The first theatrical anime film, Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island, hit the big screens on July 24, 2026, raking in over 2.2 billion JPY in its first three days and earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Recently, a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan pointed out that the mermaid character in Nagano's Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island bears an uncanny resemblance to a bizarre monster found in the 16th-century masterpiece "The Fall of the Rebel Angels." This unexpected discovery has sparked heated discussions online.
The post highlighted that the 16th-century painting "The Fall of the Rebel Angels," by artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, is currently housed at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Inspired by the Book of Revelation, the artwork vividly depicts the fierce battle where the angelic army, led by Archangel Michael, casts out rebellious angels (such as Lucifer and his followers), transformed into grotesque creatures, from heaven into the abyss.
Among the numerous strange creatures depicted in the painting, one monster in the upper right corner, with a fish body and a massive mouth, looks remarkably similar to the Chiikawa mermaid. Both share a fish tail, round eyes, and an open-mouthed expression, leading many netizens to agree on the striking resemblance.
With Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island having just premiered, this peculiar coincidence quickly grabbed fans' attention. Many netizens flooded the comments, exclaiming, "They're exactly alike!" "Nagano-sensei is truly amazing!" and "Did the artist really reference classical masterpieces when creating this?"
However, some netizens also chimed in, noting that the monster in the painting actually bears a strong resemblance to another of Nagano's original characters, "Mogura Korokke" (Mole Croquette), suggesting that it's easy to draw connections to various things.
▼ This is "Mogura Korokke."
Of course, with the "Chiikawa" movie currently a massive hit, these adorable and comforting "Chiikawa" characters have unexpectedly been linked to classical art from centuries ago, adding an interesting and amusing talking point to the franchise.
As for how similar they truly are, well, that's for everyone to judge for themselves!