History PerpetualFrowner / AnimeAndManga

* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'':

** Along with a [[ClaspYourHandsIfYouDeceive certain pose]], Gendo Ikari is a reliable owner of one of these. While he is occasionally seen smiling, in the vast majority of the cases it is when he smirks in triumph over something going JustAsPlanned. His only truly warm smiles only really ever happens around Rei.
** Likewise Gendo's son Shinji being a {{Angst}} filled [[TheWoobie woobie]] with many mentally issues naturally has a sad frown on his mug 24/7. In the manga when Shinji does smile, Misato his [[ParentalSubstitute caretaker]] immediately takes note of it and she tells Shinji that he's much cuter when he smiles and that he should do it more often.
** Rei Ayanami being the TropeCodifier for EmotionlessGirl naturally has a impassive frown on her face all the time [[spoiler: justified since she's a clone of Shinji's dead mom]]. When Rei [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/66/27/f3/6627f3e21a4f9ea88eceede22e8c60a0.png does smile]] for Shinji (whom is also smiling and crying with happiness over the fact she's not hurt) in Episode 6, it's a SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming.
* Renge from ''Manga/NonNonBiyori'' is affixed with a perpetual half-open eyed frown (with flashbacks showing that she's been like this since she was a baby). Though it's not very indicative of her mood, as she's your average CheerfulChild.
* Try to find canonical pictures of Zoro from ''Franchise/OnePiece'' where he's just smiling happy and friendly-like as opposed to scowling or just [[SlasherSmile smirking]]. ''It's very hard.''
** Especially recently, though. He used to smile and laugh quite frequently in [[CharacterizationMarchesOn early appearances]]. It gets rarer after he loses to Mihawk. In the Arlong Arc, Sanji notes that Zoro developed a bad temper after he lost to Mihawk, so this change is very, very intentional on Oda's part.
*** It's gotten to the point where [[https://external-preview.redd.it/SVEmdNIBBzvc1WEfDcsSXUaik4DeSYm3GLlpXAmrIfE.jpg?width=704&auto=webp&s=886a35368d5b0d79bec402ab60b2fc604e0b9ece Sanji]] and [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/03/50/dc/0350dc9cd2892e7dc67fcdf8db8b82dc.jpg random strangers]] literally [[FingerForcedSmile force Zoro to curl his lips up]] because otherwise he just ain't doing it.

** Similar case with Tashigi. She smiled a lot early on, but after some bad experiences in Alabasta, likely disillusioning her in many important ways, she generally looks either impassive or rather miserable.
*** She smiles again after taking care of the giant children at the end of the Punk Hazard arc.

* [[TheDragon Kokushibo]] from ''Manga/DemonSlayer'' is never seen smiling.

* Kyōtarō Ichikawa from ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' is typically scowling on default, as fitting of his negative personality. The handful of smiles he makes are usually awkwardly forced. Even throughout his kindergarten and elementary school days, he consistently had a blank, neutral expression and his graduation book doesn't appear to have so much as a smirk in any photos.

** Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh''. This was commented on in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', with Yugi remarking "Every time Kaiba smiles, a puppy dies.". The latter's expression does lighten occasionally but otherwise pulls off the 'stern' expression 90% of the time.

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Judging by it's visible facial muscles, the Colossial Titan is trying to scowl even if it doesn't have a face.

* In ''LightNovel/MyTeenRomanticComedySNAFU'', the anime version of Hachiman Hikigaya nearly always has his eyebrows in a knit. He does smile but usually it's a wry smile.

* Lucy from ''Manga/ElfenLied'' combines this with HiddenEyes.

* The title character of ''Manga/Golgo13'' fame is one of the trope's fathers.
* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'': Kageyama fits this trope to the point that he even looks angry when he's doing mundane things such as trying to decide what drink to get from a vending machine. In one episode of season 4, a boy watches him frowning to himself and figures he must be plotting something when he's actually thinking about buying t-shirts.

* ''Anime/KotouraSan'': Kumiko Kotoura, paired with DullEyesOfUnhappiness.

* As mentioned above, Athrun Zala from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed''.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':

* Ichimatsu from ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'', though he becomes increasingly NotSoStoic as the show goes on.

* Saionji from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' fits this trope to a t, given that his life has been a bit... complicated.
* Mugen from ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' always has a nasty, twisted, "don't trust anybody/ya wanna mess with me?" look on his face. Unless [[BigEater presented with food]].
** Jin as well, since he's TheStoic.

* Does ''Manga/BlackButler's'' William T. Spears ever smile?
** He laughs once, in the ''Ciel in Wonderland'' OVA. [[NightmareFuel And no, you don't want to see it.]]

* Among several others, Tien, Piccolo and Vegeta were the three biggest Perpetual Frowners in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. The only things they did with their arms were punching, lifting, push-ups and crossing over the chest. Though Vegeta does crack a smile every now and then in the form of an arrogant smirk (and the occasional [[PsychoticSmirk evil grin]] during his scenes as a villain).
** Piccolo got the occasional grin as well, mainly when interacting with Gohan -- even with the eyebrows up at least once (during his death in DBZ.) Vegeta, however, had somehow managed to master scowling even when asleep or unconscious.

** Jiren from ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' also qualifies. Goes with his quiet personality.

* Scar from ''Franchist/FullmetalAlchemist'' has smiled a grand total of three times in the entire anime. He also smiles once in the [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist manga]], in the Ishvalan refugee camp when he is told that there are many survivors of the genocide in camps all over the country.

* Let's see... constantly frowning? Check. Arms often crossed? Check. Tragic backstory? Check. Frowns even when he's sleeping? At least sometimes. Certainly does it when he's coming out of the shower. Yup, Fakir from ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' is definitely an example of this trope.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Homura Akemi. At least [[BrokenBird she's got a lot of reason to]].
* Xanxus from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' is in a permanently bad mood and nearly always scowling, but his smile is even ''more'' frightening.

* Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh''. This was commented on in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', with Yugi remarking "Every time Kaiba smiles, a puppy dies.". The latter's expression does lighten occasionally but otherwise pulls off the 'stern' expression 90% of the time.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** Kaiser Ryo. Oddly enough, his FaceHeelTurn to Hell Kaiser caused him to ''smile''... [[SlasherSmile evilly, with a touch of insanity]].
** Edo is initally introduced as the opposite of this trope, but as we get to see more and more of him, his smiles become much rarer. He's serving as the ShadowArchetype of Judai after all.
** Edo's new Ace Monster, Destiny HERO Bloo-D/[[DubNameChange Plasma]], takes this trope up to eleven, who is always depicted with an angry expression on his face.

* Scar from ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' has smiled a grand total of three times in the entire anime. He smiles once in the [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist manga]], in the Ishvalan refugee camp when he is told that there are many survivors of the genocide in camps all over the country.

* Constanze from ''Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia'' is perpetually grumpy and gloomy, and it's implied she suffers from some sort of AmbiguousDisorder. However, at the end of one episode she did [[WhenSheSmiles give a radiant smile]] to Akko.

* Numerous characters in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', including the protagonist Eren Yeager, Annie Leonhart, Levi, and [[spoiler: Eren Kruger]]. [[CrapsackWorld They all have very good reasons]].

** [[FieryRedhead Nove]] in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', whose expression is [[GrumpyBear always in some form of angry]], and maybe some bits of embarrassment. In fact, fans reacted with shock when the artwork for an audio drama showed her with a slight smile on her face. She would later [[TookALevelInCheerfulness lose this characteristic]] after a few years of being HappilyAdopted.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'': Kirei Kotomine smiles very rarely and usually has an emotionless expression on his face. Considering it's a prequel to ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', people who started with ''stay night'' first, learn how he went from a PerpetualFrowner to a PerpetualSmiler. And indeed, every time Kotomine smiles in ''Fate/Zero'', it's always a wicked smile.

* Sagara Sousuke from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic''. He is described numerous times to be a very attractive boy... except for the problem that he looks perpetually angry, with his eyebrows slanting down and lips pressed firmly in a grim straight line, giving him a ''very'' unapproachable appearance. He's actually pretty well known for never smiling in the story. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sousuke_smile.jpg Here's his attempt at trying to, for the sake of his photo ID.]] Though more unnervingly, one of the few times he's shown to smile naturally [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/full_metal_panic_sigma/v05/c019/24.html can be seen here.]] Yikes, Sousuke, you SociopathicHero, you.

* Gwendal in ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' is an extreme example, even other characters comment on his perpetual frowning.

* Aur from ''LightNovel/MaouNoHajimekata'' has this as his default look, properly portraying the kind of man he is; although he sometimes makes gentle expressions towards those he has recruited, mostly women, even flat out manipulating his facial structure with magic to give those who meets him for the first time a false impression that he is a benevolent man.

** Edo's new Ace Monster, Destiny HERO Bloo-D/[[DubNameChange Plasma]], takes this trope UpToEleven, who is always depicted with an angry expression on his face.

* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'': Kageyama fits this trope to the point that he even looks angry when he's doing mundane things such as trying to decide what drink to get from a vending machine. In one episode of season 4, a boy watches him frown to himself and figures he must be plotting something when he's actually thinking about buying t-shirts.

* Constanze from ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' is perpetually grumpy and gloomy, and it's implied she suffers from some sort of AmbiguousDisorder. However, at the end of one episode she did [[WhenSheSmiles give a radiant smile]] to Akko.

* Satsuki from ''Anime/KillLaKill'' often has a scowl on her face. Ryuko once even referred to her as a "perpetually frowning, [[BigOlEyebrows caterpillar-eyebrow]] bitch." If she's smiling, it's not so much a smile, it's a smirk.

* Tetsuma Jou, receiver for the Seibu Wild Gunmen from ''Manga/Eyeshield21'', has had a permanent serious frown on his face from (at least) the tender age of four. Although he did once adopt an expression of raging, unholy killing intent when [[spoiler:Gaou [[BerserkButton broke Kid's arm]],]] if that counts as a change.

** Likewise Gendo's son Shinji being a {{Angst}} filled [[TheWoobie woobie]] with many mentally issues naturally has a sad frown on his mug 24/7. In the manga when Shinji does smile, Misato his [[ParentalSubstitute caretaker]] immediately takes note of it and she tells Shinji he's much cuter when smiles and he should do it more often.

* [[TheRival Paul]] in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, which is probably fitting of his nature as StopHavingFunGuys incarnate.

* Jotaro Kujo (pictured to the right) from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' hardly ''ever'' smiles throughout the series. (In fact, one of the few times he does, it's because he's inches away from losing his mind.)

%%%

%%%

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jotaro_acrylic.png]]]]

----

* Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh''. This was commented on in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', with Yugi remarking "Every time Kaiba smiles, a puppy dies."
** Could we argue that Yami is one of these too? His face seems to be stuck that way. Even when he's happy he's frowning!
*** The latter's expression does lighten occasionally, but otherwise pulls of the 'stern' expression 90% of the time. Applies to a good number of the cast.

*** His new Ace Monster, Destiny HERO Bloo-D/[[DubNameChange Plasma]], takes this trope UpToEleven, who is always depicted with an angry expression on his face.

* Renge from ''Manga/NonNonBiyori'' is affixed with a perpetual half-open eyed frown. Though it's not very indicative of her mood, as she's your average CheerfulChild.