Just because an anime character is popular doesn't mean they're exactly perfect. For every inspirational force of good and fighting spirit made incarnate, there's an equal number of cringe-inducing characters whose good intentions do little to salvage their public image.
Whether it's because they're still stuck in a certain immature phase or because of deeper reasons, these characters aren't the first people anyone would want to be seen with in public. None of this means they're bad characters, though; it's just that they hit home a lot harder than anyone could've anticipated.
10 Steins;Gate - Rintaro Okabe's Mad Scientist Gimmick Is (Hilariously) Embarrassing
In his defense, Okabe's eccentric villain shtick has a tragic reason for existing. After the death of Mayuri's grandmother, Okabe began acting like a B-movie scientist to keep her spirits up. He kept this act going for the better part of a decade, much to the annoyance and/or amusement of newcomers in his life.
Good intentions aside, Okabe still inflicts secondhand embarrassment on his friends (and viewers) whenever he goes mad scientist mode. This hit its comedic peak during the gang's trip to America in the OVA Steins;Gate: Egoistic Poriomania, where Okabe got arrested twice for causing a scene.
9 My Hero Academia - Katsuki Bakugo Had A Lot Of Maturing To Do
Today, Bakugo is one of My Hero Academia's most popular anti-heroes, but way back in Season 1, he was Izuku Midoriya's tormentor and an all-around terrible bully. Though he admirably always wanted to be a Hero and follow All Might's example, Bakugo gathered haters by being needlessly mean to Midoriya.
After being knocked down a peg more than once, Bakugo turned his life of delinquency around and bettered himself. It's clear that Bakugo regrets his immature hostile days, the same way anyone outside of their teenage years would feel while watching the anime. When compared to his progress, Bakugo's younger days are beyond embarrassing.
8 Naruto - Pre-Shippuden Naruto Uzumaki Was All Kinds Of Annoying & Immature
There's no classic shonen anime hero as annoying as Naruto, whose mere presence turned off many from the original Naruto at the height of its popularity. Even though he has a tragic reason for it, Naruto got on everyone's nerves by being a loudmouthed 12-year-old who didn't know when to stop. And then he grew up.
By the time of Naruto Shippuden, an older and wiser Naruto agreed with fans' sentiments and was embarrassed by how hyperactive he used to be. This doesn't mean the younger Naruto was the worst, but that he was in a childish phase that had to be grown out of. In more ways than they'd like to admit, fans connected with Naruto's hindsight.
7 Demon Slayer - Zenitsu Agatsuma Is Too Cowardly For Some People's Liking
Depending on who's talking, Zenitsu is either one of the funniest characters in Demon Slayer, or he's the worst person to ever grace the screen. Zenitsu is basically Tanjiro's foil, since he's a shameless coward who cries and panics at the mere mention of danger, whereas Tanjiro fights whatever comes his way.
To be fair, Zenitsu was forced into the demon killing profession and he still does his best to help Tanjiro and company save the day. But his fearful whining can be hard to tolerate, and his attempts at being a lady's man almost always backfire and embarrass everyone watching.
6 Sword Art Online - Kirito Is An Obvious Power Fantasy
In Kirito's defense, the hate he inspires isn't really because of him. Instead, it stems from what he clearly represents and who he was made for. In short, Castle Aincrad's mythical Black Swordsman is the unapologetic power fantasy for gamers that ushered in the glut of self-indulgent isekai anime during the 2010's.
It's impossible not to view Kirito's overpowered status and effortless romances as wish-fulfillment, especially since he's an unassuming teen in the real world but a legend in the Sword Art Online game. The secondhand embarrassment comes not from Kirito easily slaying gods, but from how transparently pandering his character can be.
5 Neon Genesis Evangelion - Shinji Ikari's Social Awkwardness Is Painfully Realistic
No anime character inspires as many polarized takes as Shinji; either he's the most relatable teenage pilot ever seen in a mecha anime, or he's the most insufferable protagonist to ever get in a robot. That said, everyone can at least agree on the fact that Shinji is one of the most realistic teenagers in anime because of how painfully awkward he is.
Shinji lashes out at everyone, wallows in his own self-loathing, and fails to express or even acknowledge his feelings properly - the same way anyone watching Neon Genesis Evangelion would've when they were 14-years-old. Watching Shinji lose control of his emotions despite bigger things going on around him can be an unwanted flashback to a cringey adolescence.
4 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya - Haruhi Can Be Too Much For Anyone To Handle
In the mid-2000's and arguably even today, Haruhi is the definitive eccentric anime girl. With the powers of a literal god behind her, Haruhi is determined to have the most exciting life possible. Problem is, she'll do whatever it takes to achieve this, even if it means dragging the SOS Brigade into her hijinks against their will.
In the moment, Haruhi's devil-may-care attitude is fun, but in hindsight, she's insufferably self-centered and insensitive, so much so that it can be embarrassing to relive her crazy adventures. This was actually the point of The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya, where Haruhi's manic tendencies were deconstructed and directly influenced her sudden disappearance in the finale movie.
3 WataMote - Tomoko Kuroki Is A Painfully Accurate Otaku
Otakus as audience surrogates aren't anything new in anime. But while viewers love to imagine themselves as the adorable nerds of Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For An Otaku, the truth is that they have more in common with the socially inept and self-absorbed Tomoko from WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Unpopular!
Tomoko is an introverted weeb with severe self-esteem issues and delusions of grandeur. Her comedy stems from how bad she is at socializing, since her perception of reality is erroneously based on countless hours of otome game playthroughs and anime. Viewers laughed and felt embarrassed at her vain quest for popularity because, hilarious as it is, it hit too close to home.
2 Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro - Senpai Is A Spineless Self-Insert
Even beyond Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro's blatant wish fulfillment, the currently nameless Senpai can be too spineless to sympathize with. He has no self-respect whatsoever, and lets Nagatoro and her friends bully him beyond reason. While fans loved the ensuing raunchy comedy, others got annoyed with how much of a wet blanket Senpai was created to be and how he'd conveniently find himself in contrived situations right out of an adult movie.
At the very least, Nagatoro toned down her flirty pranking after Senpai told her off and she even stopped her friends when they went too far. Senpai did kind of grow a backbone after 12 episodes, but before that, viewers were subjected to either feeling embarrassed on his behalf or getting annoyed at how he refused to stand up for himself.
1 Osomatsu-San - The Matsuno Brothers Are The Embodiment Of Secondhand Embarrassment
As a bunch of hopeless NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), the Matsuno sextuplets don't have much going for them in life. When they're not bumming around at home, the six brothers are either fighting amongst themselves for the pettiest reasons or they're indulging in their juvenile desires (pachinko, failing to get a date, etc.).
To say that the six are embarrassing to watch is an understatement, and yet fans of Osomatsu-San can't look away from every disaster that Osomatsu and his brothers deliberately get themselves into. The Matsunos' raunchy hijinks are modern anime's best example of cringe comedy, and they certainly exceed all expectations.