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7 Characters Who Just Can't Resist Cats

by Lynzee Loveridge,

This column was originally published on May 30, 2015.

Dogs may be man's best friend, but it's cats that rule the internet. Scientists have gone so far as trying to classify the key qualities that make up "cat people" and "dog people." Male cat owners are perceived as "nicer" than those who don't own a cat, but also lean more "neurotic." Regardless of why people love their cats, these anime characters show that the fuzzy, purring pets can manage to wiggle their way into even the coldest of hearts.

7. Junpei Kōsaka (Nyan Koi!) Junpei doesn't actually like cats, but his love interest Kaede (and most of his family) adores them, which is complicated by his feline allergy. However, fate would have it that Junpei will need to get along with the furry critters. He accidentally destroys a statue of the local cat deity and it threatens to bring its wrath upon him (by transforming him into a cat) if he doesn't grant 100 favors to the notoriously fickle animals. To help him, the Cat God grants Junpei the ability to speak to cats, and he soon finds himself entrenched in kitties.




6. Yachiyo Inugami (Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san) Inugami and Nekoyama are trying to dispel the myth that cats and dogs are natural enemies. Inugami (the "dog") loves cats, and her eyes are set on one in particular, Nekoyama. She's more outgoing and playful compared to the more reserved Nekoyama, who embodies the tsundere attitude any cat lover would be familiar with.




5. Millianna (Fairy Tail) Millianna admires cats so much, she's styled much of herself to resemble one. She'll meow to imitate one and becomes very agitated if she thinks someone is mistreating her favorite animal. During the Grand Magic Games arc, she reveals one of her special attacks called "Kitten Blast" — a binding spell that unfortunately features zero kittens. Understandably, Millianna enjoys playing with Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily whenever she feels down.




4. Zazie Winters (Tegami Bachi) Zazie is a loner by nature and always thought of himself as a stray cat. Despite his rough personality, Zazie continues to find a kindred spirit in Stray Cats. He adopts and nurtures quite a few in his home that he's fiercely protective over. His largest cat is his personal bodyguard Wasiolka, a giant blue panther-like creature that assists him in delivering messages.




3. Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) Ciel's demonically-contracted butler is by all appearances the perfect servant. He can perform any task faithfully without complaint and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty when the situation calls for it. Sebastian does have one weak spot though. He loves cats. Not only is he hiding a feline friend around the mansion that Ciel begrudges, later episodes reveal that he has 13 cats tucked away in his closet to visit when he feels irritated.






2. Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) Al got dealt a pretty crappy hand. After a failed transmutation, his physical body was destroyed and his soul now possesses a suit of armor. Perhaps for comfort and to ease his emptiness, Al regularly adopts Stray Cats. His brother Edward is less than pleased with this habit, so Al hides the kittens inside his armor from his brother's disapproving eyes. The charade never lasts for long, and Al gets pretty emotional whenever Ed reminds him that they can't care for a cat.






1. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh) Sakaki loves cute things in general, but she often feels that she can't express this because it doesn't suit her cool girl demeanor. Cats also seem to think there's something amiss about Sakaki, because they seem to have zero interest in letting her pet them. Try as she might, one particular cat referred to as "Kamineko" enjoys nothing more than toying with Sakaki's affections so he can bite or scratch her when she least expects it. When the girls go on a class trip to Okinawa, Sakaki finally meets her kitty soulmate in an indigenous Iriomote cat. The wild leopard-like feline also boosts Sakaki's reputation with the neighborhood cats, so they no longer harass her.








From this season's offerings, which of these settings would you most want to live in? Just sticking with the unique ones here.

The old poll:Which of the Anime Expo announced new manga/light novel series are you most excited to read? The results were:

  1. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card manga
  2. Silver Spoon manga
  3. Toradora! light novel
  4. Baccano! manga
  5. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Kanna's Daily Life manga
  6. New Game! manga
  7. Sailor Moon special edition manga
  8. Orange: Future manga
  9. MAOYU manga
  10. Fairy Tail S manga
  11. Made in Abyss manga
  12. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Days of Goddess manga
  13. Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest light novel
  14. The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlor light novel
  15. Baka and Test manga
  16. Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle manga
  17. Tokyo Ravens manga
  18. Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger manga
  19. Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park manga
  20. Restaurant to Another World manga


When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as the Managing Interest Editor for Anime News Network and posts pictures of her sons on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.

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