Feb. 3 is ”Setsubun”. (the day between two seasons)

People throw beans on this day saying “Oni wa Soto, Fuku wa Uchi” (Bye-bye demons, welcome good fortune) to expel evil spirits and wish good luck for the year.

There are many characters inspired by Oni (demon, ogre) in anime. They are depicted in various ways, having horns on their head, having the strength of an Oni, and sometimes are so cute that no one would believe they're an Oni.

Here at Anime!Anime! we asked the readers “Who is your favorite Oni character in anime?”, just as we did last year. There were 134 votes during the survey period of Jan. 22 to Jan. 29.
The male-female ratio was 30% male to 70% female with more female respondents, and the age group leaned on the younger side with 60% being 19 and younger, and 25% being in their 20s.

■The most popular Oni was Nezuko from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”. A wide variety of Oni's ranked in!

Taking 1st place was Kamado Nezuko from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” with 20% of the votes.

Nezuko is the younger sister of the protagonist, Kamado Tanjirou. She was attacked by Oni's and has been turned into an Oni herself.
“Though it was unfair that she was turned into an Oni, her and her brother Tanjiro kickass when it comes to saving others”, “Because she loves her brother and is a friendly Oni that doesn't eat people” are the comments she received, pointing out the difference between the other Oni and her humanly side. Some also like her appearance saying, “She's so cute with that bamboo in her mouth.”

Coming in 2nd was Hozuki from “Hozuki's Coolheadedness” receiving 16% of the vote.

“He not only is able to get any job done but he also has commonsense and is well respected. I would love to have such a high-spec boss” is a comment that shows how highly he is praised as the deputy of King Enma.
Since the original manga has finished in Jan. 2020, there were many voices looking forward to the production of a new series of anime, such as “The final episode was very memorable, this vote is to express my hope for a new anime series!”

3rd place went to Rem from “Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World” with 10% of the votes.

Rem is one of the twins who work at Roswaal's mansion as maids. She received a comment about her relationship with the protagonist Natsuki Subaru, “Her feelings for the main character are so loyal and cute”. Her sister Ram also ranked in at 9th place and received a comment saying, “Because she is such a kind, strong, yet cute person that would give her life to save her sister.”

■Below are comments other characters have received
“It's been almost 40 years since her debut, but in my opinion, she's still one of the top heroines.” and “I love her cosplay” for Lum from “Urusei Yatsura”.

“Because he is an awesome villain that has pride as an Oni and has a strong sense of duty” for Kazama Chikage from “Hakuouki”.

“Because he's a short-lived goblin, he's already an adult though being in his teens. I loved the voice of Chiba Shigeru in the anime adaption.” for Grick Graycrack from “What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?”.

There was even a vote for the popular anime on NHK saying, “It's so cute how they work hard to retrieve the scepter from Ojarumaru. Also, I love how they get on top of each other.” for The Oni Child Trio from “Ojarumaru”.

Several characters from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” has ranked in the 2020 edition. Many characters left quite an impression such as; “Though being a villain, he is such an interesting character. He's the best Oni since even his allies (also Oni) are afraid of him!” for Kimutsuji Muzan, and “I love how he appears to be ruthless, but in fact, it's because of his rough past.” for Rui.

■Top 10
[Who is your favorite Oni character in anime? 2020 edition]
1. Kamado Nezuko “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
2. Hozuki “Hozuki's Coolheadedness”
3. Rem “Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World”
4. Kibutsuji Muzan “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
5. Lum “Urusei Yatsura”
6. Kazama Chikage “Hakuouki”
6. Rui “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
6. Shizuno “Somali and the Forest Spirit”
9. Ram “Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World”
10. Black Shinkalion Ogre “Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion THE ANIMATION”
10. Gedoumaru “Gintama”
10. The Oni Child Trio “Ojarumaru”
10. Hijikata Toshirou “Gintama”
10. Oshino Shinobu (Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade) “Monogatari” Series

(Survey Period: Jan. 22 to Jan. 29, 2020)