The concept of theStoicisn’t just a modern trope that’s present in virtually every type of storytelling medium.Stoicismgoes all the way back to Ancient Greece of the 3rd century B.C.E., and the TL:DR of the basic philosophy of Stoicism is that it values acting as opposed to reacting, and emphasizes logic and study as the basis of human knowledge.
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The modern Stoic, when they appear in literature, television, or anime, is often a person who values logic and empirical knowledge and has very few emotive responses. Western movies made the Stoic a common feature with the image of the leather-faced cowboy, and Spock’s popularity is proof that a Stoic can get a lot of love from fans despite their lack of emotional responses.
Updated on July 01, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose:The Stoic character continues to be a fan favorite in all kinds of media, as the Goth-themed Wednesday recently demonstrated. Anime is one type of modern entertainment that loves its classic tropes, and there are both old and new names to add to the list. They appear in every genre and can play any role, and they’re often the experts in their field, which is why fans love them. With all of their cold stares and frowny faces, here are a few more of its most memorable Stoic characters.
11Haku, Spirited Away
In dragon form, a stoic visage is to be expected, but the human form of Haku is equally hard to read. A former river god, before the waters he used to guard were paved and built over, he now serves the witch Yubaba in exchange for magical knowledge.
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Haku shows some kind feelings to Chihiro, but only at certain times, and to all other characters he might as well be a statue. It is Chihiro who breaks his Stoic facade near the end by guessing his original name and freeing him from Yubaba’s spell.
10Ayanami Rei, Neon Genesis Evangelion
The viewers' initial look at Ayanami Rei is of a broken human being so badly injured she can’t even stand up.This scene of intense vulnerabilityis the polar opposite of what Shinji sees later on when he visits her at her home, but her lack of emotional reaction is the same.
Ayanami barely notices when Shinji walks in on her as she’s getting out of the shower and casually but forcefully slaps him a few minutes later when he says something unflattering about his father. As the series progresses, Ayanami evolves more into the “kuudere” trope, which is a female anime character who can and does emote but chooses to remain Stoic.
9Yurimaru, Ninja Scroll
Calm and cool on the surface, the leader of the Eight Devils of Kimon keeps all of his emotions inside. He is elegant, poised, graceful, takes his calligraphy seriously, and rejects the advances of another devil, partly due to his Stoicism but also because of loyalty.
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Jubei, the main character of this story, is often mistaken for a Stoic but is really more of the quiet, mysterious type as opposed to studious or logical. Yurimaru’s calm manner is no doubt the main reason he was chosen to be at Lord Genma’s side and corral a gang of compulsive devils.
8Integra Van Helsing, Van Helsing
One of the best portrayals ofthe famous Van Helsingname that doesn’t get enough press, there are few characters anywhere as ice-cold as Integra. She’s intended to be an interpretation of the stereotypical Stoic with a Victorian twist, and the union of Stoicism with upper-class British sensibilities is fun to watch.
Integra Van Helsing is the real Iron Lady of Great Britain. This is the woman that took on her father’s oath to Count Dracula when she was only a child, while rivals in her own family tried to have her killed, so it’s no surprise that virtually nothing makes her blink.
7Afro, Afro Samurai
A perfect example of a Stoic to the point of being a satire of one, Afro barely ever changes his facial expression, counting on his sidekick to do all the emoting for him. We find out later on that his companion isn’t really a separate person at all but an extension of his own self, or at least it seems that way.
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Considering his personal history, it’s not a surprise that Afro is disconnected emotionally. He watched his father die in a gruesome duel when he was still a toddler and carried around his dad’s dismembered head until he was mugged and beaten, smashing the skull in the process.
6Levi Ackerman, Attack on Titan
A militant character in a variety of ways, his Stoicism is also a part of Levi’s emotionless persona. One of the main characters inAttack On Titan, he’s generally thought of in that universe as one of humanity’s strongest and most effective soldiers, and his cold demeanor is what gives him that extra edge when it comes to fighting at the moment along with planning for the long-term.
Levi Ackerman’s status as adedicated soldier and battle-hardened leaderis consistent throughout the anime. He’s not only cool and aloof but also a neat freak, an overreaction to an early childhood spent in poverty in squalor.
5Jin, Samurai Champloo
Jin is portrayed as a Stoic character for a lot of interesting reasons. He’s intended to be a foil to the erratic and barbaric Mugen, for one thing, so his manner and speech are subdued in comparison. It’s also a part of his backstory thathe’s highly educated and a Roninon the lam, which also contributes to his good manners and calm demeanor.
Once more of his tragic past is revealed, Jin becomes a more sympathetic character, and the audience learns that he was never an emotional person in the first place. After the death of his master, however, he became even more emotionally withdrawn. His travels with Fuu help bring him out of his shell.
4D, Vampire Hunter D
There are a few movies that feature the dark visage of the hunting dhampir known only as D, and he always has the same stony visage. His backstory is never completely revealed, but it’s strongly implied that he’s the son of the original Count Dracula and an unnamed human woman.
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A character would have to be a Stoic to be part vampire and hunt other vampires, and D doesn’t reveal much, not even in the way of exposition or facial expression. Occasionally he seems to have some compassion for vampires with a similar background, but he shows and doesn’t tell.
3Mokoto Kusanagi, Ghost In The Shell
The protagonist ofGhost In The Shellis in the midst of an existential crisis. This movie is famous for starting the cyberpunk craze along withintroducing the western world to both the mechaand anti-mecha anime genres, and it also gave us an iconic Stoic character.
Mokoto Kusanagi is one of the top cops in Section 9, a clandestine law-enforcement organization that handles problems too messy for diplomats or public figures. Being a full-replacement cyborg, which means everything is cybernetic with the only exception being specific parts of her brain, she starts to question the nature of her existence. She does so with a cold, unfeeling logic that at times seems robotic, but is really a mix of controlled fascination and deep regret.
2Shoto Todoroki, My Hero Academia
A unique Stoic character because he has an arc that develops beyond that usual cold demeanor, Shoto is also knownas a “kuudere” archetype. He had a difficult family life and an unconventional childhood and hid his true feelings and personality behind a cool and even snobby facade. The son of Endeavour, from whom he inherited his fire powers, Shoto was always resentful of his abilities because of his harsh feelings towards his father.
Shoto comes to terms with his ancestry after making peace with his mother and starts to change his feelings after using his fire powers in battle. By the conclusion of the U.A. Sports Festival Arc, an annual event at the school, Shoto starts to smile and make the occasional joke.
