Kuromi — the villain who became a star
She was meant to be a character viewers would hate. She became the voice of a generation — and the subject of a court dispute over who created her.
Born on 31 October — yes, on Halloween — Kuromi debuted in 2005 in the anime Onegai My Melody as an escaped prisoner from the forest of Mariland, brimming with a thirst for revenge on My Melody for 6,324 wrongs. Viewers, though, didn't want to hate her: too cute, too honest in her spite, too human in her flaws. Sanrio quickly realised it had accidentally created something special — and turned the villain into a star.
Black beauty
The name "Kuromi" means "black beauty" in Japanese. A white rabbit in a black jester's cap with a pink skull whose expression changes with Kuromi's mood. A tail shaped like a devil's trident, a pink nose instead of the yellow one My Melody has. The design is a mirror image of her rival, but twisted into darkness — a contrast that makes the two characters inseparable.
A dispute over authorship
Who really created Kuromi? That question became the subject of a court dispute. According to Studio Comet, which produced the anime, Kuromi was designed by their animator Tomoko Miyagawa — the studio claims Sanrio provided only the character of My Melody, and that the rest (appearance, name, personality, world and plot) was created entirely by them. Rejected working names included "Warumi" and "Urami" (grudge, hatred). Sanrio, on the other hand, in the 2023 book The Secrets of Kuromi, attributed authorship to Hello Kitty's designer, Yuko Yamaguchi. In February 2025 Studio Comet filed a lawsuit over infringement of moral rights — not over ownership of the character, but over the right to be recognised as its creator. The case is ongoing.
Rebellious kawaii
Kuromi struck a nerve with a generation that had had enough of sweet perfection. Gen Z loved her for her "dark kawaii" aesthetic — gloomy, contrary, but still cute. TikTok exploded with Kuromi outfits, Korea opened themed cafés, H&M and Bershka released collections. In 2021 she overtook Hello Kitty in the Sanrio ranking for the first time, and then became a virtual idol: she released the single "Greedy Greedy", got her own anime Kuromi's Pretty Journey and a Netflix series.
Kuromi was meant to be a villain. Instead she became the voice of a generation that doesn't want to be good — but still wants to be cute.
Collector series
The whole Kuromi collection is waiting for you here — dark, contrary and cute.
See the collection →Follow: Kuromi Project · Sanrio
