Cat girls are somewhat rare in anime, but they’re one of the unique character types that you’ll only find in anime (at least for now). Cat girl characters are becoming more popular because their mannerisms and personalities often make them adorable and lovable. In that sense, anime cat girls are usually designed for fan service—and for that, they certainly succeed. But more and more, we’re seeing anime cat girls who go against that type in different ways, including those who are badass, powerful, scary, or even creepy. From vicious warriors to ambassadors from outer space, here are our picks for the best anime cat girl characters of all time.
10. Eris (Cat Planet Cuties)
Cat Planet Cuties falls under the harem genre of anime, so expect to see a non-trivial amount of content and elements that aren’t kid-friendly. That includes the galactic mission of Eris, a cat girl of the Catian race. She’s a tall and fair lady with a perfect body (that’s a given, seeing as how Cat Planet Cuties is full of fan service). She’s kind but also powerful, and she adds lots of action to her scenes when called for.
9. Neko-Musume (Gegege no Kitaro)
Neko-Musume (which literally translates to English as “cat girl”) is a yokai character from the anime Gegege no Kitaro. She’s affiliated with the Kitaro family and she’s a tsundere type towards Kitaro. She usually presents in her human form as a young girl. She appears more modern in the 2018 anime, wearing a cherry red dress with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath. Her eyes are golden and her purple hair is tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon. When she transforms into cat form, her eyes become sharp, her nails grow into claws, and her hair stands straight like an angered cat. This also happens when she’s excited, like when she sees fish or rats.
8. Millianna (Fairy Tail)
After she was betrayed by a childhood friend, Millianna filled the void in her heart with hatred and a promise to make those people who hurt her pay for all her years of suffering. But her resolve vanished when she came to understand the truth. Millianna is a cheerful cat-lover lady. She really loves cats and doesn’t want to see them get hurt, to the point that she imitates them. She’s a human, but her brown hair is stylized as cat ears and she has four red whisker-like tattoos on her cheeks. She appears weak and helpless at first, but she turns a new leaf when she becomes a member of the all-girl guild, the Mermaid Heel.
7. Erin (Seisen Cerberus)
In Seisen Cerberus, Erin is among the party who traveled to look for traces of Dagan Zot, a dragon that was sealed years ago. She’s cheerful and fun to watch, but she’s a tricky type of character who takes advantage of situations to bring herself to safety away from danger. She has brown ears that match her brown hair and cat-tail. She wears a combination of maroon and red clothes, with a cloth wrapped around her waist that forms a ribbon at her back. She’s seen to care about the main lead, Hiiro, but her true intention as to why she joined them on their journey has yet to be revealed.
6. Tamaki Kotatsu (Fire Force)
Tamaki Kotatsu, a member of the Fire Force 1st Division, may not be a traditional anime cat girl in appearance, but she has the abilities of a cat and they manifest in cat-like ways. Tamaki has a special ability called Nekomata, which grants her cat-like abilities—and in doing so, her yellow eyes turn shining golden and her red flames form cat ears and a tail. She’s a clumsy one who often gets in trouble, and she has a lot of weak points, but her will to become stronger often gets the best of her.
5. Carla (Fairy Tail)
Carla is a cute white cat with pink ears, a pink ribbon at the end of her tail, and fashionable clothing tastes (unlike Happy and Lily). She knows nothing about her past, but knows the prophecy about the disaster that may happen to her homeland, Edolas. She was aloof at first and only cares about Wendy Marvell, to whom she provides air support. She nags all the time because she’s a strict friend who acts like a mother, but eventually she opens up to the rest of the guild members and smiles frequently at the chaos her friends make. She trained herself and her magic, which grants her transformation magic—and she’s much cuter in human form!
4. Leone (Akame ga Kill!)
More of a woman than a girl, Leone from Akame ga Kill! is one of the members of the group Night Raid. She’s a normal human who’s a fierce combatant and a spy, and she’s able to become a cat girl once Lionel (her Teigu) is activated. In her cat girl form, Leone grows ears and her hair stretches longer. She also gains tremendous strength and can sense dangerous intent (so sneak attacks don’t work on her). Though she’s a woman, Leone doesn’t act like one in the way she carries herself and her mannerisms.
3. Hiyori Iki (Noragami)
Unlike other anime cat girl characters, Hiyori of Noragami lacks cat ears when she projects into her spirit form. But even so, she does have a tail that distinguishes her cat form from her human form. Hiyori is a kind girl who’s often willing to lend a hand to anyone who needs help, as seen right from the first episode when she jumps to push Yato away from the oncoming truck. In her spirit form, she exhibits the agility and nimbleness of a cat, which she enjoys even when she goes for a stroll by herself.
2. Shinomiya Kaguya (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War)
Being an anime cat girl doesn’t necessarily need to mean literally a cat. For example, look at Kaguya from the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War series. Kaguya isn’t literally a cat or cat-ish hybrid, nor does she have superpowers that manifest in cat-like ways. She really just wears a cat ear headdress and acts like a cat. But she’s super cute when she does, and that’s more than enough for us!
1. Neferpitou (Hunter X Hunter)
Neferpitou (or Pitou for short) is the feline Royal Guard of the Ant King Meruem. She’s a chimera like other Ants, but she’s distinguished by her cat-like characteristics and appearance. Neferpitou is strong, loyal, and deadly. She’s the perfect mix of cuteness and badassery, but she’s also a villain and that makes her both easy to love and easy to hate. No wonder the main character hates her. Of course, Neferpitou isn’t all bad. She has a softness under her harder exterior, and it mainly comes out when it’s about the King. For example, it comes out when she pleads for Gon to let her finish treating Komugi, who was hit and badly wounded by the Dragon Dive. Read next: The most popular female anime characters
