Most of us would probably say we watch for the interesting plots, the stunning artwork, the memorable soundtracks, the compelling and relatable characters, the real-life lessons, and plenty of other reasons. The thing is, all these reasons ultimately boil down to only one thing. It doesn’t matter what it is exactly, but anime makes us feel. And feel we do, especially when we’re watching characters so sweet and cute that it might just make us feel a little too much. Compiled in this list are some of the cutest anime girls that might just make our hearts explode with the sheer power and ferocity of the forbidden force of kawaiiness.
30. Chiho Sasaki
Anime: Hataraku Maou Sama! Starting off, we have Maou’s part-time coworker in the world-famous fast-food chain MgRonald’s (lol). It’s none other than Chiho Sasaki, whose ship I also personally want to sail against all odds. Despite her feeble stature and status as a mere human, she’s strong-willed and has never even considered dropping her interest in Maou. And last time I checked, Maou is an otherworldly being whose enemies could literally obliterate her a hundred times over. For her dedication, I truly do applaud her with tears in my eyes. And for those of you who don’t agree with my stance regarding this girl’s ship, y’all can Mgfreakin’ fight me.
29. Morgiana
Anime: Magi If there’s one thing we all love, it’s a quiet girl who can kick some major ass. Luckily for us Magi fans, we are graced with a character like Morgiana, who’s both a shy sweetheart and an absolute beast on the battlefield. Seriously, the girl is more often than not silent as death – but she’s hella strong when she’s upset or serious in a fight. With her being a former slave, it’s also been quite interesting to see how she developed as her own person. Somewhere along the show she eventually decides on a path for herself, and reveals more and more of her endearing qualities along the way.
28. Inoue Orihime
Anime: Bleach In addition to her being one of the more well-known healer waifus in anime, Inoue’s cuteness and charm mostly stem from her relationship with the other characters. The same goes especially for her relationship with the MC — Ichigo Kurosaki. Not only is she polite, friendly, and agreeable, she also has the kind of smile that makes you feel safe whilst also making you feel all weird inside. I would know. After all, with Bleach being one of the first anime I’ve watched as a kid, Inoue is actually one of my earliest anime-girl crushes. What can I say? Ichigo sure is a lucky man.
27. Eri
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia Hark! This is one anime girl you’d want to protect at all costs. Well, the reason why isn’t solely because of just how adorably cute she is – but also since she hasn’t had a pleasant life for a long time. Unfortunately for Eri, she’s experienced nothing but physical and emotional abuse ever since Overhaul took over the Yakuza that was once run by her grandfather. It’s not all that bad though, as she eventually finds and bonds with Midoriya and the others who can give her all the love and affection she once lacked and rightfully deserves.
26. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
Anime: Bleach Why pick one when I can just pick two kawaii anime characters for one spot on the list? Hailing from the same series as Inoue Orihime who came before her, Nell is the shortstack/tall girl that will bombard you with that familiar, heart-gripping feeling that you only get upon seeing pure cuteness right before your very eyes. No matter what form she’s in, her interactions with Ichigo are nothing short of amusing and hilarious. Of course, let’s not forget that this child-looking Arrancar is actually 26 years of age and is the former Tres Espada. Simply put, you better bet she can hold her own in a fight despite looking like a snotty-nosed brat most of the time.
25. Elaine
Anime: Nanatsu no Taizai Elaine — the ever-dutiful Fairy Princess and the only girl who’s ever held the Fox Sin of Greed’s heart — is one of the very few selfless anime characters that were lucky enough to be given a second chance. After all, Elaine literally died trying to save Ban, only to see her reunite with him once more after being resurrected. What’s more is that we’re also lucky enough to have seen two aspects of her — a loving tsundere side and a chilling yandere side. Both of whom are equally adorable. Yes, even the one that tried to kill Ban and Jericho out of jealousy. Is that weird?
24. Shino Asada
Anime: Sword Art Online More commonly known by her in-game name Shion, Shino Asada is undoubtedly a very cute gamer girl (watch out Redditors) especially with how she looks and acts like IRL. Now, don’t ask me why no other characters from SAO made it to the list and why I prioritized her over everyone’s favorite waifu, Asuna. One thing I can tell you is that it’s most definitely not because I have a preference when it comes to girls with glasses. And needless to say, this is absolutely not a foreshadowing whatsoever.
23. Rem Galleu
Anime: Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu Now if there’s one thing I hate about being an anime fan, it’s being dragged into one waifu-war after another. Although in this particular anime, I think we can all agree who’s most likely to win in the end if the MC has to choose. And besides, who in the world doesn’t like catgirls? Well I for one like catgirls. I’d like to imagine that you like catgirls too. Hell, even Elon Musk — the catgirl extraordinaire himself, loves catgirls. Or so I’ve been told.
22. Milim Nava
Anime: Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken For someone called “The Destroyer”, she sure has an appearance and behavior that screams she’s anything but that. Milim, for the most part, is a bit childish in the way she interacts with the world and the characters around her. And more often than not, she chooses to be as carefree as she can be instead of doing some stereotypical demon lord stuff. You know. Death, destruction, all that jazz. Beneath that deceivingly naive and adorable personality of hers, however, is a more mature and brutally aggressive side that will come out once in a while – especially when she’s upset.
21. Sawako Kuronuma
Anime: Kimi No Todoke If Sadako and Sawako from The Ring look and act very much alike, then I don’t mind her dragging me to that well of hers, to be honest. Reserved and quiet yet caring beyond words, Sawako falls into that long list of shy anime characters who just want to be more approachable and open. What separates her from the rest, however, is how likable she truly is if she tries. And thanks to Shota and her friends who helped her come out of her shell little by little, she eventually showed us more of her adorable sides as her series went on.
20. Tanya von Degurechaff
Anime: Youjo Senki Did I put her on this list as more of an out-of-season April fool’s joke? Probably. But unlike a certain games company, I’m not going to be condescending and pompous while I explain myself – simply because I don’t need to. I mean, come on. Just imagine her without that crazy-ass expression she usually has on her face and replace it with a normal smile. Heck, even a small grin would do. Now, I want you to hold onto that image. Combined with her short stature and how amazing her character design is overall, don’t you agree that she has a very high potential to reach dangerously high kawaiiness levels? As if she’s not dangerous enough being her usual self, no?
19. Nico Yazawa
Anime: Love Live! School Idol Project I know some of you must’ve already heard that classic meme phrase that was uttered by yours truly. And I know that your reaction might’ve varied from sheer adoration to outright annoyance because you’ve probably heard the damn words for the umpteenth time. Still, it didn’t stop me from putting the girl on this list. After all, not only is she a cute idol, she’s actually also a very good cook — one of the many traits to look out for when it comes to spotting the kawaii-est of waifus. Don’t you agree? She says you should probably yes or else something might just happen to your Niko~ Niko~ Kneecaps.
18. Yassan
Anime: The Daily Lives of High School Boys This shy literature girl only has one goal in life, and that’s to meet a boy on a riverbank who mirrors the protagonist of the novel she’s writing in every way. And she’s willing to do anything not to break the atmosphere when it does happen. It’s not that simple of a goal, I know. But when she eventually got her wish, I couldn’t help but hold my stomach in laughter from the hilarity of it. She’s not even that shy, per se, as she only seems to act weird around Hidenori who she showed a bizarre, yet adorable interest in. After all, who else would run a 5k chasing you just to tell you that she’s just classmates with the guy you saw her with?
17. Mashiro Shiina
Anime: Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo Who wouldn’t find an eccentric world-class artist waifu cute as hell? Though she’s reserved most of the time, Mashiro sometimes surprises me with how straightforward and blunt she could be when it comes to her feelings. Although we have to admit that her “strangeness” and the ways she expresses herself is nothing short of charming. How her love for and relationship with Sorata blossomed in the later episodes of the series is something I will remember with a smile on my face for a long, long time.
16. Rikka Takanashi
Anime: Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! We have no shortage of eccentric anime girls on this list. And you could say that Rikka is definitely one of these characters. Before Yuuta even got to settle in his new school and life as a reformed chuunibyou, Rikka came in, took his heart along with ours, and ran away with it to her fantasy world. And after seeing how its most recent release ended, I have to say that their fated meeting was indeed for the best. We probably won’t ever know why, but there’s just something about strange stand-offish characters like her that we all find adorable.
15. Kaguya Shinomiya
Anime: Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai Imagine being such a hardcore tsundere that you consider confessing to the boy you like first counts as a crushing defeat. Well, it’s not like Miyuki is any better. But Kaguya’s overall approach when it comes to love and how she acts around the president – especially whenever she’s caught off guard – is just too damn cute. What’s even better is that she actually has a final form that not even Miyuki’s stalwart mental defenses could completely withstand. Of course, it’s the legendary “Feverish Kaguya”. Needless to say, if only she retained half of the daring she once had during that scene then she would’ve already won the “war” several episodes ago.
14. Shiro
Anime: No Game no Life Shiro, without a doubt, is the most intelligent girl on this list – in addition to being a heavy contender when it comes to the title of “The Most Kawaii Imouto in All of Anime.” Not only is she and Sora an absolute power couple back on earth when it comes to games, but they also dominated as soon as they got isekai’d into Disboard. Being the more eccentric and reserved of the two (as I said, a lot of ’em are in here), Shiro is significantly less of a talker than her brother. But even then, it’s still pretty obvious from the way she acts around and even away from Sora that she’s more than deserving of being on this list. Overall I rank her 10 headpats out of 10.
13. Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade (Shinobu Oshino)
Anime: Monogatari Series Her name’s a mouthful, I know. But this vampire loli’s long bizarre name is somewhat of a hint as to how old and how strong she actually is. In addition to being 599 years old, she’s also the most powerful character in the complex – yet still very entertaining series back in her prime. But her relationship with the MC could be described as somewhat complicated. Though it’s still apparent that she harbors a deep attachment towards Koyomi, despite her acting cold and condescending to him at times. So much so that she actually caused the end of the world in an alternate timeline where Koyomi was killed, when she set out to destroy the world after his death. Like I said, it’s kind of complicated. Very complicated, now that I think about it. Much like the anime she’s in, to be honest.
12. Miyuki Takara
Anime: Lucky☆Star Here we have our friendly neighborhood Meganekko who will help you out with your assignments, all while killing you with her kindness and moe. Being the archetypal soft-spoken and polite character in her group, Miyuki is outgoing and ever-helpful to her classmates and especially her friends. And thanks to her fear of contact lenses, her spot on the list instantly shot up as she is, after all, an undeniably notable and (more importantly) adorable bespectacled character. Even for her anime’s already cutesy art style.
11. Nagatoro Hayase
Anime: Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san Coming from one of the most recent titles on this list, we have the tanned and slightly sadistic Nagatoro who bullies her way into the competition! Well, if you’ve already watched the show, you’d see that she’s not actually bullying anyone per se. It’s more like playful teasing. And the sweet kind, to say the least. Of course, the icing on the cake is whenever her antics backfire on her – which happens more than a few times fortunately for both the viewers and the lucky Paisen. Moreover, it’s also quite fun to watch her cat-eyed yandere side appear whenever she sees her bullying victim (i.e. very obvious crush) being teased by or spending time with other girls.
10. Yoshi
Anime: Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san Going back-to-back with another character from the same anime. Now some of you might be wondering: “Why put Yoshi above the main female lead of the show?” To which I would reply, “Ya just don’t get it.” At first glance, Yoshi might seem like a one-dimensional character and I won’t blame anyone for thinking that. But you must understand that I take into account certain intricacies when it comes to ranking the most adorable kawaii characters. Yoshi, believe it or not, fits the criteria more than any character in this list in a way that you probably wouldn’t expect. Not only is she a bundle of cutesy airheadedness right now, but I’m also willing to bet that her kawaii status would rise significantly amongst most fans once Season 2 comes out. Fingers crossed.
9. Taiga Aisaka
Anime: ToraDora! While I don’t particularly prioritize pure romcoms in my watchlist, ToraDora! made me question my anime preferences amongst other things. What stood out from this amazingly charming ride of an anime the most, is the Palmtop Tiger herself, whose overall cute aesthetic and high tsundere-levels managed to capture my then-young high schooler heart the first time I watched the anime. With her presence alone, it’s not that hard to see just why Toradora! became the very first anime I’d recommend to others when it comes to the romance genre. And if there’s one main takeaway from this show — it’s that shortstack kawaii tsundere characters rule.
8. Megumin
Anime: Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! Hailing from the hilarious and often downright nonsensical world of KonoSuba, we have Megumin whose penchant for explosions and chuunibyou-ness despite being a real magical girl herself never ceases to amaze us. While she does have her fair share of weirdness like all the other members of Kazuma’s party, I would argue that she’s actually the one who’s the most perceptive and realistic of them. This, of course, doesn’t offset just how adorable she is at all – especially at times when Kazuma’s shenanigans manage to get through to her. She’s also not above messing with and teasing other characters herself, which makes her all the more of an interesting character in my book.
7. Nezuko
Anime: Demon Slayer Even before the bamboo muzzle and her demonification, it’s pretty easy to say that Nezuko was born to be on this list. Not only is she a cute, loving imouto to Tanjiro, but she’s also a force to be reckoned with when she gets all protective and angry. As an older brother, what more could Tanjiro ask for, really? (Insert Dom Toretto family joke here) It’s sad to see that she eventually met her match upon headbutting her brother’s steel-like forehead though. Sorry, Nezuko.
6. Raphtalia
Anime: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari We’ve already gone through a catgirl in this list and unanimously agreed that catgirls are frickin’ awesome – but what about a half-tanuki waifu? Raphtalia, from her base kawaii child form to her final loving waifu form, is nothing short of heartwarmingly tear-jerkingly adorable. And I’m sure that no one would dare say otherwise. Furthermore, her character’s a shining example of what a faithful & kind-hearted kawaii waifu truly is. After all, she was the first otherworlder who showed Naofumi what genuine affection looks and feels like. And I say good for both of them. Heck, I ship them a lot.
5. Hinata Hyuga / Hinata Uzumaki
Anime: Naruto & Boruto What’s a ranking list like this supposed to be without the OG shy, introverted kawaii ninja waifu herself? And you gotta hand it to her, to be honest. With how dense Naruto is and how long he held his childhood crush on Sakura, Hinata still came out on top and claimed her title as the best girl in the end. Just like I always knew she would ever since I saw her very first scene with Naruto. The ship was strong then! Even now in the sequel I still find some time to reminisce about her adorable moments in the early days of Naruto. That’s how much of an impact she left on me as a young anime fan watching my first Shounen – and a testament to just how great of an anime Naruto was.
4. Rem
Anime: Re: Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu With tears in my eyes and snot in my nose, I present to you the fourth entry in our list with memories of her confession still replaying in my head. Rem, regardless of all the less flattering things EmiXSuba fans say about her, deserves a yes from Subaru just as much as Emilia in my opinion. It was quite the journey for us and the MC – but there’s no doubt that she and her increasingly charming behavior and attachment to Subaru had grown on us as the first season went on. That’s why that scene hurt as much as it did for most of us. Just as it should.
3. Emilia
Anime: Re: Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu Now I’m not taking sides in this whole ‘Rem vs Emilia as best girl’ thingy, but there’s a reason why I put her above Rem in this specific list. That reason is, of course, the show’s 2nd season. I truly think that Rem had the edge on the first season when it comes to kawaiiness alone. But, how the latest episodes of the series handled Emilia’s (and kid Emilia’s) characters was nothing short of fantastic. We were able to see more of her admirable and undeniably cute traits than the previous season. Although, I do wish the next season will feature Rem just as much as Emilia so that the playing field will be more even. And just so we can finally settle this “War of the Waifus” once and for all.
2. Kanna Kamui
Anime: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
This gothic-lolita prankster dragon makes for an easy pick for this spot, and would’ve made for an easy number 1 if it weren’t for being who she is.
Just as she’s soft-spoken and reserved like some of the characters in this list, Kanna mixes it up by having her few but similarly adorable “outburst moments” in between her usual cutesy shticks.
And all of them will make you go “aww” every time.
For those who haven’t already watched this masterpiece of a show and are planning to do so sooner or later, I advise you to be careful…
The moe is strong with this one.
1. Mirai Kuriyama
Anime: Kyoukai no Kanata Remember when I said I didn’t prefer cute girls with glasses? Well, that was a lie. Now I could probably write all of you a 1,000-word essay of just why Meganekkos are the superior anime girls, and why I chose Mirai for the top spot over the other strong contenders on this list – but that just wouldn’t be fun. For you at least. What I would recommend, is for you to watch her series if you still haven’t. I won’t even feel bad if you still don’t agree with me after you’ve watched it. Though I truly believe that this clumsy, lovable, and captivating bespectacled beauty deserves all the love she should get.
