The Top 5 Best Anime Birds

Whether you’re spending more time outdoors because indoor activities are out, or you’re spending more time at home looking out your window, you may be finding yourself paying way more attention to birds than you did before the pandemic. Or maybe you’re just seeing them in anime. There are plenty of wonderful avian characters in the anime world, so let’s show them some appreciation with a Top 5 list!

1. Fumikage Tokoyami – My Hero Academia

Fumikage Tokoyami is a fully sentient human being with a bird head and a birdlike shadow living in his body. This living shadow is his quirk, or superpower, and it fights on his behalf. He uses this power to help him out at U.A. High School, where he’s training to be a professional hero.

2. Elizabeth – Gintama

Is Elizabeth actually a bird? Not really – at least one version of them is an Amanto (alien) that’s part of the Renho tribe. They’re wearing a bird costume. There’s also another version of Elizabeth whose species is unknown. But since they never take it off, they’re bird enough! They’re Katsura’s most loyal friend, and one of the most bizarre aspects of Gintama – which is why they’re awesome.

3. Inko-chan – Toradora!

One of the best things about Toradora! is this absolutely busted-looking animal companion. She’s a parakeet whose name literally means “parakeet.” She copies human speech, often in hilarious or confusing ways. Anybody who doesn’t believe how gentle Ryuuji is should just take a look at how much he loves his family pet.

4. Pen Pen – Evangelion

Misato Katsuragi’s pet penguin Pen Pen looks like an ordinary penguin – that is, until you see him doing things like reading the newspaper and drinking beer. The implication is that he’s either some kind of super-intelligent species of penguin, or that he’s been experimented on. Either way, he’s a bright spot in a very dark show.

5. Dera Mochimazzi – Tamako Market

Hailing from an unnamed tropical island, this royal bird came to Japan in order to find the person destined to marry the prince. Unfortunately for him, he got sidetracked by delicious mochi and gained so much weight that he could no longer fly. Luckily, he has Tamako and the other residents of Tama-ya to help him out!