And while I can’t exactly give a prophesized ninja with a demon fox inside of him the “same” stamp, there are plenty of others that just hit me to the core. So if you’ve been looking for some truly relatable characters in anime, you’ve stumbled onto the right corner of the Internet. Fair disclaimer: being “relatable” is somewhat relative, so take this list with a grain of salt.
15. Sei Handa
Anime: Barakamon If you’ve ever been involved in the arts, this dude is like a brother from another mother. Not because of something general like his love and passion for the arts, but rather the more difficult side of the creative process. Getting stuck and plateauing, relying strictly on technique, even though your heart is in it. But perhaps most importantly, is seeing him losing focus (and finding it again) to discover the main aim of art. Seeing Sei rediscover his passion for calligraphy and once again putting his soul into it was both inspiring, and like a wakeup call. Especially as the ending signals that passion did not immediately make him the best. But it made him content with his work.
14. Kusuo Saiki
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Saiki is like the Jesus of introverts. Not because he’s afraid to go out or lacks confidence (as it’s usually portrayed). But because he just likes being alone. He doesn’t hate his friends, and will go through great lengths in order to help them out without ever wanting gratification. But he also just wants to chill at home and watch some TV. Even just his drive to live a normal life seems so compelling and honest that I ended up relating to it, even though I’m as basic as they come – and Saiki is like a demigod.
13. Shouto Todoroki
Anime: My Hero Academia In a perfect world, Todoroki wouldn’t be at all relatable. But this is not a perfect world. The way his character was handled in relation to his broken home always struck me as very authentic and somewhat relatable. He bares hatred for his father, but never goes to the lengths of wanting to kill him (as the trope goes). And his decision to allow that same man to try and redeem himself was both mature and realistic. He didn’t forgive him, but he also didn’t want to hold only hatred for a man who was trying to be better. I honestly found that dynamic way more compelling than Deku realizing he can kick.
12. Joseph Joestar
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure In order to lighten the mood here, I want to talk about Joseph. He’s like the incarnation of all those petty and somewhat silly faults that we all have. If he cannot win, he’ll run away, like a normal person. And if he can find a way to piss of a person that he hates, you already know that he’s going to do it. It never came off as malicious or evil or anything like that. But rather it shined a light on the fact that we are all pricks on the inside. I just love the dude, and his antics remind me of most people that I know.
11. Shoyo Hinata
Anime: Haikyuu!! Nothing is more inspirational than seeing a person like Shoyo. We all have our faults, and often get judged and told what we can and cannot do. But history was built by people like Shoyo who just said, “that isn’t going to stop me”. Be it devoting yourself to the gym because you were called weak, or getting your PhD because someone dared to question your intelligence, a lot of people hold this central feeling of spite and rebellion – perfectly showcased by our very own short volleyball king. Seeing his uphill battle was both hype as hell and relatable on so many levels.
10. Yui Hirasawa
Anime: K-ON! Let’s be honest here: Few other anime characters showcase how most of us went through high school as well as Yui did. My high school experience wasn’t filled with fifty love triangles nor a demon king. But it most certainly contained doing the bare minimum and barely scraping by. Why? Because laziness is a curse that takes too much effort to correct. Yui definitely gets this sentiment, as she has showcased how easily she could be a role model student had she actually put in the effort. I’m not saying that this is the correct way to live. But Yui is definitely my homie, and I get her.
9. Sawako Kuronuma
Anime: From Me To You Being judged based on your appearance is something that we all have to face on a day-to-day basis. And although Sawako got the shortest end of the stick, I still find it all very relatable. You can be the biggest sweetheart and people will still avoid you like the plague because you look “dangerous” or “threatening”. Luckily, as Sawako’s story has highlighted, there are people out there willing to ignore appearance and give us a chance to form a meaningful relationship. It might not be an extravagant anime plot concept, but boy did it hit close to home.
8. Iori Kitahara
Anime: Grand Blue Just like Yui represented high school in a very relatable way, Iori did with college. Again, I’m not saying that this ought to be the way to live. But it was close to my experience. Getting drunk, hanging out with your buddies, utterly failing at impressing girls, finding your passions, going to lectures in your underwear… We’ve all been there. Okay, maybe except the last one. The character is a bit over the top here since it is a comedy anime. But I still felt like I understand Iori on a fundamental level.
7. Shirou Ashiya
Anime: The Devil is a Part-Timer! When this show was airing, I saw a lot of people saying “oh my god, I am literally Luficer”, being that he stays at home all the time and just surfs the web. However, I have a better example of that aspect of life further on. And I really want to talk about Shirou. If you’ve ever lived with a roommate on a minimum budget, you’ll get this man’s frustrations like they were your own. He tries so hard to keep everything in order and to live in a nice and clean space, only for all of these men to just walk through the door and throw their feet on the table! I had a messy roommate once, okay? This one hit deep.
6. Tomoko Kuroki
Anime: WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Unpopular! Going through puberty sucks on so many levels. And Tomoko presents a lot of the uglier sides when it comes to growing up. And by that, I simply mean the ridiculous levels of cringe. I do not know a single person who can look back on their childhood without having at least one thing they would like to forget. And Tomoko is like a living reminder of those days. The quests to become popular, to get a boyfriend, to look attractive, she goes through it all with a mindset of a truly confused teen. A lot of people find the show a bit painful to watch. And I think that it just speaks volumes on how realistic this character truly is.
5. Shouya Ishida
Anime: A Silent Voice Speaking of a past we would rather forget, we have Shouya. Kids are pretty awful. Since everyone is trying so hard to be cool and popular while also not minding what they say or do (or how those things affect the people around them), kids tend to be ruthless. Shouya was no exception to this generalization. And his adolescence was heavily influenced by his terrible behavior. He became alienated from his friends and sought for nothing more than to redeem himself by helping out those he has hurt, putting up walls, and believing that he does not deserve to have friends anymore. It’s a very real and very common struggle. So Shouya gets a very sad “same” stamp.
4. Kazuma Satou
Anime: KonoSuba Kazuma simply has every acceptable negative characteristic that a human can have. He’s lazy, petty, short-tempered, perverted, inconsiderate, a capitalist(or commie?)… But he’s not necessarily a good guy. He’s simply a far cry from the usually perfect protagonist that we’re all used to seeing. He just wants to chill out, maybe experiment with some explosions, earn money, drink with the boys, and put cocky adventurers in their place. I love the guy. And he has by far the largest amount of gifs that you can use to explain your current mental state.
3. Shigeo Kageyama
Anime: Mob Psycho 100 I just love Mob to death. Even though he was blessed with enormous power, all he ever wanted was to fit in and discover what made him happy. His journey of self-improvement was so well written and real that I just found myself rooting for this scrawny kid trying to keep up with the jocks and grow stronger. Because that’s how it always has to start. His relationships with Reigen and Ritsu were also excellent additions, and just made Mob feel like a realistic and relatable three-dimensional character.
2. Tatsuhiro Satou
Anime: Welcome to the N.H.K. This is what I meant when I said that there’s someone who portrays the shut-in life way better than Lucifer ever could. The show is rather complex and detailed, as we see Satou’s mental state thoroughly examined and tested throughout the series. We see him at his lowest low, but also when he is in full swing, determined to make everything better. If you are a shut-in yourself, Satou is probably the most relatable character you’ll find in anime. Nothing about his decision is trivialized or dumbed down. It all comes from a very deep place. And for that I have to put Satou as my runner-up.
1. Watashi
Anime: The Tatami Galaxy You can’t really be more on the nose than the name “Watashi”. This dude might not seem all that relatable at first, as he just does some pretty troll things and ends up being hated by almost everyone around him. However, the more you get into the show, the clearer it all becomes. Meaning the entire concept of the show, and the reason you’re getting Suzumiya Haruhi vibes. I won’t spoil anything. But let’s just say that Watashi is going through something we’ve all tackled at one point or another. An issue so common it’s like the core of humanity. And core of humanity seems pretty relatable, if I do say so myself.
