12 Orphans That Really Led The Charge In Anime

The personality of anime characters depends a lot on their childhood and how they are brought up. It will define their entire future and if they will turn good or evil. Similarly, we have seen many orphan characters whose personalities have been shaped based on the treatment they have received from those who raised them.

For some characters it is great but for others, it can be an unspeakable tragedy. However, one thing is certain, and it is that they never cannot entertain the viewers. They keep them occupied with their antics and some even become the favorite characters of the fans. Keeping that in mind, we will provide a list below comprising some of the most popular orphan characters in anime.

1. Emma from The Promised Neverland

The first character that we have on our list is literally from an orphanage. The main plot of the story is also surrounding this orphanage named the Grace Field House, where she lives with many other children under the care of Isabella.

She is usually a cheerful girl and is the most optimistic character out of everyone. This is why despite being an orphan she tried to see the positive in everything instead of giving in to her despair. But her character undergoes a massive change after she finds out the truth of the Grace Field House and Isabella.

2. Raphtalia from The Rising of the Shield Hero

As one of the most notable orphans in recent anime, Raphtalia was sure to be on this list. Cerberus killed her parents right in front of her eyes. 

This trauma caused her to have a fear of blood and dog-like monsters. Because she didn’t have a home, she was forced into child slavery. Lucky for us, the Shield Hero saves her from enslavement and Raphtalia grows up to be his first proper companion. The Rising of the Shield Hero anime is unique in that we really get to see the orphan Raphtalia live out those traumas and then grow up stronger thanks to having a mentor. 

3.  Guts from Berserk

Guts is such a unique character who can probably top any tragic backstory. Not only is he an orphan, but he was also born from the corpse of his mother. Such a dark past naturally had a tremendous impact on him growing up.

He developed a survival instinct in this way, and every day was like a battlefield to him. He became a mercenary and later joined the Band of the Falcon, which finally gave him some purpose in life. Prior to that, he was just a wanderer going around wherever life took him.

4. Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan

Mikasa had one of the most tragic backstories in Attack on Titan. She had a wonderful and peaceful life till the day her parents were murdered and she was kidnapped. It put a permanent scar on her, as was visible one later on in the story.

When Eren rescued her from the kidnappers, she grew so much attached to him, that it almost became an obsession. Even after she was taken in by the Yeager family, it took a lot of time for her to become normal again.

5. Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto

How does it affect a child when his elder brother kills off his entire clan, along with his father and mother? A tragedy of this level at such a tender age was bound to leave a psychological scar on Sasuke.

He never understood why his brother (Itachi) left him alive out of all the Uchiha members. This also resulted in the birth of hatred in Sasuke’s heart against his own brother. His sole motive in life became the death of Itachi, getting revenge on behalf of all the Uchiha members.

Interested in why there is always so much hate for Sakura? Check out this clip where she makes fun of Naruto for being an orphan, right in front of Sasuke’s face.

6. Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket

As a kid, Tohru had wonderful parents that enjoyed taking care of her. When Tohru was still young, her father passed away while on business overseas. This drove her mother into a deep depression, where she heavily neglected her daughter. 

At one point, the mother was driven to commit suicide, but after seeing another family, she snapped to her senses and vowed to take good care of Tohru. Unfortunately, this was short-lived, because, on Tohru’s first day of school, her mother dies from a car accident.

Despite having a period of her life where she was abandoned by her parents, she remains cheerful. Tohru holds deeply onto any good memories she has with her father and mother. She also loves hearing stories and watching interactions with other people’s parents. 

7. Satō Matsuzaka from Happy Sugar Life

Satō lost her parents because of an unknown accident at a young age. Because of this, she was forced to live with her aunt and their relationship was complicated, to say the least. 

If you’ve watched Happy Sugar Life, you know that Satou’s aunt is a strange one. She is very pernicious, even claiming to have slept with murders and getting abused, all the while with an unnatural smile. 

This anime with an orphan protagonist is exactly what we mean when a caretaker’s influencer can turn things sour. Satō’s expectation of love was based on her aunt’s behavior. When Satō finally meets Shio, she understands just how sweet love can actually be.

8. Asta from Black Clover

Similar to our first character, Emma, Asta also grew up in an orphanage. He had always been lively since his childhood, despite knowing that his mother had left him at the church.

This was mostly because Asta grew up in a healthy environment long with Sister Lily and the other orphans. It truly felt like a home to him as he bonded with them with each passing day. Yuno also played a big part in Asta’s lively childhood as both of them pushed each other to their limits.

9. Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail

Natsu almost seems a mirror image to Asta in terms of their personality and character. Both are cheerful guys who don’t know the meaning of giving up. In his childhood, Natsu was raised by his dragon, Igneel who disappeared suddenly one day.

This caused Natsu immense pain and since the beginning of the story, we see him searching for his parent. The abandonment of Igneel has also taught Natsu the value of bonds, which is why he always keeps his friends close to him.

10. Winry Rockbell from FullMetal Alchemist

Winry also has a tragic past, like Mikasa. Both of their stories are similar in this respect that their parents were killed, which made them orphans. In the case of Winry, her parents were doctors who were executed in a war while trying to save innocent people.

Winry has since then lived with her grandmother and led a quiet life as a mechanic. Her strength in character was proved to us when she met her parents’ killer and forgave him instead of burning in rage.

11. Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer

The main protagonist of Demon Slayer is Tanjirou Kamado, who is also an orphan, like his sister Nezuko. We always talk about Tanjirou’s struggle as an orphan, but we seem to forget about Nezuko most of the time. She has an even harder time as she has been turned into a demon.

Despite that, she has always shown incredible self-restraint and never attacked any human. We can also empathize with her, since it is not unnatural if she has ever thought of herself as a burden to her brother. She has tried her best to be useful in her own way while aiding her brother in dangerous battles.

12. Furude Rika from Higurashi: When they cry

Furude Rika is an interesting character from the series since a major twist in the story involves her. If any person starts watching this anime, they will perceive Rika as a secondary character when actually she is the main protagonist of the story.

Being the daughter of the Furude Clan, the villagers hold her in high esteem. The most interesting fact is that even though Rika looks like a child, she seems immensely mature, which is quite unusual for a child of her age. Overall, she is an extremely cute girl who has a tendency to use cute phrases while she speaks.