Anime often features the narrative where protagonists and characters, in general, face insurmountable odds, battle emotional and psychological trauma, and embark on journeys of self-discovery, resilience, perseverance, and triumph. As a result, audiences often looks at these characters as sources of inspiration, capturing their hearts as they conquer challenges that test the limits of their strength, resolve, and spirit.

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The characters featured below have faced numerous challenges that would break even people with the strongest wills, spanning from existential crisis to ostracization and isolation. With that in mind, here are some anime characters who overcame great challenges on their way to greatness.

10 Maki Zen’in (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Born With Little Cursed Energy

Maki was born into the highly prestigious Zen’in Family, one of the Three Great Jujutsu Families, with a Heavenly Restriction that left her with a very small amount of cursed energy. Her cursed energy amount is so minimal that she needs special glasses to see curses.

As a result, she was maltreated and ostracized by the family, till she decided to leave the clan and pursue greatness on her own. She trained hard and attained mastery in the use of several weapons en route to become one of the strongest characters in Jujutsu Kaisen.

9 Emiya Shirou (Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works)

Dragged Into Life And Death Battles With No Experience

Emiya Shirou, the titular protagonist of Fate/Stay Night, was an ordinary boy who lived with his parents before the great fire from the Holy Grail killed both his parents and rendered him an orphan before he was picked up by Kiritsugu.

He grew up to be an ordinary student before being dragged into the Holy Grail War as the mage master of Arthur. He had no choice but to participate in life-and-death battles as a teenager with no experience, and as a result, he had to learn on his feet or die, and he grew up quite quickly.

8 Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia)

Born Quirkless

Midoriya Izuku was born quirkless into a world where the majority of the population had developed quirks, which can also be called superpowers. Despite not having a quirk, Midoriya did not hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to help other people, which caught the attention of his idol, All Might.

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Midoriya ended up receiving a powerful quirk, but that was not the end of his struggles, as the intensity of his ability threatened to rip his body apart. However, with the help of his mentor, he was able to overcome it and continue on his path to be a model hero.

7 Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Childhood Trauma And Existential Crisis

Shinji Ikari, the titular protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion, is a victim of childhood trauma and existential crisis. He is a teenager who is forced to pilot Evangelion Unit-01, a giant mecha created to fight against mysterious beings who threaten the world known as Angels.

Whenever he failed, he would get insecure and scared and eventually run away from his responsibilities. He eventually developed the courage and determination to face his fears and responsibilities and became one of humanity’s strongest soldiers.

6 Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul)

Discrimination And Torture

Kaneki Ken, an unsuspecting boy, had his life turned upside down when his date turned out to be a flesh-eating ghoul. He became fused with her in the aftermath of that incident and was essentially part ghoul and human.

He was forced to leave his old life behind and adapt to his new existence, and struggled to juggle his new identity while facing discrimination from both sides. The moment of struggle that defined him was the torture he went through at the hands of Yamori. This finally made him accept his two sides and allowed him to channel his true power

5 Lelouch Vi Britannia (Code Geass)

Emotional Trauma

The succession scuffle of the royal family of Britannia caused the death of Lelouch’s mother and resulted in his sister going blind. He developed a hatred for his father because he believed he was responsible for their circumstances.

Lelouch left the royal family and dedicated his life to plotting their downfall with his newly acquired Geass power by leading the rebellion under the identity of Zero. Lelouch does many things that might be considered antagonistic, including sacrificing friends and his loved ones for the sake of his goal.

4 Edward and Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Loss Of Body Parts

The Elric brothers have been faced with unique circumstances from a young age, ranging from an absent father to an ailing mother. When their mother finally dies, they attempt to use the forbidden human transmutation to bring her back and fail.

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This process cost Edward his arm and leg, and Alphonse his whole body. Since then, they have worked hard to become great alchemists and embarked on a quest to find the Philosopher’s Stone to get their body parts back while uncovering conspiracies in the kingdom.

3 Naruto (Naruto)

Victim Of Hate And Spite

Naruto was ostracized by the village as a kid because of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox that was sealed inside him. Despite the isolation and disdain, he dreamt of becoming the Hokage and making the villagers acknowledge him.

Despite lacking talent, he worked hard and eventually learned to cooperate with the Nine-Tails, which gave him access to immense power. He was later able to gain the affection of the villagers after saving the ninja world from the threat of Pain, Obito, Madara, and Kaguya and proving himself worthy of the title of Hokage.

2 Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)

Having His Life Turned Upside Down By Titans

Born into a cursed world with a cycle of hatred, it was only a matter of time before Eren Yeager would fall victim to it. He watched his mother die at the hands of the Titans and swore to rid the world of them, no matter the cost.

He trained tirelessly to change from a feeble boy to a trained soldier capable of shouldering the hopes of his people. The journey there was an arduous one, and Eren made some decisions along the way which might make one question his morality but in the end, it was for the good of his loved ones.

1 Guts (Berserk)

Psychological Trauma

Guts have probably been through the most trying times among anime protagonists. He was born from the hanging corpse of his mother and spent most of his childhood working as a slave, as a result, he has psychological scars that make it hard for him to trust people and socialize.

These wounds were reopened when Griffith, his most trusted friend, betrayed him and the rest of the Band of the Falcon. The world of Berserk is unforgiving and has also cost Guts a lot of body parts, but he still overcame most of these challenges to achieve his goal.

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