The shy anime character trope has been explored for decades now. These characters are often portrayed to have severe social anxiety that makes them stutter their words or blush excessively. Interestingly enough, shy characters in modern anime are portrayed slightly differently, with a bit more realism to them.
Shy characters are often mistaken for being introverts simply because they aren’t that outgoing. However, this is not true. Characters can be shy and socially awkward without being introverts, as most of these characters want to make friends or even hope to meet new people.
8Wakana Gojo
My Dress-Up Darling
Gojo is a Hina Doll craftsman who was traumatized due to a childhood experience of a girl telling him that a guy playing with dolls is creepy. Since then, Gojo has kept to himself and avoided contact with other people as much as possible. Even when he does have to engage in conversation, he becomes too formal.
Gojo’s cause of his shyness mainly comes from a lack of experience talking to other people or making new friends. This is why Marin is the perfect contrast to Gojo, as she makes up for how quiet Gojo is.
7Giyu Tomioka
Demon Slayer
Giyu is aHashira from Demon Slayer, one of the strongest slayers in the entire anime. At first glance, he comes off as a stern individual who doesn’t want anything to do with other people. He even seems to talk to others just fine, albeit with a colder tone.
However, he is just a shy and distressed character who wants to make friends with others, as shown after his sparring match with Sanemi. Unfortunately for Giyu, many people seem to misunderstand him and consider him an arrogant individual who thinks he’s above everyone else.
6Yu Ishigami
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
Despite being shy, Ishigami is one of the funniest characters you will come across. He’s not as shy as the other characters, but still prefers to keep to himself and is not great in social situations. This is mainly due to him going through awful things during middle school, leading to Ishigami getting a bad reputation among the high school students.
Ishigami is often scared of Kaguya because his social anxiety causes him to overthink. Even though he was part of the student council, we didn’t get to meet Ishigami until the sixth episode of Love Is War. That goes to show how little he used to interact with everyone.
5Tamaki Amajiki
My Hero Academia
Tamaki is one of thebig three students at UA High. He appears to be a serious and intimidating individual because of the sharp glare he has in his eyes. However, you soon realize after talking to him that he’s just too shy to talk.
Tamaki struggles to do any presentation in front of a crowd and also can’t make any friends. Fortunately, Amajiki ended up meeting Mirio when he was a child. Mirio helped Tamaki gain confidence and believe in himself. Tamaki is a great example of a character with social anxiety who is trying to become a more confident version of himself.
4Shigeo Kageyama
Mob Psycho 100
Shigeo is a shy individual who has always struggled to read the air. This leads him to have no friends until he decides to better himself and join the fitness club in high school. Shigeo’s journey of self-exploration is beautifully presented through his shy personality.
Shigeo is also incredibly kind, refusing to use any of his psychic powers for selfish reasons or to hurt others. Even though Shigeo wants to become popular, he never uses his powers for self-aggrandisement. Seeing him try to become stronger physically and mentally is both relatable and inspiring.
3Hitori Gotoh
Bocchi The Rock!
Hitori, better known as Bocchi, is an extremely shy person who even struggles to hold a conversation with other people. She has a passion for music, spending all of her free time making song covers while in her room. Bocchi’s attempts at trying to make friends are both hilarious and sad at the same time.
She tries her hardest to make others notice her, but is unable to take that first step by talking directly to them. Thankfully, she is recruited by Nijika to join Kessoku band. Bocchi still struggles talking with others, but she is slowly getting stronger and gaining more confidence. Her journey is incredibly wholesome and brilliantly hilarious.
2Komi Shouko
Komi Can’t Communicate
Komi is one of the few shy characters who is unable to communicate entirely. She does have the ability to talk, but prefers to use signs or noises because of her social anxiety. Despite these setbacks, Komi wants to become an outgoing person and make a hundred friends.
Komi also cherishes the few friends she has greatly, especially Tadano. While Komi clearly hasromantic feelingsfor him, they come from a genuine appreciation for Tadano. She tries every day to become a more outgoing person and communicate with others directly, making every little word she says that much more rewarding to hear.
1Hinata Hyuga
Naruto
Hinata is one of the most iconic examples of a shy character in anime. However, her personality does tend to get a bit extreme sometimes. Hinata also seems to talk to other people just fine and doesn’t have any problems getting along with her teammates.
Unfortunately, she stops functioning properly when she’s around Naruto, her crush. She struggles to express herself and continues to blush and stutter her sentences, often choosing to run away entirely. However, it gets much better as she grows older and becomes more confident, choosing to put her life on the line for Naruto and standing with him side-by-side.
