July 7 is “the day of yukata”. (Yukata is Japanese traditional clothing for summer.)

The anniversary was established by the Japan Yukata Association. August 4 is also “the day of yukata”, which was established by the Kinosaki Onsen Tourist Information Center in Kinosaki-cho, Hyogo-ken, after the Kinosaki Furusato Festival.

The characters dressed in a yukata often appear in anime and games as a yukata emits the good summer vibes. The characters with a different air than usual would surely make your heart to throb.

Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled ‘Speaking of a yukata, which character comes to your mind?’. During the survey period from June 20 to 27, a total of 257 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 80% while the males were about 20%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from the young readers: about 55% were from teens, and 35% were from those in their 20s.

In this article, we will show the result of the male character ver.

■The characters dressed in Japanese clothing occupied the top positions!
1st place
1st place went to Sakata Gintoki from “Gintama”. The support rating was about 24%.

The comments received were, “Gin-san looks very nice in a yukata as he gives off a good vibe of calmness and coolness combined”, “He is usually dressed in Japanese clothing, so he would nicely coordinate a yukata as well”, and “A good physique stands out in a yukata, which will make him hotter than usual”.
Since many characters are dressed in Japanese clothing appear in “Gintama”, an SF period drama, multiple characters came in the top 10.

2nd place
2nd place was shared between Takasugi Shinsuke from “Gintama” and Natsume Takashi from “Natsume’s Book of Friends”. The support rating was about 6%.

The comments for Takasugi Shinsuke were, “I remember him looking good in a purple kimono with butterfly patterns without hakama”, and “Many characters are dressed up in Japanese clothing in ‘Gintama’. Shinsuke’s stylish image will match a yukata”. He was the 2nd most popular character next to Gintoki.

The comments for Natsume Takashi were, “This work is partly associated with summer, so goods featuring the characters in a yukata were released before, which were fantastic”, “Even though he usually wears his school costume, he looks good in anything, no matter what he tries on”, and “He wore a yukata at the end of the season 3, which was so heartwarming and my favorite”. The fans seem to be attracted by the main story and illustrations featuring Natsume Takashi in a yukata.

■Let’s introduce other comments!!
Sano Manjiro from “Tokyo Revengers
“He sometimes chooses Jinbei as a casual wear, so he would look nice in a yukata as well！”
Soma Shigure from “Fruits Basket”
“He usually wears a yukata, and he always looks cool, which is the proof of him looking good in a yukata”.

Yato from “Noragami”
“He usually wears a jersey, so when I saw him in a yukata, I was captivated by the gap”.

In this survey, the characters, who are usually dressed in Japanese clothing came in the top positions. It will be one of the reasons for their popularity that the readers can easily imagine how they look in a yukata.

■Ranking Top10
[Speaking of a yukata, which character comes to your mind? Male character ver.]
1. Sakata Gintoki “Gintama”
2. Takasugi Shinsuke “Gintama”
2. Natsume Takashi “Natsume’s Book of Friends”
4. Kyogoku Makoto “Detective Conan”
5. Sano Manjiro “Tokyo Revengers”
6. Soma Shigure “Fruits Basket”
6. Hijikata Toshiro “Gintama”
8. Aohitsugi Samatoki “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”
8. Isono Namihei “Sazae-san”
8. Ichinose Tokiya “Uta no Prince-sama”
8. Roronoa Zoro “One Piece”
8. Hattori Heiji “Detective Conan”
8. Yato “Noragami”

（Survey Period: June 20 – 27, 2021)