The Most Brutally Honest Anime Characters (Ranked)

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Lying is part and parcel with being human.

Whether folks lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or in order to explain your browser history, we all lie sometimes (right?).

However, there have been a few characters in anime that just do not abide by this rule, and are as honest as a person can get. Maybe a little too honest.

We’ll be taking a look into these open-lipped oddities as we count down some of the most brutally honest characters that anime has to offer.

 

10. Mako Mankanshoku

Mako Mankanshoku from Kill la Kill anime

Anime: Kill la Kill

Mako just has no filter whatsoever, and will blurt out whatever pops into her head.

To the dismay of Ryuuko, she has no sense of TMI. And will go on giant long-winded tangents about her sleeping habits, or how she’s obsessed with her clothes.

However, she’s so lovable that I think it’s impossible to actually hate her for it.

Hence toning down the “brutally” part of this ranking (at least for Mako).

But there’s no question that she’s as honest as they come.

 

9. Goku

Goku Dragon Ball Z anime screenshot

Anime: Dragon Ball Z

Goku cemented quite a few tropes when it comes to shounen protagonists:

Being fearless, somewhat stupid, obsessed with battle, and inept when it comes to lying (just to name a few).

He’s the type of dude who will literally tell his teenage son that if he doesn’t win a battle, everyone he loves is going to die.

He’s even honest with his enemies, gladly telling them how much stronger they are than him.

The man is an idiot. But at least his heart is in the right place.

 

8. Satoru Gojou

Satoru Gojou in Jujutsu Kaisen anime

Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojou has reached that level of power where lying isn’t at all necessary, as no one can really punish him for speaking the truth.

He’s very open about his wish to slaughter the higher-up sorceress, and just loves to explain his abilities to his opponents.

On that latter note, a lot of sorceress’ do that in order to boost their power. However, I think Gojou just does it for the kicks.

I mean, the man takes on special grades like they were kindergarteners. So I doubt the added power is necessary in any way.

 

7. Gon Freecss

Gon Freecss from Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Just like Goku, Gon has that shounen protagonist honesty to him.

However, for the majority of the show, it isn’t nearly as noticeable as it was with KaCarrot.

Until the Chimera Ant arc, that is.

Gon delivered one of the most brutal comebacks I have seen in a while, when Killua tries to talk him out of going down his revenge path.

And although I felt bad for my boy Killua, I was also kind of amazed that Gon would reality check him that hard.

 

6. Yuki Nagato

Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Spoiler alert here: but Yuki is basically a living AI, sent in order to collect information.

As such, she has no need for deceit or anything of that nature.

She’ll answer when asked, and will stay quiet when the others are talking, as she only exists to gather information.

Even when reliving the same situations thousands of times, she’ll basically stay consistent with her wishes and actions, as they represent what she wants in the moment.

Kuuderes are generally extremely honest. So Yuki being the ultimate kuudere makes her the perfect entry for this list.

 

5. Kazuma Satou

Kazuma Satou from KonoSuba anime

Anime: KonoSuba

Kazuma was just built differently when it comes to character writing.

He’s extremely open about everything that annoys him, and will be as brutally honest as he wishes in any given situation.

I’d say he has no real regard for the recipient’s feelings, or even how people view him.

The dude just loves to vent.

And since we stan our call-out king, I just had to include him! Especially because he’s one of the more realistic representations of brutal honesty in anime.

 

4. Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto anime

Anime: Naruto

Big surprise, I know.

Another shounen protagonist.

Naruto is so open when it comes to his hopes, dreams, and weaknesses, that it almost gets annoying.

I sometimes wish he would keep his tragic backstory to himself. But I can also respect the honesty.

This is probably why his talk no jutsu is as potent as it is, being that his honesty just catches people off guard.

He’s also one of those dudes that truly means it when they say “I will never give up”, regardless of how many times their goal keeps trying to kill them with lightning, Sasuke.

 

3. Senku

Senku in Dr. Stone anime

Anime: Dr. Stone

Senku is a man of science. And as such, only believes in facts and logic.

So it’s no surprise then to learn that he just cannot bring himself to lie, even if doing so can save his own skin.

Even when Tsukasa literally tells Senku that he will kill him if they’re not on the same page, Senku just asks for him to do it quickly.

And when Senku is bluffing, all you have to do is ask, and he’ll just admit to it. Which is kind of counterproductive.

 

2. Hitagi Senjougahara

Hitagi Senjougahara in Monogatari Series

Anime: Monogatari Series

If everyone could be as honest with themselves as Senjougahara is with Araragi, I’m pretty sure world peace would just come naturally.

Although put-offish at first, once she decides to trust you, there’s no more filter between her very soul and your ears.

She freely talks about her complexes, her kinks, her family ordeal, and whatever else you can imagine.

Even when in a life or death situation, she still keeps it 100 and just says it like it is.

 

1. Levi Ackerman

Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan anime

Anime: Attack on Titan

Both Levi and Erwin are honest to a fault. But Levi is definitely more on the brutal side of things.

If we’re talking about everyday situations, he’ll always tell you if you look like a mess, and he’ll never pretend to be your friend.

But the thing that really impressed me about him, and solidified him as my number 1 spot, is his mentality in battle.

When Eren asks him whether he should follow orders or trust his gut, Levi directly tells him that there are no right answers, and that even he as the squad commander doesn’t know what to do or what comes next.

No wonder his comrades look up to him like a god.

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Alec P.

A dedicated weeb and Isekai fanboy who's been stuck in Silver since 2013.