by September 20th is “Sky Day.” This commemorative day originated as Aviation Day, established in 1940, and was renamed Sky Day in 1992 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the resumption of civil aviation.
Many characters in anime evoke the image of the sky. They are depicted in various ways, such as being able to fly freely in the sky, being residents of a world of the sky, or having names with kanji or words related to the sky. So, Anime! Anime! Conducted a reader survey titled “Who is your favorite ‘sky/flying’ character?”, following on from last year. From September 8th to September 12th, 474 people responded to the survey. The gender ratio was about 35 percent male, about 55 percent female, and about 10 percent did not respond, with more females. The age group was mainly young people, about 50 percent under 19 years old and about 15 percent in their 20s.
The top two are the most popular characters who also played an active role in the movie version! First place goes to Hinata Shoyo from “Haikyu!!”. With a support rate of about 19 percent, he has been at the top for four consecutive years. “He doesn’t let his short height, which is a weakness in volleyball, get in the way and soar to his limits. I think he’s a character worthy of the name Shoyo,” and “At 160cm, he’s not tall for a volleyball player, but he flies higher than anyone else like he has wings. His jumping power, which doesn’t even feel the slightest bit of gravity, amazes everyone who watches.” Many fans were captivated by his spikes and blocks in the game. “The main character embodies the banner of Karasuno High School, “Fly.”
In “The Battle of the Garbage Dump,” he shoots the ball over the opponent’s block, and I was moved and thought, “Wow, that jump is amazing…” I hope he continues to soar higher than anyone else!” Thanks to his performance in the movie version, he has topped the list with a higher approval rating than last year. 2nd place: Hawks from “My Hero Academia.” He has an approval rating of about 14 percent and has risen from third place last year. “Hawks’s quirk is his strong wings, and he flies around the sky with his red wings on his back. It’s like the sky is his playground, and he feels good flying,” and “He’s called the man who is too fast, but he is swift! Hawks is the best when he flies in the sky with ease!” He has many charms, such as his quirk, allowing him to control his wings freely, his easy-going personality, and his solid abilities as a hero. “He looks great flying in the sky with his bright red wings,” said one comment, catching the eye with the contrast of red and blue. 3rd place 3rd place is Hakurei Reimu from “Touhou Project.” She dropped one place from last year with an approval rating of about 8 percent. “It’s a simple power that allows you to fly in the sky, but it’s not just about flying; it also means that you can “float” from everything, including gravity.
She is mighty,” “The way she flies leisurely in the sky makes her look like a wonderful shrine maiden of paradise!” and “With the background music, ‘A mysterious shrine maiden flying in space,’ I think she is the most suitable for the sky out of all the Touhou characters.” She is popular. Also ranked 11th is Utsubo Reiuji. “Hell Crow with Yatagarasu is a monster of the species. She flies freely in the sky with her large black wings, and her name, Utsubo (sky), also brings to mind the sky,” she says, a character with impressive wings.
Here are some other comments! For Cure Wing from “Spreading Sky! PreCure,” “I wanted to cheer her on as I watched her work hard to fly, even though she is a Punibird tribe that cannot fly.” For Towa from “One Room, Normal Sunlight, With Angels,” “The story begins with her descending from heaven onto the balcony of Moritaro’s apartment, and at the end, the two of them fly into the night sky while looking at the night view.
The way they fly represents how close they have become.” For Amano Hina from “Weathering with You,” “The heroine has the power to make the sky clear. This year marks the 5th anniversary of the movie’s release, but even now, there has never been a movie that depicts the sky more beautifully than this one!” For Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, a vote was also given for the film, commenting, “The princess, flying freely through the sky on a Mehve, was like a bird.
The theme song, ‘Birdman,’ represents that very well. I was torn between the flying pig and the Ghibli senior.” In the 2024 edition, the top two spots were taken by characters from titles whose movies were released this year. Also, titles from long-running series dominate the top spots.
Top 10 Rankings [Sky/Flying Characters? 2024 Edition] 1st place: Hinata Shoyo, Haikyu!! 2nd place: Hawks, My Hero Academia 3rd place: Hakurei Reimu, Touhou Project 4th place: Nakahara Chuya, Bungo Stray Dogs 5th place: Kaitou Kid, Magic Kaito, Detective Conan 6th place: Son Goku, Dragon Ball 7th place: Cure Wing/Yunagi Tsubasa, Hirogaru Sky!: “PreCure” 8th place Cure Sky/Sora Harewatar “Spreading Sky! PreCure” 9th place Anpanman “Soreike! Anpanman” 10th place Amano Hina “Weathering with You” (Response period: September 8th to September 12th, 2024)
Top 20 Rankings [What comes to mind when you think of “sky/flying” characters? 2024 edition] 1st place Hinata Shoyo “Haikyu!!” 2nd place Hawks “My Hero Academia” 3rd place Hakurei Reimu “Touhou Project” 4th place Nakahara Chuuya “Bungo Stray Dogs” 5th place Kaito Kid “Magic Kaito” “Detective Conan” 6th place Son Goku “Dragon Ball” 7th place Cure Wing/Yunagi Tsubasa “Spreading Sky! PreCure” 8th place Cure Sky/Sora Harewatar “Spreading Sky! PreCure’ 9th Anpanman ‘Anpanman!’ 10th Amano Hina ‘Weathering with You’ 11th Reimu Utsukushii ‘Touhou Project’ 12th Doraemon ‘Doraemon’ 12th Rimuru Tempest ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ 14th Elaina ‘The Journey of Elaina’ 14th Kageyama Tobio ‘Haikyu!!’ 14th Gojo Satoru ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ 14th Kinomoto Sakura ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’ 14th Towa ‘One Room, Average Sunlight, With Angel’ 14th Frey ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ 20th Virginia Robertson ‘Luminous Witches’ 20th Up 20th Sawada Tsunayoshi “Katekyo Hitman Reborn!” 20th Sora “No Game No Life” 20th Falco Grice “Attack on Titan” (Response period: September 8th to September 12th, 2024)
This survey is part of readers’ interest and attention in anime works and characters. The results are not intended to determine the superiority or inferiority of any character or work. This article will help you learn about new works and characters and deepen your understanding and interest.
