#fictional character

Your Fave MIGHT Be Catholic: Zakuro Fujiwara

Known for: One of the main characters of the manga series Tokyo Mew Mew, as well as the anime series of the same name. She is the fifth girl to join the Mew Mew team, uses a whip as her main weapon, & her DNA is merged with that of a wolf. Of the main characters, she is the most mature & self-confident of the group, & is seen as the team’s older sister figure. She is also very smart & quick to protect others, though she is more independent & introverted than the others. Her backstory also makes it clear that she went to very prestigious schools, & it’s even implied that she went to the United States for a time, & because her parents were often too busy, she would end up having to care for herself. Regardless, she is still a valuable member of the team & does all that she can to make things better.

Why I say MIGHT as opposed to IS: The original manga & anime make it very clear that Zakuro is a practicing Christian - such details are made clear by the silver cross pendant she wears on her neck, as well as her whip handle resembling a cross (seen above in the bottom image in the picture set). The specific denomination of Christianity is not really specified, but it’s most likely another case of the trope “Anime Catholicism”. Unfortunately, if you’re only familiar with the English dub made by the dubbing company 4Kids titled Mew Mew Power (in this series, she was renamed Renée Roberts), none of these details will be featured, as 4Kids censored out all religious references to appeal to as wide of an audience in the United States as possible. Actions like this are one of many reasons why 4Kids is disliked by most anime fans. Regardless, the original Japanese mangas & anime feature details that show that Zakuro is religious & are clearly Christian, & thus possible lean towards Catholicism.

If this post is wrong: If this post is wrong & Tokyo Mew Mew creators Reiko Yoshida & Mia Ikumi have stated in a reliable source that Zakuro’s Christian beliefs are from a different denomination, then please politely inform me in an ask & I’ll have this post changed right away.

Your Fave MIGHT Be Catholic: Miguel Rivera

Known for: Main character of Coco, the beloved animated film by Pixar Animation Studios centered around Dia de Los Muertos. He is a child who aspires to be a great musician just like the famed musician & singer Ernesto De La Cruz, but his family straight up forbids any kinds of music & insists he follow in their shoe making business. On the night of Dia de Los Muertos (a.k.a. “Day of the Dead”), he tries to steal a guitar from Ernesto De La Cruz’s memorial, & thus he is cursed & stuck in the Land of the Dead. Only a blessing from his deceased family can bring him back to the Land of the Living, but their oppressive ban on music forces Miguel to try & receive a blessing from Ernesto De La Cruz. Thus, he teams up with the charming former musician Héctor & his dog Dante to get to De La Cruz’s mansion party to receive his blessing. Miguel is a good child who loves his family (being especially close to his great grandmother, Mama Coco), but his passion for music causes conflict with the other members of his family, & it’s over the course of the film where he learns why his family hates music. *SPOILERS* It’s also through his adventures where he learns where his passion for music comes from - he learns that Héctor is his true great great grandfather, that he is the real musical genius behind Ernesto De La Cruz’s music, & uses music to help revive Mama Coco’s fading memories to help save Héctor from fading away forever as well as make amends with his family. *SPOILERS*

Why I say MIGHT as opposed to IS: Coco is a very interesting film to discuss, & with the topic of religion like this blog explores, this instance gets very confusing. On the one hand, a cross can be seen hanging from the wall in Mama Coco’s room, which can be seen here, & thus indicates that the Rivera family is very religious. Adding to this, the dominant religion of Mexico (the film’s setting) is Roman Catholicism, which makes the case stronger. In the film itself, Miguel even admits that initially he thought the traditions described in Dia de Los Muertos were make believe “like vitamins”, but after seeing the afterlife itself, it’s clear that he is certainly a believer. This can be seen in a clip found here. Last, & most importantly, the film makes it very VERY clear that there is an afterlife, & one of the main fundamental beliefs of Catholicism & all of Christianity in general is that there’s an afterlife after we die. But now this is where things get confusing…. Despite the film making it clear the afterlife is real, The Land of the Dead is not the same afterlife as described in Catholic doctrine - i.e. Heaven, Hell, & Purgatory. It seems to be based on traditional Mexican culture, which most likely dates back to before Christianity arrived in Mexico, & thus it’s sort of contradictory with the current religious beliefs. The film itself doesn’t explore this at all, & so we don’t really know how exactly the current religious beliefs work with regards to the Land of the Dead, which is based on memories & the importance of remembering our loved ones & who we are (which again, is based on real Mexican traditions). So, to conclude, it’s really hard to tell if the Rivera family is a loyal Catholic family, or if at the end of the film they practice a new religion based on the Land of the Dead.

(On a separate note: the earlier animated Dia de Los Muertos film The Book of Life has a very similar problem to Coco - Catholic nuns are seen as recurring extras in the film’s setting, but then they establish that there are three deities that exist: La Muerta the goddess who runs The Land of the Remembered, Xibalba the god who runs The Land of the Forgotten, & The Candle Maker who binds the universe together & owns the titular book. It’s arguably even more confusing, as Catholic beliefs make it super crystal clear that there is only ONE God, & yet that film shows Catholicism existing in a mythology with three deities.)

If this post is wrong: If this post is wrong & director Lee Unkrich or anyone else from Pixar Animation Studios have stated that the religious beliefs of Coco are ONLY surrounded around the lore involving the Land of the Dead, then please let me know in a polite ask, & I will have this post altered right away. 

Your Fave Is Catholic: Veronica Lodge

Known for: One of the main characters of the beloved Archie comic book series, as well as one of the main characters of the beloved television adaptation Riverdale. In the comics, she is the richest girl in all of Riverdale, & also one of the most beautiful. But because of this, she is often very self-absorbed, shallow, insensitive, easily jealous, has a very short temper, & has a problem with over shopping. Despite this though, she does have a good heart & will do the right thing most of the time, & she is also incredibly skilled at economics & playing the keyboard, which she does in the band The Archies. Her best friend is Betty Cooper, & she is also extremely close friends with Jughead Jones, & is one of the dueling love interests of Archie Andrews (interestingly enough, her rival is her best friend Betty Cooper, & this love triangle is infamous for creating the story trope “Betty & Veronica”). In the adaptation television series Riverdale, Veronica is a vastly different character, being much nicer & more likable than her comic book counterpart. Her backstory establishes that she was initially very much like her original comic book counterpart, only much more cruel & nasty. But after her father was arrested, she was deeply humbled, & since moving to Riverdale, she vowed to change her ways for the better. Now, she is much more empathetic & compassionate, generous, & a very strong feminist in her school. She is also shown to be very intelligent, a skilled cheerleader, & just like her comic book counterpart, she is a skilled musician who plays in her own band Veronica & the Pussycats, & she is also extremely good & loyal friends with Betty Cooper. Additionally, in the television series, she is depicted as Latin American, as opposed to her Caucasian comic counterpart.

Evidence of Faith: While there isn’t really any mention to her religious background in the original Archie comic books, the television series Riverdale establishes that Veronica is a practicing Catholic. Season 2 of Riverdale makes Veronica’s faith very clear. For instance, the episode “Chapter 14: A Kiss Before Dying” shows Veronica & her mother Hermione praying in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Catholic church, & you can see a picture of it right here. Additionally, the episode “Chapter 25: The Wicked & the Divine” is all about Veronica’s confirmation ceremony, & all of her friends attend it to show their support (the ceremony is held later in Veronica’s life than typical due to her parents wanting the same Monsignor who baptized her to perform the ceremony). The Archie-verse Wiki has an entire article about Veronica’s confirmation ceremony, & you can read all about it here. So, in short, while comic book Veronica’s faith might be more ambiguous, television’s Veronica is most definitely a Catholic, & her story greatly reflects this!

Your Fave Is Catholic: Joe (real name: José)

Known for: One of the main supporting characters from the Wildstorm comic book series Crimson. He is a Mexican-Indian vampire who is the best friend & street mentor of main character Alex Elder. Despite being a vampire, he is actually one of the friendliest characters in the series, & was quick to take Alex under his wing when they first met. He is very loyal & strong in fighting evil, but he also has some quirks of his own - for instance, a running joke involves him wearing a different face paint pattern per comic issue. He also fully embraces being a vampire, despite their reputation as creatures of evil, & he certainly knows he’s not evil.

Evidence of Faith: Despite being a vampire & being content with this form, the comics make it very clear that Joe is Catholic & genuinely believes in God. He often makes his religious beliefs very clear, & he will often mention & swear to the Virgin Mary a number of times to illustrate his faith. Plus, many fans cite his Mexican heritage being a vital reason for his devotion to Catholicism, since Mexico is a predominantly Catholic nation.

Note:Apologies for the picture set being lacking in good pictures. The two pictures you see above are the only ones I could find that were good enough, so I hope this isn’t too much of a problem.

My very sleepy armsona!