It’s not just we people are sad. Even in anime shows, there are many sad and depressing characters who we adore a lot. Either because of their past or the life they’re facing; these characters are the epitome of sadness.
So, in this list of sad anime characters, we’ll be going through some of them, and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree with us. Let us begin the list of most depressed anime characters right away then.
Sad/Depressed Anime Characters List!
15. Nanachi
- Anime: Made in Abyss
- Traits: Orphan, Caring, Lovable, and Intelligent
Nanachi was a character we thought to be fun, but after viewing her backstory, tears couldn’t stop rolling from our eyes. She couldn’t find the cure for her friend no matter what and, in the end, had to witness him dying out of misery.
14. Kakeru Naruse
- Anime: Orange
- Traits: Depressed, handsome, and lovable
Kakeru Naruse is the male lead of Orange anime who blames himself for the death of his mother. It’s understandable considering his personality, and I truly feel sad for him too. Well, he’s got some loyal and awesome friends to change his life.
13. Mai Sakurajima
- Anime: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
- Traits: Loner, Beautiful, Tsundere, and Lovable
We know how hard loneliness can be, and if you don’t know the reason, it is hell. Mai has a similar situation in the anime that people forget her completely. So, she has always been a lonely character with a sad life, at least until she met Sakuta.
12. Shouko Nishimiya
- Anime: A Silent Voice
- Traits: Deaf, Innocent, Sad, and Lovable
Shouko Nishimiya is a precious girl who deserved the world. She was constantly bullied when she was in elementary school, and even though she transferred to a different school, the memories haunted her.
Even after Ishida apologized to her and tried to atone himself, she almost killed herself. I just wished she would have found a good friend who supported her through everything.
11. Kousei Arima
- Anime: Your Lie in April
- Traits: Loner, Talented, Whiny, and Lovable
I genuinely feel for what Arima went through. Since childhood, his mom made him play piano, and even though he loved making his mom’s dream come true, at some point, he hated it. Soon, he abandoned it for two years, and then Kaori, the girl who deserves the world, appears.
Just when we thought his life could find any happiness, we see her leave from his life. Even though he learned a lot from her and became a better person by finding his passion for music once again, Kaori belonged to him.
10. Obito Uchiha
- Anime: Naruto
- Traits: Strong, Miserable, Lovable, and Ruthless
Obito has one of the saddest backstories in Naruto, and he’s freakishly strong. Even though I’m still angry at him for killing my beautiful Konan, he still had a hellish life. So, he’s one of the sad anime characters.
9. Naruto Uzumaki
- Anime: Naruto
- Traits: Hot-Headed, Kind, Strong, and Dumb
We all know how lonely Naruto has felt ever since he was little, and even after growing up around some kind of people like Iruka-sensei and Kakashi, he still had to see the cruelty of the world. Even though he changed everything, he had to endure a lot.
8. Hyakkimaru
- Anime: Dororo
- Traits: Strong, Kind, and Ruthless
Hyakkimaru had lost everything even before he was born, and somehow he survived and finally embarked on the route to find the reason. In the end, he had to sacrifice a lot too.
7. Ken Kaneki
- Anime: Tokyo Ghoul
- Traits: Orphan, Miserable, Badass, Strong, and Lovable
Kaneki is a character we have felt pity right from the first episode. He was an orphan who didn’t have a good life, but he went through a lot when he turned into a ghoul.
In the end, he had to witness the cruel nature of the world and decided to change it for good. Even though he achieved it in the end, his life was never happy before. Thus, he is one of the most depressed/sad anime characters.
6. Brook
- Anime: One Piece
- Traits: Perverted, Funny, Strong, and Loyal
Brook has one of the saddest backstories in One Piece. We say that pirate crew members are more than a family in this anime, and he witnessed the crew’s death in person.
Due to his devil fruit, he was resurrected as a skeleton and spent 50 years alone in the ship until he met Luffy. I feel Brook is one of the sad/depressed anime characters.
5. Emiya Kirutsugu
- Anime: Fate/Zero
- Traits: Miserable, Analytical, Lovable, Strong, and Ruthless
Emiya Kirutsugu is one of the characters from the Fate series that we really want to have a happy ending. He was born to a father who turned his friends into zombies, and when taken care of by an assassin, he had to kill her himself.
Even after that, he married a girl he liked but had to sacrifice her for the sake of the holy grail. He was ruthless and did everything he could to change the world, but in the end, he ended up creating even more destruction. That’s what I really call miserable, and he truly deserved a good life.
4. Guts
- Anime: Berserk
- Traits: Badass, Strong, Determined, and Orphan
Guts is literally the epitome of sadness since he was born from his mother’s corpse in a war-filled world. He has seen every kind of tragedy, and in the end, he had to get betrayed by the only person he ever thought was a friend (Griffith).
3. Itachi Uchiha
- Anime: Naruto
- Traits: Lovable, Stoic, Strong, and Miserable
Who would kill his own clan and family for the sake of a village? Well, that sounds like what Itachi would do. He was the only one who protected Konoha from the outside and made himself a villain in the eyes of everyone.
He never had a happy life, to begin with, and even had to put her girlfriend into an illusion of living them together so that she wouldn’t regret it. Itachi is one of the most miserable and depressed anime characters, for sure.
2. Archer
- Anime: Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
- Traits: Miserable, Cool, Badass, Handsome, and Strong
Archer is one of those characters you can’t stop loving no matter what. His past was quite tragic as even after death; he was used again and again for the sake of humanity’s selfishness.
Even though he is so cool and badass, his past undeniably makes him one of the saddest and most depressed anime characters.
1. Sakura Matou
- Anime: Fate
- Traits: Miserbale, Innocent, Shy, Lovable, Cute, and Caring
Legit, Sakura was one of the few anime characters I really liked and thought “she deserved way better.” From the beginning, she was never happy as ever since she was a child; she was subjugated to torture by the Matou family.
Even in the heaven’s feel trilogy, she suffered a lot because of the shadow. I ship Sakura and Shirou the most out of all the ships that sailed in fate anime. Sakura is the kind of girl who we’d love to cuddle and take care of her for the rest of our lives.
More sad anime characters:
- Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)
- Gaara (Naruto)
- Shinra (Fire Force)
- Misaki Mei (Another)
- Anzu (Hinamatsuri)
- Ray (The Promised Neverland)
- Chrona (Soul Eater)
- Lucy (Elfen Lied)
Conclusive Thoughts!
So, these are the Top 15 sad anime characters with some depressed past or story. We’re sure there will be a few or more characters that I’ve missed mentioning on the list.
In any case, if you know any other character that deserves a place on the list, let us know your valuable opinions in the comment section below.
You might also like:
- 10 Best Sad Anime That’ll Totally Break Your Heart!
- Top 20 Most Sadistic Female Anime Characters Ever!
- Top 50 Coolest Anime Characters Ever Ranked!
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