The 14 Most Underrated Anime Heroes That Don't Get Enough Credit

When people talk about Naruto's mentors, they're usually talking about Kakashi or Jiraiya. They tend to leave out his teacher Umino Iruka, the first adult to ever show him any affection or individual attention. He calls himself Naruto's honorary older brother, and he's right to do so. Iruka sees his 12-year-old student misbehaving out of loneliness, and he recalls his own behavior as an orphaned child. Rather than pushing Naruto away for his poor behavior in his class, he goes out of his way to give him the emotional support and physical protection he isn't getting anywhere else. Over the course of their relationship, he takes a giant shuriken to the back to keep Naruto safe, comforts him after Jiraiya's death, and ultimately plays the role of his father during his wedding. This is all the more impressive when one considers that the Nine-Tails beast sleeping inside Naruto killed Iruka's parents. He's uncomfortable with Naruto at first for this reason - much like everyone else in Konoha - but he puts this aside to become one of the most important figures in the boy's life. The Naruto fandom cannot possibly give Iruka enough credit.

Mumen Rider is a character from One-Punch Man who is easy to overlook, but is actually pretty awesome. He's not the most skilled superhero in Z-City, his rank is C, which isn't high. However, the reason his rank is so low is because he only wants to move up when he truly feels he's earned it. It doesn't matter to him if he gets glory or accolades - he just wants to ensure the villains are defeated, and he's willing to support a more accomplished hero, or take on powerful villains alone, if necessary. Ultimately, what matters to Mumen Rider is getting the job done. Though he isn't properly appreciated in the world of One-Punch Man, there's no reason the fandom can't give him a little more credit.

Attack on Titan is a wildly successful series, but one of its characters really doesn't get the credit he deserves. He began the series as an anxious kid who could barely handle getting bullied by neighborhood kids, let alone fighting off Titans. But as the series went on and he gained more experience, he became a reliable and competent fighter who no longer let himself be ruled by fear. What's more, he got the opportunity to show off his strategic skills when he came up with the plan that helped the Survey defeat Bertholt and Reiner and plug up the hole in the wall that was letting Titans in. In the Final Season, he's displayed his capacity to change and adapt to difficult circumstances - including a major betrayal from one of his closest friends.

Where would Gintama be without Shinpachi? The Yorozuya likely wouldn't be able to function at all, either as an odd-jobs business or as a meta purveyor of comedy. Shinpachi is the one who makes sure they stick to a schedule and complete tasks, and he even manages to keep Gintoki and Kagura from committing too many arrestable offenses. As the most serious and logical person in the trio, he makes the other two seem far more absurd, which adds an extra layer of humor to the show. But Shinpachi isn't without his own bizarre foibles. If you get him talking about his idol obsession, he seems every bit as ridiculous as Kagura when she's eating her weight in pickled seaweed or fighting her giant dog. Still, when it comes to helping the other members of the Yorozuya defeat an enemy or solve a serious problem, he can always be counted on.

It might seem shocking that a character from Sword Art Online could be called underrated, seeing as SAO is one of the most popular anime in existence. In fact, some would argue that the show itself is seriously overrated. But what a lot of SAO fans forget is that the series isn't all about Kirito and Asuna. Actually, there are a ton of wonderful ancillary characters who end up completely ignored. One of those is the deuteragonist of the Mother's Rosario arc, the oft-forgotten Yuuki Konno. Yuuki is a cheerful, energetic girl who wants Asuna's help on an in-game mission. It turns out that this mission means a lot more to Yuuki than anyone realizes. In real life, Yuuki is unable to do much of anything, because she's in an isolation unit at a hospital, dying of AIDS. She's using an experimental form of FullDive technology called the Medicuboid that allows her to live in a virtual world and bypass the physical ramifications of the dying process. Despite her truly terrible circumstances, she still forges a friendship with Asuna, and is a brave warrior in the context of the virtual reality game. Her presence makes the final arc of Sword Art Online II into an emotionally resonant finale.

Iruma might not want to be on this list. After his neglectful parents sold him to a Demon King, all he's wanted is to fly under the radar. It's hard to blame him - he's in a strange new world full of demons who literally sing about how humans exist to be their food. But while he isn't exactly able to be open about his human identity, he can integrate himself into his new world with a little bit of help from his loving-but-overbearing adoptive grandfather. Once ensconced in Demon society, he realizes that maybe he doesn't have to totally fly under the radar after all. Unlike in the human world, where he spent every moment working odd jobs to support his parents, he can lead a full and happy life. The Demons really appreciate him because he's genuinely kind and goes out of his way to help them when they need him. Watching him learn to appreciate the Demon Realm while still holding onto his true self is one of the best things about the show.

Hideki Nishimura isn't the type of character one would expect to fall in love with. Like many leads in harem-ish, slice-of-life anime, Hideki doesn't seem particularly unique - at first glance, he seems like a blank canvas for straight male viewers to project onto. But as And You Thought There Is Never A Girl Online? progresses, Hideki proves himself to be much more than that. He's actually an immaculate boyfriend who really steps up for Ako Tamaki (his online wife and real life girlfriend) when she needs it. Ako is so afraid of interacting with her classmates that she refuses to go to school, choosing instead to play MMORPGs in her room. Hideki wants her to go to school, but rather than pushing her, he takes the time to understand what's keeping her at home. Then he agrees to stay home with her if she tries going back and can't manage it. What's more, he doesn't shame her for not going - he just empathizes and offers support. Oh, and it works. That's amazing for anyone, especially a teenager who gets most of their social experience from video games.

Free! is typically written off as fan service for straight girls and women, but the characters in the program have some serious emotional depth. Haruka Nanase isn't just a quiet guy with big muscles; he also personifies the types of existential questions people face as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Haru is a talented swimmer who only feels at home when he's in the water. This translates to him being awkward and unsure of himself when he's not swimming. As the series progresses, he does start to ultimately bond with others but remains unsure about whether to pursue swimming competitively. Competition doesn't come naturally to him, but it allows him to spend his life in the water, and gives him the opportunity to meaningfully communicate with his teammates. That's pretty complex for the protagonist of a fan-service show.

Ascendance Of A Bookworm is an underrated isekai about a young woman who has just achieved her life goal of becoming a librarian when she's crushed under a bookcase. She's reincarnated as a sickly little girl named Myne. But while she's living Myne's life, she still has her original passion for books. Unfortunately, books aren't really a thing in Myne's new world. They exist, but they're only accessible to the wealthy and elite. Some people might give up and wallow in despair or find a new passion, but Myne isn't those people. She decides that if she can't get ahold of books right away, she's going to create them herself. That, and find a way to get access to the ones that do exist through whatever means necessary. She's as dedicated to her goals as you'd expect from a hero, but her goals aren't what you'd expect from one.

Though female characters have always been unfairly hated, the problem isn't quite as severe now as it was in the '90s, when Mobile Suit Gundam Wing first came out. Relena Peacecraft was a victim of this animosity. In fact, she was hated enough to earn a defense article in her favor, as well as multiple online inquiries as to why she's so despised. Relena didn't really deserve that level of hatred. Actually, she was pretty awesome. Relena begins the series as a spoiled rich girl, but ultimately becomes involved in warfare due to her heritage as the daughter of royalty. She's a staunch pacifist who is working as hard as she can to minimize fighting, lead her people, and reshape the post-war future. This isn't easy for anyone, especially a teenager who never expected that kind of responsibility - who had to rise to the occasion when it was demanded of her.

Ahiru is the protagonist of an old school anime called Princess Tutu - a dark, fairytale twist on the magical girl genre, long before Puella Magi Madoka Magica existed. She doesn't get a lot of attention these days, mainly because Princess Tutu is rarely counted among the greatest anime of its era - but she's fantastic. Ahiru is a ballet student who isn't especially talented, but is trying her best regardless. But there's more to Ahiru than just failing at ballet - she's actually a magical girl who works tirelessly to restore the heart of Prince Mytho. Her enthusiastic, unselfish attitude, combined with the fact that's she's also secretly a duck (a surprising twist), makes her worthy of a lot more attention from the anime community.

If you're familiar with When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace, it might be because of Hatoko Kushikawa's epic rant, which became a meme. Hatoko verbally eviscerates Jurai Andou in the clip, telling him how hard she tries to understand his pretentious pseudo-intellectualism, and how badly she wants him to speak to her in a way that makes sense. She's right to be upset - Jurai often speaks in an affected, obscure way, and ends up talking down to her in the process. What the clip doesn't show is that Jurai isn't trying to shut her out. He's communicating in a way that makes sense to him, and he's tried to include her for years. This isn't either characters' fault, they are simply two very different people with very different communication styles. Jurai apologizes to Hatoko later, and resolves to try and meet her halfway. His relationship with Tomoyo Kanzaki is also worth noting, as he encourages her to embrace her true nature and to pursue her dream of writing light novels. He's also willing to go so far as to chop off his own hand if it means helping someone else - that's saying a lot for a high school kid.

To those who have seen Silver Spoon, an anime based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa (the creator of FMA), Yuugo Hachiken isn't underrated at all. The problem is that a lot of people haven't seen Silver Spoon. This anime follows a teenage city boy who attends a prestigious agricultural school. He begins the series exhausted and overwhelmed by his responsibilities, but quickly sets about learning everything he possibly can about the world of farming. He even goes out of his way to raise a pig, help slaughter it, and create bacon out of it to understand the full process of raising an animal for meat (which is far more emotionally demanding than he was prepared for). But Hachiken goes beyond his farm duties and begins to feel responsible for the people around him, too. His friends are faced with things like the family farm going bankrupt due to a parental death, and having to give up on their dreams for financial reasons. Hachiken does whatever he can to help, and also comes to face to face with the fact that there are some things he just can't fix. His emotional journey is fascinating to watch, and his curious nature helps viewers learn a ton about the agricultural world.

Fushigi Yugi is an older anime that a lot of modern fans haven't seen, which is why Miaka Yuki (the series' protagonist) has been largely forgotten. Miaka manages to be an excellent combination of badass and resourceful while retaining her image as a realistic teenage girl. In one scene she'll be crying over her boyfriend while snarfing down meat buns, and in the next she'll be headbutting a slave trader in the chest. Her personality is actually a lot like Usagi Tsukino's, but since Sailor Moon was more enduringly popular than Fushigi Yugi, Miaka has slipped from the public consciousness.

If you ask the average anime fan about their favorite sports program, they'll probably say Haikyuu!! or Kuroko no Basket. You might even get a few people who tell you that it's Keijo!!!!!!!! An answer you probably won't hear is Big Windup! This is a baseball anime centered around Ren Mihashi, a young boy trying to overcome his uncontrollable anxiety. He's worried about joining a new team and being a success, as his emotional hangups were introduced by his previous ball club who would chastise him for his poor performance. His character arc is clear from the onset of the series, and his charm and honesty make him easy to root for - even if you don't care about baseball.

For those who get too stressed out by the minutia of daily life, all they need to do is think about Yasaburo Shimogamo and watch The Eccentric Family (if they haven't already). Yasaburo's main goal in life is to have exciting and noteworthy experiences. To succeed in his endeavor, he'll do everything from playing pranks on his brothers and cousins to joining a club and flirting with a woman who happily eats his species (a mythical animal called tanuki). Even though there are serious things happening around him, including a conspiracy involving a family murder, he never gets stressed, and he never stops pursuing his primary goal. He's a major part of what makes The Eccentric Family such a delight to watch.

Ohana Matsumae isn't considered underrated because people don't realize how cool she is, but rather because Hanasaku Iroha is too obscure. When her mother abruptly abandons her to follow a boyfriend and pay off some debts, she finds herself living with her strict grandmother who immediately puts her to work at the family inn and hot spring. Ohana doesn't take to it right away - she was hoping to lead a more typical high school lifestyle - and some of her coworkers aren't easy to get along with. However, she comes to care deeply about her coworkers and the inn itself, learns the value of hard work, and deepens her bonds with her formerly estranged family. Hanasaku Iroha is a lovely coming-of-age story, with a smart, empathetic, and hard-working protagonist at the helm.