September 24 is “World Gorilla Day”.
As gorillas are in danger of extinction, it was established to protect them and nature as their habitat. Gorillas’ classification is class: primate, family: Hominidae, genus: gorilla. Primates are also called Saru-moku (Monkeys Class) in Japanese, and humans are classified into the same group.
There are many characters related to gorillas and monkeys in anime and games. They are depicted in various ways: some of them have immense strength just like monkeys and move quickly just like monkeys, and others are real gorillas are monkeys. Among such characters, who is the most impressive one?
Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Speaking of ‘gorilla/monkey’, who comes to your mind?”. During the survey period from September 10 – 16, a total of 182 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 75% while the males were about 25%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from the young readers: about 50% were from teens, and 25% were from those in their 20s.
■Kondo Isao from “Gintama” is topping the list for two years in a row.
1st Place
1st place went to Kondo Isao from “Gintama”. The support rating was about 38%.
Kondo Isao is the commander of Shinsengumi. As he is the commander of an armed police force for the security of Edo, he has a really nice physique, which led him to receive many comments “Everyone calls him Gorilla”. Many fans seem to still remember the comical development, and left comments like “He has a lot of gorilla-related episodes such as the scene where he was nearly forced to get married to Princess Bubbles, who is a real gorilla”.
2nd Place
2nd place went to Author Gorilla from “Gintama”. The support rating was about 8%, and he moved up from the 3rd place that he got last year.
This is the original creator Sorachi Hideaki-sensei. Under the name of Author Gorilla, he appeared in the main episodes of anime as a voice actor. Received comments include, “He appeared in ‘The Final’ again, so all I can do is laugh at this point” and “Whenever I hear Sorachi-sensei’s spirited ‘oowa’, I cannot help laughing”. These comments show how impactful “Gintama: The Final” (released in 2021) is.
Two characters from the concluded works have got 1st and 2nd place.
3rd Place
3rd place went to Kanbara Suruga from “‘Monogatari’ Series”. The support rating was about 5%.
Kanbara Suruga belongs to a basketball club and is a high school girl with great athletic abilities. However, she has her left arm covered with bandages as she holds a secret. The received comments include, “I was surprised to see the battle scenes between her and the protagonist Araragi Koyomi, as the depiction was extremely powerful to the point that makes my heart pop out” and “She looks cute with her short hair, but her personality is radical. That is super cool!”
■Let’s introduce other comments!!
Optimus Prime “Beast Wars: Transformers”
“Speaking of gorilla characters, Optimus Prime voiced by Koyasu Takehito is the one. As he obtains new bodies, his gorilla vibes get enhanced. That is impactful.”
Kirisaki Chitoge “Nisekoi”
“As she has a superhuman power, the protagonist calls her Gorilla, and she was made into a magical girl called Magical Gorilla in the spin-off ‘Magical Pâtissier Kosaki-chan!!’.”
Kikitchi “Tamagotchi”
“His design is so cute, and I like how he gets along with Chamametchi. His parents are super rich, so Chamametchi becomes a millionaire if she gets married to him……”
Toyotomi Hideyoshi “Sengoku Basara”
A character inspired by a historical figure has been ranked.
“He is famous for the episode that he was called Monkey by Oda Nobunaga. He appears in ‘BASARA’ with a huge, massively built body that goes beyond the episode.”
In the survey 2021, many characters with great strength have been ranked. The characters called Gorilla with respect for their beautifully built-up body have been ranked as well.
■Overall Ranking
－Speaking of “gorilla/monkey”, who comes to your mind?－
1. Kondo Isao “Gintama”
2. Author Gorilla “Gintama”
3. Kanbara Suruga “‘Monogatari’ Series”
4. Kogami Shinya “Psycho-Pass”
5. Kirisaki Chitoge “Nisekoi”
6. Optimus Prime “Beast Wars: Transformers”
7. Takeshi “Gian” Goda “Doraemon”
7. Maki Oze “Fire Force”
9. Son Goku “Dragon Ball”
10. Akagi Takenori “Slam Dunk”
10. Goreinu “Hunter × Hunter”
10. Toyotomi Hideyoshi “Sengoku Basara”
13. Abu “Aladdin”
13. Itadori Yuji “Jujutsu Kaisen”
13. George “Curious George”
13. Donkey Kong “Donkey Kong”
13. Monkey D. Luffy “One Piece”
（Survey Period: September 10 – 16, 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 anime and characters.
