A classic anime character type. Sometimes they’re edgy, sometimes they’re just withdrawn, or maybe they don’t have many social skills. But a lot of them really just want to be left alone, and are often bugged when people try to get too close to them. They may open up their hearts eventually, but it takes some doing. This doesn’t mean they’re always alone, though. Or that you can only find them happy when they’re left alone. But they’re a bit of introverts, or maybe just sheltered around people. Whatever the reasons for their lone wolf lifestyle, I think they can often be very fascinating characters when they’re written well. So from the edgelords to the social outcasts, let’s get into these loners.
1. Saitama
Anime: One Punch Man He’s a hero for fun, but he’s also a bit of a loner. Saitama just sort of minded his own business ever since he started being a hero. Though he gets himself into some crazy situations on the regular, along with his friends and followers, but Saitama just occasionally wants a good thrill and a quiet night at home. All things considered, Saitama just seems like more of an introvert than any kind of edgelord. Nonetheless he’s a solid start to the list.
2. Guts
Anime: Berzerk Guts is a loner for many reasons. Betrayal, not wanting to put others in harm’s way, and just having sheltered emotions in general, all good reasons. Guts is very conflicted, too. And has some morally questionable moments. But despite all of that, he does try to do the right thing – and I think he’s a respectable lone wolf. Besides, with a sword like his, it’s honestly hard to say that he needs too many more people on his side in a fight.
3. Kazuma Yagami
Anime: Kaze no Stigma Kazuma is the contractor of the wind who came from a family who prioritized flame. And he has more than a few good reasons to keep to himself like he does. His family cast him out and left him to fend for himself, eventually having made the contract with a being that gave him his wind powers – strong enough powers to be effective on his own. Though the story does drive him back to working with his family again, he does hold resentment towards them – and certainly seems to return back to his own business as soon as possible.
4. Saiki Kusuo
Anime: Saiki K Saiki is a fun character. He has telepathic powers and really does not seem to want them. This strange power has left him feeling the need to seclude himself from others, so as not be bothered. But despite his attempts to stay alone, he’s often caught up in some kind of gag that causes him to come out of his shell, at least a bit.
5. Hei
Anime: Darker Than Black This is one of the most interesting protagonists that I’ve seen in a while. Hei is a character who really tries to keep alone. He has very good reasons though. His “people” known as contractors are often viewed as having no emotions, as they sometimes have to do very heinous things to get and use their powers. Living in a dystopian future where the stars don’t shine in the sky anymore is enough to make anyone a loner. But Hei takes it to another level with how much he tries to stay away from others.
6. Seto Kaiba
Anime: Yu-Gi-Oh Seto Kaiba is a legend. He has so much money that he doesn’t have to care about the rules – except when it comes to a children’s card game. He doesn’t care for friends, and only has a little brother that he seems to consistently care about. All he wants to do is become the best duelist in the world. And he’ll use his vast resources to acquire as many powerful cards as he can to achieve that goal. Honestly? He’s a blast of a character, and is just fun to watch. As if he needed to flex any more after stopping a gun pointed at his head with a playing card, he also threw trading cards like they were shurikens to stop goons from interrupting a duel. I love this idiot.
7. Allen Walker
Anime: D. Gray Man When I was figuring out characters to add to this list, I had actually forgotten about D. Gray Man, since it has been years since I’ve seen it. But Allen is a very good example of a loner. There’s many people he travels with, but he hates accepting help. And he’s very stubborn when it comes to relying on other people. Granted he grows throughout the series, but it’s a slow process. And I wouldn’t say he’s mean per se, but he wants very little more than to be independent.
8. Viral
Anime: Gurren Lagann As a former enemy of the main characters in Gurren Lagann, Viral used to have run with the other beastmen on the surface. But after events he’s cursed with a sort of immortality. This curse causes him to feel incredibly alone, no matter what company he keeps. They simply just don’t understand the position he’s in. Viral (much like many of the other characters in Gurren Lagann) is so well written that sometimes you start to wonder why he started out fighting in the first place.
9. Shouto Todoroki
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia Todoroki has been through a lot in his childhood. He suffered abuse, had to be isolated from his siblings, and eventually even from his mom. Though he eventually finds friends in Midoriya, Ida, and a few others, he still often keeps to himself – not really finding himself being an active socialite. And honestly, I don’t blame him. It must be what he’s used to. And it’s what he thinks he deserves after all that time. I feel nothing but sorry for the reasons that led up to him being in the loner position he’s ended up with.
10. Scar
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood A man who hates alchemy in a world of alchemy? It’s more likely than you think. Although Scar is looking for little more than vengeance and vigilante justice. His people were slaughtered, and because of that, he’s taken up the role to kill those that he thinks are worthy of his ire – or those who were involved in the destruction of his home. Scar is very morally grey, just like any vigilante character. You may agree with his actions or not – but sometimes what he’ll justify to achieve his ideal of justice holds a heavy cost.
11. Ryuko
Anime: Kill la Kill Though she certainly has a friend in Mako and her family, Ryuko has been a loner ever since she was a little kid when she witnessed the murder of her father. Ever since then, she’s been on a justice hunt to try and find out who the culprit is. And she has to fight through a lot of people to get there. Including those who weren’t involved. But despite her vengeance quest, she’s not totally cold to other people… but she’s certainly not the most receptive to new people, and is often mistrusting.
12. Ginko
Anime: Mushishi Ginko seems like the type who’s mostly just a loner due to the circumstances of his life. It’s just how he enjoys things. He wanders around the world, adventuring and enjoying the sights. Though he spends most of the time of his travels alone, he’ll occasionally stop in a village or find a person who may need his help – and he’ll offer it as long as he’s able. Unlike most of the people on this list, he just seems to enjoy the quiet and solitude that comes from life as a vagrant. Which is a nice breath of fresh air for this type of character.
13. L
Anime: Death Note L works almost exclusively alone. Or at least he did before the events of Death Note happened. This is outlined very well, too, considering no one knows what he looks like outside of the police. He’s not much for talking. And friendship is something he struggles with, as he’s almost laser focused on his work more than anything else. He’s also not an entirely cold person. But he has many quirks that often cause people to question why he acts the way that he does
14. Kanade Tachibana
Anime: Angel Beats Being alone is really one of the only things that Kanade really knows in her life. She has no memory of her past when she was alive. And now that she’s in the purgatory of the school, she’s been granted the powers of an angel, in order to keep the other students in the school down. The most tragic part of her story is that she really doesn’t know any other way of living – and when she eventually joins the other students, she very clearly doesn’t know how to make friends.
15. Aomine Daiki
Anime: Kuroko no Basuke This iconic line from Aomine really drives in the point that he sees himself as above others within the sport he plays. Aomine is exceptionally skilled, and used to absolutely love the sport of basketball – until he realized that there just wasn’t much point in working with others since he was too skilled. The sport stopped being fun to him. And he started growing distant, never showing up to practice, just showing up to win games. That’s all people valued him for anymore. It’s kind of sad honestly, losing passion for the thing you loved most in the world, and then forcing yourself to drive others away because you’re afraid of getting burnt again.
16. Mugen
Anime: Samurai Champloo Mugen’s kind of a jerk. He has tendencies to be hot-headed and aggressive, and before joining up with his new companions, he mostly just wandered the world alone. His inability to really make friends with the others in his group at first is very evident of how accustomed to being alone he really is. I mean, he has no issues driving people away for his own goals – or for some peace. And at least at the start of the show, the only reason he’s travelling with his group is to try and stay alive.
17. Spike Spiegel
Anime: Cowboy Bebop Given the dark past that he had with his lost love, and his rival who’s constantly trying to kill him anytime he sees him, it’s no wonder Spike tends to prefer the quietness of being alone. Though he traveled with Jet for a while, it was mostly a professional relationship. They bonded from time to time – but he always kept himself at a bit of a distance. And as the crew of the Bebop continued to grow, Spike seemed more agitated more than anything else, not wanting to bring anymore chaos in his life than what’s already there.
18. Rei Ayanami
Anime: Neon Genesis: Evangelion Rei literally cannot help the way that she is. She was born that way – and the people who brought her into the world want it that way. Rei seems downright emotionless when it comes to interacting with other people. But that’s just how she knows to interact. She’s factual and blunt, and doesn’t really express any feelings. Plus she’s a highly sheltered and traumatized child who’s been forced to pilot a mech to try against impossible odds to try and save the world. No wonder she has trouble talking to people…
19. Yuuta Togashi
Anime: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! A lot of kids are embarrassed by their pasts. Some have good reasons for it, and some were honestly just being kids. Yuuta falls more in the latter category. He used to be a chuuni himself, loving roleplaying a Dark Flame Master, even in places like school. Now he wants to escape that past – but it follows him anyway. Though he certainly tries his best to act the part of the loner who just wants a normal life, there’s clearly a part of him that revels in the pure childlike joy of the chuuni life he can’t escape.
20. Bete
Anime: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon? Bete’s kind of a tsundere. He’s powerful, cocky, and very rude to people that he thinks are weaker than him. Plus he doesn’t really bother too much with teamwork unless he’s forced to. But once you’re able to earn his respect, by showing him that you’re not just some adventurer like anyone else, he starts to take interest – even if he denies it. And when you’re in, the cracks start to form. His loner persona will ever so slowly start to turn into one of respect, and in some cases, competition.
