The best anime where the main character is a child

Summary

• Some anime feature strong child characters who face hardships, such as in Promised Neverland.

• Cardcaptor Sakura focuses on a young girl's journey as a Cardcaptor with character development.

• Pokemon follows Ash Ketchum's adventure as a brave ten-year-old who seeks to become a Pokemon Master.

A lot of anime focuses on teenagers as protagonists because it's an age of self-discovery and overcoming conflict. However, some anime bring out the best in children's characters. While many shows are lighthearted and focus more on comedy, a few put these kids to the test in harsh conditions where they overcome many trials.

There are timeless anime like Doraemon and some modern shows like Spy X Family that consist of some interesting kid characters. If you prefer a much more serious narrative, then you might like Made in Abyss and The Promised Neverland. You'll also find many child characters in almost every genre of anime, including supernatural, adventure, and slice-of-life.

7

The Promised Neverland

• Protagonist: Ray and Emma

The Promised Neverland focuses on the stories of children living in an orphanage. While things seem happier in the anime initially, it doesn't last long as the kids soon realize the dark nature of their caretaker and their home.

The children plan to escape from the horrible orphanage that sacrificed them as food for demons. The protagonists of the anime, Emma and Ray, have strong leadership qualities and their plan is well thought out. However, the children have to face many dangers after they escape.

The Promised Neverland Season 2 is not faithful to the manga.

6

Cardcaptor Sakura

As a young girl, Sakura was not quite ready to embrace her role as a Cardcaptor at the start of the anime. The plot revolves around her collecting different cards with different abilities that have been scattered around her town. Part of it was Sakura's fault, so she ended up taking it upon herself to seal them all away.

Along her quest, Sakura meets allies and rivals who aid her in capturing the cards. The anime also focuses on her excellent character development as she becomes a much stronger mage with a confident personality.

5

Pokémon

The Pokemon anime has a rule that trainers get their first Pokemon when they turn ten. It's a young age to be embarking on an adventure, and Ash Ketchum's quest to become a Pokemon Master is sure to have some bumps in the road.

Ash meets many interesting characters and friends as he ventures through each region. He also encounters evil opponents in his path who misuse the bond between humans and Pokemon. For a ten-year-old, Ash is very brave and gets to accomplish a lot in the series.

Ash is replaced by Liko and Roy, who become protagonists in Pokemon Horizons.

4

Spirited Away

Spirited Away has one of the strongest stories of any Studio Ghibli film. Follow Chihiro's adventures in the spirit world as she tries to break the curse that turned her parents into pigs. As a child, the trauma was a lot for Chihiro to deal with, yet her strength pushed her through.

The movie also had another compelling character, namely a boy named Haku. He lifted Chihiro's spirits as she cried in despair. He also encounters strange creatures and characters during his journey. Her resilience made Chihiro one of the strongest female characters.

3

Spy X Family

• Protagonist: Loid, Yor and Anya

Spy X Family focuses on the everyday life of the Forger family and the hilarious conflicts they go through. Anya is a little girl who is one of the three protagonists of the anime. It's always fun to see her happy and adorable moments throughout the anime, especially when she uses telepathy to read other people's minds.

While her parents' jobs are a secret, Anya knows all about them and tries to subtly help them while on important missions. The anime is cozy yet suspenseful at the same time. The peaceful balance of the countries is at stake and Anya is trying her best to earn enough Stella Stars at her prestigious elementary school so that her Spy father can get close to some important people.

2

Made In Abyss

• Protagonist: Riko and Reg

Made in Abyss has some well-written child characters who have a love for exploration and discovering artifacts. The plot follows young Riko and her robot friend Reg to regions unknown. Despite being a kid-focused show, things get surprisingly dark in the second half of the season, so if you prefer the seinen genre, you might enjoy watching this.

Riko's mother has apparently disappeared into the Abyss and he travels on a quest to find her. Like her mother, the deep doesn't scare her and her persistent attitude tends to get her into trouble. The deeper she goes, the more difficult her adventure becomes, as the party must deal with the curse of the Abyss, which grows stronger with each floor.

1

Doraemon

• Protagonist: Doraemon and Nobita

Doraemon is one of the most nostalgic yet timeless anime. Doraemon and Nobita are the main protagonists of this show. Doraemon is a classic mascot that most anime fans are familiar with, even if they haven't watched the series.

The anime is a light comedy series that mainly focuses on Nobita's clumsiness and Doraemon trying to help him with gadgets when Nobita is in trouble. Nobita's friends Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka always bring joy and laughter, although things get a little tense in a few episodes and movies where the party has to deal with some sly villains.