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- March Comes In Like a Lion
- Shaft
The 20 Greatest Big Sister Anime Characters
Vote on the best anime big sisters, based on their sisterly actions and personalities.
In the world of anime, little sisters and big brothers are probably the most common sibling configuration - but that doesn't mean it's the only one out there. Actually, there are plenty of anime characters who are older sisters who are worth paying attention to. Some of the best big sisters in anime have the caring, maternal personalities that people associate with sisterly behavior, and some anime sisters show their love through their actions.
Akari Kawamoto of March Comes In Like A Lion loves her sisters fiercely and has even taken on the responsibility of raising them after their mother passed away. Some sisters are more subtle with their love, like Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai's Mai Sakurajima who secretly treasures every letter her sister writes her. Others, like Olivier Armstrong of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood believe in tough love by giving their younger siblings the smackdown.
Whatever their relationships with their respective siblings, these older sisters all add something meaningful to their siblings' lives. So, which one of these girls is the ideal anime older sister? Show them some love and vote up your favorites!
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- Fruits Basket
- TMS Entertainment
Older Sister Of: Megumi Hanajima
Why She's A Great Sister: Aside from looking after her little brother and being a comforting, accepting figure when he discovers his psyhic powers, Saki also extends her "motherly" personality to Tohru. She is patient, caring, and protective over both of them without being overbearing in her actions.
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- Fairy Tail
- A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge
Older Sister Of: Elfman and Lisanna Strauss
Why She's A Great Sister: Following their parents's tragic passing, Mirajane quickly and selfless stepped up as a motherly figure for her younger siblings. Don't let her "demon persona" fool you - she is a kind and caring person to those around her.
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- My Hero Academia
- Bones
Older Sister Of: Samidare and Satsuki Asui
Why She's A Great Sister: Although Tsuyu's siblings aren't seen too often in the anime, you can tell she loves and cares for them just by how she speaks of them. She fondly tells her classmates about them and even takes the time to visit and care for them between school terms. In the sixth volume of the MHA light novels Tsuyu even has a short chapter where she visits home for the holidays, and instead of thinking of presents, her only concern is what she can to help her parents take care of her siblings.
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- Naruto
- Studio Pierrot
Older Sister Of: Kankuro and Gaara
Why She's A Great Sister: Temari played a crucial part in helping Gaara move on from his tragic past. She acts as an important and comforting figure for both him and Kankuro. Her first priority is to always protect them, as shown when she tries to injure Tenten during their fight to avoid harming her own siblings.
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- 5
Toka Takanashi - 'Love, Chuunibyo & Other Delusions'
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- Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
- Kyoto Animation
Older Sister Of: Rikka Takanashi
Why She's A Great Sister: Toka's serious personality makes it so that she's stern when it comes to Rikka's delusional beliefs, but it comes from a good place. Toka just wants what's best for her sister and tries her best to provide a safe and comfortable environment for her as they grieve the loss of their father.
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- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Bones
Older Sister Of: Alex Armstrong
Why She's A Great Sister: As the eldest member of the Armstrong family and its primary heir, Olivier isn't the doting older sister type. Her hard exterior comes from a place of tough love, and she believes thatshe's doing whats best when harshly pushing her brother to be better for himself.
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- 7
Ruri - 'Dr. Stone'
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- Dr. Stone
- TMS Entertainment
Older Sister Of: Kohaku
Why She's A Great Sister: Ruri is overly attentive and devoted to Kohaku throughout Dr. Stone. The two share an undeniable close bond that challenge many other sister relationships in anime.
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Akari Kawamoto - 'March Comes In Like a Lion'
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- March Comes In Like a Lion
- Shaft
Older Sister Of: Hinata and Momo Kawamoto
Why She's A Great Sister: Akari Kawamoto is a young woman who had to step in as a second mother for her sisters Hinata and Momo after their mother's tragic passing, while still trying to manage her own grief. She also extends her sisterly warmth to Rei Kiriyama, a depressed teenager who befriended the family.
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- My Neighbor Totoro
- Studio Ghibli
Older Sister Of: Mei Kusakabe
Why She's A Great Sister: Despite being a little girl herself, Satsuki Kusakabe has a strong sense of responsibility for her younger sister Mei. She watches over her as they discover Totoro and his mystical world, and when Mei goes missing, it's Satsuki who finds her first.
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- 10
Mai Sakurajima - 'Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai'
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- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
- CloverWorks
Older Sister Of: Nodoka Sakurajima
Why She's A Great Sister: At first, Mai and Nodoka have a distant relationship due to being raised to compete against once another. Things improve significantly after they switch bodies thanks to Adolescent Syndrome, and Mai makes an effort to understand Nodoka and vice versa. Despite their rough relationship at the start, its obvious that Mai cares for Nodoka as she saves every letter her sister has sent her.
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- Spy x Family
- CloverWorks
Older Sister Of: Yuri Briar
Why She's A Great Sister: Yuri has a deep love for his sister Yor, to the point where it's questionable, but it stems from how much she cared for him growing up. Their parents unfortunately passed when the two were young, and Yor didn't hesitate to step in as a mother figure. She has selflessly looked after her brother for a majority of their lives and even as adults worries about him and his wellbeing.
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- 12
Shizuru Kuwabara - 'Yu Yu Hakusho'
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- Yu Yu Hakusho
- Studio Pierrot
Older Sister Of: Kazuma Kuwabara
Why She's A Great Sister: Shizuru Kuwabara might not have supernatural powers, but she's supportive of Kazuma Kuwabara association to the Spirit World. Her tough personality is used to watch after her brother because she cares so deeply for him.
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- K-On!
- Kyoto Animation
Older Sister Of: Ui Hirasawa
Why She's A Great Sister: Yui Hirasawa might be older than her little sister Ui, but that doesn't mean she's more mature. While Ui is organized and careful, Yui is a total scatterbrain. Their relationship is a cool inversion of the usual trope and they balance each other out in the best way.
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- 14
Ichika Nakano - 'The Quintessential Quintuplets'
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- The Quintessential Quintuplets
- Tezuka Productions
Older Sister Of: Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki Nakano
Why She's A Great Sister: Ichika is the oldest of the Nakano quintuplets, and she takes that responsibility head on. She quietly act as a leader for her sisters and is willing to make personal sacrifices for them. She pushes her limits for them if it means that they are all taken care of.
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Manami Mitama - 'A Centaur's Life'
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- A Centaur's Life
- Haoliners Animation League
Older Sister Of: The Chi-chans and Sue
Why She's A Great Sister: With no mother around and a father who spends all of his time on his art career, Manami dedicates nearly every moment that she isn't in school to her siblings's care. Her instant selflessness makes her an older sister that anyone could commend.
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- Kill la Kill
- Trigger
Older Sister Of: Ryuko Matoi and Nui Harime
Why She's A Great Sister: These three girls weren't raised as sisters - rather, each of them was an attempt by their mother to create a human being who was infused with Life Fibers. As a result, she's on hostile terms with both of them at the beginning, but ends the series with the determination to form a close, sisterly bond.
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Ishizu Ishtar - 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'
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- Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Toei Animation
Older Sister Of: Malik Ishtar
Why She's A Great Sister: Interestingly, Malik is actually a villain, and Ishizu dedicates much of her time to trying to undo the impact of his crimes. This makes it evident that while Ishizu does want whats best for others, she can't help but remember her sibling bond with Malik.
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- Fate/stay Night
- Studio Deen
Older Sister Of: Sakura Mato
Why She's A Great Sister: Although Rin and Sakura are forced to live apart, before that they had a close and peaceful friendship. Their loving friendship is proof that the two share a bond and that Rin will always have love for her younger sister - even if their relationship is strained here and there.
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- 19
Kyoko Hori - 'Horimiya'
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- Horimiya
- CloverWorks
Older Sister Of: Sota Hori
Why She's A Great Sister: Kyoko acts as her school's "it girl," but at home she is a stand-in mother to her little brother. Nothing is more important to her than Sota, so when both their parents slack on their duties, she doesn't think twice about stepping up so her brother has a clean, comfortable place to call home.
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Tae Shimura - 'Gintama'
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- Gintama
- Sunrise
Older Sister Of: Shinpachi Shimura
Why She's A Great Sister: Tae Shimura is popular for her no-nonsense attitude, which may not seem very sisterly, but its obvious that she takes more of a tough love approach when it comes to Shinpachi. She quietly but cooly shows her love through mundane ways like cooking him eggs and watching over him silently.
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