"Kemono Friends" is a road movie series that has become an instant hit, featuring a group of animals in the form of girls on sometimes slapstick, sometimes relaxed journeys that are heartwarming. The series features many characters known as "Friends." They're all charming, but who are the most popular of them all? Let's introduce them.
10th Place: Red Fox
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
The lazy and laid-back Red Fox comes in at 10th place. He lives at Yukiyama Chiho's hot spring inn, where he manages the facilities alongside the silver fox. However, he shows little enthusiasm for the management duties and prefers playing the games at the inn. He's adorable, with a laid-back personality that likes to do things at his own pace and a timid habit of hiding behind a silver fox. He refers to himself as "boku."
9th Place: African White-Faced Screech Owl
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
The other Friends call him "Doctor," and as his name suggests, he is smarter than the other Friends. He lives in the library and usually seems to be listening to the Friends' concerns and solving their problems. When he meets Kaban, he tells her to cook something because he's tired of Japari Bun, and while eating the curry she makes and saying "it's too spicy, it's not good enough," he finishes it all and then asks for seconds, showing his greedy eating. As the leader of the island, he always acts arrogant and calls himself smart, but the stark contrast with his childish appearance and behavior makes him a very popular character.
8th Place: Fennec Fox
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Fennec Fox travels with Arai, a raccoon, in pursuit of a bag. He acts as a brake on Arai's out-of-control behavior, and sometimes leaves him alone to enjoy watching his antics. Although he always looks sleepy, speaks in a relaxed manner, and acts at his own pace, he is actually intelligent, observant, and has a very calm personality.
7th Place: Tsuchinoko
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Japari Park even has an unidentified still-life friend. Perhaps because it originated as an unidentified creature, it often hides in the shadows, where it's said to feel calm. Although she is annoyed when Kabuto and Serval suddenly appear in her home, she still hangs out with them and helps them out when they're in trouble, showing her tsundere side. She's interested in the attractions and tools used in the park, and is the first character to suggest that Kabuto might be human, showing her intriguing personality towards "people." When she gets excited, she can't stop talking, and when she regains her senses, she blushes and acts intimidating, showing her rich emotional expression.
6th Place: Raccoon
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
This small-sized Friend, nicknamed "Arai-san," follows the bags on a journey to catch the hat thief and save the park from crisis. However, his reckless nature and tendency to jump to conclusions often lead him astray. According to his partner Fennec, "he can sprint in any direction." He respects Kaban, who solves the Friends' problems wherever they go, but he had no idea that Kaban was the same person as the hat thief he was chasing. Although he is a troublemaker, he also has an honest side and is a good kid who apologizes properly when he causes trouble.
5th Place: Toki
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
Toki, who showed off his powerful singing voice in the third episode, ranks fifth. Despite being aware of his tone-deafness, he loves to sing and wants others to hear his voice. It can be a frustrating experience for listeners, but Toki cares about his fans. Although she loves singing, she feels inferior because she's not very good at it, but she's a hard worker who continues to practice and sing without giving up. In episode 3, she was treated to a throat-soothing tea at the Japari Cafe run by Alpaca Suri, and after that she started frequenting the cafe.
4th Place: Alpaca Suri
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
Alpaca Suri is the owner of Japari Cafe and is known for his strong accent. Many fans are enchanted by this way of speaking. He was bored in the empty cafe, but when Kaban and his friends arrived, he greeted them with a big smile and a "Hello! Welcome!" However, when he realized that Kaban and the others were not customers, he made the shocking move of spitting at them... After that, he expanded his circle of friends by treating Kaban and the others to tea and becoming friends with Toki, who had become a regular customer. In the final episode, he was happily treating many Friends to tea. He seems happy now that he can serve his famous tea.
3rd Place: Shoebill
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
This shoebill is also very popular. It's even become a hot topic in real life as the "motionless bird." It stares intently at one spot and barely moves, scaring even the bags. Although she really wants to talk to everyone, she worries that she stares too long, waiting for an opportunity and scaring people off. When you talk to her, you'll find that she has a cute, girly voice and personality that makes her easy to get along with. This contrast may be the secret to her popularity. Her bangs hang over her eyes, making her look sharp, but in reality she has cute, round eyes.
No. 2: Kaban
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Kaban, the main character of the Kemono Friends anime, is also popular. At first, she lacked confidence in herself due to her many weaknesses, but through her encounters with the Friends, she gradually discovered her strengths. As a hardworking and caring person, she couldn't just leave Friends in trouble alone and would do her best to help them. Later in the story, she regains her weaknesses, such as climbing trees and swimming, and works with the Friends to save the park from crisis. Her kind nature, which puts her friends before herself, makes her an appealing character who quickly warms up to her many Friends and makes them her friends.
1st Place: Serval
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
First place goes to the face of Kemono Friends, Serval. He is always cheerful and positive, and even on their journey together he always encourages the negative Kabuto. He is also kind enough to accept each friend's individuality, saying "each friend has their own strengths," and you could say he is a character who embodies the theme of this anime. He also often uses lines that express his feelings directly, such as "Amazing!" and "Yay!", and he even created phrases that represent Kemono Friends. At first he was considered a troublemaker, but it's interesting that when other characters with strong personalities appeared he became the straight man.
The Friends Are Still Growing
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
All of the Friends introduced here appear in the anime, but there are many others who have appeared in the game but not in the anime. New Friends are still being added, appearing in games and collaboration events. There are also rumors of new Friends appearing in the new anime series, so be sure to find your favorite Friends! You'll love Kemono Friends even more than you do now!
