One of the most important parts of an anime series is the friends and connections made by each character. Watching them grow and learn as they get to know each other is an intricate and intimate part of every story. For some characters, making friends and meeting new people comes easy.
But for others, it's a little trickier. These anime characters have very few friends or even none at all. They're seen as shy or unapproachable and usually end up alone despite their best efforts. Whether it's due to social anxiety or being shunned by their peers, they struggle to show others their true selves and make the connections they long for so much.
10 Komi Has Trouble Talking To Her Classmates (Komi Can't Communicate)
In the series Komi Can't Communicate, new student Komi Shouko instantly rises to popularity on her first day at Itan Private High School. Everyone is captivated by her beauty and wants to get to know her. However, despite this instant fame, Komi is terrible at communicating with others. Because of this, she doesn't have a single friend. Her classmate Hitohito Tadano discovers her inability to talk to those around her. With his help, Komi aims to make 100 friends and overcome her problem.
9 Bocchi's Anxiety Leaves Her With No Friends (Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu)
Bocchi Hitori is starting her very first year in middle school at the start of the series that shares her name, Hitoribocchi no Maruru Seikatsu. Due to her extreme social anxiety, she has no friends going into this new chapter of her life. Her only friend, Kai Yawara, has decided that in order to push her to make new friends, she must sever ties with her. She promises Bocchi that she will reconcile with her after she has made friends with her new class. Though Bocchi isn't confident in her abilities, she is determined to do her best and make friends with her classmates in order to get her friend back.
8 Tomoko Is An Awkward Otaku Unsure Of How To Make Real-life Friends (No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!)
Tomoko Kuroki is starting her first year of high school in the series No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular. She believes she is ready to tackle the challenge and make new friends, thanks to the many otome games she's played. In reality, she finds she is more unprepared than she could have imagined. She is very introverted and awkward, making no friends from the start. With the help of her one friend, Yuu Naruse, and her brother, Tomoki, she starts her new high school life and works to become less socially awkward and make real-life friends.
7 Kaori Distances Herself From All Others (Isshuukan Friends)
Kaori Fujimiya is the quiet and reserved female lead of Isshuukan Friends. When Yuuki Hase finally confesses his feelings to her, she immediately rejects him. After this heartbreak, however, Yuuki slowly starts to realize that Kaori is very distant from everyone around her, pushing anyone who tries to get close away.
He is determined to know her better, and as she opens up to him, he realizes the truth of why she cuts herself off from everyone. After an accident in middle school, Kaori has severe memory problems. Anyone close to her is forgotten after a week, as her memory is wiped clean every Monday. Though Kaori wants nothing more than to have friends, she keeps her distance from others, fearing that she may hurt them when she forgets them.
6 Sophia Is Avoided By Others Due To Her Appearance (My Next Life As A Villainess)
At the start of My Next Life As A Villainess, young Sophia Ascart is shunned by everyone except her older brother, Nicol. A rumor starts that she is a cursed child because of her white hair and red eyes. This rumor leaves her with no friends and makes her the victim of bullying from other children her age. It isn't until she meets Katarina Claes that anyone besides her family appreciates her. Katarina tells her that she loves her hair and eyes and she thinks that they make her very beautiful. This changes everything for Sophia, as she has finally made a friend after being lonely for so long. Because of that, she cherishes Katarina and becomes devoted to her, just like the rest of the cast.
5 Amu Longs To Be Her True Self Around Her Classmates (Shugo Chara!)
The series Shugo Chara! starts with protagonist Amu Hinamori attending Seiyo Academy. She is very popular among the students and is fawned over by her classmates who consider her "cool and spicy." However, this cool-girl attitude is only a facade that Amu puts up. She is, in reality, a shy and insecure girl, unable to make close friends due to her fear. She wants nothing more than to be her true self with others but is afraid that she won't be accepted that way. Everything changes when she wakes up to find three Heart's Eggs, each containing a Chara representing part of her true self. With their power, she is able to overcome her fears and show everyone the real her.
4 Sawako Wants To Show Her Classmates Who She Really Is (Kimi ni Todoke)
The female protagonist of the series Kimi ni Todoke, Sawako Kuronuma is timid and shy. She is soft and withdrawn but longs to make friends with others. Unfortunately, everyone in her class avoids her due to her quiet demeanor and likeness to Sadako from The Ring movies.
She admires the charisma of Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular boy in class, and aims to be just like him. With his help, she overcomes the hurdles she faces and grows closer to her classmates, showing them who she really is.
3 Yuki Must Avoid Others Due To His Curse (Fruits Basket)
The Sohma family, from the series Fruits Basket, is cursed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. They must avoid anyone outside of their family of the opposite sex. If they come too close to them, they will transform into the animal that possesses them. Yuki Sohma is cursed by the spirit of the rat, leaving him isolated from his fellow classmates. He is a popular student, with both male and female students enamored by him. However, because of his curse and the rules set by the Sohma family, Yuki cannot have any actual relationships with his classmates. This isolation leaves him lonesome and depressed, withdrawing from everyone. He only opens up and finds true happiness after meeting Tohru, who brings a new light to his life.
2 Misuzu's Illness Prevents Her From Getting Close To Others (AIR)
Misuzu Kamio is the female protagonist of the series AIR and is plagued by an unknown illness. This illness prevents her from making any friends or forming close bonds with anyone, even her adopted mother. If she becomes close to someone, she becomes ill and begins to cry uncontrollably. Because of this, she spends most of her life alone. This changes when she meets traveling puppeteer Yukito, who forms a bond with her and opens up a new world for her. Unfortunately, Misuzu pays the price of making this new friend, her health slowly declining as the series progresses.
1 Shouko Is Ostracized By Her Class Because Of Her Disability (A Silent Voice)
From the start, Shouko Nishimiya wants nothing more than to make friends with her fellow classmates in A Silent Voice. Due to her deafness, however, she is alienated by them all. She becomes the target of severe bullying from each classmate, especially from the male protagonist, Shouya Ishida. The bullying becomes so bad that she must transfer schools. Once in high school, however, she reunites with Shouya and others from her past and slowly reconciles with them. Through this, she learns to let go of the past and stop blaming herself for what happened. Her friendship with Shouya helps her overcome her self-hatred and finally accept herself as she is.