Kuromi is one of themost popular Sanrio charactersalongside Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll. She’s My Melody’s mischievous counterpart, with her design being complementary to My Melody, but with the complete opposite aesthetic. Where My Melody loves pink and wears pink clothing, Kuromi prefers to wear black.

Despite her distinct appearance, many fans wonder what type of animal Kuromi is. She has the qualities of several animals, including cats, bats, and rabbits, but which one is she really? Let’s dive into the history of Kuromi’s design to see what animal she’s based on.

Kuromi on a gradient pink background.

What Animal Is Kuromi Based On?

Most Sanrio characters have a description on the official website that says what type of animal they are,but Kuromi’s doesn’t have this information. Instead, she’s described as"My Melody’s rival" and being “very girly.”

AsKuromi and My Melody are always seen togetherand have the same white fur, we can gather thatthey’re the same species.

My Melody’s father and mother on a gradient pink background.

My Melody is a rabbit, though her pink hood covers her ears.My Melody’s family are all shown to be white rabbits, so My Melody must be one too.

So,Kuromi is not a cat or bat (or even an imp, as some think) but a white rabbitwho chooses to wear imp-like clothing. The sharp ears of her hood and her imp-like tail evoke different animals, butshe’s really a bunny.

Kuromi Grinning Sneakily With Black Hat And Pink Background.

Are My Melody And Kuromi Twins?

No,My Melody and Kuromi are not twins (or even related)- they were simply designed to be each other’s opposites in terms of personality, design, and role in the Sanrio universe.

Inspiration For Kuromi’s Design

Outside of being created as My Melody’s opposite,Sanrio has not revealed any other inspirations behind Kuromi’s character design.

Her tomboyish, punky attitude and scene/emo appearance could have beeninspired by subcultures at the time, as Kuromi debuted in 2005, at the height of the popularity of these subcultures.