Anime Anime Global

October 23 is “Science/Chemistry Day”.

The anniversary was established as Mole, the base unit of amount of substance, is defined as 6.02×10^23. A week including October 23 is a chemistry week, and events related to chemistry are held all around Japan.

In anime and games, many characters who are familiar with natural science, including chemistry, appear. They are depicted in various ways; some of them carry out suspicious experiments as a member of a chemistry club, and others study about gigantic robots or invent the things that change conventional methods.

Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Speaking of a ‘scientist/chemist’, who comes to your mind?”. During the survey period from October 12 – 19, a total of 299 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 30% were from teens, and 35% were from those in their 20s.

■The protagonist from the educational title is topping the list.

1st Place

1st place went to Ishigami Senku from “Dr. Stone”. The support rating was about 58%.

The readers said that they were moved by his attempts to restore civilization with the power of science. The received comments include, “The protagonist attempts to restore the collapsed civilization with his plenty of knowledge about science, philosophical intelligence, and thoughtfulness. That’s cool”, “He has much knowledge but he is not physically tough. Such a gap is also attractive”, “He says that what matters is science, which anyone can reproduce, but not him. That’s super cool!”.

From the same title, Chrome came in 7th place, and Dr. Xeno came in 11th place in a tie. This title also received comments like “The work itself is interesting as it explains science in an enjoyable manner”. The protagonist of the title that teaches us a lot is topping the list.

2nd Place

2nd place went to Haibara Ai from “Detective Conan”. The support rating was about 10%.

Many readers left comments while mentioning the episodes, “She is the one that developed the chemical APTX4869, which is the beginning of Shinichi turning Conan. She still has scientist vibes, which is cool”, “In the sphere of science, she is more talented than Conan. She is also good at figures and calculated fall velocity in her head in ‘Case Closed: Countdown to Heaven’. I admire her intelligence”, “She was keeping instant coffee in a bottle for chemicals. It may also be what scientists do (laugh)”.

3rd Place

3rd place was shared between Okabe Rintaro from “Steins;Gate” and Futaba Rio from “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai”. The characters who look good in white robes shared 3rd place.

The comments for Okabe Rintaro include, “He is a freak that is always wearing a white robe and calls himself as a mad scientist. Even though he seems to be carrying out meaningless experiments, he is quite earnest about his study, which looks a scientific temperament”.

The comments for Futaba Rio include, “She philosophically analyzes the Adolescence Syndrome and looks good in the costume with a white robe putting on. Her witty sarcasm to the protagonist Sakuta is also wonderful”.

■Let’s introduce other comments!

Professor “Nichijou”
“Although she looks like an ordinary child, her knowledge and invention are genius, which is different from former scientist characters and I like it. By the way, she is cute!”

Wachi Mineru “Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory”
“She is a troublemaker who often causes problems by compounding suspicious chemicals, even though she is the leader of the goddess’ dormitory. She only wears a white robe over her naked body in her room, which is very sexy.”

Kururu “Sgt. Frog”
“He is a mad scientist that develops various chemicals and involves Keroro and others, who are supposed to be his friends. His creepy laughter is addictive.”

Arisugawa Himari “Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode”
“She is not a scientist but has a deeper knowledge about sweets. Her catchphrases are ‘Sweets Are Science!’ and her favorite book is ‘Science of Sweets’. She was voiced by Fukuhara Haruka-san, who was appearing in a cooking program, which is also memorable”. The pâtissier character was also ranked in.

In this survey, well-read characters stand out. Multiple characters who are powerful enough to come through in the clutch with extensive knowledge have been ranked in.

■Ranking Top 10

－Speaking of a “scientist/chemist”, who comes to your mind?－
1. Ishigami Senku “Dr. Stone”
2. Haibara Ai “Detective Conan”
3. Okabe Rintaro (Houoin Kyoma) “Steins;Gate”
3. Futaba Rio “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai”
5. Agasa Hiroshi “Detective Conan”
5. Yui Kotaro “Stand My Heroes”
7. Chrome “Dr. Stone”
7. Meltdown “Transformers: Animated”
7. Dekapan “Mr. Osomatsu”
7. Professor “Nichijou”

（Survey Period: October 12 – 19, 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.

■Ranking Top 20

－Speaking of a “scientist/chemist”, who comes to your mind?－
1. Ishigami Senku “Dr. Stone”
2. Haibara Ai “Detective Conan”
3. Okabe Rintaro (Houoin Kyoma) “Steins;Gate”
3. Futaba Rio “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai”
5. Agasa Hiroshi “Detective Conan”
5. Yui Kotaro “Stand My Heroes”
7. Chrome “Dr. Stone”
7. Meltdown “Transformers: Animated”
7. Dekapan “Mr. Osomatsu”
7. Professor “Nichijou”
11. Agnes Tachyon “Uma Musume Pretty Derby”
11. Amemura Ramuda “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”
11. Kajii Motojiro “Bungo Stray Dogs”
11. Kururu “Sgt. Frog”
11. Kocho Shinobu “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
11. Saiki Kusuke “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K”
11. Clemont “Pokémon XY”
11. Caesar Clown “One Piece”
11. Starscream “Transformers”
11. Dr. Xeno “Dr. Stone”
11. Hizuki Ayana “Kagaku na Yatsura”
11. Makise Kurisu “Steins;Gate”
11. Wachi Mineru “Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory”

（Survey Period: October 12 – 19, 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.