The best anime rabbits

When it comes to kawaii – the Japanese word that can mean small, cute and adorable – there are few animals that do it better than the sweet and humble rabbit. One of the least threatening animals in existence, it is also the most passive and sits firmly at the bottom of the food chain in the real world.

Anime rabbits, on the other hand, cover a wide range of characters, which includes strong and evil ones along with weak and benevolent ones. However, not all of them are about confusing messages of peace and love, because this is an anime.

Updated November 20, 2024 by Kristy Ambrose: The Rabbit is one of the animals that appear in the lunar zodiac and had its last year in 2023, while the next turn will come in 2035. The Rabbit years are defined by hope and kindness, but anime characters are not confined to these expectations or virtues. Rabbits in anime can be evil and ferocious warriors, even taking on the role of dangerous monsters or angry demons, and appear in all sorts, types and genres of anime.

9 Big Rabbit

Re: ZERO

• Study: White Fox
• Episodes: 25
• Release date: April 4, 2016

For those viewers out there who have seen Monty Python The search for the Holy Grail this could be seen as part of a joke about underestimating the power of the harmless bunny. The Great Rabbit is not a single rabbit, but an entire army of bloodthirsty killers ready to attack unsuspecting passersby.

One of the creepiest scenes in an already visceral fantasy-horror anime series features the character Sabaru, who sees an adorable bunny in a snowy field and approaches him out of curiosity. He loses some fingers and a hand and things go downhill from there.

8 Momiji Sohma

Fruit basket

• Study: Studio Deen
• Episodes: 26
• Release date: July 5, 2001

Many of the rabbit characters in anime follow mythology and Fruit basket is a show about animals that appear in the 12 year rotation. Momiji is one of the anime characters that reflects the Rabbit as it appears in the Zodiac, and both her personality and appearance reflect the image of the rabbit's friendly and harmless side.

Another characteristic of the rabbit is silence, for the most part, and despite his mostly cheerful demeanor, he hides a deep and sad family secret. He was rejected by his mother shortly after his birth, which can also happen with rabbits, and is one of the reasons why he seems partly trapped in a baby face and is often mistaken for someone much younger.

7 Rumi Usagiyama

My academic world of heroes

• Study: Bone
• Episodes: 13
• Release date: April 3, 2016

She is also known as Rabbit Hero Mirko and, apart from some physical similarities, she does not have much in common with the symbolic image of the rabbit as a peaceful, introspective or team player. Rumi prefers to work alone and has a strong and aggressive personality that defines her as a virtuous warrior.

Rumi has above-average hearing abilities to track her enemies with minimal noise and is quick and eager to rush into any fight. However, he seeks danger instead of avoiding it, which is very different from a rabbit.

6 Usagi Tsukino

Sailor Moon

• Study: Toei
• Episodes: 46
• Release date: March 7, 1992

Also known as Neo-Queen Serenity or Sailor Moon depending on the anime or manga version, her name means “Rabbit” in Japanese, and is a reference to the image of the rabbit appearing on the moon. Astute viewers will notice that almost everything Usagi owns, including clothing other than her school uniform, is always decorated with rabbits.

Her hairstyle, from which Mamoru gets her nickname, “Buns Head”, suspiciously resembles floppy rabbit ears. As if that wasn't enough, she is called “Bunny” in the German localization of the show. It turns everything into a ball of fluff and it's fair to say that Usagi Tsukino is an honorary rabbit.

5 Lady

Fishing Boy Riverside

• Study: Asahi production
• Episodes: 12
• Release date: July 1, 2021

Frau isn't exactly an anthropomorphic rabbit. She is part human and part rabbit, has more speed and strength than a normal human, and loves carrots. She has a cheerful demeanor and is well-liked by the other characters, but faces bigotry from the general public in Westeros, who shun her due to her half-rabbit status.

Her past is a mystery, as is her strangely obvious name which simply means “woman” or “lady”. in German. Sally finds her on the street and saves her from starvation by offering her a carrot, which brings Frau into the fold.

4 My Apple Tree

Hello Kitty and friends

• Study: Grouper production
• Episodes: 80
• Release date: 1989

Melody was introduced to the world of anime in 1976 and is Sanrio's first rabbit character. One of the first anime bunnies audiences saw, sweet bunny Melody is Kitty's best friend from that iconic franchise. Hi Kitty.

She was born in the magical forest of Mariland and her design is based on Little Red Riding Hood, hence the adorable red hat. It doesn't get more kawaii than this. Also known as Melo, she befriends all the woodland creatures, because of course she is, and her best friend is an equally cute mouse named Flat.

3 Haru

Bestiaries

• Study: Orange
• Episodes: 24
• Release date: October 10, 2019

Haru is also known as “Usagi-san” like another famous rabbit character on this list, but differently Sailor MoonHaru is actually a rabbit. To be precise, he is a cream-colored Edward rabbit, and like the other characters Beastars, he has the body of a human (with some rabbit-like features) and the head of an animal.

Miss Rabbit, another of her nicknames, is also a soft-spoken and kind character who studies botany, which seems like a dream career path for a rabbit. Most of the first season takes place in a school setting, but later seasons change the location as the students graduate. The plot of the series revolves around the love triangle that develops between Haru, the red deer Louis who she loves, and the wolf Legoshi who also develops romantic feelings for her.

2 Barnaby Brooks Jr.

Tiger and bunny

• Study: Sunrise
• Episodes: 25
• Release date: April 3, 2011

When you think of superheroes, you may not think of pink rabbits, but of one of the most popular heroes Tiger and bunny uses image to your advantage. Barnaby Brooks is the bunny side of the team, and while he and his partner share the same NEXT power, they use it in different ways.

Both Tiger and Bunny have the power to increase their powers by 100 times, but the effect only lasts a short time and they can only use it once every 24 hours. Wild Tiger, as his name suggests, uses his powers to offend, which usually means destruction, while Bunny does what his animal symbol would do and uses planning and strategy instead.

1 Carrot

One piece

• Study: Toei animation
• Episodes: 1.122
• Release date: October 20, 1999

A secondary character appearing in the Whole Cake Island saga and parts of the Wano Country Arc story, Carrot is an ally of the protagonist Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. This character is not named after a rabbit or has any rabbit-like features, he is actually a rabbit and a member of the mink tribe, which is a whole group of animals with human characteristics.

The carrot is famous in One piece for his dramatic transformation scene where he takes on the Sulong form, which is only possible during a full moon. He transforms into a majestic, six-foot tall, god-like angelic celestial rabbit with glowing red eyes, and is equally creepy and impressive.