160+ Anime Dog Names for Your Kawaii Canine

Anime has steadily been rising in popularity as the internet has allowed it to reach more and more viewers outside of Japan and other parts of Asia. Crunchyroll, a popular anime streaming platform, doubled its subscribers in only two years, going from two million in 2019 to four million in February of 2021.

Not only that, its registered users shot from 45 million in 2019 to 100 million in 2021. This huge growth illustrates anime’s continuous rise in popularity as more and more people become fans of the genre.

Where you’re new to anime or have been watching it for years, there may have come a time when you wished you could have a cool Japanese name. While it’s probably not realistic to legally change your name to that of your favorite anime character, there is a being upon whom you can bestow such a name: your dog!

As fans of anime ourselves, we realize our list doesn’t cover even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to names taken from anime. There are just far too many great shows and awesome characters, it’s impossible to list them all! Still, we hope that you’ll find the perfect anime name for your dog in this article.

Pronouncing Japanese

If you watch anime, then you probably already know how to pronounce many of the names on our list. However, if you’d like a little help with pronunciation, Tofugu has a thorough guide on pronouncing the Japanese language. We’ll also give you the basics here.

E sounds like ay. For instance, Chise is pronounced chee-say.

I sounds like ee. Miki is pronounced me-key.

A sounds like ah. It is never pronounced as it is in the words “band” or “shame.”  Daichi is pronounced dah-ee-chee.

U sounds like oo, as in ooze. The name Usui is pronounced oo-soo-ee.

O sounds like oh. Jotaro is pronounced Joe-tah-row.

A double letter symbolizes a small pause in the word. Therefore Pakkun would be pronounced with a tiny pause: Pa – kkun. This is quite hard to describe in writing, so you might want to find sound clips for these types of names or pay close attention when they’re used in their respective anime.

Double Os (oo) or ou symbolize a long sound. The name Kikyoo can be written with our alphabet as Kikyoo or Kikyou (or sometimes even Kikyō), but the result is the same. The final o sound is elongated a tad. Again, it may be helpful to find actual sound clips of this.

This is a very brief overview of Japanese pronunciation, but it should keep you from making some of the more common mistakes non-Japanese speakers make. If you prefer to watch your anime in Japanese, then you might already know a lot of this.

Now that we’ve gotten pronunciation out of the way, let’s get to our names!

Dog Names From Popular Animes

Though most animes have humans playing the main characters, there are a few that have dogs instead. Aside from that, there are many animes that feature dogs as the pets of the main characters.

Sometimes, these dogs play a minor role and don’t show up all that often. Other times, they  play key roles in the story. Here are the names of dogs from popular animes!

• Akamaru – Naruto
• Antoinette – Ouran Highschool Host Club
• Apo – Space Brothers
• Armageddon – Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties
• Black Hayate – Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
• Chalk – Stone
• Chou Chou – One Piece
• Den – Full Metal Alchemist
• Ein – Cowboy Bebop
• Gin – Ginga Nagareboshi Gin
• Guts – Kill la Kill
• Heen – Howl’s Moving Castle
• Iggy – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
• Inui – Aggretsuko 3
• Jack – Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Kazuhito Harumi – Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou
• Kedama – Given
• Kenta – Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji
• Koromaru – Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth
• Lasso – One Piece
• Makkachin – Yuri!!! on Ice
• Maru/Pedro Martinez – Kimi ni Todoke
• Menchi – Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel♥Saga
• Miki – Tokyo Mew Mew
• Nota – Dororo
• Osushi – Burn the Witch
• Pakkun – Naruto
• Pes – Kaguya-sama: Love is War
• Police – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
• Pome-chan – Aho-Girl
• Potato – Air
• Sable – My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
• Sadaharu – Gintama
• Shiro – Hoozuki no Reitetsu
• Shu – Dragon Ball Z
• Tadakichi-san – Azumanga Daioh
• Taromaro – School-Live!
• Tetsuya #2 – Kuroku no Basket
• Tobimaru – Sword of the Stranger
• Victor – Yuri!!! on Ice
• Wanta – Elfen Lied
• Zeke – Highschool of the Dead

Dog-Like Anime Characters to Name Your Pup After

There are a number of characters in anime that are not completely dog or human. Take Inuyasha for example: he has the ears of a dog as well as heightened senses of hearing and smell, but his body is otherwise human.

The cool thing about these dog-like characters is that they often have a lot more depth to them than actual dogs in anime. Even when they’re secondary or minor characters, we tend to learn a lot more about them and are able to relate to them. If you’d like to name your puppy after a dog-like anime character with a little more substance, then this list is for you!

• Blue – A female wolf-dog who can transform into a human from the anime Wolf’s Rain.
• Bull Kuramochi – A gray bulldog with a white mouth, forehead, and paws who gets a human form in spinoffs of Tada and Friends.
• Collot – An anthropomorphic, dog-like minor character from
• Holo – Holo is a wolf goddess from Spice & Wolf. As such, she can transform into a huge wolf.
• Inuyasha – Inuyasha’s name means “dog demon” and that’s exactly what he is!
• Kurama – A nine-tailed fox demon with incredible power who is sealed into Naruto’s body.
• Kuro Mikawa – A black dog with a white snout, tail, and paws from Tada and Friends who also has a human form in the series.
• Legoshi – The main character of Beastars, this character is an anthropomorphic gray wolf.
• Pluto – Pluto is a dog demon from Black Butler that can transform into a human.
• Ruth/Ulysse – Ruth was originally a black dog named Ulysse from the Ancient Magus’ Bride. When his owner passed away, he stayed at her grave until he died and became the fae known as Ruth.
• Ryo Inui – A hero from My Hero Academia, this character’s “quirk” gives him the attributes and abilities of a dog.
• Sesshoumaru – Inuyasha’s older brother and every millennial’s childhood anime crush.
• Shigure – A character from Fruits Basket who embodies the zodiac year of the dog.
• Tomoe – A fox demon from Kamisama Hajimemashita who acts as the main character’s love interest, protector, and familiar.

Badass Anime Names for Your Kakkoii Canine

Though there are just as many genres of anime as any other story-telling medium, one genre anime excels in is action. As such, there are a number of incredibly powerful characters that are so kakkoii (which means cool) we just can’t help but be their fans. Here are some of the most badass anime characters to name your dog after.

• Asta – Black Clover
• Asuna – Sword Art Online
• Bam – Tower of God
• Deku/Izuku Midoriya – My Hero Academia
• Eren Yeager – Attack on Titan
• Erza Scarlet – Fairy Tail
• Hyakkimaru – Dororo
• Ichigo Kurosaki – Bleach
• Itachi Uchiha – Naruto
• Jotaro Kujo – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
• Ken Kaneki – Tokyo Ghoul
• Killua – Hunter x Hunter
• Kira/Light Yagami – Death Note
• Lucy/Nyu/Kaede – Elfen Lied
• Luffy – One Piece
• Mikasa – Attack on Titan
• Morgiana – Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
• Mori Jin – The God of High School
• Motoko Kusanagi – Ghost in the Shell
• Mugen – Samurai Champloo
• Naruto – Naruto
• Revy – Black Lagoon
• Saber – Fate/Stay Night
• Saitama – One Punch Man
• San/Princess Mononoke – Princess Mononoke
• Sango – Inuyasha
• Shana – Shakugan no Shana
• Shiki Ryougi – The Garden of Sinners
• Shouta Aizawa – My Hero Academia
• Shouto Todoroki – My Hero Academia
• Spike Spiegel – Cowboy Bebop
• Tanjirou – Demon Slayer
• Tatsumaki – One Punch Man
• Utena Tenjou – Revolutionary Girl Utena
• Yoruichi Shuhouin – Bleach
• Yuuko Ichihara – xxxHoLiC
• Zero/Lelouch – Code Geass

Anime Dog Names Based on Cute Characters

While we live for badass anime characters, many of us also have a soft spot for the cute ones. Besides, your dog is 100% likely to be a cutie, but far less likely to be a powerful, evil-fighting hero. Why not name your dog after one of the cutest characters in anime?

• Aladdin – Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
• Chika – Kaguya-sama: Love is War
• Eri – My Hero Academia
• Hippo – Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
• Kanna Kamui — Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
• Kotarou Kashima – School Babysitters
• Mitsukuni Haninozuka/Honey – Ouran High School Host Club
• Momiji Souma – Fruits Basket
• Nadeshiko Kagamihara – Laid Back Camp
• Nagisa Hazuki – Free!
• Naru Kotoishi – Barakamon
• Nezuko – Demon Slayer
• Rem – Re:Zero
• Rikka Takanashi – Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions
• Shiro – No Game No Life
• Taiga Aisaka – Toradora
• Tsukasa Hiiragi – Lucky Star
• Tsumugi Inuzuka – Sweetness & Lightning
• Umaru Doma – Himoto! Umaru-chan
• Ushio Okazaki – CLANNAD
• Yui Hirasawa – K-On!

Male Anime Dog Names

These are some of our favorite male names from anime. While the characters who don these names are males, we think it would be just fine to name a female dog one of these names.

• Akira – Akira
• Ban – The Seven Deadly Sins
• Daisuke – N. Angel
• Edward Elric – Full Metal Alchemist
• Howl – Howl’s Moving Castle
• Kou – Ao Haru Ride
• Kyouya – Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji
• Natsu – Fairy Tail
• Neji Hyuga – Naruto
• Nori – Rozen Maiden
• Ray – Promised Neverland
• Rin – Blue Exorcist
• Roy Mustang – Full Metal Alchemist
• Saiki – The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
• Sasuke Uchiha – Naruto
• Sebastian – Black Butler
• Senkuu – Stone
• Souma – Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
• Tadashii – Haikyuu!
• Takeo – Ore Monogatari
• Takumi Usui – Kaichou wa Maid-sama
• Totoro – My Neighbor Totoro
• Vegeta – Dragon Ball Z
• Yato/Yaboku – Noragami
• Yukine – Noragami

Female Anime Dog Names

Here are some lovely female names from anime. Though the characters in these anime are girls, you could also use these names for boy dogs. It’s 2021, after all! Besides, if you live in the U.S., only a fellow anime lover would catch on to the origin of the name.

• Akame – Akame ga Kill
• C. – Code Geass
• Carole – Carole & Tuesday
• Chihiro – Spirited Away
• Haru – Beastars
• Haruhi – Ouran High School Host Club
• Himiko – My Hero Academia
• Hinata Hyuga – Naruto
• Hiromi – Erased
• Hiyori Iki – Noragami
• Juvia – Fairy Tail
• Kagome – Inuyasha
• Kagura – Inuyasha
• Kiki – Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Kiko – Darker Than Black
• Kohaku – Stone
• Kurisu (Chris) – Steins;Gate
• Megumi – Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
• Nami – One Piece
• Sakura Haruno – Naruto
• Saya – High School of the Dead
• Tuesday – Carole & Tuesday
• Usagi/Serena – Sailor Moon
• Winry – Full Metal Alchemist
• Yona – Akatsuki no Yona

Anime Is Awesome, and So Is Your Dog

Anime is pretty awesome. It brings us riveting stories delivered through the medium of two-dimensional animated art. Whether you love slow-burn romance or exciting action anime, there’s a genre for everyone.

If you’ve been watching anime for a while, there’s probably a character (or three) that you absolutely adore and wish you could name yourself after. While we can’t go back in time and tell our parents to name us after a Naruto character, we can use these names for our dogs. Just make sure to pick a name you can pronounce, as some are easier than others!