Some anime characters choose kindness, even when their life has shown them nothing but tragedy. They may be a sweet side character, or an honorable protagonist, but either way they’re a person anyone would by lucky to have as a friend. Some characters are widely beloved, affectionately dubbed as Best Boy, while others deserve more recognition.
Sweet boys in anime are helpful, even when it doesn’t benefit them – and often to their own detriment. They have good values and are nurturing toward others. They differ a bit from himbos, which tend to be strong, stoic, kind, and sometimes a bit dim. There’s less emphasis put on their physique and more on their morals and personality.
10 Tombo (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
When Kiki comes to a new town in Kiki’s Delivery Service to start her training as a witch, not many are welcoming or comfortable with her presence except for two people. Tombo and the baker lady Osono welcome Kiki with open arms. Tombo is interested in Kiki because he’s fascinated by the art of flying. He wants to fly just like Kiki – as much as he can, seeing as he’s not a witch.
Kiki’s going through a lot, navigating her new life stage and Tombo is always there to extend the hand of friendship. He cares about more than their mutual flying interest, he genuinely wants to get to know her as a friend and involve her with his group. Even when Kiki gives him the cold shoulder, Tombo is kind and curious enough to know that something more is going on with her, and that she could really use a friend.
9 Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Yuji Itadori of Jujutsu Kaisen is often cited by fans as one of the best shonen protagonists ever. He’s by no means a perfect, flawless person, but he doesn’t have the foibles that many precocious shonen protagonists tend to have, either. Yuji is more soft-spoken; he’s not rowdy. Even when he disagrees with someone, he debates in a thoughtful way.
Yuji comes a long way with his abilities, but he’s still humble. And he’s not just humble because there are so many around him who outstrip him in years of training, it’s just a part of his core personality. His best trait is how kind he is toward others.
8 Haku (Spirited Away)
Haku may seem a bit cold and remote at first in Spirited Away, but his composure is a virtue, not a detriment to his character. Though Haku is quiet, he’s not cold, and he is very empathetic towards Chihiro.
He shows his empathy in many ways, from putting his life on the line to help her, to offering her a rice ball when she’s crying in the garden. Haku is stuck in a difficult, very sad situation, but he doesn’t let that make him bitter. Rather, he wants to help however he can.
7 Yuki Sohma
Though he’s a virtual stranger to Tohru, Yuki shows her kindness in the opening of Fruits Basket. He’s more than polite, he’s a pure gentleman and between that and his good looks, it’s no wonder why he’s the prince of his school.
Yuki’s sweetness shows in the small gestures he does without even a second thought and zero fanfare. When Machi struggles with perfectionism in class, he reaches out to break a piece of chalk without taking his eyes off his paper, knowing that that imperfection will make her more comfortable. He tries to understand people on a very deep level, and it shows in every word and deed.
6 Draluc (The Vampire Dies In No Time)
Draluc turns the classic vampire character type completely on its head in The Vampire Dies In No Time. Despite having a dastardly reputation, the vampire hunter Ronaldo finds that he’s surprisingly silly and approachable. His powers aren’t that mighty, either, but he makes up for it with a surprising sense of kindness.
Draluc even turns a blind eye when neighborhood kids sneak into his house to play his video game collection while he slumbers during the day. In return, they’re glad to collect his ashes out of the sun with a kitty litter scooper, saving him from final extinction. Draluc’s more like a cute, dundering old bloke than a demon of the night.
5 Jonathan (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
It takes the most stand-up guys to be Dio Brando’s foil in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Jonathan was born to privilege, but he still grows into a heroic and kind gentleman.
Jonathan may be a bit simple-minded, at times, but he’s still hardworking, and he doesn’t balk away from responsibility, even if that responsibility includes taking down a demonically powerful vampire. No matter how much Dio tries to hurt him, Jonathan still has empathy for the monster. He’s so sweet, well-meaning, and polite that he stands out among even all the other JoJo heroes.
4 Tadano (Komi Can’t Communicate)
Sweet, self-effacing Tadano needs to give himself more credit in Komi Can’t Communicate. He knows what it’s like to not fit in, and he empathizes with Komi and wants to be her friend.
Tadano is trustworthy; he’s the kind of person someone can count on to be there, whether it’s showing up for something important, or observing a friend’s microexpressions in new social situations. Rather than taking a dog-eat-dog attitude toward people, Tadano embraces others in the best way he knows how. He has the kind of goodness that anyone can have.
3 Miyuki Shirogane (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War)
Shirogane may have an unspoken competition going on with Kaguya in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, but his feelings and motives are sincere. Often, his inner monologue is spent mooning over how “cute” Kaguya is, even though he wants her to admit her feelings first to spare his ego.
When his peers come to him for relationship advice, Shirogane is careful to give a respectful, relatively mature perspective. And when Kaguya truly needs something, Shirogane puts their whole competition aside to act the knight errant for her. He may be conniving on the surface, but when it really counts, he’s a teddy bear.
2 Tanjiro (Demon Slayer)
Demon Slayer opens by showing how Tanjiro is a wonderful son, brother, and neighbor. He meets the needs of everyone around him effortlessly. Even when tragedy strikes and Tanjiro loses nearly everything, he puts his own life on the line on the chance that he could save his sister.
Tanjiro is virtuous through and through. When he meets adversity, he rises to the occasion, whether it’s building a carrier for his sister to keep her safe from the daylight or learning how to tap into new fighting powers. His sweet, hardworking nature keeps him from feeling like a bland Mary Sue.
1 Takeo Gouda (My Love Story!!)
Takeo doesn’t have the highest self-confidence in My Love Story!! He’s often overshadowed by his handsome and smooth best friend socially, though he would never ever hold that against Makoto. Takeo is free with his kindness and his compliments, and he has a strong moral character.
When Takeo meets Yamato on a train, he’s instantly all heart-eyes for the girl. He swiftly concludes that surely, she would be interested in Makoto over him, and Takeo resolves to help her. He’s not trying to earn closeness with her or manipulate her, he just genuinely wants to help others and his heart is moved by people’s plights.
