Autism spectrum disease (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition that impairs how people connect with others, communicate, learn, and conduct, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it’s classified as a developmental disorder since symptoms often arise between the ages of two and two years.
People on the autism spectrum tend to have cognitive levels that are either average or above average, and any diagnosis of an autistic spectrum condition has nothing to do with how brilliant they are.
Autism is simply a difference in how neurons in the brain communicate with one another, resulting in difficulties with social interaction, communication, and the need for rigidity in behavior.
However, this is not always the case. Several recent research has found positive genetic associations between autism risk and mental capacity assessments. These data suggest that autism alleles coincide broadly with high intellect alleles, which appears counterintuitive considering that autism is characterized by below-average IQ.
Some of the characters that are on the spectrum, in Anime are Near and L Lawliet from the show Death Note.
Continue reading to learn more!
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental condition that manifests symptoms within the first three years of life. Autism spectrum disorder is the traditional diagnosis.
The term “spectrum” refers to the fact that autism manifests itself in a variety of forms with varied degrees of severity. That is, each person with autism has their own set of abilities, symptoms, and challenges.
Understanding more about ASD might help you better comprehend the people who have it.
Symptoms of Autism
Individuals with autism may exhibit a variety of symptoms, including:
- decreased eye contact
- Body language differences Absence of facial expressions
- Inability to engage in imaginative play
- Repetitive motions or sounds
- specialized interests
- Insensitivity to temperature extremes
Why Autistic people are drawn To Anime?
There’re numerous reasons for this, but the most likely is that most autistic people enjoy Anime because it frequently exaggerates the characters, making their intentions very plain and leaving nothing out.
When you can’t figure out what others are doing or why Anime doesn’t leave you guessing! Anime also offers a diverse set of characters, most of whom share characteristics that many autistic individuals identify in themselves. It’s exciting to just see your impairment (or aspects of it) portrayed in a good and intriguing light.
The most popular Anime make the viewer feel as though they can enter and engage in a world of fantasy. Integrity and dedication have always been praised in this world, and any hurdle may be conquered with a constructive fighting spirit. You can become a pirate, a shinobi, a Pokemon expert, or even the Grim Reaper.
The worlds of Anime and manga provide infinite opportunities that reality does not. Being involved in projects by writing fanfic, creating fan art, and cosplaying allows fans to connect with these fictitious enjoyable places.
Participating in the community can help to make the imaginary area seem more real. It also allows fans to customize their own experience by creating their own OCs (original characters) and inserting characters who are comparable to themself into the fictional worlds through fanfic authoring.
So they have an escape route from reality, albeit a momentary one.
Which Shows Have Autistic Characters?
Autism is heavily featured in Anime in one way or another, even if it may not be done for the moral reason of autism acceptance or inclusion.
This is because Anime is filled with troves of quirky, eccentric, and unique personalities, many of these personalities aren’t necessarily autistic but do show some autistic tendencies, which probably puts them on the spectrum. The biggest and most popular show with an autistic protagonist I can think of is Death Note.
Death Note
| Written by | Tsugumi Ohba |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Running period | 1st December 2003 till 15th May 2006 |
| Volumes | 12 |
Here’s a short synopsis:
Heinous murders, small-time thefts, and needless violence poison the world of humans.
On the other side, the world of the death gods is a humdrum, unchanging gambling den.
Ryuk, the evil deity of death, and smart 17-year-old Japanese student Light Yagami have something in common: they both think their worlds are corrupt.
For his own amusement, Ryuk releases his Death Note into the world of people.
It is illuminated, and the first of its rules—that the person whose name is written in this letter will perish—is mocked by the light. The temptation is too great, and Light investigates it by writing down the name of a convict, which horrifyingly recreates his first murder.
Light, now known as Kira, follows his ruthless moral code with the ultimate objective of ridding the planet of all evildoers despite being aware of the terrible godlike power that has fallen into his hands.
The meticulous brilliant detective L (the autistic person) is already on his tail, but as Light’s intelligence rivals L’s, the epic search for Kira evolves into a furious battle of intellect which can only conclude when one of them dies.
List of Anime characters with Autism
Here’s a list of Anime characters who show autism:
| List Of Anime Characters With Autism |
| L Lawliet (Death Note) |
| Near (Death Note) |
| Bakugo (My Hero Academia) |
| Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K) |
L Lawliet (Death Note)
L is a renowned detective around the world who accepts the task of apprehending the serial killer known as Kira.
L becomes skeptical of Light Yagami throughout his inquiry and sets out to establish that Light is indeed Kira.
His autistic tendencies are:
- He unusually sits on chairs.
- He speaks in a monotone tone.
- Has a lack of empathy
- Cakes are his comfort food
- Is direct
- Detective work is his hobby.
- How he stands
- Wears the same clothing every day (I know it’s an Anime, but I couldn’t help myself)
- Face expressionless
- Making new acquaintances is difficult.
Near (Death Note)
Near is the youngest of L’s two successors, nurtured in Wammy’s House in Winchester, England, Watari’s orphanage for bright children.
Near continues his investigation of the Kira case after L’s death, amassing information over four years.
Near presents his findings to the President of the United States, revealing himself to be the genuine heir to L. Soon later, Near becomes the leader of the Special Provision for Kira, and the quest for Kira continues. Near suspects Light Yagami of being Kira after making touch with him.
Like L, Near shows very similar quirks and tendencies.
- Near has little social awareness and struggles to interact with others.
- Near is extremely clever. He’s also obsessed with solving hard problems and sees an investigation as a puzzle.
- Empathy deficit
- The absence of facial expressions
- He’s frequently seen stooped over rather than sitting, and he’s continuously occupied with various toys that he employs in his theories.
- With such infantile and child-like interests, his surroundings are always scattered with toys, dice, or darts.
Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
Katsuki Bakugo, better known as Kacchan by his boyhood pals, his hero name Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, a mouthful right?
He’s a freshman in Class 1-A at U.A., aspiring to be a Professional Hero. He is the story’s deuteragonist.
Here are his symptoms:
- He had a breakdown at the sports festival, which may be taken as an autistic outburst.
- He has difficulty comprehending what’s socially acceptable. He has problems controlling his emotions and frequently resorts to aggression.
- Particular desire in becoming a superhero
- Difficulties relating to others
- Disinterest in other people
- He has trouble remembering people’s names and faces.
- He has difficulty understanding and processing the feelings of others.
Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K)
Kusuo Saiki is the primary protagonist of Saiki Kusuo no Nan and possesses a variety of psychic talents.
He normally attempts to stay out of problematic situations. His distinctive look includes green-tinted eyeglasses and two pink antennae situated just above each ear, which serve to limit his power.
He was always seen alone at first, but as the novel unfolds, he finally gets along with his classmates, particularly Riki Nendou and Shun Kaidou. Kento Yamazaki played Kusuo in the live-action film based on the series.
Some of his symptoms are:
- His superpowers represent autism and make him feel estranged from society. He is nonverbal, dislikes physical touch, and has irrational anxieties.
- Overwhelmed by a large number of individuals
- Is canonically transsexual, and while this is not a symptom of autism, it’s more common among autistic people.
- Coffee jelly is his favorite comfort food.
- He speaks in a monotonous tone.
- He lacks facial expression and has difficulty expressing his feelings.
- Emotionally, he finds attraction difficult to comprehend.
- Doesn’t make frequent eye contact
- He frequently speaks to himself.
Conclusion
- Autism spectrum disease (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition that impairs how people connect with others, communicate, learn, and conduct, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it’s classified as a developmental disorder since symptoms often arise between the ages of two and two years.
- The most likely is that most autistic people enjoy Anime because it frequently exaggerates the characters, making their intentions very plain and leaving nothing out.
- Characters like L, Near, Saiki and Bakugo are speculated to have autism.