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*lmao* · 07-13-2022, 04:37 PM

In a very interesting interview I had with Shion Okamoto, he revealed to me his secret lucky charm. And no, it is not at all what you think you would be expecting.

What many fans might not know, the Chicago Syndicate locker room might be slightly more cognizant of. That secret is that Shion Okamoto is a very great and avid fan of the Garfield illustrated comic strip. However, what the Syndicate locker room does not know about, is Shion Okamoto's lucky charm. And that lucky charm is buried deep in Okamoto's locker, and usually only comes out when no one else in the locker room is around. This lucky charm is normally only brought out in very tough times, such as tough playoff losses, or horrible individual performances by Okamoto that cost the Syndicate the game.

Okamoto's teammates would definitely guess that the lucky charm was something Garfield-related, since it is so well known how much that Okamoto loves Garfield. However, no one would actually be able to guess what that item actually is.

See, Shion Okamoto is definitely a huge fan of Garfield. That is not up for debate at all. But what many do not know is that his favourite character in Garfield is not actually Garfield. Many would have assumed that to be the case, since Garfield is so lovable, and such a relatable character in pretty much all aspects. I mean, who would not love a cat that is well known for loving to eat anything that is set in front of him, being super lazy (like many of us), and for hating Mondays like the rest of us. While it is true that Garfield is very relatable to most of the people in the world, it would be a bit difficult for a professional athlete to idolize a character like Garfield himself. Of course, professional athletes have to constantly be on their grind. Being lazy or just having a personality resembling Garfield whatsoever would be disastrous for a professional athlete, especially one playing in the Simulation Hockey League (since hockey is a very strenuous sport). So while Okamoto's secret charm was actually a plush of a character in the Garfield character, that character is not Garfield himself, to the surprise of many in the Chicago locker room and many fans.

One clue as to the identity of this lucky charm and favourite character, is that the aforementioned character is a stark enemy of Garfield. However, if you are at all familiar with the Garfield universe, you would know that this hint is not really much of a hint. Since Garfield is so annoyed by everything, practically everyone in the Garfield universe has been his enemy at some point.

His main enemy would definitely have to be considered to be Jon, since the majority of the Garfield comic series is focused on how pathetic Jon is as a man, and how easily and constantly humiliated Jon is (mostly by Garfield, but often by women, and other sources). However, I do not think that I have ever seen a Jon Arbuckle plush in real life. Jon is not a cute character that can be distilled into a plush, he is merely the most insanely pathetic character ever who will never find happiness in his life, unfortunately.

Garfield's second enemy would definitely have to be Odie, the extremely stupid dog that Garfield torments constantly. There are definitely many plushes as Odie out there, since Odie would be considered by many to be a very cute dog. However, Okamoto would agree with Garfield's opinion that Odie is simply very dumb and does not need to be appreciated to that extent. So while Odie is indeed very cute, Okamoto's plush is not Odie.

Now, which character actually is Okamoto's plush is almost certain to surprise you. The plush in Okamoto's locker is a plush of Nermal, the kitten (full name Nermal Cat Kitten according to garfield.fandom.com). You may almost certainly be asking why the hell Okamoto has a plush of Nermal as his lucky charm for tough times. Nermal is definitely a strong and hated enemy of Garfield. Please note, it is a common misconception that Nermal is female because of his personality and because of his appearance, however, that is not true. Nermal is simply just an extremely cute kitten. This of course, annoys Garfield tremendously, and Garfield is jealous of all of the attention and love that the extremely cute Nermal Cat Kitten gets. As well, Nermal frequently outsmarts Garfield, due to Garfield's jealousy leading him into Nermal's traps.

Because of all this, Okamoto desires to harness Nermal Cat Kitten's energy. First of all, Nermal is beloved by all, and Okamoto would like to be loved and supported by all of the Syndicate fans as well. As a fairly mediocre player, he cannot simply rely on his skills on the ice to fall into the good graces of the Chicago fans. He also has to embody Nermal's sparkling personality to get the support of the fans. As well, Nermal is very active, and constantly outsmarting Garfield, which are qualities that Okamoto needs to perform better out on the ice. And finally, Okamoto simply looks at Nermal during tough times and tries to harness Nermal's extreme cuteness (including Nermal's long cute eyelashes) into positive energy that he can use to move forward and crush his opponents on the ice.

Okamoto has mentioned that once this story is finally released, he will finally feel free enough to show Nermal off in the locker room, and bring him out not only when he is alone there. He may even be brave enough to let his teammates use his beloved Nermal plush to harness Nermal's extremely cute energy.

One thing is for certain, Nermal will remain a huge part of Okamoto's career and life going forward, and now, he can finally share this part of him with the world.