Everyone likes to see a kind and forgiving hero with empathetic qualities. As we see these idyllic protagonists save and help most people they run into, we can’t help but look up to them.
While this is one of the most pervasive qualities we can see in anime characters, it also often backfires on them. There is nothing worse than seeing a kind-hearted person who is not rewarded for his efforts, especially when they try to show kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it. As we have seen several times, it also affects their character development as they fail to move on. Being a good person is always desirable, but we can’t help but be puzzled by the main characters’ apparent priority for the lives of others over their own.
In this list, we shall look at the kindest anime characters who go too far in their pursuits, which might even lead to serious faults.
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13. Megumi Tadokoro – Food Wars
- Number of Episodes: 86
- Number of Seasons: 5
- Genres: Cooking, Ecchi, Comedy
- MAL Rating: 8.17
- Where to Watch: Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
Megumi is one of the main female characters in Food Wars and one of the protagonist’s best friends.
She’s considered a very soft-spoken and clumsy girl who is equally caring and kind. No matter the difficulties she faces, she still shows kindness to the other students even when coming close to losing in important competitions.
On the other hand, Megumi is also easily intimidated and doesn’t perform well under pressure. However, her hospitality is apparent through her cooking as she makes anyone who tastes her food feel her warmth.
12. Izuku Midoriya – My Hero Academia
- Number of Episodes: 123 (Currently Airing)
- Number of Seasons: 6 + 8 OVAs + 3 Movies
- Genres: Action, Comedy, Superhero
- MAL Rating: 7.91
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video
Izuku Midoriya, more popularly known as Deku in My Hero Academia, is the main character of the series as well as one of the kindest anime characters.
While he has always had low self-confidence, he never hesitates to save anyone in need. He is very expressive with his emotions, acting like a kid several times in the story but showing moments of bravery when it matters. Izuku has had several brushes with death as he stands against injustice.
With Studio Bones only enhancing his qualities from the manga, we see him trying to talk against even villains before having to fight them.
As we see him act with the same personality in every episode of My Hero Academia, we also wish for him to develop some cold-heartedness that can objectively judge a situation.
11. Goku – Dragon Ball
- Number of Episodes: 153
- Number of Seasons: 5
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
- MAL Rating: 7.96
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video, Hulu
The kid protagonist of the supremely influential Dragon Ball series is a character known for his straightforward and honest personality. He doesn’t tend to think about things too much and trusts others.
While he is very strong for his age, Goku is also very pure, which might be caused due to his being unaware of the world. He hardly ever gets angry or holds a grudge and lives in the moment as he trains to gain extreme strength and protect those around him.
10. Yuugi – Yu Gi-Oh!
- Number of Episodes: 1103 (Currently Airing)
- Number of Seasons: 7 + 4 Movies
- Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 7.22
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu
Yuugi is a very kind and naive protagonist who never takes advantage of others in life or during a fight. He follows a very innocent way of living life which affects him and other characters around him. Due to the gullible nature of this character, his grandfather also ended up losing his blue eyes. While he can get emotional when a situation demands it, he always forgives them shortly after.
At a certain point, we begin getting frustrated with him, hoping he gets more mature for his own good.
9. L – Death Note
- Number of Episodes: 37
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Genres: Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
- MAL Rating: 8.62
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video
Despite being the opposing force to the protagonist of Death Note, L still showed the most kindness among the many characters in the series and is considered the hero by most fans.
He is an extraordinarily clever and wise individual to the point where you could even mistake him for having psychic abilities.
While he was positive that he had identified the serial killer with a god complex who he was searching for, he still wished for it to not be true. This was because the person happened to be his friend and one whom he respected. Through his many attempts to get Light to blow his cover, a part of him also honestly wished they could remain friends.
Even with the world at stake, L still managed to not lose himself while remaining a kind character.
8. King – The Seven Deadly Sins
- Number of Episodes: 100
- Number of Seasons: 5 + 3 OVAs + 2 Movies
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 7.69
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu
King is one of the most forgiving and compassionate people in anime. He is a very emotional person who tends to cry easily but can also fight if anyone hurts a friend of his. While he was initially at odds with the Undead Ban, he grew accustomed to his character and behavior after some time.
His kindness and caring nature even extend to his enemies, as he is also a rational person for the most part.
He travels the world with his friends while remaining unchanged throughout his journey in seven deadly sins.
7. Shouko Nishimiya – A Silent Voice
- Number of Episodes: 1
- Number of Seasons: Movie
- Genres: Drama, Romance
- MAL Rating: 8.94
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Prime Video
The female lead of the inspiring and coming-of-age movie, A Silent Voice, is yet another character who is too good for her own good.
Shouko was a young deaf girl who never let her disabilities hold her back. However, despite being unbelievably kind, she still ended up being bullied by kids and pitied by most. While many might never forgive others for this, Shouko could move on and forgive her childhood bully. The 2 of them rebuilt their relationship while even going on to have romance bloom between them.
Shouko’s kindness comes at great cost as she never expresses her true feelings and has built up all her frustrations inside to be empathetic towards others.
6. Orihime Inoue – Bleach
- Number of Episodes: 374 (Currently Airing)
- Number of Seasons: 17 + 2 OVAs + 4 Movies
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 7.89
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video
Orihime Inoue is the main female character and main love interest of the protagonist in Bleach.
She’s a very strong yet sensitive and caring girl who always thinks of her friends’ well-being. This even results in her surrendering to the enemy while putting her life at risk when he threatens her loved ones.
Under captivity, even when she constantly went through abuse, she still saved her captors in a moment of danger.
One of the reasons Ichigo went on to love Orihime was her empathetic nature. Still, he also realized how easily others could take advantage of it.
Her healing ability is the perfect complement to her character as it remedies others’ problems.
5. Koro Sensei – Assassination Classroom
- Number of Episodes: 47
- Number of Seasons: 2 + 1 OVA + 1 Movie
- Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy
- MAL Rating: 8.09
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video
The lovable alien teacher of Assassination Classroom is one of the most understanding and kindest anime characters ever.
Despite the seemingly dark premise of the series, Koro sensei always had a smile on his face though his life under danger.
For the sake of education and teaching valuable lessons to his students, he would do more than what was necessary.
He is generally upbeat but would never hesitate if any of his students were ever in danger.
Koro Sensei’s childish yet knowledgeable personality never failed to inspire even the fans who were watching the anime.
4. Itachi Uchiha – Naruto
- Number of Episodes: 720
- Number of Seasons: 26 + 12 OVAs + 11 Movies
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 7.98
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu
Possibly the most beloved character in Naruto, Itachi’s selfless and benevolent actions make him one of the kindest characters in anime and manga.
While initially, he was considered to be a bad person by both Sasuke and the audience, we soon find out the tragic past behind him.
Despite being a kid, he was forced to act maturely while making impossible decisions for the sake of peace.
It’s ironic since he had the ability which could fool others. Still, he ended up being the one who was manipulated.
Itachi was a character who was too noble and straightforward for the world of Naruto.
3. Gon – Hunter x Hunter
- Number of Episodes: 148
- Number of Seasons: 6
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 9.04
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video
Gon is possibly the most faithful version of a child we’ve seen in anime. He has no sense of maturity and enjoys life as a kid while also having the innocence and sense of justice one has at a young age. He continuously tried to stop his friends from straying on the wrong path and giving up their pursuits towards revenge, as we saw in the case of Kurapika. Gon would also go to the ends of the world and face the most dangerous villains if they threatened anyone close to him.
His gullible nature, however, bit him in the back later, as we saw in the Chimera Ant Arc.
2. Tanjiro Kamado – Demon Slayer
- Number of Episodes: 44
- Number of Seasons: 2 +1 Movie
- Genres: Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 8.52
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video
The protagonist of Demon Slayer is one of the most pure-hearted and honorable people ever. He is extremely determined, persistent, and hard-working but, more importantly, a very sympathetic person. Even when facing demons who killed his family, he thinks of their circumstances and feels sad for them.
While Tanjiro is also very strong, he tries his best to not get into a fight and look for a peaceful solution. On the other hand, whenever someone harms his friends or sister, he will go to any lengths to protect them.
1. Tohru Honda – Fruits Basket
- Number of Episodes: 63
- Number of Seasons: 3 + 1 Movie
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Supernatural
- MAL Rating: 8.22
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video
The female protagonist of the bittersweet masterpiece, Fruits Basket, is the kindest anime character you can see in both anime and manga.
She never let her hard life define her personality, as she was a sweet girl who was welcoming toward everyone. She’s also very straightforward with her feelings and is empathetic even towards hostile people. Her warm nature, combined with her tenacious nature, greatly influences most characters in the series.
However, she also ends up hurting herself frequently in her endeavors, making others constantly worry about her.
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