Many anime series have human beings as protagonists. However, anime is fiction, and some creators have decided to expand the possibilities of what anime series entail by using non-human characters as protagonists. From ferocious beasts to objects, non-human protagonists break the mold of the traditional human protagonist and offer a fresh perspective on the world at large.
With their unique abilities, cultures, and challenges, non-human protagonists in anime have become fascinating things to explore as they captivate viewers with their unique perspectives and worldviews. From space aliens to animals or sentient robots, there is no shortage of anime shows that feature non-humans as the protagonists.
7 Reincarnated As A Slime
Of the many intriguing isekai anime, Reincarnated as a Slime is certainly one of the most well-known and well-liked. The series takes place in a magical world of various races, with the protagonist, Rimuru Tempest, trying to adapt to the new world while establishing his newly created nation of monsters.
Rimuru was a former teacher who was abruptly killed on Earth. However, after his death, he was reborn as a slime in a world of magic, which he initially found difficult to navigate. Rimuru’s slime form is often underestimated due to his small and seemingly weak appearance, but there is more to the slime than meets the eye.
6 Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song
Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song is an anime series set in a unique world where humans co-exist alongside advanced AI technology. With AI being capable of independent thought, the anime explores what it means for an AI to be ‘human’ as they explore the various emotions that make humans human.
The protagonist of the series, Vivy, is the first humanoid autonomous AI. As a songstress, Vivy was given the mission of making everybody happy with her singing. However, her life takes a unique turn when Matsumoto, a more advanced AI from the future, comes and asks for her help in preventing the war that would eventually occur between humans and AIs.
5 So I’m A Spider, So What?
Not many anime series have a spider as a protagonist, and that is what makes the So I’m a Spider, So What? anime series stand out. The series portrays a magical world where the demon lord and hero fight for supremacy time and time again. In one of their many battles, a spell misfires on Earth and miraculously reincarnates the students of a class that it hits instead of outrightly killing them.
Of the many reincarnated students, Kumoko, the protagonist of the series, is reincarnated into the weakest of monsters: a small lesser taratect spider species. Despite what would be considered an unfortunate event, Kumoko strives to survive in the danger-filled dungeon she finds herself in with her endless positivity and quick thinking.
4 Beastars
A world where predator and prey live together in peace and harmony seems unlikely. The complex emotions and characteristic behaviors that would constitute such a world are beautifully displayed in the Beastars anime series. The anime series portrays anthropomorphic carnivores and herbivores living together peacefully until an unknown carnivore kills a herbivore, setting the fragile balance between the two classes of animals in chaos.
The protagonist of the series, Legoshi, is a large gray wolf who finds himself suspected of killing the herbivore. As Legoshi strives to prove his innocence, he comes across Haru, a female dwarf rabbit, whom he begins to develop feelings for. Developing feelings for a rabbit, which should be prey to him, sets Legoshi’s mind in turmoil as he begins to explore and learn to control his natural animal instincts.
3 Reincarnated As A Sword
With its title alone, Reincarnated as a Sword is one of the few anime series that reminds viewers of how many bizarre or unconventional protagonists there are in anime. The anime series portrays Teacher, a former student who was killed by an oblivious driver, as he is reincarnated into a new world.
Teacher comes across Fran, a beast kin slave who becomes his wielder and gives him the name "Teacher." Unlike the protagonists of many other series, Teacher, after being reincarnated as a sword, mostly stays in his sword form rather than taking on a humanoid form. Although he possesses the ability to create humanoid clones of himself, he rarely does this.
2 To Your Eternity
Revolving around an immortal entity sent to Earth by the Beholder in the form of a small orb, the To Your Eternity anime series portrays the captivating experience of an immortal orb trying to learn human customs, behaviors, and the reason for its existence.
With the ability to transform into any living being it encounters, the immortal orb takes on many different forms: from a stone to moss to a wolf to a young boy, and becomes sentient, even learning how to speak in its human form. In its human form, the orb is given the name Fushi by his mother figure, who meets a tragic end. As Fushi grows and develops an ego, he becomes a caring individual who wants to create a peaceful world.
1 Hellsing
The Hellsing anime series is packed with action, intrigue, and plenty of blood and gore. The anime features a world of vampires and vampire hunters in a fight for supremacy. In all the blood and gore lies the Hellsing Organization, a group that stands as the last bastion of hope against the out-of-control vampires. When the vampires prove too tough to control, Integra Hellsing, the leader of the organization, unleashes the ancient true vampire, Alucard.
Although possessing human-like traits, Alucard is a shapeshifting and ruthless vampire who fights with intense ferocity. As an immortal, Alucard does not seek to understand human nature but to find an opponent that would relieve him of his boredom.