July 11 is “Ramen Day”.
It was established by the Japan Ramen Association to commemorate the day by comparing “7” to a Chinese soup spoon and “11” to chopsticks.
Ramen is a national dish that is loved by many people. From famous restaurants with long lines to instant noodles that can be eaten easily, there are a wide variety of dishes to choose from, including soy sauce, miso, and tonkotsu.
There are many characters related to Ramen in anime and games. Some of them love ramen, some of them work part-time at ramen shops, and some of them make their own original ramen, all of which are depicted in various ways in the main story. Who is the most popular among these characters?
So, here at Anime! Anime!, we conducted a reader survey titled “Which character would you think of when it comes to ‘Ramen’”? During the survey period from June 24 to July 1, we received responses from 166 readers.
The ratio of male to female respondents was about 40 percent, with about 60 percent female. About 45% of the respondents were under the age of 19, and about 25% were in their 20s, mostly in the younger age groups.
■Characters who make ramen are also ranked in!
1st place
Ms. Koizumi from “Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles” came in 1st place. The approval rate was about 17%.
There are some amazed comments about how strictly she pursues Ramen saying, “I like the way the cool high school girl just pursues delicious ramen, and also, Taketatsu Ayana’s performance that she gets a little excited is appealing,” and “She’s not interested in anything other than ramen, but her knowledge and obsession with ramen is unbelievable. I want to applaud her energy to go to local ramen shops whenever she wants to eat it.”
“This anime made me want to eat ramen so bad when I watched this anime. The happy expression on Ms. Koizumi’s face when she was eating was so cute,” said one reader who actually went to eat at the actual ramen shop that was modeled after .
2nd place
The 2nd place went to Uzumaki Naruto from “Naruto”. His approval rating was about 14%.
Some commented that he always seems to have ramen; “He has been going to Ichiraku, a ramen shop in the village of Konohagakure, since he was a child, and even went there with his son, Boruto, after he was born.” “He even says that his favorite food is cup ramen and his most favorite food is ramen at Ichiraku. And his name comes from the Naruto roll of ramen,” said another reader.
3rd place
The 3rd place went to Nendo Riki from “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” The approval rate was about 10 percent.
“When it comes to ramen, it’s Nendo! I’m impressed by the way he talks to Saiki, like, ‘Hey, buddy! Let’s go eat ramen’” said many readers that his first words are always about ramen. There is also an episode where he works part-time at a ramen shop, so he is a character with a strong connection to ramen.
All of the top three characters were ranked in the same order as in last year’s “Which anime character likes ramen?”
■Here are some of the other comments!!
For Ramen Man from “Kinnikuman”, some said, “He has a wide variety of skills, but he is not only strong, he is also intelligent in academics and sports. In addition, he has a trustworthy and righteous personality, which makes him a wonderful character.”
For Ramen Tenshi from “Soreike! Anpanman”, some said “Not only does he look cute, but the sight of him flying in the sky on a big rice bowl was something I longed for when I was little.”
For Shijo Takane from “The Idolmaster”, some said, “When it comes to ramen, it’s Ohime chin! She enjoys all the vegetables, even the piles of them that remind me of a certain ramen shop.”
There were some votes for Serizawa Tatsuya from “Ramen Hakken Den”, who is a popular character from a popular manga, saying, “Ramen Bald, Serizawa Tatsuya, who had such a strong a presence that he eclipsed the main character. In the live-action drama, he was turned into a woman, but he is still an attractive character, becoming the main character in the latest film. ‘They’re not eating ramen. They’re eating information!’”
In this survey, there were some votes for characters who not only eat ramen, but also make it, such as Ishigami Senku from “Dr. Stone” and Enjoji Michiru from ”The Idolmaster: SideM.”
■Overall ranking
[Which character would you think of when it comes to “Ramen”?]
1st place: Ms. Koizumi “Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles”
2nd place: Uzumaki Naruto “NARUTO”
3rd place: Nendo Riki “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.”
4th place: Ramen Man “Kinniku Man”
5th place: Fujiwara Chika “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War”
6th place: Koike-san “Obake no Q-Taro,” “Doraemon” etc.
6th place: Hoshizora Rin “Love Live!”
8th place: Ishigami Senku “Dr.STONE”
8th place: Udagawa Tomoe “BanG Dream!”
8th place: Shijo Takane “The Idolmaster”
11th place: Enjoji Michiru “The Idolmaster: SideM”
11th place: Sera Masumi “Detective Conan”
11th place: Ramen Tenshi “Soreike! Anpanman”
14th place: Ayanami Rei “Neon Genesis Evangelion”
14th place: Ikumatsu “Gintama”
14th place: Oikawa Toru “Haikyu!”
(Survey Period: June 24 – July 1, 2021)
*This questionnaire is part of a survey on readers’ attitudes toward current anime works and characters. This questionnaire is part of a survey of readers’ awareness of current anime works and characters, and is not intended to determine the superiority or inferiority of any one character or work. We hope that this article will provide you with an opportunity to learn about new works and characters, and deepen your understanding and interest in them.