Best Anime Characters Born In March

Summary

• March births in anime characters range from fierce fighters like Mirko to complex souls like Koro-sensei, each with unique stories.
• Anime favorites like Sanji and Sailor Neptune share March birthdays.
• From bunny warriors to supernatural beings, March births in anime offer a diverse range of characters and stories to explore.

March. The time the snows of winter finally depart, the flowers start blooming, and the animals come out of hibernation. Except for those south of the Equator, where things give way to autumn. Regardless of the season, March brings St Patrick’s Day, Women’s History Month, and the birthdays of Jon Bon Jovi, Shaquille O’Neal, and Christopher Walken.

It’s also when Lord of the Rings’ Aragorn, DC Comics’ Catwoman, and Star Trek’s Captain Kirk were born. Overall, March isn’t a bad month for famous fictional birthdays. But novels, comics, and live-action TV series aren’t the only media around. Who were the most iconic anime characters to be born in March? Here are a few standout examples.

Updated February 24, 2025 by David Heath: March is once more on the horizon, bringing an end to winter (or summer for those south of the Equator). Aside from the change in weather, it’ll bring a spate of new holidays and birthdays, hopefully giving some people the chance to lighten up in otherwise dark times.

The keenest anime fans among the March babies might even find a little joy in sharing birthdays with some of the most famous anime characters around. Which is why this list has been updated with more of anime’s best known characters born in March, be they rising stars or iconic genre figures.

1

Rumi “Mirko” Usagiyama

My Hero Academia

When people think of bunny girls, they usually picture someone who’s docile and demure. Maybe even titillating like the Playboy Bunnies. While My Hero Academia’s bunny girl has her devotees, she isn’t into being anyone’s pet. Rumi ‘Mirko’ Usagiyama was born on March 1st, and she’s more of a March Hare than a White Rabbit.

She’s brash and independent, preferring to speak her mind and face her foes directly rather than be a team player. It works well for her too, as her Rabbit Quirk gives her enhanced hearing to catch the sound of anything (or anyone) suspicious, then she can use her super strength, agility, and pain tolerance to rush them down no matter what they throw at her.

2

Saichi Sugimoto

Golden Kamuy

Most of the characters on this list are going to be out of this world, with special powers and/or dealing with special situations. But the hero of Golden Kamuy is more down-to-earth. He isn’t a magical meta-human or cyborg. Saichi Sugimoto, also born March 1st, is just a Japanese soldier, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War from the start of the 20th Century. Albeit a near-immortal one, as he has a knack for surviving the most deadly situations.

While panning for gold in Hokkaido, he hears a story about some Ainu miners who hid their gold in the mountains. Then one of their few surviving members tattooed a map of the location on the Abashiri Prison convicts. After some convincing, and seeking a way to repay the wife of a dead comrade, he goes in search of it, aided only by Asirpa, the daughter of one of the Ainu miners, who seeks to avenge her father’s death.

3

Sanji

One Piece

Speaking of searching for treasure, One Piece‘s Sanji was born to the noble Vinsmoke family on March 2nd. His father wanted all his kids to be genetically enhanced, but his mother didn’t. She took a drug to stop this, compromising her health in the process. But it only worked on Sanji, who doted on his ailing mother with his talent for cooking until she passed away.

After he lost his mother and was in constant torment from his relatives, he fled their castle and cut his ties with the Vinsmokes. He served on the Baratie as their chef before joining Luffy and the Strawhats. With their help, he hopes to find the point where the East, West, North, and South Blues meet and see its wildlife. That, and charm Nami, but his womanizing ways make that less likely.

4

Chika Fujiwara

Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War

All is fair in love and war, but to Kaguya and Miyuki, they may as well be the same thing. Their pride in their prestigious reputation turns their burgeoning feelings for each other into a battlefield where whoever makes a public display of affection loses the fight. Which is why the show is called Kaguya-sama: Love is War. But their plans often hit snags thanks to their mutual friend Chika Fujiwara, who was born on March 3rd, as she’s unaware of the 4D love chess her friends are playing, and she tends to turn their plots on their heads in an instant.

She’s often oblivious to what’s going on around her, to the point where she seems kind of dumb. Yet she’s a master pianist, can speak five languages, and though she hates lying, she’s great at games that rely on bluffing, like Werewolf and Poker. She may be putting on a front, though she seems genuinely unaware of Kaguya and Miyuki’s feelings for each other, as she’s all too willing to provide romantic advice (despite her own lack of experience) as a ‘love detective’ to other couples in need.

5

Kankichi Ryotsu

KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops

Born on March 3rd, Kankichi ‘Ryo-san’ Ryotsu from KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops isn’t the biggest name outside Japan. Within its shores, it became one of the best-selling manga ever released, running in Shōnen Jump for 40 years before ending in 2016. Its anime adaptation didn’t last as long, but it had a decent decade-long run, alongside another decade’s worth of specials and a bundle of animated movies.

They basically followed Ryo-san, a humble cop in Katsushika, Tokyo, as he tried to improve his lot in life through various moneymaking schemes, as he’d try to capitalize on one fad or another sweeping the nation at the time. If his plots didn’t blow up in his face, he’d soon squander his ill-gotten gains. Either way, he’d need to be bailed out by his rich partner, Keiichi, the straight man to his bungler. It was that, or do some actual police work, but that wouldn’t be as funny.

6

Nana Osaki

Nana

Usually, shojo strips are aimed at younger girls, and josei ones are directed at women, but the line dividing them isn’t so solid. Some shojo stories feel more like josei ones, like in Nana, where its two leads, Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, befriend each other and try to make their dreams come true in Tokyo. But along the way, they come face to face with heartbreak, interrelationship turmoil, drugs, suicide, and death.

For Nana O, born on March 6th, she wanted to reach the top of the music charts with her band, the Black Stones. They’re stuck in a rivalry with another top band, Trapnest, whose bassist just happens to be Nana O’s ex-boyfriend, Ren. She gets back with him, which helps the Black Stones gain fame by association, but it puts Nana O’s friendship with Nana K in jeopardy, while Ren falls into the depths of a bad drug addiction. The road to fame is a rocky one indeed.

7

Sailor Neptune

Sailor Moon

Born on March 6th as Michiru Kaiō, Sailor Neptune is one of the more infamous members of the Sailor Scouts in Sailor Moon. In canon, she’s the lover of Haruka Tenō, aka Sailor Uranus. They flirt, kiss, and generally do what couples do. They just had the temerity to both be women while doing it. The nerve of them. Jokes aside, they became one of the most popular gay couples in anime, if not media in general.

However, this proved to be too much for North American TV channels in the 1990s, so their relationship was censored, and the localization reframed as them being cousins. Cousins who flirted and cuddled with each other until the series ended. This would finally be fixed in the 2016 dub, where Uranus and Neptune could finally be out and proud instead of being portrayed as shojo Lannisters.

8

Franky

One Piece

Sanji isn’t the only Strawhat to have been born in March. The cola-fueled cyborg from One Piece was also born in the same month, albeit by a decade & a bit in advance. Born on March 9th as Cutty Flam, he was abandoned at the age of 9, when he was taken under the wing of Tom, the man who designed Gol D Roger’s ship, the Oro Jackson. He also held secret plans for a devastating weapon that the world government wanted to get their hands on.

His reckless behavior put Tom at risk, and despite Franky’s best efforts, he was captured. Left with nothing but the secret plans and some grievous injuries, Franky rebuilt himself as the cyborg head of his own band of brigands, Franky’s Family. After a series of skirmishes with the Strawhats, he eventually joined their crew as they had a mutual enemy in the Marines and CP-9. He’s a bizarre big man with a taste for exhibitionism and a disregard for the rules, yet he’s considered the most mature member of the crew. C’est la vie.

9

Koro-sensei

Assassination Classroom

Technically, March 13th wasn’t when the assassin formerly known as the Reaper was born. Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom grew up knowing nothing about his birth, or even his real name. He simply killed whoever needed to be killed until he was betrayed by a protégé and incarcerated as a test subject. But while he was behind bars, he bonded with a woman called Aguri. She decided to celebrate the anniversary of the first time they met as Koro-sensei’s birthday, and got him a tie.

He appreciated her kindness, even as the experiments turned him into a shape-shifting monster and led to her accidental death. His unstable form threatens to destroy the Earth in a year’s time, so he enrolls as a homeroom teacher to instruct his students on how to kill him before his time is up. Getting killed was his wish, but passing on life skills, knowledge, and compassion to the kids was Aguri’s, and he’d do his best to fulfill it.

10

Ichigo Momomiya

Tokyo Mew Mew

• Studio: Pierrot.
• Creator: Reiko Yoshida.
• 2 Seasons, 52 Episodes.
• DVD Only

If the name and the show don’t seem familiar, but the face does, then fans might know Ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew Mew better as Zoey Hanson from Mew Mew Power. But what’s in a name? A magical girl show by any other name will still feature a cutesy group of girls using their powers to defend the Earth from one threat or another. In Tokyo Mew Mew‘s case, it’s aliens who want to ‘reclaim’ the planet.

Born on March 15th, Ichigo became the leader of the Mew Mews when an earthquake left her at death’s door. Her life was saved when her DNA was infused with that of the endangered Iriomote Cat. The result gave her feline-esque reflexes, but also cat-like habits and features that appear when she gets worked up. Without great responsibility, her great power could give her cat ears and a tail, or even turn her into a full-on cat.

11

Denji

Chainsaw Man

Of all the characters to share a birthday with a cutesy magic schoolgirl, it had to be Chainsaw Man‘s Denji. Born on March 15th, he inherited nothing from his late father but a tremendous debt to the yakuza. He becomes a Devil Hunter to pay it off, only to end up befriending one: Pochita the Chainsaw Devil. When the debt collector turns on him and leaves him to die, Pochita saves his life by becoming his heart.

As a result, the two form a contract, and he becomes the titular Chainsaw Man. With enough blood and a tug on the cord from his chest, he becomes a monster with chainsaws looming out of his head and limbs. If he lets Pochita take full control, he only gets more powerful and monstrous. It’s enough to almost make people forget Denji’s still a high schooler. A brash one, but no less vulnerable to other people’s manipulation.

12

Yuji Itadori

Jujutsu Kaisen

Born March 20th, 2003, Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Yuji Itadori lived an ordinary life. But things took a turn when he came across Cursed Spirits for the first time. In a bid to save his classmate Megumi, he ate a mystical item she managed to get hold of: one of Ryomen Sukuna’s twenty fingers. In life, Sukuna was the ‘King of Curses’ who killed thousands of sorcerers. In death, he survived only within his desiccated digits and became part of Yuji once he ate one of his fingers.

At best, Yuji could tap into Sukuna’s power and use it against his foes. But at worst, Sukuna could take control of him at any time, like the time he held Yuji’s heart hostage to force him into a binding vow. Now Yuji has to eat all of Sukuna’s fingers to trap his full form in his body, then get executed to kill him once and for all. As grave as it seems, Yuji doesn’t mind, as this way, he can fulfill his grandfather’s last wish and die in company instead of being alone.

13

Yamcha

Dragon Ball

By contrast, Dragon Ball‘s Yamcha hasn’t been considered a threat since his debut in the series. Also born on March 20th, he was a desert bandit who tried to rob Goku and Bulma before becoming his ally. Through training with Master Roshi, he gained super strength, increased agility, the ability to fly, telepathy, telekineses, and throw ki energy blasts, like the Kamehameha and Spirit Ball, on top of his Wolf Fang Fist style.

Yet even with all that, he’s since become a joke character. He was beaten in the first round of each Tenkaichi Budokai, was left for dead by Android #20, and killed by nearly every main villain in the series. His death via Nappa’s Saibaman has since become his standout moment, as has him losing his girlfriend Bulma to Vegeta. Still, his baseball skills were enough to save Universe 7 in Dragon Ball Super, so that’s something.

14

Yusuke Urameshi

Yu Yu Hakusho

March 26th may have been the day he was born, but Yu Yu Hakusho‘s hero Yusuke Urameshi’s life didn’t really begin until he died. He was another delinquent at Sarayashiki High School with bad grades and a habit of getting into fights when he tried to save a young girl from an oncoming car. She survived, but he didn’t. In fact, the shinigami Botan revealed she would’ve lived even if he had done nothing at all.

Too good for hell, but not good enough for heaven yet. He was permitted to return to the realm of the living (after a test), where he was inducted as a Spirit Detective by the afterlife’s judge, Koenma. With his frenemies Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, he investigates supernatural phenomena on Earth and, if need be, sends them back to the afterlife with his Spirit Gun. It’s nice work if one can get it.

15

Ryo Saeba

City Hunter

Like Koro-sensei, the hero of City Hunter also has a March birthday due to a technicality. Ryo’s birth parents were killed in a plane crash over Central America, leaving him as the only survivor. He grew up among guerrillas, not knowing his true name or when he was born. His only father figure was Shin Kaibara, a guerrilla who gave Ryo his name and his first taste of angel dust to make him a more effective child soldier.

Barely surviving the dose, he left for the US to learn how to become a crime sweeper. With his new skills, he went to Japan and set up his ‘City Hunter’ business to clean Tokyo’s streets of crime and drugs. After his partner was killed on duty, Ryo took on his sister Kaori as his new cohort. He annoys her frequently, but she grew fond enough of the big lug to mark March 27th as the day to celebrate his birthday.

16

Sakura Haruno

Naruto

The Naruto series has plenty of popular girl characters, like Hinata, Tenten, Ino, and more. Yet its standout kunoichi would have to be Sakura Haruno, born on March 28th to an otherwise average family. Which is a bit of a contrast to her Team 7 colleagues. She’s rather more divisive, given much of her story was about her crush on Sasuke. But there was more to her than that.

Under Tsunade, she not only learned to stay on par with Sasuke and Naruto but to speak her mind as well. Instead of locking her feelings away behind her ‘Inner Sakura’ voice, she’d express herself confidently. It may have made her impulsive sometimes, but it helped her become one of the best ninja in the world. She also got her man in the end, so she did pretty well for herself.

17

Eren Yeager

Attack on Titan

It’s perhaps safer to say Eren Yeager was the lead in Attack on Titan than the hero. Born on March 30th, he grew up as a hard-headed kid who wanted to go beyond his city’s walls. Then one of them fell, destroyed by a Titan who then ate his mother. He vowed revenge and joined the Survey Corps with his friends to wipe out every Titan in existence. If only things were that simple.

Following his father’s wishes, he soon learned just what the Titans were, how they came to be, and how he could shift into their forms himself. Eren’s straightforward revenge plot turned into a plan to make sure everyone within Paradis Island remains safe once and for all: by wiping out nearly all of humanity beyond its boundaries. What could’ve been a typical shōnen adventure turns into a darker tale of how gray morality can be.

18

Rei Ayanami

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Out of all the characters on this list, Evangelion’s 3rd lead may be the most iconic. Born March 30th, 2001, she’s the pilot of Eva-Unit 00, designed to be a “bitterly unhappy young girl” according to series creator Hideaki Anno. It certainly shows as she spends much of the series as a quiet, passive, resigned figure. Then again, she has little to be excited about.

She’s one of many clones made from the remains of Shinji Ikari’s mother, Yui (also born March 30th!). Knowing she was produced as another one of NERV’s experiments probably didn’t do much for her attitude. Even so, she gradually finds a sense of self-worth and value through her friendship with Shinji and Asuka. Despite Gendo Ikari’s intentions, she’s more than just another ‘doll’ or ‘vessel’.