Top 10 Anime Characters That Daydream a Lot

One of the best ways to connect visual storytelling with an audience is through a character’s dreams. Through various imaginings, we can better understand a character’s habits and emotions at the time.

Especially in anime, the daydreaming character has become something of a trope, staring off into space while imagining something radical that might happen in their lives. Yet sometimes there are characters that spend most of their time in these daydream fantasies, so much so that it has become an integral part of who they are! Today at Honey’s Anime, we will be focusing on these characters. No matter what it is they’re thinking about, our daydream fanatics use their wild imaginations to help them figure out other people and decide what actions they should take next.


10. Shino Amakusa from Seitokai Yakuindomo

  • Episodes: 13
  • Air Date: January 2014 – March 2014

For the student council of Ousai Private Academy, each year is much the same as the last, even with senior members graduating and moving on. The girls of the group are just as crazy as ever – and Takatoshi Tsuda, as vice president, is still stuck dealing with their unusual activities! With a couple of new girls joining in the club’s weird mix, Takatoshi sure has a lot to handle this year. Plenty of events happen in the student council, and almost none of them are normal! Can Takatoshi keep up with the rest of the club members this year?

In Seitokai Yakuindomo, Shino Amakusa serves as the student council president, the most prominent member of the group. She is extremely intelligent, but just as equally perverted. Shino spends a great deal of time thinking inappropriate thoughts, especially about Takatoshi. However, her habits have not prevented her from achieving accomplishments in both studies and social situations. Shino is popular among her classmates, despite her perverted tendencies.


9. Resasuke from Aggressive Retsuko (Aggretsuko)

  • Episodes: 10
  • Air Date: April 2018

Retsuko seems like a quiet office worker, but her calm façade masks a secret frustration. She is unsatisfied with her job and where she is at with her life – so to cope with these tensions, she sings heavy metal karaoke at night! Of course, she doesn’t want any of her coworkers to know her secret hobby… As Retsuko learns how to deal with relationships and her own personal growth, she will discover that staying true to who you are is more important than keeping up appearances. And sometimes, death metal might lead you to your closest friends!

Like Retsuko, Resasuke is a red panda, one that spends most of his time at work daydreaming. He is known as “Space Cadet” by his coworkers and doesn’t interact with anyone else much. When he meets Retsuko, the two find they have a lot in common and end up dating for a time. He is a kind person, even if he is often so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice the feelings of others around him immediately. Resasuke is a classic example of a daydreamer that has closed himself off from reality completely.


8. Ayumu “Osaka” Kasuga from Azumanga Daioh

  • Episodes: 26
  • Air Date: April 2002 – October 2002

For Chiyo Mihama, high school came a little earlier in life! The 10-year-old genius certainly stands out from her classmates – but she is in one of the most unusual homeroom classes in general. Chiyo meets a strange cast of characters, including the energy-filled Tomo Takino, short-tempered Koyomi Mizuhara, cat-obsessed Sakaki, and a transfer student named Ayumu Kasuga who spends her time daydreaming. Chiyo and her new friends go through the craziness of life together. Most of their adventures are filled with laughter and friendship. And though sometimes they can deal with hardship, the friendship that these girls have found will keep them going!

Called “Osaka” for her hometown origins, Ayumu doesn’t act like a typical girl from the area! She spends much of her time in her own head, daydreaming about things around her. Osaka has a particular fascination with Chiyo’s pigtails, often dreaming about strange things involving them. Her brain is filled with these unusual ideas, though she is quiet and calm in appearance. Osaka does not do well in most of her classes, though she excels at riddle-solving – both aspects of her personality that are directly impacted by the amount of time she spends daydreaming.


7. Orihime Inoue from Bleach

  • Episodes: 366
  • Air Date: October 2004 – March 2012

When Ichigo Kurosaki’s family is attacked by an evil spirit known as a Hollow, he must take a wounded Soul Reaper’s powers in order to protect everyone. After the fight, the injured Soul Reaper, named Rukia Kuchiki, cannot take her powers back, so Ichigo must continue to fight Hollows in her stead. Though it seems a daunting task at first, he is soon joined by fellow classmates and friends who also have their own unique ways of fighting. However, the group will soon find that Hollows are not their only enemy. What is in store for Ichigo’s future?

Orihime Inoue is one of Ichigo’s classmates at Karakura High School and develops a crush on Ichigo. Even though Orihime has great perceptive abilities when it comes to other people, she also tends to space out quite a bit. She works hard to improve her combat techniques so that she will not be a burden to anyone, especially Ichigo. Her overactive imagination helps in that she is able to think outside the box as well. Orihime is one of the most put-together daydreamers on our list, as her spiritual awareness and imagination help her fight evil spirits.


6. Ai Fuyuumi from Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru (Oreshura)

  • Episodes: 13
  • Air Date: January 2013 – March 2013

After Eita Kidou’s family fell apart due to the infidelity of his parents, Eita gave up on love. He focused all his efforts on studying, striving to become a doctor someday. When the most popular girl at school, Masuzu Natsukawa, notices Eita’s apathy toward love, she asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Masuzu has become tired of being the object of everyone’s attention, so she blackmails Eita into a fake romance! Unfortunately for Eita, this new relationship will garner him plenty of unwanted attention and distractions…

Ai Fuyuumi is Eita’s childhood friend, and she has been interested in Eita for quite some time. She has a bit of a temper, though she tends to shout things no matter what her current emotion might be! Ai often daydreams about herself and Eita together and keeps all her dreams about this subject written in a notebook, which even contains a haphazard marriage contract she once made Eita sign. Because of this obsession with Eita, she is jealous of Masuzu and the other girls for spending so much time with him. Even with Ai’s delusions of romance, she is motivated to work hard in order to make her imaginings come true.



5. Tomoko Kuroki from Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! (WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s

  • Episodes: 12
  • Air Date: July 2013 – September 2013

Tomoko Kuroki feels more prepared to start high school than most people – after all, she’s been through it about 50 simulated times! Despite her preparations, Tomoko is about to find out that she knows nothing about what high school is like. She’s actually quite awkward and introverted, understanding little of what it takes to be social. This is a new world for Tomoko, one she hopes to conquer. Will the walls she has put up be torn down, or simply reinforced?

Tomoko is truly one-of-a-kind in many ways, including in the level of her daydreaming delusions. She is so caught up in the various simulations that she has gone through that it is difficult for her to accept reality and communicate well with her new classmates. Tomoko sometimes daydreams in rather dark ways, even imagining herself crashing on a motorcycle. She has spent so much time alone on the Internet that she is unaware of what is socially acceptable to say in public. Tomoko lives in a world of her own, one that is vastly different from reality!


4. Tanaka from Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless)

  • Episodes: 12
  • Air Date: April 2016 – June 2016

Tanaka is known among his classmates for being listless. He enjoys his lifestyle, falling asleep anywhere he happens to be and not paying attention to much of anything except his own wandering thoughts. Of course, Tanaka could only enjoy his lethargic life with the help of his friend Oota. Avoiding any and all situations where he might have to expend energy, Tanaka goes about his days. Will he truly be able to keep up his peaceful and quiet existence forever?

Tanaka is an apathetic student, and you can clearly see it written on his face, with eyes that never seem to be focused on anything at all. Everything about him screams lazy, from his hairstyle to the bland clothes he picks out to wear each day. Tanaka can seem heartless, but it is apparent he cares about his friend and family. He doesn’t want to pay attention to anything, but when he does put effort into something his unusual ideas are actually quite clever! Tanaka would love to live his life as easily as possible, but it is only through the help of his friend and family that he is able to daydream his way through school and studies.


3. Juvia Lockser from Fairy Tail

  • Episodes: 175
  • Air Date: October 2009 – March 2013

Fairy Tail is the most infamous magic guilds in the land of Fiore, standing out because of the members’ emphasis on family and strength of heart. However, they are also known for being one of the rowdiest guilds… From the beginning, Lucy Heartfilia has dreamed of joining in Fairy Tail’s adventures. Wandering aimlessly to find someone who can help her get in, Lucy meets Natsu Dragneel and his friend Happy, who are already members of Fairy Tail. And thus their crazy journey together begins!

Gifted in water manipulation, Juvia Lockser joined Fairy Tail after her old guild was defeated and disbanded. She joins Natsu’s group in many adventures and battles, mostly because her crush, Gray Fullbuster, is one of the key parts of this gang. Juvia follows Gray around as much as possible, obsessing over him. She can be rather shy around him, but her fantasies often blend so much into her reality that Juvia can act strangely in response to attention! However, it is because of Juvia’s obsessive crush that her power can sometimes amplify, usually in situations where Gray is hurt or threatened. She undergoes a lot of growth, both as a person and as a magic wielder, throughout Fairy Tail’s many seasons.


2. Fuko Ibuki from Clannad

  • Episodes: 23
  • Air Date: October 2007 – March 2008

Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent, one who holds no value for his own future. But one day when he is walking to school, he encounters a strange girl talking to herself. The girl’s name is Nagisa Furukawa, and she is a classmate who has had a hard life, holding her back a year in school. She decides that she and Tomoya are now friends, though he pays no attention to her at first. Yet as he learns more about Nagisa and her dream to revive the school drama club, Tomoya begins to realize that maybe his life could be worth something after all.

Fuko Ibuki is one of the girls helping Tomoya and Nagisa to revitalize the drama club. Fuko is definitely the most childish girl in the group! She has spent a great deal of her life “sleeping,” and has lost track of real time as a result. Most of Fuko’s daydreams are about starfish, which she has a fixation on, and she often refers to herself in the third person. Though Fuko’s story is sad, she remains in her own little world, making herself happy surrounded by starfish.


1. Tamaki Suoh from Ouran Koukou Host Club (Ouran High School Host Club)

  • Episodes: 26
  • Air Date: April 2006 – September 2006

At the prestigious Ouran High School, students of rich and famous backgrounds come to study and be pampered at the same time. When Haruhi Fujioka is accepted into the school on academic scholarship, she thinks this will be the perfect place for her to rigorously study. But when she stumbles upon the Host Club in Music Room #3, Haruhi is completely taken aback by the group’s over-the-top spectacle. Trying to avoid the gaze of the handsome club members in her escape, Haruhi accidentally knocks an expensive vase over! She is forced into becoming a part of the Host Club in order to pay off her debt, but just what sort of things does the Host Club get up to in this rich playground?

Tamaki Suoh is the president of the Ouran High School Host Club, and well deserving of our top place with his wild imagination! Tamaki can be a bit of an idiot, especially around Haruhi, but the poise he shows when entertaining as a host is charming and practiced. He is rather naïve about a great many things, as many of the rich students are, but his naivety extends even a bit further than the others, to common parts of everyday life. Tamaki is a big dreamer, which he seems to have inherited from his mother. He daydreams about a great many ridiculous things, though most of his imaginings involve himself and Haruhi as his feelings for her grow.


Final Thoughts

Reality can sometimes put us in places we don’t want to be, and so we daydream of faraway places and people we can’t reach. In the anime world, there are plenty of characters who daydream for some sort of difference in their lives – and some of their daydreams can be quite eccentric!

Who are some of your favorite anime characters that often get lost in daydreams? Can you think of any others who deserve a spot on our list? Please let us know in the comments section below!

Tanaka-kun-wa-Itsumo-Kedaruge-Sentai-700x418 Top 10 Anime Characters That Daydream a Lot

Writer

Author: Meghan May Dellinger

Konnichiwa! I'm a writer/daydreamer who gets a little lost along the path of life from time to time. I love watching anime and playing all kinds of video games - everything from RPGs to first-person shooters. I hope to be an author someday, but until then, I'll share my words with the world any way I can! I love making new friends, so don't be afraid to leave a comment!

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