Kuromi (2024)

"Say hello to my little friend!"

—Kuromi goes to attack a candy monster during the episode Kuromi's Night of the Living Desserts in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures.

Kuromi (クロミ, Kuromi) is a character from the My Melody universe. She is My Melody's rival and doppelgänger, and manifests as a white rabbit or imp-like creature wearing a black jester's hat with a pink skull on the front and a black devil's tail. The skull's facial expression on her forehead changes to match Kuromi's mood. Fittingly, her birthday is on Halloween (October 31st). Her name translates from Japanese to English as "black beauty". Her mother and father wears a very similar outfit as herself. Kuromi makes her first appearance in 2005 as an antagonist of Onegai My Melody and is intended to be a mischievous, dark counterpart to My Melody, though in later current series such as Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, her role is now changed into a more friendly demeanor with Hello Kitty and her friends, including My Melody herself.

Like most other Sanrio characters, Kuromi's appearance is inspired by those of cartoon/anime characters from the early 20th century, as well as the 1990s, specifically Impmon from the Digimon series or Pichu from Nintendo's Pokemon franchise. On her debut, Kuromi took the punk, scene, and goth communities by storm and quickly became highly successful due to her unique, contrasting yet similar appearance and "naughty" personality compared to My Melody (which explains her trademark "angry" eyes), and due to this immense popularity, she since become a major character for Sanrio. True to her rivalry, Kuromi even sometimes surpasses My Melody herself in official Sanrio rankings and official media often has her directly competing against her counterpart.

On October 26th of 2021, a campaign by Sanrio called the "KUROMIfy the World Project" was officially formed. It is a plan to fill the world with everything Kuromi and her “Kuromies”, which is the title bestowed upon her fans. With the campaign came the official Kuromi YouTube, Instagram and Twitter accounts, an ad campaign truck in Japan, and Kuromi‘s own original debut song, Greedy Greedy. The song has both an English and Japanese version, and a dance challenge to both versions was created where fans would be able to submit their own videos of themselves doing a set dance routine for a chance to be featured in a music video for the song. A year and three months later in 2023, the project brought Kuromi her own spin-off anime short called Kuromi’s Pretty Journey, which though initially released for Japan, have an English dub version.

Personality

Although Kuromi may look and act tough and punk, she is actually very girly and is attracted to good-looking guys. Kuromi enjoys writing in her diary and is hooked on romantic short stories. Her favorite colors are black and hot pink. Her favorite food is shallots, all kinds of meat, and in recent Kuromi merchandise, cherries have been shown. Despite being a villain (in Onegai My Melody), Kuromi is mostly into food and even cooks. She can be called a rowdy free spirit.

Kuromi is the "punk" tomboy counterpart to My Melody. Although My Melody can get along with Kuromi, the latter's feelings are more inclined to rivalry in order to appear tough.

Friends

Kuromi is not only My Melody's rival, but she is also the leader of an all-female notorious biker gang known as "Kuromi's 5" (although they do not ride motorcycles but actually only tricycles with some modifications). Other members of her group include a purple cat named Nyanmi (Kuromi's best friend and second-in-command), a pale orange dog named Wanmi, a white fox named Konmi, and a grey and white rat named Chumi. Like Kuromi, they all wear black hoods (and sunglasses) and drive around in a menacing fashion. Their matching outfits also share the skull symbol from Kuromi's forehead. They each also love riding their tricycles and causing havoc or mischief at breakneck speeds, similar to the Yakuza-inspired "bosozoku" girl gang subculture in Japan. As they only made their appearance in Onegal My Melody, so far, it is currently unknown if the members of Kuromi's 5 are reformed as non-antagonists like Kuromi herself. She also has a tapir henchman named Baku, whom is her sidekick.

The Kuromi Family

Onegai My Melody and Kuromi's Pretty Journey reveal that Kuromi has a family. In the former, when Kuromi was imprisoned for her crimes - stealing bread to simply feed Baku's family who are in desperate need of food, her parents attempted to see her in the royal castle, but the prison guards won't allow them, causing Kuromi to believe they do not love their own daughter anymore, but it is actually a misunderstanding. When she escapes and tries to reunite with her mother and father, they get into an argument because Kuromi is still a criminal, before furiously storming off declaring she will never see them again. Despite this, her parents still wrote emotional emails to their daughter, wishing for her safe return (which made Kuromi regret what she had done). They even attempted to help save Kuromi from the Spirit of the Dark Power's possession at the final battle. Alongside having the same "devil" tail, Kuromi's parents share a nearly identical black jester hat as herself.

In the latter show, Kuromi also has a courageous and helpful older sister named Romina, whom Kuromi strongly looks up to. At some time when Kuromi was younger, Romina left home to defeat an evil organization, which prompts Kuromi in a quest to search for her. She soon meets and befriend a young wolf girl named Gureco and a "bat" named Callimo who helps her and Baku along the way, alongside an alien baby named Koni. Eventually, after finding Romina in a building where a brief confrontation with Guresuke (Gureco's older brother) takes place, it is ultimately revealed that Romina is not a born individual, but actually an illusion from the wishing stone Guresuke and Gureco planned to use, but Kuromi's wish of having a loving older sister came to first and the wish itself does not last very long, as she will sadly disappear from existence. After an emotional goodbye with Kuromi, Romina's body vanishes and the stone returns to its original form, and everyone's memories about her are also immediately forgotten. Romina herself slightly resembles Kuromi but has her ears always pointed upwards and wears a scarf. She also has the ability to transform into multiple powerful forms, which humorously defeats foes solely from her beautiful looks.

Television Appearances

Onegai My Melody

In Onegai My Melody, where she debuted and is her most prominent appearance, Kuromi is depicted as one of the musical anime series' primary antagonists, and is shown to be lazy, short-tempered, dramatic, proud, and a bit of a glutton, which is the result of her having a grudge against My Melody since an incident when they were younger, where the innocent pink rabbit unknowingly tore a page of her personal diary to wipe My Sweet Piano's nose from a sneeze, making Kuromi record every single mishap moments she caused her since (even though most actually were by accident when some of which where Melody trying to help Kuromi), known as "Kuromi notes", as many as over 3,000 events written - eventually 10,000, which Melody herself is completely oblivious to, and would also go into a fit of rage whenever her rival upsets her. After fleeing from Mari Land to the human world as an escaped prisoner (though it was revealed she committed crimes like stealing bread in order to feed her henchman Baku's poor family). she meets, partners up with, and falls hopelessly in love with a young man named Keiichi Hiiragi, a coldhearted bishōnen violinist (he is quickly revealed to be simply using her as a puppet in spite of her attraction). After being chosen by the Spirit of the Dark Power to charge Kuromi's weapon, the Melody Key, through his violin playing, Hiiragi assists her in her quest to collect 100 Black Notes before My Melody does with her respective Pink Notes by casting twisted versions of peoples' dreams to summon the Spirit of Dark Power and get revenge on her enemies, especially My Melody. At times, her biker gang, Kuromi's Five, helps in her deeds, as well. She also has a human alter-ego named Kurumi Nui. In this series, Kuromi was a violent individual - often getting into angry tantrums and aggressively attacks Baku when he annoys her or things do not go her way. Despite her abusive behavior and her goal of desperately wanting revenge on Melody, she is not inherently evil, as Kuromi still has a soft, particularly feminine side with a bit of sympathy when in a good mood, and when she was younger, she was actually just as friendly as My Melody, therefore serving as an anti-villain. At the final episode, during the climax battle against the Spirit of Dark Power itself, which possessed her body and transforms her into a powerful, gigantic demonic monster to make My Melody learn about all of the agony she put her rival through and tearfully decides to lock herself inside a magical closet forever in apparent suicide, Kuromi herself, with tears in her eyes (yet still competitive), ultimately breaks free from the main antagonist's possession and quickly destroys it just before it fully closes, declaring if Melody dies, she would have no one to fight with, resulting in their hands touching each other and also revealing she truly cares for My Melody in spite of their rivalry.

Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures

In Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, Kuromi is depicted as a tough and cool tomboy-like character and is now reformed from the previous series she was featured in, as she is no longer a villain, but rather one of the main protagonists. Though Kuromi is a tomboy and doesn’t like to wear anything too cutesy, she does secretly take an interest in a girly book series called “Sugar Sweethearts Forever,” although at first she is worried that the series would cause her to be seen as a laughing stock. She is often seen hanging around with Badtz-Maru, who she is revealed to have a crush on, and Keroppi. She runs a Halloween shop in Sanrio Town and lives next to My Melody, who in this ongoing series, is her friend rather than her rival, which heavily suggests the two have patched up their relationship after the events of Onegai My Melody. Her sidekick Baku also makes cameo appearances.

Kuromi’s Pretty Journey

Kuromi’s Pretty Journey is a spin-off anime short released publicly on YouTube in February of 2023, which focuses on Kuromi as she travels the world to find her long-lost older sister, Romina (who is ultimately revealed to be an illusion by a wishing stone), whom she was very close to. Kuromi travels to various countries in her large blimp shaped like herself, which can transform into a giant robot in her likeness, and the meets new characters along the way, such as Gureco, Koni, and Collimo, as well as bringing her old friend Baku from Onegai My Melody along with her. Her behavior in this series is similar to Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures.

Ranking in the Sanrio Character Ranking

In the 2013 Sanrio Character Ranking, if Kuromi beats her rival My Melody, My Melody must look like her. However, she failed to beat her that year. Despite this, Kuromi remains an increasingly popular character among fans in recent years, reaching as high as third place.

• 2006: 5th place
• 2007: 6th place
• 2008: 6th place
• 2009: 7th place
• 2010: 5th place
• 2011: 6th place
• 2012: 8th place
• 2013: 10th place
• 2014: 11th place (3rd place in Group A)
• 2015: 14th place
• 2016: 10th place
• 2017: 11th place
• 2018: 10th place
• 2019: 7th place
• 2020: 7th place
• 2021: 5th place
• 2022: 3rd place
• 2023: 3rd place

Trivia

• Kuromi was originally designed to be a villain character; Onegai My Melody is the only media she appeared in where Kuromi is outright depicted as such. However, in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures and Kuromi's Pretty Journey, she instead since became an anti-hero, where her personality is significantly calmer and more willing to befriend or help others but remains mischievous. Some fans believed this change of alignment from evil to good as well as Kuromi's behavior being more mature was due to Sanrio wanting her to be more kid-friendly to follow the overall theme of those shows and not promote her former antagonistic or violent ways, strongly suggesting character development. While most fans enjoyed Kuromi being reformed and have a full friendship with My Melody, due to that it is shown she was indeed once very friendly in Onegai My Melody, saying it is her true nature, it is also met with some criticism as well, as it goes against her original intention of being the dark rival of the iconic pink-hooded character.

  

• A likely reason for Kuromi's high popularity apart from being My Melody's opposite (Melody represents light while Kuromi is darkness as well as having different tastes), is she is the only, if not one of the very few mainline characters created by Sanrio to contrast the standard kawaii theme by using a punk or tomboy personality and likes to do somewhat villainous things but is still quite girly deep inside, giving her a unique feel. Her role as an antagonist in Onegai My Melody is out of her many mishaps with My Melody, when she ultimately still wants to be her friend (as they actually were before the incidents), as well as a misunderstanding of her parents not loving her when she was in prison because they never visited her but it was actually due to them simply weren't allowed to see her when they attempted everyday, causing many fans to find Kuromi as a relatable and sympathetic character, and therefore a misjudged person.
• Like most other primary Sanrio characters, Kuromi's age is not consistent; In Kuromi's Pretty Journey, she is said to be 5 or 6 years old (although this has yet to be confirmed by Sanrio), but in other series, specifically Onegai My Melody, she is considerably older (which strongly implies as she fell in love with a young man).
• Kuromi owns a massive, powerful robot of herself which she can use for combat. In Onegai My Melody, it transforms from her phone, while in Kuromi's Pretty Journey, it changes from her large blimp.
• Kuromi's favorite colors are black and hot pink.
• Her favorite foods are meat, pickled onions, shallots, and pumpkin-based products.
• Kuromi's favorite holiday is unsurprisingly Halloween, as it is also her birthday.
• Kuromi's personal goal is to become a pop superstar, and likely prove herself better than My Melody.
• In Onegai My Melody, in spite of her tiny size in the human world, Kuromi is shown to be physically strong. When in a fit of rage, she is capable of lifting and throwing a statue made of stone, break through doors with her head, and in one case, can even punch Baku hard enough to send him flying and orbit around the Earth once with a powerful uppercut. This, however, could just be comical relief.
  • The episode's scene where she uppercuts Baku to orbit is a homage to the Street Fighter fighting game series based on the iconic Shoryuken special move.
  • Kuromi actually does possess knowledge of martial arts, as not only she packs powerful punches or kicks as seen in Onegai My Melody, in one case in Kuromi's Pretty Journey, the "Enter the Pink Skull" episode, she can change herself into a very tall human-like shape (possibly an illusion by Gureco) before performing comical fighting moves to protect Gureco and Collimo from Guresuke's forces, which she calls the "Fist of Cutie". The episode itself and her special move are a reference to the 1970s films Enter the Dragon and Fist of Fury, respectively, which featured the legendary Bruce Lee.
• Her "devil" tail is her Achilles' heel; Kuromi would immediately fall unconscious if someone were to step on it or pull it.
• Unlike My Melody who has a yellow nose, Kuromi's is pink.
  • Also unlike her rival, Kuromi has visible eyelashes while My Melody lacks them.
• In Kuromi's Pretty Journey, Kuromi's jester hat has pink dots at the bottom of her ears.
• In rare cases, Kuromi's eyes are shown with violet irises rather than plain black.
• Kuromi's debut in 2005 is significantly late compared to her counterpart My Melody (and most other iconic Sanrio characters), who herself made her first appearance as far back in 1975 - three decades before.

  

• Kuromi, along with a handful of other Sanrio characters, makes an appearance as an available shirt, fan, and even a plushie item in the mobile Nintendo video game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp from a special limited-time event in 2021 and 2023 called Pocket Camp X Sanrio. The plushie in particular costs 270 Leaf Tickets and it has her left ear facing down.
• Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures is the first time Kuromi is seen in an American-made animated series, while her other appearances by Sanrio are from Japan.
• In the Japanese version of Onegai My Melody, Kuromi can sometimes be heard saying minor profanity - specifically "Crap".
• As seen in certain media, Kuromi rides modified tricycles with her Kuromi's 5 gang and she also owns a comparatively faster moped, and likes to drive around in a menacing fashion to cause havoc. However, she does have her limits; In one episode of Onegai My Melody, when she regrettably made Uta Yumeno's 73-year old grandfather (who was a worldwide bike rider turned shop owner) 45 years younger with her nightmare wishing magic and he began driving his cruiser motorcycle at a high rate of speed with herself forced to ride with him, Kuromi ironically became terrified, as it is too intense for her comfort. This suggests she is not experienced enough to handle daredevil stunts, which she admits in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures.
  • Another piece of irony is that in the punk and goth subcultures, which Kuromi clearly represents, cruiser-type motorcycles are commonly used by real-life members of their community.
• Kuromi's Japanese voice actress, Junko Takeuchi, is also known to voice Naruto from the series of the same name.
• Fitting her punk personality, Kuromi has a taste for rock or heavy metal music; In Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, she owns a purple electric guitar.
• In Onegai My Melody and few offical artwork by Sanrio, it is occasionally revealed Kuromi is capable of moving both her ears into an upright position and uses them as a drill.
• As Kuromi strongly likes handsome male characters, in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, Kuromi has a crush on Badtz-Maru. Previously, she was deeply in love with Keiichi Hiiragi, as well as Prince Sorara, and a young lion who actually likes My Melody in Onegai My Melody.
• In Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, a picture of Kuromi can be found inside My Melody's house, directly below her own.
• Kuromi sometimes call her Kuromi's 5 group her "Mari Land ladies' street gang".
  • Interestingly, she is not the founder of the gang. One episode in Onegai My Melody where she steals the Melody Violin for Keiichi Hiiragi within Mari Land's royal castle reveals that at some point in the past, Rumi was the original leader before Kuromi replaced her and having her own members to become Kuromi's 5. Rumi also refers to the gang by this same name.

• In the "Kuromi's Night of Living Desserts" episode of Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, Kuromi makes a reference to the 1983 film Scarface when she turns her vehicle into a gun and tries to attack a candy monster, before saying the infamous line "Say hello to my little friend!" (where her weapon ends up shooting graffiti to her dismay)
• Much like My Melody with her pink (or red) hood, as revealed in the "A Star is Born" episode in Kuromi's Pretty Journey, Kuromi herself does not want to be seen in public with her black jester hat removed, as it is her trademark (her brief removal shocks the five women actors, which implies Kuromi may have an unusual appearance for an anthropomorphic rabbit, as suggested by the shape of her ears).
• Kuromi's rivalry with My Melody is an inspiration for Hello Kitty's relationship with Frido in Hello Kitty Super Style!.

Gallery

No Fanarts, please! Please DO NOT add artworks that aren't made by Sanrio to Hello Kitty Wiki. Any artworks made by anyone else will be removed except the pictures of merchandises or anything that isn't an artwork.

• Kuromi Products on Sanrio.com
• Kuromi Goodies on Sanrio.com
• Friend of the Month: Kuromi on Sanrio.com
• List of Onegai My Melody characters on Wikipedia
• Kuromi Profile on Sanrio.co.jp
• Kuromi Family and Friends on Sanrio.co.jp
• Kuromi Passport Profile on Sanrio.eu
• Kuromi Translation on Google Translate
• Kuromi Ranking on SanrioCharacterRanking.com via Archive.org (2016)
• October 2016 Calendar on Sanrio.com
• Kuromify the World Project website
• Kuromi’s Pretty Journey website
• Kuromi’s official Instagram
• Kuromi’s official Twitter