Every great anime has its very own mascot that ends up as the face of the series and of course the most marketable part of it. One of the easiest ways to make an iconic anime mascot is by making them as adorable as possible. Cuteness sells, and series like Pokémon and Sanrio are clear examples that a cute and cuddly mascot gives a series its own unique identity.
However, there are still a handful of anime mascots that try to go against the norm or try to be cute in less conventional ways. Some anime mascots aim for the perfect balance of cute but still a little weird or eerie; just to give them more personality and a special, imaginative edge. Here are some of the best cute, but still a little creepy, mascots in anime.
Spoilers ahead!
8 Mii
- Series: How To Keep A Mummy
- Species: A tiny toy-like mummy
Mii is the strange little mummy that is the star of his very own show, How To Keep A Mummy. While he may be a bit scary at first (he is a mummy after all) with his big blank eyes, as Sora gets to know little Mii-kun, it becomes clear that the little guy actually has a big heart.
Mii-kun eventually becomes very protective of Sora; always trying to help out with chores and even trying to help Sora when he gets sick. Mii-kun may be a mummy, but he doesn't have a single malicious bone in his body and will do anything to take care of his friends.
7 Chiyo-Chichi
- Series: Azumanga Daioh
- Species: A strange yellow/orange cat-like create/apparition
Chiyo-chihi is a cat-like apparition that frequently appears in Sasaki and Osaka's dreams. The strange cat is also known as "Chiyo-Dad" ("Father Cat" in the English dub) as he claims to be the father of Chiyo. His appearance can be a bit off-putting in the beginning along with his deep voice that can seem a bit unfitting when compared to his looks, but his hilarious antics take away every ounce of scare factor that Chiyo-chihi once had.
He may look a bit eerie at first and may have his moments of bursting out in frustration around others, but in the end, he's still a harmless "cat" that is actually quite cute and kind after giving him a chance.
6 Kuriboh
- Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Species: A Duel Monster Spirit
Kuriboh is one of the many Yu-Gi-Oh! duel monsters that protagonist Yugi can summon when in a duel with another deck master. This little fur ball may be a bit off-putting at first glance with his monster-like claws, untamed fur, giant blank eyes, and lack of any other facial features. However, his fun-loving, gentle personality and squeaky little voice make him impossible not to love! Kuriboh loves Yugi and has been known to step up on his own in order just to help his friends.
Kuriboh may be a little fluffball but when it comes to protecting or helping those he cares about, he'll step up to the challenge, even if it means going head-to-head with a mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
5 No-Face
- Series: Spirited Away
- Species: A mysterious, lonely spirit
No-Face is initially introduced as a villain. He is mysterious, does not speak, and seems to be following Chihiro around while she works at the bathhouse. In order for No-Face to finally find his inner peace and become docile, he first needed to become the terrifying, greedy monster he transforms into midway through the film.
At one point, No-Face begins to cannibalize the employees of Yubaba's bathhouse and morphs into a giant blob-like monster with the ability to speak in the voices of those he had devoured. However, after receiving medicine from Chihiro and vomiting all those he had eaten back up, he reverted to his previous state and eventually became quite timid and kind. Thanks to Chihiro and Zeniba, No-Face was no longer trapped by greed nor loneliness and became the cute masked spirit everyone knows and loves.
4 Monokuma
- Series: Danganronpa
- Species: A robotic bear-like puppet
Monokuma is the notorious antagonist of the Danganronpa series. Despite his status as a villain, is still seen as the mascot of Danganronpa more than any of the series' protagonists. While he looks like an adorable stuffed teddy bear, he's actually a terrifying tyrant in a cute and cuddly disguise.
Monokuma (literally) has two sides, one that looks like a typical teddy bear and the other with a glowing red eye and viciously sharp fangs. This power-hungry and bloody-thirsty bear is the leader of the infamous Killing Game and is constantly encouraging the class to commit murders and betray one another.
Monokuma is truly the perfect balance of cute and creepy, but in the end, when it comes to his personality, he's definitely a malicious monster.
3 Ryuk
- Series: Death Note
- Species: A Death God
Ryuk is Light's right-hand man; not by choice but by necessity and a decision made by the hands of fate. Perhaps upon first meeting, Ryuk can be a little scary but as the series goes on, it's clear that there's much more to Ryuk than his spooky outer appearance.
Despite being a literal god of death, Ryuk spends a lot of his free time doing the same things any human would do. He loves playing video games with Light when no one's home and even goes crazy for apples like a dog waiting for a simple treat.
Looks can be deceiving. Ryuk may look a bit frightening at first, but he sure makes for great company!
2 Kyubey
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- Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
- Species: A cat-like alien/Incubator
Kyubey is the cat-like alien that makes dangerous contracts with vulnerable young children in order to turn them into the typical "magical girl" archetype. While Kyubey loosely resembles a small cat, there's something sinister that lies behind his blank, red eyes.
Kyubey's kind is known as Incubators, and although they can converse with humans just fine, they have no genuine understanding of humans and their emotions; such as loss, pain, or suffering. Kyubey's cute side is easy to see on the surface, but past that little smile is a cold, emotionless shell that sees human beings as nothing but disposable items to achieve their goals.
1 Pochita
- Series: Chainsaw Man
- Species: The chainsaw devil and Hero Of Hell
Little Pochita may seem harmless at first, appearing as a smaller devil and even taking a strong liking to Denji. However, as the story advances, Denji, Aki, and Power soon learn that Pochita is much more powerful than he first appeared!
The more terrifying the devil, the more powerful they are; while a tomato devil may be harmless, surely the chainsaw devil would be a horrific monster, right? Little Pochita is somewhere in between. Pochita may (loosely) resemble a cute dog, but the giant chainsaw protruding out of the center of his face is just too deadly to ignore!