Kara Dennison
April 20, 2023 
Where would we be without anime mascots? These cute, friendly, and (above all) marketable friends add a little something to our favorite shows. Whether they’re weird talking beasts or something else entirely, we love them. And this season’s full of them… though they’re notably pretty weird this go ’round.
From outspoken rodents to literal gods, here are the cute friends repping our favorite spring series.
Peck Desmont
Cute talking animals are a mainstay of anime mascots. Luna and her family in Sailor Moon, for example. And… just about any magical girl series. Cryptid action series THE MARGINAL SERVICE has its own cute talking critter in the form of the squirrely Peck Desmont. But, like pretty much everything else in this show, looks can be deceiving.
Peck is part of a special force dedicated to overseeing interactions between humans and Borderlanders: otherworldly creatures that gave rise to legends of yokai. In fact, Peck is a Borderlander himself. And his attitude—crass, noisy, and obsessed with coworker Lyra Candeyheart—is anything but cute. Nonetheless, he serves an important role on the team… probably.
Cy and Clops
When it comes to anime mascots, one is great, but two are better! That’s definitely the case for Cy (with the mouth) and Clops (with the eye). These two orblike creatures feature in fantasy romance Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. Initially, they watch over the sacrificial princess herself, Sariphi—to make sure she doesn’t escape from her fate.
But when her fate changes, Cy and Clops don’t go anywhere. They serve as her personal cheering squad (with Clops only repeating the last syllable of Cy’s sentences). In a castle full of beastmen and dangerous rituals, these two round little demons are a welcome dose of cuteness. They also feel like a bit of the audience’s presence in the show, rooting for Sariphi in her dire straits… and then in her unexpected romance.
Mitama
Anime mascots. Gods. What’s the difference?
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World is a strange little isekai series. After being sacrificed by his cultist dad, Yukito wishes to be reborn in a world without gods or religion. He gets his wish… but Mitama, the god of his father’s cult, follows him. Unfortunately, she can’t do much about the injustices of this world, as she has no followers here… and no one understands what gods or religions even are.
To bridge the gap, Yukito presents Mitama as a “mascot” that followers can rally behind. This apparently works just fine, slowly building her follower count and her power. But will she gain enough spiritual clout to overthrow the government when her main hype man isn’t even a believer?
Love mascots? Now meet some magical girls!
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