Chiikawa, the main character: personality, voice and where to read the stories
Based on Chiifan’s Japanese character article, which checks the official anime and movie character pages. Translated on Oct 11, 2026.
“Chiikawa” is the name of Nagano’s comic and also of its hero, the small white one with round ears and pink cheeks. The official anime page sums the character up as a bit of a crybaby with a kind heart who makes a living from weeding and tobatsu (monster-hunting jobs). Here is what is actually confirmed about Chiikawa, plus the 19 long story arcs you can read in order.
- Name
- Chiikawa (ちいかわ), short for “nanka chiisakute kawaii yatsu” (“something small and cute”)
- Anime voice
- 青木遥 (Haruka Aoki), Japanese anime and movie
- Birthday
- May 1 (the same day as Hachiware)
- Anime
- From Apr 4, 2022, Episode 1 on Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi TV”
- Story arcs
- Appears in 19 of the 20 arcs collected on Chiifan
What kind of character is Chiikawa?
The anime site describes Chiikawa as a bit of a crybaby but kind, living from weeding and tobatsu work. The movie site adds “clumsy but a hard worker,” who cries when startled or when something bad happens.
- Those two short profiles are almost all the official description there is. Chiikawa’s age and where Chiikawa lives are not written anywhere.
- Chiikawa says far less than Usagi or Hachiware, but it has never been stated that Chiikawa can’t talk. “Quiet” is how readers see it.
- New to Chiikawa? If you saw the movie, start with the Siren Arc; for a quick taste, try the Muchauman Arc (10 posts). The reading page is in Japanese, but you only need to scroll: Nagano’s X posts are lined up from top to bottom in order, 10 per page, and the 「次のページ」 (Next page) button at the bottom takes you on.
When did Chiikawa first appear?
Nagano began posting the comic on a dedicated X account, @ngnchiikawa, in January 2020. Which post was the very first has never been announced, so we can’t point to a single “first appearance.”
- Book: Volume 1 of the Japanese 『ちいかわ なんか小さくてかわいいやつ』 came out from Kodansha on Feb 12, 2021, collecting X strips plus new drawings.
- Anime: it started on Apr 4, 2022 inside Fuji TV’s morning show “Mezamashi TV,” with Episode 1 「かためのプリン／ホットケーキ」 (firm pudding / pancakes).
- To follow from the start, Volume 1 is the place; to get a feel for it quickly, try anime Episode 1.
Key episodes for Chiikawa (no spoilers)
Chiikawa leads in countless episodes. These six can be confirmed from the official episode list; we only say what each one is about.
- Ep. 18 「草むしり／おそろい」
- Weeding, with matching pink and blue weapons (sasumata, forked poles) for Chiikawa and Hachiware.
- Ep. 57 「草むしり検定／古本」
- A weeding “exam” exists, and they get a practice book for Grade 5: the start of a long challenge.
- Ep. 61 「合格発表」
- Going to see the exam results. We won’t say what they are.
- Ep. 129 「おっきい討伐①」
- The three fly off with propellers on their heads for a big tobatsu.
- Ep. 172 「ちいかわの夢①」
- Part 1 of a six-part story with Chiikawa’s name in the title.
- Ep. 349 「あくむ①」
- Part 1 of the Nightmare Arc, a contest inside dreams; collected in Japanese Volume 7.
The 19 story arcs Chiikawa appears in
Counted from the character lists on Chiifan’s reading pages, most-featured first. Each link opens the first page where Chiikawa shows up (in Japanese); “posts” is the number of Nagano’s posts we collected, not an official episode count.
- Siren Arc (Island Arc)
- throughout · 96 posts · 2023 · Japanese Vol. 8
- Black Shooting Star Arc
- throughout · 38 posts · 2021–2022 · Japanese Vol. 5 · anime ep. 213–235
- Weeding Exam Arc
- throughout · 28 posts · 2020–2023 · Japanese Vol. 2 · anime ep. 57
- Pajama Parties Arc
- throughout · 30 posts · 2021 · Japanese Vol. 4 · anime ep. 144–155
- Gekokujo (Turning the Tables) Arc
- throughout · 30 posts · 2022–2023 · anime ep. 302–303, 324–329, 343–344
- Shisa Arc
- throughout · 24 posts · 2022 · anime ep. 245–256
- Weeding Exam, 3rd Try (Sunfish) Arc
- throughout · 30 posts · 2025
- Praise Ribbon Arc
- throughout · 15 posts · 2020–2021 · anime ep. 160–164
- Big Tobatsu (Monster Hunt) Arc
- throughout · 13 posts · 2020–2021 · anime ep. 129–131
- “Little Friend” Arc
- throughout · 18 posts · 2021 · Japanese Vol. 3 · anime ep. 85–93
- …and 9 more. The full list is on the Chiifan manga guide.
Who’s who around Chiikawa
Learn Hachiware and Usagi first and you can follow most stories. Here is the circle as the official character pages describe it.
- Hachiware
- Chiikawa’s friend: cheerful, upbeat, lives in a cave. Weeding and the exam, they do together.
- Usagi
- The other friend, fearless and always full of energy, famous for loud shouts.
- Rakko
- A strong tobatsu expert the friends look up to; No. 1 in the tobatsu ranking per the movie site.
- Momonga
- Always acting cute and always asking for things.
- Kurimanju
- A gourmet who enjoys food and drink and looks after others.
- Two short arcs show Chiikawa and Hachiware’s friendship well: the Praise Ribbon Arc (a cookie ribbon Hachiware keeps in a vase) and the Muchauman Arc (trying to get a photo with a hero).
- Who is “older” or how they met has not been explained.
Frequently asked questions
Who voices Chiikawa in the anime?
青木遥 (Haruka Aoki), per the voice credits on both the anime and movie websites.
When is Chiikawa’s birthday?
May 1, the same day as Hachiware. Chiikawa’s age has not been revealed.
What animal is Chiikawa?
It has never been spelled out. “Chiikawa” comes from the series title “nanka chiisakute kawaii yatsu” (something small and cute).
Which anime episode is the first?
Episode 1, 「かためのプリン／ホットケーキ」, aired in Japan on Apr 4, 2022.
Where can I read Chiikawa’s stories?
On Nagano’s X account (@ngnchiikawa). Chiifan lines up the posts of 20 long arcs in order; Chiikawa is in 19 of them.
Sources
Pages marked (Japanese) are only available in Japanese.