die in Suzume. However, you can take comfort in the fact that it’s not a straightforward death, as this cat is not exactly normal.

Daijin is originally a stone keystone, which Suzume pulls out of the ground at the site of a magical door. By doing this, Suzume has accidently doomed her new companion and door closer/keyholder Satou to becoming a keystone himself.

This gets put into motion when Daijin turns Satou into the childhood chair that Suzume has in her bedroom. The creature appears at Suzume’s bedroom, looking like a scrawny stray, and after she feeds him, he states, “Suzume is kind,” before performing the magical curse on Satou.

Daijin then races off, and the pair of human and chair have to track him across Japan to turn Satou back. It also appears that Daijin is involved in the magical doors opening across the country, which Suzume has to close in order to avoid devastation.

It seems at first that Daijin is a villain, however it then becomes clear that they are more chaotic neutral than anything. Daijin was actually guiding Suzume to where the open doors were, rather than being the one that caused them to open.

And when they reach an open door in Tokyo, a portal that threatens to level the whole city, Satou – with Daijin’s guidance – realizes that he is the new keystone, and must sacrifices himself in order to close the door. He does just this, becoming crystalized and shoved into the heart of the curses that are pouring out of the door.

Suzume and Daijin are left behind, with seemingly no way to reach Satou again. Daijin attempts to stay alongside Suzume, but the teenager pushes the animal away in anger. However, this doesn’t stop the creature caring about her.

See, when Suzume tracks down a personal door that leads her to where Satou may be in the afterlife, she offers her own life to replace Satou as the keystone. However, turns out she doesn’t have to make that sacrifice. Daijin is more than willing to do that.

Daijin then becomes the keystone once more, reverting back into his seemingly lifeless state. It’s a heart-breaking moment, but Daijin doesn’t suffer at least, and leaves knowing he was appreciated by Suzume. Suzume and Satou are able to reunite, and continue their lives as door-closers and close friends.

If you want to go deeper on Makoto’s film, we have a guide on the Japanese mythology in Suzume. Our guides on Demon Slayer in order and My Hero Academia in order will teach all about those franchises as well.