Summary
- Some anime showcases strong child characters facing hardships, like in Promised Neverland.
- Cardcaptor Sakura focuses on a young girl’s journey as a Cardcaptor with character development.
- Pokemon follows Ash Ketchum’s adventure as a courageous ten-year-old looking to become a Pokemon Master.
A lot of anime focuses on teens as a protagonist, as it’s an age of self-discovery and overcoming conflicts. However, some anime really brings out the best in child characters. While many shows are light-hearted and focus more on comedy, a few put these children to the test in harsh conditions where they overcome many trials.
There are timeless anime like Doraemon, and some modern shows like Spy X Family that consist of some interesting child characters. If you prefer a much grittier narrative, then you might just like Made in Abyss and The Promised Neverland. You will also find many child characters in almost any anime genre, including supernatural, adventure, and slice of life.
7
The Promised Neverland
- Protagonist: Ray and Emma
The Promised Neverland focuses on the stories of children living in an orphanage. While things seem happier in the anime initially, it doesn’t last long as the kids soon realize the dark nature of their caretaker and their home.
The kids plan to escape the horrible orphanage that sacrificed them as food for demons. The protagonists of the anime, Emma and Ray, have strong leadership qualities and their plan is thought out well. However, the children have to face many perils after they escape.
The Promised Neverland Season 2 is not faithful to the manga.
6
Cardcaptor Sakura
As a young girl, Sakura wasn’t ready to embrace her role as a Cardcaptor at all at the start of the anime. The plot revolves around her gathering various cards with different abilities that have been scattered across her town. A part of it was Sakura’s fault, so she ended up taking on the responsibility of sealing all of them.
Along her quest, Sakura meets allies and rivals who aid her in capturing cards. The anime also focuses on her excellent character development as she becomes a much stronger mage with a confident personality.
5
Pokemon
The Pokemon anime has a rule about Trainers getting their first Pokemon when they turn ten years old. It’s a young age to embark on an adventure, and Ash Ketchum’s quest to become a Pokemon Master definitely has a few road bumps.
Related
10 Best Immortal Anime Characters
Immortality can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how these anime characters use it.
Ash meets many interesting characters and friends as he ventures through every region. He also encounters evil adversaries in his path who misuse the bond between people and Pokemon. For a ten-year-old, Ash is a lot courageous and ends up accomplishing a lot in the series.
Ash is replaced by Liko and Roy, who become the protagonists in Pokemon Horizons.
4
Spirited Away
Spirited Away has one of the strongest stories in any Studio Ghibli movie. It follows Chihiro’s ventures in the spirit world where she tries to break the curse that transformed her parents into pigs. As a child, the trauma was a lot to deal with for Chihiro, yet her strength pushed her through.
The movie also had another compelling character, namely a boy named Haku. He raised Chihiro’s spirits while she was crying in despair. She also meets strange creatures and characters during her journey. Her resilience made Chihiro one of the strongest female child characters.
3
Spy X Family
- Protagonist: Loid, Yor and Anya
Spy X Family focuses on the daily life of the Forger Family and the hilarious conflicts they go through. Anya is a little girl who is one of the three protagonists of the anime. It’s always fun to see her cheerful and adorable moments throughout the anime, especially when she uses telepathy to read the thoughts of other people.
While her parents’ jobs are a secret, Anya knows all about them, and she tries to help them out subtly while they are on important missions. The anime is cozy yet full of suspense at the same time. The peaceful balance of the countries is at stake and Anya tries her best to gain enough Stella Stars in her prestigious elementary school, so her Spy father can get close to some important people.
2
Made In Abyss
- Protagonist: Riko and Reg
Made in Abyss has some well-written child characters, who have a love for exploration and unearthing artifacts. The plot follows the young girl Riko and his robot friend Reg with unknown regions. Despite being a show that focuses on kids, things get surprisingly dark during the second half of the season, so if you prefer the seinen genre, you might enjoy watching this.
Riko’s mother apparently went missing in the Abyss, and she journeys on a quest to look for her. Like her mother, the depths don’t scare her and her persistent attitude tends to get her in trouble. The deeper she goes, the harder her adventure becomes, as the party has to deal with the curse of Abyss, which gets stronger with each floor.
1
Doraemon
- Protagonist: Doraemon and Nobita
Doraemon is one of the most nostalgic yet timeless anime. Doraemon and Nobita are the main protagonists of this show. Doraemon is a classical mascot who most anime fans are familiar with, even if they haven’t watched the show.
The anime is a light-hearted comedy series that mainly focuses on the clumsiness of Nobita, and Doraemon trying to help him out with gadgets when Nobita gets into trouble. Nobita’s friends Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka always bring out joy and laughter, though things do get a bit tense in a few episodes and movies, where the party deals with some cunning villains.
Next
8 Times Attack On Titan Went Too Far
Did Attack on Titan push the boundaries until they broke? Decide for yourself.