When padoru hit the meme community sometime last year, we all loved it. On YouTube alone, this padoru video racked up about 4 million views in matter of months.
Padoru fever is not yet over, and if you were looking to catch some fun with a padoru character of your own, you could get one right now on the several online padoru maker platforms.
What is a padoru maker?
A padoru maker is a tool or an online service that allows you to create custom padoru characters. Padoru makers can be free or paid, and the best one for you really depends on your needs.
If you need something basic and nothing fancy, custom made padoru characters might be overkill. A free method will work just fine. If you, however, want a padoru character that stands out from the crowd with an overdose of cuteness, then you might need a paid padoru maker method.
Best ways to make a Padoru character
Starting from the free and moving to the paid methods you have:
1. Padoru maker apps
Padoru maker apps allow you to create padoru avatars from scratch using a template built in the app. These apps are free to use, and my favorite is the padoru maker app available on itch.io.
Being template-based means you get to choose from a list of premade templates for clothing, styling and body features to create your dream padoru. You can switch between several padoru outfits, including elf-like costumes, Santa type outfits and some other unique options.
You can also change the hair color and styling of your padoru character as well as change their accessories and theme music.
I should add that while the customization options are many, if you’re searching for something unique, you might not get it with this padoru maker. There’s just so much customization you can do with premade templates, and since many people already use this tool, you will see a lot of padoru online that looks exactly like yours.
Additionally, the software needs to be installed on a windows computer, so if you have just a mobile phone or an Apple device, this won’t work for you.
Still, it’s a nice handy way to get your padoru made, and I totally recommend it for anyone who wants a free padoru maker that’s easy and fun to use.
2. Padoru maker sites
If you wanted a padoru art that’s genuinely customized to your needs and preference, you’re better off commissioning a padoru artist to make one for you. This is what padoru maker services like that on Fiverr help you do.
The service itself is a marketplace, so you get a selection of artists who specialize in padoru art and who are currently taking padoru commissions. Unlike the free padoru art from padoru maker apps, with padoru commissions, you get:
- Fully customized padoru art. It can be made to look exactly how you want it to since these artists are drawing it up from scratch, not using templates.
- Unique padoru art, made to your specifications and genuinely different from what padoru enthusiasts have in their collection.
Commissioning a padoru artist also means you don’t have to go through any of the processes involved in making one yourself. No need to install the padoru maker app and no need to work with templates. If you’re looking for a relatively stress-free way to make quality padoru art for your collection, then ‘this is the way.’
How much will it cost to make your own padoru
If you’re using a free padoru maker like the one on itch.io, then it’s totally free to make your padoru.
However, for custom padoru maker services like that on Fiverr, the cost for a padoru commission can be anywhere between $5 – $50, depending on the complexity of the padoru art you want made and the skill of the padoru art creator.
Top padoru makers
Looking to get some custom padoru art made? I’ve got suggestions for some top draw padoru art creators on Fiverr:
Raptra best for hashire sori yo padoru art
If you’re looking to commission a padoru art in the spirit of Christmas, then this is your guy. He specializes in padoru art made in the popular hashire sori yo meme format.
If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a parody of the traditional jingle bells Christmas song in Japanese language.
Raptra’s work, however goes past the traditional hashire sori yo format. He’s also good with other holiday styled padoru characters. So everything from elves to reindeers and bunnies with all the extra holiday-themed accessories you can imagine.
Give him a shot if you’re here because of holiday-themed padoru characters.
Murasade
This is the padoru maker to go for if you’re looking for something extra cutesy and’ fun.’ She has a way to recreate those cute anime eyes and bodily proportions that does everything to make your padoru art cute and cudly.
And she can do this with all forms of padoru too! So whatever the male, female, OC or videogame character, you can rest assured that this artist will turn them into an ultra-cute looking padoru character.
I kid you not, even hulk with all his muscle mass will get toned down into a perfectly adorable character by this artist.
Kaemiemi
Kaemiemi is your artist for the more complex forms of padoru art – anything that will require fine detailing and complex customization. As an example of what I mean, check out this custom padoru she did for a client featuring a jack-o-lantern head.
This is your artist if you need some crazily custom details and accessories included in your padoru art. Even better, her work is very fairly priced. Go visit her commissions page on Fiverr to take advantage of the huge discount right now before it’s revised upwards.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly does padoru mean?
In Japanese, padoru means paddle. However, the hugely popular padoru meme originates from the anime game Fate/Extra.
There’s a character in the game called padoru, and it blew up as a popular meme style when padoru padoru as it’s called in the game, sang a parody of the ‘jingle bells’ Christmas rhyme called ‘hashire sori yo’ in Japanese.
Check out this YouTube video to hear the hashire sori yo as sang by the padoru character.
Why is padoru extremely popular?
Padoru is a meme culture, and just like other meme cultures, it blew out of proportion when it was adopted by memers online and everywhere else.
Padoru is especially popular around the Christmas holiday season when the popular hashire sori yo parody rhyme is played by padoru fans to celebrate Christmas.
How to make your own padoru?
You’ve got two options:
1. Use a padoru maker software like the one on itch.io
2. Commission a padoru artist on padoru marketplaces like Fiverr.
The first option is free of charge, but you don’t get the extra customization and uniquely styled padoru drawings.
The second option – commissioning a padoru expert – will cost about $5 – $30 depending on the complexity and styling of the padoru art you want. However, you can expect top-draw quality padoru art in whatever style or form you want.
