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Top 10 Cute Japanese Cartoon Characters of All Time

The best cute Japanese fictional cartoon characters are going to show up their cuteness through this article. Japan is cute! Honestly, I am not kidding with you. It is cute because we do have some cute cartoon characters.

They are adorable just like your baby! Some of these characters are known only for their cuteness such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon or Pikachu.

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Hello Kitty – The Cutest Fictional Character in the World. Photo Credit: lizhong at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing

As you know manga and anime industry is quite strong in Japan. An artist has to think many times before sketching a unique cartoon character to use it for either manga or anime.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an artist, as a result I asked my parents to bring a drawing set box for me.

Indeed they did and I took several drawing lessons from a teacher but this dream faded away somehow! Well, I better introduce them to you right away.

1) Mario:

Super Mario, Japan
Joy of Mario! Photo Credit: Tom Newb at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing

There are more than hundreds thousands of Mario fans around the globe, and I am one of them for sure! I grew up playing Mario games in my childhood. I was very much addicted to Nitendo’s super Mario games.

Mario, the Italian plumber with a mustache who looks like Mexican, was created by the Japanese video game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Thank you very much for creating this character, Miyamoto!

There is news published on social media a few years ago, where Italian football player Mario Balotelli was fined for posting a photo and text on Instagram.

Read that post here right now “Don’t be racist,” and text that added: “Be like Mario, he’s an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican. He jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew.” This sounds very awful, it is against racism!

2) Afro Ken:

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Cute Afro Ken is HERE! Photo Credit: Paul Lim at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

There is a cute dog that has an attractive rain-bow colored afro. He does not speak but express his feeling using his face!

He is honest, innocent, happy and always in a good mood. He is attracted to fluffy things, which means he likes objects that look like him.

His hair changes to look like these things when he gets close to them. The designer of this kawaii creature has said that he likes dog.

When he started to work at San-X company for some reasons he draw many dogs and Afro Ken is one of them.

3) Totoro:

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Furry Cute Totoro from the Movie “My Neighbor Totoro”. Photo Credit: su-may at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Who is Totoro? Is this the first time you have heard of this name? Totoro is a magical creation, and an interesting character, who is also a role model of many Japanese kids.

He is a furry, cute, silent, giant and pointy eared fictional character. This character comes from the animated movie My Neighbor Totoro, filmed in 1988 by the director Hayao Miyazaki.

Do you know how many times I have watched this movie? Let me count it, with my friends I watched it twice, again twice with my brother and finally I watched it once with my little cousin.

So, in total I watched this favorite animated movie five times! Watch this animated film, I can promise you that you will not waste your time watching it! Check out the movie trailer right now.

4) Kureyon Shin Chan/Crayon Shin Chan:

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This little guy is a very famous fictional character, especially in Japan. In many countries he alos is recognized as Shin Chan.

It is very funny watching him in the anime series as well as while reading its popular manga. Every time I start watching the anime series I laugh out loud. If you have not watched it yet, I suggest you to watch it.

5) Hello Kitty:

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Hello Kitty Picture. Photo Credit: Jetske at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Hello Kitty – the cute little girl is a very famous Japanese fictional cartoon character. This character was created by Japanese company Sanrio in 1974, designed by Yuko Shimizu.

In Japan, Hello Kitty is also known as Kiti Howaito. Many little kids believe Hello Kitty is a cat but its owner “Sanrio” says it is not a cat.

The company describes her as “a cheerful and happy little girl with a heart of gold”. In fact, we have to accept what they think of this fictional character. Though I have heard some Hello Kitty fans don’t agree with the company’s statement regarding on this matter.

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Hello Kitty Shop in Japan. Photo Credit: Stéfan at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Well, she is the cutest animated creature ever created in Japan.

A lot of Hello Kitty merchandise we see in the super market or online shopping stores. Indeed demand of Hello Kitty merchandise is high since everyone loves her. My little cousin does not want to go to school without her Hello Kitty School Bag!

Avril Lavigne, a popular Canadian singer and songwriter has written a song called “Hello Kitty”. Hello Kitty and Avril Lavigne fans think of this song differently, some fans were very crazy listening to this track.

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EVA Air – Hello Kitty Jet Air Service. Photo Credit: Simon Boddy at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Have you ever heard about the Hello Kitty Jet air service provided by EVA Air? You can fly from Taipei to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Guam, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Paris. Lately, EVA air has announced that it would launch a route from Taipei to Huston, USA.

Flying with a Hello Kitty themed plan will be a memorable trip for you if you a super fan of her.

6) Jiji:

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Jiji the Black Cat! Buy it at Amazon.com

Who is Jiji? What does he do? He is a black cat and companion of Kiki. Jiji, the character is quite loveable that appears in the animated movie called Majo no takkyûbin or Kiki’s Delivery Service.

It was filmed in 1989 by the greatest animation director Hayao Miyazaki.

Hayao’s movie means that there is something special with cute fictional characters. He hardly smile and got a face like he always is concerned with something else.

The movie is great to watch with everyone at home during weekends or in holidays.

7) Anpanman:

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At Anpanman Museum! Photo Credit: hjus at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Anpanman may not be a familiar character to you, but he is considered to be one of the cutest fictional characters ever created in Japan. If it is the first time you just knew about him then I would suggest you to check out one of his anime DVDs.

Please note there are more than one thousand of Anpanman anime series (Soreike! Anpanman) episodes. Anpanman character appear on various merchandises such as toys, games, clothes and even on public transportation JR Shikoku 2000 train.

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Anpanman Train – JR Shikoku 2000, Japan. Photo Credit: as365n2 at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

I still have not told you about Anpanman character. Well, he has a large head made from Anpan, a sweet bun filled with Anko (Japanese red bean paste).

He wears a red uniform and a burgundy cape on back. His belt, boots and gloves are yellow along with a smiley face symbol on his chest. He never eats and has no appetite, his large Anpan head keeps him fit always.

This is his main strength while on the other hand his weakness is water and anything that makes his head dirty.

8) Doraemon:

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Doraemon Show! Photo Credit: MIKI Yoshihito at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Doraemon, Doraemon Doraemon….who does not know this robotic cat? In this 21st century he is a celebrity just like Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and other celebrities.

Don’t think that I am physically mad right now. The real scenario says millions of kids love watching Doraemon anime TV series and its read manga. This number is HUGE!

Doraemon manga is one of the best manga series for Japanese kids. Lately, its online free games sound very addictive! I have played several ones and in my opinion they are quite nice games to be addicted.

I heard that in some countries child refuse to study on time but want to watch Doraemon all the time. It is a sort of Doraemon fever and this is how we can see its popularity.

9) Rilakkuma:

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Giant Rilakkuma Plush Toy! Buy from Amazon.com

Here is the other cute Japanese cartoon character called Rilakkuma. The word Rilakkuma means “Bear in relaxed mood”.

He is a lazy stress free cute bear with two buddies Korilakkuma (the white bear) and Kiiroitori (the yellow chick). He first appeared in a picture book called Rilakkuma Seikatsu produced by San-X Company.

In Japan, most of the toy shops sell Rilakkuma plush toys; some of them are really big! I think whatever he does would make you relax and stress free!

If you want then you can watch Rilakkuma video on Youtube. I saw some beautiful Rilakkuma school backpacks on Amazon.com. You can check it out for your children.

10) Pikachu:

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Pikachu Parade in Yokohama! Photo Credit: Yoshikazu TAKADA at Flickr through Creative Commons Licensing.

Do you read Pokémon manga or watch its anime? If you do, you perhaps know Pikachu. It is covered with yellow fur, small in size and has a small mouth.

It is one of the species of Pokémon creatures. Needless to say that I am a big fan of this little creature, in fact I used to collect its wallpaper and pictures.

Often Pikachu costume is a top notch for many cosplay participants. However, I think Pikachu is the cutest creature from this anime TV series and most beloved anime character after Hello Kitty.

Japan is the birthplace of all these 10 cute fictional characters. A large volume of these functional characters party supplies are sold all over the world.

Almost every anime or manga fan wishes to have a birthday party supplies of Hello kitty and Doraemon. Did you know that before?

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