Why cute monster characters?
I realised I’d completed a list a while back of creepy monstrous creatures in anime but I’d never celebrated all the adorable monsters out there. It is time to correct that oversight with my list this week. Now, this is not a list of cute monster girls. That would be its own list entirely. Instead these are actual monsters, that look like monsters, but they are just so cute.
What are my top 5 anime containing cute monster characters?
Please note: There will be spoilers below.
Number 5: Mamoru from Kamisama Kiss

Kamaisama Kiss is full of very hot yokai males so adorable isn’t the first word that comes to mind when describing the characters. Yet, season 2 of Kamisama Kiss brought us an exception to the rule in the truly cute Mamoru. Maybe it is because Nanami had to hatch Mamoru as a test in the first place and she’s fiercely protective of her shikigami, but Mamoru is one of those characters that just makes you want to tilt your head and soak in the cuteness. Just look at those big, innocent eyes.
Okay, in fairness the adorableness is a little less apparent when he transforms into his more human form so my vote is to just stay as that sweet little monkey.
Number 4: Kyubey from Madoka Magica

I actually had to think a long time before I decided to include Kyubey on this list. Not because he isn’t cute and all, but because I think he kind of stretches my definition of monster. I see him more as an alien or an inter-dimensional being more than a standard monster. Then again, he is arguably the one who acts most monstrously out of all the characters on the list this week so I’m going to just let it go.
That said, if that cute little thing showed up at my house with those adorable pin eyes and cute little ears, I’d be hard pressed to turn down the chance to make a contract. Do you think he’d let me touch his tail?
Number 3: Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

I get that Rimuru spends the majority of his times after eating Shizue as a more humanoid character but you have to admit there is something truly cute about this little, blue, bouncing ball of slime. Maybe it is the way he emotes. Or the way that at times his movements defy all logical and physics. Or maybe it is just that we’re used to slimes that are either slow or fairly useless and yet Rimuru just kind of zips about and does as he pleases.
Either way, it is hard to argue against his cuteness and the fact that he was reincarnated as a monstrous slime and so absolutely deserves a place here.
Number 2: Tama from Natsume’s Book of Friends

Narrowing it down to just one character from Natsume Yuujinchou was incredibly challenging but ultimately it had to be Tama. Maybe it is because like Mamoru from earlier in the list, Tama was found as an egg and taken care of by Natsume and Nyanko-Sensei in one of the cutest sequences ever. The hatching scene itself was quite adorable and then emerged this cute little button.
Okay, Tama definitely doesn’t stay tiny and cute all that long but for a short period he was adorably co-inhabiting Natsume’s room and destroying everything made of paper to build his own nest. So, so cute and really should have been number one except that there was one undeniable winner from the moment I thought of this list.
Number 1: Mii-Kun from How To Keep A Mummy

I mean seriously, look at that little bundle of bandages?





A traditional Egyptian monster given new life and cuteness in anime form. Okay, I’ll admit the story didn’t have a lot going for it outside of the cute monsters but when the titular mummy was this cute I really don’t care. How To Keep A Mummy was absolutely worth watching for the sheer adorable factor alone.
I did not know I needed a miniature mummy in a Santa-hat until this anime came along. Thank-you.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
All of my favorite anime is one piece manga readonepiecemanga.co
All of my favorite anime is one piece manga
Kyubey was my first thought when I saw cute monsters.
He is truly adorable and yet so awful in what he offers and yet not even really villainous because from his perspective what he does is just a good option for gathering energy.
Exactly
Oh, _that_ kind of cute. I was half expecting to see Miia or Centorea.
Kyubey is a “this will cause trust issues” kind of cute.
And the “little bundle of bandages?” Pegs the cute-o-meter. Seriously, making a tiny figure of bandages so adorable is a feat of animation talent and skill.
Kyubey is definitely making it hard to trust.