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The catatafish

 


Regular viewers of South Park will recognize the term "catatafish." It is a fishy ghost first found inside the stomach of a semi-regular character called Mr. Slave. Presumably the body of the fish got there as a result of Mr. Slave's devotion to S/M.

As you can tell from this clip, the catatafish is a catfish, and also has a vaguely samarai-like outfit.

It's the samarai connection that presumably inspired a play on words in the character's name.There is a bit more going on than the addition of a couple of unnecessary syllables to the word "catfish."

One traditional samurai weapon is the katana, a slightly curved sword as portrayed above. As the link here indicates, the Catatafish appears to have a katana, in a bejeweled sheath, on his back.

So I'm thinking catatafish is a portmanteau of katana and catfish. Sound right to everyone? Only sign onto this if it sounds right to you. I'm not here to make you do anything. Not like those stories they tell about me and that underage salmon.
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  1. Demimonde Mesila ThraamMay 28, 2021 at 1:59 PM

    I am a huge South Park fan, and I have been wondering about this for ages. Thank you for this astute observation!

    The catatafish character also shows up in the South Park game "The Stick of Truth".

    ReplyDelete

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