# Chiikawa

Chiikawa (ちいかわ), also known as Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu (なんか小さくてかわいいやつ, 'Something Small and Cute'), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nagano. The main contents of the work are the daily lives and interactions of a series of cute animal or animal-inspired characters. It has been serialized online via Twitter since January 2020 and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. An anime television series adaptation by Doga Kobo premiered in April 2022.

## Characters
### Chiikawa (ちいかわ)

    Voiced by: Haruka Aoki
    A little critter who lives in a big house. Very small, cute, and easily moved to tears, they are shy and scared of every monster they meet. However, they always try to be stronger and to be a good friend who helps their companions in times of trouble. Recently, they are studying to obtain a fifth degree weeding certification (having already failed 2–3 times). They generally do not speak in words and express themself primarily through sounds. Chiikawa always says "Yada" and "Iyada", both of which are a childish way of saying "no" in Japanese.

### Hachiware (ハチワレ)

    Voiced by: Makoto Tanaka
    A creature that is designed after bicolor cat (also called Hachiware in Japan), but is not one. Unlike Chiikawa and Usagi, Hachiware is a chatty creature who likes to talk and sing, they can talk and communicate to others. They are kind-hearted and willing to help their friends. They are sometimes innocent or unaware in dangerous situations. They like to eat chocolate and onions.

### Usagi (うさぎ, lit. 'Rabbit')

    Voiced by: Ari Ozawa
    Despite their name and looks, Usagi is not a rabbit. A creature who can not talk and tends to shout. They are intelligent, positive, and have obtained a level three weeding certification.

### Momonga (モモンガ)

    Voiced by: Iguchi Yuka
    Momonga is a naughty and playful flying squirrel. It is always focused on acting cute and is always begging for attention. Even during dangerous situations, it would ask for food and rest. In pursuit of these, it is core motivation for Momonga to "act cute", and they make conscious effort to imitate other characters' cute actions, notably Chiikawa. It often imitates Chiikawa's yawning and crying.

### Rakko (ラッコ, lit. 'Sea Otter')

    Voiced by: Yuma Uchida
    A brave sea otter when in battle, and he is top of the subjugation ranking. He looks very serious, but he actually loves strawberry flavored desserts.

### Kuri-Manjū (くりまんじゅう)

    Voiced by: Takayuki Asai
    Kuri-manjuu's character design is based on a honey-badger and Kuri Manju, a Japanese confectionery made with bun with chestnut fillings. He is always seen drinking alcohol and eats various foods.

### Shisa (シーサー)

    Voiced by: Miyuri Shimabukuro
    A hard-working and currently works at Rou ramen restaurant. Ramen no Yoroi-san is their master. Their character design is based on Ryukyuan cultural artifact of same name.

### Ponchette no Yoroi-san (ポシェットの鎧さん, lit. "Body-Armor with Pochette")

    Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
    One of the humanoid species that wears silver armor and carries a pink pouch. Ponchette no Yoroi-san's pouch was made by himself, and "Chiikawa originally tried to buy it at his market, but it turned out it had a leaking hole, so after Hachiware pointed it out, he gave Chiikawa a new pouch". He also became friends with cuties such as Yoshi and Hachi as a result. He is good friends with the Labor Yoroi-San and the ramen store owner and the three of them often hang out together, such as going on picnics.

### Rōdō no Yoroi-san (労働の鎧さん, lit. 'Body-Armor Labor')

    Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi
    A humanoid species wearing silver armor that works as job recruiter managing working positions for the cute creatures.

### Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

    A humanoid species wearing yellow armor that works at Roi Ramen.

## Media
### Manga

| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
| 1 | February 12, 2021 | 978-4-06-522396-3 (regular edition) 978-4-06-522729-9 (special edition) |
| 2 | August 23, 2021 | 978-4-06-524251-3 (regular edition) 978-4-06-524252-0 (special edition) |
| 3 | March 23, 2022 | 978-4-06-526611-3 (regular edition) 978-4-06-527386-9 (special edition) |
| 4 | July 22, 2022 | 978-4-06-528650-0 (regular edition) 978-4-06-528579-4 (special edition) |
| 5 | January 23, 2023 | 978-4-06-530183-8 (regular edition) 978-4-06-530276-7 (special edition) |
| 6 | December 21, 2023 | 978-4-06-533982-4 (regular edition) 978-4-06-533983-1 (special edition) |
| 7 | November 21, 2024 | 978-4-06-537544-0 (regular edition) 978-4-06-537540-2 (special edition) |

### Anime

An anime adaptation by Doga Kobo was announced on October 28, 2021. The television series is directed by Takenori Mihara, with Yuma Yamaguchi composing the music. It premiered on April 4, 2022, on Fuji TV's Mezamashi TV morning news and entertainment program. Sentai Filmworks licenses the series outside of Asia. In 2022, 120 English subtitled episodes were released on Hidive, although more episodes have been released outside of the service since then.

## Reception

The manga series has over 2.7 million copies in circulation.
The series has been nominated for the 48th Kodansha Manga Award in 2024 in the General category. The series won the 53rd Japan Cartoonists Association Award in the Manga Division.
Chiikawa merchandise experienced a surge in popularity in China and Hong Kong in early 2024.

## Collaborations and merchandise

Chiikawa has given rise to a wide range of merchandise. On the official online store, there is a variety of products designed based on the anime characters, including plush toys, stickers, clothing, and more. Co-branding between Chiikawa and other comics or companies are also well received. The official Chiikawa website has collaborated with Sanrio, Hankyu, and Converse, among others. A wide range of themed products are also offered, including Magic Girl series, sushi series, and Lailai Chinese restaurants series.
Chiikawa collaborated with Ariana Grande on the music video for “Santa Tell Me”. Popular characters from “Chiikawa” were dressed as Santa Claus and the music video was animated. Since the video's release on December 6, 2023, it was viewed approximately 1.38 million times in a single day, further increasing the popularity of Chiikawa.
In September 2024, Chiikawa stickers could be found in Japanese Happy Meals.
Chiikawa, among other Japanese brands, partnered with Major League Baseball for the 2025 Tokyo Series.