Anime Anime Global

August 8 is the day of “teeth alignment”.

It was established as the words play “Ha (8)” and the image of laughing “Hahaha” perfectly match orthodontics. (Ha means teeth in Japanese.)

There are many characters with characteristic teeth in anime and games. Jagged teeth like a shark are called “Giza-ha” among the fans, and loved as a factor that bolsters the image of characters.
Such characters with jagged teeth will leave various impressions on the viewers. Some of them may look cute, and others may look wild or mysterious. Who is the most popular among them?

Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted an annual reader survey titled “Speaking of the characters with “jagged teeth”, who comes to your mind first?”. During the survey period from July 24 to 31, a total of 211 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 85% while the males were about 15%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from the young readers: about 55% were from teens, and 20% were from those in their 20s.

■Matsuoka Rin from “Free!” topped the list for 2 years in a row!

1st Place

1st place went to Matsuoka Rin from “Free!”. The support rating was about 21%, and he topped the list following last year.

His visual, which is reminiscent of a shark attracted many fans, and the received comments include, “Speaking of Rin-chan, I immediately come up with jagged teeth like a shark! He is a student at the Samezuka Academy, so he would be a shark if I were to compare him to an animal” and “I was surprised by a gap of a cool guy with jagged teeth. Especially when he smiles, he exactly looks like a shark”.
Some readers mentioned his impressive line, “Be careful not to be bitten off”. “Free!-the Final Stroke-” is scheduled to be released soon, and he topped the list again this year.

2nd Place

2nd place went to Kirishima Eijiro from “My Hero Academia”. The support rating is about 11%, and he moved up from 4th place of last year. The latest work “My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission” is now on the screens.

He takes on battles with his jagged teeth as a weapon, and such scenes look wonderful on the screen. The received comments include, “Kirishima-kun has a Quirk of Hardening, and he looks great with jagged teeth!”, and “His beautiful jagged teeth and his big mouth are a great combination! When he uses his super move Unbreakable, his jugged teeth get sharper…His whole body gets hardened, and he looks super strong”.

3rd Place

3rd place went to Shinra Kusakabe from “Fire Force”. The support rating was about 8%. Even though he dropped from 2nd place of last year, he maintained the top 3.

The received comments include, “He is also called Demon as he uniquely smiles when he gets nervous, and his jagged teeth revealed then left an impression on me”, and “Speaking of Shinra, I immediately come up with his smile. His jagged teeth bolster his characteristics”. The protagonist characters have been ranked at the top.

■Let’s introduce other comments!
Ayase Mayoi “Ensemble Stars!”
“I love a quick flash of her jagged teeth in live performances!”
“Slanted eyebrows and jagged teeth are her characteristics.”

Akuno Hideo “The Idolmaster: SideM”
“He apparently looks scary, but he shows a shiny and cute expression when he smiles.”
“He was wearing a hoodie with a design of a shark in a game event, and he looked cool in it.”

Floyd Leech “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
“He often laughs with his mouth open, and his jagged teeth look impressive.”

The title broadcast in 2021 also won some votes.

Twin Turbo “Uma Musume Pretty Derby”
“She has a straightforward personality, so when she had a race to show her thoughts, it was so cool.”

In the 2021 edition, a lot of readers mentioned the characters’ smiles.

■Ranking Top 10

[Speaking of the characters with “jagged teeth”, who comes to your mind first? 2021 Edition]
1. Matsuoka Rin “Free!”
2. Kirishima Eijiro “My Hero Academia”
3. Shinra Kusakabe “Fire Force”
4. Floyd Leech “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
5. Ayase Mayoi “Ensemble Stars!”
6. Kageura Masato “World Trigger”
7. Valac Clara “Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun”
8. Grell Sutcliff “Black Butler”
9. Jade Leech “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
10. Akuno Hideo “The Idolmaster: SideM”
（Survey Period: July 24 – 31, 2021)

■Ranking Top 20

[Speaking of the characters with “jagged teeth”, who comes to your mind first? 2021 Edition]
1. Matsuoka Rin “Free!”
2. Kirishima Eijiro “My Hero Academia”
3. Shinra Kusakabe “Fire Force”
4. Floyd Leech “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
5. Ayase Mayoi “Ensemble Stars!”
6. Kageura Masato “World Trigger”
7. Valac Clara “Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun”
8. Grell Sutcliff “Black Butler”
9. Jade Leech “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
10. Akuno Hideo “The Idolmaster: SideM”
11. Garfiel Tinsel “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World”
11. Twin Turbo “Uma Musume Pretty Derby”
13. Atlantis “Kinnikuman”
13. Settsuno Kirimaru “Nintama Rantaro”
13. Sera Masumi “Detective Conan”
13. Niiboshi Reo “Sarazanmai”
13. Baikinman “Anpanman”
13. Baji Keisuke “Tokyo Revengers”
13. Frederica Baumann “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World”

（Survey Period: July 24 – 31, 2021)