25 Best Cats In Anime: The Ultimate List of Feline Characters

Cats are definitely more popular in anime than any other creature, it seems much more aligned to cat people rather than dog people. It seems like favouritism, sure you see a dog pop up here and there, but cats just dominate the medium. From talking cats to cat ears and adding nyan to everything they say, there’s an abundance of these furry creatures. With plenty of human like cats and spawns of Satan, here are all the best cat anime characters you never saw, the soppy ones, the fiercely protective ones, the fluffiest ones and all the cats in between! Cats also have a particularly special role as they help us understand people and have a special role in anime character development. This post is perfect for if you are searching for anime inspired cat names too, as there are so many cute anime cat names here. You might just find a new anime name for your cat!

25. Sorata from Anime: Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi

A cat that was rescued by Masamune Takano when Takano was in high school, Sorata may seem like a misleading choice to start the list, as he has so little plot presence as a character. But he is so, so adorable! Appearing a little like an oreo biscuit, he is first seen to be taken care of by Takaho who discovered him in an alley way. Sorata has more of an important role than first seems, however, as he carries different transitions within the characters in the anime, helping to explore their character progression and how they change throughout the anime.

24. Nekotalia from Anime: Hetalia

A whole range of beautiful cats that each represent a different country or region in the anime! The only thing better than a cat is lots of them! Each cat is designed to be the equivalent of each of the characters in Hentalia. Why not have a cat version of everything! The group consists of America Cat, Austria Cat, Belarus Cat, China Cat, Denmark Cat, England Cat, Finland Cat, France Cat, Germany Cat, Greece Cat, Hungary Cat, Iceland Cat, Italy Cat, Japan Cat, Norway Cat, Monaco Cat, Prussia Cat, Romano Cat, Russia Cat, South Korea Cat, Spain Cat, Sweden Cat, Taiwan Cat, Turkey Cat and Ukraine Cat. So you can see why they are all included together here - each cat having its own place on this list would make it incredibly long! Each cat represents a certain country and their bickering often leads to humor as well as some low-key political criticism. They each have their own style and personality and everyone ends up with a favourite! Germany cat and Italy cat both have a very compelling relationship. Germany cat is a very strict black cat that does everything by the book, while Italy cat is just a softy who likes to play, flirt, and wind up Germany cat. Hung(a)ry cat sounds pretty familiar too. You will have to watch the anime to find yours!

23. Sakamoto from Anime: Nichijou

A cat that has no secret or special powers, but is just able to be translated through the power of technology! Sakamoto has a hard past and difficult backstore after belonging to a cruel cat owner but finds a wonderful new home with the genius inventor, Hakase. Using her knowledge and talents she is able to make for him a high tech scarf that gives him the ability to speak and translates his meows. He is older than both Nano and Hakase (20 years old in cat years), and prefers to be called "Sakamoto-san" to emphasize his authority!

22. Jiji from Anime: Kiki’s Delivery Service

Jiji is a very interesting cat anime character to observe as it actually carries two different personalities, depending on which anime you watch! In both versions he is Kiki's familiar, a small black cat character in the anime that acts as her companion as she trains to become a fully fledged witch. However, in the Japanese version, Jiji is a very nervous and shy cat that doesn’t even speak if he doesn’t have to. In the English version however, he is a more proud, satirical and cynical cat - perhaps taking after Salem in Sabrina the Teena Witch? Even plot-wise there is a difference! In the Japanese version Kiki loses the ability to speak to Jiji as she has grown up, while in the 1998 English version this doesn’t seem to be the case.

21. Korin from Anime: Dragon Ball

That big, fluffy, white wise cat, known as a Senbyo, an Immortal Cat, that lives in a giant tower where he would train the one and only Goku. Viewed as a martial arts master in the anime, Korin also gives Goku’s gang Senzu beans so the legendary moment of the worst parenting skills ever(displayed in the battle against Cell) might not have happened hadn’t it been for this fuzzy old cat. It is said that Korin was initially modeled after Koge, the cat owned by Akira Toriyama, writer and creator of the Dragon Ball series!

20. Kaya from Anime: Ghost Stories

Kaya is the Miyanoshita's family pet, a Bombay black cat that was previously reported to have been a stray. However, things get a bit hectic when, on trying to rid the world of an evil spirit, Satsuki and friends accidentally perform a reverse-exorcism and now the cat is possessed! Now this formally ordinary yet loyal cat becomes one of the funniest characters on the show, with a short temper and snappy mannerisms that don't quite befit his simple and placid cat like form. He is so snappy and grumpy, spouting a lot of innappropriate language whenever it is innappropriate to do so! As a cat he has very limited abilities but can absorb the fear of Satsuki and her classmates through their ghostly encounters in order to regain strength and supernatural abilities. As a cat, Amanojaku can sense and identify ghosts in the close vicinity. It is unclear if this is a result of his spiritual nature, or an innate feline trait.

19. Baron from Anime: The Cat Returns

A quirky trip in to cat world, the plot of this anime features school student Haru (Chizuru Ikewaki) who rescues a cat that was about to be run over by a truck, to then discover the cat is actually a prince named Lune. Out of gratitude, Lune's father, the Cat King, asks her to marry Lune. Haru is brought to the Cat Kingdom, where she starts to develop feline features - but as soon as she enters the Cat Kingdom, she will be forbidden to leave. The cat character Baron proves instrumental in helping her gain her freedom. He is technically a cat statue figure brought to life, and he is iconic. With his slick white suit and top hat, he definitely leans more towards human than cat. He is definitely snazzy and stylish, with a silky voice. He also becomes a statue during the day but that doesn’t stop him from owning the Cat Bureau. Such an iconic cat anime character we all want to be!

18. Nekobasu from Anime: My Neighbor Totoro

Half cat, half bus, this funny feline character is appropriately nicknamed Cat Bus! His real name is Nekobasu, an incredibly fluffy giant teddy of a cat that also appears as a bus, inspiring cat Halloween costumes ever since! Even though I always thought that cats looked more like boats sat down in their 'loaf of bread' position, especially chubby ones. That could be an interesting spinoff series! Anyhow, Nekobasu is one of the most helpful cats, erm cat creatures known to man. He also has that wide, scary but amusing, Cheshire Cat smile and is one of the most iconic, well-known and loved characters in the anime world. Ghibli even made a short 13 minute special in 2003 that follows none other than Kittenbus, so adorable!!

17. Kirara from Anime: InuYasha

Sango's faithful nekomata companion, Kirara (pronounced Kilala in the English dub), looks equally beautiful in both of her forms but can also be fierce and terrifying, being able to switch out her tiny adorable form into the bringer of death when needed. She still fights in tandem with her owner/buddy and makes for a wonderful travel companion, she is happy to assist when needed and isn't completely overpowered like some later entries. Everyone needs a friend and companion like Kirara!

16. Blair from Anime: Soul Eater

A monster cat that has a human form? It could only be an anime. Blair is an interesting case; she is a monster cat meaning that is her true form, and yet she often resorts to her human form, making her an incredibly multifaceted character. In cat form, she is a purple cat with large yellow eyes, ears with pale bushy tips and a long curly tail. She is also a very powerful monster cat leading many to even mistake her for a witch and she is said to have nine lives - those who wish to destroy her must succeed nine times.

15. Arthur from Anime: Code Geass

A friendly feline who was originally found by Princess Euphemia li Britannia and was befriended, before joining the Ashford Academy's Student Council members. As far as anime cats go, Arthur is a pretty normal cat. No talking, no demons, nothing, but he has an important role to play. In particular, that one time he stole Zero’s mask and started running around the school commencing the most high-stakes game of “catch the cat” ever. Aside from these 15 minutes of fame, Arthur usually chills in the background doing his own thing. He appears a little scruffy, with a damaged tail, a bandage on his leg and a dark patch over his eye and really likes biting Suzaku!

14. Karupin from the Anime: Prince of Tennis

How cute is this little snowflake? Surely setting unrealistic standards for other cats, Karupin is an excessively fluffy Siamese looking Ragdoll cat with a strong reciprocal bond to Ryoma - their love for each other is so precious! Not only beautiful, fluffy and adorable, Karupin also has a charming and loveable personality, loves playing with his toys, follow those he loves to school, roam around the hallways, maybe climb a tree if you happen to take his toy with you. He adores to sleep next to Ryoma, like a fluffy hot water bottle!

13. Kuroneko from the Anime: Trigun

What's with the cat in Trigun? Often a commonly asked question, many will notice that in the anime, Kuroneko is seemingly everywhere. Like in a Where's Wally book, nearly every episode in the flesh or in the form of a picture or stamp, this feline can be found! Kuroneko always seems cheerful, usually smiling and meowing when he pops up in some random trash bin or bag. It's fair to say this cat likes attention and loves itself a bit of screentime! It's become pretty iconic for that reason, although its talent does come in handy, for example, the time when it stopped Wolfwood from cheating in chess.

12. Luna, Artemis and Diana from Anime: Sailor Moon

These babies are so iconic, it's impossible to rank one over another, so they all share a feature on this list here. With their cute little bejewelled heads, they couldn't look any more regal. Luna and Artemis serve as guiding lights to the protagonists throughout the series, especially early on. They also give the Senshi special items that allow them to awaken. What is more, there is an implied romantic connection between Luna and Artemis that is particularly addressed when they are joined later by Diana, a cat who is their child from the future. They are the magical and mythical cats we always wanted to keep in our home and dote on forever, even cuter that they come as a (somewhat dysfunctional but equally charming) family unit!

11. Neko-gami-sama from Anime: Pani Poni Dash

The cat who every cat wants to be (and thinks they are), Neko-gami-sama, or Lord Cat, or God Cat, is a cat who is a god. What does he do with his divine powers? He stays inside of vending machines to make sure the drinks are always body temperature. Why not! He also has superpowers and loves to change the colour of his fur frequently. What every cat dreams of attaining in life! This adorable cat anime character definitely sums up the quirkiness of real life cats and their strange but adorable fascinations.

10. Maya from Anime: Azumanga Daioh

Look at this cat's funny face! Maya is an iromote kitten that the girls found while on the school trip to Okinawa (the particular trip which every slice of life anime has for some reason). He took a quick liking to Sakaki, who previously had very bad luck with cats and always found herself on the wrong side of every feline critter she encountered! Even though Maya is a wild cat, the two seem made for each other. This anime is a bit like a cat love story, with Maya even following Sakaki home afterwards! The world definitely needs more of these.

9. Neko sensei from Anime: Princess Tu Tu

You know that feeling when you’re 30 and your family just won’t get off your back when it comes to marriage? Well Neko sensei is that feeling personified. With the added twist of being a cat, and a teacher. The man knows his priorities, using every opportunity he gets to make someone marry him. And not like proposing all the time, no no no… more like “Oh I see you haven’t done your homework…yare yare…as punishment you will have to marry me!” Ironically he runs away when another teacher wants to marry him. Unironically, he gets married in the very end to a female cat.

8. Shamisen from Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Anime cats are often found as strays and this is also the case with Shamisen, a pretty calico coloured, normal stray cat. But one day he ends up landing a role in Haruhi's game as a familiar... and then it spirals from there! When Haruhi starts confusing the real world and the fantasy world, Shamisen is given the ability to talk like a human, in a deep baritone voice. He offers words of wisdom and speaks about morality or something else philosophical. Shamisen is also used as the primary indicator to assess whether Kyon is connected to the real world - relying on the fact that Shamisen would be able to speak if that were the case. He is known to be an incredibly intelligent cat and one of the most popular and well loved cats in anime.

7. Happy from Anime: Fairy Tail

That iconic little blue anime cat, Happy is often seen as the mascot of the Fairy Tail guild and the anime in general. He is known for being charming and funny and injecting comic relief in to the show, he is known for being wacky and lovable. He is depicted throughout his appearances as an anthropomorphic blue cat who accompanies the main protagonists on their adventures. Having spent his entire life with the hotheaded Natsu, it definitely shows that his comradery has rubbed off on little Happy, with his signature phrase “Aye Sir!” that never fails to make folk smile. He is such an iconic cat anime character!

6. Puck from Anime: Re:Zero

An Artificial Spirit created by Echidna, his normal appearance is that of a small dove grey cat with white markings and one floppy ear. At first glance, Puck is a happy-go-lucky artificial spirit that protects our not best girl Emilia, a funny and happy soul that loves to joke with Beatrice and Subaru from time to time. But when he is angry, witness a transformation before your eyes! We often talk in anime about those characters that lead double lives, a different side to them out in public to how they are at home - especially true for these gamer girls in anime! But Puck is very much a cat with too different sides to him. When Puck gets mad, run for the hills. Even in his base form Puck is an absolute powerhouse, being the manifestation of the Ice Age on a budget... but then there’s his other form.

5. Kuro from Anime: Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)

A Cat Sídhe and Rin Okumura's familiar, Kuro was once the familiar of Shiro Fujimoto until his death at the hands of Satan. A demon himself, although not by character, as Kuro is a softy in that regard, this unique cat sith character was once a protective deity to the humans and had it pretty good. That is, until he was gradually neglected, eventually ending up with his shrine torn down. Then like most cat characters, for some reason, he developed a fighting form and went on a rampage. Luckily Shiro was able to calm him down at the time with the power of soft words and hard, erm, catnip wine. Rin would later be passed the torch of having Kuro as a familiar and go on to create a bond with him based on with love and a shared love of wine. He is a black cat with two tails, which is considered to be sacred in ancient Japan - but when Kuro goes into his nekomata form, he becomes enormous, easily towering over human adults.

4. Chomusuke from Anime: Konosuba

An adorable small and chubby black cat anime character, with small stumpy legs, a red cross shaped marking on her forehead and adorable oval shaped yellow eyes. Chomusuke is the silent but cute factor of Konosuba. She is Megumin’s familiar but seems especially close to Wiz and Kazuma too as she spends a lot of time resting on his head. She has bat wings and appears as the companion of the group that happily follows them around as they do... explosions and other things. Her true power was sealed some time ago, thus leading Chomusuke to being the target of bullying from other kids, although one time, Kazuma did see her heating up leftover fish with fire breath.

3. Anpu from Anime: Saiki Kusuo no ψ-nan: ψ-Shidou-hen (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: Reawakened)

Originally a cat who a cat who frequently loitered in front of the Saiki House, he was saved by Kusuo when he got trapped between two buildings and got attached to him despite Kusuo's continuous rejections. Anpu is perhaps an example of how non cat people might see cats, as he is a self centered personality - catality? - that is always clamouring for attention and thinks that humanity should revolve around him. Through Kusuo, who can read his mind, we can see him constantly trying to manipulate those around him to his own benefit. He’s used to unfiltered adoration and Kusuo's refusal to indulge his requests only frustrates him more, making for one of the most interesting cat - person dynamics in anime. Well, he did succeed once by protecting him from a cockroach, although it was far from the victory Anpu imagined. There was also that whole ordeal of when Kusuo was his wingman but that was just odd to say the least.

2. Meowth from Anime: Pokémon

There are so many adorable anime cat characters in Pokemon - check out all the best cat Pokemon ranked here! - though probably the most well-known, best recognised and iconic anime cat is the lovely Meowth, a Normal type Cat Pokemon from Generation 1, known as the Scratch Cat Pokemon and, in so many ways, the most human among Team Rocket. He is incredibly relatable as a character, regularly having doubts as to what he’s doing with his life (same) as well as obviously regretting the fact that he and Pikachu can’t just be friends (same). He’s incredibly intelligent and the brains behind the operation as he builds all of the machines, makes all of the plans, and knows how to bring Ash and the gang together. If he had to be summed up in one word, I would say 'insightful'. If two words, I would add 'iconic'.

1. Madara from Anime: Natsume’s Book of Friends

One of the cutest cats in anime of all time and also one of the most fierce, protective and loyal, Madara is a powerful spirit, who protects Natsume from others and teaches him spells on occasion, in return for Natsume's promise to give him the Book of Friends when he dies. What begins as a simple alignment of interest develops in to one of the greatest friendships in anime. Serving as Natsume’s bodyguard in the meantime, Madara becomes fiercely protective of Natsume, but not just to honour the agreement, because he cares as well. The relationship between the pudgy little youkai and the kind-hearted Natsume grows throughout the anime, eventually leaving the original contract in the past. Despite his protests of not being a cat, he still likes to play with cat toys! A lovely kitty if I may say so. Plus its name reminds me of madeira cake.

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