Otis Césaire

"I think I'm higher on the food chain."

- Animan

 is a zookeeper at Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes and the father of Alya, Ella, Etta, and Nora Césaire. In "Animan", as a result of Kim's mockery, he is akumatized by Hawk Moth and becomes Animan, a shape-shifting supervillain.

Physical appearance
Otis is a plump man with a light brown skin tone. He has short brown hair with a full beard and sideburns.

Civilian attire
He rests glasses with large black frames on his forehead, but never wears them. He appears to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt that is pale yellow with pale pink palm designs. On his left wrist, he wears a bracelet that features the tooth of an unknown animal. He also wears pale green jeans and brown work shoes.

As Animan
Animan can transform into any animal he chooses, but will retain purple glowing eyes and the akumatized bracelet on his wrist. The most common form he takes is that of a black panther.

Personality
Otis is very serious about his job as a zookeeper, and he feels that the animals there deserve respect. He doesn't like it when someone insults him and/or the animals. At the same time, Otis is loving and helpful, caring about his wife and daughters. He helps in the search for Adrien, who is missing, in "A Christmas Special", and he and his family come to check on him once he is safe at home.

As Animan, he supports the animals, setting them free. He goes for revenge against Kim for making fun of him and the zoo's new panther. Animan carefully chooses the animals he shape-shifts into to help him succeed, whether to get Kim or defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir.

As a civilian
As a zookeeper, Otis is trained to work with and take care of a wide variety of animals, like panthers.

As Animan
Animan has the ability to transform into any animal he desires, even those that are extinct. However, transforming too often wears him out. In addition to shape-shifting, he has the ability to clearly communicate with other animals.

Trivia

 * Otis' name is a reference to Otis Redding, just as the rest of his family's names are references to jazz singers.
 * His name is never mentioned in "Animan".
 * Even though his name has been confirmed to be Otis Césaire, his name tag reads "Otis R." in the aforementioned episode.
 * Along with Wang Cheng and Lila Rossi, Otis is one of three characters who gets akumatized but does not appear in the Season 1 theme song. However, he and Wang Cheng make an appearance in the theme song animatic.
 * When asked what Otis' relationship is to Alya's family, Thomas Astruc jokingly replied that he is "Alya's younger brother."
 * "Animan" is a play on the words animal and man.
 * This also reminisces the 1983 American TV series "Manimal".
 * Animan reappears in the two-part special event "Heroes' Day".

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