The pilot episode of My Deer Friend Nokotan had fans asking why Nokotan has antlers in the series.
Interestingly, her antlers could do great and unimaginable things, making them one of Nokotan’s most useful assets in the series.
Who Is Nokotan in My Deer Friend Nokotan?
Noko Shikanoko, or simply Nokotan, is the main protagonist of My Deer Friend Nokotan.
Unlike the other female characters in the series, she has deer-like antlers on her head, which makes her stand out to Torako, who only wants to live a peaceful and promising high school life as an honor student.
In the very first episode, Nokotan appeared before Torako, with her antlers hanging from electricity cables.
She also discovered Torako's secret identity as a former delinquent, which sparked the start of their bizarre friendship in the series.
Nokotan then transfers to Torako's school to form the deer club, which Torako is forced to join as captain. From brushing Nokotan's hair to feeding her deer crackers, Torako's high school life has never been the same.
Why Does Nokotan Have Antlers? Fan Theories Explored
There are a lot of possible reasons Nokotan has antlers in the series, from her possibly being a reindeer to her antlers possibly just a design choice.
Because of this, anime fans have so much fun trying to expose the real reason Nokotan has antlers, and here are some of them:
Nokotan Could Be a Reindeer
The first episode of My Deer Friend Nokotan had Torako explain that female deer don’t have antlers, resulting in fan theories suggesting that Nokotan could be a reindeer and not an ordinary deer because she has antlers on her head.
In real life, reindeer are the only species in which the females also grow antlers to defend food or territories from other females. The larger the antlers of the female reindeer, the more socially dominant they are.
Nokotan Could Be a Male Sika Deer
On the other hand, some fans believe that Nokotan might be a male sika deer, which is native to much of East Asia.
If so, this could explain why Nokotan is often surrounded by deer since male sika deer can successfully gather a harem of up to 12 females!
Meanwhile, other My Deer Friend Nokotan fans argue that her antlers are just a design choice to push the humor of the series, sell the jokes, and make it more unique than any other comedy anime and manga out there.
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