I Watched YOUR Suggestions for Autistic Coded Characters in Anime

Today, we're examining YOUR examples of autistic representation in anime! A lotta you had great suggestions for autistic anime characters. I found many great examples in the last video's comments, from all sorts of genres like sports, sci fi, slice of life and more. Hope you enjoy my analysis of them!
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[@noahthe0tter]

What characters would you want to see in a video on autistic coded characters in Japanese video games? 🤔Tell me down below 👇🏻

[@NootKnotNoot]

I suggest Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles!

[@noahthe0tter]

@@NootKnotNoot Added to the list!

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

i've always headcanoned link from legend of zelda being on the spectrum and red from pokemon (though tbh i have an entire list of just my pokémon ones lmao)

[@noahthe0tter]

@@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel I will add those to the list then!!

[@mackeziehartill2733]

Myne from isekai Ascendance of bookworm because hyper fixation on books making.

[@Theo-loves-sharks]

Midori isn't just autistic coded, she is canon autistic. The creator of the anime is also autistic and bases her character off of his experience

[@noahthe0tter]

I had no idea! That's awesome

[@Meiliina]

By the way, have you read My Brain Is Different? It's a collection of short manga stories about individuals who are neurodivergent. I really liked it, it's more for awareness, but it's also quite comforting to know how others from different cultures manage and see themselves as neurodivergent.

[@noahthe0tter]

I haven't! I should see if it can find that book then. Thank you!

[@rossdelarosa792]

There’s a manga panel where Yor wonders how people learn to be “normal” which made her autism-coded in my eyes. Glad to see her here.

[@noahthe0tter]

She's a great one!

[@yellowcaballero]

Nemona from Pokemon! She has an interest in Pokemon battling. Doesn't regulate her voice, often yelling in excitement. She also doesn't get social cues. Like how she thought Miraidon/Koraidon were happy to see its friend again, but its actually scared of the other legendary. She sometimes invaids characters personal space. She's so relatable, and I adore her character sm

[@SabrinaStern-pw9hg]

This is the first time learning that Yor was autistic and I never knew that until now

[@noahthe0tter]

She's a great autistic coded character!

[@SabrinaStern-pw9hg]

@@noahthe0tter Yeah I guess she really is

[@otagen]

Mob from Mob Psycho 100!! He’s a young kid who is really awkward and has trouble communicating and misinterprets people a lot. One notable thing is that he shuts off his emotions and sounds monotone to other people, but when he gets overwhelmed he suffers from meltdowns (that manifest through his psychic powers) the show is literally about accepting his true self!!!

[@noahthe0tter]

I have talked about Mob before!

[@otagen]

@@noahthe0tter Hell yes!!! Just watched it :)

[@RealSquidShady]

Pretty much rephrasing what I said on the community post, but I 100% see myself in Laios. My special interest is marine biology, more specifically cephalopods. The way Laios goes on tangents about monsters because he’s genuinely fascinated by them (which is lowkey infodumping) is almost identical to how I go on about sea creatures. Similarly, like Laios I also wear my emotions and thoughts on my sleeve with nothing keeping them ambiguous, so I’m also familiar with some of the awkward situations he finds himself in. I’ve heard the mangaka has denied him being written as an autistic man, but he is absolutely one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever seen before.

[@noahthe0tter]

Absolutely! Sadly yeah, Japan is not quite receptive to autism or mental health related things totally yet, so the best we can get from anime is often autistic CODED characters, not explicitly stated autistic characters. I hope it progresses to where we can see more legit representation tho

[@abnerflores-morales5797]

Komi from Komi Can't Communicate

[@noahthe0tter]

I'll add this character to the list! Are they from an anime too?

[@abnerflores-morales5797]

@@noahthe0tter Thank you:)

[@adenlarios]

Nah she just has social anxiety

[@mittag983]

No, never. Just because she's quiet? 😂

[@adenlarios]

@@mittag983 exactly just bc someone is non verbal doesn't mean they are autistic

[@Solo_Sessums]

Some characters i read as autistic are Kou Yamori from Call of the Night, Fuyutsuki & Himuro from Ice Guy & His cool Female Colleague, and Violet Evergarden. *Violet Evergarden* Struggles A Lot with Communicating understanding emotions, or the deeper meanings of words. The sample letter she had to write for her memory doll test was very flat and robotic as she used very literal wording, even though the assignment was to convey the feeling behind to words. That's something i have a problem with to. *Kou Yamori* was seeminly masking most of the time in middle school, and suffered from burnout and stopped going to school altogether. And the whole show is about him exploring his emotions which he finds hard to identify or express very well. He gives very direct and ernest compliments which girls find charming, but they're also put off by how blunt he could by when they bother him. I often have as big s problem understanding my own emotions as others. *Fuyutsuki & Himuro* are both very stoic and struggle in their own ways to express themselves, communicate, or maintain eye contact. At one point they try some eye contact training, and they turn it into a staring contest. It's really cute. When the character Komori was talking to Fuyutsuki, she made a comment that fuyutsuki took at face value and it visibly distressed her for a bit, but Komori quickly backtracked and clarified herself to put her at ease. When they go skiing, Himuro is experienced at skiing, but he has a hard time communicating his method to fuyutsuki, and just says some things that don't make sense. Until Komori comes over to give more clear instructions. That's an experience i can relate to. Himuro's ice powers are a fun fantastical way to portray his overstimulation. The employees plan a beach trip, but Himuro's worried to go because the excitement from the sound of the ocean could make him cause a blizzard. And when fuyutsuki gives him a rain drum before they go to the beach to help him get used to the sound of the ocean, it's a cool way to show how to help someone cope and self regulate so they can participate with the group.

[@noahthe0tter]

I've never seen any of these! Thanks for the suggestions.

[@yundorphin]

I wanna recommend Edogawa Rampo again, and I also want to *specifically* recommend the intro to him *and* the background story arc in the latest season.

[@kirbycupster179]

I can’t recommend Ingo and Emmet from Pokémon enough when it comes to autistic representation, I see so much of myself in those two

[@noahthe0tter]

Added to the list!

[@freewritingseer]

I find it fascinating that the best way to write an autistic character, in examples that I've seen, is to not intend to write an autistic character in the first place. Rather it's better to have an autistic coded character than an intended but ultimately poorly portrayed character. It certainly poses a challenge to a writer like myself; since I do want some autistic representation in my characters, I want to include them, yet at the same time, aiming for an adequate portrayal might just be shooting myself in the foot. Ultimately it's an audience's interpretation of a character that matters in the long run.

[@noahthe0tter]

Exactly this

[@TheMysticObservatory]

I agree that I also wish that Yor Forger was my wife. She's the best anime waifu. My other favorite is Ramona Flowers. I honestly think that Scott Pilgrim or someone from Scott Pilgrim Takes Off would probably be an autistic character

[@noahthe0tter]

I actually didn't consider Scott. That's a very good suggestion!

[@mittag983]

Scott is more ADHD, he has no autism.

[@TheMysticObservatory]

@@mittag983 Fair enough

[@1lunanueva]

I've seen Falin and Kabru been suggested as autistic too, Dungeon Meshi is a mine for this 😂 I miss Frieren from Sousou no Frieren with her huge hyperfixation on magic. Kamille Bidan from Zeta Gundam is canonically autistic (he says so himself), and while checking this I found people had found parallels between newtypes and autism, even if they don't seem intentional. Riché from Witch Hat Atelier reads to me as autistic (hyperfixation on small magical glyphs, has trouble collaborating and isolates herself when stressed out in a place with things that please her, [crystal ribbons]). In videogames, Futaba (programming hyperfixation, major social anxiety and awkwardness) and Yusuke (artboy, unaware of his weirdness, sometimes gets misunderstood because of his behaviour) from Persona 5 can be read as autistic. I think Kuon Ichinose from the spin-off Persona 5 Strikers may be also a case, possibly even intentional. She talks loudly and is kind of a weirdo, with a hyperfixation in technology and programming (SPOILER ALERT, JUMP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IF INTERESTED IN THE GAME) and later you learn that people found her emotionless behaviour after her parents' death so odd that they called her a doll and she internalized it 😢. She spent her life trying to create an AI with a heart so she could learn about it, but eventually she discarded it as she gave up due to that internalization. In Persona 4 I think Naoto can be read as autistic too, she definitely has a hyperfixation on detective work (and other nerdy interests such as tokusatsu) and again social anxiety. She can also be really blunt sometimes. I've also seen some Persona protagonists interpreted as autistic, specially the P3 male protag, but they are silent protagonists so there's a lot of room for interpretation.

[@noahthe0tter]

These are great autistic suggestions, thank you very much!

[@HarperLethgo]

Hey this is not anime but here are some chacters in media that I think might have autism Big city greens: Tilly and bill The owl house:hunter and Luz Bluey: maybe bingo?

[@sandy_shark]

I feel like Akko from Little Witch Academia could be. She’s hyperactive, struggles in some classes, and excels in shapeshifting, even if she does it different.

[@HamHuaa]

Maybe Sawako from kimi ni todoke? Idk that much abt autistic characters so it could srsly just be anxiety with her- maybe another character tho idk TT TT

[@noahthe0tter]

I haven't heard of this character! Added to the list

[@LavenderRare]

Akko Kagari from Little Witch Academia.

[@lord_alex12]

I came here just to say that

[@dylanfleurentin647]

You've earned yourself another subscriber, Noah. I love your autism representation videos. ❤❤❤

[@noahthe0tter]

Thanks Dylan! I'm honestly really glad this message is getting out to people. It's something that matters a lot to me

[@llegando-al-umbral]

I haven't watched part 1, was Lain Iwakura (from Serial Experiments Lain) in it? I understand that canonically speaking she only has some social anxiety and that's it, but she's honestly coded as so many things as well. I definitely saw myself in her as an autistic individual. A lot of other people like to think she may have schizophrenia and/or DID on top of that, which are also very fair interpretations to have of her. The anime is only about 13 episodes long, I definitely would recommend it.

[@noahthe0tter]

She wasn't actually! I should rewatch that show and see. Thanks!

[@blackbacon08]

I highly recommend watching Serial Experiments: Lain! (But remember that it is a slow and confusing show, which some people may not enjoy)

[@aarondubourg3706]

I haven't watched Part 1 yet, but my recommendation is Myne from Ascendance of a Bookworm, it's an Isekai so some stuff can be "explained away" as the Isekai world having a different culture and social norms than she's familiar with. But at least in the source material it's shown that she had to learn (via her potentially neurodivergent mom threatening to take her obsession away) to not zone-in in at least a specific scenario that lead to her mom being scared when she was still on Earth (this was in a side chapter)

[@noahthe0tter]

I haven't heard of that show! Added to the list

[@everestmendoza8164]

I kinda see luffy from one piece

[@shavostars]

I love this and the discussion of it! I feel Laios is my favorite cuz his hyper fixation and vast knowledge of one subject carries the show but I also love how loyal and loving he is to his friends, just like my autistic friends are! There was also a cute one page comic from the manga where Laios's dad tells him he has a baby sister and he just stares at his dad before running off and the dad comments "Maybe he doesn't" understand, but the next panels show Laios going around telling all the animals on the property that he has a baby sister! There is another one page from the comic and it boils down to that the dad probably as a big interest in mythology and other small bits of the manga hint the dad may have autism as well. Which I like because autism can be genetic, surprised you didn't mention Laios and Shiro's fight a few eps later, since a lot of autistic or ppl with ADHD describe having similar interactions such as that! Overall, I like a lot of these and glad you pointed out one where the character is just a jerk. It upsets me a lot when people assume autism = assholes. X_X Having a hard time understanding social cues doesn't mean you're an arrogant asshole, so many neurodivergent ppl I know are truly very sweet and just need a small course correction when they overstep. BTW If you're down for MANGA! I do have a suggestion and it's Spacewalking With You by Doronoda Inuhiko, I found mine on manga dex. I like it a lot because one MC, Uno, is autistic while the other, Koba, probably has inattentive ADHD. What I like is for Uno it shows several times him being slightly overwhelmed by people or situations, as well as him running off (to remove himself from this situations) he also has a little notebook to help him mask in social situations and give him routine. AND Uno's issues help Koba to try and fix his issues (such as he can't remember to do things when told, so he needs to write it down and to ask for help or for people to repeat themselves so he can better understand) as well as Koba actively working hard to make sure Uno is comfortable and verbally acknowledge Uno's discomfort and him apologizing for causing him to be uncomfortable. The last part I feel we don't see in a lot of Asia media because you're suppose to "read the room" a lot of non-verbal communication but it's nice to see in this manga because it's not super easy for Uno and it openly shows Koba's understanding. I will warn you tho in the first chapter, one character says he thinks Uno is "retarded" and Koba even calls himself "retarded" when he opens up about his own struggles. I don't know a similar word in japan but I'm assuming it's more of a way to tell the audience their lack of understanding/nuance on mental health, Japan also has very poor understanding of mental health. Because the rest of the writing is very GOOD, the author clearly has seen people with Autism or ADHD and their mental and social struggles.

[@blackbacon08]

I am surprised that Osaka from Azumanga Daioh has not been mentioned. She is the first anime character that comes into my mind when talking about autism. I'd love to hear what other people think of her in terms of autistic representation, whether good or bad.

[@chelseabradham3889]

Abito from Oshino Ko Season 2, she's a manga artist who's desperate to communicate with others but doesn't know how. It causes issues when her manga is turned into a stage production and she OKs a script she isn't satisfied with and then flips out about it when she observes a rehearsal. She seems to become easily overstimulated by crowds and has habits and rituals that make little sense to those around her. When she has to speak in a potentially contentious situation, she's unable to, and she almost always avoids eye contact.

[@yundorphin]

Not Japanese, but anime-stylized video games with autistic-coded characters: Genshin Impact: Alhaitham, Kujo Sara, Shenhe, Lynette, Freminet (ok this game has quite a few autistic-coded characters but these are the more blatant ones) Love and Deepspace: Zayne (he just gives off more and more autistic each time I see him and I would love to discuss him more with anyone xD) Honkai Star Rail: Dr. Ratio, Ruan Mei (maybe?) ZZZ: Anby

[@Kenma-Kozume5]

Not fully sure but kenma form haikyuu he gives off a Lot of autistic traits Also he does have social anxiety so you know

[@KyleoftheViridianForest]

Did not think Yor was autistic before but I honestly love it tbh. Also idk if you've already done Aoi Todo from Jujutsu Kaisen in one of these videos but Id suggest him if you were to do another one of these videos.

[@NC-zt9qn]

This makes me wanna recommend Duramente from Uma Musume 😅 although she really only appears for like a segment of season 3 some of the things she says/does really gets me thinking

[@EspeonaSparkle]

Great video! We need more positive autism representation in anime! :D

[@noahthe0tter]

I agree!

[@calebgurney762]

There are some characters in some anime I watch I can tell are autistic like haruhi from haruhi suzamiya or Osaka from azumanga daioh

[@sophiebyers5496]

I highly recommend you to watch A Whisker Away

[@noahthe0tter]

Is that an anime?

[@lapinajustleft]

@@noahthe0tterYes! Its super good btw^^

[@yundorphin]

Ok last comment, I promise. But watch the first episode of 365 Days Until the Wedding - only two episodes are out as of now but the two leads come off as *very* autistic (seriously the first ep alone makes it really clear!) and I can't wait to watch their two ND asses fall in love.

[@kuhimoomo]

Kamille Bidan from Gundam Zeta is the only anime character who is canonically autistic.

[@HamHuaa]

I keep remembering more characters ;-; theres Tomioka Giyuu from demon slayer and maybe Shen Qingqiu from scum villains self saving system (im not sure abt the last one and he's from a 100+ chapter novel so I don't actually expect u to check it- btw no pressure to see any of these characters ik u get a lot of suggestions 😭)

[@yellowcaballero]

SQQ mention?!

[@HamHuaa]

@@yellowcaballero YES!!!!

[@seeleunit2000]

Some characters I don't feel like they're coded as autistic though some however I do feel like they are. However I think it's important that with some characters we need to take a grain of salt when it comes to head canons

[@inuendo6365]

10:11 Kamille from Zeta Gundam says he is in Japanese! The American dub erases it. Also, Sakurako from Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation has a lot of autistic coding if you want a 12 episode mystery & slice of life anime.

[@distriyir]

L from death note perhaps?

[@noahthe0tter]

I have covered L before!

[@distriyir]

@@noahthe0tter oh I must’ve missed it, gonna watch it now lol

[@tomwilkinson7139]

I know a series that has an autistic Person Bebe proud. From proud family louder and prouder. Season 2 episode 9

[@HamHuaa]

Not sure abt this one either but maybe kageyama from haikyuu? :p

[@noahthe0tter]

I'll check em out! Thanks for the suggestion

[@nathanlyon7432]

Omg we have the same ears buds

[@noahthe0tter]

Hooray!

[@kylejones8289]

A ton of the cast of My Hero Academia seems autistic: Izuku Midoriya/Deku: Hyperfixation on superheroes. Socially awkward. Seems to stim at several points. Sometimes misses social cues. Mei Hatsume: Extreme hyperfixation on technology. Incredibly blunt. Poor social skills. Poor volume control on her voice. Barely ever picks up on social cues. Tsuyu Asui/Froppy: Very blunt. Has strange mannerisms that resemble stimming, and shows something resembling tourette's (often comorbid with autism). Rarely talks. Has a flat affect and barely shows her emotions in her expressions, although she does have emotions, just expresses them differently. Shoto Todoroki: Very flat affect. Rarely shows emotions. Struggles to understand figures of speech and metaphors. Tenya Ida: Obsessively follows the rules. Has a hyperfixation on hero work. Very stiff and formal personality that often misses figures of speech.

[@171QA]

He did talk about Deku in a previous video.

[@noahthe0tter]

I did yes!

[@kylejones8289]

@@171QA Cool! I just found him, so I haven't seen that one yet.

[@idkhaha-tw2]

Can you do Ranpo from Bungo Stray Dogs please?

[@calebgurney762]

Have you seen kill la kill I was wondering if you might think that a character might be autistic in it, as I’m on the spectrum myself though it’s kinda hard for me to figure out if a character is autistic or not

[@noahthe0tter]

I haven't seen that one, no!

[@calebgurney762]

@@noahthe0tter you should it’s really good it’s a little weird at times and there’s 1 part that’s pretty uncomfortable but it’s still one of my all time favorites

[@hwntr]

may i suggest: mafuyu from given and langa from sk8 :D

[@noahthe0tter]

Added to the list!

[@elysia_ray]

AUTISTIC MAFUYU MENTION! Omg I thought I was the only one who said that he's autistic...I love him so much and he's one of the best portrayals in all anime imo!

[@via3600]

Wow I've never been in a youtube video before I feel famous haha

[@noahthe0tter]

Thank you for your great suggestion!

[@via3600]

@@noahthe0tter I'm glad you enjoy it!! I really connected to that anime as a creative myself and saw myself in Midori quite a bit :)

[@sarahtelles1931]

I'm glad you are trying out Kingdom Hearts but.....yeah there's an order to these things and Re:Coded isn't the way to start it

[@noahthe0tter]

We actually have been going in order on my Twitch. We did KH1, CoM, KH2, 358/2 Days, BBS, and now Re:coded

[@sarahtelles1931]

@@noahthe0tter oh sweet I was worried you were about to be spoiled on story elements there I guess don’t forget to see cutscenes for Union Cross and Dark Road seeing as you won’t find that combo offline game in the app stores anymore

[@171QA]

Nice.

[@HamHuaa]

Sorry ik im commenting a lot but im completely sure that Freminet from genshin impact is autistic- he's from a video game tho so idk if u make videos abt that 😭

[@noahthe0tter]

No worries! I appreciate the comments, shows you have a lot of great suggestions! I appreciate it. I will be doing a video on Japanese game characters next

[@PlanForGaming]

​@noahthe0tter on that note, I'd like to suggest Futaba from Persona 5, I don't think she was written that way but her voice actress in the English dub voiced her with her being autistic in mind