Once Upon A Katamari Cousin Locations: Where to Find All 68 Cousins

Why Cousin Hunting Is the Backbone of Your Platinum Run

Sixty-eight cousins are hidden across the stages of Once Upon A Katamari, and pinning down every Once Upon A Katamari cousin location is the single most important task in the game. Unlike Crowns and Presents, cousins gate actual content — the "Tag, You're It!" stages only unlock once your cousin collection is complete, and those stages carry their own trophies. Get the cousins right and the Platinum largely takes care of itself.

Here's the good news: you don't need to beat the game first. According to the collectible breakdown, Once Upon A Katamari holds 248 total collectibles — 141 Crowns, 68 Cousins, and 39 Presents — but only Crowns and Cousins are required for the Platinum trophy. Presents are purely cosmetic extras, which means a completionist run is really a 209-item checklist. The final level contains no collectibles at all, so the Platinum can pop before the credits roll.

How Cousin Spawning Actually Works

This is the rule that trips up most players, and understanding it will save you hours.

Cousins spawn sequentially within a single level. Cousin #2 will not appear until you've rolled up Cousin #1 on that same stage, and Cousin #3 stays invisible until #2 is collected. Stages like "Only Fifty," "As Large As Possible 4," and "As Fast As Possible 5" hold three cousins each, so you'll need to clear those levels three separate times to sweep them.

Two more rules worth memorizing:

• Collectibles don't save if you quit or fail. If you roll up a cousin and then lose the level, you have to grab them again on the next attempt.
• Freebies carry over between stages. Finish a level holding a Magnet and it's yours to use in whatever stage you play next.

That second point matters more than it sounds. Because cousins reset on failure, hoarding a powerful Freebie for a tough stage is a legitimate strategy.

Freebies That Make Finding Cousin Locations Easier

Four powerups — collectively called Freebies — spawn throughout Once Upon A Katamari. Two of them are genuinely useful for collectible hunting, and two are situational.

Two details about Sonar are worth flagging. First, it won't show up as a pickup in most stages until you've already beaten and replayed that stage — so it's a second-playthrough tool, not a first-run crutch. Second, it shines in low-visibility levels; community reports consistently name "Lots of Yokai" as the stage where Sonar earns its keep, since the graveyard and shrine areas are almost pitch black.

The Magnet is the workhorse. Several cousins float well above your reach, and a Magnet turns a frustrating platforming problem into a one-button solution.

Early-Game Cousin Locations (Tutorial Through the Pond)

Use this table as your first pass. Cousins are listed in the order they appear in the game's stage progression.

Note the pattern with "Lots of Gold" and "Hurry, the Gold" — the timed variant reuses the exact same cousin placement, so once you've learned one, the other is nearly free.

Mid-Game Cousin Locations (Food Stages Through the Market)

The middle stretch of Once Upon A Katamari is where cousin density spikes. Several stages hide two or three, which means repeat visits.

A critical routing tip for "As Large As Possible (Sea)": this stage splits into two routes based on a single choice. When the octopus cutscene plays, rolling it up sends you down the Kraken Route; ignoring it sends you down the Ghost Ship Route. Because cousins spawn in sequence, the efficient order is Ghost Ship on your second run and Kraken on your third.

Late-Game Cousin Locations (Yokai Through Make a Star Again)

One warning for "Cowbear Pasture": Daisy counts as a cow, so rolling her up ends the stage. She's also very close to the mountain starting point, which means an accidental grab can end a run you weren't finished with.

The Cousins Players Struggle With Most

Based on aggregated player experience, a handful of Once Upon A Katamari cousin locations cause disproportionate frustration:

• Velvet (Lots of Dinosaurs) — floats above the river surface, out of reach unless you use a Magnet or grow tall enough.
• Kinoko (Rev Up Those Fryers) — a mushroom that requires a Katamari around 16 cm. Roll up too fast and you'll overshoot the size window.
• Nutsuo (Build a Ship) — locked behind bars you must roll up, so size gating works in reverse.
• Sherman (Perfect-Sized Mammoth) — a snowman on snow. Sonar or a slow, careful sweep is the answer.
• Twinkle (Make a Star Again 1) — wedged inside a wall next to a cat, in a stage with only a one-minute timer. Bring Timer Freebies and freeze the clock as often as possible.

If you're hunting these blind, the Magnet freebie is your best friend — and remember that it carries between stages.

A Practical Trophy Roadmap

For official game details and future updates, the Bandai Namco Entertainment official site is the place to check.

FAQ

How many cousins are in Once Upon A Katamari? There are 68 cousins to collect across the game's stages, plus a bonus Prince encounter in "Make a Star Again 1" that doesn't count toward your collection.

Why won't a cousin appear in a level I've already played? Cousins spawn in sequence. If Cousin #1 on that stage is still uncollected, Cousin #2 will never show up. Clear them in order, then replay the level for the next one.

Do I lose collectibles if I fail a stage? Yes. Collectibles don't save when you quit or fail, so any Once Upon A Katamari cousin location you cleared must be re-collected on the next attempt.

Are Presents required for the Platinum trophy? No. Only the 68 Cousins and 141 Crowns matter for trophies. The 39 Presents are optional, though they're fun to chase once the Platinum is done.