10 Anime That Incorporate Astrology (2024)

It makes sense that anime often makes references to astrologyandthere's a lot of astrology-based lore to choose frombetween the Western and Eastern zodiacs. Some anime actually incorporate both and some anime have even been known to make their own zodiacs if the need arises. Some shows have characters based on zodiac figures while others might reflect the zodiac in their characters' personalities.

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Often, the main characters will each have a different zodiac. Anime based on the Eastern zodiac often references a story where the cat was cheated out of the running to be one of the twelve animals. Technically speaking, many Asian countries have their own variations of the story. In Vietnam, the cat is actually one of the twelve animals. Likewise, in Japan, a sheep and wild boar take the place of China's goat and pig, respectively.

10 Pokémon: There Are Both Real & FakePokémon Horoscope

In the Pokémon franchise's Unova region, it's been shown that there's a zodiac based on twelvePokémon resembling the Western zodiac. For example, Klink, a Pokémon resembling a pair of twin gears, corresponds to Gemini. That said, unlike the actual Greek zodiac, the signs are divided evenly by months instead of solar stays.

Interestingly, one episode of the anime deals with an unrelated Pokémon Horoscope that assignedsigns like Ash being a Bellsprout type and Brock being an Onix type. The end of the story revealed the whole thing was made up as part of a scam, but a genuine Pokémon Horoscope was shown to exist at the last second.

9 Attack On Titan: Many Of The Characters' PersonalitiesSuits Their Respective Zodiac Signs

Retroactively or not, when the birthdays of various characters in Attack on Titan were revealed in a guidebook, many of the characters' personalities actually match up quite well with the Western zodiac.

Many action-oriented characters, like Eren, Jean, and Annie are Aries. Passionate, driven characters like Reiner and Sasha are both Leos. Aloof, stoic Mikasa and Ymir are both Aquarius. Many of the Capricorn characters, like Levi, Bertolt, and Krista, showcase varying levels of social awkwardness, reflecting their sign's connection with small social groups.

8 Sailor Moon: The Show Makes Good UseOf Both Eastern & Western Zodiacs

In Sailor Moon, many of the Sailor Scouts' powers are derived from the Chinese elements which are associated with planets in Chinese astrology. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus are connected to water, fire, wood, and gold, respectively, and this is reflected throughout the girls' respective elementsand their everyday lives, from Makoto taking care of plants to Rei's fire reading.

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Western astrology isn't forgotten about either, especially as the twelve signs are each associated with planets and heavenly bodies. Being a Cancer is such an important attribute to Usagithat her daughter was born under the same sign, too, reflecting its connection to the moon. Likewise, in the '90s anime, villain Nephrite often employed minions based on zodiac figures.

7 Saint Seiya: There's A Reason The Show's Called "Knights Of The Zodiac" Outside Of Japan

In Saint Seiya, a series focused heavily on Greco-Roman mythology, five friends serve an incarnation of the goddess Athena and derive powers from the constellations.

Granted, the five main characters are connected to constellations that aren't necessarily representative ofthe zodiac, favoring figures and entities like Pegasus and the Phoenix. But Athena's greatest team of saints, the Twelve Gold Saints, correspond to the twelve figures of the Western zodiac.

6 Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger: The Animals Of The Chinese Zodiac Fight Corrupted Fairy Tales

The Eto Rangers are stylized after the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Rangers are led by the benevolent Princess Aura, who fight against the villainous catwoman Nyanma. Nyanma represents the outcasted cat of the Chinese Zodiac legend.

In most episodes, they enter worlds based on classic fiction and fight forces changing the story, like Moby Dick becoming a giant mole or Cinderella taking place at a disco dance contest. Fittingly, in a world of corrupted stories, Nyanma's story might also be more complicated than it first appears.

5 Etotama: The Cat Gets To Be The Star In This Anime

In Etotama, Nya-tan, the incarnation of the cheated cat, is still trying to take her place in the zodiac in spite of the years of rejection. She becomes closer and closer to her goal while freeloading off of high school student Takeru.

Naturally, twelve girls corresponding to the twelve animals of the Eastern zodiac appear as well. Since the cat is the series' heroine, the incarnation of the rat, Chuu-tan, has something of an antagonistic role.

4 Fruits Basket: The Sohma Family Curse Revolves Around The Chinese Zodiac

In Fruits Basket, the Sohma family is cursed to transform into the various animals of the Eastern zodiac when embraced by members of the opposite sex. Interestingly, one of the main characters, Kyo, represents the cheated cat and is actually looked down on by members of the family because of it.

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Using a Japanese pun, the series manages to have a dragon in the family by having Hatori transform into a seahorse. With all these animals, of course, it also makes sense that the family would have a character corresponding to the god orchestrating the race, which is none other than the villainous Akito.

3 Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure: The Star Princesses Are Based On The Members Of The Zodiac

In Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure, the twelve Star Princesses are each based on members of the Western zodiac, with a pair of twin sisters representing the Gemini sign. In the series, the Pretty Cures are tasked with saving the princesses after being trapped within Star Color Pens.

Despite the series favoring the Western zodiac over the Eastern one, it still managed to find a way of including the cheated "13th" character: the villain Darknest is ultimately revealed to be the 13th princess, who is based on the Ophiuchus constellation.

2 Iron Man: The Anime Bases The Villains Off Of The Zodiac

In the Iron Man anime, an adaptation of the Marvel character, the Iron Man Dio armors get hijacked by an organization dubbed the "Zodiac" — and that's just the start of the series' foray into astrology.

The monsters of theweek in this series are patterned off the signs of the Western zodiac, includingScorpio, Taurus, Sagittarius, Virgo, Aries, Cancer, Pisces, and Aquarius. Somewhat fittingly, Gemini serves as a sleeper agent, reflecting the "twin" nature of the sign.

1 Zodiac PI: "Detective Spica" Fight Crime With The Power Of The Horoscope

In Zodiac PI, Lili Hoshizawa isn't just a gifted fortune-teller: she can use the power of astrological signs to solve crimes as "Detective Spica." The series uses magic as a vehicle for Lili to summon the signs for assistance.

In practice, the spirits of the Western zodiac grant a horoscope of a person involved in the case, which usually gives out a clue to what's really going on. Of course, this means Lili has to get the birthdate of patrons and perpetrators alike.

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