Older Brother’s Day in Japan Date in the current year: June 6, 2026

It all started with Younger Sister’s Day. This unofficial holiday was created in the early 1990s by manga artist and author Kunio Hanada, who researched sibling relationships and published several works based on his findings. One of these works was dedicated to younger sisters, who, according to Hanada’s research, tended to succeed in entertainment and sports.

To celebrate the accomplishments of little sisters, Hanada decided to create a holiday in their honor. With the help of astrology, he choose the sign of Virgo to represent little sisters, who are commonly regarded as sweet and lovely. Virgo’s traditional dates are from August 23 to September 22, and Younger Sister’s Day, celebrated on September 6, falls right in the middle of that period.

After Younger Sister’s Day became popular, Hanada thought that other siblings deserved to be celebrated too, so he created three more holidays: Older Sister’s Day, Younger Brother’s Day, and Older Brother’s Day. These holidays are celebrated at three-month intervals, one per season. Older Brother’s Day is observed on June 6. This date falls during the Gemini sign, which is fitting because Gemini represents brothers.

Older Brother’s Day is less well-known than Younger Sister’s Day because it hasn’t been marketed as much. However, that’s no reason not to celebrate big brothers and all they do for their younger siblings. Manga and anime fans, for example, see Older Brother’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate iconic older brothers in their favorite titles.

According to CBR, some of the most iconic older brothers in anime include Yagami Light from Death Note, Hirotaka Niifuji from Wotakoi, Benimaru from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Tensei from My Hero Academia, Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, Miyuki Shirogane from Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer, Portgas D. Ace from One Piece, and Itachi Uchiha from Naruto. Some of them made the list for being compelling characters rather than good role models for their younger siblings, but that doesn’t diminish their iconic status.

You can participate in the celebration even if you don’t live in Japan because big brothers everywhere deserve recognition. If you have an older brother, you can mark the occasion by giving him a card or a gift, treating him to a meal, or reflecting on your favorite childhood memories together. You can also share those memories on social media using the hashtags #OlderBrothersDay and #BigBrothersDay.

Older Brother’s Day should not be confused with Good Big Brother Day (Good Older Brother Day), which is celebrated on November 23 because the numbers 11, 2 and 3 sound similar to “good big brother” in Japanese.