Sadly,mental healthissues are generally not an acceptable topic of conversation in Japan, as it is commonly considered to be a particularly private matter. While this may be true, the custom has ultimately had an adverse effect on mental health awareness, a vital component for the treatment and acceptance of disorders. Thankfully, severalanimehave stepped in to create relatable characters (that are not automatically manic, deranged antagonists) who show viewers how best to process and cope with their emotions and traumas.
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Some of the following anime have outright declared that the topic of a particular mental illness will be discussed, whereas others have characters that portray typical characteristics unique to those suffering from certain disorders. Those marked with a (+) are purely educated assessments of the individual personalities and are not a declaration of their official mental health status.
Trigger Warning! The content in this article discusses suicide and is not intended for sensitive viewers.
9Cherry And Smile: Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
Cherry and Smile live in two separate worlds (metaphorically), but both feel they must hide from it, in their own way. Yui Sakura, akaCherry, opts for noise-canceling headphones (a winning formula for many who fall on the Autism spectrum) whereas Yuki, better known as Smile, can’t go anywhere without her facemask, which has nothing todo with the pandemic.
Although the young girl is wildly popular on social media, she shows distinct signs of Body Dysmorphic Disorder by being overly-self conscious of her appearance, seeming to internally exaggerate the prominence of her buckteeth, which everyone else agrees are simply adorable. Cherry’s issues are more difficult to hide, as his Communication Disorder crops up constantly, which is why he would rather avoid people altogether by wearing headphones. If given the choice, Cherry would much ratherexpress himself through written Haiku, for which he has a distinct talent, and finds comfort by veiling himself in beautiful words.
8All Protagonists: School-Live!
One cannot expect a bunch of teenagers tosurvive a zombie apocalypsewhile trapped in a school and walk away without some traumatic side effects. Yuki Takeya arguable displays the highest level of instability as her mind begins playing games with her, and reality becomes more of a concept than a differentiating factor. Despite her deep struggles, Yuki is rarely seen without a bright and cheerful smile plastered to her face, as the constant ray of sunshine at Megurigaoka Private High School.
The other members of the School Life Club, Kurumi Ebisuzawa, Miki Naoki, and Yuuri Wakasa, all display various degrees of PTSD and depression, instigated by the trauma and isolation caused by the apocalypse. Manyviewers believe that mental health awarenesscourses should be mandatory in schools, to help children to construct worthwhile coping mechanisms instead of waiting for adulthood to address possible issues.
7Toya Sagami: Orbital Children
Toya is not the most likable protagonist, but his need for people-please went out the window the moment humanityretreated back to Earth, abandoning him and Konoha Nanase in space as infants. The lack of gravity has caused Toya physical growth issues, whereas the isolation has harbored a strong, almost aggressive resentment towards all people, save a select few. Toya’s social skills are put to the test when three young Earthlings visit the space station, and his antisocial tendencies flare up in full force.
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Toya is on a mission to save Konoha and himself from an early grave, and although he does not have the narcissistic excessive need for admiration, he holds very little regard for others' feelings, prioritizing his goal and ideals above all else. Toya also seems to believe he is above the law, constantly breaking rules and regulations by messing around withpotentially deadly AI technology. But regardless of the spikey personality, Toya has a good heart and pure intentions and is ultimately the hero of the day.
6Wakana Gojo: My Dress-Up Darling
Although Gojo’s mannerisms don’t show intense signs of OCD, he does find comfort in ritualistic behavior and social isolation. He also works on his Hina dolls andcosplay outfits with an obsessive intensity, sacrificing his sleep, health, education, and sometimes even finances to complete his tasks. Gojo discovers his passion for Hina dolls at a very young age and practically withdraws completely from the world in order to hone his talents for creating them and has little to no social life from that point onwards.
Gojo’s devoted dedication/obsession with his craft is likely a coping mechanism for his grief, having been suddenly orphaned at such a young age. Having grown up with basically only his grandfather to talk to, Gojo has very limited social skills and is overall quite an awkward guy, particularly when it comesto the romance department. He battles to communicate adequately when flustered and is not too great at picking up social cues, but Gojo always shows the utmost respect to those around him and has a heart of gold.
5Shōya Ishida: A Silent Voice
Shouko is a sweet-natured, pink-haired young girl with a hearing disability, and finds it difficult to fit in at her new school, with so many intolerant classmates to deal with. The majority of the class makes snide comments at Shouko’s expense, but it is Shouya who goes out of his way tophysically bully the girl, to the point where she (and Sahara) transfers schools. When called out for the atrocious behavior, the class all turn on Shouya, denying any accountability for their part in the bullying and shunning him from all social groups.
Rejected and overwhelmed by guilt, Shouya goes through the paces of planning his suicide by completely isolating himself from his peer group, either selling or giving away all of his possessions, and counting down the days until his death on his calendar. Fortunately, Shouya finds a way to atone for his past actions and learns to shine a light on others also suffering in this grim world.
4All Protagonists: Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai
Adolescent Syndrome may be a thing of fantasy, but it represents the very real issues that people face every day. In Sakuta Azusagawa’s world, mental disorders manifest themselves physically and are presented to the world in numerous ways, depending on the victim. Sakuta and his kid sister, Kaede, are the first known incidents in the series, whereby Kaede’s anxiety became so intense that her body is physically injured, so severely that shehas to be hospitalized, and the stress of it all causes a massive gash to tear through Sakuta’s chest. Kaede subsequently loses her memories and adopts an entirely new personality as a coping mechanism, typical of “switching” in DID sufferers.
The infamous Bunny Girl, better known as Mai Sakurajima, her sister, Nodoka Toyohama and even the seemingly levelheaded Rio Futaba all become susceptible to Adolescent Syndrome when their mental health deteriorates, but only after opening up and discussing their issues, can they begin to heal.Perhaps mental health struggleswould be much easier to notice, handle, and accept if the wounds were physical and therefore undeniable.
3Shouko Komi: Komi Can’t Communicate
Shouko Komi begins her career at Itan Private High School with a head start, as her astonishing beauty rockets her into the Class Goddess position in no time! Unfortunately for Komi, her personality doesn’t match her status, becauseher extreme social anxietyhas rendered the poor girl practically mute. The most popular pupil in Class 1-1, Komi finds herself without a single friend, until the insightful Hitohito Tadano urges Komi to begin expressing herself through writing.
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Together, the new friends timidly navigate their way through high school while Tadano helps Komi overcome her struggles and make 100 friends. It soon becomes evident that Komi is not the only one crippled by mental health issues, and she has more in common with her classmates than initially assumed. Besides encouraging Komi to improve her communication skills, none of her friends ever suggest that anything is wrong with her, and accept Komi for who she is, quirks and all.
2Kakeru Naruse: Orange
The tale ofKakeru Naruse inOrangeshows viewers just how important a support structure can be, as just a little bit of effort and understanding is all it takes to save a life. Sadly, Naho Takamiya’s intervention is not enough to save Kakeru’s mother, whose mental health has taken a knock, and she ends up taking her own life. Thankfully, Naho’s time-traveling letter from the future saves Kakeru from the same fate by alerting his friends as to what’s happening behind his fake smile.
In the original timeline, Kakeru had told no one of his mother’s death and slowly slipped into a guilt-filled despair from which he saw no return, subsequently committing suicide. Now knowing all of this, Naho and her friends change the course of events by supplying constant companionship and encouragement, dragging him out of the darknessbefore it is too late. Depressionand suicidal tendencies should never be ignored, regardless of one’s personal opinions on the matter.
1Mima Kirigoe: Perfect Blue
Thisclassic psychological horror followsMima, an up-and-coming star who is going through an existential crisis at the peak of her success. Mima is under a significant amount of pressure since making the transition from the music industry into acting and is struggling to keep it all together. More concerned with her reputation than her mental health, Mima spirals out of control as the divide between her acting and reality becomes blurred after she is triggered by a particularly violent scene is acted out at work.
Mima’s reality and identity are no longer concrete as her DID takes hold, but to make matters worse, the whole world seems against her. Mima’s manager, Rumi Hidaka is showing similar symptoms (Folie à deux) andan intense stalker emergesfrom the woodworks, causing Mima to fear for her life.
Hints ofPerfect Bluecan be seen reflected in the Hollywood hits,Black SwanandRequiem For A Dream
