Paw Pose

One of the cutest anime character poses is the "paw pose" (or neko pose). Someone in this pose curls their fingers and holds their hands near their chest or face to resemble a cat's soft, relaxed paws. Moe anime artists use it to instantly add playfulness, innocence, or mischief to a character's portrait. When combined with a wink, head tilt, or "nya" expression, anime fans love this trope.

The paw gesture is most commonly used with nekomimi (cat girls), who look like cats. Artists improve poses by drawing characters with large, soft cat-paw gloves or sleeves. But not only real cats can do the pose. Because of the traditional Japanese "maneki neko" (beckoning lucky cat figurine), artists often draw idols, maids, or happy schoolgirls posing for a picture or making a joke.

The paw pose frames a character's face visually. By touching the character's cheeks or chin, the artist draws attention to their face. The artist can also make cute fabric wristbands for the character's sleeves. Cute, expressive character art and bubbly anime art fans will love these wallpapers.