The realm of anime is populated with characters of all sorts, and many of the most popular characters are outgoing, can-do adventurers and fighters who save the day and make their own rules as they go along. Naruto Uzumaki and Monkey D. Luffy are two notable examples, but not all anime characters are like this. Some are the opposite, in fact.
For every good-natured troublemaker or rogue outlaw in anime, there is a character or two who obeys the rules, and these characters favor discipline, the law, and perhaps time-honored traditions as well. These characters like to follow the rules, and they take comfort in the stability that such a lifestyle can bring. In fact, some characters' jobs require strict rule-following, and they conduct themselves according to a strict code.
10 Tenya Iida Takes His Class President Duties Seriously (My Hero Academia)
Aside from the incident where Tenya Iida ran off to face Stain the hero killer or the Bakugo rescue mission, this trainee hero is a rule-following model student who disapproves of horseplay and other nonsense in the classroom. Tenya is a diligent and smart student, and he is also a disciplined and focused person.
Tenya can think for himself, but for the most part, he clearly favors the rules of U.A. and the instructions of his teachers, and he tends to follow procedures whenever possible. He also fancies himself a coach for his classmates at times.
9 Miko Iino Enforces Strict Discipline (Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War)
Most members of the Shuchi'in student council are caught up in their wacky love lives and other antics, most of all Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya. And Chika Fujiwara is a carefree goofball while Yu Ishida keeps playing video games when he's not supposed to. Miko Iino can't stand for this.
Miko has always favored rules and proper conduct over all else, even when it costs her friends and popularity, such as when she was in junior high school. Miko is slowly becoming more relaxed and flexible in the student council, but deep down, she's still a by-the-book person.
8 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki Enforces The Law At Swordpoint (Bleach)
Captain Byakuya Kuchiki once broke Soul Reaper law when he married Hisana, a commoner woman, and he broke it again when he adopted Hisana's sister Rukia into the noble Kuchiki family. So, Byakuya vowed to never break the law again, especially since the guilt was really getting to him.
Byakuya became a stone-cold Captain and noble family head who only acts and speaks on behalf of law and tradition, and this put him and Ichigo Kurosaki at odds when it came to Rukia's unfair sentence for her crimes. Fortunately, Ichigo convinced Byakuya to see things differently after their final fight.
7 Misaki Ayuzawa Runs A Tight Ship At Seika High (Maid-Sama!)
Misaki Ayuzawa is a tough and responsible student who will gladly take on many burdens if it's for a noble cause, such as supporting her indebted family or keeping Seika high school running smoothly. At first, the stern Misaki was deeply unpopular among all the rowdy students at Seika.
Over time, Misaki relaxed slightly, and she became more flexible and cooperative with the students, and they soon respected her more, creating a much more positive school environment. Still, Misaki didn't totally relax; she is still a by-the-book council president who puts the rules first.
6 Soichiro Yagami Is A Model Police Officer (Death Note)
Soichiro Yagami isn't a student council president; he's a high-ranking officer in the NPA, a police detective with many responsibilities. He plays a crucial role in enforcing justice and the law across Japanese society, and, even compared to his fellow officers, he's a strict and diligent worker.
Soichiro quickly earned the respect of many other police officers, and, even when he started working with the unconventional L, Soichiro is a cop above all. He refused to ever see a criminal's death as justified and firmly hung onto his rigid ideas of criminal justice and law right up to his death.
5 Casca Follows Griffith's Orders Faithfully (Berserk)
Casca is fanatically loyal to her commander, Griffith, since he empowered her and saved her from a miserable childhood. Casca is a serious and disciplined knight who repays Griffith's favor to her in battle after battle, and she has no patience for rogues who make their own rules.
Casca is creative and flexible as a leader, but otherwise, she prefers to follow standard battlefield doctrine, and she can't stand soldiers who recklessly break ranks to attack the enemy on their own accord - such as Guts. This, among other things, put Casca and Guts at odds at first. Guts isn't much of a rule-follower, after all.
4 Kinro Will Guard That Bridge No Matter What (Dr. Stone)
Kinro and Ginro both guard the bridge that leads to Ishigami village, and while Ginro is goofy and whimsical, Kinro is the stern and disciplined one who takes the rules more seriously. Kinro is known for saying that rules are rules, and he won't accept bribes or be swayed by emotional appeals or bargains from rule-breakers.
Kinro is an honorable and cooperative person, but only if his allies follow the rules, and it took him quite some time to finally join Senku's kingdom of science. Once he did, he became one of the kingdom's best defenders, though he needed glasses to fix his eyesight.
3 Erina Nakiri Doesn't Consort With Troublemakers (Food Wars!)
After a point, Erina Nakiri did become a rogue like Soma, since she was convinced to stand up to her tyrannical father, Azami Nakiri. She gladly fought alongside the rebel chefs in the final battle against Central, but those were unusual circumstances. Ordinarily, Erina favors rules and discipline above all else.
Erina is part of the Council of Ten, and later, she became Totsuki's young dean. She must follow the rules (and laws) involved, and juggle a lot of responsibilities to keep this prestigious culinary school running smoothly. She has no time to make up her own rules or goof off.
2 Iruka Umino Knows How To Handle Problematic Students (Naruto)
Iruka Umino is an instructor at the ninja academy, and he knows how to drill discipline into the heads of rowdy young students like Naruto Uzumaki and Choji Akimichi. Iruka is highly protective of his students, but he puts on a strict exterior so his students can stay focused.
Iruka has no patience for Naruto's antics, and he is quick to arrive on the scene of Naruto's petty crimes, such as when Naruto vandalized the Hokage monument. A proper Leaf ninja is disciplined and obeys the chain of command, Iruka would say, and he wants Naruto to understand that so he too can become a splendid shinobi.
1 Azazel Ameri Is A Model Student Council President (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)
Many of the most rule-abiding characters in anime are student council presidents, and perhaps that is not a coincidence. No slacker or troublemaker could earn this position and keep it for long. Instead, student council presidents must be smart, disciplined, and capable of multitasking and making difficult decisions under pressure.
Azazel Ameri is a model student council president, just like Miyuki Shirogane and Misaki Ayuzawa, and she shares many of their finest qualities while still having a fun side. Despite her tough, rule-following exterior, she is a big romantic at heart and loves the shojo manga series that Iruma reads to her.