Time for another favorites list, and one that I’ve surprisingly never done before. Anime is full of cute animal mascots, whether they’re integral to their respective series’ plot or not. Even if they don’t serve a major purpose in the anime, they’re great for creating a simple, iconic image to associate with it, as well as opportunities for cute merchandise ;) So, out of the 300+ titles I’ve seen, what would be my top 10 favorites of these mascots?…
As always, just a few quick notes for the list. Firstly, I am not counting any Pokemon or Digimon. There’s just too many of them I like and would make the list very one-sided. Also, any character counts as long as they have an animal form (they don’t necessarily have to be an animal).
10. Sakamoto (from Nichijou)
My number 10 spot was being fought over by two black cats, Sakamoto and Kuroneko (from Trigun). A third may have come up with Jiji (from Kiki’s Delivery Service) but I’d have to watch the movie again to say for sure. In the end though, although Kuroneko is a charming little enigma, Sakamoto is just one of the funniest animal characters I’ve seen (mostly thanks to seiyuu Minoru Shiraishi). He’s part of the reason why I found Nichijou funny enough to keep watching despite its gags being more miss than hit to me. For having such a simple design, his reactions are hilariously animated, as are his facial expressions. He’s funny without even needing to try.
9. Ein (from Cowboy Bebop)
Ein is, plain and simple, a good dog who happens to have above average intelligence. Despite this, he can still act silly and somewhat oblivious when hanging out with the happy-go-lucky Ed, but he’s also proven himself to be helpful to the Bebop crew as well. And just a little anecdote, thanks to watching Cowboy Bebop several years ago, one of my friends decided to buy a Welsh Corgi puppy and named him Ein. I still see him today and he’s still a good boy!
8. Ryo-ohki (from Tenchi Muyo!)
Although you hardly see her around nowadays, back in the late 90s/early 2000s when Tenchi Muyo! was popular, I probably saw more of Ryo-ohki decorating anime web sites and merchandise than any other animal mascot. Nowadays she’s pretty much a has-been in terms of mascot-hood, but I still find her adorable. Personality-wise, she’s very sweet, and in the Tenchi OVA (which is what I mostly cared about) she even got a human form and briefly joined Tenchi’s harem XD Although I’m not nearly as into the Tenchi series as I used to be, I’ll always remember being a new fan and thinking how awesome it was whenever Ryo-ohki turned into a spaceship.
7. Kyubey (from Madoka Magica)
It hasn’t even been a year since Madoka Magica aired and Kyubey has already become an Internet phenomena, showing clear signs of being one of the most memorable anime mascots of recent years. And it’s not hard to see why given the extremely unpredictable, deviating role he plays in the magical girl series. I can’t help but find a character like him strangely appealing.
6. Umagon (from Konjiki no Gash Bell!!)
Gash Bell is a lesser known of the long-running shonen series, and thus Umagon isn’t very well known either. But once I got to know this little pony I couldn’t help but love him. He’s a bit bungling but his heart’s in the right place, and his coolness factor goes up greatly when he finally gains his Mamodo powers! Although he doesn’t speak, seiyuu Satomi Koorogi does an excellent job making his pony sounds adorable~
5. Luna (from Sailor Moon)
How could I forget the very first anime animal mascot I liked before I even knew what anime was? Although personality-wise Luna is more serious than cutesy compared to the others, she’s a good character nonetheless and probably treated more like a character than a mascot in Sailor Moon. Also, the second Sailor Moon movie, in which Luna plays a significant role, holds a special, nostalgic place in my heart.
4. Kirara (from Inuyasha)
During the five years I was obsessed with Inuyasha, this little nekomata brought me so much joy~ Her design is one of my favorites for an animal character, plus she’s sweet, strong, loyal, and cute without ever needing to assert her cuteness in the series. Just a great little mute, and perhaps underrated, companion for Inuyasha and company. Though she hardly got any attention in the manga, the anime gave her some more screentime as well as one of the most adorable cries for an anime animal =)
3. Kero (from Cardcaptor Sakura)
Kero is the perfect magical girl companion, as well as a good character on his own. He’s cute and fun-loving like any mascot, but certainly has his share of flaws, such as being a tad hot-tempered, cocky, and loud-mouthed. But when he’s not being funny with his hilarious Osaka accent (courtesy of Aya Hisakawa) he knows when to be serious and comforting to Sakura too. He’s just an entertaining little guy.
2. Chi (from Chi’s Sweet Home)
In Chi’s case, the animal mascot is also the main character XD Not only does Chi’s cuteness hold more universal appeal than probably any other animal character, I find all of her little kitty thoughts and actions to be incredibly realistic (having lived with many cats over the years). She’s just an endearing embodiment of cuteness and animal naivety that, unless you have some aversion to cute, I don’t see how anyone couldn’t find her any other way.
1. Chopper (from One Piece)
Maybe I’m cheating a bit having Chopper on this list since he’s also one of my top 10 most favorite characters. But there’s no denying he’s an animal (a reindeer for those who don’t know) and he’s certainly a mascot, as I’ve seen his mug on more One Piece products than any other character. It would be too much if I went into detail about what makes him such an appealing character, from his well-written backstory, cool transformation powers, and naive but sensitive personality. I’ll just say that he’s got a lot of traits I happen to love ^_^
This is definitely a topic that is close to my heart, as I have tons of favorite animal mascots characters ^_^ I always felt a little strange displaying them as their own category on my MAL profile, but I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one!
In no particular order, I love: Aria-shachou (ARIA), Nyanko-sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou), Ein (Cowboy Bebop), Shiro/Kuro Mokona (Tsubasa Chronicles/xxxHOLiC), Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro), Sakamoto (Nichijou)
Animal mascots seemed to be more popular back when I was a new fan in the late 90s/early 2000s. Or maybe they’re just more popular with younger fans? Looking at my list, most of my favorites are from older series…maybe they just don’t make them as good as they used to?
But yes, glad to know someone else who loves them ^_^ (my interest in them comes from my love of animals I suppose).
Kero and Ein have definitely got to be two of my favourite anime mascots as well. I think my favourite would probably have to be Pen Pen though – he’s certainly got to be one of the most recognisable. :)
Pen Pen almost made it onto my list (he would be in my top 20 for sure). For having such little screentime and overall purpose in Evangelion, his feisty little personality was made very clear XD
The only two that I’m not familiar with are Ryo-ohki and Chi. Surprised that Pikachu isn’t on here.
Kero, Ein, and Kyubei are definitely three of my favorites as well. Other mascot characters I like include:
Mokona (Tsubasa/xxxHOLiC)
Plue (Rave Master)
Nyanko-sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou)
Ioryogi (Kobato)
Clara (Kuragehime)
Chuchu (Utena)
Puu (Yuyu Hakusho)
I said at the beginning of the post that I wasn’t going to have any Pokemon or Digimon on my list. If I put Pikachu on the list, then I’d want to put iconic pokemon I like better than Pikachu on the list, such as Meowth, and there would just be too many. Plus I’d have trouble deciding where to put Pikachu on the list – should he be #1 due to how much I love Pokemon, or should I only consider my feelings for Pikachu in regards to other pokemon I like more? It’s tricky when the series in question revolves around mascot creatures ^^,,,
I’m curious what you’d think of Chi’s Sweet Home. It’s kitty moe to me but you might find it better than cute girl moe XD Each episode is only three minutes.
Of the mascots you mentioned, I’m only familiar with Mokona’s Rayearth version, as well as Ioryogi and Chuchu. Ioryogi kinda freaks me out but Chuchu is cute :3 (and just a bit of trivia, Chuchu’s seiyuu is Satomi Koorogi, who also does two of the animals on my list – Umagon and Chi).
Ah, my bad. Sorry. ^^;;
Oh, if each episode is only then three minutes, that makes things a lot easier. I’ll probably check it out now. :)
Aw, why does Ioryogi freak you out?
Maybe it’s his really gruff, deep voice plus often scary expression, and the fact that he always yells at Kobato and breathes fire on her XD I’ve only seen the Kobato anime though so I don’t know if he’s less harsh in the manga.
Nah, he’s pretty much the same in the manga. But the angry fire breathing stuff is more in the first few chapters. His backstory is a bit more solidified in the manga, though.
I love Ryo-ohki and Kirara. I prefer mascots that do not speak, and see someone like Kyubey as a full fledged character instead of a mascot. Same with Kero.
One of my more memorable one is the pipe fox from xxxholic. Although, it does not appear in many episodes, I find it quite adorable and playful, but very brave and reliable at the same time. A mascot I would love to have :)
I can’t bring more to mind, I guess it’s not something that I pay a lot of attention to :S
I think it’s best when the mascots don’t speak but we still know their personality and feelings. That’s why Ryo-ohki and Kirara are so great – they don’t speak but they’re not just all superficial cuteness either. In the Tenchi OVA, we get to see how Ryo-ohki feels about Tenchi (and Ryoko and Sasami too). And for Kirara, she doesn’t even have to act all cutesy to be cute. She’s just a good, loyal companion.
I’ve never seen xxxholic so I don’t know this pipe fox. Can you show me a picture of it?
The pipefox has 2 forms. One if them is like a serpent-like spirit, which loves to rest around your neck, or arm (or inside your clothes), and keep giving Watanuki little peck-kisses.
The other form is a large, powerful, fox-spirit (similar to the pokemon nine-tails), that also tries to sit on Watanuki, or play with him, with pretty funny results in the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoCc0PXdfyc
I couldn’t find a better video, but that should give you an idea. I find it entirely adorable in both forms. Also, if you have the chance, you should see XXXholic. It’s pretty different to other anime, and the 2nd season is really, really good.
Aw, the pipefox is cute. Reminds me of the nine-tailed fox pokemon, Ninetales ^_^
I forgot the Pipe-fox spirit D:
I love him~
Nice! BUT for me Ein is definitely my number one. Alot of anime has me smile or chuckle once BUT very few shows have actually had me laughing the way only some elite comedians can and select daily life scenarios, where I’m laughing so hard I teer up and my gut hurts, barely catching my breath. It was the episode where those mushrooms are stolen and everyone starts trip’n balls lol like LSD effect. Spike talks to the frog who tells him it’s the stair way to heaven or something and EIN! With the hiccups and hopping around, KILLED me. Then Alex from Shinryaku is up there along with Kirara and Jiji and maybe Arthur from Suzuka. THAT cat is the living embodiment of wisdom since it’s Suda’s reincarnation(speculation). I never saw Chi’s Sweet Home but I might have to give it a look, that’s one cute cat.
Ah yes, the mushroom episode in Cowboy Bebop is hilarious. I love Ein’s bout with the hiccups too XD
I think you’ll enjoy Chi’s Sweet Home. Chi is just too adorable for words =^.^=
President Aria (Aria the Animation)
Nyanko-sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou)
Wiz (D.N. Angel)
Nomo (Cross Game)
Palmtop Tiger (Toradora) (what did you say, it’s not an animal? blasphemy)
Microbes (Moyashimon) (yes yes, it’s not animals, but they are cute)
Some I like!
If I had continued with the list, Aria would certainly be on there ^_^ And wow, Wiz from D.N. Angel…that takes me back. I didn’t really like the ten episodes of the D.N. Angel anime I watched years ago but I remember Wiz was very cute.
LOL, the Palmtop Tiger certainly counts as a mascot. As long as it’s an animal form, which it is, it counts (despite not being a canon part of the series).
One thing came to my mind- don’t you think that recent anime created a somewhat new type of a mascot character- an unnamed one, that appears on the screen randomly? There’s a lot of cat shots in Kimi to Boku, there are the cats that look out of place graphically in Bamboo Blade, Seitokai no Ichizon or Lucky Star etc.
That’s actually a really good point. It’s especially true of cats for some reason, especially cats drawn in this silly, cartoony looking style, such as in Fullmetal Alchemist, Lucky Star, Nyan Koi!, and a recent episode of Working’!!. The earliest example I can think of is the cats in Azumanga Daioh. Maybe these kinds of cats are a new trend?
Recognized all the mascots, and they really are great mascots! Not so sure about Umagon, but I think that Totoro would replaced him in my list since he’s so widely recognized. Not to mention that he’s the fondest anime mascot for me in my childhood. ^_^ My top favorite mascot has got to be Ryo-ohki, since she’s just so cute and fluffy. Not to mention that she can transform into an awesome space-ship!
The one Ghibli mascot I was gonna put on the list was actually Teito (Nausicaa’s little fox squirrel) but Sakamoto won my 10th place spot in the end. For some reason I’m just not big on Totoro despite his immense popularity in Japan. I prefer Ghibli’s “darker” movies I guess.
Ryo-ohki is awesome =^.^= Even though I haven’t been into Tenchi for quite a while I still like her, so that must mean her cuteness is immortal XD
I agree with most of theses but where is Mokona?? [:
How about Happy and plue from Fairy Tail??? they are very cute. I love ryo ohki. He is so much funny.