Bullying is one of the most oft-depicted topics in anime, but despite its prominence, it’s still an elephant in the room. It’s still rather sensitive, and there are plenty of things that can go wrong with its portrayal. Hence, anime that manages to illustrate a progressive and sensible angle on bullying should get the commendations they deserve.
After all, they address some glaring issues among youth that even some adults find difficult to tackle. There aren’t many anime that properly portray or address bullying though, which makes the handful that do precious to the anime community and to the medium as a whole. Beyond that, they also tell some heartfelt and endearing stories.
Updated June 30, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Anime about bullying is as ripe a sub-genre as ever. While some of them don’t outright announce that they’re tackling the issue, they handle this notion well one way or another. As a result, these anime about bullying are both relatable pieces of entertainment as well as a lesson to their viewers.
There are more of them than the initial consensus and some do society a service by handling the topic with sensitivity and the right approach to solving or exposing it. Hence, here are five more anime about bullying that will surely make its viewers more than aware of life and society’s injustices.
12 Jujutsu Kaisen
- Release year: 2020
- Genre: Action, Supernatural
Jujutsu Kaisen is primarily an action anime where sorcerers fight to exorcise monsters known as “curses.” It just so happens that these curses prey on human beings rife with negative emotions. As such, during the first season’s first arc, the target of these curses was a bullied student named Junpei Yoshino.
The series went all out in portraying the different kinds of bullying at different levels of hierarchy where the teachers can be just as damaging as the bullies themselves as they turn a blind eye to Junpei’s suffering. While Jujutsu Kaisen paints a rather grim fate for the bullied, it dared to go the other arguably more realistic path for the portrayal where more often than not, the bullies never get a savior figure— or at least one that succeeded.
11 Princess Sara
- Release year: 1985
- Genre: Drama
For those willing to set their standards back nearly four decades, then Princess Sara has lots of lessons to tell. It’s a kid’s anime— similar to a morning cartoon, but its themes are heavy and relatable even for today. Sara was initially a once wealthy, kind, and favored girl whose parents enrolled her in a boarding school. Her life took a turn for the worse as news of Sara’s parents’ bankruptcy reached the school principal’s ears.
Soon enough, all attitudes towards “Princess Sara” changed. She ended up getting bullied not only by her insecure classmates but also the adults. It’s a different kind of bullying where the victim is almost helpless after the world didn’t see any utilitarian purpose for her.
10 Peach Girl
- Release year: 2005
- Genre: School, Drama, Romance
Peach Girl explores another shade of bullying— one that stems from the bully’s insecurity. Such is the predicament of Momo Adachi, a tan-skinned protagonist whose crush only likes pale-skinned girls. This compels Momo to reinvent herself and drastically change her appearance to suit her prospect’s preferences.
At the same time, Momo’s backstabbing friends have ensured that she gets bullied out of rumors of promiscuity. The anime depicts the difficulties of teenage romance when unfair and colonialized beauty standards come into play, along with the toxic power dynamics of high school communities.
9 Dear Brother
- Release year: 1991
- Genre: Psychological, School, Drama
Dear Brother is like a high school version of Princess Sara. It sets a troublesome premise for Nanako Misonoo who enrolls at Seiran Academy, an all-girls school. More than that, she also joins a sorority but quickly finds herself outclassed and outgunned by wealthy and high-status members.
It doesn’t take long for everyone to bully the impoverished and unpopular Nanako just because she doesn’t belong in the pack and because her classmates are somehow jealous of her. Dear Brother immediately sets its tone and subject matter— a psychological drama about the struggle of a bullied young girl.
8 A Silent Voice
- Release year: 2016
- Genre: Drama, Slice-of-life
A Silent Voice or Koe no Katachi is a school anime in which a boy named Shouya Ishida ends up bullying one of his deaf classmates. As they grow up, the effects of Ishida’s bullying reverberate, even though he did stop after a crescendo of transgressions.
A Silent Voice is thus praiseworthy for how it also explores the impact of bullying on the bully, as well as the people involved. Even as a teenager and young man, Shouya Ishida’s childhood actions against Shouko Nishimiya (the girl he bullied) were enough to cause immense guilt and self-loathing.
7 March Comes In Like A Lion
- Release year: 2016
- Genre: Sports, Slice-of-life, Drama
The first season of March Comes In Like A Lion doesn’t actually address bullying that much since it’s primarily an anime about shogi, a Japanese board game not unlike chess. Come the second season, though, the anime starts developing one of its characters and looking back at their backstory.
That character would be Hina, whose troubles began when she stood up for her friend who was being bullied. The bullies then turned their attention and efforts toward her in retaliation. The beauty in Hina’s reaction is in her conviction. Despite the predicament, she didn’t regret anything, as she knew that she stood for what was right.
6 Hajime No Ippo
- Release year: 2000
- Genre: Sports, Action, Shonen
Plenty of sports anime incorporate bullying in some of their side characters’ stories, but in Hajime No Ippo, the main character himself is receiving the brunt of that repulsive human behavior. Before enrolling in a boxing gym, Makunouchi Ippo, the protagonist in question, was regularly bullied physically, verbally, and emotionally.
Yet, despite becoming an elite boxer and a champion, he never harbored ill will towards his bullies. He also didn’t try to get revenge and instead rose above his own hatred, even setting an example of improvement for his bullies who eventually became his boxing friends. Ippo’s display of emotional maturity is something plenty of bullies and bullied people should strive for.
5 Eyeshield 21
- Release year: 2005
- Genre: Sports, Action, Shonen
Eyeshield 21’s Sena Kobayakawa’s situation isn’t too far from Makunouchi Ippo’s. Being a small and shy kid, he’s constantly being bullied and has made it his daily habit to run away from his bullies in order to survive school. Turns out, all that running made him talented in dodging and evasive maneuvers, which are perfect traits for a Running Back in American Football.
Hence, Sena was scouted and quickly became the MVP of his school varsity team. He even inspired his bullies to improve themselves and join the team. The anime deserves praise for how it rewards the resilience of bullied characters, and how it gave them the confidence they needed. It also celebrates the way that the American Football team made room for them, whereas other sports and social groups shunned their odd skills.
4 Flowers of Evil
- Release year: 2013
- Genre: Drama, Psychological
The art style is certainly bizarre even for an anime, but viewers will find that this show’s aesthetics mesh well with the story that Flowers of Evil wants to tell. It features a different kind of bullying, which is mostly psychological and blackmailing as the male protagonist, Takao Kasuga, is caught stealing the school heartthrob’s underwear.
The girl who catches him, Sawa Nakamura, takes advantage of the opportunity to turn the protagonist into a slave, so he can avoid getting bullied by everyone. As it turns out, Sawa is quite twisted, and the anime shows just how much perceived power can affect a person’s behavior. Sawa ends up controlling every aspect of Takao’s life and ruining his chances with the girl he has a crush on.
3 Naruto
- Release year: 2002
- Genre: Action, Shonen
Before Naruto Uzumaki became the most powerful ninja in Konoha, he had a rather rough childhood. Apart from being an orphan, he also houses within him a giant demon capable of destroying his whole country. He has few to no friends, and the whole town basically shuns his existence. Ostracization is a form of bullying and takes its toll on the show’s protagonist.
It’s easy to forget what Naruto had to endure as a child since he’s a shining beacon of strength by the end. At one time, the majority of the people in his country actually wouldn’t have minded if he disappeared or died. Still, Naruto’s perseverance and emotional intelligence despite the odds and despite his disposition is nothing short of inspiring. It’s good to see that he’s gotten more than his dues in Boruto.
2 Hell Girl
- Release year: 2005
- Genre: Horror, Psychological
Hell Girl not only depicts bullying well but also sets a scary example of the grudge that builds up when someone bullies another. The anime is rather grim and doesn’t offer directly positive resolutions or counterbalance to bullying and instead even rewards vengeful behavior from the bullied. Like it or not, though, that’s still quite an accurate reaction.
It shows that if the bullied people had some kind of supernatural intervention to help them rid of their bullies, they would wholeheartedly torture the latter. Despite the negative aspect of dealing with bullies, the anime still paints a strong anti-bullying message. It’s also pretty clear what awaits bullies if they don’t change their ways.
1 Great Teacher Onizuka
- Release year: 1999
- Genre: Slice-of-life, Drama, Comedy, Seinen
Great Teacher Onizuka is about a former bad boy Yakuza gangster who reforms and decided to be a teacher. His initial goal is to be closer to young women, but he eventually changed that to something nobler after seeing the state of the youth and how education fails them. Thus, Great Teacher Onizuka’s title character Eikichi Onizuka goes from episode to episode fixing his students’ social and emotional problems.
A majority of these are bullying cases that the anime handles beautifully and sensibly. Great Teacher Onizuka understands that even the bullies themselves are also victims of poor parenting or other social issues. Eikichi sets out to address the root of the problem, while also giving confidence and protection to his bullied students. It’s a captivating look at the human condition through the eyes of a former gangster.
