Kara Dennison
August 28, 2023 
It is a truth universally acknowledged that anime fans love a little creature. Just a cute, marketable little friend to accompany our hero through their daily struggles. But the current anime season asks us to consider an alternative: what if anime mascots were big?
Here’s a trio of creatures of unusual size leaving their massive pawprints all over the summer anime season. And we love them for it. Which one is your favorite?
Lailaps
The cast of Yohane the Parhelion -Sunshine in the Mirror- is largely the same as the cast of Love Live! Sunshine!! With minimal exceptions, we’re still hanging out with the girls of Aqours in a fantasy-touched version of Numazu. But with all these girls wielding magic, there has to be an anime mascot. And we have one, in the enormous fluffy puppy known as Lailaps.
The name comes from Greek mythology. The original Lailaps was a hunting dog of great renown, fated to always catch its prey (until, paradoxically, it set it sights on the uncatchable Teumessian fox). In Yohane, she’s a massive pup with an almost sisterly bond to Yohane. Lailaps also seems to know a great deal about the magical happenings around Numazu, as well as Yohane’s own potential.
Bennu
Whether you like your anime mascots small or big, Bennu is here to oblige. Carrying over from the spring anime season, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts brings us Bennu, one of this world’s Holy Beasts. These magnificent creatures belong to those of royal blood and speak only to them.
Part of Sariphi’s efforts to prove her right to queenhood involve summoning her own Holy Beast. While Bennu usually appears as a round little bird, his true form is downright majestic. He is, after all, a phoenix!
Yukichi
Cats make excellent anime mascots. They also make interesting pets. And cat owners know that big cats in particular have their own unique attitude. This season, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today dares to ask the question: “What if a cat was, like, really big?”
Yukichi started out relatively average-sized, but has grown into a larger-than-life housecat. Despite owner Saku’s misgivings, this is actually a good thing. To keep the wet food coming in, Yukichi keeps Saku fed and on task. It’s a strange relationship, and one Saku is eager to hide from her coworkers. But we can’t help but want a Yukichi of our own. Even if he’d only love us for our supply of canned food.
Need more mascot cuteness? Check out this surprising crossover character!
