The 18 Greatest Kemonomimi Anime Characters (That Aren't Catgirls)
"Kemonomimi" is a Japanese term that refers to humanoid beings with animal body parts. Often, this involves cute girls with cat ears, but the term encompasses a slightly broader range of attributes. Not only do these kemonomimi characters showcase physical traits from a wide variety of animals, (from cats and dogs to squids and monkeys) some of them might have other animal body parts besides ears, and some of them aren't especially cute.
There have been plenty of intriguing and wonderful kemonomimi anime characters, from shows like Inuyasha, Kemono Friends, No Game No Life, and more. This anime trope has provided some fan-favorite personas.
Holo is a wolf deity whose job involves ensuring a robust harvest each year. She can assume a wolf-form, which is supernaturally large and able to communicate through telepathy, but she can also take on a humanoid form with wolf features, including a tail, fangs, and ears.
More Holo
- #267 of 618 onThe Most Powerful Anime Characters of All Time
- #107 of 110 onThe 50+ Cutest Anime Couples Of All Time
- #153 of 261 onThe Most Attractive Anime Girls of All Time
Because he's a half human, half dog yokai, Inuyasha has a canine appearance. He has small white ears that blend into his hair, and fangs that are visible when he opens his mouth. His hybrid status contributes to his conflict with his brother Sesshoumaru, who believes Inuyasha is inferior due to his human side.
More InuYasha- #125 of 192 onThe Hottest Anime Guys Of All Time
- #45 of 155 on100+ Anime Boys You Definitely Crushed On
- #11 of 136 onThe Best Anime Characters With White Hair
- More Tomoe
- #39 of 192 onThe Hottest Anime Guys Of All Time
- #18 of 155 on100+ Anime Boys You Definitely Crushed On
- #8 of 136 onThe Best Anime Characters With White Hair
Fumikage Tokoyami doesn't just have animal ears – his entire head is that of a bird. Tokoyami does have special abilities, but they have nothing to do with his bird head. Instead, they derive from a living shadow inside his body, who he can control during battle.
His powerful shadow not only keeps him safe, but ensures he never has to get his hands dirty in combat.
More Fumikage Tokoyami- #191 of 192 onThe Hottest Anime Guys Of All Time
- #6 of 58 onThe Best 'My Hero Academia' Characters
- #4 of 20 onEvery Class 1-A Quirk In My Hero Academia Ranked Best to Worst
- 5
Hatsuse Izuna - 'No Game No Life'
Hatsuse Izuna is a Werebeast, one of several races in the world of No Game No Life. Usually purple, when she uses an attack called Blood Destruction, her tail lengthens and her fur changes color, becoming a deep, bloody red.
- 6
Tohru - 'Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid'
Tohru has two forms: one humanoid, and one dragon. When she's acting as Miss Kobayashi's maid, she has a tail, horns, and wings, but when she's truly letting her draconic abilities out, she transforms into a massive, scaly beast.
- 7
Black Rabbit - 'Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They?'
As is clear from her name, Black Rabbit has rabbit ears sprouting from the top of her head. She has an ability called Judge Master that helps her discover anyone who might be cheating in the games she hosts.
Above all else, she prides herself on being honest and forthcoming, and is a kind and loving friend to those around her.
- 8
Millhiore Firianno Biscotti - 'Dog Days'
Millefiori Firianno Biscotti is the princess of the Biscotti Republic, a country full of humans with puppy-like traits. Her powers have less to do with her appearance, and more to do with mystical swords and elemental magic.
- 9
Squid Girl - 'Squid Girl'
Squid Girl originates from the depths of the ocean, so it's no surprise she has some oceanic features. While she looks like an adorable little girl, she has tentacle-like fins coming out of her head, which are controlled by a "hat" that is shaped like a squid's head. It's actually part of her body, despite its appearance.
- 10
Yoko - 'Inukami'
Yoko is an Inukami (a dog god) who, in addition to her canine appearance, possesses powers like teleportation and control over fire. Unlike many other Inukami, Yoko is a bit of a wildcard, who does what she wants, when she wants.
- More Goku
- More Kisame Hoshigaki
- #53 of 358 onThe Greatest Anime Villains Of All Time
- #171 of 618 onThe Most Powerful Anime Characters of All Time
- #42 of 132 onThe Best Naruto Characters
- 13
Bu-Ling Huang - 'Tokyo Mew Mew'
Like the other members of the Mew Mews, a team of young girls who fight aliens, Bu-Ling Huang's DNA is fused with an endangered species. In her case, it's the Golden Lion Tamarin, a tiny primate native to Brazil.
- 14
Raccoon - 'Kemono Friends'
Raccoon is one of the Friends who live in Japari Park, a sanctuary for human-animal hybrids. All of them are pretty adorable, but Raccoon is especially noteworthy since it's rare to see an anthropomorphic example of an animal that's often considered more pesty than cute.
- 15
Darius - 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'
Darius is a chimera who can assume the appearance of a simple human, or that of a gorilla. While his gorilla traits are subtle, they become more pronounced the more aggressive he becomes. He is a bodyguard for Solf J. Kimblee, an antagonistic State Alchemist.
- 16
Milky - 'One Piece'
Milky is humanoid in appearance, but she also has attributes of both a reindeer and a mink. She's also an indispensable member of the Guardians, an organization that's responsible for protecting the Road Poneglyph. She is one of the few female members of the organization, but nearly all of them are humanoid animals like her.
- 17
Yunihiko - 'Damekko Dobutsu'
Like everyone else in Damekko Dobutsu, Yunihiko looks like an animal, and exhibits behavior that's the exact opposite of what one might expect from that animal. Instead of being elegant or mystical, the way most view unicorns, Yunihiko enjoys laying in the grass and getting drunk in the middle of the day.
- 18
Unagi - 'Popotan'
Unagi is actually a ferret who occasionally transforms into a human with ferret ears. She serves as the unofficial mascot for Popotan. Unagi aids and accompanies her allies as they travel through time and space to answer their most burning questions.
