I Watched Your Suggestions for Autism Media (And What I Found)

[@zarinaa1135]

Donnie also speaks in monotone often, a common autistic quirk. A few times when for an average person they'd speak in a voice with intense emotion. He's shown to be touch aversion. Frowning when hugged but happily rubbing his brother's head. Self-initiated touch is okay. He's shown to have sensory issues, obsessed with a certain coat, drinking flavorless juice and being brought to the brink of vomiting when forced to touch the slimy textures he hates. (Me too dude) He is shown to have communication isses, from saying a sound instead of doing it, like scoff or sigh, but can communicate, in a way different than others. From speaking more grandly to commonly using uncommon words. He's such good representation because he's just as much a part of the team and is allowed to act like a real person. He's entertaining for everyone to watch. While this show is a comedy, so it can get away with things in a way other shows can't, Donnie himself is NEVER the butt of the joke for being autistic. Him slapping someone with a flip flop because they were very much invading his personal space is funny not because Donnie is 'messed up' it's funny because of the speedy way it's animated and because Donnie is being more brutal then necessary to get his space back. It's funny because it's a reasonable action, more common among autistics, done over the top to heighten the humor. He's fantastic and I love him. I'm gonna go watch an Autistic Donnie Compilation and you should too!

[@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072]

Not sure what you mean by monotone

[@zarinaa1135]

@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 A voice that does not show much emotion. The classic robot voice if you want an example

[@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072]

@@zarinaa1135 Mmmkayyyyy

[@popsquirt9370]

I wanted to watch rise specifically for a “Donnie being autistic” comp because he seemed like really good rep and the show just seemed so funny and the animation look awesome (and one of the clips was Donnie’s library rap and after watching a couple episodes of rise I promptly watched the rap on loop and memorized it even before I got that episode lol)

[@Rob_Boss99]

Rise Donnie is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. It's so refreshing and honestly inspiring to see such a well written, competent, and complete character with clear and inoffensive autism coding. He's so funny and even has flaws but no one talks down to him for his shortcomings. No one treats hims different for it. His brothers just love him as their brother because that's who he is.

[@noahthe0tter]

Agreed! It's a big reason why he resonates with so many people, including me 🙂

[@DOCTORRGLASS]

Whos that?

[@daisyphinney1038]

Agreed. Kinda sad a lot of people hate this show simply because of the animation style and more kid centered genre

[@Rob_Boss99]

@@daisyphinney1038 I know right? This show got so unfairly snubbed by fans when it released, and now fans are begging on their hands and knees for a season 3 after actually watching it. 😂

[@daisyphinney1038]

@@Rob_Boss99 mhmm

[@costelinha1867]

"I may process emotions differently than you, but that doesn't mean I don't feel them at all..." Yup... that's me, that's definetly me...

[@popsquirt9370]

That kind of quote always hits me in the feels

[@Echo16006]

When I saw Tech and Donnie, I clicked immediately. Glad to say I wasn't disappointed.

[@PUNK64]

Me to lol

[@noahthe0tter]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@daisyphinney1038]

same. when i heard Tech's talk in season 2 with Omega I was like YUS!! I KNEW IT I KNEW IT

[@popsquirt9370]

Me too I saw lunela too

[@thecursedpotato6561]

It's funny that the reason why Donnie was my favorite (among other reasons) was because he reminded me of my friends, and the kind of people I like to hang out with. Then this year I realised 90% of my friend group AND MY PARTNER is autistic. I'm not even autistic! I don't know why im some kind of magnet but its very funny to me

[@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072]

Magnet for what?

[@seyodys]

Upon seeing Tech on the thumbnail, I experienced a cat5 autism event and impulse clicked the vid Clone Wars is my hyperfixation lol. I literally screamed when he said the thing about processing moments and thoughts differently than others, because he's been incredibly relatable to me. It was amazing to hear the hint that he might be canonically autistic

[@dcbandit]

My twin brother is autistic, he is hyperfixated on generally machines, the specifics change over time, right now it's boats and designing them. He has a smile instead of a neutral expression, and is annoyed by it and usually forces a sour face to replace it. He's annoying and doesn't understand social cues, and generally walks 10 miles and hour when in thought, which is always, and never slows down for anyone unless you catch his interest with a conversation about his favorite thing. I couldn't live without him, I love him very much. People usually have a negative opinion on him, but he's just a gentle guy with weird obsessions with cool weapons sometimes, and I wish they could see past that and see him for who he really is inside.

[@Appleblosom536]

Actually from the recent on-going anime “Delicious In Dungeon” the main character Laois shows some autistic traits, like his special interest with monsters and being considered weird due to said interest. He struggles with his words and can cause people to misinterpret what he means. There are many more that manga readers have said but the ones I have listed so far are the ones that have been shown in the recent 7 episodes that have been aired, and there might be more that I have missed. I also really recommend the show, it’s a fantasy comedy so far!!

[@LordofGoblins12]

watching Donnie was sorta like "HOLY CRAP, HE'S JUST LIKE ME FR FR, I mean he does tech and not mythology, but HE JUST LIKE ME FR"

[@DianaDoesDozens]

Same for me too😭😭😭

[@popsquirt9370]

Me being AudiHD I’m like a mixture of Donnie and Mikey (I refuse to believe Donnie is an extrovert cause I’m ambivert/introvert) I’m an INFJ and Donnie is an INTJ and Mikey is an ENFP I’m also very artist and it made me so happy when in lair game they said Mikey was a “ballet master” cause that’s one of my special interest/passions (didn’t mean for this to be so long lol)

[@LordofGoblins12]

@@popsquirt9370 Nah bro, bring in the rants, to rant is to be quirky, and up in this reply section, we're so quirky you can call us the MHA universe (this is my worst joke)

[@Kane3621]

If you decide to do a part 3, I'd love to see your take on Entrapna from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

[@noahthe0tter]

Oh? I've never seen She-Ra 🤔

[@john.dough.]

god I love entrapta

[@sandradermark8463]

I LOVE Entrapta myself ❤

[@LordofGoblins12]

Far as I'm concerned the show is mid, but Entrapta saves the show entirely, I honestly kept watching just for Entrapta, Sea Hawk, Kyle/Lonnie/Rogelio and Scorpia, those were kinda the main ones I cared about

[@fennecishere]

I love ROTTMNT Donnie so much, I'm really glad you talked about it in this video!! Rise Donnie is obviously the most blatant example, but I feel like a lot of Donnie iterations can be considered Autistic. I've yet to properly watch many of the iterations, but I feel like at least 2012 and Mutant Mayhem Donnie are also Autistc. Mutant Mayhem Donnie I feel more strongly about. He has hyperfixations (like anime) and wears headphones everywhere, even on missions. Many people headcanon he does this in case he gets overstimulated. These other iterations may not be as good as Rise in terms of characterizing Donnie, but there's definitely an argument to be made about them being autistic as well.

[@anokartist2352]

Donnie has and will continue to be big autism vibes. The turtles and nerodivergance go together in a way I can't even describe.

[@PhoenixPrime]

Tech was a character I clicked with, especially after listening to the dialogue between him and Omega in that episode. It's one of the reasons why he became my favorite member of the Bad Batch! And it... also made the Season 2 finale that much harder to watch....

[@thehuman.glowstick]

If you ever make a part 3, I recommend watching the Korean drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It is about an autistic lawyer and I think they did a pretty good job portraying the experiences of an autistic person.

[@OkabrineKanahap]

Just finished it's okay not to be okay, I need to watch that one too!

[@CalTheHogNosedBat]

Thoughts on touching on teaching young children early the importance of accepting that autism exists and to treat others with respect, regardless of if you have autism or not, such as with Julia in Sesame Street, and Bruno in 3,2,1, Go Thomas and Friends (the cartoon, my kid and I watch on netflix)

[@noahthe0tter]

I think it's ESPECIALLY important for that to be shown on kids' media, and in particular in a way that feels natural. I do think Sesame Street really excelled at that, not sure about Thomas 🤔

[@EndYouTubeShorts_]

Brief history of autistic characters and Thomas. I don't know everything, but here's all I thought of. The show is based on a series of books called The Railway Series, which were written before most people knew what autism was. The show was very different from other kids shows in the 80's and 90's and the old episodes stand out even more now. Some kids are terrified of the unmoving faces, but others appreciate the quiet, realistic vibe. Many autistic kids were very attached to Thomas, but it was more that the show was easy to understand. Duck the Great Western Engine is theorized by like three fans to be autistic and this is all based on a story of him written in 1958. We thought of this a few years ago. The first conscious attempt at the show to include autistic characters was at the beginning of its downfall in 2017. Theo, Lexi, and Merlin were the Experimental Engines created by Mattel and by rumor, autism Speaks for the movie Journey Beyond Sodor. I don't think they were good representation, because it implies they were built wrong and they sing about not being able to do anything. Merlin is a cool guy, though. Finally, the show was rebooted to match all other children's shows, but Bruno was created. I've never seen All Engines Go, but other people say he's good and he is voiced by a real autistic boy.

[@noahthe0tter]

@@EndKZbinShorts_ unfortunately Autism Speaks is very notorious for not representing me and others in the autistic community well at all, so I'm not surprised there

[@scribbliedoo]

Temple Grandin’s movie made me cry so hard. i related to alot of things. And from what I understand she is still alive.

[@elsakristina2689]

I was ten the first time I saw the Temple Grandin movie. When her squeeze machine was taken away and destroyed I got too upset to keep watching anymore but on my next viewing I was able to watch the whole thing. I don’t remembered this next but at the end I was crying and I usually never cry during movies and when I was asked why I said it was because it felt good to see someone who thinks the same way I do. I’d been suspected to be autistic since I was a toddler and no one else noticed until I was nine and that’s how I first found out what it is and I knew I was autistic but I didn’t get diagnosed until I was twelve or thirteen.

[@eslm-studios2996]

I'd recommend you take a look into the Owl House & Amphibia. The characters of TOH's main protagonist, Luz, is a great example of an autistic individual. She's got no friends in school, has quirky dialogue and actions and goes through experiences that shape her up emotionally and physically by the time of Season 3. Then there's Marcy in Amphibia who is nerdy with her fantasy stories, easily distracted by her video games and whatnot. Better still, she's relatable.

[@pemanilnoob]

I thought Luz was supposed to have ADHD Let’s not pretend that doesn’t exist

[@eslm-studios2996]

@@pemanilnoob Did Dana Terrace say Luz has ADHD?

[@pemanilnoob]

@@eslm-studios2996 I remember someone working on the show saying she’s canonically neurodivergent, but I also remember something about them saying something with adhd, but idk, I’m just saying off the top of my head I mean, saying she’s autistic has no more officiality than saying she has adhd

[@eslm-studios2996]

@@pemanilnoob Well, nobody as far as I know has confirmed Marcy to be autistic, despite the evidence as seen in the show. Actions speak louder than words.

[@pikawh0]

@@pemanilnoobI’ve heard it’s canon she does, it doesn’t surprise me since I’m a girl with ADHD as well.

[@Buffaloguy1991]

Abed from Community is and always will be my favorite portrayal

[@Suspiria-Baybee]

Highly recommend you check out POOR THINGS, especially from an autistic POV. Bella Baxter is my favorite depiction of an autistic/autistic-coded character, alongside TWIN PEAKS’ Dale Cooper, but Bella is definitely one I relate to a lot more in terms of my autistic experience. Would love to hear your input on both, especially POOR THINGS.

[@noahthe0tter]

Never heard of Poor Things! Heard of Twin Peaks, but have yet to see it. I'll have to give both a watch! Thank you!

[@A_M_W_Worlds]

I'd like to make a suggestion for if you decide to make a part 3; Zim from Invader Zim! He's a villain and an alien, but I think he's really good Autism rep because his Autistic traits are completely separate from both of these things. He would still have these traits even if he were reformed and he's canonically a Defective in the eyes of other (and equally if not more villainess) members of his species. He's been shown to have sensory issues throughout the series, he's constantly complaining about things smelling too much, he hates annoying noises unless he's the one making them (seriously, bro vocal stims like ain't nobody's business!), and he hates his space bubble being invaded. How well he handles similar situations depends entirely on if he's in them of his own volition or not, and he does sometimes have meltdowns. He has noticeably strange syntax and alternates between normal speaking volume and shouting constantly. Very animated with his hands. Hyperfixates on his various projects (good things) and phobias and perceived threats (bad things). Generally, I just think Zim is really interesting. He's one of the most personally relatable characters I've ever stumbled across, and a lot of that is because he embodies many Autistic traits I don't typically see in media. I definitely think Invader Zim is worth checking out, and I hope you'll consider it!

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting! I actually never thought about that - it's also been a long time since I saw the show haha. I'll have to give it a rewatch! Thank you for this suggestion!

[@DianaDoesDozens]

I never saw the show, but I did see a movie of it and looking back I never noticed until now! Ur right XD

[@A_M_W_Worlds]

@smelly3273 YES! Good call on Dib!/gen I didn't mention him in my original comment because at the time I couldn't decide if he met enough of the Autism criteria, but after falling down a recent psychology rabbit hole, I think he probably does! I now find myself seriously questioning Gaz and Professor Membrane since Autism running in families seems to be pretty common and they both have such clearly defined special interests. They also seem to have very low empathy, with Gaz only really seeming to care about Dib (even this is dubious at times) and Membrane having a hard time connecting to Dib even when it seems like he wants to.

[@blackfox4138]

My Love Story with Yamada-kun is a show that does a good job at tackling an autistic love interest. He comes across as stoic and cool, but later on he admits that he just doesn’t know how to properly communicate his feelings, and his hyper fixation to gaming is portrayed in a really believable way.

[@noahthe0tter]

I've never seen that! If I ever do a part 3, I'll have to look it up!

[@madisonlynn2419]

I love this video!!! As a fellow autistic person, it can be so refreshing to see great representation in media that I love!! One character I think deserves a ton of love is Cole from Dragon Age: Inquisition. He was written to be coded with autism! He’s a spirit from the Fade that allies with your party in order to save the world, but his story is so tragic but has a happy ending depending on what choices you make. Cole has moments where he stims, doesn’t quite understand social ques, but he tries his hardest to provide comfort and aid to others because, as he puts it, ‘He just wants to help people.’ Personally I loved this vid!!! Keep up the great work!! ❤❤❤

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting!! I have never played Dragon Age, so this is great to know. And thank you for the kind words! It means so much. I'm really glad this video has resonated with so many people like me 💚💚💚

[@CaptainUnikitty]

As someone autistic myself, the Temple Grandin one I’ve seen before, and it really was relatable too. How she talked about how cows are interesting, and sometimes trying to fit in with others. Sometimes I try to fit in with others but I feel like I’m not good enough, and especially I like to talk about my stories I make about my characters. The rest of the characters shown here are cool! (besides the anime one…) but Im mostly interested in the stop motion one, that looks interesting.

[@AnEtchersketch]

You are the only person ive come across to say exactly what I thought/felt about penguin highway. I literally thought i was the only one who got that read from the film haha. I’m recently diagnosed AuDHD and I found a lot of the characters on your list very relatable. I do hope more series in future actually outright call their characters autistic or ND in future! It might help other undiagnosed folks make a connection about themselves sooner. Thankyou for this video! It’s refreshing to see the insights and analysis of an ND creative like yourself. Also for a character I personally read as autistic: Malleus Draconia from twisted wonderland (a game not a show) has a lot of behaviours and struggles that I deeply relate to in my autistic experience. He’s frequently misunderstood, nobody realises how deeply empathetic he really is, he has explosive emotional outbursts when he gets angry or overwhelmed, feels he mustn’t show his emotions because of this, because he could hurt those he cares about, and feels deeply lonely and isolated from others.

[@noahthe0tter]

Thank you for taking the time to type all this out! I'm glad my analysis of these characters resonated with you - that means more than you may know :) And I have not heard of Twisted Wonderland! I'll have to look that up. Thank you so much!

[@theownerofthisaccount2521]

After rewatching Bojack Horseman, I realized how much I related to Judah and how many see him as autistic. Judah is Carolyn’s assistant and he seems to have traits. He tends to be blunt in his speeches and take things literally, not realizing things like Carolyn asking him to set her up with three dates or lawyers coming in to screw in lightbulbs were jokes until told Ao or saying them out loud. He can also struggle with social cues in general and can have difficulty understanding what he did wrong at points. He can hyperfixate on things like work to the point of working late into the night without realizing. He has trouble maintaining eye contact and even mentions it at one point(as well as something you can make out at times in the animation where he’s not directly looking at who he is speaking to). But the moment that got me was when Carolyn gets frustrated and compares him to a robot, to which Judah responds “im…not a robot. I am a human being” which I related to personally

[@neutralseife8419]

What makes the Bad Batch so good in my opinion is just how mature is with emotions. I have read some compliants about Tech being to stereotypical because he really embodies the "autistic nerd" trope many poeple are tired of, but the thing is that it's actually treated serious for once. Tech is super smart, but kind of bad at human interaction. It's obvious how quickly you can run yourself into shallow stereotypes with that, but than we see how his seeming lack of empathy leads to actual problems between him and his team mates. It's not just in the episode mentioned in this video, but already in the first episode that we see how Wrecker, who is definitely one of the more emotional characters, seems to be really hurt about Tech's dryly deliverd statement about the clones being programmed. And than there are also the many little discussions he has with Hunter and Echo (mostly Echo), which are obviously because of misunderstandings. Like- i can't stress this enough. This is a facet of autism that is so rarely treated in media and even more rarely treated correctly and it’s a very real experience i, and many other poeple with autism i know, deal with and it feels so good to have at least this one case, where it's potrayed in a serious, non-annoying fashion.

[@CartoonLab]

2:57 Actually Mary starts writing to Max by ripping his address from a New York phone book at a post office while her mother tries to steal stuff. Later in the film when her mother finds out about Max, she freaks out.

[@ByrdieFae]

Yes! Moon Girl! I thought I was reaching when I thought she was autism-coded. I'm glad I'm not the only one to think it!

[@noahthe0tter]

You may enjoy my newest video on another Marvel property then, that just came out today 👀

[@Gabriel-doodle]

If you do a part 3, could you talk about Brick* from the Middle and Marcy from Amphibia? The show is kinda long, so I think it’s best if you hop around*

[@noahthe0tter]

Amphibia is one I have yet to see too! I likely won't do a part 3 immediately, but if there's enough demand, I'll absolutely do it down the road 😃

[@elliart7432]

oh my gosh the middle! I grew up watching that, I love Brick. Though I think his representation gets major points taken off for the show making tongue and cheek jokes about NOT saying he has autism, it feels like a deliberate tease. But anyway yah, Brick is one of the few autistic characters I've seen who has fairly moderate support needs and is still allowed his own plot lines and perspective. He participates in Special Ed and can't pass as neurotypical, especially because vocal stimming is one of his defining superficial traits in the show.. His special interests also evolve as he gets older, which is always cool to see.

[@gailasprey7787]

Tech is my personal favourite of autism representation. Of all places I thought I’d find autistic media, never did I think it would be Star Wars. I love how he is and it’s a nice portrayal. He isn’t seen as unempathetic for not understanding how Omega feels and he’s smart but that’s shown to not to be all of what he is.

[@noahthe0tter]

I didnt expect it in Star Wars either! And I am a giant Star Wars nerd hahaha

[@JAProductions494]

Mary and Max is one of my favourite movies ever. It is just beautiful in every way and I’m glad you loved it

[@noahthe0tter]

I'm so glad I finally watched it!

[@AdriCruz21]

This and the first video is very interesting to say as an autistic myself :)

[@noahthe0tter]

Yay! Thanks friendo - glad you enjoyed them! I'm really glad it seems to be encouraging a lot of healthy discussion of neurodivergency

[@robertmacfergus9288]

I would suggest Laios from "Delicious in Dungeon" also called "Dungeon Meshi". Also Rutherford from "Star Trek Lower Decks" with one of my favourite lines being "Wait...I can just ask for stuff I deserve?" I do find Rutherford to occasionally be portrayed as a little childish, but he is actually competent and is not meant to be the butt of the joke and gets serious moments. I think people are jumping to some strong conclusions, mainly jokingly, around Laios especially with the anime having arrived. However I think he is pretty clearly just an autistic, ace(but not aromantic), biology nerd, who is good at what he does and is portraited in a nuanced way. I will also have to see how the anime adaptation treats Laios I hope it does justice to his manga portrayal. What I like about both characters is the autism is not the struggle, they are autistic people who have narrative struggles but also personal non narrative struggles.

[@yeetus_reetus_deeleetus]

if you get to do a follow-up to this video, I HIGHLY recommend the chosen series, as someone with Asperger's, it is beautiful to see that Mathew who also has Aspergers was one of the apostles chosen by Christ (also despite being a faith-based series, it is so beautifully done that would get a tear out of anyone)

[@kokoro7996]

Have you ever watched Please Stand By? It’s about an autistic woman who travels by herself to submit her entry for a Star Trek fan story contest.

[@noahthe0tter]

I have not! Where can I watch it?

[@kokoro7996]

@@noahthe0tter I…actually have no idea. I just remember randomly watching it on tv one night.

[@provider-of-guardians7964]

Temple Grandin is still alive actually! I got to see her in person at a Mother Earth News Fair back in 2013, t'was cool :3

[@SirBanana1992]

Another character I heard some consider but isn't official is Mob in Mob Psycho 100. I can certainly believe some traits are shared but I wouldn't be sure it would be autism or asperger based on story context.

[@kevp9601]

I LOVE "AUTISM POWERS" THE MOST, EVERYONE ! YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, YES I DO, AND FINALLY, YES I DO ! ! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

[@angrybrony]

i'm surprised nobody brought up reagan ridley from inside job, like even the characters in the show comment on her being on the spectrum.

[@noahthe0tter]

I haven't seen Inside Job! Interesting....I know a lot of Gravity Falls alumni worked on it, which I thought was a great sign

[@angrybrony]

@@noahthe0tter alex hirsch's girlfriend actully made it.

[@angrybrony]

@@noahthe0tter also netflix fucked over the show real hard so might have to take some...un-legal means to watch it.

[@BelBelle468]

@@angrybrony no. Alex Hirsch’s former girlfriend made The Owl House. Not Inside Job.

[@BelBelle468]

@@angrybrony it’s also literally on the Netflix tho, so actually watching it there would give them more of a “FU” you should have continued it than pirating it

[@roahir]

Oh yeah, Tech! I also got him as autistic coded from that very scene you showed... well that whole episode. And he is shown to be an asset and not a hindrance.

[@noahthe0tter]

Indeed! I never thought about Tech like this until I looked closer. Really appreciated that episode especially, very well done, an honestly really touched me personally

[@Causedcactus]

If by any chance you decide to delve into more autistic media, i'd love to see you talk about Mae Borowski from Night in the Woods, she has just a lot of little quirks (and flaws) that resonated so deeply with me. I also think it would be great if you'd also check for autistic or just neurodivergent representation in videogames!

[@noahthe0tter]

That is the plan actually! I do want to do a video talking about autistic gaming characters down the road

[@Jaz_Lily_Arts]

Another suggestion would be oil and Oliver from the anime shadow house, shadow house dosent have a big fandom but oliver shows clear autistic symptoms like t rex arms

[@Rob_Boss99]

If you do a part three, have you talked abiut the owl house before? That entire show is very neurodivergant. Im pretty sure gus is canon autistic, but as an autistic person myself i always related much more with hunter, although that might be more because of his trauma XD Love the vid btw

[@noahthe0tter]

I have not seen The Owl House shockingly! Not sure if I'll make a part 3 RIGHT away, but if there's enough demand, I'd absolutely be down to make it eventually. And thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It seems these videos are sparking a lotta good discussion amongst fellow neurodivergent folks, which makes me happy to see

[@Rob_Boss99]

@@noahthe0tter ooh, definitely watch it then. Even if it's not for a video, it's a pretty good watch regardless lol

[@pikawh0]

I heard that Luz has canon ADHD, and honestly I’m not surprised. I have it myself and I can connect with Luz on so many levels. Neurodivergent representation in animation is amazing, I’d love to see more girls with ADHD.

[@Feral-Orange]

For me, being autistic myself, my recent favorite autism coded character is Narancia Ghirga from Jojo Part 5: Golden Wind. A lot of the community sees him equally coded as autistic and ADHD and I like to see both. I saw a lot of my own autistic experiences in him from impulsivity, high empathy, mood changes on a dime, academic trouble, stimming *him jamming out with his music player*, his youthful appearance despite his age, and other things like his dislike for water sounds. I also other characters like Fugo and Giorno as autism coded, but Narancia was the one I latched onto the most 😁

[@SwirlyCurlyy]

The Imitation Game is actually surprisingly good representation of high functioning autism (and incredible gay representation), as represented through Alan Touring (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). It’s crazy this movie was made in 2014 with the themes it portrays

[@Toby-Draven]

If you make a part 3 I really want you to talk about L from death note, to me he is 100% autistic (and because of that i relate to him alot cus i'm also autistic)

[@_ChoccooMilkk_]

I just wanna say as a person on the spectrum, I appreciate this video! However I’m surprised you didn’t talk about my favorite autism movie portrayal: Billy from Power Rangers (2017) (you probably did in part 1 but at the time of typing this comment I haven’t watched that yet). I know a lot of people dislike that movie, but I liked it. I think RJ Cyler did a fantastic job being a character on the spectrum and that’s why I think I enjoyed that movie so much. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. Even if you’re not a huge power rangers fan, as is my case, I’d recommend. If superheroes from DC tickle your fancy, there’s an episode of Young Justice season 3 where one of the heroes has an autistic kid. I think you should check that out too!

[@noahthe0tter]

Thank you for taking the time to type this out! I'm glad these videos seem to be resonating with a lot of different people. I have not seen the new power rangers stuff, no! I admittedly did not grow up with Power Rangers haha. I HAVE been curious about Young Justice however, since I grew up with a lot of Timmverse cartoons like Batman The Animated Series, and Justice League Unlimited. I'll check that out, especially now knowing there's autistic representation! Thank you 💚🦦

[@_ChoccooMilkk_]

@@noahthe0tter it’s not a major character, it’s bumblebee’s son and the whole episode is just all about figuring out why this kid is the way he is, then they find out he’s autistic. The power rangers thing I was talking about is a movie and not the shows, I’m not a fan of the power rangers shows

[@FutureRetroRoots]

2 characters that i didn't realize that were autistic until recently, are Entrapta (Netflix: She-Ra) and Marcy Wu (Disney: Amphibia) , this was even confirmed by one of the writers who worked on these shows.

[@noahthe0tter]

Oh? I still have to watch Amphibia!

[@optimascrime5235]

The rise of tmnt Donatello is awesome. Bro has an actral tech bo staff which makes sense and he is hilarious.....Rise of tmnt got done so dirty and is one of thr better recent tmnt projects

[@cassaroli7830]

Idk if you’ve covered this but I think entrapta from shera and the princesses of power is a great autistic coded character! Great video too btw!

[@pemanilnoob]

I know basically none of the characters listed here, but this was a fun video, it’s cool. …I don’t really have any recommendations cause then I’d just list my favorites shows and not favorite autistic characters

[@SarcyBoi41]

I didn't realise how attached I was to Tech until what happened in the show's Season 2 finale. F.

[@noahthe0tter]

If you like good, more analytical characters like Tech, you may enjoy my new video that just dropped an hour ago 👀

[@AkataHabo-hx9ek]

While it's never confirmed if you watch Mob Psycho 100 and view mobs powers as a metaphor for autism then it's great representation I related to him heavily and didn't understand till I found a video talking about the subject

[@noahthe0tter]

This IS one that has been discussed a bit actually. I'm going thru that whole series cuz it was recommended following my Steins;Gate review

[@LinguaPhiliax]

If you loved Mary and Max, I'm sure you'd also like Harvie Krumpet as well. Although, it has nothing to do with autism, it has very similar wholesome and philosophy-of-life kinds of vibes as Mary and Max. And it's made by the same creator.

[@noahthe0tter]

I've never even heard of that! I gotta check it out. Thank you!!

[@johnmartin4119]

I still think you should check out Matthew from The Chosen Series, and I’m not just saying that because I like the show and Matthew’s my favorite character

[@y.lavendr]

I agree, Matthew's an unexpectedly good representation for a live action

[@EndYouTubeShorts_]

Yoooo.

[@popsquirt9370]

There are a lot of neurodivergent characters in the owl house namely the main character Luz who canonically has ADHD. I’m not sure if there are cannon autistic characters but Gus, Hunter and amity strike me (and many others) as autistic characters. (Hunter could just be trauma tho) Amphibia’s Marcy I think is canonically autistic and gravity fall’s diper seem autistic to me. (Mable seem to have ADHD or maybe autism to but IDK) also I love rise of the TMNT (specifically Donnie) so much as well as moon girl and I love to see it getting the attention it deserves!!!

[@pikawh0]

One of my favorite animated autism coded characters is Peridot from Steven Universe. It’s not canon, but a lot of people have headcanoned her with the disorder and I think it’s worth talking about. Basically, Peridot hyperfixates on things like technology and tv shows. She also sometimes doesn’t know how to respond in certain social situations. Growing up neurodivergent, Peridot was one of the characters I could connect to just because of how cute and awkward she acts and how her friends still love her.

[@masterxiodes9761]

If you ever wanted to do another look into this subject, I’d be interested on your thoughts on Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman

[@noahthe0tter]

This is one I have heard a lot! I haven't seen Batman v Superman since it's release in 2016, but I don't recall seeing Lex as autistic...maybe I missed something tho! Perhaps it is worth a revisit

[@masterxiodes9761]

@@noahthe0tter I don’t know that he’s a great rep, myself, I mean, he is the main villain, after all. And even when I first heard the idea of him being autism coded, I was certainly skeptical But I’ve rewatched it once or twice since then, and something in the way he does little things like hand feeding jolly ranchers and tapping his fingers like running hooves when he talks about horses, almost seems like he spent so long keeping an eye on what would make people on comfortable, but at a certain point he stopped looking to avert it and now does it deliberately to show he’s in control I don’t know, maybe I’m just totally off base about it and just seeing what I somehow started to expect to see. I don’t even like that particular portrayal. I can’t even come to care for him thinking of him as an unaffiliated, stand alone, but the role might almost have a bit of redeeming quality if it was a semi-decent, cautionary “this is what it looks like when someone autistic isn’t raised with a good support system” kind of thing. Like I said, I’d be curious on your take, but if you decide you’d rather continue to spare yourself from BvS, that is perfectly ok, too.

[@Elis0611]

If you ever decide to go over game media, I would suggest looking into the Danganronpa franchise. It is a series of games where the story revolves around students who have a talent at which they are the best at, thus being called "Ultimates", like "Ultimate Swimmer", "Ultimate Martial Artist" etc. (which has led to many people in the fandom to headcanon a lot of the characters as autistic because "huh, they must be practicing this hobby of theirs so much because it's their special interest). There are two students in particular that I highly believe to be autistic. One is named Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and the other is Gundam Tanaka, from Dangaronpa 1 and Danganronpa 2 respectively. Both of them are beloved within the fandom, as far as I've seen. Now, I will not ask you to play the games, because they are all pretty long. But if you are willing, you could just read a synopsis of the games and then watch a compilation of the filler content that happens in between the main story called "Free Time Events". They are sections of the game where the main character gets to hang out with his classmates and get to know them better. That part of the game is were their autism traits are their most obvious anyway, I think. Ishimaru's in particular were very relatable to me personally, because we get to see how he struggles with human interaction and such. He is my favorite character from the first game.

[@noahthe0tter]

That IS a video I want to do down the road, as a matter of fact! I do want to do a video discussing autistic coded gaming characters, since I've done television and film characters twice now, really. This is a good one to keep in mind! Thanks for this suggestion!

[@omegamac10]

good to know asperger's is now level 1 autism. I did not know that. I think I saw that stop motion movie, but it has been a while. alos you made Moon Girl sound intersting. aslo funny how you say thanks to Lucas instead of Disney for making Disney's Bad Batch lol

[@noahthe0tter]

Yeah! Mary and Max was....2009, I believe. And Moon Girl surprised me with how creative it was! It's based on a Marvel comic series. And yes, I wasn't gonna thank Disney lol

[@maninanikittycat4238]

Tech is my favorite in the bad batch, HE JUST LIKE ME FR FR

[@noahthe0tter]

Same! I absolutely see a lot of myself in him

[@TulsaKanette]

o went to a temple grandin appearance in tulsa around 10 or so years ago and during her and q&a session she requested that people just ask question and someone spent three minutes explaining why she was asking the question and Temple Grandin looked at at her and said "I said just ask questions I don't need the entire backstory."

[@highgrove8545]

I'm not neuro-divergent myself (as far as I know). But I really like Laios from Dungeon Meshi. Whom a lot of people seem to read as autistic. While he does try to socialise with other people and do enjoy their company, he often struggles to read between the lines when talking to others. He also sometimes unintentionally say things that could come of as uncaring or callous. The main thing about Laios is his obsession with monsters, how they look, how they behave, their place in the ecosystem and most importantly, how they taste.

[@idkany293]

Man I love Rise of the Teenj Midgion Miniature Turtles and Stores the Clone Wars

[@noahthe0tter]

I have a new video on Spider-Man up now that you may enjoy too!

[@ambiguoussarcasm]

For part 3 i suggest Twyla from the 2022 Monster High show! She explicitly introduces herself as autistic and is voiced by an autistic actress! Her base doll has a stimming bracelet (that she uses in the show, literally to help introduce herself) and her Skulltimate Secrets 3 doll even comes with earplugs, its very cute. In an episode where there's a school dance the DJ playing gives her ear protection. The whole show is very good.

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting!! I never watched Monster High - it sounds like I should now!

[@tinysneakybagel782]

I know what I’m going to say is going to sound weird and possibly ableist (maybe?), but I think one of the characters that made me feel the most seen as a ND person is Data, from Star Trek TNG. Though I’ve only seen 3 seasons (so far), it’s clear to me that he can hyperfixation on things like science and Sherlock Holmes. And the discrimination he sometimes faces feels very relevant to me as someone who is a POC. He wants so badly to understand human emotions and is constantly shown to be a very human character despite not being human at all. And yes, I acknowledge that the stereotype of autistic people being very “robotic” is a tired and damaging trope, but it’s something that I feel I can relate to quite heavily. In fact, as a lifelong Star Wars fan, I can honestly say I like Data and his interactions more than I like a large portion of the Star Wars franchise.

[@noahthe0tter]

A lot of people have suggested Data! I have never seen Star Trek 🤔

[@beveleddemon]

Mary and Max is probably the best explicit representation. Also, I recently have seen Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke be considered autistic. I find this interesting ‘cause he is overall a great role model! As far as live action goes, I recall people considering Harris Trinksy autistic. This surprised me as someone who related with this character a lot. He offers a side of the spectrum often overlooked.

[@yen2201]

this one is from a game but Gin Ibushi from "your turn to die" is a canon autistic character, I haven't seen a lot of people talk about it from what I've seen so I'm curious with your opinion if you'll play it

[@liittlemiissd]

Camp Camp has good rep!

[@MetaGiga]

If you ever do this again, I have one. Controversy of the game’s ethics towards players aside, there’s a character from Genshin Impact that’s autistic coded called Alhaitham. He’s not confirmed to be autistic, but if you take a close look, he definitely seems to be on the spectrum in some way (at least that’s what I’ve noticed). - He can’t handle loud noises/too much noise at once and wears noise canceling earpieces when going outside. They play music too. - He’s obsessed with books and sometimes starts reading out of the blue because he just wants to. Sometimes it’s at weird intervals, like in between important situations or when regular people wouldn’t normally read. - His roommate describes him as having “too big of a personality” when everyone else thinks of him as being really cold and boring, meaning he’s his regular self at home. - Speaking of his roommate, Alhaitham let the guy stay at his house not because he wanted a roommate or to get money from being a landlord... But because “letting your polar opposite stay at your house” was an interesting research topic. - In one of his final voicelines, he tells you what he does after work, then gets confused about why you don’t want to know that because he thinks sharing personal things is a better proof of trust than sharing opinions. - Here’s another voiceline word for word: “I’ll be taking time for myself now. Goodbye.” There’s more than just that one too, such as paying more attention to there being sand in his shoes instead of the fact that he’s *in the desert.* However, people get really angry when he’s labeled as autistic and say he’s just introverted. I ran into a thread once accusing people with autism of trying to “claim” him and hated that he was being coded as such. It was really disheartening to see because he’s a genuinely cool character and to imagine him as on the spectrum really makes for a neat part of the “autistic character” lineup due to him being considered one of the coolest characters in Genshin

[@AltAccountHandle]

Ice bear from we bare bears

[@angelagokool9514]

I've seen the Temple Grandin movie, and it was very well done. In fact, it wound up being a 7- time Emmy winner. My major in college was Sociology, and I had done a paper for Feminist Theory class, about women and disabilities, and I had used one of her books, for research. I think that Claire Danes had done an excellent portrayal of Grandin. I think that it perpetuates the idea of "thinking in pictures" better than "The Good Doctor" series, especially since the show suggests that Autism is some kind of "super-power," that the other characters envy and wish to possess. Autism is a unique ability, that some are born with, and it's not something that people can just have, because they think it's cool.

[@bilonic111]

Yeah I noticed that I was very good at compartmentalizing my grief, my mom passed away a few years ago but you wouldn’t really know unless you talked to me and asked me how I was feeling, most of my grieving was internal and came and went easily.

[@Maximusmetal217]

A suggestion i would make for an autistic coded character would be connor kenway from assassin's creed 3. He is a character that i see as being autistic coded do to him being very introverted to the point of being anti social which as an autistic person I do relate with. As i was a very introverted kid growing up.

[@costelinha1867]

"Donnie is many people's favorite autistic coded character" Coded? I'm pretty sure it was canonically confirmed that he was autistic by the people involved in the show.

[@noahthe0tter]

I have to keep saying coded to keep the naysayers from dog piling haha

[@termitesc.aardwolf3644]

There's a couple webcomics I've recently got hooked on with some autism representation. Tamberlane and Preeny Has To Repeat 6th Grade. In Tamberlane, the character of Jentzen is stated to be autistic by the creator and the characters of Ainsley and Jonas are strongly autism coded in the Tales From Treehollow side stories "Lights In The Sky" and "On Thin Ice". As for Preeny, the title character is heavily implied to be autistic (there's a scene in chapter 6 that implies it).

[@cartoonkid2-wv9qy]

I recommend Ducktales (2017 reboot) with 4 charaters Webby, Huey, Violet and B.O.Y.D. they all show some autistic traits and Ducktales is just a great show

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting! I DID actually watch the first season of this - sounds like I should watch the rest!

[@cartoonkid2-wv9qy]

yea its a really good show

[@cartoonkid2-wv9qy]

also theres this line "he's a kid like me just wired a little differently"

[@ultrachaos1596]

I’m a little curious on your thoughts on Abed from community when it comes to representation, since he’s stated to be autistic in the show and especially since he’s not played by a neurodivergent person.

[@noahthe0tter]

I recently put my thoughts on a DIFFERENT singular character in my video that dropped today! Check it out if you haven't 👀

[@SonicLegends]

Gotta admit, was disappointed to hear that Penguin Highway wasn't for you. I was able to relate to the mc because when I was a kid diagnosed with aspergers who had trouble expressing my emotions and perceiving at times the emotional responses of others even with instructions on what to do in what order to this day even when the person laying out instructions isn't precise and therefore am more of a visual learner myself even with the strives my speech therapists helped me on. However, I suppose the reason why the Aoyama's interest in the older female didn't bother me so much was because I'm just so used to seeing the anime trope of "fan service" that it's just a norm I've accepted and don't think of it much unless it becomes too intrusive to the overall narrative. Also, Aoyama says "I'm not conceded" in the dub, but in the sub/original he instead says "I'm not complacent" which made a lot better sense with that for his characterization and when he has that internal dialogue about himself, I would say it's a byproduct of parents specifically his father with his interactions with him as positive reinforcement as his way of parenting his on the spectrum son because of how he tells his son to pursue the task that has gotten his attention he says as he puts a chocolate bar on the table "I think I should give you usual" in the sub which implies that this isn't the first time whereas the dub completely misses that context. If you ever do give it a rewatch would say to give the sub a shot instead as the dub stumbled the ball in some areas to highlight his autism. I suppose for my other suggestion to give a watch instead of anime would be this cartoon episode from Clarence called "Average Jeff" episode 18 as the character in question displayed some other traits I was able to identity with him.

[@noahthe0tter]

Yeah, I unfortunately wasn't a fan of what I saw. If you enjoyed it tho, more power to you! Glad it can make you happy. I haven't seen that episode of Clarence - if I eventually make a part 3, I'll check that out! Thank you for taking the time to comment all this 💚

[@rinarina6247]

I wish I was young enough to have grown up with RotTMNT. I have Audhd and as I'm sure you can relate to, my whole life I'd been told my problem was just "being lazy" and my diagnoses were treated as something to be corrected rather than understood. For Donatello's neurodivergence to be treated not just as part of who he is but something cool and fun and worth celebrating? Wish I had that in my life sooner, but I'm grateful I have it now :)

[@noahthe0tter]

Sadly this IS something I can relate to - I'm so glad you took the time to write this out. And I'm glad someone else sees what I see in Donatello! Thanks for saying this 💚🦦

[@rinarina6247]

@@noahthe0tterofc!! Happy that it resonated with you :)

[@MegaEdeath]

I think another good example of an autistic character (even if they arent canonically autistic) is Amity Blight from The Owl House, she starts off as the typical autistic stereotype where shes a savant in the abomination track in her school and comes off as pretty rude in her comments to other characters and the typical stuff you'd see autistic characters do in shows like TBBT and TGD (only now that the show kinda calls out her being a jerk as her being a jerk) but as the series goes on shes more humanized (ironic since shes a witch which is a species in the show that are extremely similar to humans) and she goes through a redemption arc where she becomes a nice (albeit blunt) person, i think it also fits in with the theme of TOH where they show tropes in media that typically are looked down upon and then turns it on its head (if that phrase works here)

[@termitesc.aardwolf3644]

From what I've heard, a lot of people also see Gus and Hunter as autism coded.

[@MegaEdeath]

@@termitesc.aardwolf3644 Hunter's autistic symptoms can be easily seen as him just suffering ptsd, not interacting with people outside the castle much, and him just finally being able to be a kid (i do see where people come from with him but there are other explanations for his symptoms that occum's razor favours) and Gus fits more with ADHD than autism

[@joypawz7654]

One of my favorite characters that feel autistic to me is Constance from the Bendy and The Ink Machine Book The Lost Ones! She wasn't been to be written autistic I think BUT DANG DOES SHE FEEL AUTISTIC!! lol She makes often it seems mask often so that she can seem normal since she is a 17 year old women in the 1940s who is interested in science and her sisters are a dancer and a horse diver and are fairly well known. Her special interest in in science and she is seen not being aware of social cues when a guy starts flirting with her and she thinks, "Oh... This is one of those boy girl things huh..." And she has to actually think what the correct response to this is instead of not having to think about it. In the book she gets really upset and I kinda read it as a meltdown and she ends up attacking the machine when one of her friends are still recovering from his fear (the characters inner demons are exaggerated by the ink. Constance's is anger, Bill's is fear, and Brant's is shame) She is squirted with ink and her friend who had been trying to help her calm down earlier (he did a lovely job of it basically he explained that all their emotions were being exaggerated and he didn't blame her for how upset she was) He comes over to her and instead of screaming at her about how stupid he was he understands she isn't in the right mindset to be yelled at or told what she did was wrong and understand he instead asks if she is okay. I've had a meltdown in front of friends that don't understand meltdowns and I'll tell you... I cannot listen to a dang thing when I am like that :D Plus Brant respects Constance's wishes when she tells him to not call her doll. Respecting people is very hot! XD Plus Brant is a gentleman u-u Anyways the BATIM books or any of Adrienne Kress's books are awesome highly suggest them! They are much better than the FNAF books in my opinion lol though I am bias XD Also love Odo and Data in Star Trek and wonderful

[@joypawz7654]

*That moment when you realize your grammar was absolute garbage-*

[@Daisythepage]

Hunter from The Owl House is actually one of my favorite autism portrayals!! Same with Gus he’s also very autism coded! And Luz Most of the main cast is neurodivergent coded! With traits for both adhd and autism!! It’s really nice :3

[@GoldPrince2468]

Rise Donny is great. For personal reasons I wish I could forget Mary & Max. Thinking about it makes me want to tear out my M key.

[@Melody1x23]

Azumanga daioh: all of them

[@wak773]

both dead end and moon girl are great shows to watch.

[@noahthe0tter]

I was really glad I finally got to check them out for this video!

[@crimsontheidiotmangodangop8039]

The temple gradien movie and me have beef because it somehow gave me a migraine for 2 days!

[@versus22REALLY]

Should've commented on the other vid but Huey Duck from Ducktales 2017

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting! I still have to finish that reboot

[@versus22REALLY]

@@noahthe0tter They totally got robbed of the Darkwing duck reboot

[@Garfthecat-vh6qy]

I love your video's can you try Lucifer from Hazbin hotel

[@noahthe0tter]

Never seen Hazbin Hotel, surprisingly!

[@Garfthecat-vh6qy]

I think he has autism or ADHD

[@pikawh0]

@@Garfthecat-vh6qyI have ADHD and am a big fan of Hazbin Hotel, however I’ve never seen Lucifer show many traits for either of those disorders. He may have depression, but I don’t think he has any neurological disorder.

[@AnimaMandala]

This could be a dumb suggestion, but I think another well done autistic-coded character is Tecna from the Italian show Winx Club. She's presented as the most intelligent and is a natural with digital technology, but she has obvious flaws. She doesn't have as much understanding with mundane tools like a mop and bucket, and is a little obsessed with taking the most logical rout for a solution. The latter of which can sometimes be a problem because for the first two seasons she tends to take things at face value, without considering different possibilities and it can blow up in her face. So obviously metaphors are lost on her. But thankfully she gets better. Winx Club isn't a perfect show, but one thing they tend to get right is character development, which not only allows characters to overcome their personal challenges, but is also used as a means to resolve the overarching conflict. Tecna learns learns to become more open and vulnerable with her emotions and adopts a less black and white way of viewing things, and the payoff is a very underappreciated character. And if you do give it a try, I would avoid the 4kids dubbing the show and focus on Cinelume.

[@noahthe0tter]

Interesting! I've never seen Winx Club - obviously 4Kidz is pretty notorious with dubbing yeah haha. I'll have to look it up! Thanks for the suggestion

[@AnimaMandala]

@@noahthe0tter Glad I piqued your interest. Hope you enjoy it.

[@izzi6143]

RISE DONNIE LETS GOOOOOO‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@flegyptosaurus2099]

if there's another episode, have you considered submarine? i'd love to see your opinion on oliver tate.

[@JackMcMahon0]

Do Noah Percy form the village, he’s autistic but he’s also just a bad person. If you do part 3

[@noahthe0tter]

I've never heard of Village! Is that a movie or a show?

[@domi-no1826]

thoughts on autistic luigi headcanon? (everywhere i go, i see it's face)

[@noahthe0tter]

Weirdly enough, Luigi is one I have seen as a suggestion a few times now - I do want to do a video focusing all on gaming characters, so that would probably be ideal for that

[@domi-no1826]

@@noahthe0tter is martlet closer to ADHD or autism? i am heavily suspected to have ADHD (screening soon) and relate to martlet in some ways, but looking at the examples im starting to draw parallels. might be overlaps tho

[@jukori]

love rise Donnie!

[@noahthe0tter]

Me too!

[@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072]

“Tech and Donnie are autistic because they are smart, logical and have problems with empathy” Me who is autistic and has none of those traits but my normal friends do: *_visible confusion_*

[@Bigd23813]

I saw ROTTMNT and clicked.

[@thegreatandterrible4508]

Speak for yourself about not being good at lying. A combination of not having the same visual emotional reactions and having to learn to read people through active study has made me great at deception.

[@BelBelle468]

2:09 tbh, I don’t really see why being “oxymoronic” is antithetical to autism.

[@yukidogzombie4708]

I think Sabimaru from Kamen Rider Gotchard is a great autistic coded character

[@noahthe0tter]

Never seen that either! Thanks for the tip friendo!