There is something about brooding anime characters that makes them stand out from the rest. Their seriousness and moody nature give them a mysterious vibe that intrigues fans. Brooding characters have been a recurring trope in anime, with every shonen show bound to have at least one such character.
Be it their sad past, their missions, or just their natural personalities, these characters do not like to talk about their personal adversities. However, seeing the most brooding anime characters change and evolve over the course of a show makes for a very satisfying ride, and is often worth the wait.
6 Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
Ichigo Kurosaki is the orange-haired protagonist of Bleach, which is one of the most popular shonen shows. Like most shonen protagonists, Ichigo has a never-give-up attitude and also believes in the power of friendship. However, unlike other shonen protagonists, Ichigo always has a much more serious brooding face on display, which makes him look mad most of the time.
Even on a normal day, Ichigo's eyebrows are always tilted, indicating that he has a lot on his mind and cannot be bothered to deal with petty stuff. Now imagine him on the days he has to fight against Hollows and Arrancars. Luckily for Ichigo, he is actually quite good at making a brooding face.
5 Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
Roy Mustang, who is also known as the Flame Alchemist, is a State Alchemist of the state of Amestris in the show Fullmetal AlchemistBrotherhood. Roy's personality is not all serious, as he likes to joke around and make fun of others. His face, however, always has a very serious look on it. It is very hard to find this Alchemist smiling, as he tries his best not to show his emotions to his subordinates.
One major reason for this could be Roy's involvement in the Ishvalan War massacre, which left quite a mark on Roy's personality. Combine that with the fact that he holds a high rank in the military, and it makes perfect sense why Roy is always brooding about.
4 Katsugi Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
Katsugi Bakugo is the self-proclaimed rival of Izuku Medoriya from the show My Hero Academia and is one of the most complex characters in the show. Bakugo can be seen wearing a very angry look on his face most of the time, which makes it very hard for other people to communicate and interact with him. Although there is no official reason given for Bakugo's brooding personality, one possibility could be that his Explosion quirk actually carries a side effect that makes him so hotheaded.
Bakugo is always ignoring people, he never takes part in teamwork, and he likes to stay away from most of his teammates. However, beneath the brooding and serious nature of Bakugo lies a very sophisticated hero that is always trying to do the right thing for other people, even if they do not realize it.
3 Tobio Kageyama (Haikyuu!!)
Tobio Kagyema is a genius setter that plays for Karasuno High's volleyball team in the beloved show Haikyuu!!. Throughout his middle school career, Kageyama made quite the name for himself due to his talents. However, he was also given the nickname King of the Court, as his play style mimicked that of a dictator. He always wanted others to play according to his strategy and would start brooding if others did not comply.
His serious and self-centered nature carried over into his High School years as well, though he did eventually start mending his ways after joining Karasuno. However, despite becoming a better team player, Kageyama retained his seriousness and always had an angry look on his face. Sometimes, even his seniors find it hard to approach Kageyama due to all his brooding.
2 Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
Sasuke Uchiha is of the most popular anime characters in all of anime and is known for being a very serious and brooding character. Throughout the majority of the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series, Sasuke was obsessed with avenging his clan and killing his brother, and this obsession was all that he could think about. In his quest for revenge, Sasuke became quite bitter and did not give a damn about anyone else.
In most of his appearances, he would appear to be engaged in deep thought and would always have a serious look on his face. He was willing to do anything and use anyone to achieve his goal because that was all that mattered to him. However, Naruto eventually got through to Sasuke by the show's end which resulted in Sasuke becoming a friendlier person in general.
1 Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Vegeta may only be the Prince of all Saiyans, but he surely is the King of all brooding characters. From the moment Vegeta was introduced in Dragon Ball Z right through to his latest outings in the Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta has not once left his brooding nature behind. He always enters the battlefield with a mad look on his face, as if he is ready to destroy everything. Even in casual conversations, Vegeta always comes off as angry.
He has a very serious aura around him that makes it impossible for people to get through to him. Vegeta's body is always busy in training, while his mind is always engaged in figuring out a way to surpass Goku. Despite his hard-surfaced nature though, this Saiyan truly does care for his friends and family, which is what makes Vegeta such a great character overall.