There is only one thing that can measure with anime and cats. You get it when you put the two together. Anime Cats! And, there are so many of them. Basically, cats appear in almost every anime or manga. Randomly. I think that is because Japanese people really love cats.
They even have Maneki-Nekos (lucky charms in a shape of a cat). Besides those random cats that hardly anyone notices, there are those anime cats that win our hearts. Some are the main stars of anime/manga, and those that are not main characters, but in the audience’s eyes, they are crucial. In this article, I present to you my personal choice of the top 10 anime cats!
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Anime Cats
Note: The list of anime cats is ordered randomly. The first one doesn’t necessarily represent the best one. Thus, the last anime cat that is on the list doesn’t necessarily represent the worst out of best.
01. Happy (Fairy Tail)
He appears in Fairy Tail, and he is the best friend of the main protagonist (Natsu). Happy is one of the anime cats that can’t go unnoticed. And, he is really a unique cat. Why? Because he can grow a pair of white-feathered wings! Yes, Happy is a cat that can fly! This ability is called Aera. And, he can fly fast, very fast. This is not the only unusual thing about this anime cat.
Natsu found an egg one day, and he assumed that it was a dragon’s egg. But, instead of a dragon, here comes the kitty. From an egg!! Blue, rectangle cat with big black eyes and white belly. At least he can fly like a dragon. Happy also knows a lot about magic. Nevertheless, he has typical cat traits. Happy absolutely loves fish and hates dogs. Surely, one of the best anime cats.
02. Arthur (Code Geass)
This black and gray anime cat with yellow eyes appears in Code Geass. Firstly, he appears in “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” fifth episode, “The Princess and the Witch.” But, he gets a bigger role in the next episode, “The Stolen Mask.” To make things even better, Arthur is the one who stole that mask. Unintentionally, of course. He was just clumsy, I would say, just like most of the cats.
After that, he is being chased all over the school grounds by a bunch of students. Later on, in the anime, a student council decides to adopt him and choose a name for him. Although there were many name suggestions, with one of them being “Lelouch the second,” the name Arthur remained. It’s because Euphemia already gave it to him, and she was the one who found him. And, for me, the sweetest thing about Arthur is the way he always bites Suzaku.
03. Chi (Chi’s sweet home)
This adorable cat is the main character of the anime “Chi’s Sweet Home.” She is a totally “kawaii” white-gray cat with black stripes. She belongs to the Yamada family, and she absolutely adores her young owner Yohei Yamada. Basically, this whole anime is based on Chi’s everyday adventures and ups and downs with her family and friends. Truth be told, this anime is more cute than interesting. It is totally kid’s appropriate and not for some more mature crowd. But this cat still belongs in the list of best anime cats!
04. Luna (Sailor Moon)
This anime cat is the main character of the anime “Sailor Moon.” And, she is not a regular cat. She is a black guardian cat. Luna comes from a planet of cats, Mau! But, she belongs to the Moon Cat species. In anime, she can also transform into a human! Unlike the other two main characters, Artemis and Diana (in Sailor Moon manga, all three characters can transform).
But, let’s not go into the story too deep. It is just important to mention that Luna is quite a lady. She acts firmly. But with respect towards others. Also, Luna is very polite, and she cares about others. She takes her duties very seriously. Even though we can see her kind of clumsy and playful cat side, she is a really intelligent being.
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05. Morgana (Persona 5)
This cat is a member of a persona user group, “Phantom Thieves of Heart.” Morgana is the cat that wouldn’t go into the most likable or nice anime cats list. Because this black and white cat with blue eyes is rather arrogant, rude, sarcastic, patronizing, and egoistic but, he certainly is an important part of his group. He is calm and handles well in difficult situations.
Even though he has a bad attitude, he definitely deserves his place on the best anime cats list. Morgana is quite a unique character. He can transform into a form with human attributes and traits. In this form, he also has a big head and eyes. But that’s not all. Also, he can transform himself into a van.
06. Madara aka Nyanko (Natsume’s Book of Friends)
It took me some time to decide I would put this character into the top 10 anime cats list. It’s because of the original form of Madara, aka Nyanko. In the original, he is a large youkai that looks like a white wolf. So, basically, he isn’t a cat. Nevertheless, he usually transforms himself into an adorable little Maneki-Neko (Japanese lucky cat). And, the ones that have little or no spiritual energy can’t see his original form.
Madara is one of the main characters in “Natsume’s Book of Friends.” He is the bodyguard of another main character Natsume. He is sometimes selfish and condescending. But, later in the story, he becomes more friendly. Madara, aka Nyanko, can also be funny as a character. He loves to get drunk with sake. Also, he loves food, bullying dogs, chasing, and playing with toys. Yes, he is a cat!
If you want to read “Natsume’s Book of Friends”, you can find volume 1. of the manga here.
07. Sakamoto (Nichijou)
This cat is a black, middle-aged anime cat in “Nichijou.” His name was originally Taisho until he ran away from his first owner. After that, Nano and Hakase found him and gave him the name Sakamoto. Sakamoto truly is one of the best anime cat characters. He can be extremely fun to watch.
As we already said, he is a middle-aged cat, and he likes to act like that. He has a playful cat side, but he won’t show it to Nano and Hakase. Sakamoto acts condescending to them, showing his authority. (Soma) But, when it’s needed, he acts helplessly like any other cat. Basically, he acts in the way that suits him in the given situation.
08. Chimera (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai)
This anime cat appears in “Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai.” Chimera is a domestic, gray, and white female cat. She wears fake pink wings. She is one adorable, chubby cat with green eyes. Also, on her backs, She wears fake pink wings. Rukka is the one who found Chimera and named her.
But, she couldn’t keep her because of her roommates allergy. Because of that, Rukka argues with some of her friends about who should take Chimera. In the end, Chimera ends up with Yuuta. Later in anime, she gives birth to six even cuter kittens (blue, black, white-green, pink, yellow, and orange)! Chimera, just like other cats, has her own funny cat moments. For example, going all around the street purring, being cute, and begging for food.
09. Anpu (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)
This cat appears only a few times in the anime “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” Anpu is an orange tabby cat. (https://boxmining.com) Just like “Sakamoto” from the anime “Nichijou,” he also wears a red scarf around his neck. This cat constantly appears around Sarkis’ house. But, unfortunately, Saiki doesn’t particularly like Anpu. In fact, he considers Anpu to be very annoying. Nevertheless, I still find Anpu to be a great cat! He definitely deserves the spot on this “top 10 anime cats” list.
10. Molly (The Ancient Magus’ Bride)
This cat is one of the most beautiful anime cats that I have ever seen. She appears in the anime and manga “The Ancient Magus’ Briede.” Molly has a long white and yellow coat. And, she has different colored eyes! Her right eye is yellow, and her left eye is blue. She lives in the village of Ulthar (England, “the town where cats gather around”). And, she is the last King of Cats.
11. Sorata (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi)
Sorata was rescued by a high school student named Masamune Takano. We don’t know much about the first family that owned Sorata. But we know that he was abandoned in an alleyway and soon took refuge in a filthy box. Takano heard his cries and was the only person willing to take him back to safety in Takano’s house.
After this, we see Sorata as an old, fully grown cat who is now in the care of Yokozawa. Yokozawa has an extremely intense work schedule that doesn’t allow them to take care of Sorata properly. As a result, he goes into the care of Kirishima’s daughter, Hiyori. Hiyori desperately wanted a cat of her own. Sorata’s backstory is filled with ups and downs, and this definitely earned him a place on this list.
12. Nekotalia (Hetalia)
Nekotalia is a special case on this list. It’s not the name of just a singular cat. It originates from Hetalia in the form of several images and webcomic strips. This justifies its name Nekotalia as Neko is the Japanese word for cat, and Talia is derived from the word Hetalia. In those strips, the cats are nations that share similar personalities and features. Some nations own the cats that represent them.
Several cats such as America Cat, China Cat, Denmark Cat, Italy Cat, Turkey Cat, Germany Cat, and so much more. Each cat has a distinguishing factor that makes them lovable and unique. However, since these cats would take up the entire list, we decided it’d be best to club them together.
13. Jiji (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
In the movie “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” Jiji is Kiki’s closest companion and pet cat. Jiji is chatty and sarcastic and likes to act proudly in the American version of the film. However, in the Japanese version, the cat is depicted with a cautious and humble personality. Jiji is always ready to help Kiki.
We can see the difference between wisecracking and cautious demeanor in both cultures. But Jiji is a lovable cat in both versions if you ask me. In the movie, Kiki is not able to communicate with her cat after a certain point. However, the reason why they cannot talk or understand each other is that Kiki has grown up. Thus, Jiji serves as an important character who symbolizes a lot of things.
14. Korin (Dragon Ball Z)
Korin is a martial arts master who has lived for over 800 years. He may be perceived as a strict teacher, but that’s actually far from the case. He’s a nice guy, and everyone else around seems to take him seriously. For example, Goku was about to steal the holy water when Korin was asleep but decided against it in the end.
Due to this display of decency and honesty, Korin agreed to train Goku to the maximum potential. The wise master likes to play tricks and absolutely cannot stand dogs. Fun fact: Dragon Ball Z’s author used his own cat as the model for Korin’s character. But, since his cat was sleeping at the time, Korin’s eyes are kept closed throughout the show.
15. Blair (Soul Eater)
Blair has two forms – a human form and a cat form. The character’s classification is a bit blurred, but we decided to put it anyways. Blair is a monster cat who would later take residence at Soul Eater’s apartment due to her house getting destroyed by Soul Eater, might I add!
She’s usually mistaken for a genuine witch and understanding and kind to troubled people. She’s a fun-loving character who is extremely sociable. But, she does have exhibitionist tendencies as she loves exposing her naked body to see people’s reactions. She usually has a witch hat on. When she switches to her cat form, she has a smaller version of the hat.
16. Kuroneko (Trigun)
Kuroneko is a black cat that appears in the background of “Trigun” at varying times. She’s pretty much a normal cat as the anime and manga don’t develop her character very much. She appears a lot in the anime, though, and has managed to win our hearts in a short amount of time. Kuroneko had little to do with the plot, but there are a few memorable instances. For example, she stopped Wolfwood from cheating.
Yasuhiro Nightow, the author of the manga, has apparently been asked a lot about Kuroneko. At anime conventions, fans like to ask him about the nature or significance of Kuroneko’s character. But he simply replies, “Kuroneko-sama is a small black cat.” Simple is best, after all.
17. Maya (Azumanga Daioh)
Maya is from the comedy show “Azumanga Daioh.” He is an Iriomote Mountain Cat and is owned by Sakaki. Sakaki met Maya when he was just a kitten. Sakaki was amazed because he was the first cat to let her pet him. Sadly, it’s suggested that Maya’s mother had died from a car accident. Due to this, he followed Sakaki home, but he had to be kept at Chiyo’s house due to circumstances.
Maya is quite protective of Sakaki and likes to scare off the neighborhood cats. Sakaki almost couldn’t keep him as a pet because of his breed. The vet said they’re not recommended as pets. But in a desperate state, she and Chiyo convinced the vet that Maya is a crossbreed. Thus began the journey of Maya and his shenanigans.
18. Kuro (Ao no Exorcist)
Kuro is the familiar of Rin Okumura. He used to be the familiar of Shiro Fujimoto up until the point that Fujimoto died at the hands of Satan. He is constantly near and around Rin. Kuro is extremely energetic and playful, which is why he always asks Rin to play with him.
But he’s not just any normal cat. He has a fierce side. This shift in personality could be seen when he attacked those who were bulldozing his shrine. He loves sleeping on Rin’s back and drinking Shiro’s catnip wine. He hates being lonely and was extremely sad at Shiro’s death. This fact alone made him deserve a spot on this list.
19. Chomusuke (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo)
Chomusuke is the familiar of Megumin and also the other half of Wolbach, the goddess. She cannot speak the human language in “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo.” However, as she is fairly intelligent, she can understand to some extent. Chomusuke has been the target of bullying as her true power was sealed long back.
She is a most friendly cat except when it comes to Emperor Zell and Aqua. Chomusuke’s favorite people are Kazuma and Wiz. They treated her with extra kindness. Ever since Chomusuke became the other half of Wolbach, she has also absorbed many of her personality traits. For example, she now prefers human food like biscuits rather than pet food like raw fish.
20. Molly (Ancient Magus Bride)
Molly resides in the village of Ulthar. She is currently holding the position of the last King of Cats. In “Ancient Magus Bride”, cats improve their ability to speak with humans and understand them with each life they lose. Additionally, they have a different kind of lifespan from other creatures in the land. They can only live up to their 9th life, and currently, Molly is at her 9th life. She is an extremely majestic cat with long fur and eyes of different colors. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t pet her? Her character’s a no-brainer when it comes to this list.
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Let us know what you think!
- What are your top favorite anime cats? Are there any you would add to this “top anime cats” list?
- Is there any anime cat you would remove from this list?
- Is there any anime and/or manga you would definitely recommend?
Let us know what you think in the comment section below!