Moms in anime usually have a supportive role, rather than being in the spotlight. However, like in the real world, parents in anime play a big role in shaping the personalities of their children, in our case, the main characters. But who are the best moms in anime, the ones who stand above all the irresponsible and, in most cases, non-existent “shounen mothers” that let their kids do practically anything? Well, let us find out.
50. Effa (Ascendance of a Bookworm)
It isn’t an easy task to stay optimistic and cheerful in front of your children when the world seems to be working against you. Effa’s daughter, and the protagonist of this series, Myne was frequently bedridden because of an illness no one seemed to understand. Despite all her worries, Effa stayed strong for the sake of her children, smiling and caring for her daughters while still working as a seamstress to provide for her family.
49. Acier Silva (Black Clover)
Acier gets very little screen time in the anime, but the influence that she’s had on Noelle is talked about greatly in the series. Noelle was blamed for her mother’s death which alienated her from her family. The thing that brought Noelle comfort and motivated her were the stories she’s heard about her mother.
Acier was an amazing magic knight back in the day, even stronger than the overpowered Mereoleona of House Vermillion who trained most of the main characters in Black Clover. Acier’s legendary Steel Magic helped Noelle realize her true potential as a Magic Knight and guides her through the never-ending hardships she faces in the series.
48. Mio (Dororo)
Perhaps the saddest episodes in Dororo were the ones with Mio, a girl living in an abandoned temple as a caretaker for the orphans who lost their parents in the war. Despite being so young, the responsibilities she’s taken upon herself and the sacrifices that she’s made for these kids are incredibly admirable, although heartbreaking.
Mio endangered her life on a daily basis by serving both of the warring clans. She sacrifices her dignity and health for the good of the orphans and although she might refer to herself as “Filthy” because of it, Hyakkimaru and we, the viewers, see her as nothing less than pure.
47. YuiYui (KonoSuba)
With Megumin being such a loveable, albeit character, fans were excited to see whether her village was really full of powerful, nonsensical weirdoes such as herself. Yes, yes it was, and it’s hilarious.
Megumin’s mom, YuiYui, is exactly how you’d expect a mother from the Crimson Magic Clan to be: kind, hardworking, and crazy. When she found out that Kazuma was actually rich, she used Sleep on everyone in the house and locked up Megumin and Kazuma in a room so they could, well, you know. This made for some entertaining scenes, so all hail wingwoman YuiYui!
46. Midori Nendou (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)
No, that isn’t just Riki in a wig, his mother actually does look exactly like him. It is strange to see Midori Nendou on this list, but when you think about it, she’s pretty amazing. She gave birth to Riki when she was just 15 years old, and when her husband died, she had to take care of him by herself.
For a time, Midori was married to Nakanishi Kouta before he became the “amaaazing” magician but ended up having to divorce him when he got fired and started drinking. In summary, Midori gave birth as a teenager, experienced the death of her husband, went through a failed marriage with an alcoholic, and is currently supporting her son as a single mom. If she doesn’t deserve our respect, I don’t know who does.
45. Holly Kujou (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders)
In Jojo’s, trouble follows the Joestar family like a needy girlfriend. Thankfully, every male character in this series is a buffed and insanely strong chad that doesn’t seem to know that when you’re killed, you’re supposed to actually die. Being a mother in this family sets the bar pretty high, but also lowers them because god knows that Joestars can take care of themselves.
Holly is not the type of mother who’ll whop your ass when you don’t do your chores, but she will smother you in her overwhelming love. She’s always cheerful, carefree, and endlessly supportive of her son Jotaro, even when he insults her.
44. Kanata Izumi (Lucky Star)
Unfortunately, we only see Kanata in one episode of the anime. But that episode was enough for us to truly feel for Konata and her father for losing a precious member of their family. Kanata’s impact on the show may be small, but that scene where she jumps in to take a photo with her husband and daughter is so precious, it’d be a shame not to include her in this list.
43. Nana Komatsu (Nana)
I think a lot of people were skeptical about Nana becoming a mother. She always acted rather childish and naive, so having her take the role of a parent raised many worries.
For better or worse, Nana was also aware of her irresponsible nature. She knew that she couldn’t raise a child by herself and that she needed someone who could provide for them. That is why she ultimately decided to sacrifice her future with Nobu for a more secure, but lonely life with Takumi. While not the outcome fans were rooting for, it was the most responsible decision Nana could make as a mother.
42. Shizue Satou (Welcome to the NHK)
Hikikomoris (shut-ins) are pretty common in anime. Suffering from bullying, social anxiety, and a lack of ambition sometimes results in a person locking themselves away from the outside world. In these cases, how your family chooses to go about the situation has a big influence on the person’s potential recovery.
Shizue Satou is, in my opinion, handling the situation in the best way possible. Despite being worried about her son and wanting him to get better, she doesn’t force him to change. She also doesn’t treat him like a victim but as a normal person.
Trusting your child to make the right decision and to overcome hardships on their own is difficult, and the way Shizue tackles Tatsuhiro’s seclusion, with a balance of support and tough love, makes her a great mom.
41. Satou Matsuzaka (Happy Sugar Life)
Is Satou insane? Yes. Is she a criminal who should be locked up in a cell forever? Yes. But is she a good mother? You can make an argument that she is.
For those of you who haven’t watched the series, first off, consider yourselves lucky. Second off, Satou Matsuzaka is a high school girl who kidnapped a child by the name of Shio and took care of her for a time.
Satou’s love for Shio is extreme, to an unhealthy and dangerous degree. However, she proves to the world, time and time again, that she would do literally anything to keep Shio safe and by her side. She also intentionally hides her “yandere” side from Shio, aware of her own craziness, all the while showering her with affection.
40. Mamako Oosuki (Okaasan Online)
You know that embarrassing feeling when your mother walks into the room when you’re playing video games with your friends. Now imagine you were transported into that game, were given the chance to reinvent yourself, and your mother is right there with you. Yeah, it’d be pretty bad. However, you can’t not like Mamako. She’s cute, kindhearted, dumb as a brick, but also pretty mature at times. Oh, and also she’s completely overpowered.
Okaasan Online as an anime is pretty bad, however, if there’s one saving grace, that would be the mom. Seeing Mamako love and support her son even though he acts like such a spoiled little brat is truly admirable (although it would be funny to see her totally annihilate him with her two-hit attack).
39. Hinata (Naruto)
If Hinata could love Naruto from the start of the show, never faltering and staying faithful to him through more than 700 hundred episodes before finally getting her feelings reciprocated, imagine how much she must cherish her children.
Hinata was one of the original anime waifus, and now that she’s a mom it’s only natural for her to be one of the best moms. Not only does she have to put up with one Naruto, now she has a second one, who might just be even more troublesome. Not to mention that after becoming Hokage, Naruto was practically never home so she had to raise Boruto and Himawari by herself.
38. Nanako Hasegawa (SK8 the Infinity)
Langa Hasegawa had a very close relationship with his father. He was the one who thought him how to snowboard, which was Langa’s favorite thing in the world. This made Nanako’s responsibility to fill the void in Langa after her husband’s death that much harder.
For years, Nanako was left feeling helpless, not knowing how she should support her son or make their loss easier to bear. She often felt overly paranoid when she saw Langa return home injured, assuming he was bullied. Her worries aside, Nanako is really proud of her son and often talks about him to her colleagues.
37. Leonora Nakiri (Food Wars)
Surprisingly enough, parents are shown quite regularly in Food Wars, which is not something you often see in anime. Not only do they play the part of parents to our main characters, but some of them are also genuinely well-written characters.
The most adorable, but still respectable mom in Food Wars is Leonora Nakiri, Alice’s mom and Erina’s aunt. She’s a beautiful and intelligent culinary genius that, while having this intimidating aura around her, charms you the second she starts speaking Japanese.
Her accent and broken grammar make for great comedy, until she eats something delicious. Then she’s able to speak Japanese perfectly. How does that work? Who knows, but it is pretty funny.
36. Yuriko Gouda (Ore Monogatari)
Takeo Gouda from Ore Monogatari is well known in the anime community as one of the sweetest male protagonists in anime. This side of him was heavily influenced by his mother, Yuriko.
In most cases, when a show is trying to convey how kind a character is, they’ll have them feed a cat or help an old woman cross the street. Well, Yuriko showed us her selflessness by carrying a pregnant woman to the delivery room. Did I fail to mention that she was also pregnant at the time? Chivalry at its finest.
35. Lilya (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation)
In Mushoku Tensei, the mom that catches our eye at the start is undoubtedly Zenith. However, Paul’s second wife and maid to the Greyrat family, Lilya, has proven herself a proud and hardworking mother that knows how to teach her child respect and hard work.
The days Lilya spent training as a swordsman taught her discipline and to know her place. In turn, this is what she passes unto her own daughter Aisha, as well as her stepdaughter (and technically master), Norn.
34. Reiko Ichinose (Piano no Mori)
Even before having Kai, Reiko’s life was difficult, to say the least. Working at the Red Light district was hard enough when she only had to take care of herself, but raising a child in those circumstances brings forth a whole new set of challenges.
Her neighbors rarely stood by her side, calling her an irresponsible and immoral mother. Her son Kai also had to deal with kids insulting and belittling him because of her occupation. Despite, or perhaps because of everything they had to go through on a regular basis, Reiko always had a close relationship with her son.
33. Miyako Ishida (A Silent Voice)
Finding out your son is a school bully and not beating his ass takes a lot of control and patience a single parent needs to properly raise their child. Sometimes overwhelming kindness, however, can cause guilt that is even more difficult to overcome than simply getting spanked.
Shoya at one point plans to end his own life, but Miyako once again shows us why she’s the perfect mother and not only prevents her son from going through with it but also stops any further thoughts of trying to do something as stupid as killing himself.
32. Isabella (Promised Neverland)
It is really difficult to redeem a woman who raised kids with the purpose of feeding them to demons. But in a world governed by demons dozens of times stronger than any human being, kindness can take on more than one shape.
Isabella is a caretaker in an orphanage, and although Grace Field House holds a horrifying secret, you have to agree to the fact that Isabella did everything she could for these kids, and they all loved her. Since she was once an orphan herself in one of those farms, she’s well aware of how futile it was to try and escape.
Instead of fighting for a seemingly lost cause, Isabella decided to ensure her children’s happiness for the short lives they were destined to live.
31. Naoko Natsuki (Re:Zero)
Before season 2, we weren’t given the opportunity to get to know Naoko as something more than a concept. Subaru’s parents were shown as loving and lenient. When he decided to stop going to school, they didn’t reprimand him, trusting him to make the right decisions on his own.
Apart from that, his mom was described as extremely slow-witted and was thought that she couldn’t notice how much pain Subaru was in. The second season is when the “feels train” really hits you. We get to see a new side of Naoko and see her guide her son through the helpless situation he’s found himself in.
30. Emi Handa (Barakamon)
In the short time Emi Handa has been on screen, she managed to capture our hearts immediately with one of the best ora ora punches we’ve ever seen outside of Jojo’s. Although she looks sweet, she is very impulsive and tends to express her emotions through her fists.
One of the cutest things in her relationship with her husband is that while he is capable of dodging his wife’s flurry of attacks, he sometimes indulges her when his own actions lead to her outbursts.
29. Yasuko Takasu (Toradora)
Yasuko’s childish, air-headed behavior and young appearance lead you to believe that she’s Ryuuji’s sister and not mother. As the show takes a more serious turn, we find out how mature and responsible Yasuko actually is.
Even though Ryuuji has proven himself to be quite responsible, she is adamant on being the one to provide for the two of them. She is aware of the mistakes she’s made in life and wants her son to spend his youth free of the burdens she’s had to face in the past. Yasuko perfectly fits the overall style of the show – piques your interest with the quirky, light-hearted comedy and reels you in with the unexpected drama.
28. Carla Yeager (Attack on Titan)
The first episode of Attack on Titan wouldn’t be nearly as impactful if it weren’t for Carla Yeager. It does feel a little odd saying that considering she dies in that episode, but the fact stands that she was able to leave a mark on the viewers at the very start of the show enough to make us care about her death 20 minutes into the anime.
As the story progresses, on occasions we are granted flashbacks that remind us of the sadness we felt at the beginning and even intensify it since we get a further insight into Carla’s loving nature.
27. Kushina Uzumaki (Naruto Shippuden)
One of the pleasures of seeing the parents of the main characters is getting to compare their personalities. Like Naruto, Kushina was impulsive, talkative, headstrong, and she even had her own dattebayo (dattebane).
As we are all well aware, Kushina placed her son first and there wasn’t a shred of doubt when she decided to sacrifice herself to stop Nine-Tails from harming her baby. Some say that Minato, Naruto’s father, could have survived the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, but sacrificed himself so that Naruto could spend a few moments with his mother by inserting her chakra in the seal. This proves to show how important Kushina was to her family.
26. Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist)
While technically not a mother, Izumi Curtis definitely deserves praise for raising the Elric brothers when their mom passed away, although hesitant at first. She taught them respect, discipline, and most importantly, alchemy.
Having attempted Human Transmutation, Izumi gained the ability to perform alchemy without the aid of a Transmutation Circle. Even before that she was a master alchemist and skillful combatant. If it weren’t for her, Edward and Alphonse’s journey would have ended before it could even start. For “A Passing Housewife”, as she describes herself, Izumi Curtis is nothing short of badass.
25. Yukari Nitani (Usagi Drop)
Usagi Drop is an anime about a middle-aged man who is suddenly thrown into the world of parenting. It is only natural that an attractive single mom would also appear and that she’ll take the role of waifu of the series.
Yukari often helped out Daikichi in taking care of Rin since he was more often than not extremely lost in the matter. Despite our hopes that Yukari would end up with Daikichi, even though she herself likes our lost dad, chooses to put her son first and not complicate his relationship with Rin.
24. Kobayashi (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)
It’s always fascinating how some characters just accept when something surreal happens to them. By the time Kanna, a young dragon in the form of a little girl appeared before Kobayashi, she was already used to dragons suddenly being a thing, even having one of them as a maid.
As the story progresses, we see Kobayashi taking on a parenting role to Kanna, buying her clothes, cooking, and going so far as to enroll her in a school. Surprisingly enough, Kobayashi quickly adjusted to her new lifestyle, which leads us to believe she’s a natural-born mom.
23. Kurumi Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)
“Oh, so my two-year-old son can teleport and move things with his mind. Who’s mommy’s little genius? Yes, you are, yes you are.” An air-headed character has never been as ridiculous and adorable as Kurumi Saiki.
Not questioning your son’s psychic powers aside, her looks along with her aloof personality and perfectly high-pitched voice can’t not put a smile on your face every time she appears. Kurumi is practically the embodiment of sunshine and rainbows.
22. Touko Fujiwara (Natsume’s Book of Friends)
After his parents died, Natsume spent his childhood getting passed around by his relatives. This was due to his ability to see yokai (spiritual beings). While his relatives found his actions strange and disturbing, Touko and her husband Shigeru saw Natsume as a child in need of love and compassion.
Touko, along with her husband, is aware that there are mysterious and frightening things happening around their adopted son and they probably suspect that Natsume knows something about it, but they choose not to force him. The best thing Touko can do for him is provide him with the love and affection he’s been denied growing up, and honestly, what more can a child ask for.
21. Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)
Imagine being a mother to a child who can destroy mountains by shooting beams from his hands. Yeah, you’d have to set up some ground rules, like making sure your kid doesn’t actually blow up the ground.
Chi-Chi personality changed drastically from the time she was a child to later on as a wife to Goku and mother to Gohan and Goten. She used to get scared rather easily despite her strength and would burst into tears while fighting. So as to bring some order and discipline in her new Super Saiyan family, Chi-Chi had to become fierce and fearless. Someone needs to make sure Gohan does his homework, and it definitely won’t be Goku.
20. Irisviel von Einzbern (Fate/Zero)
The connection between mother and child is present not only in humans but in every species. Despite being a homunculus (artificial human), Irisviel grew to understand human emotions through the help of her future husband, Kiritsugu.
Over time, Irisviel developed a personality of her own, coloring in the blank canvas she started as. That being said, she still had problems understanding her own feelings as well as the feelings of others. The only thing that came naturally to her contrary to her empty, not to say fake nature, was the love she felt when holding her daughter, Illyasviel.
19. March (To Your Eternity)
This is a bit of an odd one. It isn’t that classic anime thing where a character looks they’re 5 but are like 500 years old. March is actually a child, but also a mom, in a way.
In To Your Eternity, we follow not a person, but an orb creature that takes on the form of something or someone with which he shares a deep connection. When he took the form of a boy in the first episode, while he looked like a human being, he didn’t understand what being human and having emotions meant.
March was the first person who taught him a little of what having feelings and forming relationships represented. March herself thought of Fushi as her child and even gave him that name. Although it wasn’t for long, she played a big role in Fushi’s growth as a human.
18. Trisha Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
It is so obvious when the writers design a character so that they’re absolutely perfect and kill them off in hopes of tugging at your heartstrings. Trisha Elric is one such character and damn it, the feels are real.
The very first episode when the Elric brothers try and revive their mom is emotional in and of itself, but as they take us through their childhood with occasional flashbacks, that’s when it really starts to hit you. Seeing Trisha take care of Edward and Alphonse, meanwhile hiding her illness makes the failed Human Transmutation scene all the more gut wrenching.
17. Reiko Tamura (Parasyte)
Initially thinking of humans as lesser beings, Reiko Tamura wasn’t so different from other parasites in that regard. She was highly intelligent and more logical and reasonable than others which set the stage for her later development as something more than a killer.
What ended up being the key to Reiko acknowledging humans as equal to parasites was her child. After raising her son, she got to understand what making connections and building meaningful relationships with people meant.
16. Clara Magnolia (Violet Evergarden)
The highest-rated and fan-favorite episode of Violet Evergarden is by far episode 10 with Clara Magnolia. This show is all about making you cry yourself to sleep, but Clara’s story almost takes it too far.
As opposed to her vigorous and enthusiastic nature, Clara got really sick. As any mother would, she worried greatly about what would happen to her daughter after her illness took a turn for the worst so she decided to write letters that would be sent to her daughter every year on her birthday.
If there is one reason why you should watch Violet Evergarden, it’s so that you can experience the sadness overload from one of the best moms in modern media, Clara Magnolia.
15. Inko Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
Deku is portrayed as the symbol of justice, always fighting for what’s right and to protect those closest to him. His biggest role model was All Might, there’s no doubt about that, but the one person who was always by his side, supporting him from day one is his mom, Inko Midoriya.
Inko supported Deku and shared his dream that he would one day gain a Quirk that would help him become the hero he aspired to be. And when that dream seemed impossible to reach, Inko felt every ounce of her son’s pain.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the end for our little hero and we get to see him fight alongside his comrades with his proud mother cheering him on every step of the way.
14. Akari Kawamoto (March Comes in Like a Lion)
After their father left, and their mother and grandmother died, Akari had to take on a parental role for her two younger sisters. She even became the shining light in our main protagonist’s life after the world seemed to have given up on him.
From her introduction, Akari gives off a loving mother vibe and even after watching the show, most viewers are left remembering her as a mom, rather than a sister to Hinata and Momo.
13. Zenith Greyrat (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation)
Most wives would leave when their husband cheats on them but Zenith stayed, for one reason and one reason only – her son. After Rudeus, she had a daughter, Norn, and even cared for Aisha, despite her being a constant reminder of her husband’s infidelity.
Apart from being a loving mom, Zenith is a skilled mage specializing in Healing Magic. Luckily for Paul, she doesn’t seem to know any overpowered offensive magic or he’d never even think about two-timing his warm, yet fearsome wife.
12. Kazue Sonokawa (Sabage-bu!)
Parents in anime usually don’t stay in people’s memories, but Kazue Sonokawa won’t give you the chance to even think about forgetting her. She might seem sweet and kind on the outside, and she generally is, but her weird and oddly specific interests, like “charismatic people with glimpses of madness”, will leave you questioning her sanity.
If that wasn’t enough, Kazue also knows her way around a gun, but that just makes her more of a badass.
11. Mito Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)
Not every parent supports their child’s dreams, especially if that dream is becoming a hunter that risks his life constantly. Mito Freecss may be Gon’s cousin, but she cares for him like a mother. Since Gon’s father ended up disappearing while working as a hunter, you can imagine her worry.
She eventually accepted his decision to follow in his father’s footsteps, leaving her to become one of the classic shounen moms who stay at home wondering if they’ll ever see their child again.
10. Sora Vinsmoke (One Piece)
In Violet Evergarden we saw Clara take measures so that she can help her daughter after her inevitable death. Sora, on the other hand, willfully shortened her own life so that her kids could have a chance to live normal lives, even if it meant she couldn’t be there for them.
She couldn’t stop her husband from turning most of her kids into emotionless superhuman soldiers, but she loved all of them nonetheless.
9. Tomoko Higashikata (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable)
Tomoko’s first appearance was enough for Jojo fans to instantly fall in love with her. When some annoying guy started hitting on her, she bashed his face into his car. This level of badassery is just what we expect from moms in Jojo’s.
Despite choosing his wife over her, Tomoko is still madly in love with Joseph Joestar, and the only time she breaks her annoyed, strict persona is when she mistakes Jotaro for Joseph and throws herself at him, hysterically repeating she loves him. Apart from loveable, Jojo moms tend to be on the crazy side too.
8. Mari Katsuragi (The World God Only Knows)
While it would be a huge red flag in real life, in anime when female characters have sort of a bipolar personality to them, it’s instant waifu alert. Mari Katsuragi adopted a very kind and warm personality after she got married and she generally manages to maintain it… until she doesn’t.
In her youth, Mari was part of a biker gang and went by the name “Snow Witch of the Mountain Pass”. Turns out that when you spend years of your life solving your problems with violence, it’s really hard to shake that habit. And thank god for that cause it makes for a hell of a mom.
7. Hana (Wolf Children)
You think taking care of two rowdy kids is tough, imagine them transforming into actual animals, wolves to be exact. Hana was far from prepared when her husband died, leaving her alone to take care of two wolf children, but her bravery and optimism helped her stay hopeful.
Throughout the movie we see Hana come across hardship over and over again and it is truly inspiring to see her overcome these challenges one after another.
6. Fortuna (Re:Zero)
After the disappearance of her parents, the only family Emilia had left was her aunt Fortuna. She raised her as if she were her own daughter and even Emilia herself considered Fortuna her mother.
For certain reasons, Emilia was considered to be a very special child and she had to be isolated from other people. It is because of this that Fortuna did everything in her power to raise her niece with as much love and attention as she could.
5. Mari Mutoh (Japan Sinks 2020)
Mari is one of the strongest and bravest women in all of anime. As Japan gets thrown into a state of turmoil when massive earthquakes threaten to destroy the entire archipelago, Mari continuously motivates and leads her family through countless tough situations.
After the brutal death of her husband, she was the only thing holding her family together. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of stress this type of situation would cause for a parent, but Mari managed to stay calm and collected all the while suffering from a deadly heart condition.
4. Maquia (Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms)
Maquia’s journey as a parent didn’t start with her giving birth or selflessly adopting a child. At first, it was as simple as not wanting to be alone. Her life from then onwards was never the same.
She wasn’t a perfect mother, and she was overly self-conscious about it too. In the beginning, she was a child herself and she had no idea how a mother should behave and what is expected of her. What is most appealing about this movie is that we can see Maquia’s growth – from not knowing what is going on to being a full-fledged mom.
3. Sanae Furukawa (Clannad)
Sanae Furukawa is one of the rare mother characters who gets a major role in a sequel of an anime. Watching her transition from a childish mom who cries when someone insults her weird bread ideas to having to go through her daughter’s death is a true rollercoaster of emotions.
Having Sanae take on a more strict approach to parenting with her grandkid, even if it was an act, also just hits you in the gut. After going through so much, it is remarkable how a seemingly immature and bubbly character can turn out to be so brave and responsible.
2. Sachiko Fujinuma (Erased)
Even though the story follows Satoru, most Erased fans if not all will agree that Sachiko is the best character. The thought Kei Sanbe (the author of the original manga) put into creating this intelligent, quick-witted, responsible, and loving mother is very rarely seen not just in anime, but fiction in general.
Balancing between work and being a single mom, actually having a close relationship with her son, and even finding the time to be a hero and help save Kayo from her mother’s abuse. Sachiko stands out among other mom characters not just because she’s perfect, but because we can actually see all these different sides of her and still be able to say that she’s perfect.
1. Kyoko Honda (Fruits Basket)
The way they approached Kyoko as a character, more precisely a parent, that passed away is easily one of the best we’ve ever seen in anime. Her death has a faint presence throughout the entire series without being overbearing. It affects multiple main characters and we don’t feel suffocated by the flashbacks because they include Kyoko interacting with people besides her daughter and leaving a noticeable mark on their lives.
It also helps that Kyoko’s extremely beautiful, has an interesting and badass past, and an amazing voice actor. She is loving, funny, upbeat, and (I can’t stress this enough) relevant throughout the show despite not being one of the main characters. When they showed the death scene from Kyoko’s point of view, I was fascinated by how realistically her character was portrayed.
If you already haven’t, I urge you to watch Fruits Basket (the new one, of course), if nothing else but to see a mom character done right.
