関西弁(かんさいべん)のアニメと漫画(まんが) Kansai-ben in Anime and Manga

There are quite a few anime and manga in which Kansai characters appear. If the story takes place in Kansai-region, there is no question as to why all the characters speak Kansai-ben. However, there are also some in which only one particular character speaks Kansai-ben. It may be because creators expect to set a laid-back, carefree, happy-go-lucky (and sly or sneaky)  character in their story, since these qualities are considered typical of Kansai-jin. There is a case that Kansai non-native voice actors sometimes imitate Kansai-ben in anime. Such a fake dialect is called nise (or ese) kansai-ben. If you can distinguish nise kansai-ben from the authentic one, you are an honorary user of this site! Also, please note that Kansai characters tend to be given southern accents for their English voices.

*We thank students from MIT and UTexas Austin who gave us information about Kansai Anime characters.

(*The following list is based on our limited knowledge. If you have more information, please contact Shingu at ikue@mit.edu. Your input would be greatly appreciated.)

関西弁アニメ Kansai Anime (with Kansai Characters)

*Most external links are their official sites.

Title	Information
じゃりん子(こ)チエ (Chie the Brat)	It is about ten-year-old Chie, "the most unfortunate girl in Japan", who manages her family diner (Horumonyaki-ya) in Osaka while her unemployed yakuza father and her mother are separated. All the characters speak Kansai-ben. It is really funny. It is definitely a must-see classic.
アベノ橋 (ばし)魔法(まほう)☆商店街(しょうてんがい) (Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi)	Childhood friends Arumi and Sasshi, living in the Abenobashi commercial district in Osaka, find themselves transported to an alternate sword and sorcery world after an accident. Arumi, Sasshi and all the characters in Abenobashi speak Kansai-ben in this anime.
ラブ★コン (Lovely Complex)	A complicated love story between a 172 cm tall girl and a 156 cm boy in a high school in Osaka.  Their talk sounds so comical to others and classmates think of them as All Hanshin-Kyojin (a famous Yoshimoto manzai duo in Osaka - Hanshin is a small guy where as Kyojin is very tall).
ヒカルの碁(ご) (Hikaru no Go)	社清春 (Kiyoharu Yashiro) as well as all other people in 関西棋院 (Kansai-Kiin) speak Kansai-ben.
あ ずまんが大王(だいおう)(Azumanga Daioh)	春日歩 (Ayumu “Osaka” Kasuga) is a Kansai-ben speaker.
AIR	神尾晴子 (Haruko Kamio) speaks Kansai-ben.
焼( や)きたて！！ジャぱん (Yakitate!! Japan)	河内恭介 (Kyosuke Kawachi) speaks Kansai-ben.
うる星(せい)やつら (Urusei Yatura)	テン (TEN), a toddler alien, speaks Kansai-ben.
エクセル サーガ (Excel Saga)	住吉大丸 (Daimaru Sumiyoshi) speaks Kansai-ben.
新世紀(しんせいき)エバンゲリオン (Neon Genesis Evangelion)	鈴原トウジ (Toji Suzuhara) speaks kansai-ben(?) *Tomokazu Seki, the voice actor for this character, is from Tokyo.
カードキャプ ターさくら (Card Captor Sakura)	ケロちゃん (Kero-chan) speaks Kansai-ben.
闇(や み)と帽子(ぼうし)と 本(ほん)の旅人(たびびと) (Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito)	ケンちゃん (Ken-chan) and メリリン (Meirin) speak Kansai-ben.
舞 (まい)-HIME (Mai-HIME)	藤乃静留 (Shizuru Fujino) speaks Kansai-ben.
PEACE MAKER鐵(くろがね) (Peace Maker KURIGANE)	明里 (Akesato) speaks Kansai-ben.
最 遊記(さいゆうき)：RELOAD GUNLOCK (Saiyuki Reload Gunlock)	ヘイゼル・グロース (Hazel) speaks Kansai-ben.
ケロロ軍曹(ぐんそう) (Keroro Gunsou)	In episode 18, Kururu invents a machine to change one's accent to Kansai-ben in order to make them better at a "Boke And Tsukkomi Routine contest."
ラブひな (Love Hina) & ラ ブひなAgain (Love Hina Again)	紺野みつね (Konno Mitsune), also known as きつね(Kitsune), speaks Kansai-ben.
学園(がくえ ん)アリス (Alice Academy)	佐倉蜜柑 ( Sakura Mikan) speaks Kansai-ben.
ら き☆すた (Lucky ☆ Star)	黒井ななこ先生 (Nanako Kuroi, the teacher) speaks Kansai-ben.
ハヤテのごとく! (Hayate the Combat Butler)	愛沢 咲夜 (Sakuya Aizawa) speaks Kansai-ben.
ブリーチ (Bleach)	市丸ギン (Gin Ichimaru) speaks Kyoto-ben.

* Here are some sites that our students recommended to get information in English.
TV Tropes Wiki : The Idiots from Osaka
Anime Academy: Japanese Dialects in Anime


関西弁の漫画  Manga in Kansai-ben

Here are some examples in which most characters speak Kansai-ben. (* Most animes introduced above originated in manga.)

Title	Author(s)	Publisher
じゃりン子(こ)チエ (Jarinko Chie)	はるき悦巳(えつみ)	双葉社(ふたばしゃ)
大阪(おおさか)豆(まめ)ゴハン (Osaka Mame-gohan)	サラ・イイネス	講談社(こうだんしゃ)
アベノ橋魔法(ばしまほう)☆商店街(しょうてんがい) (Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi)	GAINAX・鶴田謙二(つるたけんじ)	講談社(こうだんしゃ)
ラブ★コン (Lovely Complex)	中原(なかはら)アヤ	集英社(しゅうえいしゃ)
ちゃぶだいケンタ (Chabudai Kenta)	うめ	講談社(こうだんしゃ)