Many anime characters are accompanied by loyal and faithful animal sidekicks and many times these sidekicks are their actual pets. These animal companions have stolen both the hearts of fans and of the characters that work alongside them via their cuteness, their usefulness, and their wholesomeness.
Not including the self-aware anime sidekicks (the walking, talking ones such as Happy from Fairy Tail or Chopper from One Piece) and the not-so-animal guardians/guides (like Luna from Sailor Moon or Kero-chan from Cardcaptor Sakura), many animal pet owners in anime are loving and nurturing.
10 Pokémon's Misty Carries Togepie Around Everywhere
Misty was one of the original members of the Pokémon cast and she had a deep love of Water-type Pokémon. Her love for Pokémon did not stop at water type, though. She had an egg-like Pokémon called Togepie which she treated with care and took with her everywhere.
However, Misty's treatment of Psyduck is questionable. She was constantly mean and abusive to Psyduck and hated it for its constant headaches and psychic powers. While she was loving to some Pokémon, her love did not extend to all of them.
9 Ash Ketchum Is Bonded With Pikachu In Pokémon
Pokémon's Ash Ketchum had a great relationship with all of his Pokémon, but none of his friendships were as close as his bond with Pikachu. Ash and Pikachu have always been and always will be considered best friends. They are inseparable, even to the point of Ash never using a Pokéball on Pikachu.
Even though Ash uses his Pokémon to win battles, making them fight each other, Ash respects each of his Pokémon and invests in their well-being in a way that many Pokémon trainers (including Misty, to a point) do not.
8 In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Riza Hawkeye Trained Black Hayate Well
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Black Hayate was an abandoned dog found wandering the streets. Riza was a fearless but militant person so it would stand to reason that her dog must follow orders and stay in line. When she adopted Black Hayate, she took on a lot of responsibility that she was entirely ready for. She shaped Black Hayate into an obedient, loyal companion.
However, Riza's approach to training Black Hayate was a bit cruel. When Black Hayate peed on the floor, Riza went as far as to pull out a gun to train him out of the practice.
7 Kagura Adopted Sadaharu In Gintama
Gintama's Sadaharu was an Inugami with a penchant for biting. Thanks to his large stature and his aggressive nature, he was simultaneously a great protector and a huge problem. Many of the characters in Gintama, protagonist and antagonist alike, had issues with Sadaharu, but there was one character who got along perfectly with the magical canine.
That was Kagura, the girl who adopted Sadaharu and was the reason the Inugami joined the team. Because Kagura had her own issues with super strength, Kagura was the only one who could handle Sadaharu's more problematic behaviors.
6 Sango & Kirara Are A Powerhouse Team In Inuyasha
There are few animal-person pairs as memorable as Sango and Kirara's relationship in Inuyasha, with the two fighting together as a team. Kirara could take a small form that was easy to travel with and a larger form that could help in combat and be used as a mode of transportation. Kirara was a nekomata, so the cat-spirit had a lot of supernatural power.
Sango was a demon slayer and one of the only female ones. Kirara was part of Sango's family, but bonded strongly with Sango and this relationship shines brightly throughout Inuyasha.
5 Winry Rockbell Was A Great Dog-Mom To Den In Fullmetal Alchemist
Both Riza Hawkeye and Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist have dogs and both are in the running for the series' best girl. However, Winry's approach to owning a dog is much different than Riza's. Den is a loyal and protective companion that has an automail limb for a front paw. He has been a fierce and loyal companion for the Rockbell family.
Den might not have been as rough around the edges, head-strong, or chaotic as Black Hayate first was (before Riza's terrifying training regime), but Den had a reputation for being incredibly sweet, perceptive, and a great protector.
4 Chise Hatori & Ruth Are Bonded On A Supernatural Level In The Ancient Magus' Bride
The Ancient Magus' Bride's Chise Hatori has a familiar in the large church grim, Ruth, who is the spirit of a dog named Ulysses who died watching over their owner's grave. They spent many years alone in the churchyard, waiting for their owner. However, when Chise met Ulysses, the dog spirit was given a new future.
Chise renamed the god to Ruth and struck a familiar bond with the dog. Now, they have a special, supernatural connection and their lives are intertwined. As Chise's familiar, Ruth protects her with their life and has saved Chise on multiple occasions.
3 In Kiki's Delivery Service, Kiki & Jiji Are Best Friends
In Kiki's Delivery Service, Jiji is Kiki's pet cat, and while he talks at first, guiding her on her journey to becoming a full-fledged witch, he does not guide her in the same way that Luna from Sailor Moon guided Usagi Tsukino. He was truly her pet and at the end of the series, when Kiki grows into her own person, he stops talking. However, Jiji is still a fun and comical sidekick, as seen in moments like his encounter with the dog.
Jiji is known to do his own thing and he eventually finds his cat-family. However, he always remains at Kiki's side.
2 Naruto's Kiba Inuzuka Is An Iconic Dog Owner
Kiba and Akamaru's relationship in Naruto is the definition of attached at the hip, as they are never seen without one another. In fact, they can merge together to create a giant, three-headed wolf during battle. The two grew up together, Kiba getting Akamaru sometime around his stint in the ninja academy, and they have spent every day together, with Kiba taking Akamaru to the Academy and the chunin exams.
Kiba and Akamaru's bond is one of the strongest between dog and owner in anime. However, Kiba does put Akamaru into harm's way when he uses him in combat.
1 Avatar Aang Nurtured Two Separate Pets In Avatar: The Last Airbender
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Appa and Aang were inseparable, even being frozen in ice together for 100 years. Despite Aang's attachment to Appa, Appa chose Aang when they first met. Appa always defended Aang and when Appa was lost, Aang stopped at nothing to find his flying bison.
Aang has another pet that he met at the beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender and that is the flying lemur, Momo. Momo is much more mischievous than Appa, but Momo has helped the team out on countless occasions. Aang always treats his animals with love and respect.