Born with a funny bone, Hangyodon is a unique kawaii character from Sanrio. This sensitive little cutie is part-fish, part man! Hangyodon loves stand-up comedy and dreams of being a hero. Though this hopeless romantic fish can get a bit lonely sometimes, he does have fun with his friends like the octopus Sayuri and the other members of the Hapidanbui!
- Japanese name: ハンギョドン (pronounced Hangyodon)
- Gender: Male
- Birthday: March 14
- Zodiac sign: Pisces
- Nationality: Chinese
- Special Skill: Making people laugh!
- Hobbies: Collecting merchandise of himself
- Favorite place: In the warm water of a hot spring
- Favorite Food: Hiyashi chuka, Ebisen crackers, and nabemono
- Fun fact: In anime movies, Hangyodon actually worked as a detective!
WHAT IS HANGYODON?
This cutie is a fish-like kawaii character with blue skin, a long tail, stubby arms, and big, expressive eyes. He was born in China on March 14 under the bright light of Halley’s Comet. Hangyodon is often described as mysterious and lonely by Sanrio fans.
WHAT DOES “HANGYODON” MEAN?
Hangyodon, when broken down, means "half-fish" (han-gyo) "man" (don) in Japanese.
Isn't the fin on my back the cutest?
Yep, it sounds a little bit quirky, but that's what makes Hangyodon great. He’s an above-average fish with an above-average personality that everyone loves!
WHO MADE HANGYODON?
Hangyodon was made by Hisato Inoue, a staff member at Sanrio who also made other cuties like Badtz-Maru. Did you know that Hangyodon’s big eyes and full lips were based on Hisato’s own? That’s right. There’s a little bit of Hisato in the Sanrio character. Maybe that’s where Hangyodon gets his half-man features. Read more about the company that created Hangyodon in our full Sanrio blog!
WHAT IS HANGYODON’S FAVORITE FOOD?
Hangyodon likes a lot of things! First is Hiyashi Chuka, a Japanese cold ramen noodles. It’s perfect to slurp up on warm summer days.
It's time to chill the day away!
Second is ebisen prawn crackers. Our fish-boy loves these Japanese snacks! Last but not the least, Hangyodon also loves nabemono, or Japanese hot pot.
WHAT ANIMAL IS HANGYODON?
It should be clear with his scales and blue-skin that Hangyodon is kind of a fish. But not just any fish! This Sanrio half-aquatic cutie is smart and funny.
Be a hero! Help everyone respect oceans!
He’s a sensitive fish that loves to make other people happy by making them laugh. Hangyodon wants to be a hero though his attempts at being bold and courageous don’t always work out the way he wants them to.
WHO DOES HANGYODON HAVE A CRUSH ON?
It looks like everyone’s looking for some tea from the sea! It isn’t a surprise, Hangyodon is a hopeless romantic after all. Well, in the anime, the Sanrio fish boy actually does find himself a love interest named Kingyochan, a lovely goldfish with a mysterious backstory. They dated for three days until Hangyodon forgot all about it!
HANGYODON'S OTHER LOVE INTERESTS
There was a lot of ruckus early in 2023 when Sanrio posted this picture of My Melody and Hangyodon hanging out in a city juice bar on Twitter. It turns out the cuties were on a date. Who would have believed? A lot of fans were shocked to find the two together! If you'd like to learn more about the Hangyodon's date, you can check out our blog on My Melody!
WHO IS HANGYODON’S BEST FRIEND?
Meet Sayuri the octopus! She’s Hangyodon’s trusty gal pal. With Sayuri by his side, the Sanrio fish-man is never alone in his adventures. While Hangyodon can be a bit sensitive, Sayuri is always happy, curious, and optimistic. Thanks to her eight arms, this octo-cutie can do all sort of acrobatic tricks. Learn more about Sayuri and all of the other cuties that Sanrio has to offer in our Complete List of Sanrio Characters!
HANGYODON’S FRIENDS
Sayuri might be Hangyodon’s best friend, but she isn’t the only one that Hangyodon likes to hang out with. The Sanrio fish boy also has family and friends that he cares about too! Let’s get ready to meet them all.
Sumire (すみれ)
Sumire-chan is Hangyodon’s sister, but for some reason, Sanrio decided to turn her into half-person-half-salamander instead of a fish. Debuting a year after Hangyodon, Sumire has a strong personality. She’s competitive and she hates losing! Sometimes she can be a bit harsh, but she always means well. Sumire-chan works at the Aquarium. She’s a hard worker!
Itaro (イタロー)
A yellow squid that wears glasses, Itaro loves studying! He likes comedy a lot - that’s probably why he’s good friends with Hangyodon who jokes around. Itaro is also good at inventing gadgets, In one of Hangyodon’s anime movies, Itaro actually invents a time machine!
Otamaro (おたまろ)
Born in a river in Japan, Otamaro is a cutie that likes to eat and take walks. This male tadpole takes life at his own pace! His name comes from half of the Japanese word for tadpole which is otama-jakushi. Otamaro’s charm point is his facial mole - he can actually make it appear as if he’s crying sometimes!
HANGYODON IN THE HAPIDANBUI!
Our favorite part-fish-part-man is also part of a special group in Sanrio called the Hapidanbui.
This is my happy place where the fun never ends!
You can break the name into three - hapi (はぴ) or happy, dan (だん) for danshi, the Japanese word for boy, and bui (ぶい) the Japanese pronounciation of the letter V, which stands for victory. Hapidanbui means happy boys victory!
The group is comprised of six different Sanrio characters including Hangyodon, Pochacco, Tuxedosam, Bad Badtz-Maru, Pekkle, and Keroppi. The group’s goal is to spread happiness through the message “大丈夫！君は君のままで、きっとうまくいく” which roughly translates to "It's okay! You're still you, I'm sure it will work.”
The Hapidanbui have a lot of adventures and fun little gigs. If you'd like to read more about the group, you can head on over to our full Hapidanbui blog! It talks a lot about what the Sanrio boys do together as a group.
HANGYODON IS A STAR!
Did you know that Hangyodon takes center stage in a few anime series? Yep, that’s right. Hangyodon has his own shows like Hangyodon no Parallel Daisakusen: Hana no Oedo wa Oosawagi, an anime where Hangyodon travels back in time to the Dinosaur era.
These shows are a little bit old, but they were loved during their time. In some of the shows he’s a detective. In others he tries to be spy to save Kingyochan! We wonder if Sanrio would be giving Hangyodon a newer anime soon!
HANGYODON’S POPULARITY
At first Hangyodon wasn’t as well received, but once kawaii fans got to know the fish boy, they started falling in love! Throughout the years Hangyodon has been able to rise up the ranks in the Sanrio Character Awards (you can read more about this fun kawaii contest in our guide to the Sanrio Character Ranking).
In 2024, he actually took the top 8 spot right after Keroppi! According to Sanrio designer Harada Kaori, GenZ-ers have a soft spot for the Hangyodon because of his peculiar fishy looks. It seems like Hangyodon is going to become even more popular in the years to come!
HOW TO DRAW HANGYODON
Hangyodon might be half-fish and half-man, but drawing him isn't that hard really. He's made up of simple lines and shapes. If you want to learn how to draw Hangyodon, all you have to do is grab a pencil, some paper, and then load up a tutorial video like the one we have here. It won't take all afternoon, we promise!
TIME TO EAT HANGYODON TREATS!
Unlike his more popular siblings like Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and My Melody, Hangyodon doesn’t really have his own cafe. He does however, have a few treats at the Sanrio Cafe and the Hapidanbui Cafe that come out every now and then. These treats include Hangyodon crepes and Hangyodon drinks. Oishi!
WHERE TO FIND HANGYODON IN HELLO KITTY ISLAND ADVENTURE?
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a fun gaming app from Apple where you can experience events, play around, explore, and meet new friends. A lot of Hello Kitty’s friends are in the game, and the includes Hangyodon! If you want to find him in the game, just head on over to the vibrant "Seashell Bay". You'll find him dancing around the coral reefs. Give him a high-five or a splashy wave when you see him!
LET’S PLAY WITH HANGYODON!
Hello Kitty Island Adventure isn’t the only game that Hangyodon hangs out in. He’s also part of Hello Kitty Cafe, a cute game experience on Roblox! He was added into the game in 2022 and has four different outfits for gamers to collect. Isn’t that just kawaii?
That’s not all! Hangyodon also appears in the Imaginer game series Sanrio Timenet: Kako Hen and Sanrio Timenet: Mirai Hen for the Game Boy. It’s a monster battling game series, and because of his unique looks, Hangyodon is turned into one of the monsters. He has three different types in the game - Time Surfer, Hangyodon, and Great Hangyo!
TEAMING UP WITH HANGYODON
Hangyodon is so popular that a lot of people want to collaborate together with him. The Aquatic cutie got teamed up with Floresta cafe for some fun donuts. Hangyodon also got to work together with White Clover, a fun jewelry brand. He even managed to get a job as a retro cook at Thank You Mart (the Japanese store did a fun little collab where they sold special Hangyodon products).
WHERE CAN I BUY HANGYODON MERCHANDISE?
Hangyodon is a cutie, and a lot of kawaii fans love to surround themselves with the goofy-looking fish boy. That’s why Sanrio has made a lot of Hangyodon home goods, Hangyodon plushies, Hangyodon beauty accessories, and a whole lot more. While most of these items can be found in Japan, you can also check our Hangyodon collection on Blippo! We’ve got a lot of Hangyodon goodies for you to gush over!
That’s it! That’s everything you need to learn if you want to ride the Hangyodon wave! What do you like about Hangyodon? Is it his quirkiness?
It was a precious time with you...
Maybe you like his attempts at humor? Do you feel like you’re falling in love with him already?
The aquatic fish boy is certainly quirky, charming, and always up for an underwater adventure. We hope you had fun diving in together with us in our underwater mission to get to know Hangyodon! See you on the next kawaii adventure! 🌊🐟✨