20 Calm Anime Characters That Always Keep Their Chill

Most anime titles often feature very engaging stories with intense action scenes, daunting conflicts, and staggeringly high stakes.

The kind of stuff that would have any fan’s adrenaline rushing right alongside the characters in the show.

Well, most characters, at least.

After all, some of them just can’t be bothered to show a reaction – even when they’re in the direst of situations.

They’re calm, collected, and as cold as ice.

And here’s our collection of most chill anime characters you’ll ever find.

20. Kuzan

Anime: One Piece

Speaking of characters as cold as ice, we simply can’t make a list without including Kuzan – who’s literally made of ice himself.

Despite being a former admiral who’s supposed to be hell-bent on enforcing peace and order, Kuzan is also one of the mellowest characters in the series.

He’d rather take a nap and just lay around than fulfill his boring (to him anyway) admiral duties which just makes us question his work ethic.

Then again, we’ve already seen what he was truly capable of back in Marineford and when he fought Akainu.

And I have to say, not bad for a lazy guy!

While he may have lost the battle and lost his left leg in the process, Kuzan certainly doesn’t look like he was bothered by it at all.

19. Shota Aizawa

Anime: My Hero Academia

Shota might be the strictest teacher in UA, but no one can deny that he cares about his students even more than his own life.

More often than not, he looks and speaks in an uninterested way.

And like Kuzan, he’s also a huge fan of sleeping and just chillin’ in his limited free time.

That’s why he just loves his sleeping bag – and carries it everywhere he goes.

But whenever his students are thrown into harm’s way, Eraserhead wouldn’t even hesitate to take on a whole mob of enemies with the focus and composure of a champ.

18. Watchdog Man

Anime: One Punch Man

Watchdog Man might not look like he belongs with the other S-class heroes.

But he’s by far the only S-class hero who trashed Genos in a one-sided match.

And to be honest, Saitama doesn’t exactly look that remarkable either. And he’s even stronger than all of the S-class heroes combined!

Heck, they even look a bit alike, don’t they?

Maybe we’re onto something here…

Watchdog Man’s similarities with Caped Baldy aside, he’s an awesome character who hasn’t shown any emotion yet whatsoever.

Not when he was fighting the infamous “Hero Hunter” Garou, and not even when he realized that someone farted in that S-class hero meeting.

17. Mikasa Ackerman

Anime: Attack on Titan

Always with a blank look on her face, Mikasa is a stoic and reserved woman who rarely shows her emotions outwardly.

Until someone messes with Eren, that is.

Everyone who’s ever made that mistake has suffered Mikasa’s wrath, which is something that’s worthy of both fear and admiration depending on which side you’re on.

But even so, she explodes in a way that could only be considered chilling – as she never once lost control of her emotions while saving Eren on more than one occasion.

Though in the end, I guess it’s safe to say she also had the will to forgo her attachment to Eren in favor of the greater good.

16. Tanaka

Anime: Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

In addition to being a notable introvert, Tanaka is one of the laziest anime characters of all time.

I mean, it’s right there in the title!

Tanaka is quiet, apathetic, a bit clumsy, and he absolutely despises hard work.

Ever impassive, he’s rarely fazed or interested by the more exciting events in his life, and would actually avoid them rather than join in.

But even though he might not look at it, he still does care dearly about his friends and his family.

Don’t expect him to show too much concern though.

He’s a bit “tsundere” in that regard.

15. Byakuya Kuchiki

Anime: Bleach

Byakuya is one of those characters who you’ll very rarely see smiling.

I mean, his overall range of expressions is basically limited to just a frown, a scowl, and a blank look.

That’s it.

He’s part of a noble clan, and has been trained in both the ways of etiquette and combat ever since he was a child.

Now as you can see, it’s not that hard to guess just how he turned out the way he did.

He does break character though, but like I said — it only happens once in a blue moon. And mostly when Yoruichi is around him for some reason.

14. Kanade Tachibana

Anime: Angel Beats

Angel Beats has always been regarded as one of the most tear-jerking anime series out there. And to me, this distinction is very well deserved.

Hailing from this titular series is Kanade who was once considered as a literal angel (hence her nickname) that serves God.

And considering how cute she looks and acts, I don’t blame the other characters for mistaking her for one.

Kanade is a reserved and emotionless girl who, until the end of the series, only ever showed one facial expression other than her usual blank look.

(It’s an adorable little pout, in case some of you are wondering.)

While she did eventually open up more around other people (especially with Otonashi), she’s distant and cold for the majority of the show because of the lonely nature of her past.

13. Hei

Anime: Darker than Black

Assassins are the experts when it comes to keeping their composure under intense pressure.

And being the infamous “Black Reaper” who struck terror in the hearts of other Contractors, Hei is one of the best assassins to ever do it.

Hei is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will, who’d stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Something most of us know very little about.

But like John Wick, Hei still does have his limits and is fully capable of holding affection for others.

Although in Hei’s case, it’s not towards his late wife, his dog, nor his car, but rather his missing sister and the companions he had made while searching for her.

12. Yuki Nagato

Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

This formerly bespectacled bibliophile is amongst the smartest and strongest characters in anime.

This is quite an amazing feat, considering how strong her competition is… but she outshines most of them when it comes to keeping a straight face.

Yuki is, after all, a humanoid interface. She was originally designed to grow gradually in intelligence as she observes other people and their behavior.

And that’s exactly what she does most of the time.

She could not socialize with other people at first, but as the series went on, she eventually learned to speak more than one sentence at a time.

11. Sesshomaru

Anime: InuYasha

There’s only one thing that Sesshomaru likes more than attempting to kill his brother every once in a while…

And that’s being a cool silent badass.

He’s often aloof and rarely talks, but he sure makes every word count whenever he does speak.

Inuyasha would know, since he’s been roasted by his older brother more than a few times during their numerous brotherly clashes.

With the help of Rin, however, Sesshomaru eventually mellowed out and became less reserved as the anime progressed.

10. Tetsuya Kuroko

Anime: Kuroko’s Basketball

When it comes down to it, Tetsuya sure is a pretty notable anime protagonist – even though he likes and excels at concealing his presence.

He’s always as cool as a cucumber on and off the court, and often keeps his thoughts to himself, although he does make exceptions when it’s time to play some basketball.

Despite his lack of scoring ability, Tetsuya was once called the “Phantom Sixth Player” of the best junior high basketball team in the country.

Well, not that the prestigious title made him any less quiet and reserved though.

But under all that mystery and introversion, Kuroko is actually a fun guy who obviously loves the game of basketball.

9. Rei Ayanami

Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

It’s no secret that most NGE fans argue whether Asuka or Rei is the “best girl” for our boy Shinji.

But a few fans (including me) would say that it’s better to just look at what makes both of them great individually.

Rei, on one hand, shines above all the other candidates because of her calm demeanor, as opposed to Asuka’s often extreme extroversion.

She’s often quiet and typically minds her own business prior to her meeting Shinji… but she has grown since then, and has made some efforts to communicate with others.

I guess it’s better late than never, right?

8. Johan Liebert

Anime: Monster

Johan isn’t just the coldest, most ruthless, and most malevolent monster in all of anime.

He’s also the very manifestation of that description.

Through and through, he’s a detached and unfeeling psychopath who would incite mass murders and drive people to off themselves just for the hell of it.

Moreover, he does so without feeling any semblance of guilt and remorse — often with a blank look on his face.

Although his calmness mostly stems from his pure lack of empathy and emotion, there’s no denying that Johan is one of the most eerily composed anime characters you’ll ever see.

7. Katsuhira Agata

Anime: Kiznaiver

Katsuhira Agata was once shy & cheerful during his younger years.

But after undergoing the Kizuna Experiment, he eventually developed disinterest and indifference to everything around him.

That includes his acquaintances, and even the bullies who once beat him to a bloody pulp.

He’s the ultimate pacifist, basically.

In hindsight, feeling no pain has gotten him into trouble more often than not. But it was revealed that he still does care about his friends despite everything he went through.

6. Sai

Anime: Naruto

Sai had some pretty huge shoes to fill since he was originally sent to Team 7 as Uchiha Sasuke’s replacement.

And I have to say, the guy did a pretty great job fitting in with the team’s overall character dynamic.

He was once a root member of the ANBU, which more or less explains his detached and somewhat eerie nature.

After all, it was required for root members to get rid of their emotions to do their missions much more efficiently.

Needless to say, Sai suffered some setbacks when it came to socializing with others. Although he did overcome it eventually thanks to his friends and his wife — Ino Yamanaka.

5. Piccolo

Anime: Dragon Ball

There should be no question as to why Piccolo is on this list, or why he’s so calm about fights and life in general.

After all, he meditates countless hours every single day as part of his training.

Now that’s dedication if ever seen it!

Too bad it didn’t stop Vegeta from taking his place as Goku’s main rival.

But at least he still had surprising amounts of screen time in the more recent episodes of the series.

Also, he’s one of the few fighters in the show that doesn’t rely on his rage for an instant power-up (*cough Saiyans *cough).

Absorbing a fellow Namekian, on the other hand…

4. Houtarou Oreki

Anime: Hyouka

Houtarou Oreki is the champion of true introverts, and that includes yours truly.

In fact, I think he’s the perfect representation of the word.

He’s not a mild case for sure, but he’s definitely not an exaggeration.

Like I said, the perfect introvert.

He’s calm, quiet, and often undeterred by the actions of people around him. He blends perfectly into the background and doesn’t stand out, just the way he likes it.

Though at the same time, he’s also remarkably astute and perceptive – which makes him Eru Chitanda’s favorite person to bother, ironically.

3. Saiki Kusuo

Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

If you’re as overpowered as this guy, then you’re most probably going to be unfazed by absolutely anything.

Saiki is exactly like that.

He’s calm because he can technically see and hear everything — including the thoughts of anyone in a 200-meter radius.

And that’s with his limiters on.

Given that, it’s not hard to see why Saiki’s expressionless face rarely changed from its usual uninterested look throughout the entire series.

It’s because he can afford to be calm all the time.

Unless you put him face to face with some bugs, that is.

2. L

Anime: Death Note

L is notorious for acting so composed that it’s almost creepy.

Hell, he fought Light hand-to-hand without even as much as a scowl or a frown on his face.

Then again, you gotta hand it to him…

Despite his eerily unshakable psyche and bizarre behavior, he’s still widely considered as one of the most intelligent anime characters of all time.

Oh, and did I mention that he’s also the one who spearheaded the series of investigations against Kira?

Not to mention he was right all along with suspecting Light Yagami too. But sadly, we all know how his story ended.

1. Sakamoto

Anime: Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto

And for our top spot, we have…

Wait, haven’t you already heard his name? It’s the one and only Sakamoto-kun!

This guy is perfect. Period.

There are no buts and no ifs. He’s virtually unshakable in the sense that he’ll keep his chill no matter what conflicts are thrown his way.

And by that, I mean Sakamoto will bulldoze through anything without even breaking a sweat – or breaking the serene expression he always has on his face.

There’s a reason why he has so many admirers amongst his classmates (probably all of them) and even outside of school.

It’s because Sakamoto is just too damn awesome and cool.