Anime protagonists come in a dazzling variety of shapes and forms, from heartfelt shojo heroines to gritty seinen antiheroes and inspiring shonen leads, and even if these characters vary greatly in their abilities or worldview, they might still have a few things in common. For example, these protagonists often share a proactive mindset, which is perfect for any fictional hero.
A proactive person or character doesn't want for something to happen — they make things happen, and they tend to take charge of their own lives and actively shape the world around them. Proactive people are the ones who shake things up and drive the plot along for better or worse, and that makes them some of the most exciting and inspiring characters of all.
10 Tohru Honda Seeks To Heal The Sohma Family (Fruits Basket)
Tohru Honda has a gentle and selfless personality, but that doesn't mean she is a passive person. On the contrary, Tohru is one of Fruits Basket's most proactive characters of all, and without her, there wouldn't be a plot at all. She soon made it her mission to solve all the Sohma family's problems, and they didn't even have to ask.
Tohru took it upon herself to personally counsel and support the troubled Sohmas, and she resolved to confront Akito Sohma directly and get to the root of this dreadful curse once and for all. Akito didn't like Tohru's intrusive ways, but Tohru persisted, and it paid off.
9 Ichigo Kurosaki Launched Two Daring Rescue Missions (Bleach)
Ichigo Kurosaki is Bleach's action star, but he was a remarkably passive protagonist at first. He was content to lie low and live an ordinary life as a punkish high schooler, but everything changed when Rukia Kuchiki gave him the powers of a Soul Reaper. He soon repaid the favor when he launched a daring rescue mission into the Soul Society to save her from certain doom.
Later, Ichigo's good friend Orihime Inoue was captured, and once again, Ichigo took charge and staged a bold rescue mission to retrieve her. It's true that Ichigo had the same mission twice in a row, but at least he was highly proactive as his friends' #1 protector.
8 Tanjiro Kamado Seeks A Cure For Nezuko (Demon Slayer)
Like Ichigo Kurosaki, Tanjiro Kamado was once an ordinary civilian until he was thrust into the world of monsters and swords, and there's no going back. The cruel Muzan Kibutsuji turned Nezuko into a demon, so Tanjiro resolved to find a cure for her, no matter what it takes. He won't rest until the mission's complete.
Tanjiro may not be as reckless as Inosuke Hashibira or as gung-ho as Kyojuro Rengoku, but he's still a highly proactive shonen hero with a can-do attitude that is truly inspiring. No matter the odds, Tanjiro will persist, and cure his sister at last.
7 Takemichi Hanagaki Will Do Anything To Save Hinata (Tokyo Revengers)
Takemichi Hanagaki considered himself a total loser in his late 20s, but then Naoto Tachibana recruited him to go back to 2005 and change the past to save the future, Terminator-style. The mission — to prevent the tragic death of Naoto's beloved sister Hinata, who died in 2017 at the hands of the brutal Toman gang.
This made it personal for Takemichi, who had always been fond of Hinata, so he accepted the mission and finally took charge of the situation. Despite many beatings, he persisted in his mission and took whatever steps were necessary to put Mikey and Draken on a new path and prevent a horrible future.
6 Avatar Korra Won't Hesitate To Act (The Legend Of Korra)
Unlike her gentle and diplomacy-oriented predecessor, Aang, the hotheaded Avatar Korra is a brash and headstrong new Avatar who will gladly take charge of any situation and demolish her enemies, no matter what it takes. She tends to create as many problems as she solves, though.
Tenzin, Lin, and Mako don't always like Korra's attitude and methods, but no one can deny that Korra is a brave and proactive Avatar who is determined to do her duty as the world's guardian, and for that, they can't help but admire her. Korra is never afraid to challenge the world's strongest foes to get the job done ASAP.
5 Naruto Uzumaki Is Always Ready For An Adventure (Naruto)
Like many inspiring shonen heroes, the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki sets a good example with his optimistic and proactive ways. Naruto has endured many hardships in his time, but he knows that complaining won't solve anything. Instead, he'll take action and change the world around him.
Time and again, Naruto both caused trouble and saved the day with his reckless and proactive ways, and he also has his eyes on the end goal — to become Hokage someday. He won't rest until he achieves that goal, and he also won't rest until he has restored his friendship with Sasuke.
4 Naofumi Iwatani Got Down To Work (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Naofumi Iwatani is one of the unluckiest isekai heroes of all, but that didn't dampen his spirits for long. Even if everyone hates him for a crime he didn't commit, Naofumi has a proactive attitude and a pragmatic streak to match. He's not afraid of some hard work.
Naofumi made the most of his unfavorable situation and sought out some new allies to form a party. He also undertook many quests to help the kingdom's people in exchange for payment. He knows there's no time to waste until the Waves arrive.
3 Senku Ishigami Keeps Inventing Things (Dr. Stone)
Senku Ishigami is a brilliant kid scientist who has always been confident in his own abilities as an engineer and chemist, and he won't let a little apocalypse stop him. The world has been plunged into a new Stone Age, and most people are trapped in stone, so it's up to Senku to save the day.
Senku started re-inventing one thing after another, from glass to power plants and steam engines, all in the name of restoring humanity with the power of science. Senku also makes a constant effort to recruit new people to his team, starting with Chrome, Kaseki, and Kohaku. If he doesn't do all this, who will?
2 Light Yagami Is Always Scheming Something (Death Note)
Light Yagami may be an egotistical antihero with the blood of thousands on his hands, but no one can deny that he is a highly proactive protagonist who won't stop until he gets what he wants. Ever since he picked up that mysterious notebook, he's been hard at work creating his own world with his own laws of justice.
Light risked his life many times in his battle of wits against L, Near, and Mello, and he kept scheming one thing after another to both build his Kira kingdom and take down his enemies. He lost in the end, but he certainly gave it his best shot.
1 Ken Kaneki Seeks The Truth (Tokyo Ghoul)
At first, the seinen hero Ken Kaneki was fairly passive, even after he became a half-ghoul, but he slowly became more proactive and started taking control of his bizarre new life. He reached a turning point after Yamori tortured him, and Ken embraced his ghoul nature at last.
Ken also wanted answers, so he embarked on a quest to discover the truth of Dr. Kano and the operation that turned Ken into a half-ghoul to begin with. This really drove the plot of Tokyo Ghoul forward in its second half, and Ken later had a proactive mindset in Tokyo Ghoul:re as well.