Summary
An ahodere is an character archetype in anime that usually deals with a character who isclueless in romantic situations. However, it should be noted that the ahodere does not necessarily mean an idiotic character, but rather one that is oblivious to a particular romantic interaction.
Ahoderes are typically caring and kind people, but for one reason or the other, in a romantic situation with one or two other characters, their misunderstanding leads to some frustration on the part of the love interest. Anime is littered with them from the ones who are generally silly, to the competent ones who only stumble when love is in question.
Ichikia Orimura is the central character in Infinite Stratos and is the sole male character who canpilot the mechsin the series. As a harem show, Ichika is surrounded by a bevy of beautiful girls who all like him, but he is completely oblivious.
Some have commented that he might not be as oblivious and is putting on an act, but from the story so far, it does seem Ichika’s denseness is used for comedic effect as he continues to bumble his way through the plot.
Yaguchi Haruo is the main protagonist ofHi-Score Girland is a gamer who lists that as his only real skill. Haruo is quick to admit that he isn’t good at academics or sports, but when it comes to video games, especially fighting games, he is without compare.
Haruo is also in love with the centralfemale protagonist, Akira. This means that the other character who also likes Haruo, Kohaku, is left in the dust. She shows her love for him, but Haruo is completely clueless and is even sometimes downright mean.
Bell Cranel is the white-haired lead in Danmachi who initially became an adventurer because he wanted to pick up girls. This worldview changed after meeting Ais Wallenstein, who saves him from certain death, and he falls in love with her.
Bell is a kind individual and is earnest, trusting, and straightforward. His ahodere tendencies really come to the fore when dealing with his goddess Hestia, who clearly has a thing for him. But, for some reason, Bell is unable to see this even when he’s able to normally pursue other women or reject the ones he doesn’t see in that light.
Dragon Ballis an iconic anime for many reasons and it was the blueprint for a lot of thetropesfound in shonen anime. Its protagonist, Son Goku was also the pioneer for a lot of shonen protagonists and his ahodere tendencies especially towards Chi Chi would pave the way for others.
Son Goku excels at many things and is an excellent fighter, but when it came to the feelings expressed by Chi Chi, he was completely in the dark. Fortunately, the two do get married in the end and have kids together, so the story ended in a happy note.
Asta is thelovable loudmouthof the Black Clover series. Born without the ability to do magic, Asta has to rely on pure strength and is one of the strongest characters in the Black Bull team.
Competent as a fighter, Asta is clueless regarding Noelle’s feelings for him. Mostly interpreted as kindness, Asta cares for Noelle, but it seems that is the extent of it. Noelle, being a tsundere herself, doesn’t help matters much. Asta’s ahodere behaviors are also evident with team captain Yami, who is oblivious to Charlotte Roselei’s feelings for him.
Tohru Honda is an iconic character and is one of the kindest individuals in anime. She has been a great help to the Soma family and was the heart of the Fruits Basket show.Due to her kindness, she is loved by many, and even her friends are overprotective of her.
But when it comes to matters of the heart, she seems incredibly clueless, becoming flustered when other characters show interest, especially Yuki Soma. Tohru doesn’t consider herself the object of attraction and acts it. She eventually ends up with Kyo at the end of the series.
Nozaki is a manga artist with some repute and is also the object of affection for cheerful and carefree Chiyo Sakura. She actually works up the courage to confess to him, but he misunderstands and she is instead roped into becoming his assistance.
Nozaki’s inability to understand Sakura’s feelings is at the core of the comedy of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, and it mostly leads to a lot of hilarious situations. Nozaki-kun is a parody of romance shows, and so, the romance of the show remains unresolved.
Anya Forger is the adorable ‘must-protect-at-all-costs’ lead in Spy X Family. Blessed withtelepathic abilities, Anya tries to obtain the elusive stella stars so as to enable Loid to execute his mission.
Anya is loved by all, including rival Damian Desmond, who happens to be the son of Loid’s target. He likes Anya, but she is oblivious to many of her misunderstandings of his intentions being used for gags. Anya does care on some level for Damian, but being a kid, one can’t expect her to exhibit such feelings, so being an ahodere is probably for the best.
Katarina Claes hit her head as a young girl and suddenly remembered that she used to be a simple Japanese student who loved villainess games. The rest of the show was her trying to ensure that she didn’t get the dreaded ‘bad ending’
Katarina surprises those who thought they knew her by how kind and empathetic she is. So much so that she soon gathers a gaggle of admirers, many of whom have romantic ideas, but Katarina is so dense that she is unable to understand or reciprocate. It makes for a lot of comedy, but is also immensely frustrating to the would-be lovers.
The captain of theStraw Hats pirates, Luffy, is a powerful character and has risen to become one of the top characters in the One Piece universe. He is also a bit of an idiot, even though he has a lot of heart and is protective of his crewmates.
However, in issues of love, Luffy is dense. No one has suffered more from this than Boa Hancock, a former warlord and captain of the Kuja Pirates. She fell in love with Luffy when he was imprisoned on her island. She has done her utmost to get him to notice, but Luffy is way too dense and always misinterprets her gestures, mostly to comedic effect.
