In many anime, there's always a certain character who rallies the confidence of those around them and serves as an inspiration for all. Examples can include the main protagonists of longstanding series and even anime villains under certain circumstances.
However, there are other characters who aren't so fortunate. To them, success was an excruciating climb, as few had believed them throughout their arduous journeys and lives. By identifying those that fall under such a category, we can better understand how they managed to overcome incredible adversity.
10 Koichi Had To Prove That He Was Reliable (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Koichi Hirose was a student and close personal friend of Josuke. Throughout his adventures in Morioh, however, he was treated as weaker than the series' other Stand users. Both the heroes and villains discredited Koichi's potential on account of his lackluster ability, as proven through his interactions with Keicho Nijimura and Yoshikage Kira.
He would only prove himself after using Reverb Act Three to pin down Kira's hand, thereby providing Jotaro with an opportunity to finish him off. Nonetheless, Koichi had to earn being called reliable much more than Okuyasu or Josuke ever did.
9 Luffy Was Mocked By His Own Brothers Until He Proved Himself (One Piece)
When Luffy first began honing his Devil Fruit powers, the results were less than impressive. Since his rubberized punches were limp, Ace and even Sabo thought that he would never be able to become a pirate. Garp also doubted his ability to sail the seas, and he thought his grandson would become a marine instead.
Ultimately, Luffy proved everyone wrong through training and perseverance. Ever since the battle for Marineford, he has been one of the most high-profile bounties to ever traverse the Grand Line.
8 Gaara Became A Monster Since No One Believed In Him (Naruto)
Gaara's barbarism was justified through a traumatic childhood where no one believed in him. Unlike Naruto, he was completely friendless, with even his own father sending Yashamaru to assassinate him in order to contain Shukaku.
As a consequence of his neglect, Gaara grew resentful towards life itself and sought only to massacre those unfortunate enough to cross his path. Fortunately, Naruto managed to set him on the right path and garner the support of his siblings.
7 Even Rod Reiss' Own Men Didn't Back Up His Plan (Attack On Titan)
Rod Reiss commanded far less power than it first seemed. Despite the military police assigned to his protection, they were ultimately only there to steal the Founding Titan for themselves and never actually believed in his mission in the first place.
Although he got close to it, Reiss also failed to convince Historia that his mission was noble. Despite a lack of support, he did remarkably well for himself; after transforming into a monster, it took the combined efforts of the Scout and Garrison regiments to contain his terrible wrath.
6 King Was A Distrusted Pariah Among His Own People (Seven Deadly Sins)
King's journey has been a physically and emotionally taxing one. Having shirked his responsibilities to his own people, he returned from a fling with Diane in order to find them in a state of utter ruin.
After losing his closest friend, Helbram, and his cherished sister, Elaine, there was a time where no one was willing to put their faith in him again. As a result, he was outcast from the forest and joined the Sins a short time later.
5 Arthur's Own Parents Abandoned Him (Fire Force)
Despite his upbeat disposition, Arthur's backstory is surprisingly dark. His parents encouraged him to delude himself with fantasies before they vanished, forcing the young boy to fend for himself.
Even after joining Company Eight, it was difficult for many Fire Soldiers to place their trust in him due to his unusual style of fighting (since he often projected a grand medieval fantasy onto reality itself). Nonetheless, he proved his skills through dozens of encounters with the White-Clad, especially since his plasma sword was a hard counter against Haumea's mental manipulation attacks.
4 Naofumi Became An Outcast Almost Immediately After Being Summoned From His World (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Shortly after being transported from his homeworld, Naofumi was falsely accused of assaulting Myne. Regardless of his protests, his reputation was immediately destroyed since most ordinary people took the princess' word over his.
As a consequence, virtually no one was willing to help him throughout his journeys to save the kingdom from the Waves. Naofumi's only companions he could place his faith in were slaves he had purchased from a shady underground merchant, although they grew to love him out of their own free will.
3 Toph Was Often Overlooked Due To Her Blindness (Avatar)
As a small blind girl, Toph is the least likely candidate to put up a good fight. Her parents were especially convinced that she should be sheltered at all costs, generating a high amount of animosity with their daughter as a consequence.
Despite having no one to believe in her before meeting Team Avatar, Toph still performed remarkably well for herself. She dominated all contenders in an Earth Kingdom fighting arena and was a reigning champion before Aang's arrival.
2 Not Even Midoriya's Own Mother Believed In Him Before He Got A Quirk (My Hero Academia)
Midoriya always harbored grand dreams of becoming the Symbol of Peace and protecting people. However, as his childhood continued to unfold, it was evident that he didn't have a quirk to call his own.
In addition to constant bullying by his classmates, namely Bakugo, even Midoriya's own mother abandoned her son's seemingly impractical ambitions. Providentially, All Might himself provided the young boy with the opportunity of a lifetime after being moved by his resolve and strength of will.
1 Nico Robin Was Hated Everywhere She Went (One Piece)
Nico Robin was the last survivor of Ohara, a nation of scholars made out to be terrorists by the World Government. With a large bounty placed on her head, she was constantly forced to hop between homes in order to survive her uncertain childhood.
This would eventually push her into the arms of Crocodile, who had hoped to use her knowledge of poneglyphs in order to rule all of Alabasta. After his defeat, Robin would finally find people who believed in her. Because of Luffy's and the rest of his crew's commitment, she was willing to give her life for her new friends in order for them to avoid a buster call.