Hard work and perseverance have always been key themes in mostanime, especially Shonen. There’s something very charming about seeing characters work hard and getting rewarded for it. However, some of these characters take it too far, risking their bodies and mental health.
Of course, they are a great source of motivation to achieve your own goals, but some of these characters also remind us of the difference between good hard work and overwork. Regardless, you can always walk away with some sort of life lesson after seeing these characters.
8Hinata Shoyo
Haikyu!!
Hinata is part of a high school volleyball club. His goal is to stay on the volleyball court as long as possible and become a great volleyball player. Unfortunately for Hinata, his short stature puts him at a disadvantage against taller players on the court.
This drives Hinata to work harder than anyone else and become better. He is greatly inspired by an older volleyball player called the ‘little giant.’ Because of his goals and general love for volleyball, Hinata ends up practicing even after finishing official tournament matches.
7Miyuki Shirogane
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
Miyuki is the student council president of a prestigious high school only attended by the rich. Miyuki himself comes from a humble family, leading him to study and work harder than anyone to keep his standing and reputation as the student council president.
He also has romantic feelingsfor the student council’s vice president, Kaguya Shinomiya. She is a gifted and intelligent student who Miyuki can’t afford to lose against. Because of this, Miyuki sacrifices his sleep and works to an unhealthy amount.
6Tanjiro Kamado
Demon Slayer
Tanjiro used to be a normal charcoal seller until his whole family was attacked by a demon, leading to his sister becoming a demon herself. Now, Tanjiro’s goal is to get revenge for his family and turn his sister back into a human.
Tanjiro trains day and night to become stronger and get closer to the demon that killed his family. Even during life-and-death situations, he forces his body to move by sheer will until the demon he’s fighting is no more.
5Izuku Midoriya
My Hero Academia
Izuku, better known as Deku, wasgiven a quirkfrom All Might. He now has to become a finer hero than anyone else while saving the world from villains like Shigaraki or All For One. With huge pressure suddenly given to a teenager like Deku, he goes beyond his limits in training.
He is always unsure about himself, usually going as far as to destroy his own body if it means getting a step closer to becoming a better hero. Deku even left his school and started pursuing villains day and night, without any rest, if it meant keeping his loved ones safe.
4Sung Jinwoo
Solo Leveling
Jinwoo was known as the weakest hunter until one day, he mysteriously acquired a system that allowed him to become stronger. His goal is to become strong enough to craft the Elixir of Life and heal his mother from eternal sleep. Jinwoo spent day and night risking his life in dungeons to train himself for that single purpose.
When Jinwoo isn’t conquering dungeons or fighting strong enemies, he’s doing daily quests and planning his next course of action that would lead him to become even stronger. He does not spend a single moment thinking about anything other than leveling up and saving his mother.
3Vegeta
Dragon Ball Z
Ever since he met Goku, Vegeta has spent every waking moment of his life trying to surpass him. His pride as the prince of Saiyans did not allow him to feel inferior to Goku, making him develop a burning obsession with surpassing Goku.
This forces Vegeta to put his body at risk and train the hardest he can. He went through a lot ofcharacter developmentthroughout Dragon Ball, but his desire to surpass Goku stays the same till this day.
2Subaru Natsuki
Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World
Subaru might be one of the most tragic characters who went through unspeakable things. He was a normal human until he got teleported to an isekai world with a power that allows him to come back from death. This leads him to suffer incredibly painful fates and die constantly.
Despite this, Subaru pulls himself back up with the help of those around him. He keeps working hard to save his friends, even going as far as to die for them multiple times. Very few characters would go as far as Subaru.
1Rock Lee
Naruto
Rock Lee is the face of hard work in anime. He was born with no talent for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, so he put his all into mastering Taijutsu. Despite being called a dropout, he worked harder than anyone to achieve his dream of being a splendid ninja.
As a child, Rock Lee would kick a single log thousands of times. He would then set self-rules for himself that would make him train into the night. This level of dedication, while being doubted by others, is incredible to see. Even in the Chunin Exams, Lee stood up to face Gaara while unconscious.
