Microsoft has removed the Ninjacat emoji from Windows 11, following a complaint from users. The Unicode Consortium, which created the emoji, said in a statement that the character “does not represent a culturally appropriate or culturally sensitive character for use on Windows 11.” Microsoft has not yet released a statement commenting on the removal.
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As an example of how beloved the Ninjacat is within Microsoft, there was (or possibly still is) a statue of the feline at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond.
A Reddit user named mattbdev (via Windows Central) noticed that the new flat Windows 11 emoji do not feature Ninjacat anymore. Accessing these Ninjacat emoji required special combinations, but they don’t appear to work anymore. No longer does a cat and a dragon bring up Ninjacat riding on a dragon. It’s definitely a sad day for fans of ninja felines the world over.
Because these special Ninjacat emoji required specific combinations to use, a lot of Windows 10 users probably didn’t even know they were there. But for those who did, there will now be a giant headband-wearing cat-shaped hole in their hearts.
Clippy made it through the emoji change, but it appears as though Ninjacat wasn’t able to receive the 2D treatment. Maybe Ninjacat will make a triumphant return at a later date, but we’ll have to wait and see. For now, you’ll have to just use regular cat emoji, which are cute in their own way.
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