Pets are probably the most loved creatures in the world. People love to see cute animals in movies, tv shows, games, and anime series. Anime treats pets in a special light, sometimes making them confront the protagonist to begin their story, and sometimes they're just really cute on-screen buddies who do nothing more than make the viewers "aww" aloud.
This list focuses on some iconic anime pets and shows their ranking for who is the cutest and helps their owners the most. There are way too many anime pets to count, some acting more as magical creatures rather than pets (like Happy from Fairy Tail), however, remember that they are all good boys and girls and deserve all the love. Here are the best anime pets, ranked.
10 Guts From Kill La Kill
This cutie doesn't actually do much in terms of the show's progression, yet for some reason, he easily makes this top 10 list. Guts is named after the way he eats, with "gusto." He is constantly seen wearing this little hoodie and can be found standing on his hind legs as if he's a person. Guts belongs to Mako's family and therefor befriends Ryuuko pretty much immediately (even though he thoroughly creeps her out.) In one of the episodes, Ryuuko goes to school without her uniform, Setsuna, and Guts takes it upon himself to act as Ryuuko's delivery boy, to make sure she gets it on time and is safe. What a good boy.
9 Chuntaro From Demon Slayer
Chuntaro belongs to Zenitsu Agatsume in Demon Slayer. His real name is actually Ukogi but was given the nickname "Chuntaro" by Zenitsu. He acts as the Kasugaigarasu (crows used for the demon corps to communicate) for the lightning boy but, is unlike all the other communication crows for the fact that he's not actually a crow, but a sparrow. Chuntaro doesn't speak like the rest of them do but is still somehow understood by Tanjiro. He chirps angrily to scold Zenitsu whenever he is being a coward and the two have a rather comical and unproductive relationship.
8 Jiji From Kiki's Delivery Service
Jiji could have probably been listed as the best anime pet on this list if it weren't for the second half of Kiki's Delivery Service. Jiji is an iconic black cat who acts as Kiki's familiar throughout the film. He is witty and funny and totally loveable. But about halfway through the film, Kiki loses all of her powers. Including being able to understand him. It's at that point that Jiji becomes just a normal house cat.
Jiji starts acting like a typical cat, a bit stand-offish, and oftentimes goes to do his own thing. He ends up meeting another neighborhood cat and the end of the film, they show Jiji and his girlfriend with a few new kittens. Unfortunately, Jiji stays as a normal cat, even when Kiki gets her powers back, and the two are never able to speak to each other again.
7 Tetsuya 2 From Kuroko No Basket
Tetsuya 2 is named after Kuroko Tetsuya, the main protagonist of this hit sports anime. Kuroko no Basket is a basketball anime. In it, Kuroko decides he wants a puppy and therefore gets Tetsuya 2. He is named due to the similarities of his eyes with his owner's. He is taken care of by Kuroko and the Seirin team as a whole and is oftentimes seen as the team's mascot. Tetsuya 2 is an extremely supportive pup, he always barks when the team makes a point in-game. He also defecated in Kagami's sneakers that had been on the verge of breaking. Originally Kagami got mad at the dog until he realized the giant gash on the sneakers. If he would have played with them on, he would have suffered from a serious leg injury. Tetsuya 2 saves the day.
6 Black Hayate & Den From Fullmetal Alchemist
These boys are both too good to not be on this list. The two dogs here belong to the main female heroines of Fullmetal Alchemist, Riza Hawkeye and Winry Rockbell (respectively). Black Hayate was found in the street by Kain Fuery who couldn't keep the dog. Due to this, Riza takes him in and trains him to be the best dog ever. She is sweeter to him than she is to most people and he loves her with a passion, oftentimes jumping onto and biting enemies that are attacking her. She also calls him 2nd Lt.
Den has been with Winry since she was a little girl. She has one automail leg, which Edward Elric relates to when he first receives his. Den is a family dog and can be seen helping the boys cope with the loss of their mother. Den also feverishly gets excited when she sees Al in his original body again at the end of the series.
5 Kirara From Inuyasha
Kirara belongs to Sango in Inuyasha and can be seen fighting alongside the main protagonists of the series. While in her cute and small form, she seems rather innocent, like a normal demon cat pet. But Kirara has another form in which flames wrap around her and she becomes a giant and fierce-looking sabertooth tiger. Her teeth grow long and sharp and she has flames wrapped around each of her ankles. She fights as a team with Sango, acting both as her flying transport and her partner.
4 Akamaru From Naruto
Fans of Naruto has seen Akamaru, the nin-dog, grow up. In the original series, we saw him as a puppy and in Shippuden, he grew into a big dog who carried Kiba around.
Akamaru acts a lot like Kirara. He becomes a mod of transportation for Kiba and the two fight together, using different abilities that often make him into a clone of Kiba. Akamaru can even become a huge two-headed dog, with the aid of Kiba acting as one of the two heads.
3 Luna & Artemis From Sailor Moon
Luna and Artemis are the talking advisors to the Sailor Senshi in Sailor Moon. Luna belongs to Usagi (Sailor Moon) and Artemis to Minako (Sailor Venus). Sailor Venus was the last Senshi to join the inner planets group, even though she also was the first Senshi to be awakened. She roamed the streets as Sailor V, the leader of the Senshi, with Artemis at her side and was on a mission to find the princess, Sailor Moon. Usagi knew of Sailor V even before she found Luna and became Sailor Moon herself. These two cats help the girls whenever they need it and constantly give them sound advice to achieve their goals. Artemis and Luna also have romantic feelings for one another.
2 Ein From Cowboy Bebop
Ein is a modified dog, he was experimented on to become a "data dog," which gave him enhanced intelligence. He was found by Spike Spiegel and later joined the Bebop crew. He became especially close to Edward and was actually named after Albert Einstein. While Ein doesn't speak, his intelligence has been shown in other ways. He has been seen answering calls, driving cars, hack into computers, and even play shogi. In the final arc, while the crew was investigating Vincent Volaju, Ein immediately knew he was the culprit and barked at the man's picture. Ed believed him right away, but the rest of the crew needed more convincing evidence.
1 Appa From Avatar: The Last Airbender
Even though Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't technically an anime, Appa definitely deserves to be on this list. While the tag-team duo of Momo and Appa is one of the best animal/pet duos seen on TV, Appa is especially special. He is constantly saving Team Avatar from danger and lugging them around the world. During the Appa's Lost Days arc, he is taken by sand benders during season 2. This arc was especially emotional for viewers and the characters in the show. Appa is such a good boy and definitely deserves all the love as he is ranked number one best pet.