Celebrations are usually meant for fun, friends, and family. They signify times of joy in people's lives. Yet some celebrations are events that certain anime characters would rather avoid. Crowds, food, merriment, and other festive activities are off-limits for many introverted and cynical characters.
There are numerous reasons for anime characters to avoid celebrating. Sometimes the frivolities remind them of a tragic memory, while others simply disdain having to mingle with people in general. In either case, these anime characters would rather pass an important day quietly than have to pretend to be happy at a party that their friends forced them to attend.
This article contains mentions of assault and self harm. Reader discretion is advised.
10 Kankichi Ryotsu Was Born On Girls' Day
KochiKame
Kankichi Ryotsu (or Ryo-san) is a lazy and unlucky cop in the comedy anime KochiKame. He tries various schemes to get money, but he always seems to miss the mark at the last second. Plus, he is often caught lazing around at his job.
However, one of the most unfortunate things — for him — is that his birthday is on March 3, which is Hinamatsuri, a Girls' Festival in Japan. The whole day is dedicated to females, making Ryotsu feel awkward about being a male celebrating his birthday on such a day.
9 Takehisa Hinawa Is Too Preoccupied With His Job To Celebrate
Fire Force
As a military man, Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa is used to being emotionless. However, he seemingly becomes more reserved and stoic after he witnesses his best friend's spontaneous combustion. From that moment on, Hinawa vows to quash all fire — no matter what.
Though he would participate if he was asked by his comrades, Hinawa could not care less about celebrating. In his mind, as long as someone is creating Infernals, everyone's focus should be on tracking down the culprit and putting an end to the flames in Fire Force.
8 Houtarou Oreki Is Apathetic To A Fault
Hyouka
Houtarou Oreki is a self-proclaimed champion of apathy in the anime, Hyouka. His main philosophy is to do as little as possible to conserve energy to live out his days in lazy monotony.
This same attitude applies to celebrations. Though he is not specifically against them, he sees no point in wasting any extra energy to do anything frivolous. To Oreki, celebrations are too much effort for him to see their true purpose. Thankfully, Eru Chitanda is there to remind Oreki that feeling things and loving people are invaluable commodities.
7 Katsuki Bakugo Does Not Like Most People
My Hero Academia
Katsuki Bakugo has always been a loner in My Hero Academia. His immense talent and poor attitude meant he never had many friends who liked him. Now, as a teenager, this phenomenon has manifested in his disdain for most people and an intolerance for festivities.
Though he does make friends, and they manage to drag him along in their celebrating, Bakugo always puts up a fight. Whether it is the school festival or Christmas, Bakugo does his best to avoid participating. Yet, in the end, fans can tell that he is always (at least partially) grateful for being included.
6 Naofumi Iwatani Is Jaded
The Rising Of The Shield Hero
Naofumi Iwatani has had a rough time in The Rising of the Shield Hero. Upon coming to the new world, he is falsely accused of a despicable crime and has to fight injustices that are long gone in his modern world.
Even when Naofumi does have a win, he does not feel that he is worthy enough to celebrate. Though he was a relatively happy guy before he came, this world has made him cautious, jaded, and afraid to celebrate too much because of what could be lurking around the corner.
5 Meia Gibson Is Afraid Of Connections
Vandread
Meia Gibson is the leader of the female pirates from the anime Vandread. Unlike the others, Meia prefers not to be in the spotlight and therefore avoids celebrations like her birthday at all costs.
However, when Meia's crew gets wind of her birthday, they try to throw her a surprise party. Meia avoids it to the best of her ability. She is even known to fly off just to get away from the frivolities. Meia's stoic nature and fear of making connections with others cause her to be wary of creating too many fond memories with people who might not stay — just like her parents.
4 Kyo Sohma Is Never Included
Fruits Basket
Kyo Sohma may not be specifically against celebrating, but he is against what the festivities stand for. As the Cat Zodiac in Fruits Basket, Kyo is excluded from many of his family's most important gatherings, including the New Year's Feast that celebrates the family member who will represent that year.
For Kyo, celebrations mean that he will be banned from participating, making him feel more alone and despised than he normally does. This is especially true, as, despite everything he has tried, Kyo cannot seem to ingratiate himself enough to be included in even one celebration. Fortunately, that changes when he decides to celebrate New Year's with his new friend, Tohru Honda.
3 Ciel Phantomhive Wants To Forget His Worst Day
Black Butler
Ciel Phantomhive is a tragic figure in Black Butler. When he was still small, his entire family was killed in a blaze that also consumed his home. Not to mention, this terrible crime happened on his birthday.
Ever since the fire, Ciel has despised celebrating his birthday, as it reminds him of the pain of losing his family. He actively avoids any merriment on the day and prefers to let the horrible memories pass just like any other normal day with a demon butler.
2 Yuuto Amakawa Has A Life-Changing Birthday
Omamori Himari
Yuuto Amakawa is a jaded young man who lost his parents in a car crash when he was eight years old. However, more misfortune awaits him on his 16th birthday when he is unceremoniously attacked by an Ayakashi.
Thankfully, Yuuto is saved by the cat woman, Himari, who explains that he comes from a long line of demon slayers. From there, Yuuto is sent into a dangerous supernatural world, forcing him to defend himself from many enemies that had dealings with his ancestors. Omamori Himari takes Yuuto out of his comfort zone all because of one bad birthday and a tragic past.
1 Mukuro Has A Traumatic Past
Yu Yu Hakusho
Mukuro is one of the three Demon Kings in Yu Yu Hakusho. Though she tries to hide her real gender initially, she later reveals herself as a female while also revealing her disfigured body.
Mukuro seems to be the more pragmatic demon of the three Demon Kings in Yu Yu Hakusho. She neither binges nor starves herself of humans and only acts out when provoked. Mukuro also had an extremely troubling past, where the man who called himself her father would assault her every year on her birthday. It is for this reason that Mukuro despises her birthday and mutilates herself to make her unappealing to him. Fortunately, her plan worked, and she was finally free of him.