Many anime have cats in them but there are some special cats that are unforgettable because they make the anime much better. If you also love cats in anime, you would be interested to know about our top 30 anime cats.
Non-Japanese speaker viewers of anime may not know any Japanese words, but one word they would know is “Neko”. It’s because cats are loved so much in anime, and they are so adorable that they are often focused on in anime. In fact, in some anime, there are even cats that have superpowers that help the protagonists come out of danger. If you wanna know more about these cats then you should read this top list of best cats in anime that are worth remembering.
Cats are not just the animals in Japan, but they are a part of their culture. According to Japanese folklore, cats are a symbol of good luck. You will see a lot of “Cat Cafes” and “Cat merchandise” in Japan if you ever go. They pour their love for cats by making adorable cats in anime and seeing some of the best cats in anime would give you an overall idea about how much important cats are in Japan.
If you love anime cats, then you would also love knowing about some of the best anime ever. Have you been waiting for the renewal of your favorite anime? Then read one of the next releases articles including Hunter x Hunter season 7, The Saga of Tanya the Evil season 2, No Game No Life season 2, Death Note season 2, and much more.
1. Baron from The Cat Returns
This cat’s full name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen and it had been first seen in the film “Whisper of the Heart.” He looks nothing like an ordinary cat because he wears a full suit and walks and behaves like a gentleman. He’s dressed like that because actually, his body is an actual statue that transformed into a cat.
He is the main character in this film and he is also the owner of the Cat Bureau in it. He did not have a big role in his previous appearance in the 1999 film“Whisper of the Heart”. However, his character gained so much popularity that the creators had to bring him back in 2002 in The Cat Returns.
2. Meowth from Pokemon
Almost all anime lovers have watched Pokemon and Meowth is a cat they can never forget about. Meowth is a part of the famous Team Rocket. But what sets him apart is that he’s a cat with the ability to speak.
If you ever wonder why cats in reality can’t speak, it’s probably because they can be vocal about very sensitive things such as Meowth. Moreover, Meowth is a cat but he walks on his two paws and talks smartly like humans so it can be said that he’s very “human-like”.
Furthermore, Meowth is an important character because he’s one of the few characters in anime who was able to break the fourth wall.
3. Puck from Re: Zero
Some people look the sweetest when they are happy, but when they are angry they turn into a completely different person. The same is the case with this powerful spirit cat, Puck. Echidna was formerly contracted with Emilia who created this artificial spirit Puck. He looks like a harmless, tiny, cute cat with blue eyes but he is the Great Spirit of Fire.
Puck is always by Emilia’s side and protects her, but he also serves as a parental figure for her because he gives her a lot of useful guidance. He adds humor to the anime by often passing funny comments with Subaru and Beatrice. Let’s just say it’s all fun and games with Puck until he’s angry.
4. Matatabi from Naruto
Matatabi, also known as Two Tails, is a powerful character from the famous anime series Naruto. She’s blue in color, is very large, and has a lot of raw strength. She uses her paws to throw away the opponent or crush them. She also has powers and mainly uses fire release for attacking.
Matatabi alone is strong enough to kill a powerful Shinobi, but when combined with the other beast’s tails, it has enough power to wipe out a complete Susanoo. However, Matatabi seems more mature than other Tailed Beasts because she speaks formally and logically.
5. Shamisen from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Shamisen used to be a former stray cat before she was picked up by Haruhi Suzumiya for the purpose of making him the familiar of a character in a game she made and she was also the one who named this cat Shamisen.
Shamisen is a male calico cat which is very rare because it is a 1 in 3000 chance to be born as this cat and it has Klinefelter’s syndrome. However, things turn around when Haruhi confuses the fictional world with reality, giving Shamisen the ability to talk. The cat has a deep, manly voice and talks about intellectual topics such as philosophy.
6. Korin from Dragon Ball Z
Korin might not be the first character that comes to your mind when you hear Dragon Ball Z. However, although it is a cat it still plays an important role in the anime.
Before the planet became a land of destruction and constant fights, Korin was called a martial arts master. The cat is not only exceptionally good in martial arts, but it is also very wise and is 800 years old. He lives at the top of a giant tower.
What makes Korin so special? Well, he is the one who trained the protagonist, Goku.
7. Happy from Fairy Tale
Happy is a tiny blue exceed from Extalia and a member of the Fairy Tale Guild. Shagotte, the queen of Extalia wanted to assassinate the Dragon Slayers due to which she had sent him to the universe while he was still an egg.
Consequently, Natsu had found Happy when he was hatching from its egg and since then they became very close to each other and always stayed together.
Happy has magic powers which allow him to fly. Sometimes, he uses his powers to fly Natsu. Happy’s main features are that he is very loyal to his friends, and he loves fish the most. He also has a huge crush on Carla, the Exceed of Wendy.
8. Madara from Natsume’s Book of Friends
Madara or also known as Nyanko-Sensei is a very powerful Youkai. He’s a cat stronger than many humans. Unlike many other anime cats, Madara is actually among the main protagonist of the anime.
Madara has an important role in protecting Natsume over the condition that if Natsume dies, the Book of Friends will be inherited by Madara. Further making him more powerful by giving him control over many Youkai.
Although Madara criticizes Natsume for being too kind, he ends up becoming fond of him. Madara helps Natsume bring back names to youkai despite knowing that this will reduce the book’s power over time. Madara first looks like a selfish character but deep down he’s loving and caring. His dialogues are funny so he’s a character who adds humor to the anime.
9. Chi from Chi’s Sweet Home
Chi is the main character of this anime as it can be seen by seeing its name on the title as well. If you’re a cat lover, it will be impossible for you to not fall in love with Chi. She is one of the most adorable anime cats ever and her background story is wonderful as well.
Chi accidentally got lost from her mother and had become a stray cat. Luckily, she was taken in by the Yamada family. Chi is a playful, loving cat who often smiles. Chi s a typical cat which is why she’s also lazy many times. The anime has a total of 250+ episodes but each of them is only three minutes long.
10. Artemis and Luna from Sailor Moon
Now we’re again talking about cats which are not at all like ordinary cats. Artemis and Luna are some of the most popular anime cats ever. Luna and Artemis, her counterpart have the responsibility of accompanying Sailor Scouts for guiding them in their mission of saving the princess. They have magical powers which they use to give magical gadgets to the Sailor Scouts.
In one of the story arcs in the anime, Luna was even seen taking a human form. This pair of cats are absolutely adorable and fun to watch. The crescent moon on their forehead sets makes them easy to recognize.
11. Kaya from Ghost Stories
It’s scary getting possessed by a demon, but it’s also scary when your cat gets possessed by one. Kaya is a cat that unfortunately got possessed by a demon. She is a black stray cat that was adopted by Miyanoshita’s family.
Kaya became possessed by Amanojaku after an accidentally committed reverse exorcism. She was minding her own business but maybe it was her bad luck that she happened to become a victim of the activity.
However, Kaya is among the funniest characters of the show because of how she behaves because of the possession. Kaya is always so annoyed and cranky due to which Kaya often uses foul language.
12. Kuroneko from Trigun
Kuroneko is a mysterious black cat that often suddenly appears in the manga and anime of the horror anime Trigun. Although Kuroneko is not one of the main characters of the anime, and it acts like a completely normal cat, it still is an important character of the show.
The amount of time she’s seen in each episode varies. However, she always appears in anime. Trigun is a thriller and horror anime, but Kuroneko adds humor to the anime which lightens the mood of the audience. One of the most favorite moments of fans about Kuroneko is when she stopped Wolfwood from cheating in chess.
13. Neko sensei from Princess Tu Tu
So far, we’ve seen many unique cats in this list, but Neko Sensei is a cat who is a ballet tutor. Not only that but he’s also a flirt who’s obsessed with the idea of getting married. He often tells his students that he will marry them as a punishment for their bad behaviors. Yes, he doesn’t leave any chance of getting married.
Ironically, Neko sensei actually has a female teacher who really wants to marry him. However, Neko sensei sees her as a stalker and runs away from her. Luckily, at the end of the anime, he does finally get married to a female cat who’s not one of his students.
14. Aria Pokoteng from Aria the Animation
Aria Pokoteng is the president of the Aria Company. He is kept at the company because it is believed that blue-eyed cats will serve as mascots for good luck in the company. President Aria is a smart cat who’s able to understand human speech. He used to be a stray cat until he was adopted twenty years ago by Grandma.
He’s a chubby cat because he loves eating, especially when Akaria and Alicia are there to spoil him by feeding him a lot. He’s also in love with President Hime and afraid of President Maa.
15. Nekotalia from Hetalia: World Series
We have talked about single cats and a pair of cats so far, but in this spot, we are talking about a group of cats. Here’s something weirder, Nekotalia isn’t just a group of cats or humans, but they’re actually the representation of different countries in the form of cats.
The whole anime isn’t based on cats, they mainly appear in the fourth season of the anime and it was one of the fan’s favorites because of them. The humor of these cats and the criticism they do is also about the political affairs of their countries. The name of each cat is the same as their country.
Moreover, each cat has a different personality. The cat Italy likes to cuddle and play, while the German catty follows all rules and is strict. It is so entertaining to watch and the dub version of this anime is very good too.
16. Kirara from Inuyasha
Kirara is the perfect depiction of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover”. It’s one form is an adorable furry cat which would make you think she’s nothing more than a cute animal. However, she can switch into a giant demon that can fly and is extremely dangerous. Kirara is currently the partner of Setsuna, a demon slayer.
She’s the ideal companion because she’s cute but can also be dangerous when needed. What makes her different is that although she has superpowers, she still does not have the ability to talk. She only makes cute squeaky noises.
17. Jjii from Kiki’s Delivery
Jiji is a black cat that accompanies Kiki throughout her journey of becoming a witch. He makes sure Kiki isn’t alone by not leaving her side. Until of course he finds a beautiful white cat named Lily for himself and gets too busy with her.
Jiji adds a lot of humor to the anime by saying sarcastic and funny comments. He is a smart cat and even helps Kiki by pretending to be a stuffed toy when she accidentally loses a toy cat that looked exactly like Jiji.
18. Sakamoto from Nichijou
Unlike many other cats in this list, Sakamoto is just an ordinary black cat as it does not have any superpowers. However, thanks to technology the cat is able to speak. He is 20 years old and he wears a scarf made by Hakase which enables him to speak.
Sakamoto is older than Hakase and Nano so he talks like a middle-aged man. However, he is still a cat and so he sometimes lets down his guard and plays with rolling objects and toys like usual cats.
19. Nekobasu from My Neighbor Totoro
There is hardly anyone in Japan who does not recognize this cat. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous cats in anime worldwide. Nekobasu is a large cat with twelve legs and a hollow body.
It runs very fast and can even fly. It is so famous that after the anime’s release, many toys and spinoffs were made of the character. Such as Appa from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was an inspiration from Nekobasu. In the Ghibli Museum, Nekobasu has its own place.
20. Arthur from Code Geass
Arthur isn’t a cat with superpowers, it’s just an ordinary cat but nevertheless, it adds humor to the anime. It’s a cat from one of the most famous anime series, Code Geass. It’s a friendly cat which was found by Euphemia. He’s most Attached with Suzaku and Anya Alstreim as he’s seen with them the most often, although he’s mostly biting Suzaku.
Arthur is seen mostly seen in the background of some episodes of the anime, but it still plays in role in affecting the plot. For example, when it started running around the school with zero’s mask which it had stolen.
21. Kamineko from Azumanga Daioh
Most cats love being petted but Kamineko is a bit different. On one unfortunate day, Sakaki tried petting Kamineko who in return bit her with his huge teeth. Moreover, that wasn’t enough for Kamineko because he developed some kind of hate towards Sakaki and even gathered all the neighborhood cats to gang up on Sakaki to attack her.
Kamineko is one scary and evil cat with a sharp mind which doesn’t forget the ones he dislikes. Sakaki even apologized to Kamineko for trying to pet her, to which Kamineko responded by fooling her so he can bite her again. He’s one cat you have to totally ignore and stay away from at any cost if you see them in the park.
22. Blair from Soul Eater
Blair is a cat with magical powers and is often seen in her human form. She’s currently residing with Soul Eater and Maka Albarn. Despite being a cat, Blair seems like she enjoys being in her human form because she is often seen trying to have fun as a human. Although she sometimes causes harm in the process of her fun. Fans love her not only because her human form is really hot, but also because she’s so funny.
She’s known as a “monster cat” in the anime and her magical powers in one way or another involve pumpkins. Such as dropping dangerously huge pumpkins on people or shooting pumpkins like orbs at her enemies at a fast pace, enough to give damage to her enemy.
23. Neko-gami-sama from Pani Poni Dash
We’ve talked about many cats so far such as ordinary cats, cats with superpowers, and different professions as well. However, Neko-gami-Sama takes things on another level as this cat is actually a god.
So, what does this cat god do with its divine powers? Surprisingly, this cat lives inside vending machines to ensure the temperature of all the drinks is at body temperature. We don’t know why this god carries out this unique task.
Furthermore, he takes his job very seriously and if he ever discontinues this work, he will make sure there’s a replacement of him. He changes his fur’s color in every episode and in the last episode his fur constantly changed. This god may not seem so holy, but he is so entertaining and funny to watch.
24. Doraemon from Doraemon
Doraemon is a cat with an anime that revolves around him, which is why the show’s name is the same as his name. Doraemon is a cat born in the future year, 2112 and he is blue. He’s one of the most famous anime cats and he has tons of merchandise sold worldwide.
Doraemon is sent back to the current era for helping the character Noby. He has a very helpful and special power located in the middle of his belly called ‘4th Dimensional Secret Gadget Pocket’. Whenever Noby is in any kind of trouble, Doraemon takes out a gadget from his pocket with the ability to solve Noby’s problem.
Moreover, Doraemon is also very smart, and he gives very helpful advice to Noby which helps him understand his friends and family. The show is full of entertainment and humor because of Doraemon’s sarcasm.
25. Takkun from Fooly Cooly
Takkun is a small, adorable black cat adopted by Mamimi when he was four months old. Mamimi is not allowed to have pets in her home, so she keeps Takkun at the riverbank. Although he quickly becomes attached to her and follows her everywhere including to her house once. He spends a lot of time with Mamimi and it is adorable seeing those two play together at the beautiful riverbank scenery.
However, just like other cats, Takkun also has needs so after the sixth episode he leaves Mamimi to go with a white female cat.
26. Karupin from Prince Of Tennis
Karupin is one of the most adorable anime cats ever. It’s a fluffy Himalayan cat that the Echizen family owns. Karupin is mostly seen with Ryoma because he is extremely attached to him, and so is Ryoma with Karupin.
Karupin absolutely loves his toys and he never forgets them because once Ryoma accidentally packed one of his toys in his bag and he followed Ryoma to his school. His love for Ryoma is proved in the episode where Karupin hides inside Ryoma’s bag so he can see him in the USA open, and yes he’s successful in his mission. Furthermore, this shows how smart Ryoma is despite being a normal cat.
27. Maya from Azumanga Daioh
Maya’s owner is a girl named Sasaki who loves pets but pets don’t love her much because she always gets bitten by them. However, Maya is like a life changer for Sasaki. Sasaki goes on a trip to Okinawa where she finally meets Maya, a cat that finally gives her the affection she always wanted.
Although Maya is a stray cat, she isn’t offensive towards humans and welcomes Sasaki to pet her. She developed so much attachment towards Sasaki that she even followed her to her home. In a show full of mean and evil cats, Maya is a complete gamechanger and an incomparable sweetheart.
28. Chomusuke from Konosuba
Konosuba is full of funky, eccentric characters, and a group of weird characters cannot be complete without an adorable cat. Chomuske is a cat that doesn’t talk but still makes its presence visible in the anime.
Chomuske is Megumin’s familiar, and she had no shame in giving this cat such a funny name. She’s a sweet cat who’s attached to Kazuma because she’s mostly seen sleeping on his head. However, she’s no ordinary cat because she’s actually the other half of Wolbach, a goddess and she’s seen using fire which makes her look so cool.
29. Anpu from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: Reawakened
Anpu is a typical cat but is still one of fans’ favorites. He lives in the Saiki house and is very close to Kusuo although he’s rejected him multiple times, Anpu still forces his way to Kusuo’s heart. Since Saiki is able to read through Anpu’s mind, the audience is able to know what the cat is thinking all the time.
Anpu even goes out of his way to protect Kusou so he can achieve his heart. He protects him from a cockroach which earns him a petting from Kusou. He’s an important character of the anime because of the funny moments which are added to the anime because of his presence and personality.
30. Chimera from Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions
In the last, we’re going to talk about a cat which dresses up way different than the others. It wears a pair of pink wings and a green snake around itself throughout the anime. She has very funny interactions with Tōka Takanashi because he is allergic to cats but one way or another the cat ends up being near her.
The anime is full of funny moments and Chimera is also an important character that helps build up the humor in the anime. At the ending of season 2, Chimera becomes the mother of six tiny cute kittens. She’s nothing extraordinary but she’s still an important character in the anime which is why it deserves a spot on this list.
Here ends the list of best cats in anime, but if you enjoyed reading this article, you will also enjoy reading our list of best shounen anime and best romance anime.
