Well, laughter is also quite contagious. And it’s time for your weekly check-up. So here are some anime characters that just love to crack a smile whenever possible.
15. Kobato Hasegawa
Anime: Haganai: I don’t have many friends Kobato is adorable on so many levels. Especially when she does her signature laugh. Be it so that she can announce her presence or so that she can get into character, hardly an episode goes by without us being blessed by the signature Kobato “Ku Ku Ku”. And while the laugh itself is quite short, it’s also incredibly adorable.
14. Laurent Thierry
Anime: The Great Pretender Throughout the entire show, Laurent is always messing with somebody. And if that fact alone wasn’t enough to give you trust issues, his demeanor should. The dude is constantly chuckling to himself, regardless of how desperate the situation seems to be. We do see Makoto pick up this habit as well later on. But it’s important to remember who’s the master of his craft. Even his profile picture on MAL has him cracking a devious smile!
13. Hisoka Morow
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011)
I know that clowns are supposed to laugh, but it just feels wrong when Hisoka does it.
And in case it wasn’t obvious, his laughter is deeply rooted in the villainous side of things.
Whenever someone tries to stand up to him or talks of upcoming battles start being tossed around, Hisoka is all smiles. And his favorite moments are those when the enemy actually believes that they have him in a corner.
Oh, the naïve fools. They have no idea what this chuckling maniac is about to unleash.
12. Megumin
Anime: KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! Megumin has a very similar setup as Kobato, but it’s a lot more pronounced. In order to seem like a real evil sorceress, Megumin starts hysterically laughing almost every time she casts a spell. And if you know Megumin, you know that casting spells (or rather that one single spell) is kind of her entire thing. Plus, we occasionally get some bonus laughter when she trolls Kazuma. These moments are especially healing for the soul as Megumin does in fact have the smuggest little face on the planet.
11. All Might
Anime: My Hero Academia All Might’s entire life motto is that a hero should save the day with a smile on their face. And he definitely understood the assignment. While he could still use his powers, he’d laugh prior to any entrance. Even his face seems like it’s permanently distorted into a wide grin. And when it comes to his laugh, I have to say that it’s pretty contagious. It’s really the type of laugh where you know everything’s going to be okay.
10. Rak Wraithraiser
Anime: Tower of God Although Rak’s visual design would have you believe that he’s a rough and tough warrior, he’s literally the soul of the series. The dude doesn’t care for concealing his emotions and will act upon them to the fullest. When he’s angry, there’s basically smoke coming out of his ears. And when he finds something funny, he’ll nearly piss himself as he rolls around on the floor. Words can’t explain how much I love this character and his surprisingly cheerful personality added so much to the show.
9. Kyoujurou Rengoku
Anime: Demon Slayer Just like All Might, the Flame Hashira tries his best to be a beacon of hope and lives life with a burning passion. He’s also endlessly optimistic and will smile even in the midst of combat. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he also threw in a few belly laughs now and then. And man, his laughter is one of the purest things you’ll ever hear. It’s exactly this wholesome, honest laughter that made the ending of the movie/season hit exceptionally hard.
8. Dio Brando
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Dio is the flexing king and he’ll take every opportunity to show you how superior he is. Sometimes this means trolling you with his powers – other times stealing your girl. But you best believe that he’s going to get a laugh out of it. And the thing is that Dio’s voice actor has the vocal strings of a literal god. So every time he does start chuckling to himself, it’s going to be rather unique and very memorable. Dio’s entire vocal performance is next level, but his laughs and screeches really push the boundaries of voice acting.
7. Monkey D. Luffy
Anime: One Piece You can’t really be a protagonist of a long-running show like One Piece without being a positive dude. Even the truest of edgelords couldn’t take 1000 episodes of Sasuke’s brooding. So, Luffy became quite the optimistic character. Whether it be to heighten his team’s spirits or because he was just happy at that moment, Luffy will laugh his butt off. In fact, almost all of the characters in this show are quite giggle-happy. This is honestly a blessing as most of their voice actors go ham when it comes to their performance. Trust me, if you’re having a bad day, just Google “One Piece laughing compilation”. If that doesn’t cheer you up, I don’t know what will.
6. Ryuk
Anime: Death Note When you think about death, you don’t usually associate it with laughter. Unless you have a pretty morbid sense of humor of course. But for a Shinigami, Ryuk is really enjoying himself. It’s like he’s watching his own show. Whenever anything interesting happens, he’ll just start chuckling. And his laugh is equal part wholesome and terrifying, which just adds so much to the viewing experience. Sure, Light has a more pronounced (and twisted) laugh. But Ryuk is still my pick as he’s far more consistent and goofier.
5. Ayame Kajou
Anime: SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist Ayame’s entire life goal is to make the world less boring. Although it’s arguable how much success she’s had when it comes to the general populace, she’s definitely having a good time. A topic I’ve avoided up until this point is ojousama laughter. It might sound new but trust me when I say that you’ve heard it before. It’s the pompous “ohoho” laughter that’s bound to either thoroughly entertain you or make you hate the character doing it. Ayame does this constantly and I swear that it only gets funnier the more she does it. Especially since Shimoneta as a series is already so ridiculous and absurd.
4. Riki Nendou
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Nendou is one of the most lovable goof characters that anime has to offer. He just has a heart of gold and lays all of his cards on the table. It’s funny when he’s angry – it’s funny when he’s sad. But when he starts laughing, you truly have no other option than to join him. Again, this is largely due to the voice actor being a literal god and giving an amazing performance. Nendou’s voice will forever creep around in your head, and his laugh might just help you get over the largest hurdles in life.
3. Yumeko Jabami
Anime: Kakegurui If you want a show where the characters are constantly busting a gut, very few shows can compare with Kakegurui. Not because it’s a stellar comedy or anything, but rather because everyone is psychotic. Every episode presents a new game, and the characters take said games very seriously. So whenever victory is near, you can bet that Yumeko is about to unleash the most maniacal laugh onto her opponent. It’s all a mind game after all. And I don’t think anything can make you question your decisions as much as your opponent dying of laughter.
2. Luviagelita Edelfelt
Anime: Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya When I described ojousama laughter, if it sounded like something that’s right up your alley, you’ll love Luvi. Not only does she bust out the pompous villain laugh every ten seconds, but she’ll also give you enough “ara ara” to last a lifetime. Even for the characters in the show, her laugh is something that they can’t escape – it’s her favorite way to announce her arrival. Genuinely, the more you listen to her laugh, the funnier it gets. So do yourself a favor and find a compilation online. Or search ohohojousama on YouTube. You won’t regret it.
1. Emi Fukukado
Anime: My Hero Academia When it comes to laughter, you can’t really beat a character whose title is the Smile Hero: Ms. Joke. Her entire schtick is that she laughs constantly and can spread that to anyone close to her. She literally makes the bad guys laugh into submission. And while she hasn’t gotten too much screen time so far, I’m hoping that we’ll see more of her in season 6. Because we could honestly all use a little more laughter in our life. That, and I ship her with Aizawa.