Indeed, our beloved canine friends will always be the ‘goodest of bois’. Happy and content with nothing else but just you always at their side. In that regard, we can also say the exact same thing for dogs in anime. And believe me, there are a lot, A LOT, of good bois out there for you to watch. For this post I want to share some of my picks for the goodest bois of them all(in anime). Before we dive in though, a few rules for the list:
One dog character per series No adaptations of stories from classical literature (sorry Jolie, Patrasche, and others) Otherworldly entities are acceptable, but they should still be technically dogs Humans transforming into dogs? No problem! No minimum story involvement required, but should still be very meme-able memorable. Must be a good boi, one way or another Wolves don’t count
Here we go!
25. Unnamed Dog in Gabriel Dropout
Anime: Gabriel Dropout Kicking off this list is Satania’s sworn enemy and rival. Well, in the beginning at least. He was originally just a simple running gag character that was meant to eternally torment the princess of the Netherealm by stealing her melon breads. But thanks to a series of (un)fortunate incidents, he and Satania eventually becomes the best of buddies. Much to the disappointment of another otherworldly entity that just loves to tease Satania.
24. Potato
Anime: Air This good boi doesn’t exactly have any significant story related quirk that we can directly associate it with, apart from being the primary reason for Yukito to encounter Kano. But his cute appearances throughout the series are always a wonderful sight to behold. Probably a bit of a breather too, for all the feels that you are about to constantly experience with each of the individual characters.
23. Shigure Souma
Anime: Fruits Basket Shigure Souma is a very wild exception to this list, as he is originally a human. And is actually normally human until the Souma curse activates and he gets turned into a black dog. He can be quite hard to gauge as a laid-back character, as it seems that his motivations are always a bit too unclear for his rather harsh actions and decisions. But his good boi side eventually comes through… towards his clan at least.
22. Kokko
Anime: Fortune Dogs Normally we would have chosen Freddy/Alex for this slot. Or someone even more stoic such as Ryouma. But I’ll give the spotlight instead to the somewhat wise, but slightly tragic Onee-san figure Kokko. This Cocker Spaniel was more than just a mentor to the main character and a foil to Dach, as she also represents to us viewers the sometimes harsh reality of being the lesser priority in a household.
21. Chikuwa
Anime: Yuru Camp The tiny and frilly dog of Rin’s friend Ena. As you would expect from a tiny, Chuhuahua-ish dog, it is very energetic, often always up and about when Ena walks her outdoors. Chikuwa doesn’t provide any significant impact on the overall story, in fact Rin’s adventures with the unnamed twin dogs are probably more meme-worthy. But it identifies more strongly with one main character and fits well in my ranking.
20. Belka and Strelka
Anime: Little Busters! Two for the price of one series! Well actually you really can’t separate one from the other, much in the same way as you can’t separate them from Kud. I mean, come on, she even brought the two dogs from Finland to come over with her to Japan, albeit on one special condition. Still, being specifically named for two of the most famous Russian space dogs means they’ve got a lot in terms of intelligence right? See, even Kud admits it.
19. Buddy
Anime: Nichijou The mysterious dog that occasionally appears throughout the series, it was only by the whim of the writers sheer luck that Yuuko happened to have crossed paths with it. Since then it performed the role of a guest cameo while the audience starts to wonder about the dog’s connection to the characters. Spoiler alert: there is none, though its owner was eventually revealed to be…
18. Charo
Anime: Little Charo Charo, at a glance, represents the Hollywood-esque grand animal adventure type of dog. The series introduces the basic premise of being lost in another country with little familiarity to the native language. So it kinda fits. But don’t think that he could just act cute out of every single predicament. He has experienced so many things along the way, and surprisingly even had to face the realities of life and death. Definitely something you don’t always see in a main character for such younger audience-oriented show.
17. Ruth
Anime: Mahoutsukai no Yome Technically a mage’s familiar, Ruth cannot be classified directly as a human transforming into a dog. Rather, both forms are simply visual representations of his entity. As such, his good boi form makes him eligible for this list. He is somewhat too stoic to be a colorful character, but I guess that’s why his dog form actually makes a lot of sense. Especially when done in front of Chise.
16. Iggy
Anime: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Wait, wait, did I complain about Guts being too anthropomorphic? I’m sorry, I think that title goes to Iggy instead. I mean look at that darned face. No fricking way is that a regular New York Boston Terrier. It is understandable why he eventually grew to hate humans so much, which explains his default obnoxious personality. But in the end, he still managed to show his good boi side. Though this ultimately ends his side of the story prematurely.
15. Oda Nobunaga
Anime: Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga Much reincarnation. So assertive. Wow. I’ve seen lots of incarnations of the historical figure before, but Cinnamon is probably the most unique Oda Nobunaga of them all. One would really wonder why he’s particularly upset at being a Shiba Inu though, since the dog breed that he wants to be isn’t even traditionally Japanese in the first place. Besides, as we know already, there are additional perks to his side of the new life. Even though humans around him simply perceive him as an eccentric boi.
14. Bow
Anime: Bow Wow series To many viewers of the classic series, Bow is the definite epitome of living with your instincts. Daring and foolhardy, free and uncontrolled, yet holding a slight sense of innocence to the result of your actions. That sneering face says it all. As a main protagonist, he still manages to show enough of his other personalities that you just can’t completely hate the mutt. Until the next trouble that he causes, at least.
13. Apo
Anime: Space Brothers Apo the pug was originally Hibito’s pet dog. One that he took real good care of when he moved into the United States after becoming an astronaut. It has since then taken a good liking to the older brother Mutta, which appears to him as more than just a wet, slimy alarm clock. But also a source of inspiration and mental strength from time to time. With the addition of being an absolute career lifesaver for him of course.
12. P-chan
Anime: Aru Hi Inu no Kuni kara Tegami ga Kite short If you ever want to know who the “feels mascot” for this list is, then look no further than P-chan. Oddly enough, the character is only featured in one short anime. But since he is the main character of the episode, he still deserves a good boi spot in my list. If you’re familiar with Hachiko, then P-chan’s conflict should be very familiar to you. Not too tragic, but initially depressing all the same at the beginning.
11. Sadaharu
Anime: Gintama Here it is, the white fluffy boi of the yorozuya gang. He is officially a member of the group, activity-wise, but functions more like the team’s mascot (duh!). You’d think that he would be Kagura’s pet at a glance, as she was the first to find him anyway. But he just as independent as all four of them when doing their own thing. Oh, and please do watch your head when you’re around him.
10. Tatsuya 2-gou
Anime: Kuroko no Basket No, this is not Black Hayate 2.0. This IS, Tatsuya 2.0! He may be “just” a mascot for team Seirin. But like almost every other dog in this list, he presents quite a level of intelligence that suggests he understands more than what you would normally expect. As his name suggests, he acts the friendliest to our equally beloved main protagonist. That being said, he’s not entirely closed to the idea of becoming buddies with other Seirin team members as well.
9. Guts
Anime: Kill la Kill I know, I know. Guts is considerably a lot more anthropomorphic than any other good boi in this list. But this pug-like mutt is still officially the family pet of the Mankanshoku. Uhh, well it does also have a few qualities that might be too human-like. Especially towards main protagonist and best friend Ryuuko. But the fact remains: he is welcomed into the family as a pet, has a voracious appetite befitting of his species, and his good boi aura is immediately noticeable.
8. Koromaru
Anime: Persona 3 The only non-human fighting member of SEES. Don’t worry, Koromaru’s a real dog through and through. But he’s very unusual, because he is the (one of the) only non-human life form capable of unleashing his Persona. He even has his own freaking custom designed Evoker. Apart from his ability to summon his Persona, he is also shown to be so much more intelligent than what his default species might suggest. Although that’s probably only in the imagination of Aragaki.
7. Mametarou
Anime: Massugu ni Ikou For a dog his size and breed , Mametarou sure has a very complex imagination and thought process. Unfortunately, much to his constant disappointment, his schemes usually end up only in the favor of those he most likely don’t want to take the advantage in the first place. But at least in deed and in meaning, his is a true good boi, deeply caring about the humans and other dogs he cherishes the most.
6. Tadakichi-san
Anime: Azumanga Daioh The great fluffy signature Great Pyrenees of Chiyo Mihama. Even if Tadakichi only appeared once throughout the series (spoiler alert: he doesn’t), he would have been noticeable enough due to his interactions with the characters. In fact his existence is so distinct that it is actually a bit hard now to imagine Chiyo’s regular household life without this giant mutt hanging out somewhere in the background. But that’s probably just me.
5. Kazuhito Harumi
Anime: Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou How does it feel to be reborn as a dog after a good deed? It sure is tough to learn that you yourself would now be the good boi. But with your life now revolving around this super eccentric scissor-loving literary beauty, he makes his new life look very worthwhile. Before you know it, and after more characters jump (back) into his re-set life, you’re now actually wishing to be reincarnated as a dog like him!
4. Weed
Anime: Ginga Densetsu Weed Continuing the great adventures and deeds of his father (who by the way will NOT be on this list because he is on a prequel series), Weed definitely inherited a lot of personality and charisma. He may come off as too righteous of a character sometimes. But being in the shadow of his father’s accomplishments, his naiveté towards compassion becomes a lot more believable. He is way too battle-scarred though compared to many other good bois in this list.
3. Black Hayate
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist The resident mascot of East City HQ, he is the mean and green mutt of none other than Riza Hawkeye. Being of firm military background, she was able to strictly train Black Hayate into a very fine boi, after almost being unable to find a place to stay among the other military personnel that can’t officially take in pets. Of course, he’s not just for show. He demonstrated his offensive prowess against many, by tactically distracting them on their blind sides as Riza and the others either fight back or retreat.
2. Ein
Anime: Cowboy Bebop The one and only inspiration that I immediately thought of for this list. Ein definitely has the chops for being the smartest boi in this list without actually being anthropomorphic in any way. That is to say, he gets to firmly plant his short legs into Jet and Spike’s bounty hunting adventures with his own method of solving problems… after a brief introductory episode of course. In all fairness though, Ein is within a sci-fi realm that most likely would never have been too surprised at his own existence in the first place.
1. Akamaru
Anime: Naruto Saving the best boi for last is the dog I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with. At least if you’re watching any of three big shounen anime of the early 21st century. Akamaru is more than just a good boi. He is essentially Kiba’s right hand partner for everything. They are basically inseparable, and if you want to take Kiba out in a fight, you’d most likely have to take both him and Akamaru first. Oh, and since Akamaru is here, none of Kakashi’s dogs made it in this list. Bummer but they do still deserve an honorable mention.
