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Which anime child character do you wish was your kid? Survey asks Japanese fans

Casey Baseel May 7, 2023
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Survey respondents show their love for characters cute, kind, and alchemic.

With last Friday being Children’s Day, kids were on a lot of people’s minds in Japan. Of course, at otaku-oriented dating service Tora Con, anime is always on their minds, and so the company recently conducted a survey in which it asked participants which anime kid they wish was their own.

The poll garnered 1,7411 answers from Tora Con’s service users and Twitter followers. There’s a bit of linguistic hair-splitting to be done in examining the results, starting with the question “Which anime character do you want to make your kid?” As we’ll see later on, the implication here seems to be that the character would become an immediate part of your family as-is, essentially as though you adopted them.

Let’s take a look at the top three answers.

3 (tie). Edward Elric (from Fullmetal Alchemist)

“He’s kind and energetic, and always thinking of his brother and other family members,” said one of Ed’s supporters. If you do adopt him, though, maybe it clear that no matter how much he cares for you, you’d rather he not use forbidden magic to try to bring you back from the dead.

3 (tie). Hidetoshi Dekisugi (Doraemon)

https://twitter.com/BlackBeardvsBBA/status/1319912953425006592

Nope, not Doraemon’s human protagonist Nobita, but his classmate Hidetoshi, whose family name is a pun that can be interpreted as “unbelievably good.” While his perfect manners, outstanding grades, and all-around athletic prowess might not make for the most compelling character arc, having a kid who’s “thoughtful, earnest, and reliable” is something any parent would like.

2. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Tanjiro embodies a lot of the same qualities mentioned for Ed and Hidetoshi, with respondents calling him “dedicated to his sister,” “honest and determined,” and “purehearted.” Demon Slayer is a much more recent series than Fullmetal Alchemist or Doraemon, though, which probably explains why Tanjiro finished higher on the list.

1. Anya (Spy x Family)

No surprise here. While Spy x Family’s title establishes it as an ensemble story, pint-sized and precocious psychic Anya pretty much steals every scene in which she has something to say or do, and she’s stolen fans’ hearts in the process. “She makes you realize all over again just how cute kids are,” said one respondent, with others adding “She’s expressive and fun” and “She’s so cheerful and cute.”

Anya also probably got a boost from the way the question was phrased, “Which anime character do you want to make your kid?”, since within the story of Spy x Family she’s an adopted orphan who forms strong bonds with her new family even without them sharing any blood ties.

Tora Con’s survey also asked another question that’s similar but with a significant difference, “Which anime character would you like to give birth to and/or raise?”, with the top three answers being:

1. Hitori Goto (Bocchi the Rock)
2. Shinichi Kudo (Detective Conan
3. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Compared to the previous question about adding an anime kid to the family, here the respondents seemed to choose young characters with some sort of continuing quest, mission, or aspiration that they’d like to see them achieve in. As admirable as Tanjiro’s and Shinichi’s heroic escapades may be, though, Hitori’s dream of becoming a rock star is something that most respondents found a little more relatable, since it’s something the average parent would be much more in a position to help their child with than slaying demons or solving murder mysteries (and would also probably leave them with more time to continue watching anime after becoming parents).

Source: PR Times, Tora Con
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