The Most Iconic Anime Mascots

Summary

• Mascot characters, like Pochita from Chainsaw Man, play a vital role in marketing anime series.
• Characters like Doraemon and Pikachu have become iconic mascots, surpassing their respective series.
• Mascot characters, such as Elizabeth from Gintama, can add comedic relief and become memorable figures.

Lots of anime have a few things that are staples of the medium. For example, many shonen anime will have the optimistic, happy-go-lucky protagonist alongside their brooding, tough exterior, brash friend or rival. Another staple of anime is the mascot character.

The mascot character is usually a cute animal, generally anthropomorphized to be able to give more expressions. This character, whether they play a large role in the series or not, also generally takes over the marketing of the series and will end up on posters, as plushies, or even just on advertisements and promotions for the show.

8

Pochita

Chainsaw Man

Pochita is a great example of a mascot character that became such even without much actual screentime in the series. As both manga readers and those who watched the first season of Chainsaw Man know, Pochita was Denji’s little dog-chainsaw demon buddy who sacrifices himself in the first episode to save Denji and, in turn, grant him his abilities.

But even though Pochita was only in the series for a very minor amount of time, he cemented himself as the mascot for the series, due to his adorableness and impact. He is on promotional art for the series, t-shirts, plushies, slippers, pillows, pet costumes, and anything else you can possibly think of.

7

Doraemon

Doraemon

Doraemon is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to someone like Pochita. Doraemon isn’t just a mascot character; he is what the entire series is named after and based on. Doraemon is one of the longest running manga and anime series in Japan, having started all the way back in 1969.

Doraemon is the titular character of the series, a robotic cat sent from the future to help young slacker Nobita Nobi. Doraemon is a blue, earless cat with round features and a white stomach and paws. He is cute, funny, has lots of food and gadgets, and serves as a reliable companion to Nobi and their friends.

6

Sakamoto

Nichijou

Cats are a staple of Japanese media, and no design is as simple, or cute, as Sakamoto-san from Nichijou. Nichijou is a comedy anime and manga series, full of absurd, yet relatable, scenarios and episodes.

Sakamoto is a black talking cat with a red scarf and sharp eyes. He is a very simple design, going along with the art style of the series, but the way the anime and manga show his expressions make this design memorable. He is also funny in the series as he has a mix of being snarky and quick-witted, and yet getting distracted by typical cat things like salmon or toys.

5

Ryuk

Death Note

Ryuk is probably the… let’s say the least adorable anime mascot. But, he is a mascot character nonetheless, and serves to show that mascots can come in all shapes and sizes.

Ryuk is a Shinigami from the anime and manga series Death Note. He has a deathly-sick skin tone, with a Joker-like smile, dangling earrings, and a tall and lanky form featuring black raven wings. He is terrifying, and yet iconic, becoming the poster character for the series despite his horrifying presence and design.

4

Kon

Bleach

Kon is another example of a character that, despite being a mascot character for the series, doesn’t appear too often throughout the actual run of the show and manga. He is prominent in the beginning of the series, when the scale is still smaller and Ichigo has need of him, but as the series goes on, he has less and less presence.

Kon helps Ichigo by being a spirit, or a soul-mod, that can inhabit Ichigo’s body when he is in the Soul Society, as when Ichigo transforms to go into the spirit world, his human body becomes empty wherever he left it. Kon is very popular in the fandom, and often makes his way onto promotional material, merchandise, and even the openings and endings of the anime.

3

Tony Tony Chopper

One Piece

A cotton-candy lover, ship doctor, and all around adorable companion, Tony Tony Chopper is the mascot character for One Piece. Chopper is a reindeer that ate the human-human fruit, which allowed him to become a human-reindeer hybrid and change his forms, although he is still a young boy.

Chopper is also the crew’s doctor, healing the crew of their injuries and helping allies as well. He is liked by pretty much everyone he comes across, and this extends to the fandom as well, being one of the more popular characters for merchandise like plushies and pillows, apparel, and promotional material.

2

Elizabeth

Gintama

The Gintama series is a comedy anime and manga series where aliens have invaded and taken over samurai-era Japan. Elizabeth is one of these aliens, taking the form of a large white penguin, and accompanies the character Katsura as his right-hand man and best friend.

Elizabeth is one of the most iconic mascots in shonen anime due to the extremely comedic nature of Gintama, and how often it parodies other media and properties. Part of this is with his design, in which he’s revealed to have hairy human legs under the costume, and overall managing to be a standout comedic relief character in a series with many comedic characters, taking part in a great number of memorable jokes, scenes, and moments throughout the series.

1

Pikachu

Pokemon

Whether you love or hate Pokemon, or love or hate Pikachu, it’s arguably the most prolific mascot in anime. Pikachu was not even one of the original starters in the first games, and yet because of its presence in the show and relationship with Ash, it has become the most recognizable Pokemon of all time.

Pikachu is absolutely everywhere, being the star of its own games, a live action movie, and hundreds of figures, plushies, apparel, shoes, shower curtains, phone cases, jewelry, and pretty much anything under the sun. Pikachu even has its own float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pikachu is not only the mascot of the whole Pokemon series, but has surpassed the series and has almost become its own separate property.