The Insect Hashira Holds Her Crown
Japanese entertainment site Anime Anime ran its annual purple-themed character survey from May 23 to 30, collecting 578 responses. The timing is deliberate: June is hydrangea season in Japan, and the flower's kanji (紫陽花) literally contains the character for purple.
Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, took first place with roughly 11% of the vote. Voters pointed to her purple-tinted hair, butterfly hair ornament, and the purple accents across her haori as a complete color-coded design. Her signature fighting style clinched it for several fans: Shinobu uses wisteria-flower poison to kill demons, and wisteria blooms in shades of purple and violet.
One reader offered a deeper read, arguing that purple sits between blue and red on the spectrum, mirroring Shinobu's own duality: composed on the surface, burning with hatred for demons underneath.
Takasugi Rises, Reo Slips
Shinsuke Takasugi from Gintama climbed from third to second place with about 6% support. Fans highlighted his purple kimono and butterfly-patterned garment, calling the color a natural fit for his dangerous, lone-wolf presence.
Reo Mikage from Blue Lock dropped one spot to third at roughly 5%. Respondents connected purple's "noble" connotations to Reo's background as the heir to a major corporation. Several voters also called out the menacing purple aura he radiates during the Additional Time segments of the anime.
Deep Cuts and Surprises in the Top 10
The rest of the top ten shows how broadly purple maps across anime genres:
- 4th: Yukari Yakumo from Touhou Project
- 5th: Cure Answer from Detective Precure, noted as the franchise's first-ever purple lead Precure
- 6th: Atsushi Murasakibara from Kuroko's Basketball
- 7th: Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, whose calm composure voters said matched her purple hair and eyes perfectly
- 8th (tied): Hinata Hyuga from Naruto and Ichimatsu Matsuno from Osomatsu-san
- 10th: Sogo Osaka from IDOLiSH7
Beyond the ranked list, voters gave notable shout-outs to Evangelion Unit-01, with one reader calling a purple protagonist mecha unprecedented at the time of the original series. Satoko Kusakakure from Ninja to Koroshiya no Futari Gurashi also drew attention for dyeing a replacement ninja outfit purple after losing her original.
Who Voted
The respondent pool skewed young and female: about 70% women, 30% men, with roughly 45% aged 19 or under. That demographic likely boosted characters from series with strong female fanbases like Gintama, Blue Lock, and IDOLiSH7.
Looking Ahead
The full poll results include a top-20 ranking on Anime Anime's site. The outlet runs themed character polls throughout the year, with last year's purple results available for comparison. For international fans, the poll is a useful snapshot of which characters Japanese viewers are talking about right now. Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle theatrical films continue rolling out globally, keeping Shinobu in the spotlight heading into summer 2026.