is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series ''

To Love Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank ...

'', created by

Saki Hasemi is a Japanese anime screenwriter and manga writer, best known for authoring the manga series ''To Love Ru'' (2006–2009) and '' To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. Together the two manga series have over ...

and

Kentaro Yabuki is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series ''Black Cat'' (2000–2004) and for illustrating ''To Love Ru'' (2006–2009) and '' To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside author Saki Hasemi. Currently, Yabuki writes and illustrat ...

. In the series, Mikan is the independent and reliable younger sister of

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

Rito Yuuki The Japanese manga series ''To Love Ru'' and its sequel ''To Love Ru Darkness'' feature an extensive cast of characters created by author Saki Hasemi and illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. After high school student #Rito Yuuki, Rito Yuuki accidentally g ...

. She also appears in the sequel, ''To Love Ru Darkness''.

Conception and creation

Mikan Yuuki was one of the earliest characters writer

and illustrator

conceived for ''

'', done so upon realizing they did not have a "little sister" character. While thinking her up and creating her was rather easy, crafting her personality caused them a lot of "suffering". Hasemi said most of the confusion came over how she would refer to Rito; although " Oniichan" kept popping into the author's head, they ultimately decided on her addressing her older brother by his first name. Hasemi and Yabuki were always mindful to make Mikan cute, and give her an "impish but irresistible charm". Hasemi said that while she is quite steadfast, Mikan is still an elementary school student and wants to enjoy herself and mess with Rito, "That's kind of her vibe." Although she slowly starts to realize who Rito's dream girl is as the story progresses, she continues to have no problem teasing him over it. In volume three of the manga, Hasemi said that he had thought of and abandoned several story ideas for Mikan. This was because, no matter what he did, advancing the story from her perspective would leave

Lala Satalin Deviluke is a fictional character and the main female protagonist of the manga series ''To Love Ru'', created by Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki. In the series, Lala is an alien princess from the planet Deviluke who, to avoid marrying one of her marriage ...

and Haruna Sairenji behind and "narrow" the scope more than usual with not much character interaction. He also noted how he really wanted to create friends for Mikan. Hasemi later described Mikan as "the housewife character", and "pretty much Rito's ''de-facto'' wife". When Uchida, Hasemi and Yabuki's editor, pointed out how Mikan was always drawn licking ice cream, Yabuki said that was because "We just thought that there wasn't many overly sexy and erotic little sister characters in

rom-com Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

manga". Uchida responded by saying "She's just as sexy as the others, isn't she?" In the manga's third year of serialization, the creators thought about having the main cast move up a grade, but one of the reasons they decided against it was because Mikan would have had to grow up. Yabuki explained it was about "her character attributes"; by having her appearance change and her clothes switch to a school uniform, it would seem like she was growing up and they felt that ''To Love Ru'' had not gotten to that stage of the story yet. Yabuki said that by the latter half of the series, they were treating all the female characters as main heroines, "even Mikan". At the end of ''To Love Ru'', Yabuki said most of his favorite chapters involved Mikan. In the final volume of '' To Love Ru Darkness'', released in early April 2017, Yabuki jokingly commented that he was plotting to draw a spin-off starring Mikan as a

magical girl is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...

. "Mikan" is the Japanese word for a

seedless fruit A seedless fruit is a fruit developed to possess no mature seeds. Since eating seedless fruits is generally easier and more convenient, they are considered commercially valuable. Most commercially produced seedless fruits have been developed from ...

that is said to have originated in either Japan or

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptations of ''To Love Ru'' and ''To Love Ru Darkness'', the Japanese voice actress for Mikan is

Kana Hanazawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtype ...

, with

Brittney Karbowski Brittney Marie Karbowski (born ; June 26, 1986) is an American voice actress who has voiced in a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime series for Funimation, Sentai Filmworks and ADV Films. Early life Karbowski was born on June ...

voicing the character in the

English dub Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...

Appearances

In ''To Love Ru'' and ''To Love Ru Darkness'', Mikan is depicted as the independent and reliable 12-year-old sister of protagonist Rito Yuuki. With their parents– Saibai and Ringo–often away on business, she takes care of the housework. In contrast to Rito, Mikan is very mature, but does not hesitate to tease him; calling him a "

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

" for attracting so many girls, including Lala Satalin Deviluke, Haruna Sairenji,

Golden Darkness , commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character in the manga series ''To Love Ru'', created by Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki. In the series, Golden Darkness is portrayed as the deadliest assassin in the galaxy who is hired to kill protagonist ...

, Yui Kotegawa, and many others. Mikan is very perceptive to other people's feelings, such as immediately perceiving Rito's crush on Haruna after noticing his obvious anxiety around her. Mikan also seems to have a certain lack of respect for Rito, rarely addressing him by his

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

as an older brother. Although she may not show it often, she cares deeply for Rito and misses his company, to the point one could suspect her of having a

brother complex Brother complex () refers to a state of strong attachment and obsession to brothers. It is also commonly abbreviated as "brocon" (), and in this case, it is also used for brothers and sisters who have a strong attachment and obsession to brothers ...

. She also states how she and Rito used to play together before Lala entered their lives. Mikan, however, does respect Rito's relationship with Lala, even going so far as to tell Lala's younger sister,

Momo Belia Deviluke is a fictional character in the manga series ''To Love Ru'', created by Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki. In the series, Momo is Lala Satalin Deviluke's younger sister and the younger twin sister to Nana Astar Deviluke, with Momo as the most misc ...

, not to get too close to Rito for Lala's sake. Mikan grows quite attached to Golden Darkness, perhaps due to the two seemingly being the same age. In addition to the anime and manga series, Mikan appears in the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

''To Love Ru Darkness: True Princess'' (2015), as well as the

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

game ''To Love Ru Darkness: Idol Revolution'' (2014).

Reception

Critical response

In a review for the first season of the anime adaptation of ''To Love Ru'', Theron Martin of

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

(ANN) described Mikan as having the "I'm going to be a knock-out when I'm a few years older" kind of

sex appeal Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...

. In the review for the anime's second season, Martin highlighted Mikan's friendship with

. Reviewing the third season of the anime, which is based on ''To Love Ru Darkness'', Martin commented how Mikan has been demoted to a substantially "meatier role" in the series. Martin also noted that–with the exception of Mikan–virtually every female character is shown with exposed

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth mu ...

s at one or more points in the anime. In another review, Martin observed that Mikan has a lesser degree of development in the fourth season of the anime, while also praising the character, saying, "Mikan's strength continues to be in her disgusted expressions at the crazy behavior around her, along with her cumulative interactions with Golden Darkness."

Popularity and merchandise

Mikan is one of the most popular characters in ''To Love Ru'', ranking 4th place with 2,472 votes in the series' first popularity poll, with the results being displayed on the cover of the manga's 57th chapter. In June 2014,

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

announced the results of a popularity poll conducted by Japanese website Charapedia to determine which anime characters fans would like to have as a little sister; Mikan was ranked 9th with 114 votes. In September 2014, Crunchyroll disclosed the results of another popularity poll made by Charapedia about the female characters whose homemade food fans would most like to eat, and Mikan ranked 6th with 237 votes. The October 2015 issue of

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

's ''

Jump Square , also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of t ...

'' magazine included the results of several popularity polls for the heroines of ''To Love-Ru Darkness''. In the various categories presented, Mikan ranked: 1st as "which character would you want to be in your family?"; 7th as "which character would you want to be your girlfriend (or wife)?"; and 8th as "which character would be your favorite if all the heroines were in an idol group?". In the same year, when ANN polled its visitors on the same questions, Mikan ranked: 1st as "which character would you want to be in your family (but not as a wife/girlfriend)?"; 5th as "which character would you want to be your girlfriend (or wife)?"; 6th as "which character would be your favorite if all the heroines were in an idol group?"; and 8th as "which character would you want to be your friend?" and "which character would you want to switch bodies with for just one day?". The December 2016 issue of ''Jump Square'' revealed the top 10 female characters from ''To Love Ru Darkness'' whose nipples were exposed the most in the manga, and Mikan was ranked 7th with a total of 94 times. Mikan's popularity led to her being featured in various promotional materials and other merchandise for the series. In April 2013, the online store for the

Animate Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

retailer started pre-ordering a box of eight different ''To Love Ru''-themed cell phone straps with the image of a female character from the manga–including Mikan. The straps were sent in May of the same year. In October 2017, Japanese company FOTS JAPAN began pre-orders for the sale of their first item, a pre-painted 1/8 scale PMMA

figure Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif *Noise figure, in telecommunication *Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern ...

of Mikan wearing a

one-piece swimsuit A one-piece swimsuit most commonly refers to swimwear worn primarily by women and girls when swimming in the sea or in a swimming pool, playing water polo, or for any activity in the sun, such as sun bathing. Today, the one-piece swimsuit is usua ...

. The 200mm tall figure was based on an illustration of the character drawn by Yabuki, which was included in an

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

of his released in October 2012. The figure was priced at 12,960

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

(about 115

US dollars The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from Dollar, other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American ...

) and was scheduled to ship in late November 2017. A scale figure of Mikan wearing a

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

costume was pre-ordered for sale in October 2019 and released in March 2020. Another scale figure of Mikan wearing a

bunny girl A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset ted ...

costume was pre-ordered for sale in July 2020 and released in January 2021.

References