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No one is immune to feeling self-conscious. Anxiety and awareness of social expectations can weigh heavy on even the boldest of fictional characters, and as in life, this aspect plays into how these characters are perceived. Japanese society has often prided itself on uniformity and the public good rather than individualism, and this also plays a role in how anime characters are written.
Outcasts are often the heroes but also the villains, and almost every show draws attention, negative or positive, to characters who refuse to fit the mold. At times, these characters become fan favorites, resolutely themselves even when the world wishes they were not.
10 L Is A Weirdo And It Doesn’t Matter (Death Note)
L is a weirdo, and no bones about it. If it weren’t for his genius intellect, he would be jobless, likely a hikikomori disdained by society. Other characters in Death Note regard L with some incredulity.
Sloppily dressed and usually shoeless, L doesn’t care for social norms. He doesn’t sit properly, bites his fingernails, puts his feet on furniture, and eats only sweets. At times polite but often downright condescending, L seems to lack awareness of how others perceive him. More likely, he’s aware and doesn’t give a damn. And why should he? He’s the only person who can do the work he does, a genius beyond reproach. L only ever has to be himself.
9 Kamina Is Obnoxious But Hard To Hate (Gurren Lagann)
The deuteragonist of classic mecha anime Gurren Lagann, Kamina is a loud and sometimes arrogant character. He’s never met a compliment he can’t apply to himself and seems to shout more than speak. To call Kamina ambitious is an understatement: it’s clear that Kamina actually believes he’s a gift to the world.
The thing is, when Kamina meets his end much sooner than fans anticipated, the traits that made him obnoxious suddenly feel priceless. Kamina believes in himself to a fault and dies without conceding to reality. Even in death, he remains devoted to the future of the world. Kamina’s spirit, unapologetically loud and determined, motivates Simon and the entire show thereafter.
8 Sucy Doesn’t Mind Being An Odd Duck (Little Witch Academia)
Sucy Manbavaran quickly emerged as a fan favorite character when Little Witch Academia debuted in 2017. Sucy, with her sharp teeth, droopy eyes, and grey skin, simply doesn’t look like most shojo characters. More than anything else, Sucy’s personality won her widespread appreciation.
Sucy is sarcastic and stoic and somehow remains unfazed by shocking incidents her classmates find extremely upsetting. She’s eccentric, to say the least. Sucy even displays some borderline sadistic traits, such as an interest in experimenting on her classmates or being eaten alive. And yet Sucy never steps beyond the realm of weird, a loyal friend by the end.
7 Nozaki-Kun Is Charming In His Obliviousness (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun)
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is one of the best comedy anime ever made, but Nozaki-kun would have no idea. Deadpan and serious to a fault, the shojo mangaka at the center of the story is a completely oblivious high schooler who knows nothing about romance even as he writes it. Other characters, Sakura especially, can only watch him in dismay.
At the heart of this story is a sweet thought, however: Nozaki-kun is a dork, and he’s possibly pretty bad at writing manga. But though he’s hopelessly unaware of the reality of love even when it’s following him around, he’s no less endearing for it. Nozaki-kun is odd, and that’s fine, and it doesn’t put off his fans.
6 Tanaka-Kun Has Perfected The Art of Laziness (Tanaka-Kun Is Always Listless)
Tanaka-kun never intended to be a sage bearer of wisdom, but fell into the role by mistake. In his attempt to be as lazy as possible, Tanaka doesn’t become a social pariah but rather a lovable curiosity among his classmates. The thing is, his dedication to being undedicated is in itself an art form and forms the spine of this underrated comedy series.
Tanaka-kun longs to be a background character, nondescript and left alone. But his efforts are in vain because his observant nature and zen approach to the world actually prove magnetic. There’s no character like Tanaka-kun, and his friends admire how very unique he is.
5 Tae Yamada Is Feral And That’s Okay (Zombie Land Saga)
Frankly, there’s not enough disability representation in modern anime. Though manga like I Hear The Sunspot, Gangsta, and A Silent Voice depict Deaf characters, shonen classics like Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece feature main characters who are also amputees, and several series confront mental illness and depression, few anime depict characters with developmental disabilities.
Yue of Zombie Land Saga can’t be directly compared to people with disabilities, and it would be false to say she serves as representation: she’s a zombie. But elements of her character make a case for what anime could be doing to incorporate a more diverse cast of characters. Yue seems to suffer from significant mental incapacitation. She’s incapable of speech and regularly engages in distinctly odd behaviors such as biting. Yet the other characters embrace her as one of their own without expecting Yue to change. Yue is Yue, and the way she’s appreciated by her bandmates is a statement on how society should treat those who are different.
4 Kuranosuke Dismisses Gender On A Daily Basis (Princess Jellyfish)
Few characters have left an impact so lasting as Kuranosuke Koibuchi, one of two protagonists who pushed Princess Jellyfish to cult-classic status. Kuranosuke was a groundbreaking character in 2010 and remains one even now. A boy who dresses in drag, not as a single, one-off gimmick, but because he loves fashion and doesn’t care for gender roles, Kuranosuke is outgoing but tired of putting on a facade for his political family.
While Kuranosuke is not explicitly described as LGBTQ+, it’s clear the concept of gender is fluid to him, and the progressiveness of his characterization can’t be understated. Fans longing for a second season of the fantastic anime may be left hanging forever.
3 Utena Is A Prince Among Princes (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Utena is long overdue for a modern reboot, and not just because the show is a nostalgic bit of anime history. Even in a modern context, the Kunihiko Ikuhara series remains progressive. Utena is determined to become a prince, gender be damned, and in a modern iteration might finally win Anthy’s hand and heart in a more concrete way than the ’90s anime allowed.
Utena Tenjou is a queer icon. Brash, intelligent, outspoken, and admired by her classmates, Utena is the kind of character many girls long to be but fear they can’t be.
2 San Is As Wild As She Wants To Be (Princess Mononoke)
San is fed up with human beings, and who can blame her? Raised by the wolf-goddess Moro, San has learned to value wildlife more than humanity. Semi-feral and fierce, San first appears in Princess Mononoke with blood on her face and an expression that quite clearly expresses how little she cares.
Humans invent rules that govern society in an attempt to differentiate themselves from animals, but San sees those rules as blasphemy. The world is messy and beautiful, and no amount of pretending can justify the harm mankind inflicts on the place it calls home.
1 Every Character In Dorohedoro Is A Moral Mess (Dorohedoro)
There isn’t a single character in Dorohedoro who can be described as wholesome. The protagonists regularly kill and dismember other characters and a huge portion of the story focuses on the would-be villains, one of whom transforms his foes into mushrooms and then eats them.
And yet, it’s hard not to love these characters. Cruel and disgusting though they are, they are the product of a ruthless world and not without their own weird brand of empathy. Shin and Noi are a lovable duo who work as violent “cleaners” for the bad guy, En. Nikaido and Caiman kill Sorcerers daily, but it’s nice to watch them eat together. The fact is, when the moral compass of a universe is broken, characters can’t be bound to it.
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