15 Best Nekomimi (Cat Girls) & Variants: 2025 Guide

If there is one thing most synonymous with anime, manga, and Japan as a whole, it's cats and catgirls. If you've ever watched any type of anime or manga in the past 30 years, you have probably come across at least one catgirl or catgirl archetype.

Catgirls, also known as nekomimi, are a familiar and enduring character trope in anime and manga. Typically depicted as human girls with cat ears, tails, and playful feline traits, anime cat girls appear across many genres and series. This page highlights popular and recognizable anime cat girl characters that have become well known within the medium.

#15. Eris (Cat Planet Cuties)

A light novel, manga, and anime series, Cat Planet Cuties (あそびにいくヨ!, Asobi ni Iku Yo!, lit. "Let's Go Play!") tells the story of Kio Kakazu and how, after attending a family funeral, meets an alien catgirl named Eris who seeks to learn about Earth and its inhabitants.

Eris comes from the Catian planet and has come to Earth as a scout. She is tall, beautiful, and well-endowed, drawing attention from both cats and people alike.

Throughout the series, Eris's relationship with Kio deepens and matures until she ultimately chooses him as her mate.

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#14. Yoriko Sagisawa (Da Capo)

An adult visual novel released in Japan around 2002 and in the US in 2009, Da Capo tells the story of Juni'ichi Asakura and his life on the fictional island of Hatsune.

Jun'ichi and many of his friends have developed different powers and physical character traits there. One day, his cousin, Sakura Yoshino, returns from America to remind him of their childhood promise to one another.

Originally the sickly Misaki, after having her wish granted by the sakura tree, Misaki possesses the body of her cat, Yoriko, transforming it into a catgirl version of herself.

This is slightly different from the anime, where instead, Yoriko is transformed into a catgirl version of her owner and explores the world in her place.

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#13. Ao Nanami (Yozakura Quartet)

Yozakura Quartet (夜桜四重奏 ～ヨザクラカルテット～, Hepburn: Yozakura Karutetto) is an anime and manga series created by Suzuhito Yasuda in 2006.

The story is centered around four teenagers; Ao, Hime, Kotoha, and Akina; who each have their own unique powers and abilities.

Throughout the series, the four use their abilities to protect the town from looming threats that seek to destabilize the balance between their world and the youkai world.

Ao Nanami is a fifteen-year-old girl who is most distinctly noticed for having cat ears, which she often hides under hats or headphones. She can read people's thoughts as well as the power to talk with animals.

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#12. Cyan (Show by Rock!!)

A mobile-based video game, Show by Rock!! very much combines elements from rhythm-based games like Rockband or Tap Tap Hero and sim-raising games.

The general plot of the game centers around a first-year high school student named Cyan Hijirikawa, who is trapped in a mobile rhythm-based game on her phone. There, she must work alongside her friends to help her escape to her own world. (If you're wondering, yes, it is very meta.)

Cyan, while normal in the human world, when sucked into the game's Sound World, becomes a catgirl dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit. She is skilled with the guitar, though shy. Her instrument is the legendary "Strawberry Heart" guitar. They must work together to defeat the dark monsters, save Sound World, and help her escape.

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#11. Himari Noihara (Omamori Himari)

The manga and anime series Omamori Himari (おまもりひまり, "Protective Charm Himari") tells of an orphaned boy named Yuto Amakawa who, on his sixteenth birthday, meets a samurai spirit catgirl named Himari.

The girl makes an oath whereby she swears to protect him from harm, facing off against various demons and monsters trying to kill him.

Known as a "bakeneko" (also known as a cat spirit or demon), Himari is as beautiful as she is deadly. She is a master swordsman and can defeat many powerful demons with relative ease.

She can stay in her human form or transform into her cat form. Similarly, while in her human form, she can reveal her cat ears and tail, giving her a full-on catgirl appearance.

Also Read: TOP 7 JAPANESE SITES FOR ANIME/MANGA MERCH

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#10. Nozomi Kiriya (Mayoi Neko Overrun!)

Mayoi Neko Overrun! (迷い猫オーバーラン!, Mayoi Neko Ōbāran!, Stray Cat Overrun!) is a light novel series with a manga and anime adaption.

The story surrounds Takumi Tsuzuki and his friends as they frequent the Stray Cats cafe. His life takes a turn, however, when his sister brings home a mysterious girl named Nozomi Kiriya to live with them.

As mysterious as she is beautiful, Nozomi Kiriya is taken in by Otome Tsuzuki, Takumi Tsuzuki's sister, and allowed to live with them.

She largely resides at the Stray Cats cafe and is generally quite aloof and difficult to read. That said, she shows many of the catgirl character traits such as saying "Nya~" (similar to "Meow"), being a bit of an airhead, and (of course) having a hairstyle that resembles cat ears.

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#09. Koneko Toujou (High School DxD)

High School DxD (ハイスクールD×D, Hepburn: Haisukūru Dī Dī) is an anime and manga series that takes place in Kuou Academy, a once all-girl school that has recently become co-ed and is inhabited by fallen angels, angels, and devils alongside unsuspecting humans.

There, Issei Hyodo, a second-year human, is killed by a fallen angel and reincarnated as a devil servant to the beautiful devil, Rias Gremory.

Koneko is a rare species applicant in Kuou Academy known as a Nekomata (another term for catgirl).

While in her Nekomata state, she shows many catgirl qualities, including an aloof and distant personality, cat ears, and matching cattails. As the series progresses, Koneko shows more cat-like traits, making her a welcome member of the catgirl club.

Also Read: TOP TOP SITES FOR ANIME/CHARACTER COLLABORATION GOODS

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#08. Karyl (Princess Connect! Re:Dive)

A Japanese role-playing game released in Japan in 2018, Princess Connect! Re:Dive is the sequel to Princess Connect! which was released in 2015.

The game itself doesn't have much by way of a plot and leans heavily on the Isekai-trope, where the main character is transported to another world with their memories wiped. There, the player meets many other members to uncover the mysteries of the world.

Karyl very much is the tsundere character any avid manga reader or anime watcher has come to know and love. She creates the Gourmet Edifice guild alongside Yuuki, Pecorine, and Kokkoro. In true tsundere fashion, she starts the game as a spy for the enemy but ultimately befriends her targets. In the game, Karyl has the Princess Knight ability, which allows her to control several monsters.

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#07. Chocola (Nekopara)

An online visual novel developed by Neko Works, Nekopara is the story of Kashou Minaduki, an aspiring chef that moves away from home to open a confection bakery shop.

While unpacking, he finds two twin catgirls ("Nekos") have come along. There, the three of them work to run his shop while meeting several others along the way.

Chocola is the twin sister of Vanilla. Despite being twins, both sisters contrast greatly, both in their appearance as well as their personality. Chocola is regarded as very playful and outgoing, willing to befriend and engage with anyone she meets.

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#06. Vanilla (Nekopara)

The twin sister of Chocola, Vanilla differs heavily from her sister in virtually all ways outside of their love for Kashou. Whereas her sister has chocolate brown hair, Vanilla has vanilla white hair.

Vanilla is the younger of the two and is generally quite aloof and inexpressive when dealing with others. It is because of this aloofness, people often mistake her for not being as kind or as caring as her sister which couldn't be further from the truth.

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#05. Izutsumi (Delicious in Dungeon 2024)

Coming in at #5 is Izutsumi from Delicious in Dungeon aired in 2024. She is a beastskin catgirl with a rough, feline personality due to her chimera origins. Covered in fur and displaying adorable cat-like mannerisms, she is a very unique take on the trope, gaining popularity for her complex backstory and pets from her party.

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#04. Alicia Rue (Sword Art Online)

Sitting in at the #4 spot is Alicia Rue from Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン, Hepburn: Sōdo Āto Onrain) The series follows Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and his wife, Asuna Yuuki, as they both play through various virtual reality worlds.

The series started as a web novel between 2002 and 2008 before eventually becoming a manga series and later an anime series.

Alicia Rue is the lord of the Cai Sith (literally translates to "Cat fairy family") and exhibits many of the catgirl traits. She has a petite body and cat ears as well as a cattail.

Unlike most other catgirls, Alicia's cat ears are positioned along the side of the head similar to a human's rather than at the top, as seen in most depictions. She wears a bell collar on her neck and uses clawed weapons, fully emphasizing her catgirl qualities.

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#03. Blair (Soul Eater)

Now in the top #3, and one of the most well-known catgirls in recent anime and manga, Blair comes from the Soul Eater manga series.

The series centers around Maka and Soul, a "meister" and "demon weapon" respectively, and their friends as they attend the Death Weapon Meister Academy.

The story follows them and their adventures as they face powerful foes and evil entities, such as the witch Medusa and her child, Crona.

Initially thought to be a witch, Blair is in fact a catgirl with the power to transform into a cat as well as a human.

Initially enemies with the main cast, she eventually becomes friends with Maka and Soul. While her human form does not normally exhibit many of the catgirl's physical traits, her personality, ability to transform into a cat, and feline nature perfectly combine into one of the most memorable catgirls in manga and anime.

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#02. Rem Galleu (How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord)

Coming in the #2 spot is Rem Galleu from the series, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord (異世界魔王と召喚少女の奴隷魔術, Hepburn: Isekai Maō to Shōkan Shōjo no Dorei Majutsu, transl. "The Other World Demon Lord and the Summoning Girl's Slave Magic").

The series tells the story of Takuma Sakamoto, a man that is transported from his human world to the virtual world. Throughout his time there, Takuma assumes his character as the Demon Lord, where he and his two lovely lady servants, Rem and Shera, traverse the world in an attempt to help him return home.

Rem Galleu is a Pantherian adventurer and invoker with the spirit of the Demon King Krebskrem housed inside of her. She is short with long black hair that goes down to her waist, cat ears, and a cattail.

While not to the same degree as the others on this list, Rem is somewhat emotionally awkward, tending to keep to herself more often than not, especially when compared to her counterpart, the well-endowed Shera.

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#01. Yoruichi Shihōin (Bleach)

And last but not least, sitting at #1 is Yoruichi Shihōin.

Born from the Bleach manga and anime series, Yoruichi exhibits everything about a catgirl.

She can transform into a black cat and presents herself as a cat for a good portion of the first and second seasons.

She exhibits many cat-like behaviors in her personality. Later in the series, she even has a transformation that turns her into a catgirl (complete with cat ears and tail).

While catgirls can vary in their quality and what makes them individually special, Yoruichi does so many of the catgirl traits right, and you can't help but put her anywhere but at the top.

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BONUS: Cat Girl Variants!

Characters do not necessarily have to be a cat girl within an anime or manga to have cat girl merch! Some popular characters with cat girl merch are Rem and Ram from RE:Dive and Hatsune Miku! To see if your favorite character has cat girl merch, you can add 猫耳 (nekomimi- cat ears) to your search!

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Recently, Japan has seen a surge in Shiro Nekomimi figures, and it's easy to see why! These figures beautifully capture the vibrant aesthetic of the No Game No Life anime, and adding a charming set of cat ears to our beloved character only makes them even more delightful.

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The mascot character of the Japanese company Nitroplus, Super Sonico is an incredibly popular figure subject who has a wide array of variant figures. She is often depicted with a cat theme, wearing cat ears or a cat-themed costume. Super Sonico is a fictional character created by Tsuji Santa for the Japanese company Nitroplus. She first appeared as a mascot for a music festival in 2006. Since her debut, she has become a multimedia franchise, with a wide range of products including music, manga, video games, and figures. Super Sonico is an 18-year-old college student who also works as a gravure idol and is the guitarist and vocalist for the band First Astronomical Velocity. An anime television series based on the character, titled SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation, aired in Japan in 2014.

Her catgirl variants are a staple in the figure world, with numerous versions from companies like Max Factory and Good Smile Company, often showing her in various poses and outfits. Super Sonico's reception among fans is overwhelmingly positive and has solidified her status as a major icon, particularly within the Japanese figure and merchandise market. Her popularity stems from a combination of her unique and appealing character design, a sweet and pure personality, and her versatile role as a mascot that allows for a wide array of figure and outfit variations.

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