November 1 is Dog’s Day.

It’s a wordplay on “11 (one, one) 1 (one)” (dogs barks “ワン”, which is pronounced like “one”, in Japanese), established by the Japan Pet Food Association.

Dogs have been adored as man’s best friend, and there are many dog characters in anime. They save their owners from tough situations, soothes the hearts of people around them, and sometimes, even transform into humans. The question is, who’s the most popular among the dog characters?

Here at Anime!Anime! conducted a survey asking, “Who Is the First ‘Dog’ Anime Character that Comes to Your Mind?” We received 195 votes during the survey period from October 21 to October 28.
There were more female voters with a gender ratio of 70% female to 30% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 45% under 19, and 30% in their 20s.

■1st Place went to Sadaharu from “Gintama”, the mascot character of Yorozuya!
1st Place
Topping the list was Sadaharu from “Gintama”, with roughly 22% of the votes.

Sadaharu is Kagura’s pet, but is extremely big, even bigger than humans. He received comments such as, “He’s cute, smart, and cool when fighting in battles! I want to take a walk on his back,” and “The first to come to my mind was Sadaharu! He’s actually a creature from outer space, but we can call him a dog, right?!”
“Him gnawing on Gin-san’s head left a strong impression and is cute,” and “I love how he bites everyone, though being the mascot character. Yorozuya Gini-Chan won’t be the same without Sadaharu,” show how his habit of biting is received in a good way.

2nd Place
Inuyasha from “Inuyasha” and Shiro from “Crayon Shin-chan” tied at 2nd place, with roughly 8% of the votes.
Inuyasha is a half-demon between his demon father and human mother. His dog-like gestures received votes with comments such as, “Not only his name, but his dog ears make him count as a dog character,” and “How he sniffs around, scratches himself with his legs, and shakes off water is just like a dog.” There was also a fan looking forward to the new series in which Inuyasha’s daughter, Moroha, appears, saying, “How he protects Kagome with everything he has is so beautiful! I’m looking forward to ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon’, too.”

Shiro is the Nohara family’s pet. He’s popular for his mutual trust with Shinnosuke and received comments such as, “He’s often left on his own, but his love for his owner, Shin-chan, is admirable,” and “It’s amazing how he communicates with Shinnosuke just like a human, though being a dog. You can’t leave Shiro out when talking about the Nohara Family.” He’s also popular for having a variety of tricks, including the cotton candy, “He has adorable looks, and his capacity to do many things from going on errands to doing tricks makes him the perfect pet.”

■Here are some comments for other characters!
For Shiitake from “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, “He’s taken care of by Chika-chan, but it’s funny that Riko-chan is afraid of him,” and “I’d love to feel his fluffy fur.”
For Cheese from “Soreike! Anpanman”, “He walks like a human, uses chopsticks, and drives the Anpanmango. He’s so skillful for a dog,” and “Yamadera Kouichi-san’s performance is amazing!”

For Rate form “Healin’ Good Pretty Cure”, “She looks like a regular cute dog, but actually is the princess of Healing Garden. I’m glad she got the power to transform Asumi into Cure Earth, and her dream to ‘heal the earth’ came true.”
There were also votes for a title with unique settings, Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga from “Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga”, “Not only did they change the Sengoku Warlords into dogs, but how they changed part of the voice actors’ names was interesting.”

There were only a few humanoid characters with dog traits, and most of the characters were true dogs. Some of them even have special abilities, including Rate from “Healin’ Good Pretty Cure” and Iggy from “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders”.

■Top 20
[Who Is the First “Dog” Anime Character that Comes to Your Mind?]
1. Sadaharu “Gintama”
2. Inuyasha “Inuyasha”
2. Shiro “Crayon Shin-chan”
4. Tetsuya 2 “Kuroko’s Basketball”
5. Shirao “Hozuki’s Coolheadedness”
5. Taroumaru “School-Live!”
7. Black Hayate “Fullmetal Alchemist”
8. Shiitake “Love Live! Sunshine!!”
8. Rate “Healin’ Good Pretty Cure”
10. Akamaru “Naruto”
10. Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga “Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga”
10. Gin “Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin”
13. Iggy “JoJo’s Bizzare Adventures: Stardust Crusaders”
13. Gotou Roku “Kakushigoto”
13. Patrasche “Dog of Flanders”
13. Hemu-Hemu “Nintama Rantarou”
17. Arcanine “Pokémon”
17. Sasuke “Inazuma Eleven Go”
17. Cheeze “Soreike! Anpanman”
17. Charlie “All Dogs Go to Heaven”
17. Punch “Touch”

(Voting Period: October 21 to October 28, 2020)