The world of anime is populated with characters of all kinds, from brave and daring shonen heroes to cold and calculating villains and everything in between. In these stories, the most exciting and unpredictable characters are the ones who take risks and don’t hesitate to jump into the fire, but other anime characters take the opposite approach.
A cautious anime character won’t push his luck if he can help it. Instead, these cautious characters will avoid excessive risk or danger, preferring to fight an enemy or go on a quest when they are sure things will work out. Those characters aren’t necessarily cowardly or indecisive, but they aren’t reckless about taking risks, either.
10 Ryota Suzui is a careful player (Kakegurui)
Unlike his wild and hedonistic friend, Yumeko Jabami, meek protagonist Ryota Suzui is a cautious and somewhat timid gamer who approaches everything in moderation. He’s just a mediocre player by Hyakkou standards, so he rarely has the luxury of going big or going home.
That is why Ryota serves as a supporting character in kakegurui while the risk-loving Yumeko takes center stage, and it works well. Ryota can be cautious, but even he is willing to take risks if Yumeko takes the initiative and encourages him, and sometimes it’s worth it.
9 Uryu Ishida will not act without a plan (bleach)
Ichigo’s Quincy friend Uryu Ishida is a well balanced shonen leader in many ways. He is cautious and only acts when he has a cunning plan in mind, but Uryu is also bold and decisive, making for a winning combination. He could easily be a shonen protagonist in his own right.
Uryu favors stealth and preparation in his missions, and would rather not leave things to chance if he can help it. If the situation is really serious, Uryu could improvise and take risks, but that is not his preferred method. He would rather win the battle in his head than make a move.
8 Shikamaru Nara also prefers planning (Naruto)
The genius Shikamaru Nara has a lot in common with Uryu Ishida, as they are both important supporting characters who balance the hero’s reckless ways with a cautious and careful demeanor. Shikamaru, like Uryu, is capable of bold actions and quite brave, but he doesn’t get carried away.
More than once, Shikamaru held off his reckless team to avoid traps, and it paid off. Shikamaru does not want to play into the hands of the enemy with a reckless action. In his place, he will form a brilliant plan and carefully proceed to battle on his own terms. He doesn’t feel the need to roll the dice with his life.
7 Iruma Suzuki keeps a low profile (Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)
Isekai hero Iruma Suzuki was sold by his own selfish parents to the demonic underworld, where Lord Sullivan bought him and adopted him as a beloved foster grandson. Iruma is the only human in the entire Underworld, and he must be very careful to keep that fact hidden, or else.
Iruma keeps a low profile during his time at Babyls School and uses a variety of methods to impersonate a demon. Also, Iruma rarely, if ever, picks a fight. Instead, the fights come to him, and Iruma must do what he can to survive as a mere human.
6 Near Is Nothing Like The Reckless Mello (Death Note)
The original Detective L was quite cautious, though he also took serious risks in a desperate attempt to capture Kira, such as when he met Light Yagami as a fellow student at To-Oh University. One of L’s successors, the white-haired Near, is even more cautious than that.
For years, Near worked patiently and carefully to collect evidence on Kira before making his move five years after L’s fall, though his extremely cautious methods slowed him down a bit. Near didn’t finish the job until he made good use of Mello’s reckless moves to finally corner Kira.
5 Zenitsu Agatsuma is not willing to take risks (Demon Slayer)
The thunder-breathing assassin, Zenitsu Agatsuma, is becoming more and more courageous and bold as an assassin, although he still has a reputation as a coward. On a more flattering note, Zenitsu is also a cautious and careful demon slayer who fully understands how risky and dangerous his occupation really is. He is not wrong to be wary of demons.
Cowardly or not, Zenitsu is noted for being careful when the gang arrives in demon territory, not likely to just attack and fight the first demon he encounters. He would rather stay behind and wait until the right moment to attack, and to a degree, Tanjiro feels the same way.
4 Momo Yaouorozu will not act without a plan (My Hero Academia)
Like Uryu and Shikamaru, the creation hero Momo Yaoyorozu is capable of bold actions during a mission, but she won’t act until she has a solid plan in mind to minimize the risks. Heroes like Katsuki Bakugo jump right into the fray and fight on instinct, but Momo doesn’t.
Instead, Momo will carefully analyze the terrain and her enemies and come up with a plan to maximize her team’s advantages and nullify the enemy’s assets. Then, and only then, will Momo make the move on him and score a calculated victory.
3 Naofumi Iwatani will not play with his life (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Shield hero Naofumi Iwatani has no choice but to be cautious and avoid risks during his adventure in the realm of Melromarc. He has no offensive power on his own and, for a time, he did not have the support of the other three Cardinal Heroes or the kingdom itself. Taking risks was not an option for him.
So, Naofumi proceeded slowly and carefully, and always considered the consequences of his actions ahead of time, something the other Heroes did not. It paid off, and the cautious Naofumi became a smart and practical hero who could save the day in style.
two Sokka distrusts the world (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
the animated series avatar the last airbender stars Gaang, a group consisting of Avatar Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph Beifong, striking a balance between caution and bold action. Of the four, Sokka is the most cautious, to the point that he didn’t even trust Aang at first.
Sokka feels responsible for the entire Southern Water Tribe and would lose a lot if he took too many risks. Sokka often warns Aang and Katara to stay out of trouble during their journey, but his friends can’t help but save others, so the cautious Sokka must go with them or stay behind.
1 Megumi Tadokoro rarely presents challenges (Food Wars!)
Soma Yukihira is a great risk taker and loves to present and accept challenges all the time. Then there’s his wary new friend, the lovely Megumi Tadokoro, who uses comforting home cooking to impress the judges. She rarely experiments in the kitchen, though she did challenge herself to skin and cook a monkfish, which is saying a lot.
Megumi followed Soma’s lead and learned to be a braver and more confident chef, but she still didn’t like to take chances and rarely, if ever, challenged other chefs to risky games of shokugeki. Instead, Megumi slowly and surely became a chef until she entered the BLUE tournament for the final challenge.
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