Those who share our passion have a special place in our hearts.
Remember that meme with Denji who gets close to a TV with a crying grimace on his face, saying "He just like me fr!!"? Some anime characters make us feel the same. Especially the ones that share our hobbies — anime and manga. It makes them so relatable and makes us feel a bit less like losers. So we've got 10 anime otaku characters, pretty different from each other, that embody different aspects of otaku culture and can be relatable.
Konata Izumi — Lucky Star
She's probably one of the most famous otaku characters, particularly known for her love for Haruhi Suzumiya (they share the voice actress, by the way). Konata is the star of the show that mocks the otaku culture and entertainment industry of the 2000s and she embodies that fully. She's lazy at school, but as soon as she's free and can indulge in fandoms and media, she's energetic and bubbly. Look at her working at the manga cafe! She's full of life! And some of us are also energized by our favorite franchises.
Marin Kitagawa — My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru)
She's a cosplayer. So we need to say more? She's proudly obsessed with anime, manga, and games, and wants her passion to be visible, but she's awful at sewing. She's not a shy shut-in — no, she's a star, she embodies that part of herself and presents it openly to the world. There's nothing to be ashamed of: we're just getting our dose of serotonin by reading manga, watching anime, and playing games. There's nothing wrong with that, and Marin states the same.
Tosshi — Gintama
Tosshi is a secondary personality of one of the most popular Gintama characters, Hijikata Toushirou, that was triggered by getting in contact with a cursed sword that had the soul of an otaku in it. So when Tosshi takes over the body, Hijikata becomes obsessed with a certain show that looks ridiculously similar to Sailor Moon, starts drawing To Love-Ru doujinshis, and gets into heated discussions about 3D and 2D girls. He also buys his figurines in three copies: one to look at, one to keep, and one to use.
Mikoto Mikoshiba — Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun)
He has an aura of a stoic prince but he can't deal with girls at all. At least with the 3D ones. The ones in the game and in the manga, however, are perfectly fine for him. Mikoshiba has a huge collection of games and figurines and happily talks about his hobbies with those who can share his passion. Otherwise, he's pretty shy, but not in that stereotypical otaku way. That seems fitting for some of the introverted anime lovers who prefer to open up only to those who understand them.
Narumi Momose — Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku (Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii)
The whole show focuses on the characters who are fans of specific things, be it games or fandoms, so choosing only one was hard. We decided to go with Narumi, as her otaku nature is the one that drives the plot forward: she changed jobs because people at her previous workplace learned about her hobby, and with changing jobs she met her childhood friend who asked her to be his girlfriend and who's a gaming nerd, a popular cosplayer, and a person who enjoys all things in moderation. Narumi just feels like someone who can enjoy this hobby in a healthy way but still be a little bit unhinged about it. Just a little.
Anzu Hoshino — Romantic Killer
For a person who isn't interested in romance herself, Anzu often indulges in games with romantic subplots. She proudly wears her otaku badge and proudly enjoys her hobby. She's only interested in pixelated boys, and, surprisingly, the real-life ones that are thrown her way when she's forced to reenact one of the dating sims in real life, appreciate that. Anzu is passionate and relatable in her love for games.
King — One Punch Man
King is one of those stereotypical otaku who combines his love for cute romance games with a terrifying appearance and cowardly attitude. He prefers to just stay at home and play something like Doki Doki Sisters instead of doing hero's work because he knows that he's no hero. But he still greatly enjoys his gaming nights with Saitama, although he tries to hide all his visual novels and keeps only fighting games around when he visits. He can be embarrassed, too!
Tatsuhiro Satou — Welcome to the N.H.K. (NHK ni Youkoso!)
It's quite similar to Wotakoi, as the number of characters who can be called otaku in this show is pretty high. But Tatsuhiro embodies that stereotypical hermit lifestyle, and he also got into otaku culture with the help of his friend, Kaoru. He's lazy, cynical, indecisive, doesn't like leaving his home, and is selfish and brash. But he knows that there are media that he can enjoy, and it's the only thing that has been keeping him afloat for a very long time. If that part is not relatable, then we don't know what is.
Kazuyoshi Usui — Sket Dance
Kazuyoshi, or Switch, is one of those otaku who looks fine and seems to be very popular — due to being hot and mysterious. He is extremely knowledgeable about anime and manga, casually relaying facts with a straight face and no wavering in his voice (because he uses a speech synthesizer to talk, but still), so he can be classified as an all-rounder otaku, who doesn't make anime a big part of his life but enjoys it fully and openly.
Hajime Tsunashi — I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying (Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken)
Hajime is not a recluse: he actually has a wife! And a loving wife, nonetheless, who accepts his hobby and doesn't do anything against it. Hajime himself is really good at portraying and at the same time mocking the stereotypes surrounding otaku culture in Japan, but the anime is especially good at portraying the specifics of the relationship between a geek and a person who's not very interested in all that. It feels so refreshing and gratifying to see how they navigate their married life and find compromises.