is a Japanese manga and anime series created by Koge-Donbo. The series follows a catgirl named Di Gi Charat "Dejiko" who was adopted as the mascot of Broccoli's retail chain store, Gamers. The original anime series and its original video animations (OVAs) are set in a Gamers store.
Several specials, OVAs, and movies have been adapted as prequels, sequels and alternate stories; trading cards and video games are among the many forms of merchandise released for the series. The original series, movie, and Leave It to Piyoko! were licensed in North America by Synch-Point. The manga series is licensed by several companies. The original series, 4 specials and the Winter Garden special are now licensed by Sentai Filmworks.
Manga The characters of Di Gi Charat and her sidekick Gema first appeared in July 1998 in From Gamers, a promotional magazine for the Akihabara store, Gamers. In August of that year, the two appeared in , a four-panel comic-strip in From Gamers drawn by dōjin artist Koge-Donbo. Dejiko was later adopted as the mascot of Gamers.
Broccoli Books in the US published the Di Gi Charat Theater series, which contain a number of Di Gi Charat manga by Koge Donbo and several dōjin artists. The comic strip Gema Gema, which still runs in From Gamers, is republished in these volumes. Broccoli Books have stated that all the manga will be translated and released. However, due to Broccoli closing their offices in the US in 2008, Dejiko's Adventure and Leave It to Piyoko! were left unfinished.
Di Gi Charat is a manga serialized in Komi Digi Comics. Digiko's Champion Cup is a manga that was serialized in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion from April 2001 to August 2002. Di Gi Charat – It's Dejiko-Nyo is a manga published by Jive. Dejiko's Adventure is a manga that was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Dragon Junior. Dejiko à la mode is a manga serialized in the same magazine. Dejiko's Advice is a manga serialized in the same magazine. Di Gi Charat Theater – Leave It to Piyoko!! is a manga serialized in ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Comics. Di Gi Charat – Piyo Piyo Piyoko-chan is a manga published by Jive. Di Gi Charat – GGBG! is a manga published by Jive. Di Gi Charat – GGBG! Refill is a manga published by Jive. Di Gi Charat – Rabian! – Usada's Love Story is a manga published by Jive. Di Gi Charat Official Comic Anthology is a manga serialized in ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Comics. Di Gi Charat Official Comic Anthology is a manga compilation by Broccoli.
Current Di Gi Charat manga released in North America:
Broccoli Books Di Gi Charat Theater – Dejiko's Summer Vacation Di Gi Charat Theater – Piyoko is Number One! Di Gi Charat Theater – Dejiko's Adventure Di Gi Charat Theater – Leave It to Piyoko!
Viz Media Di Gi Charat Anthology volumes 1–4
Studio Ironcat Di Gi Charat series – Di Gi Charat Champion Cup
Comic Di Gi, a bimonthly magazine that is issued by Broccoli, included a Di Gi Charat comic called GemaGema Theater by Koge-Donbo.
Di Gi Charat volumes
Digiko's Champion Cup volumes
Anime
An animated Dejiko and her sidekick Gema first appeared on in a television advertisement for Gamers, set to the store's theme song, Welcome! by Hiroko Kato. The first anime premiered on the Tokyo Broadcasting System on November 29, 1999. Set in a Gamers store in Akihabara, the original series was sixteen episodes long with each episode running for three minutes. Light-hearted and relatively cheaply animated, the series follows the story of Di Gi Charat (Dejiko), her new sidekick Petit Charat (Puchiko) and Gema, who arrive in Akihabara, Tokyo. Dejiko dreams of becoming an idol, only to realize that they have no money and nowhere to stay. The manager of a Gamers store takes pity on them, and the series follows their exploits as they work in the shop. The series introduces Dejiko's rival, Rabi-en-Rose, and minor characters Abarenbou, Takeshi, Yoshimi, Takurou and Takurou. All other citizens of Akihabara, including the manager, are drawn as anthropomorphic thumbs, the reason being that Akihabara is one of the largest shopping areas of Earth for video games, among other things, and thumbs are most commonly used by people to press buttons while playing video games. The anime is directed by Hiroaki Sakurai, animated by Madhouse and produced by Broccoli.
As 2008 was the 10th anniversary of the series Di Gi Charat, Broccoli Inc. decided to recast the actresses of the main characters of Di Gi Charat. The new actress for Dejiko, Puchiko, and Usada were Satomi Akesaka, Nao Minakami, and Rieka Yazawa respectively.
However, as of the 15th anniversary in 2013, Broccoli Inc. has since reverted to using their original voice actresses and retconned the 10th Anniversary in a comic.
For the series' 24th anniversary, a new mini anime series titled Reiwa no Di Gi Charat has been announced. Hiroaki Sakurai is directing the new series at Liden Films, with Atsuko Watanabe providing the character designs. It aired from October 7, 2022, to January 3, 2023, on Tokyo MX and BS NTV. The theme song is "Aimaisa, Kōfukuron" by Masami Okui.
Specials Despite the series' low budget and its status as an advertisement for a games store, sequels for Di Gi Charat, several feature-length Di Gi Charat special episodes and OVAs, followed. Each special was around twenty minutes long. The specials introduce the Black Gema Gema Gang (Black Gema Gema Dan) and Dejiko's rival, Pyocola Analogue III (Piyoko).
Summer Special 2000 is a four episode series that aired over two days, August 22, 2000 to August 23, 2000. This was the first series that Piyoko appeared in and the plot involves her attempting to hold Dejiko hostage for ransom. Christmas Special is a special that aired on December 16, 2000 and featured Piyoko again attempting to capture Dejiko by inviting all the characters on a cruise. Piyoko's accomplices Coo, Rik and Ky are introduced. Ohanami Special is a special consisting of four independent episodes with no continuation that aired on April 6, 2001 in Japan. Natsuyasumi Special was another four episode series set in America that aired almost a year after the original series from August 2, 2001 to August 3, 2001. The young American otaku, Rod Young, is introduced in this series. Tsuyu Special was a two episode series that aired on August 25, 2001.
Movie is a movie that premiered on December 22, 2001, in Japan. The twenty-minute animation follows the adventures of Dejiko, Piyoko and Gema as they use the spaceship seen in the first episode to travel back to Dejiko's home planet, Planet Di Gi Charat. It was licensed by Synch-Point and announced at Anime Boston 2003 along with Leave It to Piyoko!
Synch-Point planned to include a 13-minute bonus episode called "Kuchi kara Bazooka" ("Rocket From the Mouth Special" or "Upchuck Bazooka") that was also included in the Japanese release, but it was never released.
Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat
A prequel of sorts with its own alternate continuity, Panyo Panyo aired from January 5, 2002, until September 29, 2002. The characters are drawn to look much younger. Princess Dejiko and Puchiko wish to escape castle life to help people of Planet Di Gi Charat achieve happiness. Pyocola Analogue III and hologram Digi Devil try to stop her. In this series Dejiko, Puchiko and Gema meet friends Meek and Rinna.
Panyo Panyo was arranged into five-minute mini episodes in order to make it feel like classic four panel manga. Panyo Panyo did not have the wide open endings which the original series had.
Di Gi Charat Theater – Leave it to Piyoko-pyo! is an eight episode OVA that was released in 2003. The OVA is the only show in the series where Dejiko is not the main character. Instead it focuses on Piyoko, Rik, Ky, Coo, and the rest of the Black Gema Gema Gang as they leave Planet Analogue and make their way to Earth to kidnap Dejiko.
At Anime Boston 2003, Synch-Point announced they have acquired North American distribution rights to the OVA. It was released on two DVDs on November 15, 2005, and March 7, 2006. Miyuki Sawashiro, the voice actor of Puchiko, also dubbed Puchiko in English for the first six episodes. It marked the first time a Japanese voice actor repeated their role in English for an English anime dub.
Di Gi Charat Nyo!
An alternate story to the original series, Nyo!, aired from April 6, 2003, until March 28, 2004. There were two stories for each of the fifty-two twenty-minute episodes.
Winter Garden is a two part spin-off series. Dejiko is around 20 years old and Puchiko is now around 15. Until recently, this was also the last animated project to feature the original voices of the characters. The story starts on Christmas with Dejiko working at a cake shop. She meets a young man named Senba Takuro while going home on Christmas night. Dejiko accidentally drops her cake, but Takuro exchanges his for hers, and love starts after several unplanned meetings with each other.
A promotional video premiered at Anime Expo 2006 during the Di Gi Charat panel sponsored by TBS, PONYCANYON and Broccoli. The series first aired on TBS on December 23, 2006, and December 24, 2006, and later on BS-i.
Relation of each series NameTypeRelationLengthYearDi Gi CharatTVOriginal16 x 4 mins1999Summer 2000SpecialSide Story4 x 11 mins2000ChristmasSpecialSide Story1 x 23 mins2000OhanamiSpecialSide Story4 x 10 mins2001NatsuyasumiSpecialSide Story4 x 11 mins2001TsuyuSpecialSide Story2 x 13 mins2001Hoshi no TabiMovieSide Story1 x 21 mins2001Kuchi Kara BazookaSpecialSide Story1 x 13 mins2001Panyo Panyo Di Gi CharatTVPrequel48 x 8 mins2002Piyoko ni Omakase pyo!OVASide Story8 x 15 mins2003Di Gi Charat NyoTVAlternative Version104 x 12 mins2003Winter GardenSpecialAlternative Version2 x 23 mins2006Reiwa no Di Gi CharatTVSequel16 x 4 mins2022
Characters Most of the characters of Di Gi Charat originally debuted in the yonkoma Gema Gema, and later appeared in the anime series. Across all of the Di Gi Charat series, each catgirl ends their sentence with a cat sounding suffix, such as Dejiko's Nyo. The four DVDs of the series Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat are named after each of the four catgirl's onomatopoeia. Piyoko talks in a similar manner.
Main characters /
Dejiko is the main protagonist of the series. She is also known as but despite this alternate name implying she likes chocolate, she prefers broccoli. Dejiko has a type A personality and can be aggressive at times. Dejiko dresses up as a catgirl and is the princess of Planet Di Gi Charat. She is ten years old when she comes to Earth with hopes of becoming an idol singer. She has green eyes, green hair, and her maid-like uniform consists of a white and navy blue dress with large cat bells tied to her hair with navy blue ribbons. She attacks using her eye-beam weapon.
She has the ability to use her eye-beam weapon called the Me Kara Beam. She ends each sentence that she speaks with nyo. In an interview with Koge-Donbo, she says that of all her character creations Dejiko is most like her.
/ (1999–2008 and 2013–present, Japanese; English in Leave It to Piyoko!), Nao Minakami (2008, Japanese), Karen Strassman (season 1), Hilary Haag (Panyo Panyo), Mariette Sluyter (Nyo) (English) At the beginning of the story it is explained that Puchiko, also known as Capuccino, is Dejiko's five-year-old younger sister and is a catgirl. Her relationship to Dejiko is not explained in the original series, but Gema states that she is a princess in the Di Gi Charat Movie and it is seen that she lives with Dejiko in the castle in Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat. According to early material for the Wonderful Edition anime, Dejiko saved her by pulling her out of a hole, and so Puchiko followed Dejiko to thank her. Although in Winter Garden, it is said that Puchiko is Dejiko's sister and share the same parents.