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If you however are super impatient, email Tabs directly at [email protected] with your preferred username and associated email address AND ONLY TO REGISTER.Animu archetypes
This is a list of the typical character archetypes in anime. All characters on all the animu fit into one of these. Every. Single. One. Which goes to show you that outside of schoolgirls being raped by tentacles, the Japanese are actually pretty uncreative.
The Whiny Main Character (WMC)
The Whiny Main Character is just that, a pathetic twat who whines constantly about everything throughout whatever fruity magical adventure they're on. They only actually do anything if at least three other characters are in mortal danger and have spent the last five minutes yelling their name. This archetype was probably meant for nerds to put their faces on so they can pretend they're the one getting beat up by the Strong Independent Chick (who always secretly loves them, no matter how much of a fuck-up they are). Nearly every animu has a WMC because Japanese males hate the fact their penises are so small, and they express their impotent rage by projecting themselves onto the character. Most WMCs are, of course, male, but can be female, such as in the case of Gunbuster. Other typical characteristics are that they eat more food in one sitting than all of Africa eats in a year; when faced with a threat they become suddenly "brave," "cocky," and "gallant." This archetype is blissfully naïve and always enjoys a challenge.
Notable Whiny Characters
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Shinji
contemplates becoming an herohates himself too much to an hero. -
Naruto from... y'know... that series... what was it? Battletoads???
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Yugi, or at least one of his many personalities.
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Kyon from Haruhi reacting to everything Haruhi ever does.
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Edward Elric can't stop whining about his robot brother or some such shit.
Strong Independent Chick (SIC)
This chick's one and only purpose is usually to bean guys over the head with mallets if they suggest a date or sex with anything for any reason. Fanboys laugh their asses off when this happens, but intelligent people will say "That wasn't funny." This character will most likely fall in love with the main character for some reason, no matter how whiny his voice is. She will always express her love with extra abuse. She'll also prevent the Pervert from getting any tang round here. Nearly all fanservice is of these characters. Not to be confused with the Introvert.
Notable Strong Independent Chicks
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Nami from One Piece wearing a two piece!
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Sakura from Naruto. Who are we kidding; what is "INDEPENDENT" OR EVEN "STRONG" ABOUT HER?
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Misty from Pokémon. Married a bicycle.
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Sakura from Ususei Yatsura, an early archetype; possibly also a lesbian.
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Téa from Yu-Gi-Oh. Oh hell, she is worse than Sakura.
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Revi from Black Lagoon (may double as batshit insane).
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Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion, who went batshit insane and ended up dying, but came back later.
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Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, who went batshit insane and ended up crying.
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Lina Inverse from Slayers. Everything that is said about strong independent chicks in this section describes her perfectly.
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Hibari Ginza of Speed Grapher, self-defense specialist.
Minor Strong Independent Chicks
- Weeaboo fangirls (they wish)
The Pervert (PERV)
This guy will usually steal and/or try to look at girls' panties, for that oh-so-necessary pantyshot. These characters are meant to portray the average Japanese male. Kawaii. ^_________________^
Groping of breasts is also required of this guy. They get kicked in the nuts by the Strong Independent Chick most often, usually after copping a feel from them. Most characters like this are sniveling man-children who can't even think about a pair of breasts without losing a pint of blood.
Notable Perverts
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Ataru from Urusei Yatsura, the original anime pervert who started the trend.
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Keitaro from Love Hina.
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Master Roshi from Dragon Ball Z. The legend, the original, the archetype in a nutshell.
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Brock from Pokémon. Likely covering up for homosexuality.
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Miroku from Inuyasha.
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Sakura Kusakabe from Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan. Likely to be violently beaten to death in every episode.
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Dr. Irie from Higurashi. He's an obvious pedophile.
Minor Perverts
- Every adult male in Japan and everyone on 7chan.
- Chris-chan.
Small Annoying Thing (SAT)
No series of Annie May can get the okay without having one of these little shits around. Superduperextradeluxe KAWAII!!!!1111 and easily marketed, every single one has some kind of plastic crap in its likeness. They usually can't talk, but if they can, they give advice to the WMC or talk exactly like infants. They all have some dumb gimmick like being obsessed with desserts, or burrowing into the digestive tract of the SIC, triggering an ever-popular colonoscopy episode. Sometimes these are human, making them more annoying and a little creepy, due to the fact that if they are human, they tend to walk around on all fours at least half of the time and, since they can talk, the creators usually give them painfully high-pitched voices. The Beautiful Airhead is of course drawn to these things.
Notable Small Annoying Things
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Pikachu from Pokémon. Now do you believe radiation is bad?
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Chopper from One Piece, who's even voiced by the same cunt who voices Pikachu.
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Shinji from Evangelion. Sad but true, a rare double-up.
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Pen pen:an actual penguin that looks like a penguin
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Hamtaro, inspires dreams in perverts everywhere.
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The twin Mokonas from Tsubasa and XXXholic, aka those two little fluffy things that everyone wants to beat the shit out of.
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Puar, that annoying-ass flying cat thing from DBZ.
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Luna and Artemis from Sailor Moon; Chibi-Usa also counts.
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Ryo-Ohki from Tenchi Muyo, a cute little cabbit/spacefaring pirate vessel.
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As if Gurren Lagann wasn't bad enough.
Minor Small Annoying Things
- Every Pokémon not mentioned above.
- Mieu the Cheagle, though it is fun to watch him get beat up by Luke.
- The Noid
- Every catgirl EVAR!!1!
- Your penis
- Your mom's penis
- You
- Kon from Bleach
The Pissed Off Guy (POG)
The Pissed Off Guy is there to look angry. Due to the limitations of the anime drawing style, however, he usually ends up looking constipated. This guy is always angry, and doesn't care about anything besides fighting or his hair, but is actually always a complete wuss, even compared to the SAT. Usually ends up getting his ass kicked until The Whiny Main Character comes in and saves him with some kind of l33t power/spell/gun. If he was real, you would be sure he'd have a Myspace and be a camwhore or internet tough guy. 99% of all slash is between these and WMCs.
Notable Pissed Off Guys
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Giroro from Keroro Gunsou/Sgt. Frog. Vegeta's got nothing on this guy, as no one in the universe is more pissed off than him.
Minor Pissed Off Guys
- Possibly everyone else from Dragon Ball Z.
- Every male character in Bleach.
- Kratos from Tales of Symphonia, because he's always berating Lloyd and bitching about Anna.
The Grim Angsty Guy (GAG)
There's much overlap between this category and the one immediately preceding it; the difference lies in the tendency of this bunch to turn their angst inward, resulting in reams of boring introspection, monosyllabic speech patterns, and often figurative - though sometimes literal - self-destruction. As well as anime, many video game characters exemplify this archetype.
Notable Grim Angsty Guys
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Heero Yuy of Gundam Wing.
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A former villain with a dark past, Ken Ichijouji is swimming in backstory.
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Alphonse Elric is sad because his cock is in another dimension.
The Beautiful Airhead (BA)
Usually female, the Airhead serves no other purpose other than to stand there and look stupid while a stiff wind blows up her skirt, so we can all see her kawaii panties. She can also be used to distract WMC from the SIC, creating a hilarious misunderstanding. Clothes are an alien concept to the Airhead, as she can never seem to keep them on. Her hobbies include bending over countertops, hanging around practically naked, screaming at pitches high enough to shatter glass, eating frosting, and watching her clothes fall off with a blank expression.
Notable Beautiful Airheads
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Orihime from Bleach, IQ is believed to be less than zero.
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Osaka from Azumanga Daioh.
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Every girl in Digimon, seriously.
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Sailor Moon from a show you should already know.
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Mihoshi from Tenchi Muyo, archetypical ditzy blonde, bordering on being mentally handicapped.
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Ifruita from the El Hazard TV series.
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And who could forget Excel from Excel Saga?
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Does this count?No, it doesn't; she's a fucking genius at hacking which means she isn't an airhead, just an idiot savant. -
MI- MI- MIKURU BEAM
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Gourry Gabriev from Slayers, an example of the rare male airhead.
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Misa Amane from Death Note. Light couldn't stand this bitch, and not just because he was gay for L the whole time.
The Introvert (INFP)
This character is always a girl. She starts off meek and introverted but from the WMC's bravery she learns to "be herself"; that is, completely change her personality and traits. Her hair is always dark purple with long bangs. Will always spy on the WMC. With the liberal application of testosterone, she evolves into a Strong Independent Chick.
Notable Introverts
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Raven from Teen Titans.
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Hinata from Naruto. Wasn't good enough to become an SIC...
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Shinobu from Love Hina.
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Rei From Neon Genesis Evangelion.
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Yuki Nagato from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya; her excuse is she's an android.
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Sheska has an eidetic memory and self-esteem problems; likes to bury herself
inunder a stack of books.
The Batshit Insane Guy (BIG)
This character has no grip on reality. Rarely doing anything constructive and generally confusing the hell out of everyone, the BIG is capable of anything and everything that makes no sense at all. Notable for their powers to store insane amounts of large, random objects up their ass for use when the world is in danger. The BIG often transforms into a Pissed Off Guy when someone points out how crazy they really are.
Notable Batshit Insane Guys
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Bobobo. A man who really defines the BIG.
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Bobobo's accomplice, Don Patch. In contrast to him, Bobobo is pretty normal.
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Light Yagami from Death Note. Believed that he was anonymous as well as Anonymous.
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Gendo from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Resident columnist in Bad Science/Parenting Monthly. Fan of loli.
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Rena Ryuuguu from Higurashi. Cute, happy teenage girl on the outside, batshit insane serial killer on the inside.
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Beatrice basically just trolls everyone, including you.
Minor Batshit Insane Guys
- Everyone from Higurashi when those parasites take control of them.
- Almost everyone else from Bobobo-bobo-bobo.
The Annoying Perfectionist (AP)
These guys are a little hard to find, but they are still out there. These characters have serious OCPD. If one little thing is out of place or order, they will ALWAYS scream at the top of their lungs about how imperfect the thing is and try to fix it. It does not matter what dire situation the other characters are in, and because of this, the AP usually holds the characters back from whatever their current goal is. However, if they can't fix whatever is not perfect, they start feeling suicidal and in some cases they literally try to kill themselves. Unfortunately they usually fail. Their attitude and antics are usually an unfunny running gag throughout whatever series they are in.
Notable Annoying Perfectionists
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Death the Kid from Soul Eater. One of the most annoying APs out there.
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Chiri Kitsu from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Maybe this doesn't count since she's technically a parody of this archetype.
The Convenient Prodigy (CP)
Usually, this character can whip up whatever you happen to need whenever you happen to need it. A new robot arm? An interdimensional gate? A gun bigger than the planet? None of these are a problem. Alternatively, this character is a misunderstood genius who always wonders why everyone thinks he/she is so weird. Mostly, these freaks are around as dei ex machina who are employed to usefully explain the inexplicable.
Notable Convenient Prodigies
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Winry Rockbell constructed Edward's automail arm, leg, and penis.
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Washuu from Tenchi Muyo can build a spaceship out of a brick.
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Daisuke from Battle Angel Alita, a masterful cybernetics expert.
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It's all about capsules!
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WOW OMG HE IS DA ONLY ONE WHO CAN DRIVE DA LIGER ZERO DAWG
The Macho Guy (MG)
Although not as hard to find as an AP, these guys are still uncommon, because most of the time, these guys just barely miss the POG and/or the BIG archetype. Unlike all the other annoying archetypes, this guy is somewhat likable. This is because, whenever there is a problem, this guy kicks reason to the curb and solves everything with brute force while laughing his ass off in the process. When this happens, he often destroys most of the scenery around him in the process. Because of this, the other archetypes are often scared to death of this guy. Due to their manliness, they are often parodied in woman's clothing. You will never be as manly as this guy.
Notable Macho Guy
![](/images/c/cc/Kenchargin.jpg)
Pussies That are Almost MGs but Fall Short
- A lot of the main characters from Gurren Lagann.
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK THEY ARE!?Shitty overrated animu characters. - Most of the main characters from DBZ.
- Major Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist.
- Kenpachi Zaraki from Bleach.
- Not Chuck Norris.
The Ambiguously Gay Guy (AGG)
The exact opposite of the MG. Generally, the only reason they're considered guys is because they have penises. Also known as "bishies," they dress pretty like all the Japanese male idols, because Japan thinks that's manly. They tend to cross over with other archetypes, typically the WMC or on occasions, the Pervert. If they are neither, they'll probably just be a douche. Despite their ambiguously gay appearance, they are usually asexual or straight, depending on the main character's gender. They are guaranteed to have tons of fangirls who write fanfictions featuring them and another AGG having buttsecks.
Notable Ambiguously Gay Guys
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Count D (Little Pet Shop of Horrors) will sell you Small Annoying Things that soon become Big Angry Things...
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Seriously though, Duo Maxwell's totally straight.
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Zarbon's true form better reflects his personality.
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Griffith from Berserk can't get enough of Guts' long, thick, formidable sword.
The Trap
A once rare commodity, now located in the bargain section. Like the AGG, they look gay. Unlike the AGG, they are gay. They are at least 100 times girlier than the girliest girl in the show. Their ultimate wish is to have his ass plowed by the main character. It's supposed to be hard to tell they're guys, but ironically, it's usually completely obvious from the start. As far as personality goes, just take a generic female character and attach a penis onto it. Yeah, having a penis is a personality trait that makes for deep characters.
It is a common fact that they have a much smaller fanbase of girls than boys, because they're made to appeal to closet homos who draw comics of them sucking off 37 faceless dudes' dicks in a row while being fucked in the ass by guys who haven't the common courtesy to give them a reacharound.
Notable Traps
The Lesbian
This is an archetype that is usually split into two groups, A and B. One of these girls are usually found in an anime/manga where the main character, or even one of the main characters, is a girl, and sometimes in harems. If there isn't a girl who is a main character, they are usually so subtle about their preference that a lot of people do not notice. This is because the lesbian is a dyke who pretends to be the main character's friend, just so they can get in bed with her someday. She is usually subtle about this, but this is subtle by anime standards, and half the time she fondles the main characters breasts and says "good things" about her. The main character usually tells her to stop, but she doesn't think too much about it and stays friends with the lesbian because she's obviously a fucking moron. If the lesbian isn't this way, she is a group B lesbian, and she often goes through these "hilarious" sequences where she questions if she likes her best friend in "that way" or not. These sequences are often followed up by even more "hilarious" bits where she encounters her friend nude, much to her shock.
Notable Lesbians
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Chizuru Honshō from Bleach (Group A). A true lesbian patron. She will spring on Orihime and feel her boobs whenever she gets the chance.
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Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura (Group A). Don't let her age and personality fool you; she is a HUGE lesbian, and she fantasizes about the day she will finally get in bed with Sakura.
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Setsuna Sakurazaki from Mahou Sensei Negima (Group B). Also an Introvert. Much to her dismay, she has the hawts for her best friend Konoka.
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Tsukasa from .hack//SIGN (Group B). He's actually a girl, who happens to be a lesbian, and also a whiny emo bitch. Although more of a WMC, this character still fits this archetype.
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Kaorin from Azumanga Daioh (Group A). If anyone gets in the way of her crush on Sakaki, she will transform into a BIG and beat the living shit out of them.
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Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon (Group A). Different in that they already have each other to boink and they spend all their non-hanky-panky talking about how worthless the world and especially Usagi are, but it's painfully obvious they wanted to gang-rape her.
Minor Lesbians
- That one chick in that one Higurashi spinoff who was Natsumi's friend. You know, her.
- 50% of the SICs.
- Yolei from Digimon season 2. Had a huge boner for Mimi (NA) but ended up marrying Ken (AGG/GAG).
- Yoruichi from Bleach, you know, the only black girl?
The "Plot"
- Male archetypes fight like and/or for pussies with (insert weapon or muscle here) for at least 100 episodes.
- Female archetypes fight like and/or for dicks with romantic comedy for at least 100 episodes.
See Also:
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Animu archetypes is part of a series on Visit the Anime Portal for complete coverage. |
Featured article May 6, 2010 | ||
Preceded by Real Life Super Hero |
Animu archetypes | Succeeded by Lawrence Taylor and Catherine Deveny |