Why do anime characters look like cats?

Have you ever looked at an anime character straight in the eye – figuratively speaking – and thought, “Why do you look so much like that other completely different anime character?” Because I have. In fact, I can name about 20 whose facial features look exactly the same, and no, they aren’t exactly reminiscent of humans. That wouldn’t be fun to write about.

These characters are, however, eerily similar to cats. Big eyes, small noses, and tiny mouths, just bordering on cuteness and prettiness (as pretty as a pixel can get, that is). Now that you have the image of a cat in your head, you will notice that every single character just looks like a cat, and you’ll be going crazy about it just like I have. But fear not, I am here to untangle the yarn ball of curiosity in your head.

What are anime characters inspired by?

Unrealism is key in anime and manga, and if you’re even slightly against this notion, well, you’re wrong. All the way from the powers, to the world builds or even down to the character designs, anime is unrealistic and humans aren’t even supposed to be the inspiration behind the characters that we’ve come to know and love. That’s where cats come into the picture.

Over the years, many have pointed out that while anime characters are typically inspired by Japanese features, they often appear Caucasian. This has sparked heated debates online about the perceived “whitewashing” of characters when in reality, many were not meant to resemble humans at all – at least not entirely.

The theory that these characters were inspired by cats went viral on TikTok and Instagram, and it isn’t entirely baseless. Oftentimes, the characters resemble cats in many ways, from their face shape, down to their nose, or their big eyes, in an attempt to make characters appear cute. Several artists have also come forward sharing how they turn the drawing of a cat, into an anime character.

The theory, in general, is fun but not incredibly accurate. Several manga and anime have vastly different art styles from each other. Take Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, for instance. It’s hard to imagine that Jotaro’s design drew much inspiration from cats. At the same time, we have characters like Killua from Hunter x Hunter or even Taiga from Toradora, whose entire gimmick in the series revolves around their cat-like traits.

Generally, art styles vary from story to story and from author to author. It’s quite difficult to determine whether anime characters simply started following a cat-like pattern or not. However, if they do resemble cats, it may just underline the fact that quite a few characters are meant to be cute. Or “kawaii,” if you will (I’ll see myself out). And let’s face it, there’s nothing as cute as a cat.

Ultimately, the theory that anime characters have a cat-like appearance is neither entirely true nor untrue. It’s certainly plausible, but there are enough signs to suggest that it might be nothing more than a coincidence. In the end, the art style depends on the illustrator and animator, rather than some set-in-stone rule that dictates characters should look like kitties.

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