Underdogs in anime aren’t just characters who start at the bottom, they’re the ones who fight like hell to climb their way up. They’re not the chosen ones, not born with godlike talent or destiny engraved in stone. Instead, they stumble, fall, bleed, and rise again, often with nothing more than raw determination and an unshakable dream.
underdog protagonists remind us why we root for the impossible. They don’t win because they’re the strongest, they win because they refuse to back down. This list celebrates the most inspiring of them all. Not the loudest, not the flashiest, but the ones who earned every ounce of strength through struggle.
8 Yoichi Isagi
Blue Lock
In Blue Lock, you don’t win by being humble or cooperative. You survive by being selfish. Yoichi Isagi, however, didn’t get that memo when the anime began. During his final high school match, he made a pass instead of taking the winning shot, a decision that haunted him long after his team lost.
That one moment defined him. It’s what led him into Blue Lock, a brutal survival program to craft the world’s best striker for Japan’s national team. Isagi entered as one of the weakest, barely scraping by in early tests. He lacked ego, decisiveness, and killer instinct, everything a striker needs.
But Blue Lock isn’t a typical sports anime. It’s not about friendship or teamwork, it’s about breaking players down until they find their own formula for domination. For Isagi, that meant learning to read the field like a chessboard, visualizing plays ahead of time, and using his brain as a weapon.
His evolution is methodical and thrilling. Each match shows a new layer of growth, how he adapts, devours others’ strengths, and eventually controls the field like a maestro.
7 Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto
Before the name “Naruto” became synonymous with the franchise itself, he was just a loud, awkward, orange-wearing kid that nobody in the Hidden Leaf Village took seriously. Ostracized for being the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, a beast that once destroyed the village, Naruto grew up starved for attention and affection.
But his journey wasn’t just about getting stronger. It was about being seen. Every prank he pulled, every loud proclamation of “Believe it!” was a cry for validation. And it made every milestone feel that much more impactful, when he learned Shadow Clone Jutsu, passed the Chuunin Exams, saved his friends, or faced pain without resentment.
He had to train harder than anyone else to catch up. He wasn’t born a genius like Sasuke or a prodigy like Neji. He failed at basic ninjutsu, got horrible grades, and often had no clue what was going on during missions. But he never gave up. Not even once.
6 Yatora Yaguchi
Blue Period
When Blue Period began, Yatora wasn’t failing at life. He was doing well academically, had friends, and wasn’t struggling financially. But he was empty. He coasted through life with no sense of identity or meaning until a painting at his school’s art club changed everything.
What makes Yatora an underdog isn’t external hardship, it’s the war inside his head. He went from someone who had never touched a paintbrush to trying to enter the most prestigious art school in Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts, where the acceptance rate is under 5%.
Most students spend years preparing for this. Yatora had months. And still, he jumped in headfirst, sacrificing sleep, relationships, and even his health. What’s inspiring is how candid the anime is about his struggles. Burnout, imposter syndrome, and the crushing anxiety of not being “naturally talented” haunt him at every step.
But he fights through it, not with confidence, but with honesty. Yatora learns from his mistakes, leans on his mentors, and accepts that art isn’t just about being good, it’s about being true.
5 Shoyo Hinata
Haikyu!!
The first thing most people remember about Haikyuu!!’s Shoyo Hinata is his height, or the lack of it. At just 162.8 cm (barely over 5’3″), he’s shorter than nearly every male player in Japan’s competitive volleyball scene. That alone makes him an unlikely protagonist in a sport dominated by tall, physically intimidating athletes.
But Haikyuu!! never set out to tell the story of a typical sports prodigy. It’s about grit, ambition, and making something out of nothing. Hinata didn’t have formal training, a proper team, or even a real net to practice with when he first fell in love with volleyball. He trained by himself in middle school using whatever space he could find, sometimes even practicing spikes off a wall.
What made him inspiring wasn’t just how hard he worked. It was how he adapted. He studied taller players’ moves and maximized every physical trait he had, speed, reflexes, stamina, and an insane vertical jump. With Kageyama by his side, Hinata grew from a raw, impulsive runner into a tactical, fast-thinking weapon on the court.
4 Izuku Midoriya
My Hero Academia
Izuku Midoriya didn’t just start weak in My Hero Academia, he started quirkless in a world where having powers is the norm. For most of his childhood, he was bullied, ignored, and told by even his idol All Might that becoming a hero was impossible.
And yet, he never stopped trying.
Things didn’t magically get easier when he finally earned All Might’s trust and received One For All. In fact, they got worse. His body couldn’t handle the power. Every time he used it, he shattered bones, tore muscles, and often landed in the hospital. At one point, he permanently damaged his arms beyond full recovery.
What makes Midoriya inspiring isn’t that he had to grow into his powers, it’s that he never let pain stop him. He analyzed every battle, studied his classmates, and eventually developed strategies that let him use percentages of One For All with control. From Full Cowling to Shoot Style to Blackwhip and beyond, every new move he unlocked came with blood, sweat, and calculation.
3 Tanjiro Kamado
Demon Slayer
When Demon Slayer began, Tanjiro Kamado was just a charcoal-selling boy in the mountains, trying to support his family. By the end of episode one, his entire world was gone. Demons murdered his family. His sister, Nezuko, turned into one.
What followed was one of the most relentless, emotionally charged journeys in recent anime.
Tanjiro didn’t have a natural gift like Zenitsu’s hearing or Inosuke’s instincts. He wasn’t a prodigy like the Hashira. He learned Total Concentration Breathing through pain, repetition, and sheer will. And even then, he failed often. He barely survived against Lower Moons, and especially Akaza and Daki, and only with help.
What makes Tanjiro special is how he never loses his kindness. Even as he fights brutal enemies, he prays for their souls. He sympathizes with their pain. That humanity is rare in a show filled with suffering, and it’s what elevates him above a typical protagonist.
In a world that constantly tested his limits, he chose compassion without ever being weak. That balance, of strength and empathy, is what made him worthy of carrying his family’s memory, and Nezuko’s hope, on his back.
2 Asta
Black Clover
In the kingdom of Black Clover, being born without magic is basically a death sentence. Magic defines status, power, and identity. Asta had none of it. While others floated and cast spells by age 10, he was still doing push-ups and shouting about becoming the Wizard King.
At first, no one took him seriously, not even the audience. His yelling, stubborn optimism, and lack of skill felt more comedic than compelling. But Black Clover knew what it was doing.
Asta trained harder than anyone else in the series. He pushed his body to the brink every day and eventually received a rare anti-magic sword from a five-leaf grimoire, a grimoire associated with devils. Even then, he had to learn how to wield it with zero formal education and no natural talent.
As the series progressed, Asta evolved. He didn’t just become strong, he inspired everyone around him. From Yuno to Noelle to Nacht, every major character acknowledged his presence. He stood toe-to-toe with devil hosts, saved kingdoms, and became a symbol of what you can achieve when you never stop believing in yourself.
Asta may not have had magic, but he had something just as powerful, belief that even the lowest-ranked peasant could rise above a rigged system and change everything.
1 Rock Lee
Naruto
Rock Lee’s Journey Is Proof That Talent Isn’t Everything
In a world where chakra defines destiny, Rock Lee was born with none.
He couldn’t use ninjutsu. He couldn’t use genjutsu. In the Naruto universe, that should’ve been a death sentence for any aspiring shinobi. But Lee made a decision early on, if he couldn’t be born a genius, he’d outwork one.
Under the strict guidance of Might Guy, Lee pushed his body beyond human limits. While others mastered techniques with hand signs, Lee shattered boulders with sheer strength. He turned his body into a weapon, becoming a taijutsu specialist feared even by the most elite. His signature technique, the Primary Lotus, was something no one expected from a «failure.»
The moment that cemented him as an underdog icon came during the Chūnin Exams, when he faced Gaara,a prodigy with an impenetrable sand shield. Even knowing he was at a disadvantage, Lee didn’t back down. He removed his training weights and moved so fast the entire stadium was stunned. That fight, one he ultimately lost, earned him the respect of rivals and viewers alike. Because sometimes, victory doesn’t lie in the outcome, but in the courage it took to show up and fight.
Rock Lee is living proof that hard work can rival, and sometimes even surpass, natural talent.
