Today is February 29th… a day that only comes around once every four years because SCIENCE! Some people are actually born on this day and they only get to truly celebrate their birthdays once every four years and that can sometimes put a damper on things, but in order to make them (possibly you) feel better, I want you to know that you’re not alone!
That’s right… a handful of anime characters also share this unfortunate birthday and being an anime enthusiast (okay, I am an American Otaku), I figured I would do a little something special for this 29th day of February and list off some of the characters who were born on this day!
Anthy Himemiya – Shoujo Kakume Utena
A mysterious and shy girl whose sometimes vapid expression and superficial politeness seem to mask something deeper. Many people project their wants or desires onto her, and she’s often the target of their eventual rage or hate. Her “doormat” behavior belies a far more complex personality. Anthy appears to house the Sword of Dios within her own body. At the beginning of a duel, she slips into a trance and the Sword manifests, protruding from her chest so that her champion may draw it from her. This Sword is said to be a key to reaching the goal of Revolution, and in her position as the Rose Bride Anthy is said to be the key to obtaining it.
Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld – Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Vice Admiral in the Galactic Empire, leader of the Schwarz lanzenreiters (Black Lancers), a fleet renowned for their shock assault tactics and fondness of high speed battleships. His flagship is the Köenigs Tiger.
Kabuto Yakushi – Naruto
Kabuto Yakushi is Orochimaru’s personal medic, assistant, and general right-hand man. Kabuto was found as a young boy by a chief medical officer of the Konoha Medical Unit Squad. The officer brought Kabuto with him back to Konoha and raised him as a son. Kabuto eventually began acting as a spy for numerous countries and organizations (such as Akatsuki) before coming under the servitude of Orochimaru. Kabuto has since used his various former affiliations as a means to gather intelligence on Orochimaru’s behalf, such as entering the Chunin Exams as a Konoha ninja to gather information on his fellow participants for Orochimaru’s use. Despite his apparent loyalty to Orochimaru, Kabuto’s true personality is difficult to discern; he frequently switches from a lighthearted and polite teenager to a twisted and sadistic maniac that enjoys playing mind games with his opponents. While he generally obeys Orochimaru’s orders, he is not above healing Orochimaru’s enemies or trying to strike up polite conversations with Naruto Uzumaki when they meet. Orochimaru himself seems to have a hard time determining Kabuto’s thoughts, and has suggested that Kabuto secretly works against him.
Kabuto is a talented ninja, being compared to Kakashi Hatake in ability on more than one occasion, as well as being shown capable of killing ANBU members with relative ease. The bulk of Kabuto’s fighting ability lies in the medical jutsu taught to him by his adoptive father. These abilities have been further enhanced through his allegiance to Orochimaru, as he has been able to experiment on others to increase his medical knowledge. As a result, Kabuto is able to reactivate dead cells in a concentrated area and grow new ones. While he uses this ability in battle to immediately recover from attacks, it can also be used during his experiments to keep test subjects alive for much longer than is feasible. Kabuto can even temporarily reanimate a corpse for use as an ally or a decoy. During his battle with Tsunade, she remarks that his fighting and healing abilities surpass her own when she was his age. Despite his talents, Kabuto has always served others, a fate he is dissatisfied with. As such, after Orochimaru’s defeat, Kabuto integrates his master’s remains into his body as a means to become more powerful and to no longer be the mere tool of others. The remains have since begun trying to take over his body.
Mitsukuni Haninozuka – Ouran High School Host Club
Mitsukuni Haninozuka (a.k.a. Honey-senpai) is a cake-loving, childish senior with an elementary school appearance. He attracts customers with his “shotacon” cuteness—however, he is also extremely talented at fighting. He can send people flying with one kick, and has been told by the Japanese Defense Minister to never show his full power for fear of other countries thinking Japan had a weapon of mass destruction. He learned his skills from his father, the owner of a famous dojo. Because of him, Honey tried to act like a “real man” for some time, but after Tamaki convinced him that liking cute things was not bad, Honey dropped his façade and joined the host club along with Mori, his cousin and the person he is often seen around with. Honey carries a stuffed bunny named “Bun-bun” (in Japanese, it is called “Usa-chan,” an abbreviation of usagi, meaning rabbit) that his beloved grandmother made for him. Like Kyouya, Honey is very ill-tempered when he wakes up, and gets very violent towards those that disturb his sleep.
Omi Tasukiyono – Weiß Kruz
Due to his computer skills, Omi is in charge of gathering information and planning Weiß’s missions. He uses a crossbow,bow and poisoned darts as his weapons. Omi was kidnapped when he was eleven, and as his father refused to pay ransom, he was saved by Persia who trained him for a killer.[2] Omi lost his memories due to shock and doesn’t remember his life before Kritiker at the start of the series, but as the action unfolds he discovers he is in fact Mamoru Takatori, son of Reiji Takatori – head of the Takatori family, who are in some way related to almost all the missions the boys have to take. Later, in the Dramatic Precious drama CDs, he finds out that he is really Shuichi Takatori’s biological son. He assumes the position “Persia” in Glühen.
Pochacco – Sanrio
Pochacco is drawn as a white dog with black floppy ears, but no visible mouth. He is often dressed in athletic attire, as he has a sporty and playful personality. He is a vegetarian, he loves carrots, but his favorite food is banana ice cream. Pochacco is a curious and clumsy little guy who sometimes sticks his nose in where it isn’t wanted. Like most dogs, Pochacco loves going for walks.
Pochacco’s name means “pocha pocha” (chubby). Pochacco was born on February 29, 1989 (a leap year) in Fuwafuwa Town. Pochacco can’t walk straight. Even when he tries, he keeps tottering from side to side. He can walk on two legs, but he trips up and falls over every now and then. Pochacco loves spring. In fact, one of his favorite flowers is a pink flower called “rengeso”. Pochacco’s dream is to fill his tummy with banana ice cream (so he likes summer too). Although Pochacco has a lot of animal friends, recently he has been hanging out with Choppy the mouse, his best friend.
Shuusuke Fuji – Prince of Tennis
Shūsuke Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy. He is given the title “tensai”, or genius, due to his tactical skill on the tennis court. He is in the same class as Eiji Kikumaru, and is Eiji’s good friend. Fuji is a leap year baby (his birthday is on February 29), and thus he can only properly celebrate his birthday once every four years. Fuji is cheerful and easygoing, with a penchant for playfully teasing those around him.
He is the middle child of the Fuji family. His unnamed father is a foreign-based employee, and is never seen in the series. His mother, 49-year-old Yoshiko, who also has perpetually-closed eyes, is seen in the manga as a kind and dedicated Japanese housewife. His younger brother, Yūta, is a tennis player at St. Rudolph Middle School. Fuji’s older sister, 24-year-old Yumiko, is considered very attractive and is popular among both Fuji and Yūta’s friends.
He grew up in Chiba, where he became friends with Kojirō Saeki, the current vice-captain of Rokkaku Middle School Tennis Club. Later on, he moved to Tokyo and entered Seigaku.
Fuji usually takes the position of S2 (Singles 2), although sometimes he is paired with Kawamura Takashi or Kikumaru Eiji in Doubles (with Kikumaru, they are called the “Dream Pair”). Also, he and Echizen Ryoma temporarily take turns for the position of S1 (Singles 1) when captain Tezuka Kunimitsu is in rehabilitation.
Touya Kinomoto – Tsubasa Chronicle
Touya is the brother of Sakura Kinomoto. His birthday is on February 29th, which makes him a leap year baby, a person that can only “properly” celebrate their birthday once every four years. He holds the belief that as Sakura’s older brother, he is the only person entitled to make fun of her, a belief that his best friend Yukito Tsukishiro refers to as a “sister complex.” However, he is also protective and caring of her, which leads him to dislike Syaoran Li when he finds Syaoran cornering Sakura in the schoolyard. Though Syaoran and Sakura eventually stop fighting, Toya continues to dislike Syaoran when he becomes friends with Sakura, knowing that Syaoran will eventually take Sakura away from him. He is a perceptive young man and has had a vague idea as to what Sakura has been up to as a Cardcaptor, despite Sakura’s attempts to keep it a secret.
So there you have it! Some auspicious characters also born on February 29th! Let’s wish them all a happy birthday on this Leap Day!
Thanks to MyAnimeList for the character biographies!
