The Most Lovable Anime Brothers, Ranked

A friendship between siblings is a thing of beauty. Many anime series have perfectly displayed the special bond between siblings. It is different from a friendship between two strangers; the familial bond is its own unique relationship.

In anime, brothers are usually tasked with the job of taking care of their younger siblings. While there are many types of brothers in different anime, only a few of them ever positively help their siblings. In other cases, brothers tend to feud with or even mistreat their younger siblings, as is seen in Naruto. However, there are anime brothers who are willing to risk life and limb to protect their siblings.

Updated November 13, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Sibling relationships are relatively common in anime, even if they do not always take center stage. Also, some brother-sister dynamics (Sora and Shiro from No Game, No Life) can be a bit polarizing, incorporating fanservice that does not always paint either character in the brightest light. Still, the best brothers in anime are just all-around great characters.

11 Special Mention: Kamina

Gurren Lagann

Kamina’s relationship with Simon was a very special one. When everyone underestimated Simon, Kamina showed faith in him and believed that he had the potential to become an outstanding individual. They suffered a lot of hardships together, which brought them closer to each other.

Kamina was offered the chance to pilot Lagann, but he declined the offer because he did not want to take something that belonged to his younger brother. Furthermore, on many occasions, Simon openly claimed that he was heavily inspired by his blood brother and that no matter what happened, Kamina would always live on in his heart.

Technically, Kamina and Simon are not related, but they do refer to each other as brothers (particularly Sim regarding Kamina). If it was not for this element, Kamina would be ranked a lot higher.

10 Gohan

Dragon Ball Z

Gohan spent the majority of his childhood without Goku. He was raised by Piccolo, who trained him to become a powerful fighter. Goku was absent yet again when Goten was born. This time, though, Gohan stepped up and helped Chi Chi raise Goten.

For seven years, Gohan looked after Goten and even trained him. It is quite apparent that both the brothers share a strong bond. That said, DBZ does not dedicate all that much time to Gohan and Goten’s relationship, and they are both defined by dynamics with other characters.

9 Koyomi Araragi

Monogatari

Is “lovable” the right word for Koyomi? He is certainly a great protagonist, but some of his antics can creep over the line and become uncomfortable. Still, at his best, Monogatari‘s lead is an expertly written character who is both well-defined and also capable of slipping into distinct dynamics or complementing tonal shifts. His relationship with his sisters, Karen and Tsukihi, is quite peculiar, be it their regular battles or dental hygiene practices.

Yet, for all his flaws, Koyomi is still a pretty great brother, one who not only takes care of his sisters but also encourages them to express their individuality. All three characters have big personalities, and they play off each other well (usually).

8 Itachi Uchiha

Naruto

• 	Naruto	Naruto: Shippuden
  Release Date	2002-10-02	2007-02-15
  Genres	Animation, Action, Adventure	Action, Adventure
  Studio	Pierrot	Pierrot
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Masashi Kishimoto	Masashi Kishimoto
  Streaming Service(s)	Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll	Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll

Itachi is one of the first names that comes to mind whenever the best anime brothers are brought up. When he made his first appearance in Naruto, Itachi looked the furthest thing from being a good brother. In fact, he battered Sasuke and insulted him. Afterward, when Sasuke fought Itachi again, the latter ended up dying. Sasuke was relieved that he managed to avenge his parents and the rest of his clan.

Shortly after their fight, Obito revealed the truth about Itachi to Sasuke. The Akatsuki member told Sasuke that Itachi had been forced to commit the massacre, and he had only done such a horrendous thing to save Sasuke. Itachi tried to protect Sasuke from the shadows and sacrificed everyone, including himself, to do so.

7 Meliodas

Seven Deadly Sins

Meliodas is the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Demon King was so fond of Meliodas’ strength that he wanted the latter to succeed him and become the next Demon King. Meliodas’ brother, Zeldris, looked up to him, but, after the former betrayed the Demon Clan, Zeldris started to resent him. The main reason behind Zeldris’ hatred was Meliodas’ betrayal caused him to be separated from Gelda.

Later in the series, Meliodas sought the forgiveness of Zeldris, and even tried to reconcile with his younger brother. Furthermore, it was revealed that Meliodas’ biggest regret was abandoning his brother, which is why he rushed to save Zeldris from the Demon King.

6 Yukio

Blue Exorcist

Yukio is an exceptionally talented exorcist, and he actually holds the record for passing the Exorcist Exam at the youngest age. Despite being younger than his brother, Rin, Yukio is the one who takes care of his older brother.

Throughout Blue Exorcist, Yukio tries his best to stop Rin from making reckless decisions that put him in jeopardy. Also, Yukio’s superior intelligence allowed him to become Rin’s teacher.

5 Killua

Hunter x Hunter

Hailing from a family of assassins, from a young age Killua was put through numerous brutal training regimes. Because of his immense talent, Killua successfully managed to complete the training programs. Unlike most of his family members, Killua is a compassionate person and is particularly close with Alluka, his younger sister.

Shunned by the rest of the family, Alluka does not display emotions, but when she meets Killua, she is overjoyed. After the Chimera Ant arc, Killua decides to risk his life to save Alluka, proving how important she is to him.

4 Tanjiro

Demon Slayer

The main character of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro had a loving family, and he paid attention to all of his siblings. But his life takes a drastic turn when a demon kills most of his family save for his younger sister Nezuko, who was turned into a demon. Tanjiro was deeply saddened, but he did not give up. He decided to travel to find a way to turn Nezuko back to normal.

Tanjiro’s dedication to helping his sister is unbelievable. He went as far as to stand up to the Hashira to ensure his sister’s safety. In the flashbacks, Tanjiro is shown taking care of all of his siblings, which cements his place as one of the most lovable brothers in anime.

3 Lelouch

Code Geass

Lelouch is the main character of CodeGeass and is among the smartest anime characters. With his intelligence, he manages to take down many people who are far stronger than him. Often calm and collected, it is extremely difficult to force a reaction out of Lelouch; however, if the safety of his sister Nunnally is in question, Lelouch is ready to drop everything and rush to her side.

Lelouch’s aim to overthrow Britannia was due to his dream of creating a better world for Nunnally. He even abandoned his allies to save Nunnally from danger. On countless occasions, Lelouch has shown how much he cares about his sister.

2 Edward Elric

Fullmetal Alchemist

• 	Fullmetal Alchemist	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
  Release Date	2003-10-04	2009-04-05
  Genres	Action, Adventure, Fantasy	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
  Studio	Bones	Bones
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Hiromu Arakawa	Hiromu Arakawa

Edward is the elder brother of Alphonso Elric. At a young age, both brothers were caught up in an alchemy accident which resulted in Edward losing his left leg, and Alphonse losing his body entirely. In a desperate attempt to bind Alphonse’s soul, Edward sacrificed his right arm.

Throughout the series, Edward is more focused on returning Alphonse’s body than getting his own limbs back, demonstrating his sense of self-sacrifice. Edward is shown to be extremely protective of his brother and has scolded him at times to keep him away from danger.

1 Portgas D. Ace

One Piece

Portgas D. Ace was a very well-known pirate, who served as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace had all three types of Haki and also possessed a devil fruit ability. After Sabo’s “death,” Ace took extra care of Luffy because he did not want to lose his only brother. This is seen when he saves Luffy from Bluejam in the Grey Terminal.

When Blackbeard reveals to Ace his plan of capturing Luffy, Ace immediately decides that he cannot let such a thing happen, and instead, he ends up being caught. During the Marineford arc, Ace throws himself between Akainu’s attack and Luffy, thus sacrificing his own life to save Luffy’s. Even though the two were not related by blood Ace, allowed himself to be killed, which shows how much he loved Luffy and truly saw him as a brother.