Follow TV Tropes

Following

Animal Motifs / Anime & Manga

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mereoleona_lioness.png

Examples of Animal Motifs in anime and manga.


  • +Anima is a manga about children who obtain animal powers in a situation of intense danger, so naturally all of the +Anima we see have an Animal Motif fitting with the animal they derive their powers from, and it's even reflected somewhat in their personalities:
    • Cooro has crows, manifesting as a pair of black wings sprouting from his back. Though he's not quite as smart as a crow, he's shown to be curious (sometimes to his own detriment) and insightful, fitting with his motif. Many people mistake him for an omen if bad luck or doom as well.
    • Husky has fish, manifesting as a merman-like tail and gills. He borrows the least noticeable traits from his animal, though he is shown to have a fondness for pretty or shiny gems, similar to how fish can be easily lured in by shiny things.
    • Senri has bears, manifesting as a furry claw on his right arm. Whereas Husky borrows the least from his animal, Senri borrows the most, being a mostly quiet and unassuming Gentle Giant who will absolutely rip you to pieces if you hurt people he cares about.
    • Nana has bats, manifesting as large ears and a pair of wings on her back. Nana is mostly friendly, but also has the easily panicked and/or jittery nature of a bat, as well as the cuteness of one.
    • Rose has cats, manifesting as claws, fangs and slitlike pupils. She's shown to be laid-back and snarky, but like Senri, can be vicious if you hurt people she cares about.
    • Mr. Bison has...well, bison, manifesting as thick fur and horns on his head. He's shown to be a Gentle Giant, similar to Senri, but slightly more aggressive.
    • Kazana has hawks, manifesting as wings on his back and talons on his feet. He's shown to be proud and powerful, but also a little bit aggressive, and it reflects his status as a Well-Intentioned Extremist.
    • Daisy has coyotes, manifesting in a heightened sense of smell and a tail. She displays Undying Loyalty to Lady Crystala, the series' resident +Anima abolitionist.
    • Sheriff Hopps from the parallel works manga has an alligator anima, manifesting as his head transforming into that of an alligator. He's shown to be capable of hiding his status as a +Anima much better than most of the characters we see, fitting with how alligators are masters of ambush and camouflage.
  • Toda from Ah... and Mm... Are All She Says is sometimes compared to a dog, and even drawn as one with a Furry Female Mane of her trademark dark hair. Several of the magazine staff agree with the comparison.
  • Ikki from Air Gear is often compared to a crow, both by other characters and through imagery.
  • The assassins from Arachnid and Caterpilar have insect motifs. The plot often pauses to compare the techniques of the characters to the behaviour of insects. Killing Bites, written by the same author, has a similar premise with more common animal motifs.
  • Assassination Classroom:
    • Creepy Centipedes are used for Principal Asano and his son.
    • Visual metaphors depict Nagisa as a snake: a small, swift predator that hides in plain sight. More esoterically, Nagisa also has semi-hypnotic eyes- another trait commonly attributed to snakes.
    • Koro-sensei is routinely referred to as an "octopus" for looking a lot like one. Aside from his appearance, he is a skilled multitasker who's strange in both function and appearance.
    • Kataoka is a sea turtle — a strong, peaceful animal that protects smaller fish.
  • Attack on Titan:
    • In a broader sense, humans are domesticated livestock and the Titans are predators. The thematic goal of the protagonists is to become hunters and live free rather than be shut up in a pen.
    • Some motifs are made explicit in some scenes. Annie is muzzled like a wolf. Lord Balto, a selfish and gluttonous rich man, is seen as a pig.
  • Berserk:
    • Guts has a canine motif. His adopted father Gambino compared him to a puppy when he was a child, he was a lone wolf prior to joining the Band of the Hawk, Casca compares him to a rabid dog whenever they bicker, his Enemy Within takes the form of a Hell Hound, and when Schierke and Farnese travel inside Casca's mind, her mental image of Guts takes the form of a battered and beaten guard dog.
    • Griffith is closely associated with hawks and falcons; besides the name of the group of his followers, the Band of the Hawk, he's an extremely ambitious man and fierce warrior who attacks his opponents out of the blue, Guts likens him to a hawk flying overhead everyone else, his helmet is vaguely similar to that of a bird of prey, he often wears a cape (symbolizing the wings), he appears to people in their dreams as a falcon, and is even called "The Hawk of Light". Eventually, once he becomes a member of the Godhand, his demonic form Femto resembles a black hawk with batlike Cape Wings.
    • Of the members of Guts' Post-Eclipse team:
      • Farnese has a stoat motif. She's a noblewoman who's rather weak compared to her companions, but still willing to defend herself.
      • Serpico has a fox motif. Guts outright compares him to one whenever they're fighting each other, his Holy Iron Chain Knights helmet resembles a kitsune, and he's a Combat Pragmatist, fitting foxes being stereotyped as tricksters.
      • Isidro has a monkey motif, something that's noted in-universe by many characters. He's physically weak but good at climbing and acrobatics, often fights by throwing rocks, is rather mischievous, and at one point is hexed by Schierke into acting like a monkey after he accidentally gropes her.
      • As noted by Sonia, Schierke has an owl motif. Owls often signify intelligence, and are also associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
    • Nosferatu Zodd has a lion motif, as seen in the appearances of his human and Apostle forms, though his Apostle form also seems to have characteristics of bulls and bats.
    • Sonia seems to enjoy comparing people to birds. She sees herself as a kite, Griffith and Schierke, as noted above, are a hawk and an owl, respectively, the people of Midland are ducks and the Apostles are dragons.
    • Conrad of the Godhand has rats as a motif, fitting him being a Plague Master.
    • Wyald of the Black Dog Knights has an ape motif. He's inhumanly strong, sexually incontinent, and his Apostle form resembles a monstrous ape like creature.
    • As his name implies, the Keeper of the Hounds, the Apostle Guts fights shortly after the Eclipse, has a dog motif. His Apostle form resembles a monstrous bulldog, and in the 2016 anime, is shown to have taken care of his master's hounds.
    • As his name implies, the Great Goat, the leader of Slan's cult, has a goat motif. He's the leader of a sex cult, and goats are associated with untamed sexuality, as well as satyrs, which in turn are associated with the cult of Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility.
    • The Chuder Empire's military units are all named after a color and an animal. These include the Black Ram Iron Lance Heavy Cavalry, the Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Assault Annihilation Knight Corps, and the Purple Rhino Knights.
    • Adon Coborlwitz has a sea creature motif. He's the leader of the Blue Whale Knights, his original armor is designed after whales, while his armor in his final appearance is designed after a shark, and his little brother Samson wears angler fish themed armor.
    • Pepe, one of the prostitutes Luca looks after, has a cat motif. She often has a Playful Cat Smile, and when she and Fouquet try to claim Rickert, she gains the features of a cat.
  • Bleach:
    • Soifon's theme is the Asian Giant Hornet. She has the aggression to match, too.
    • Gin's theme is predominantly the snake. However, some characters also compare him to a fox because of his tendency to play pranks on people. In the end, the manga does take the snake-plus-fox theme to its logical conclusion in chapter 414 where a colour picture of Gin depicts him as Inari (more famous for being fox themed, Inari has even older, but less well-known, snake associations).
    • Unohana is ray-themed. Her shikai form even takes the form of a giant ray of indeterminate species. Akin to the mixed mythology of the ray as both aggressive, dangerous poisoner and killer, and a more benign healer and antidote, Unohana has been portrayed as a benign healer but hints occur occasionally that there's a much more dangerous side to her. And there is, indeed; she was the first Kenpachi, and one of the most diabolical criminals to ever exist in the Soul Society.
    • Komamura is wolf-themed to such an extent that he's a humanoid wolf and has the stereotypical Undying Loyalty (to Yamamoto) as well. It's a Running Gag in-universe that characters mistake him for a dog instead of a wolf which works well as the fandom often mistakes him for a dog as well. He's also got the ability to communicate with dogs, owns a dog, and has a secret weakness for human shows about puppies.
    • Tousen is themed on the bell cricket to such an extent that when he finally gains resurreccion it takes an insect form reminiscent of the The Fly (1986).
    • Mayuri has, amongst a few other themes, a strong peacock theme from his name, to his colourful attire, to his aptitude for poisons and antidotes.
    • Ukitake is carp-themed. This includes the concept of the carp representing boys who can overcome adversity to become stronger. He gained an incurable lung disease as a child. Despite that, he's still managed to not just reach the captain rank but is one of the longest-serving captains of all.
    • Rangiku is cat themed. She takes the seductress route with her cat themes being officially the sexiest woman in the entire Gotei 13 and is also an example of The Tease. Her zanpakutou behaves like volcanic ash, conviently tying in to the concept of a slashing cat.
    • Yumichika is peacock-themed to such an extent that, as well as having the vanity and obsession with beauty, he's also got the less well-known folklore traits of being extremely watchful (he tends to sense reiatsu when others don't or even as fast as captains), but he also has the ability to "bind" evil, as well as having rejuvenation abilities - powers also associated with the peacock which is why the peacock overlaps the phoenix in mythology.
    • Yoruichi can turn into a black cat.
    • Coyote Starrk is wolf-themed, specifically, lone-wolf themed. Appropriately, he has the unique power of being able to split his soul into companion beings, including a large pack of very dangerous wolves.
    • Harribel is shark-themed. Dignified and terrifying, she comes with obligatory water powers.
    • Ulquiorra is bat-themed to go with his darkness, void and despair themes. His resurreccion has led to fandom-wide Batman jokes.
    • Nnoitra Jiruga is Praying Mantis themed. Predatory, capable of being stealthy and underhanded or a whirlwind of brute force. Also, a lot of emphasis is made on the fact that he's not as strong as a certain female teammate and one of his resurreccion tricks is to produce multiple arms (four initially, with two extra hidden for ambush purposes to bring his total to a very six).
    • Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, who is jaguar-themed, specifically panther (black jaguar) in keeping with the theme of him being the dark counterpart of Ichigo (who is sun and eclipse themed), who (as the jaguar symbolises in mythology) is obsessed with kingship. His sword is named Pantera and his released appearance becomes decidedly more feline. When he was a hollow, he was a cat.
    • Zommari takes the prize as the weirdest. He's sea urchin-themed, and his resurreccion turns his lower body into one full of many eyes. He shows the author did the research as the sea urchin is associated in mythology with witchcraft just as Zommari's powers are.
    • Szayelaporro Grantz is a parasitic worm; strange, maybe even good-looking but incredibly vile and with a variety of powers that rely on drawing health from hurting/killing another organism. On a more fantastic level, he's also associated with the phoenix which is again appropriate for parasitic worms.
    • Nel is antelope and goat-antelope themed right down to the Extreme Omni-Goat joke. Even her resurreccion takes the form of an antelope-based centaur.
    • Ggio is cat-themed, specific sabre-tooth cat and tiger-themed.
    • Findor is crab-themed. In resurreccion his one arm even becomes a giant pincer. His powers are water-based.
    • Avirrama is eagle-themed, even down to having wings and feather-based attacks.
    • Nirgge is elephant-themed and his power lies with his physical strength.
    • Poww is essentially a monstrous whale that masquerades as humanoid. In resurreccion he becomes monstrously large (not that he wasn't already) and gains a throat like a baleen whale.
    • Harribel's three fraccions are all animal based (Mila-Rose is lion themed and has the Greek Amazon look to go with it, Sung-Sun is anaconda-themed and has snake-appropriate powers, Apacci is deer-themed. In resurreccion she is a deer-woman).
    • Tesla is warthog themed and practically turns into the warthog equivalent of a minotaur in resurreccion.
    • Loly is centipede-themed and her sword even has poison-based abilities.
    • Pesche is stag beetle themed, to an extent where it's made a joke of in the manga. He's mistaken for an ant and he gets very indignant.
  • The witches in Brynhildr in the Darkness in general seem to have a recurring association with cats. Neko Kuroha's name literally means "black cat", Shino sacrifices her life to save one, and Kazumi shows some stereotypically cat-like personality traits and mannerisms. There's even official artwork of the two main girls in cat costumes.
  • In Blue Exorcist, Konekomaru is one of the main characters to be this. Part of his name, Neko, means cat. He loves hot milk, he hates being cold, and he is one of the smallest and cutest characters in the series. On the other side of the spectrum, Mamushi Hojo is incredibly snake-like. She is very sharp tongued, condescending, and slippery like one; her name means pit viper; she even has the slitted snake-pupils!
  • Buso Renkin: The Anti-Villain Papillon has an obsession with butterflies that extends to his clothing and weapons. In addition to his trademark butterfly mask, Papillon's post-transformation outfits all feature butterfly designs and his buso renkin's default form is a pair of butterfly wings made of black powder.
  • Captain Tsubasa: Some players are heavily associated with animals, even naming their shots after them.
    • Tsubasa Ohzora, the protagonist, has the peregrine falcon and later, the Phoenix.
    • Kojiro Hyuga is associated with tigers, though his strongest shot is the Raijuu shoot.
    • Hikaru Matsuyama has the eagle.
  • Case Closed: The so called "Black Organization" has a raven motif and its members are well known to wear "raven-colored" outfits. The Boss of the Black Organization's email/text number uses the melody of Nanatsu no Ko ("Seven Children") which prominently has ravens in its lyrics. Renya Karasuma had a raven as his symbol.
  • Choujin X: All of the main characters, with the exception of Ely, are represented by a scavenger animal, each of which carry a lot of symbolism for their respective character.
    • Tokio Kurohara, the main protagonist, is represented by a vulture, which he gains the ability to transform into. During his childhood, he was once picked on by some kids at the zoo who compared him to a vulture for always orbiting his best friend, Azuma, and "feeding" off him in the same way that a vulture would live off of another animal's scraps. Azuma, in an effort to comfort Tokio, points out that vultures are able to fly higher than any other bird. The vulture symbolism with Tokio represents how he bases his sense of self around other people, Azuma in particular, yet has an abundance of untapped potential should he put his mind to it.
    • Azuma Higashi, Tokio's best friend, is represented by a lion. Lions are typically associated with strength and nobility, but in reality they get most of their food from scavenging. Likewise, Azuma purposefully gives off the facade of a perfect prodigy who has all of his shit figured out, yet under the surface he's a hot mess of insecurities just like Tokio. Tying back into Tokio's vulture symbolism, the fact that Azuma and Tokio are both represented with scavengers reflects the codependent nature of their friendship. Just as Tokio bases his sense of self around his personal "hero" Azuma, Azuma too bases his sense of self around Tokio's worship of him.
    • The manga has a lot of references to the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, which Azuma's lion imagery seems to directly tie into. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche compares the second metamorphosis of the spirit to a lion. According to Nietzsche, the purpose of the "lion" is to create freedom for itself for the sake of even more creating—with the ultimate goal of the lion being to create its own values. Appropriately, Azuma's powers literally revolve around creation, with both his lion imagery and his powers symbolizing the level of personal development that he's at.
    • Palma Shishinegura is represented by a spotted hyena, which are a recurring symbol for tragedy throughout the story. Palma is a Necromancer who creates "buddies" out of dead zombies, tying into much of the common imagery of hyenas being grave robbers. Like Tokio, she quite literally gains the ability to turn into a hyena.
    • Ely Otta is the only main character who isn't represented by an animal. Instead, Ely is represented by a distinctly human symbol—a thief. Ely's mother was a notorious bandit, and so Ely resolved to go down a different path by being a "giver" rather than a "taker." However, Ely lived her entire life with the deepseated fear that she would inevitably turn out like her mother one day, as blood runs thicker than water. Fittingly, the true nature of Ely's powers are revealed to her stealing powers from others and making them her own. The fact that Ely's main symbol isn't an animal like the others is actually rather significant. Ely's pretty much the only one out of the main four to have her shit together and, while all the others have some deep-seated insecurity or reliance on others, Ely's actually pretty self-reliant and satisfied with her life. Because while thieves and scavengers both take from others, scavengers do it because they need to while thieves do it because they want to.
  • Chrono Crusade: Aion is often associated with birds, particularly an eagle that is his familiar. He often sends his eagle ahead of him to communicate with others or make his presence known. He also refers to Chrono as "my bird who can't fly", and goes as far as to describe a character falling into his trap as a "turkey flying into the oven basted and ready to cook."
  • Crush Gear Turbo: Several Crush Gears are animal-themed, and their users are often associated with said animals. The most obvious examples are Kouya, Manganji, Wang Hu, Yuya and Carlos, whose animal motifs are the phoenix, the dragon, the tiger, and the eagle respectively. Kouya's case is interesting, since he inherited the Garuda Eagle from his brother Yuya, but his animal motif upgraded into the phoenix when he had to replace the Garuda Eagle with the Garuda Phoenix. Carlos also inherited the eagle motif from Yuya, due to using the Black Garuda Eagle.
  • The Dangers in My Heart: Ichikawa and Yamada are frequently compared to cats and dogs respectively (and sometimes interchangeably). When questioned on what animal people compare them to in a bonus chapter, they answer to each of these.
    • Yamada compares Ichikawa's behavior to how standoffish and shy cats are, and how they'll avoid people who get too close to them. In some illustrations she's playing with a cat that has Ichikawa's distinctive eyes, and with a spot pattern resembling his bangs.
    • For Yamada, dogs (and cats) are her favorite animal. She's excitable, playful, and physically affectionate. She has a welsh corgi for a pet, wears a doggie printed apron for cooking class, and Ichikawa later gives her a dog keychain from his family trip to Akita along with a bone bracelet later on.
  • Daimos:
    • Nana and dogs. When Nana gets angry, she tends to make dog noises.
    Nana: "Wan! Wan!"
    • Richter and lions. His hair is untamed and grows downwards and backwards covering most of the head, neck and shoulders, much like a lion's mane, Lions in ancient Mesopotamian culture were associated with kingship, and Richter is Baam's Alien Prince, and episode 25 of Daimos is called Proud Young Lion Richter.
  • Dance with Devils: The four boys of the student council that form the show's reverse harem, are themed as follows:
    • Rem, ram.
    • Urie, spiders.
    • Mage, snake.
    • Shiki, crow.
  • DARLING in the FRANXX opens with Hiro narrating about the jian bird, a creature that has only one wing and needs a partner to fly. He compares this to Franxx piloting, which cannot be done alone and is similarly important- a pilot with no partner is as useless as a bird that can't fly.
  • Deltora Quest:
    • "Barda The Bear" is what Barda was called as guard during days of peace in Del, for being the toughest out of all the guards, though Barda doesn't appreciate that moniker when Jinx calls him by it.
    • Jasmine is associated with many animals but mainly with birds since her connection with her pet black bird Kree and distaste for walls and stone, preferring freedom of the air. Lief is tied with Dragons and their majesty as the Deltora royal family are connected to Dragons.
  • Descendants of Darkness: The creator has often drawn the two main characters with animal traits, both in the manga and in extra art. For Happy-go-lucky, often childish, always energetic and loyal Tsuzuki, it's a puppy. This visual is used enough in the manga and anime that fans often reference Tsuzuki as going into "Puppy-mode". For the quiet, loner, bookish, easily angered, defensive and Tsundere Hisoka, it's a cat. While this isn't used nearly as much as the Puppy-Tsuzuki visual, it's no less apt.
  • Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro: Nagatoro is associated with cats, to the point that a fantasy Catgirl version of her is called Nekotoro, and frequently has a Playful Cat Smile. The scene transitions in the anime involve cat heads meowing, with her face in the middle of them. Senpai is associated with a sheep, both due to his passivity and because of his soft hair. The Arts Club President and her cousin are associated with rabbits, as the former is sometimes seen wearing a Playboy Bunny outfit, and they also have rabbit ears in their motorcycle helmets.
  • Dragon Ball:
    • Yamcha has a wolf motif, fitting his Wolf Fang Fist.
    • The Saiyans, such as Goku and Vegeta, and most of their respective families, have a monkey motif, given their monkey-like tails.
    • Master Roshi and his Turtle School of martial arts.
    • Roshi's rival, the Crane Hermit, has a crane motif.
    • Cell has an insect motif. Aside from looking like a giant bug man, Cell undergoes his transformations much like a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis.
  • The Elusive Samurai: Tokiyuki is associated with Phoenix imagery, both in the manga compilation covers and in-story, because it is strongly implied that the source of his incredible evasion skills is a divine power that manifests itself as a vague bird-like form with streaming feathery tails.
  • Eyeshield 21: Monta has an uncanny appearance to a monkey. Patrick "Panther" Spencer is known to be one of the fastest people in the world. Blood Knight berserker Gaou is comparable to a Tyrannosaurus with the way he "devours" anyone who stands in his way. Rui has the appearance of a chameleon. And Gaou's teammates Marco and Kisaragi are a raptor and a pteranodon respectively.
  • The various martial arts of the Nanto Seiken school in Fist of the North Star are named after birds.
    • Shin's Nanto Koshuken style is the "Long Eagle Fist"
    • Rei's Nanto Suichoken style is the "Waterfowl Fist"
    • Juda's Nanto Kokakuken style is the "Crimson Crane Fist"
    • Shuu's Nanto Hakuroken style is the "White Heron Fist"
    • Haz and Gil's Nanto Soyoken style is the "Twin Hawk Fist"
    • The final general of the Nanto style, Yuria, has no fighting skill, and represents peace, often being associated with doves.
    • The only exceptions to this theme are the Golan Colonel's Nanto Muonken style ("Silent Fist") and the knife jugglers Beji and Giji's Nanto Sozanken style ("Twin Kill Fist"), as well as most of the anime-only styles from filler episodes. However, most of the styles from the Gaiden spin-offs follow the avian theme.
  • Fate Series:
    • Erika Ainsworth/Pandora from Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA has a bat motif, which can be best seen in her clothing, which includes bat symbols on her shirt and bat hair decs.
    • Fate/Prototype:
      • Ayaka Sajyou has a crow motif. She uses crow feathers as weapons, and her Command Seal has the appearance of a single feather.
      • Like his Fate/stay night counterpart, Lancer, aka Cú Chulainn, has a dog motif, though he also has some association with wolves as well, wearing an amulet shaped like a wolf's head.
  • Free!:
    • The Iwatobi swim team has their own animal motifs in their swimming styles. Haruka's is the dolphin: Nagisa compares to him to one, and he has a toy dolphin in his home bathroom. Makoto's is the orca: notable in Episode 6 when his feelings about swimming reflect the nature of orcas conquering the largest distances as a pod. Nagisa's is the penguin, and he even has them printed in his underwear. Rei's motif is the butterfly, as it is also his preferred swimming stroke, which is the only swimming stroke he knows.
    • The Samezuka team have their own animal motifs. Rin's is the shark, due to his competitive nature, and he even has pointy teeth. Nitori's is the duck. Sousuke's is the whale shark. Momotarou's is the sea otter.
  • Fruits Basket:
    • The Sohma family are themed after the Eastern Zodiac, and most of them have personalities fitting the particular animal spirit they're cursed with. Some subvert or avert the trope though - Shigure uses his appearance of civility and uselessness to manipulate the other thirteen.
    • Yuki (rat) is a self-acknowledged coward, who prefers to hide behind his mask of politeness rather than risk being rejected by others. Kyo (cat) is defensive and easily angered, and feels as out-of-place in the family as a cat would in the eastern zodiac. Momiji (rabbit) is playful and cute, with a whimsical personality that hides great insight into the pain of others. Haru (bull) is patient and a little stubborn; he looks placid on the outside, but has a bad temper that emerges if he's pushed too far. Kagura (boar) is impulsive and violent, persistent to a fault. Shigure (dog) is perverted, but lighthearted and a good friend. (Well, except for his Manipulative Bastard tendencies, anyway.) Rin (horse) is proud and rebellious. Hatori (dragon/seahorse) is cryptic but highly knowledgeable, a guide to the rest of the Zodiac. Kureno (rooster/sparrow) is mild and unobtrusive- loyal to Akito and conflict-avoidant. Hiro (sheep) is stubborn like a ram. Ayame (snake) finds it difficult to establish personal relationships, and Yuki feels that Ayame betrayed him in their childhood.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist uses the "dog of the military" motif, which is what Ed is constantly referred to as. It's mostly used as a derogatory nickname given to state alchemists by people who believe alchemists should not be involved in state affairs. In Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), after defecting when his brother becomes the philosopher's stone, Ed voices to his commander, Mustang, that he is now a stray.
    • As her name suggests, Riza Hawkeye has a hawk motif, due to her stoic, dignified demeanor, sharp eyesight befitting a sniper and her loyalty to her commanding officer. This is further reflected in her hairstyle, which is tied up in a ponytail to resemble a bird's tail feathers and has bangs that are swept sideways, resembling a wing.
    • In both versions, the shapeshifting Homunculus Envy has a reptile motif going on — shapeshifting is traditionally associated with chameleons, their default form looks vaguely reptilian with hair resembling the spines of an iguana or dinosaur and a wide mouth, their true form looks like a mix of a giant lizard, an eastern dragon and a prehistoric protomammal, their true true form is a tiny salamander-like creature and they once tried to kill Ling by turning one of their arms into a snake's head, while in the first anime he takes on the form of an enormous serpent and gets trapped in that form permanently when he crosses the gate into the real world. This fits both with their "sin" (the deadly sin of Envy is often associated with snakes and its patron demon is the serpentine sea monster known as Leviathan) and his duplicitous personality.
  • In Full Metal Panic!, during comedic moments, Sousuke's animal motif is a cute (albeit irritable looking) little dog. A more plot significant one for him, though, is a tiger (referring to the fact that he's the "son of Bdakshon's Tiger," being called "Tiger" by Gauron in the English dub, as well as his adopting a pet tiger that he loves). On the other hand, Gauron's animal motif can be seen as a dragon, derived from his name "Gauron" (meaning "nine dragons" in Chinese). Symbolism is rampant when one considers the antagonizing, spark-filled relationship between the tiger and dragon in Asian culture. In fact, the Tiger Versus Dragon trope page describes their relationship perfectly.
  • Future GPX Cyber Formula:
    • Some racing teams' logos have these. For example, Team Sugo has Pegasus as their logo, Aoi has the Griffin as their logo and as for the team Albatross DDT... well, you can probably guess what they have as their logo.
    • When Shinjyo uses his Peacock/Phoenix Wing boost, the fire in a shape of the fiery bird comes out of the booster's nozzles. And when Hayato uses his Super Asurada 01 boosters, an image of Pegasus appears while the car is being blasted in one episode of the TV series.
  • Gamaran:
    • In the first series, Gama is often compared to a dog and in certain comedic situations his face is drawn to resemble a dog's muzzle, while his friend Zenmaru is often called monkey instead, with a similar face gag and comments on his brute force and lack of finesse. Appropriately, they often bicker with each other.
    • Iori Sengoku is strong, majestic and usually fights alone, so it's little surprise that, at one point, one of his opponents sees Iori as some sort of massive lion.
    • All members of the Kasanemanji Ryu employ Kusarigama and chained weapons in combat and are often themed after snakes or serpents with their techniques. Their leader Muraku is also bald, predatory and fond of Lecherous Licking, enforcing the motif.
    • From Shura, Shiba Hien has a heavy swallow motif, given that his name contains the kanji for swallow (literally, his name reads as Flying Swallow) and both nis nickname and sword technique are themed after that bird.
    • In Shura, Sakakibara Sasuke "the Heart-Ripper" and his peculiar spear are retroactively given a snake motif by his older brother Kitarou, who likens the movements and side-blade of the Beninuki spear to a snake fang. As part of a Badass Boast he dabs into Mythical Motifs, claiming that with his skill, Beninuki will become the fang of Orochi instead.
    • Secondary character Ouka has a peculiar hairstyle with smooth hair and a single spike pointing backwards. Coupled with his true vicious nature and his sharp teeth, he shows a shark motif.
  • Get Backers: Ban is often associated with snakes. His eyes are slitty and look a lot like a snake's, and one of his trademark attacks is called "Snake Bite." Shido even calls him "Snake Bastard." Hey, even his proud, condescending attitude is rather reminiscent of a certain trope. Though physically, it's especially obvious in this page of the manga.
  • Gundam:
  • Haikyuu!!: All teams have some kind of motif, most of them animals:
    • Karasuno - crows.
    • Nekoma - cats.
    • Shiratorizawa - a white bird [eagle] (the literal translation of 'shiratori' rather than the idiomatic translation of swan).
    • Fukuroudani - owls.
    • Nohebi - snakes.
    • Itachiyama - weasels(? none of the players have appeared as of ch202).
  • Hajime no Ippo uses this trope quite a lot. Ippo is a gazelle, Sendo a tiger, Vorg a wolf, Date a lion, Woli a monkey, Kimura a dragonfish... Notably, Takamura, despite being the 2nd main character, does not have a clear motif. He could be a hawk (his name reflects it and he wears a hawk costume for world title fights), a bear (won against one and has worn his fur) or a rhinoceros beetle (wore such a costume).
  • Hetalia: Axis Powers:
    • There's Greece with his many cats. He himself wishes to be a cat, and has a cat army. He wears cat ears in one episode (Japan put them on him), after wishing he were one of his feline companions.
    • There's "Usarisu". After a drawing on the author's blog of Chibirisu (the little kid version of England) with bunny ears, the trend spread of drawing little England with the ears became quite popular among fans. He's not the only character to have been drawn with them, though, and The Netherlands is very commonly associated with rabbits owing to toting his pet one everywhere.
    • Lithuania can be compared to a dog. He's always being ordered around by one person or another, he has dog ears in a bonus comic giving the characters animals characteristics and, possibly coincidentally, his human name Toris is supposedly a common name for dogs in Lithuania.
  • Himouto! Umaru-chan: Hamster for Umaru. And not only when she's indoors—even when outside Umaru sometimes has rodent mannerisms (more specifically hamsters), such as the way she licks ice cream.
  • Hitomi of Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers is compared to sharks with her sharp eyes and even sharper teeth. Ironically, she's actually a sweet, if socially awkward, girl who just happens to be a bit on the tall side. This could be a reference to how sharks have an overblown reputation as vicious maneaters due to their appearance and reputation.
  • High School D×D: Koneko Toujou's motif is cats. She's a Nekomata, aloof, a snarker, wears black hairclips with the shape of a cat's head and has a white cat as a familiar.
  • Hyakunichikan!!: Chiho is often compared to a rabbit, especially in Chapter 11, when she brings home a stray one. Her Girlish Pigtails often stick straight out or up like rabbit ears.
  • Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Bell is often compared to a White Bunny because he's an albino with a Lightning Bruiser style of combat.
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
    • Jonathan Joestar from Phantom Blood is compared to a lion for his courage and nobility.
    • Stardust Crusaders:
    • Yoshikage Kira from Diamond is Unbreakable is strongly associated with cats. His Stand, Killer Queen has a feline head on a humanoid body, he comes into the possession of the cat Planimal, Stray Cat, and his own attitude is selfish and casually sadistic, stalking and killing on a whim for his own pleasure.
    • Golden Wind:
      • Giorno Giovanna has beetles as a motif, specifically ladybugs and scarabs. Both Giorno and his Stand, Gold Experience, have ladybug emblems on them, scarabs are symbolic of creation and ladybugs of regeneration, both fitting Gold Experience's life creation ability, and when Gold Experience evolves into Gold Experience Requiem, it does so by shedding its original body, similar to that of a metamorphosis.
      • Trish Una has cats as a motif. While not as obvious as Killer Queen, Trish's Stand, Spice Girl, is designed after a cat, she first awakens Spice Girl after being pushed into a corner, similar to how cats become vicious under similar circumstances, and she acts very haughty upon her introduction, though this is soon revealed to be an act.
    • Stone Ocean:
      • Jolyne Cujoh has both spider and butterfly motifs. For spiders, her outfit is covered in web-like patterns and she has string powers that she uses like a spider. As for butterflies, she has a butterfly with a knife for a body as both an emblem on her chest and a tattoo on her arm, as well as butterfly hair decs when she was younger in Eyes of Heaven, and she ultimately dissolves into a swarm of butterflies after Pucci kills her.
      • Despite not looking like an actual snake, the Stand known as Whitesnake has some traits traditionally associated with it, being cunning, sly and stealthy. Its ability to trap people inside dreams before melting them with acid probably references constrictor snakes, which swallow their prey whole before digesting it slowly with their stomach acid. Additionally, after the poison dart frog rain summoned by Weather Report has cleared, its user remarks that mere frogs can't possibly defeat his Snake.
    • Funny Valentine from Steel Ball Run has rabbits as a motif. His Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, has rabbit-like ears, and its ability allows Valentine to multiply himself in large numbers, as well as make things appear and disappear by throwing a cloth over them, similar to what a stage magician does to their rabbit.
    • Daiya Higashikata from JoJolion has bears as a motif. Her outfits tend to have bear ears on top of them, and her room has a number of stuffed animals in it, including bears.
  • K:
    • The way Shiro holds his pink parasol may have been designed to invoke peacock imagery, mostly notable because as a symbol, the peacock connotes royalty, refinement, spirituality and holiness, immortality and incorruptibility, and enlightenment and awakening. In western culture, the peacock also symbolizes the heavens and stars. It makes sense in the latter part of the series because Shiro is actually Adolf K. Weissmann, the first King and the Silver King.
    • Kuroh is nicknamed the "Black Dog" and is fiercely loyal to the former 7th King, Ichigen Miwa and later becomes just as loyal to Shiro. Shiro's other clansman is Neko, and, as her name implies...
    • Mikoto is the lion, being very apathetic, usually seen sleeping and very powerful and naturally charismatic. When fighting an enemy who attempted to invade his mind, Mikoto is represented by a lion made of fire that easily repels the enemy.
    • Misaki Yata, a.k.a. Yatagarasu (crow), and Saruhiko Fushimi (monkey), have the series' standard mythology-reference names that also reference animals. Their character designs, however, reflect each others' names' animals. Take that as you wish.
    • Rikio Kamamoto is a turtle.
  • K-On! appears to have a thing for turtles and tortoises. For one, there are the statues on the school staircases, based on the fable of the tortoise and the hare. In the opening of the first season, the girls are seen hopping over stones in a river, some of which are turtle-shaped (both are from real locations, by the way). Ui owns a large turtle plushie. And then there's Ton-chan, a turtle living in an aquarium in the club room.
  • Kaguya-sama: Love Is War:
    • Female Feline, Male Mutt dynamic for the protagonists: Miyuki is compared to a dog, due to his loyal nature and work ethic, while Kaguya is compared to a cat, as she has a rather aloof and haughty behaviour, at least at first. Ironically, Miyuki's favourite animal is the cat, and Kaguya's is the dog.
    • An unusually accurate fortune-telling website compares Ishigami to a canary (in the coal mine). They protect others by perceiving danger, but their mere existence reminds people of death and disaster.
    • In later chapters, the moral crusader Miko is compared to a chihuahua- loud and fierce, yet small and ignorant.
  • Kaiju Girl Caramelise:
    • Manatsu Tomosato is connected to moths and caterpillars, though this is actually a way to reference Mothra rather than the bugs themselves, given that she has a Mad Love for the resident Notzilla.
    • In the same vein, The Fashionista Rairi is given a monkey animal motif in order to refer to a popular Kaiju, in this case, King Kong.
  • Kill la Kill: The Elite Four, corresponding with the respective characters in their surnames.
    • Ira Gamagoori: Toads (or frogs), which inflate themselves to look bigger and more intimidating.
    • Uzu Sanageyama: Monkeys, he is by far the most agile of the Elite Four, and may be based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.
    • Houka Inumuta: Dogs and, as the president of the Information Committee and a skilled hacker, he is very good at metaphorically "sniffing out" enemies an finding clues that otherwise might have been ignored.
    • Nonon Jakuzure: Snakes and she is indeed the most cruel, ill-tempered member of the Four.
    • While this is subtle, Satsuki, their leader, seems to be associated with eagles, if her "ASK NOT THE SPARROW HOW THE EAGLE SOARS!" is a clue, along with the fact that she is usually high up on some kind of perch and, in general, looks fierce and intimidating, along with having fake, but otherwise sharp, talons.
    • Another subtle one is Mako, who has something of a bunny motif, given her rabbit pajamas (the ones she lent to Ryuuko), the pen topper she used in episode seven, and her bouncy, hyperactive personality.
  • Kiri no Mori Hotel has cats as its motif. Several cats live in the hotel and are often the ones who lead guests to the hotel when they need it.
  • In Kodomo no Jikan (manga only) Kuro is occasionally drawn as a black cat (and in both anime and manga she often sports/sprouts cat ears) and Mimi is drawn as a white rabbit. Also, Aoki compares the cat he had been feeding to Rin. When it scratched him, she justified it by saying that it might have been abused.
  • In Kodocha, whenever Hayama's feeling especially mischievous, he gains the ears and tail of a cheetah. Sana's also referred to him as a "Lone Wolf" and "The Monkey King" (with appropriate Imagine Spots for both), and imagined him as an ill-tempered chick.
  • Komi Can't Communicate:
    • Three different characters share a cat motif:
      • Shouko Komi (the Komi of the title) is consistently tied to cats. She is depicted with cat ears when startled or excited, her friends buy her a cat plush and she even goes to a cat cafe at one point. It ties in with her appearing aloof and stoic, but really being curious and affectionate.
      • Akira Komi, her younger cousin, also sprouts cat ears when excited, tying into her close relationship with Komi, being the kitten to her cat.
      • Rei Natsukido is depicted with cat-like eyes, and acts aloof, isolated, and independent.
    • Himiko Agari has a dog motif. She refers to herself as Komi's dog, sprouts dog ears and a tail at times, and acts like an excitable, if nervous, puppy.
    • Himiko's aunt, Matsuri Agari, is the overexcited adult dog to Himiko's overexcited puppy.
  • In Kotoura-san, Manabe's perversion is usually emphasized by having him act like and occasionally turn into a Wolf.
  • Kuroko's Basketball:
    • Basketball players with the skill "wild animal instinct" have each their own animal motif. The type of animal describes how ferocious their wild animal instinct is. Kagami's is the tiger, Aomine's is the panther, Hayama's is the leopard, Koganei's is the wildcat, and Silver's is the tyrannosaurus rex.
    • The power difference between Akashi and Furihata is illustrated in form of a lion and a chihuahua. Aomine would repeatedly make this comparison.
    • Izuki and Takao are known for their special point-of-view on the court, known as the Eagle Eye and Hawk Eye, respectively.
  • Lucky Star: The characters start wondering which animal motif suits them best. Joking unflappable otaku Konata gets a fox, cute and innocent Tsukasa a puppy, cool and mysterious Minami a hawk, soft-mannered and peaceful Miyuki a sheep (although Konata would quip that she's more suited to a cow due to her... ahem... bust size)... and resident Tsundere and Straight Man Kagami is to her endless shame given a bunny (due to her underlying emotionality and her tendency to hide it from the world, and, apparently, because her pigtails look like rabbit ears according to Konata).
  • Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: Fujiko is associated with both peacocks and butterflies. Those who work with/for Count Almeida have owls - especially the Count's castle.
  • Made in Abyss: All of the White Whistles have their titular whistle shaped in a motif about them; few are animals, but Ozen's stands out in particular. Ozen's whistle is shaped like an Ox head symbolizing her freakish strength and stubborn behavior. Even her appearance is ox like; her hair's styled like horns, her feet look like hooves, and her name's one letter away from Oxen.
  • Maken-ki!: Inaho typically fashions her hair into a short pair of bobbles.. But, in later chapters, they're drawn as triangular ear-like wedges. Which, along with her perpetual cat smile, gives her the appearance of a squirrel girl.
  • Megalo Box: A recurring motif is that every boxer has an animal motif.
    • Junk Dog/Joe's is a stray dog. He refuses to stay down, doesn't obey anyone if he doesn't want to, and is a fierce fighter that people don't take seriously.
    • Yuri's is a purebreed champion dog, a Born Winner who's been domesticated but an extremely effective competitor.
    • Nanbu's is a scorpion. He uses others for their own ends and can self-destruct alongside his "partners". Ultimately he pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to redeem himself, subverting the motif.
    • Samejima's is a shark. A threatening, single-minded and bloodthirsty foe with no foresight.
    • Aragaki's is the Butterfly of Death and Rebirth. He's reborn into his current form, and represents a brief life in flux.
    • Burroughs' is a lion. A giant, prideful but powerful being.
    • Iglesias' is a spider. Tricky, agile and trapping opponents in a 'web'.
    • Mikio is intentionally the odd one out. He lacks an animal motif because he's The Engineer. He has no fighting style of his own: His AI does the fighting.
    • Chief from season two is a hummingbird. The hummingbird is a symbol of his culture and a reminder of his homeland and origins.
  • Naruto:
    • Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are odd cases of having two Animal Motifs each. First are ones which they "inherited" from their teachers (which are really too blatant in their cases to even count as motifs) and the second are ones unique to them. Naruto has toads and foxes (resemblance to a fox, a prankster but always keeps his promises), while Sasuke has snakes and hawks (what he names his team, an illusion he uses is represented with feathers piercing the person, he learned to summon a hawk, his hair).
    • Itachi has a raven motif-thing going on, which is interesting if you consider that his brother Sasuke's motif is the hawk...
    • The rest of the Konoha clans save for the Senju have their own, too: Hyuuga—birds, Inuzuka—dogs, Aburame—insects, Yamanaka—boars, Nara—deer, Akimichi—butterflies, Sarutobi—monkeys, Uzumaki—foxes.
    • The same can be applied to several Akatsuki members: Deidara- bird, Kisame-shark, Sasori- scorpion.
    • The Second Mizukage can summon a Giant Clam and styled his outfit and hair to resemble said shellfish.
    • Neji Hyuuga has a bird theme. He was trapped in the cage of destiny like a bird, but gets free of it thanks to Naruto. When Neji died, a flying bird was killed by Obito as well.
    • Hinata Hyuuga has been associated with lions (or lionesses) after her fight with Pain. Lions are seen as symbols of bravery and protection. Throughout the series, Hinata stood up for her beliefs, fearlessly faced her foes, and has displayed her willingness to protect her loved ones. Her Signature Move is even named "Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists."
    • Tsunade has slugs — she can even summon a giant one to ride.
    • Boruto: Enko Onikuma (with her surname featuring the Japanese word for "bear") is a girl who wears bear paw-like gloves.
  • Satsuki Yotsuba from Negima! Magister Negi Magi is commonly drawn with a Koala behind her and is the only one drawn quite different clearly inspired by a Koala.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion:
    • Shinji is regularly likened to a puppy by other characters, particularly in the Rebuild of Evangelion films, the implication being that he is desperate for attention from his superiors and wants to be recognized by his "pack leader" — that is, his father. For example, in Rebuild new pilot Mari nicknames him "Puppy Boy" as a joke about his meekness. In the original series the comparisons often occurred through background TV and radio broadcasts that the characters listened to. One such broadcast talks about a dog who can supposedly solve math problems, when in reality all it does is say "Wan" ("Woof" in Japanese, which sounds like "One"). This is clearly a reference to how Shinji feels as though he is being praised for doing nothing special, and also that he pilots EVA Unit 01.
    • Rebuild Of Evangelion gives Asuka a much more prominent animal theme — felines, possibly as a contrast to Shinji's "puppy" motif. She wears both a hat and a helmet with cat ears on them, and when she takes her Eva into "Beast Mode" it looks like a gigantic saber-toothed cat. Anno himself even specified that she have a "cat-like smile" in her concept art for the third movie. Interestingly, Mari also has her share of cat motifs (e.g. making meowing noises when she sings, and also wearing a cat-eared helmet). The fans have taken this to its obvious conclusion.
  • Harundo from RaButa is often compared to a pig due to his appearance. This is where Kurume's "Boss P" nickname comes from.
  • One Piece:
    • Each member of the Straw Hats have one of these (Chopper goes without saying), as Eiichiro Oda said. They get alternate motifs with the outfits in One Piece: Unlimited Cruise. But more literally get animal counterparts in this color spread.
      • Monkey D. Luffy, rather obviously, is a monkey, happy-go-lucky and hyperactive and even acts like a monkey in some of his earlier battles. Lion in Unlimited Cruise, since he wants to be King of the Pirates and lions are associated with kings. Also of note, Gear Fourth: Snakeman gives him a snake motif, as the form is based around replicating the speed and mobility of a snake.
      • Roronoa Zoro is a shark, terrifying and hard to approach, as well as his three sword style evoking the image of a shark's fins. Meanwhile, the color spread above gives him a tiger motif, while he has a Dragon motif in Unlimited Cruise.
      • Nami is a cat, sly and sneaky. Tropical fish in Unlimited Cruise because such fish are usually beautiful and Nami has a lot of sex appeal.
      • Sanji is a duck, loud and loving. The above color spread gives him a ram motif for his kicking power, while Unlimited Cruise gives him a goat motif for similar reasons.
      • Usopp is an armadillo, frightened easily and defensive. Meanwhile, the color spread gives him a chameleon motif, while he's an owl in Unlimited Cruise as he's something of an inventor and owls are associated with knowledge.
      • Chopper has a reindeer motif, as he is a reindeer who ate a Devil Fruit that gave him a human-like fork and intelligence, but he's regularly confused for a tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) so he is pictured as one as a gag while the color spread depicts him as a red panda. He also has a dinosaur motif in Unlimited Cruise.
      • Robin is a crane, tall and graceful. Meanwhile, the color spread depicts her as a falcon (for her piercing eyes) and Unlimited Cruise gives her a butterfly motif.
      • Franky is a bull, boisterous and short-tempered. Meanwhile, Unlimited Cruise and the color spread give him a rhino motif.
      • Brook is a horse, affectionate and friendly. Meanwhile, the color spread depicts him with a skeletal giraffe, and Unlimited Cruise gives him a swallow motif.
      • Jimbei has a shark motif, being a whale shark Fish-man. He also has a bear motif.
      • As for their ships, the Going Merry has sheep, being a symbol of purity and loyalty, while the Thousand Sunny has lions.
    • Six of the original Seven Warlords of the Sea have an animal in their names and can often identify with the animal's characteristics:
      • Dracule Mihawk: The hawk, having sharp, narrow eyes, similar to those of a hawk. It's the sorce of his title "Hawk-Eyes".
      • Crocodile: The crocodile, keeping monstrous crocodiles as pets and having a scar that resembles a crocodile's smile.
      • Bartholomew Kuma: The bear, appearing to be frightening and extremely large.
      • Donquixote Doflamingo: The flamingo, wearing a pink, flamboyant clothes and walking like a flamingo.
      • Boa Hancock: The snake, being beautiful and vain. She also resides on an island where serpents are the pet of choice.
      • Gecko Moria: The gecko, his clothing resembling a gecko. Or alternatively, the Bat, given his general shadow theme, and that his name is very close to, or at least contains, the Japanese word for bat (koumori).
    • The same goes for the members of CP9:
      • Spandam is a Panda, for his pale skin and the black markings around his eyes.
      • Rob Lucci is a leopard, as his Zoan-type Devil Fruit allows him to turn into one.
      • Kaku is a giraffe, as his Zoan-type Devil Fruit allows him to turn into one.
      • Jabra is a wolf, as his Zoan-type Devil Fruit allows him to turn into one. Jabra himself also compares himself to a wolf when attacking Nami and Usopp.
      • Kalifa is a sheep, as she uses the bubbles created from her Devil Fruit to surround her in a way that resembles a sheep's wool.
      • Blueno is a bull, as seen with his horned hairdo.
      • Kumadori is a lion, as he compares his hair to a lion's mane. However, Chopper seems to think an octopus would be a better comparison.
      • Fukuro is an owl, as his name is Japanese for "owl", and he usually uses sneak attacks.
      • Nero, a new member who's quickly dispatched by Lucci after losing to Franky, is a weasel, as seen in his title, "The Sea Weasel".
    • Alongside Luffy and Zoro's motifs, the other 9 members of the Eleven Supernovas have Animal Motifs:
      • Eustass Kid has a bull motif, having a quick temper and preference for close-ranged combat.
      • Basil Hawkins has a horse motif, fitting his calm demeanor. He also spends most of the Wano arc riding a Komashika like a horse.
      • Trafalgar Law is a Spotted Seal, although merchandise-wise he's represented by a snow leopard.
      • X. Drake has an Allosaurus motif, as his Zoan-type Devil Fruit allows him to turn into one.
      • Scratchmen Apoo has an orangutan motif, fitting his long-armed appearance and trolling attitude.
      • Killer has a weasel motif, due to his resemblance to the Kamaitachi.
      • Jewelry Bonney has a deer motif, as Bonney is swift and agile, and her Devil Fruit ability allows her to take on the appearance of someone more harmless, like how deer are normally portrayed. Deer are also associated with Christianity, fitting her connection to Bartholomew Kuma, who has a number of Christian motifs.
      • Capone Bege has a koala motif, which share Bege's ability to protect his crew by keeping them safe within his body.
      • Urouge has an elephant motif, fitting his massive size and physical strength. Elephants are also associated with Buddhism, fitting Urouge's own Buddhist motif.
    • Merry, Kaya's butler, has a sheep motif, he has a sheep-like hairstyle, horns, and is kind and loyal to Kaya.
    • As their name implies, the Black Cat Pirates have a cat motif, with the exception of the first mate Jango. Their leader, Kuro, wears clawed gloves, and the rest of the crew wear bandanas with cat ears on them.
    • Captain Nezumi of the Marines has whiskers and ears on his hood that bring to mind mice, through his personality is more in line with a rats.
    • Nefeltari Vivi has a dove motif, fitting her being a Martial Pacifist.
    • Wapol has a hippo motif. He wears the skin of a hippo like creature, his submarine is shaped like one, and his toy factory has a hippo motif.
    • Miss DoubleFinger of Baroque Works has spiders as a motif. Her café is called the Spider's Café, and her outfit resembles a cobweb.
    • Miss Father's Day, a minor member of Baroque Works, has a frog motif. Her outfit is frog themed, her gun is frog-shaped, and her Signature Laugh sounds like a frog's croak.
    • While it isn't that obvious, Blackbeard is given an association with hippos. Large and deceptively goofy looking while truly unpredictable and one of, if not the most dangerous species of animal in the world.
    • The Divine Warriors of Eneru's army have a goat motif. They have horns, their ears look like sheep ears, and they are constantly bleating.
    • Foxy "The Silver Fox" has a motif in... well, foxes.
    • All of the Marine Admirals are given titles based on a different animal, each one fitting their personality in some way. Aokiji is a pheasant, Akainu is a dog, Kizaru is a monkey, Fujitora is a tiger, and Ryokugyu is a bull. Two Vice Admirals and one Director Investigation also have titles based on a different animal. Momousagi is a rabbit, Chaton is a pig, and Kurouma is a horse.
    • Fisher Tiger, the original leader of the Sun pirates, has tigers as a motif, as his name would imply, reflecting his rebellion against the Celestial Dragons.
    • Magellan, the warden of Impel Down, has a baboon motif, as his face is quite similar to one in appearance.
    • Atmos of the Whitebeard Pirates has a water buffalo motif. It's his title, he wears a horned helmet, and his hair resembles the mane of one.
    • Avalo Pizarro of the Blackbeard Pirates has cats as a motif. His Verbal Tic is "Nya", and his hair resembles a lion's mane.
    • Karasu of the Revolutionary Army has a crow motif. His name is a homonym for the Japanese word for "crow", he wears a plague doctor's mask and a feathered coat, and his Devil Fruit ability allows him to turn into a murder of crows.
    • Queen Otohime of Fish-man Island has a goldfish motif, fitting her being very physically weak.
    • Big Mom has a pig motif, fitting her being a Villainous Glutton. Lampshaded at one point by Queen, who compares her to a wild boar.
    • Cavendish of the Beautiful Pirates has white horses as a motif. His main companion is a white horse, one his titles is "The White Horse", and his alter-ego's name, Hakuba, means "white horse" in Japanese.
    • Bartolomeo of the Barto Club has a rooster and boar motif, his hair often being compared to the former, while his fangs and facial shape bring to mind the latter.
    • Jack of the Animal Kingdom Pirates has a mammoth motif. It's the name and figurehead of his ship, and his Zoan-type Devil Fruit allows him to turn into one.
    • Vito of the Firetank Pirates has a frog motif, fitting his big hands, long tongue, and Signature Laugh.
    • Vinsmoke Reiju has a butterfly motif, specifically a poisonous kind, due her cape's resemblance to a butterfly's wings.
    • Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates has pelican eels as a motif, due to his gaping wide mouth and ability to eat large amounts of food.
    • The crew of Who's-Who, a member of the Animal Kingdom Pirates Tobi Roppo, has cats as a motif, with them either resembling a cat or wearing cat ears or cat tails.
    • O-Chou, one of Wano's Yakuza bosses, has a butterfly motif. Chou is written with the Kanji for "butterfly" and her hair also resembles one.
    • Osama, another of the Yakuza bosses, has a cat motif, fitting his perpetual grin and whiskers.
  • Osomatsu-san: Merchandise associates each brother with a specific animal.
    • Osomatsu: Red panda.
    • Karamatsu: Tiger.
    • Choromatsu: Sheep.
    • Ichimatsu: Cat.
    • Jyushimatsu: Dog.
    • Todomatsu: Rabbit.
  • Ouran High School Host Club:
    • The friendly, loyal, hyperactive Tamaki as a dog (he is also a dog lover).
    • Haruhi is teased by the others for resembling a "tanuki" (raccoon dog).
    • The twins are portrayed as sneaky and "devilish" as cats, which adds humor to their relationship with Tamaki.
  • Patalliro!: Patalliro is associated with three animals: a cat, a cockroach and a monkey. His face resembles a cat's muzzle, he often behaves like a cat (to the point that sometimes he meows), he also interacts with the Super Cat. Patalliro is called a cockroach by other characters, such as Bancoran, for his vitality: despite numerous assassination attempts by the International Diamond Syndicate and other enemies, Patalliro is still alive. In addition, Patalliro uses a fast running technique, which he himself calls "the cockroach running". As for the monkey, it's mostly a joke about Patalliro's ugliness, although sometimes this comparison is used for other purposes, such as references to Journey to the West.
  • Peacemaker Kurogane: Tetsu is frequently referred to as a "pup" since he is still just a child among a den of "wolves", the Shinsengumi.
  • The Pet Girl of Sakurasou: The girls have different animal motifs; Mashiro's motif is a cat, Nanami's is a tiger (which shows up a bit as her favourite stuffed toy), and Misaki's a bear (she seems to be a fan of a nameless bear mascot). Mashiro and Misaki wear kigurumi of their respective animals when advertising for the culture festival, and in the first ending sequence.
  • Pet Shop of Horrors: The animals are usually connected to both their owner's "fatal flaw" and a possible means of redemption. The man who deceived his new bride gets a highly possessive (and hungry) mermaid; the selfish drifter gets a sweet little kitten to soften his nature.
  • Princess Tutu: Being an anime about ballet and fairy tales that was heavily influenced by Swan Lake, there are several of these, along with references to Animal Stereotypes. In particular, Princess Tutu is heavily associated with swans (as is Mytho in his true, princely form), the girl that transforms into her is named Ahiru ("duck") and is really a duck disguised as a human, the villain is a Raven (see Creepy Crows), and Princess Kraehe ("crow" in German) is associated both with crows (obviously) and black swans. The opening intro goes as far as to show Ahiru in her duck form flying into the sky as she transforms into a beautiful swan—an "Ugly Duckling" reference that has not been lost on the fandom.
  • Reborn! (2004) takes this concept to the logical conclusion. It is easier to list the amount of characters who don't have an animal associated with them. That number is 0.
  • Ride Your Wave:
    • On their first date, Hinako correctly identifies the keychain decorating Minato's car as a finless porpoise. It becomes associated with their relationship, with them getting matching phone cases of its face, and a big, inflatable version that becomes important to the plot.
    • Minato mentions that his work ethic was inspired by watching baby turtles struggle to reach the ocean. Turtles decorate his cell phone's lock screen, and as a child, he wore a bathing suit with a turtle design, which causes Hinako to remember their Forgotten First Meeting.
    • Hinako and Minato teasingly refer his sister Yoko to a blue-ringed octopus, because she's small but very poisonous.
  • Rurouni Kenshin is full of animal motifs: Sano the Rooster, Saitou the Wolf, and Enishi the Tiger. It also makes an extended joke concerning women's face shapes: in Japan, women are considered to be Tanuki ("raccoon-dog", round and open features, implying naivete) or Kitsune ("fox", long and narrow, implying mischief). When Saitou meets Misao for the first time, he has an Imagine Spot: If Kaoru = Tanuki and Megumi = Kitsune, then Misao = Itachi (weasel). Misao was not pleased.
  • Sailor Moon: Usagi Tsukino with rabbits. Even her name means "rabbit", and her hair is meant to mirror the ears of one. This relates back to the astrological motif as well, from the Japanese myth of the rabbit on the moon. Chibi-Usa is designed to look even more like a rabbit, with her pinkish eyes and bunny ear-shaped Odango. Taken to ridiculous extremes with Kousagi, Usagi's second daughter in a non-canon short story titled "Parallel Sailor Moon"; everything she has is bunny-themed, even her transformation brooch and Odango protectors, not surprisingly since said story is a huge self-parody of the manga.
  • Science Ninja Team Gatchaman:
    • G-1 is the Eagle, the leader.
    • G-2 is the Condor, loyal, but grumpy and off-putting.
    • G-3 is the Swan, pretty, but will kick your tail.
    • G-4 is the Swallow, very much the hyperactive kid.
    • G-5 is the Owl, tough and calm.
  • Shigurui: Kogan Iwamoto and after him Gennosuke Fujiki symbolise the Tiger.
  • Slam Dunk uses this trope pretty frequently in combination with chibi. Centers that are big and ugly are nicknamed some variation of "gorilla" (Gori, Bald Gori, Ape King), while someone who's annoyingly energetic is called a monkey (Redheaded Monkey, Wild Monkey). Similarly, Shohoku is often portrayed as a team full of monkeys who follow a gorilla, with the exception of Rukawa who's called a fox.
  • In the original Someday's Dreamers, Yume uses a dolphin as her magic sign.
  • Soul Eater:
    • The witches have animal motifs in their names, appearances, and powers:
      • Medusa, for snakes. She even turns into a snake after almost getting killed.
      • Arachne, for spiders. She actually split her body into thousands of spiders for centuries, and re-formed after the Kishin escaped.
      • Eruka, for frogs. Her name is a Sdrawkcab Name of "kaeru", Japanese for frog, and she wears a frog hat. Her familiar is a giant floating tadpole.
      • Mizune, for mice. Their name is a Sdrawkcab Name (in Japanese, which writes with syllables instead of letters) of "nezumi", Japanese for mouse.
      • Shaula from Soul Eater Not!, for Scorpions. Her hair is shaped like a scorpion tail and her magic is often sting-based.
    • A male non-witch character, Eibon/Noah, can be presumed to have a worm motif, since "worm" is in his chanting and since he used one to bite an enemy to pieces. The fact that he wields a book, specifies it as a (badass?) "bookworm".
  • In Spirited Away, all the characters from the spirit world are actually animal spirits, according to the Word of God. Lin is a weasel. Kamaji, with his beady sunglasses, multiple arms and fuzzy moustache resembles a tarantula. Several workers in the bath are fittingly frogs and slugs. Yubaba takes the form of a dark bird, perhaps a crow.
  • Subaru has a black cat as an important animal motif, in terms of symbolic and emotional meaning. A black cat is what Kazuma and Subaru wanted as kids, but couldn't because their home didn't allow pets and it's a black cat that repeatedly leads Subaru to people or places associated with dancing. It disappears during the second half of the story, when Subaru leaves Japan for America. The sequel returns with the same black cat motif. Subaru took in a stray black cat.
  • Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
    • LLENN is likened to a Killer Rabbit: small, unassuming, and nonthreatening at first blush, but highly nimble and capable of slaying her enemies before they have a chance to react. The two ear-like appendages on her hat help to reinforce her rabbit iconography.
    • Pitohui is named after a species of bird from New Guinea that has a distinctly colorful plumage, but is also highly poisonous, secreting the same neurotoxins as poison dart frogs that will invariably kill any potential predators. Similarly, the player Pitohui is a striking woman, but has a very toxic personality. She is also likened to venomous snakes who will lash out and deliver a mortal blow if her victims let their guard down around her.
  • Talentless Nana has Michiru Inukai. The first Kanji of her family name can be read as "Dog" and she's frequently described as a human puppy for how sweet, loving, and loyal but terribly naive she is. One panel even depicts her with ears and a tail.
  • Black and White from Tekkonkinkreet are collectively referred to as "the cats", and White is often seen wearing hats or hoods that mimic animal looks.
  • Metamorphic insects show up throughout This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, foreshadowing Hikari's ultimate purpose.
  • Most of the superheros in Tiger & Bunny have an animal motif. Kotetsu is a tiger, Antonio an ox, and Barnaby has the honor of being frequently alluded to a rabbit. He is not amused by this.
  • In Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Sakura likens Hanako to a cat - capacious, selfish and childish. It's not surprising she says this, given her experience with Hanako's twin brother Tsukasa.
  • Tokyo Ghoul: Many Ghouls adopt animal motifs for their disguises or are given an animal-themed alias by CCG.
    • Ken Kaneki: Insects, in particular Creepy Centipedes.
    • Touka Kirishima (as well as her younger brother Ayato): Rabbits
    • Yoshimura/Yoshimura Eto: Owls
    • Renji Yomo: Ravens and Crows
    • Kaya Irimi: Dogs
    • Enji Koma: Great Apes
    • Hinami Fueguchi: Butterflies
    • Chie Hori: Rodents (hamsters, rats, and mice).
    • Nishiki Nishio/Orochi: Serpents
  • The main cast of Urara Meirocho were assigned with these, most comprehensively by Tokie in Episode 10:
    • Chiya: Dog
    • Kon: Fox (though some of the cast would rather see her as a fox spirit).
    • Ko'ume: Cat
    • Nono: Tanuki
    • Nina: Sheep
    • Saku: Deer
  • Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen:
    • One of the sets of Arc Words for the series is Elisabeth's catchphrase "I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow." She expounds on it further at one point: "Having lived the cruel and haughty life of a wolf, I shall die like a lowly sow. For that is the choice I made." In the manga she's also occasionally drawn with perky dog ears when especially happy (such as the first time she tries Kaito's custard pudding).
    • The Kaiser, the mightiest of the fourteen ranked demons, generally takes the form of a gigantic black hound.
  • Vampire Knight:
    • Kaname transforms parts of himself into bats and occasionally a wolf, Yuuki is often shown with a plushy rabbit in covers (her Zodiac animal and personality according to it) and portrayed with butterfly wings (gentleness, arguably re/birth), while Zero's loyal and self sacrificing personality very much reminds of his Zodiac, the Dog, along with having a white horse to compliment his debatable role as the Knight.
    • Sara frequently uses spiders as her spies, and is once even seen transforming her entire body into a big pile of the creatures. It's nothing new that spiders are usually associated with bad omens when used in such a manner.
  • Word of God is that Prince Heinel of Voltes V is based on a unicorn, as he is an elegant, horned Pretty Boy who acts in accordance of being Boazan nobility.
  • xxxHOLiC:
    • Yuuko is often represented by a butterfly, which symbolizes change and how she changes her customers, including the main characters. It also symbolizes life and death, to reflect her undead nature and fate.
    • Watanuki is often represented by Foxes and/or birds. However, he selects the bird to be his signature, which is representative of his connection to Tsubasa, as well as his being Yuuko's successor (because birds can go farther than butterflies).
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!:
    • Insector Haga has an Insect deck.
    • Dinosaur Ryuuzaki has a Dinosaur deck, with his ace cards being dragons.
    • Kaiba becomes more and more associated with dragons as the series goes on. Ironically, his God Card is the only one that isn't based on a dragon.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! GX:
    • There's an animal motif on two points where Misawa and Judai clash. The artwork depicts a dragon coming from Judai, and a tiger coming from Misawa. This is a reference to tigers and dragons represented by Yin and Yang in Taoism. Dragon was Yang, and Yang went with rushing headlong into things on instinct, which is how Judai does everything. The tiger was Yin, going with thinking and planning, which Misawa does even with things like batting in baseball. For extra giggle points, Misawa eventually falls in love with Taniya, a tiger woman, and Judai with Yubel, who was transformed into a dragon to protect him.
    • Hayato has a blatant koala motif. Not only do his hair and face look like a koala's, but he also uses a koala-themed deck.
    • Fubuki, even more so when he's taken over by Darkness, has a dragon motif, as he uses a Dragon deck.
    • Kaiser is also heavily associated with dragons, just like Kaiba. However, in Kaiser's case, the dragons he uses a mechanical in nature.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds:
    • Team 5D's as a whole is heavily associated with dragons, although they don't use dragon-centric decks. It's just that their signature monsters are dragons. The interesting part is that while they individually aren't strongly associated with dragons (besides possibly Jack), the team as collective is, since the dragons are the reason that brought them together.
    • Crow Hogan uses the Blackwing archetype, a deck of Winged Beast-type monsters, so he has a crow and raven theme.
    • There are seven Dark Signers and six of the Earthbound Immortals are animals (the seventh is a giant), but only three of the Dark Signers use archetypes fitting to their Earthbound Immortal.
      • Rudger has Uru the spider, so his deck is a Spider deck. Misty has Ccarayhua the lizard, so her deck is a Reptilliane deck. And Demak has Cusillu the monkey, so his deck is a monkey deck.
      • Kiryu has the giant Ccapac Apu, Carly has the hummingbird Aslla Piscu, Bommer has the killer whale Chacu Challhua, and Goodwin has the condor Wiracocha Rasca, but they use an Infernity deck, a Fortune Lady deck, a Reactor deck and an Inca deck, respectively.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL:
    • Shark is, if his nickname isn't obvious enough, heavily associated with sharks and uses a Shark deck.
    • Shark's twin sister Rio is associated with icy birds instead, which also include penguins.
    • Girag becomes later associated with raccoons once the Legendary Numbers are introduced.
    • While Kaito has a strong association with dragons just like Kaiba, Mizael takes it further, who only uses dragons.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V:
    • Yuya and his counterparts all have strong ties to their dragons. This is taken further with Z-ARC, whose bond with his dragons is so strong, he becomes one with them. This is also in stark contrast to Reiji, as he's the Kaiba expy who doesn't have a dragon motif of any kind (he even has a pair of dragon slayers). Instead he's associated with demons, not with any animalistic creature, even if some of his monsters are based on them.
    • While Serena's Moonlight deck are comprised of Cute Monster Girls based on different animals, the most prominent members of her archetype are based on felines.
    • Ruri is associated with birds, as she represents the bird part of the Kachou Fuugetsu principle. Her Lyrical Luscinia deck is likewise based on Cute Monster Girls based on different types of singing birds, reflecting her connection with the other Bracelet Girls who all have some form of musical themenote , and her association with Yusho Sakaki, the master of Entertainment Duels.
    • Kurosaki is also associated with birds, just like his sister Ruri. In his case, it's predatory birds. His Raid Raptors deck is comprised of lanii, eagles, vultures, strixes, and falcons. The falcon is the raptor he's associated with the most, since one of his main strategies is evolving his Rise Falcon into stronger falcons. When Kurosaki was introduced, he's initially depicted as a predator who was hunting down whom he (mistakenly) believed to be his enemies.
    • Shinji Weber's uses a Bee Force deck, which means his deck is primarily themed after bees, wasps and hornets. Their ability to swarm the field very quickly is supposed to represent his view of all the Commons having to join forces together and fight back against the Tops.
    • The Obelisk Force are associated with hounds, as they commonly use Antique Gear Hound Dog and its evolutions in favor of the more well-known Antique Gear Golem. As such, the Obelisk Force typically hunt down their victims and gang up on them like a group of hunting dogs.
    • Ayu uses a fish-themed deck, as her Aqua Actress monsters are based of elegant-looking fishes.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Revolver takes it further than Kaiba any of the other expies, as his deck is solely made of dragons. Even his Topologic monsters, which are Cyberse-Types, are still based on dragons.

Top