As a way of showing love for anime characters, it is one of the common ways to celebrate their birthdays. Many of you may have seen someone holding a party with a cake surrounded by goods, or posting celebration illustrations on SNS.

Here, at Anime!Anime!, we conducted a readers’ survey titled ‘Whose birthday did you celebrate in June??’. The survey had been conducted from Jul. 1 – 4, 2021, and we received 114 responses. The ratio of males to females was about 20% and 80%, with the majority of females. The age group was mainly young, with about 35% of respondents aged 19 or younger and about 50% in their 20s.

■Characters with special abilities shared the top position!

1st place
1st place went to Kise Ryota from “Kuroko’s Basketball” and Dazai Osamu from “Bungo Stray Dogs” with the same support ratings.
Kise Ryota, a freshman at Kijo High School, can copy any technique he sees. He is from the Generation of Miracles, which consists of characters with exceptional skills. His birthday is on June 18. He has the earliest birthday among the characters from the Generation of Miracles.

Dazai Osamu is a member of the Armed Detective Agency, a super ability user organization. The characters from “Bungo Stray Dogs” have the same birthdays as their model, so his birthday is on June 19 as an author Dazai Osamu’s birthday. Two characters with special abilities shared the top position.

3rd place
3rd place went to Hinata Shoyo from “Haikyu!!” and Katsura Kotaro from “Gintama” with the same support ratings.
Hinata Shoyo is a freshman at Karasuno High School and a member of the Volley Ball Club. His birthday is on June 21. The summer solstice, the day with the longest period of daylight within a year, is said to often occur on June 21, which matches his cheerful and positive personality.

Katsura Kotaro is the leader of a moderate Joui. He has a mysterious creature named Elizabeth as a pet. His birthday is on June 26, which is the same as the birthday of Katsura Kogoro (Kido Takayoshi), who he has modeled after.

In June’s survey, multiple characters from the same series have been ranked; Tojo Nozomi, Ohara Mari, and Asaka Karin from “Love Live!” series, and Cure Miracle, Cure Macaron, Cure Ange, and Cure La Mer from “Pretty Cure” series. The characters from the different works won the votes.

■Ranking Top5
[Whose birthday did you celebrate in June?]
1. Kise Ryota “Kuroko’s Basketball” (June 18)
1. Dazai Osamu “Bungo Stray Dogs” (June )
3. Hinata Shoyo “Haikyu!!” (June 21)
3. Katsura Kotaro “Gintama” (June 26)
5. Kaminari Denki “My Hero Academia” (June 29)

(Survey Period: Jul. 1 – 4, 2021)

■Ranking Top10
[Whose birthday did you celebrate in June?]
1. Kise Ryota “Kuroko’s Basketball” (June 18)
1. Dazai Osamu “Bungo Stray Dogs” (June )
3. Hinata Shoyo “Haikyu!!” (June 21)
3. Katsura Kotaro “Gintama” (June 26)
5. Kaminari Denki “My Hero Academia” (June 29)
6. Kurusu Sho “Uta no Prince-sama” (June 9)
7. Ohara Mari “Love Live! Sunshine!!” (June 13)
8. Kanroji Mitsuri “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (June 1)
8. Sengoku Nadeko “Bakemonogatari” (June 3)
8. Tojo Nozomi “Love Live!”(June 9)
8. Cure Ange/Yakushiji Saaya “Hug! Pretty Cure” (June 10)
8. Cure Macaron/Kotozume Yukari “Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode” (June 11)
8. Cure Miracle/Asahina Mirai “Witchy PreCure!” (June 12)
8. Kaito Kid/Kuroba Kaito “Detective Conan” “Magic Kaito” (June 21)
8. Izanami Hifumi ‘”Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle” Rhyme Anima’ (June 22)
8. Asaka Karin “Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club” (June 29)
8. Cure La Mer/Laura “Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure” (June 30)

(Survey Period: Jul. 1 – 4, 2021)

*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in the anime and characters.