The Stoic / Anime & Manga

Do you honestly believe your daughter can read what you're thinking?

Riza Hawkeye: Don't make me laugh. When it's just us, the Colonel calls me by my first name, Riza.
Envy: So, you two are that close, are you?
Hawkeye: I Lied. But it was still very nice of you to fall for it, Envy.

— Fullmetal Alchemist

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• The Prime Minister's personal assistant Nike in Appleseed does not just not show any emotions, but is actually an artificial being genetically engineered specifically to be unable to feel anger or hate. But she's not particularly cheerful, either.
• Area no Kishi: Aizawa Suguru is known for his generally stoic attitude and for, as his younger brother Kakeru put it, "never changing facial expressions."
• Chirico Cuvie, from Armored Trooper VOTOMS, of the desensitized war veteran kind. He's in fact the inspiration of many mecha protagonists that came afterwards, like Heero and Sousuke, as well as Setsuna F Seiei.
• Attack on Titan: Because of the Crapsack World of the setting, a lot of the characters count as this trope. Here are the most standout examples:
  • Annie Leonhart almost never changes her facial expression or tone. The amount of times she shows any emotion beyond disinterest can be counted on one hand.
  • Levi wears a look of near-constant boredom, whether he's in the middle of a battle or beating a teenager senseless. The few moments when he does express greater emotion are terrifying, either because of his Unstoppable Rage or because things have just gotten that bad for the heroes.
  • Mikasa Ackerman is an Emotionless Girl much of the time, thanks to the traumatic loss of her parents as a child. She rarely expresses strong emotion, unless it directly relates to Eren. When she does lose her cool, even her True Companions are not safe.
  • Bertolt Hoover doubles this with being The Quiet One, rarely speaking up and generally observing things with at most a slightly uneasy expression. When he does actually speak up or express emotion, it's startling to the characters and audience alike. It turns out that he's actually Not So Stoic, and desperately keeping his emotions tightly under wrap so no one will realize just how messed up he actually is.
• Satoru Toono of Awkward Silence has passionate internal emotions, but is incapable of actually showing them on his perpetually indifferent face. His love interest can figure out what he's actually thinking to an extent, but Satoru's inability to express or say what he's feeling is the major cause of misunderstandings between them. It's so bad that when he's provoked into raising his voice at one point, he ends up fainting from oxygen deprivation.
• Killy from Blame! takes this trope to new and completely emotionless heights. The fact that he has as many lines in 10 volumes (the entirety of the series) as most protagonists have in a single chapter is testament to this.
• Bleach:
  • Byakuya Kuchiki behaves in a aristocratic manner. He is almost constantly calm and indifferent towards his surroundings, even during battle. There are occasionaly moments where he will drop the stoic persona, such as when Ichigo's Inner Hollow, but will quickly recompose himself. Surprisingly, it turns out that as a child, he was quite Hot-Blooded, being very easily provoked into anger. As an adult he was able to better control his temper, but was never able to fully get rid of it.
  • Ulquiorra Cifer represents the emptiness of death and always speaks in a calm and in control tone, and appears either indifferent, or melancholic. Unlike Byakuya, who hides his emotions, Ulquiorra is genuinely incapable of feeling anything. His expression never goes anywhere beyond the slight raising of his eyebrows when he is surprised by something. When he has his final fight with Ichigo, he finally gets pissed at Ichigo refusing to recognize his inferiority, and raises his voice for the first and last time in the series. He then proceeds to deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Ichigo. In his final moments, he finaly begins to grasp the concept of human emotion.
  • Jugram Haschwalth has a perpetual aloof and solemn expression on his face that make him appear to be stoic and emotionless, and is by far the calmest amongst the Sternritter. He doesn't react when he kills either Soul Reapers or Quincies, and is the only one of the remaining Sternritters who doesn't visibly react to Yhwach's new form, whilst the others are reeling in shock and horror.
  • While he does smile from time to time, Yhwach is for the most part, a perpetually calm man that always remains collected and reserved no matter what. Even when something happens that does shock or surprise him, he regains his composure quickly afterwards. Towards the end of the series however, he starts to express more emotion, being more openly sadistic and Ax-Crazy, and by the time that he is finally close to death, his stoic act shatters completely.
• In Brave10, Rokuro tends to show little expression and goes around getting things done quietly. When he's not being a jerk to Saizo, Sasuke is pretty stoic too.
• Jo from Burst Angel/Bakuretsu Tenshi. When she's fighting, she's the biggest badass in the world. When not, she's usually quiet and inexpressive.
• Most of the protagonists of Claymore, but especially Deneve.

• Every single contractor in Darker than Black. It's one of their defining characteristics. Bonus points go to Hei in particular for being an Anti-Hero with a Badass Longcoat. However, most of them also seem to have one Berserk Button that blows the whole thing to hell. Kirihara is also a stoic and she isn't a contractor.
• Muta from The Daughter of Twenty Faces fits this to a T, whether teaching Chiko to not let her guard down, checking to make sure she's ready for her first cat burglar job, or taking a bullet for her.
• L and his eventual successor Near from Death Note both speak in a low, quiet tone and rarely show any emotion besides mild annoyance or mild amusement.
• In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the legendary demon slayer who once made the originator of all demons quake in fear was noted to be a very composed Samurai who never showed any emotion, he seemingly was a determined man who gave his all to slay demons, however it seems he enjoyed the company of more expressive people, like his friend Sumiyoshi. However in his advanced age Yoriichi has grown to at least feel some sorrow for his brother Michikatsu, who turned into a demon and thus betrayed the demon slaying path, seeing him crying was something Michikatsu noted he had never seen Yoriichi do before.
  • Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka has an unemotional expression on his face at all times and is the most withdrawn out of the present Hashira.
• Reiko, the antisocial mangaka from Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, hardly ever displays emotion, even with fighting. However, she does not qualify as an Emotionless Girl, because despite her stoic nature it is revealed that the reason she became a member of the Orochi was that she was a failed mangaka and the pressure to succeed was too great, thus showing she did have strong emotions, just does not display them.
• Dragon Ball Z:
  • As an adult, Goku when he's fighting. When he's in a serious battle or fighting someone who is beneath his interest or time he tends to be stone faced, sometimes bordering on uninterested. The latter can be seen with the Ginyu Force where Goku only cracks a smile once.
  • Piccolo at the start of Z. Besides showing annoyance at times, he remains generally calm during a battle. However, Piccolo does show fear and frustration when facing an opponent many times stronger than him. After merging with Kami, he becomes much less stoic and is more open to his emotions.
  • Tien. Besides frustration, he rarely shows any emotion even when badly matched. It helps to make him The Comically Serious. He only shows real anger if Chiaotzu is in danger.
  • Vegeta tries to be this, often wearing a scowl or frowning. But this is largely a front to conceal his inner Hot-Blooded nature, as he is far too passionate and prideful to stay stoic for long and often indulges in trash talking his opponents whenever the opportunity permits. His stoicism also blows away like a balloon in the wind when he has to face an opponent stronger than him, as shown in his fights with Goku, Frieza and Perfect Cell.
  • Turles from Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might is in many ways the cold and controlled Saiyan warrior that Vegeta tries to be. Unlike Vegeta he does not lose his cool when facing stronger opponents (Goku actually has him on the ropes for a bit before he circles back to eat a fruit from the Tree of Might) and while he shares some of Vegeta's Proud Warrior Race Guy traits, he's not proud to the point of irrationality like the Saiyan prince can sometimes be.
  • Much like Vegeta above, Frieza seems to be very much this at first, appearing unfazed by any of the horrible events that transpire in his wake and approaching problems like an academic or professor rather than a megalomaniacal tyrant. But also like Vegeta, this is largely a front, though in his case it masks a personality so dangerously Ax-Crazy as to make Vegeta look like a pillar of mental health. In fact, Frieza's entire reason for being in a weak (relative to his other forms) transformation is because his power comes with a distinct case of With Great Power Comes Great Insanity. The more Frieza transforms, the less stoic and rational he becomes, until by the end he's a frothing, raving caricature of the icy cool emperor viewers first saw. His father and brother both share this front of glacial stoicism, and both of them see it crumble around them just like Frieza.
  • Future Gohan. After over a decade of tragic and pain, Gohan rarely cracks a smile and has a scowl almost permanently embedded on his face.
  • Future Trunks. Unlike his present counterpart, he rarely smiles and is almost always frowning. Given his backstory, this is completely understandable. He does, however, give tender smiles when he's around his mother, Gohan, and when he first meets Vegeta. Also, like his father Vegeta, he becomes much less stoic and serious as he gets to know the Z-Fighters better, though he never loses this aspect entirely.
  • Androids 16, 17, and 18. 17 is the least stoic of the trio since he often wears a cocky smirk. 18 rarely shows any emotion even around her husband. She does opens up and smiles when around her daughter, though. 16 is the most serious, only showing his feelings when around animals. In contrast, future Androids 17 and 18 are completely Ax-Crazy. Ironically enough, Androids 17 and 18 have their roles reversed in the Sequel Series Dragonball Super — Android 18 has pretty much completely defrosted and Android 17 is The Comically Serious.
  • Androids 19 and 20 try to be this, but they fail miserably after Goku and Vegeta reveal their Super Saiyan forms and Piccolo beats the crud out of 20. In 19's case, he even exhibits outright terror, despite being a purely synthetic being.
  • Evil Buu, the form of Buu that was expelled by Fat Buu after healing Mr. Satan when he was shot. Unlike every other form of Buu, including his empowered Super Buu form, he never shows any emotion when fighting. He only starts to smile and laugh manically after eating Fat Buu.

• Taka from Eyeshield 21. Even when leaping into the air with perfect grace, he just looks bored, and finds little interest in the game of football.
  • To a lesser extent, Kakei, Akaba, and Unsui, though they're more reasonably reserved.
  • And then on the other end of the spectrum are Tetsuma and Shin who can be downright robotic.
• Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star may be the archetype from which many other stoic anime heroes came from, as he is first introduced as a man of few words and only mild kindness. As the series progresses, however, he is shown to be quite empathetic.
• Rasen of Flame of Recca. Ridiculously pale complexion, an expression as vacant and empty as that of a corpse, and incapable of speech, so much that he requires telepathy to communicate with others when his deathly stare is insufficient.
• Nanase Haruka of Free! is introduced as the very stoic protagonist but starts cracking around Episode 5. Later we see that he is Not So Stoic at all. Especially when water, Rin or his best friend Makoto are involved.
• Machi Kuragi from Fruits Basket is a version of this. Most of her stoicism stems from being groomed to be "perfect" since a young age, resulting in a seeming lack of any personality or individuality. She's eventually able to show more emotion, but stoic calmness remains as her default.
• Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist.
  • And Scar. It's entire possible that his titular scar has physically damaged his facial muscles and he CAN'T make many other expressions than his generic grimace. Although he does eventually smile, making it more likely that he simply didn't want to.
  • King Bradley, as well. He loves to monologue about how much something angers him while his voice betrays no emotion whatsoever. The only time his facade breaks is in a funeral. His hands were shaking because he was enraged by the crying of the dead man's daughter. That said, he can put on a convincing cheery dictator face, especially when fleeing his body guards. His facade is so strong the 2003 anime switched him from being Wrath to Pride without any issues whatsoever.
• Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex rarely displays much emotion at all, though she is somewhat more emotive in the latter. If you do manage to make her angry, though, be very afraid. Averted in the the original manga, where she's snarky and amused by the antics of her squadmates. She becomes this trope only when things get really serious.
• Naru and his assistant Lin in Ghost Hunt.
• Gintama:
  • The shogun Shigeshige Tokugawa, despite being a Butt-Monkey, has a stern and composed expression at all times, which he never drops even when put into particularly painful and humiliating situations.
  • Isaburo Sasaki, the Commander of the Mimawarigumi, is this as well. Even when he gets wounded or stabbed in the back, he remains perfectly calm.
• Golgo 13. Duke Togo's famous lack of expression whether facing impossible odds or having sex with women is a Running Gag. The only time this changes is when something goes seriously wrong on a hit, which is not often with such a Crazy-Prepared Invincible Hero. In "Telepath", when a bodyguard with Psychic Powers causes Togo to miss his target, someone quips, "I would like to have seen his expression when he missed... I bet it was the first expression he ever had!"
• Gundam:
  • Paptimus Scirocco, the Big Bad of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. In spite of his ability to manipulate emotions and his extreme sensitivity to them as a Newtype, he displays open contempt for the emotional and prides himself on his stoic nature.
  • Trowa Barton from Gundam Wing. After losing his family in the war, Trowa was on his own until about age four and didn't even know how to talk until other humans found him. Even a decade later, he seems surprised when something affects him emotionally (as seen when he cries after being ordered to destroy his friend Duo's Gundam.
  • Gundam Wing protagonist Heero Yuy is also stoic, but calling him The Stoic isn't quite right (Sugar-and-Ice Personality is more appropriate). While he thinks that emotions get you killed on the battlefield, he says they're needed the rest of the time. He exhibits a normal (if subdued) emotional range (surprise◊, fear◊, and happiness◊), and his self-stated life philosophy is "Live by your emotions". Most of the confusion stems from English voice actor Mark Hildreth being told to play the character as stiff and robotic, combined with Flanderization; this is obviously less of a problem in the Japanese version, where Hikaru Midorikawa delivered a subdued but still emotional performance.
  • Setsuna F. Seiei from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is essentially what happens when you merge this trope with the Child Soldier and Hollywood Atheist.
  • Joining the ranks of stoic heroes in the Gundam multiverse are Sven Cal Bayan, Mikazuki Augus, and Hiroto Kuga. Sven used to be a nicer person in his childhood before being recruited to the Earth Alliance, Mikazuki was similar to Setsuna but without the Hollywood Atheist part, and Hiroto used to smile until the death of his previous love interest made him cold to others.
• Silver Knight from .hack//SIGN fits this trope perfectly, breaking character only once during a funny conversation with Mimiru near the end of the series. And then there's .hack//Legend of the Twilight...
• Ai Enma the Hell Girl. Only because her emotions were sealed so she could do her job. Flashbacks show she is just a normal girl.

• Hozuki's Coolheadedness: Hozuki rarely loose his cool, and keep his serious, professional attitude no matter what he is doing or who he is talking to.
• Hetalia: Axis Powers:
  • Norway is generally stonefaced and unflappable, as a part of his design as a "mysterious" and "ethereal" character.
  • Hong Kong tends not to emote often, but he is much more expressive in the current series than he was in his earliest appearances, where he was a Perpetual Frowner.
  • The quiet and calm Japan is this, too, to an extent, although he's proven himself on several occasions to be Not So Stoic.
  • Surprisingly, Belarus can be this at times; in fact, it's one of her most prevalent emotional qualities other than being downright terrifying.
  • Sweden himself is a master of this. Out of all the Nordics, Sweden shows the least outward emotion towards...well, anything.
  • Vietnam is even more qualified then Japan in this category. Not only does she express little emotion, but she is rumoured to not even know how to smile (despite what fan-art may suggest).

• I Think Our Son Is Gay: 13-year-old Yuuri is quiet and always has a neutral expression on his face. He's a bit confused that some of his classmates find it "mysterious" and attractive. His mother notices that he's much more perceptive than he appears and isn't afraid to speak his mind when it's important, though he sometimes struggles to express his emotions.
• Inuyasha: Sesshomaru is an Aloof Big Brother who faces the world with such detached equanimity that he doesn't even hate his brother for lopping off his left arm (he still hates Inuyasha for being a half human though). About the only emotions he'll show are a bit of anger or contempt, and the latter is inherently such a mild, passive emotion it doesn't really contradict being stoic. Sesshomaru's stoicism is such that his humorous little servant Jaken takes it upon himself to sneeze on his behalf, and at one point even weeps in his stead, so that Sesshomaru's dignity need not be compromised by any display of emotion.
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • Battle Tendency:
    • Santana is by far the least emotional of the Pillar Men. None of Joseph's attempts to make him laugh work, and it isn't until right before Joseph defeats him that he finally begins to show emotions.
    • Kars starts as this, seemingly being the most serious of the Pillar Men. However, as the Part progresses, he becomes more and more of a Large Ham with every appearance.
    • Lisa Lisa puts on an air of cool detachment, with not even the knowledge that her pupil, Caesar, has died managing to break her. It isn't until she and Joseph find Caesar's body that she finally lets the façade slip.
  • Jotaro Kujo intentionally shows as little emotion as possible, believing that people will know his mood just by looking at him. Understandably, this leads to a lot of misunderstandings. While there have been moments where Jotaro has shown emotion (especially whenever he's angry), they're usually few and far in between. However, Jotaro's stoicism has also proved to be a fantastic intimidation method when facing enemies, as shown when it allows him to not only win an Absurdly High-Stakes Game of poker, but also drive his opponent, Daniel J. D'Arby, to insanity.
  • Stardust Crusaders:
    • Muhammed Avdol is a downplayed example. While he shown to have no problem showing emotion, and can even be quite Hot-Blooded at times, he seems to prefer to keep a stone-faced calmness.
    • Vanilla Ice is completely emotionless. That is, unless you disrespect DIO is some way.
    • Interestingly, DIO's Stand, The World, is this. While its User is a Large Ham, The World is one of the calmest Stands in the series. This works well as a contrast to the previously mentioned Jotaro, whose Stand, Star Platinum, is a Large Ham.
  • Golden Wind:
    • While Giorno Giovanna has shown emotion a number of times, these are rather rare, with him preferring to observe others instead. Even when near death, he remains calm as he tries to come up with a plan to defeat the enemy.
    • According to narration, Leone Abbachio stopped showing emotion after the Tragic Mistake that got him fired from his job as a police officer. Outside of his moments of extreme anger, he proves to be one of the least emotive members of Team Bucciarati.
    • Illuso manages to keep a calm demeanor throughout his fight against Team Bucciarati. That is, until Purple Haze corners him.
    • Risotto Nero outright states to the rest of La Squarda the they need to remain calm if they wish to achieve victory, and he continues to keep this stone-faced calmness throughout most of the time the audience sees him. It isn't until right when it seems he has the upper hand over Doppio that he finally lets the façade slip.
  • Miraschon from Stone Ocean becomes this after Pucci gives her the Stand, Marilyn Manson, and remains this way until the very end of her fight against the heroes.
  • In battle, Johnny Joestar from Steel Ball Run proves to be one of the most Hot-Blooded of the JoJos, but out of battle, he prefers to keep to himself and let Gyro do the talking.
• Byaku from Kekkaishi is rarely shown exhibiting any emotion, even when fighting for his life against an enemy.
• Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple has Akisame the Warrior Poet, who practically never loses his cool. There's also Shigure, who has smiled only twice so far. (And both times only to Kenichi!)
  • Freya's not on their level yet, but she's probably the member of their generation who comes closest. Natsu might make a good showing, as long as Kenichi stays away from him.
• Arashi from Kurage no Shokudo barely emotes through facial expressions or his voice. It's implied that he's sad about his brother's death like Youtarou is with his brother's. Near the end of the OVA, he does manage a smile at least.

• Aoi Sasaki from The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Justified by her heavy use of antidepressants to deal with severe childhood trauma, which lessen emotional affects both ways.
• Lady!!: Baron Gruffald doesn't show his emotions much and often seems as if he's glaring at Lynn. However, when she demonstrates her equestrian skills, his facial expressions show that he's impressed.
• Paul von Oberstein of Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the best examples of this trope. He's not fazed by anything, be it a necessity to sacrifice two billion people or even his own death.
• Reiji from Linebarrels of Iron, compounded by the fact that he is immune to pain.
• Lupin III has two:
  • Jigen, who is the contrast to the usually Hot-Blooded protagonist. Also a Deadpan Snarker.
  • Goemon, who is silent/medatative, he tends to let his sword do the talking.
• Chrono of Lyrical Nanoha has the same serious expression when he's giving orders, instructions, jokes, compliments, and criticisms, though he mellows out after the Time Skip. According to the Sound Stages, he was even more of a stoic before meeting Amy. He subsequently lightens up more after Fate is adopted into his family as his younger sister, and in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, it's suggested that he's closer to being like a kid than he was in his actual childhood.
  • Signum is another example.
  • Nanoha's older brother Kyoya apparently used to be one, as Nanoha notes that before meeting his girlfriend Shinobu, he didn't smile nearly as much, and afterward, he's considerably more serious than his younger sisters.
• Lantis from Magic Knight Rayearth classifies as this big time! Zagato and Lafarga are also this, though to lesser degrees... well, somewhat.
• Marginal Prince has two of such characters. On the one hand, there is Henri, the local Deadpan Snarker, and then we also have Yenje, who is more the Aloof Big Brother type.
• Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid:
  • Subverted with Kanna. She rarely changes her facial expression and almost always uses a flat and monotone voice, but her body language and actions show a normal range of emotions for a young child.
  • Played straight with Kobayashi, who tends to keep her emotions to herself (as long as she's not drunk). Though she smiles more often as the series progresses.
• Rin Asougi from Mnemosyne, in addition to being a moderate tsundere. Being a regenerating immortal helps a lot, but it doesn't make her quipping stuff like "Count your tools!" to a surgeon who previously vivisected her without anaesthesia before killing him with his own scalpel (which he forgot inside her body, apparently) any less badass. Let alone muttering "It may be too much even for me..." before being sucked into a running airplane jet engine...
• The Medicine Peddler from Mononoke barely displays any emotion at all. The most you can expect is mild irritation or slight bemusement at whatever completely insane Mind Screw terrors the mononoke of the episode decides to conjure up.
• Inspector Lunge of Monster appears to have entirely shut off his emotions — something that makes him an excellent detective, but a horrible husband and father.

• Naruto:
  • Sasuke and his brother Itachi (though Sasuke has a habit of losing his stoicism fairly often).
    • Although he does pull off stoic quite well among his friends. It's made better by his teammates, who both overreact to everything. If something shocking or undesirable is mentioned, it's a sure bet that Naruto and Sakura will start yelling, objecting, and generally flipping out while Sasuke will just sit there impassively. Unfortunately, he loses it when confronted by someone who insulted or attacked the Uchiha clan.
    • In Itachi's case, his stoicism was achieved through a form of "Personal Enlightenment". While Sasuke dwindled on his anger and spite, Itachi accepted everything he did, no matter how unethical it was. In truth, Itachi was a very caring individual, who even mimicked emotions just to keep those closest to him safe.
  • Later on, Sai. Though he smiles, it's just a technique he learned to put people at their ease. He's more of a Spock than The Spock. The fact that he continually puts people down could be his ego fighting to get out.
  • Kakashi and Yamato are also fairly Stoic most of the time.
  • As are Shino and Neji. The former was demonstrated quite humorously when he tried to let Naruto know he was mad at him for not recognizing him after the Time Skip.
  • Shikamaru himself is this in a more apathetic and lazy way, he does give off a smile every once in a while but usually keeps a disinterested expression unless things get serious.
  • Nagato/Pain and Konan definitely fit since the death of Yahiko.
  • Gaara is a perfect example of this.
  • Surprisingly, Naruto tends to pull this off whenever he takes a level in badass.
  • Madara Uchiha. From curbstomping the five Kages to the revival of the Ten Tails, the (quite frankly, crazy) events happening around him rarely evoke much more than a "Meh." and disdainful expression from him.
  • Tobi was this before the mask came off, at least in terms of demeanour. Though he certainly wasn't this as a child. And rapidly becomes less so after he loses the mask and is forced to face up to his past.
  • In the past, Orochimaru was fairly calm and unemotional when he was younger. But since he turned to evil for power and eternal life, obviously something went very wrong in his behaviour.
  • Among all the Hokage's by far the most calm, controlled and frankly underrated one is Tobirama Senju himself.
• Fate Averruncus from Negima! Magister Negi Magi. Even on the one occasion when he actually starts laughing he maintains his bored expression and arrogant disdain for the heroes.
• Gendo Ikari and his subordinate Fuyutsuki from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Rei initially seems like one, but is soon revealed to be more of a Sugar-and-Ice Personality. Here's a few key examples: When Unit 00 was undergoing a test and went berserk, it started punching the wall that Gendo happened to be right beyond, shattering several layers of bulletproof glass, and Gendo, who was less than three feet away from the glass, didn't move an inch, nor did he show any emotion. Also, when Shinji fought Zeruel in Unit 01, Zeruel shot a beam that cut off Unit 01's arm, splattering enough blood on Gendo (Who miraculously only had half his body soaked) to fill up at least one pool. And Gendo, while he looked noticeably worried, never spoke or changed his facial expression from that one.

• Nabuca from Now and Then, Here and There constructs a stoic facade to help him cope with the fact that he's been a mass murderer since the age of five.
• One Piece:
  • Nico Robin; even when she is just as freaked out as the rest of her crew mates are, her expression is normal and neutral. Even Eiichiro Oda states that she is the only one with normal expressions. Though it seems that she is allowing herself to open up more since the Time Skip.
  • Zoro as well, though he tends to have more outbursts than Robin.
  • Dracule Mihawk plays this trope straight, as Robin is seen smiling and chuckling every now and again, although Mihawk once laughed out loud when Zoro begged him for training. However, Bartholomew Kuma out-stoics the both of them, even before he became a mindless machine.
  • Trafalgar Law tries being this. Given that he's forced to spend over one hundred chapters in close proximity to Luffy, however...
• Saitama, from One-Punch Man is usually portrayed as nonchalant throughout the entire series. When he fights monsters, he always has a deadpan look on his face as he one-shots the monster into oblivion. No matter what he does, or who he faces, he doesn't feel anything at all. He has occasionally expressed emotions at various times, but for the most part, he is bored when it comes to a variety of things.
• Mori from Ouran High School Host Club rarely speaks more than a few words, and is seemingly unfazed by anything. This gets lampshaded as it is his main draw for being in the Host Club.
• In Persona 4: The Animation, the Silent Protagonist of Persona 4 is graduated to a speaking character named Yu Narukami. He is depicted in the anime as calm and quiet, if eccentric. His stoic nature is largely Played for Laughs, to the point where even being tossed off a cliff gets almost no reaction from him.
  • In similar vein as above and to his video game counterpart, Makoto Yuki (aka the male protagonist) from Persona 3: The Movie was depicted to this, but his emotionless personality was more towards its traumatic experience as a child. He eventually starts to grow out of it, which could lead to problems in some situations.
• Ping Pong: Smile, in spades. His demeanor hasn't changed since elementary school, and he barely shows any emotion throughout the series.
• Pokémon: The Series:
  • Shinji aka Paul from Diamond and Pearl fits this trope to a T.
  • Bashou/Hun from the "The Legend of Thunder!" special...unless he's trying to kill something, in which case he just gets freakily happy.
  • Ash's Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile from the Hoenn region also counts, as it's always found relaxing somewhere. One of the movie shorts had it resisting the involuntary urge to break into a dance for most of the short, though in the end it starts dancing more energetically than any of the other Pokémon.
    • In every region, Ash will have at least one Pokémon who is always calm and seemingly oblivious to anything happening.
  • Ash's Froakie eventually turns into this as a Greninja, though YMMV if it's stoic or lost personality.
• Kunimitsu Tezuka from The Prince of Tennis. Genichirou Sanada starts like this, but soon we see that he's Not So Stoic.
• Homura of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She tries her best to conceal all her emotions behind a veil of secrecy.
• Aoshi Shinomori from Rurouni Kenshin. Even while he is winning in an intense battle, he shows no facial expressions or emotions.
• Jin of Samurai Champloo is a calm, composed and cultivated samurai to contrast Mugen who behaves like a wild animal.
• Samurai Deeper Kyo's Hishigi is most certainly this trope. Even in the middle of an intense battle with one of the strongest characters in the series, his facial expression barely shifts.
• Kambei Shimada from Samurai 7, "He has the eyes of a dead man." according to a Nobuseri. Kyuzo even more so.
• Tsukasa Takamine from Sasami: Magical Girls Club is passive to the point of almost never blinking. One can't even tell if she's really in a relationship with pseudo-Clingy Jealous Girl An-An or if she's just too passive to even notice.
• Shugo Chara!: Hikaru "This is my normal face. :| This is my face when I am sullen. :| This is my face when I'm having fun. :|"
• Kazuyoshi "Switch" Usui from SKET Dance. Ever since he caused a misunderstanding with a Yandere that got his brother killed, his facial expression never changes. The only emotion he shows is through his text-to-laptop.
• Kannami Yûichi in The Sky Crawlers seems laid back more than anything, but never acts any differently, whether he's gulping beer with his buddies, in the middle of a dogfight or learning that he is an immortal clone-soldier, and has been killed countless of times, only to be resurrected with full set of skills but no personal memories.

• Death the Kid from Soul Eater would count as a Stoic but he has no problem expressing himself so it might be hard to tell. But show him a lop-sided... anything... and he won't remain stoic for long.
  • Harvar definitely counts, being quiet and unemotional. The way he calmly stabs Kim and knocks out Jackie is just creepy.
• Eyes Rutherford from Spiral. The anime version is this: angsts a lot but has absolutely no facial change. In the manga, his first appearances make him a snarky brat who takes glee in creeping out people, but later on he becomes more this. Although he does smile a few times, the one time he cries one tear is a big fucking deal. He in fact decided, as a child, that since crying didn't help at all from losing important things, he was better off a "bloodless, tearless demon". Thus, his much more emotional "best friend" Kanone agreed to cry in his place.
• Toward the Terra pushes this trope to the extreme with Keith Anyan, who only ever seems to emote significantly when being mentally tortured while unconscious. Even when psychics note that his heart is "overflowing with tears," he maintains a cool facade. The most disturbing manifestation of this may be when his subordinate takes a killing blow for him. When Keith revives from his state of near death, his reaction to the dismembered corpse bleeding on the floor next to him is impassive and apparently insensitive, but we later see that the event has fundamentally affected his misanthropic worldview and eventually leads at least in part to his Heel–Face Turn.
• Legato Bluesummers from Trigun, over the course of the show, is completely cold and impassive, even during such exploits as brutally massacring a gang, annihilating a city, and forcing a man to shoot him in the head.
• Minori Ichinose of Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure is much less emotive compared to her teammates and even previous Cures, usually maintaining the same calm demeanor and soft speaking voice regardless of the situation. However, she lets this fall away at certain moments — such as when she screamed when she realized Laura was a real mermaid or when she smiles genuinely, and she is a lot more animated as Cure Papaya or when talking about her interests — but even then, her stoic subtlety stands out against the over-the-top expressions of Manatsu, Sango, Asuka, and Laura.

• Thorfinn of Vinland Saga likes to think he's the Stoic, being gruff and rude to nearly everyone, but in his heart he's as much of a Hot-Blooded Screaming Warrior as any of the other Vikings. His father on the other hand, now he was a true Stoic.

• Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh! (much more so in the anime than in the manga, in which he was prone to maniacal laughter in each duel he played.)
  • An Expy of Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Zane Truesdale (Ryo Marufuji) is certainly this. Protagonist Jaden (Judai) himself becomes this after his Despair Event Horizon in contrast to his earlier mannerisms.
    • Then Yusei Fudo from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds is stoic from the start, but will occasionally let out a small smile. Ironically, his rival Jack, another Kaiba expy, is more emotional at times than the main protagonist. Yusei does show more emotion as time goes by, though.
    • Yu Gi Oh ARCV has many and the most notable ones are an Expy of Kaiba, Reiji Akaba is very calm, collected and a no-nonesense indivdual who rarely shows emotions. The only emotions he ever expressed are anger and burst out laughing after being defeated by Yuya during their final duel. Yuya's Xy Z counterpart Yuto is also more calm, stoic and level-headed compared to his other counterparts who are mostly Large Ham and hot-blooded individuals.
    • Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker the main character from Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, similar to Yusei is The Stoic, no-nonesense engineer and hacker. Yusaku's stoicism stems from his Dark and Troubled Past where he doesn't express any emotions apart from anger but as the show goes on Yusaku gradually became more open with his emotions, thanks to warming up to Ai and spending more time with Takeru has really helped him to deforest.
    • Aoi Zaizen, the main female lead is a rare female example in the franchise. When she is not acting as a Idol Singer in VR world, she is very stoic and reserved in real-life similar to Yusaku and comes off as a girl who is suffering from depression but she gradually grows out of it after her Character Development.
    • Ryoken Kogamai/Revolver and his father Dr.Kogami are very stoic and level-headed scientist and hacker.
    • Jin Kusanagi is a depressed Broken Bird due to his troubled past and comes off as a Emotionless Boy and a Empty Shell due to the trauma he induced during the Lost Incident. But after losing his memories of the Lost Incident, he grows out of it and reverts back to his jovial self.
• Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs: Oboro comes off as an Emotionless Girl, until she starts trusting and confiding in the other residents of Yuragi Inn and their friends. And even then we don't see her smile until chapter #98.

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