Anime characters have all kinds of hobbies, talents, and interests to make their lives more interesting, just like people in real life. It's not enough to just go to high school or do chores at home — anime characters want meaningful hobbies too and sometimes they turn to the world of music to express themselves.
Some anime series are primarily focused on music; others simply feature one or two characters who can play an instrument as a hobby, such as the guitar, either acoustic or electric. Today, the guitar is more popular than ever and is associated with genres like rock 'n roll, heavy metal, country, and far more, and these guitar-playing anime characters are ready to make some music with their favorite instruments.
9 Kyoka Jiro Can Play Guitar & Sing (My Hero Academia)
The students of My Hero Academia's U.A. don't have much time to pursue their interests or work on their hobbies, but that doesn't stop Kyoka Jiro/Earphone Jack from nursing a passion for guitar and rock music in general. Her room in the U.A. dorm is packed with musical goodies and her classmates were pleasantly surprised.
Kyoka was embarrassed about this at first, but she soon learned to openly embrace her musical hobby and with her guitar and mic, she helped Class 1-A put on the concert of the year during the school festival. Her parents are also quite fond of music, which is where she gets it from.
8 Masami Iwasawa Plays The Guitar To Soothe Her Soul (Angel Beats!)
The short but popular anime series Angel Beats! takes place at an unusual high school, which is actually in purgatory. Among the colorful students of Afterlife High School is Masami Iwasawa, who is the lead guitarist of the band Girls Dead Monster.
In life, Masami had a rough childhood, with her parents arguing loudly every evening and students at school mocking her, so she retreated into the world of music to comfort herself. Now she can play inspiring music for everyone at Afterlife High School, though the good times can only last so long.
7 Gajeel Redfox Plays Guitar Badly (Fairy Tail)
The wizards of the Fairy Tail guild all have their own personality quirks and hobbies, from Mirajane volunteering as a barmaid to Erza's great fondness for cake. Then there's the iron dragon slayer Gajeel Redfox, who is an aspiring musician, complete with Mad Max-style guitars.
Fairy Tail's Gajeel thinks he's an excellent musician with his soulful voice and guitar strumming and the icy Gray Fullbuster thinks so, too. The unfortunate reality is that Gajeel's voice and guitar playing are more akin to fingernails on a chalkboard and no one looks forward to his performances.
6 Yoshinobu Gakuganji Can Really Strum (Jujutsu Kaisen)
The elderly but tough principal of the Kyoto sorcery school, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, is much cooler than his stern personality and appearance would suggest. He is a strict traditionalist who wants Yuji dead and he doesn't like Satoru Gojo very much, either. That doesn't endear him to Jujutsu Kaisen fans, but he found a way to make up for it.
Yoshinobu earned some cool points when he unveiled his guitar and amp-based cursed technique during the Kyoto-Tokyo tournament. He can use cursed sound waves to blow enemy curses away and according to lore fluff, he can play other instruments as well and is seeking a drummer.
5 Akira Otoishi Plays Music During Stand Battles (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Diamond is Unbreakable story arc introduced a dazzling variety of new Stands to enrich the JoJo combat system and that includes the electric Red Hot Chili Pepper, with Akira Otoishi as its user. This deadly Stand can drag people into power lines and kill them, among other techniques.
Meanwhile, Akira is known to sometimes play his electric guitar during his Stand battles, which adds some music to the action. As a bonus, he has "AC/DC" on the cuffs of his outfit, an example of JoJo's many musical references. Akira dreamed of becoming a rock star someday, but then Josuke and Okuyasu took him down.
4 Yui Hirasawa Is A Natural With Guitars (K-On!)
The charming high school anime K-On! has a strong musical component and the main girls formed a rock band called After School Tea Time to put a little music into everyone's lives. That includes the guitarist Yui Hirasawa and she learned the ways of the guitar in remarkably little time.
In a matter of weeks, Yui went from a total novice to a skilled player worthy of any amateur band, suggesting that she has a great deal of talent for music, possibly even being a savant. Now she can cheer everyone up with her wonderful music.
3 Haruhi Suzumiya Plays The Guitar Well (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya)
The titular Haruhi Suzumiya is no ordinary high school girl — she is actually a goddess and can bend reality according to her will. This famed anime character is also quite skilled at a variety of things, which includes playing the guitar. Like Kyoka Jiro, Haruhi showed off her musical skills at a school festival for all to enjoy.
Haruhi put on the show of a lifetime and by now her songs have become staples of the anime community. This includes hit singles such as "God Knows" and "Lost My Music."
2 Nana Osaki Didn't Have It Easy (Nana)
Nana's Nana Osaki, as her punkish appearance would suggest, had a rough upbringing and is scarred by her experiences, but she persisted all the same and now she's a rock legend in the world of anime. In fact, her life story is roughly similar to that of many real-life musicians who experienced many hardships of their own before launching their musical careers.
Nana's own mother abandoned her and she was falsely accused of prostitution in high school. However, Nana then embraced her passion for music and the music of her guitar become her guiding light in a rather dark life.
1 Ryusuke Minami Leads His Band (BECK)
BECK's Ryusuke Minami is a classic example of a rock star, being a highly talented and skilled young man who loves the guitar, but also loves booze and debauchery. Still, his fierce passion for music makes him undeniably compelling in the story of BECK.
Ryusuke leads the band BECK with his blues-style playing and his guitar of choice is a Gibson Les Paul that he named Prudence (Lucille in some versions). Notably, he spent time living in the United States and is a fluent English speaker.