Kat's gravity shifting abilities were inspired by The Incal, a 1981 graphic novel series by Moebius and Alejandro Jodorowsky depicting a sprawling city. Its main character was shown being thrown from a building in one of its earliest moments, similar to how Kat "falls" through the air. Her cat Dusty was inspired by The Eyes of the Cat, a 1978 work by the same authors. Keiichiro Toyama, the series' director and designer, stated that he made Kat a female lead so that she would look "cute" even if the player failed, because her movement was difficult to control.
