February 22nd is Cat Day in Japan because "2-2-2" which can be pronounced as "ni-ni-ni" alludes to "nya~nya~nya~", which is how the sound of cats is represented in Japanese. The country's cat lovers go all out on this day, with cat-themed events, food and products popping up everywhere. Here is a collection of cat-related anime characters from our gallery as we join in the celebration of one of our favorite animals!
1. Nakano Azusa from K-ON by reonov
Azusa is nicknamed "Azu-nyan" after trying on a pair of cat ears.
2. Kuroneko (Gokou Ruri) from Oreimo by hb.figurephoto
Gokou Ruri is better known by her handle name "Kuroneko" which means "Black Cat".
3. Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujincho by piyo
Nyanko-sensei looks everything like a fat cat, but he really is...
4. Black Hanekawa from Bakemonogatari by alice
When Tsubasa Hanekawa transforms...
5. Cat Bus from My Neighbor Totoro by Belcorno
6. Kenma Kozume from Haikyuu! by Kiri Saki
Fans of the series would know that deep down the Nekoma High School setter is really just a lazy cat.
7. Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service by alchemaniac
Jiji is probably the only actual cat on this list. And a talking cat at that.
Which is your favorite anime cat?
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
*Disclaimer: All works featured in this article were created by TOM Special Creators who have given Tokyo Otaku Mode rights to share their work.*