17+ Types Of Anime Clichés You're Always Bound To See

Types of anime cliches, where they come from, how they come about, and why they exist.

Let’s talk about all of it.

Some of them are:

Old school.
New school.
Bearable.
Accepted.

And still get a laugh out of anime fans to this day.

Here’s a list.

1. The famous “sweat drop”

The sweat drop animation has been in anime for decades at this point, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

The sweat drop indicates a few things about anime characters and the scenes they find themselves in.

Like:

The anime character is nervous.
The anime character is scared.
It’s an awkward moment.
Characters don’t know how to react.
When a character is misunderstood or has no words to say.

It’s the type of anime cliche people love.

2. Anime characters with an insane appetite

The anime Slayers shows this from the 1990s. Lina Inverse and Gourry, her “protector” have some of the biggest appetites in all of anime history for “human” characters.

Then there’s Luffy from One Piece who can eat a Horse and still demand more food.

Then there’s Goku, Vegeta, and every other Saiyan, or how about Yamato from Kantai Collection?

This type of anime cliche is famous and to this day, will make anime fans laugh a little if done right.

3. The chivalrous male character

You know the type of anime character I’m talking about. The guy who’s chivalrous with women, and sometimes may even be a massive SIMP for women. Though I hate to say it.

Sometimes this type of male character has this kind of upbringing, and so that’s just how they are around women. And aren’t at all being pretentious or trying to gain something underhanded.

But it’s a type of common anime cliche.

4. The “ara ara” anime girl

Akeno from High School DxD is an obvious choice. The mother in the anime series Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two Hit Target Attacks? is another female character who loves saying “Ara Ara”.

Kurumi Tokisaki from Date A Live is another one, but she’s also a Yandere as well.

Satou’s Aunt in Happy Sugar Life is a classic one.

Many of these cliches are attached to certain girls or adult women in anime.

5. The Loli who’s 100x older than she looks

The female demon in the anime The World God Only Knows is an obvious example of this type of character.

Rory Mercury is a classic choice when talking about types of Loli’s and those who are 100x older than they seem.

Sophie Twilight from the slice of life series: Ms. Vampire Who Lives In My Neighborhood is also a lot older than she looks, given her height and physique.

6. The shounen character who gets a powerup or transformation

Whether it’s DEKU getting a power boost throughout the anime at various points, including during his training. Or whether it’s Goku getting the power of UI during the tournament that will decide the “fate” of the universe.

Or whether it’s Lina Inverse from Slayers who learns a new type of magic spell (without plot armour).

The list is long for this one.

Transformations and new powerups are part of anime and is indeed a type of anime cliche.

7. The sound of blades crossing in a swordfight

We see this so often that it’s no wonder it’s a cliche. Whether it’s an anime series like Rurouni Kenshin where two swordsmen cross blades, or whether it’s a less-known shounen or action series where two blades cross paths.

The source doesn’t matter, only that the sound of two blades crossing in a swordfight is a common cliche that won’t go away.

8. Biting lips, hands, or clenching fists to the point of bleeding

Eren Yaeger from Attack On Titan in the early stages of the anime series. This was common back then in the franchise.

Fist clenching whether it be in Naruto, Bleach, or some other more modern anime series is a cliche that’s been running longer than the royal family.

But unlike the royal family, it will continue on without any sign of slowing down.

9. That childhood sweetheart who confesses their feelings too late

Kosaki Onodera was “best girl”, arguably, in the anime series Nisekoi. She’s the childhood friend of Ichijou Raku, but never confesses her feelings despite liking him for so many years.

Then Chitose Kirisaki comes along, a girl who’s family are rival gangs of Ichijou’s family, and they both play the role of a “fake” relationship but end up catching feelings for each other.

This type of cliche can be seen in the anime Boarding School Juliet, and too many others to name.

Relevant: Why The Best Girl Tends To Lose In Anime

10. The occasional nose bleeds

In the early stages of Naruto, you had a lot of nosebleeds. Especially when it came to Naruto using his “sexy jutsu” technique, making his sensei bleed out the nose in a dramatic fashion.

You also had this in DBZ and many older anime.

But relatively newer anime like D-Frag also have nosebleeds from female characters, which is more of a common thing in newer anime.

11. Villains or MCs giving speeches that last too long

Frieza had the famous speech from DBZ that lasted episodes, as well as Goku who initiated it. And that became a meme in itself.

Or you could say Sora from No Game No Life with his big speech, though that was more of a motivational speech. Madara’s speech or Pain’s speech in Naruto is a classic.

Ochako Uraraka’s speech from My Hero Academia was a good one, and admittedly it wasn’t overdone.

This type of cliche is common.

12. Villains going from savage to CUTE after being defeated

Hibana is a perfect example of this. She starts out as this villain who’s associated with Iris, who’s the opposite. Hibana goes on a spree, causing problems, and is villainous.

This all changes when Shinra Kusakabe beats Hibana, then she becomes all cute and star-eyed.

A cliche like this happens often, especially with characters who may be “Loli” like, or powerful in some other way before being tamed.

13. All-powerful Loli’s

A follow up from the last point, you have anime characters, Loli’s, who fit a type of cliche.

That cliche is them being much more powerful than they look. You could say Krul Tepes fits this role from Owari No Seraph, or Jucerino from the anime Peach Boy Riverside.

The latter is extremely dangerous but acts like an innocent child until angered.

You have an element of this in the anime series The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated.

14. Cute girls doing cute things (or making it look cute)

Lycoris Recoil would fit the bill for “making it look cute”. You have Chisato, and then you have Takina. Both are gun-wielding cute girls who make what they do seem more innocent than it is.

Then you have anime like K-On, which basically started the whole cute girls doing cute things trope. And of course, Azumanga Diaoh is the king of this type of anime cliche.

15. Bland MCs and their harems

Whether it be Issei from High School DxD, or even Shido Itsuki who’s one of the most bland characters around. The bland MC with his harem trope is a common one.

The MC is normal and standard. Nothing special. But then somehow, some way, they attract all the hottest women the world has to offer and they’re dense as F.

16. Plot armour

Unfortunately, the anime series Twin Star Exorcist is an example of a series with plot armour. It’s different by design as a Shonen, but it does have its flaws.

You also have some form of plot armour in the anime series Fairy Tail, and the power of friendship plays a role in this.

When an anime character overcomes impossible odds that if it were in real life would never happen, that’s when you know this type of cliche is active.

Relevant: The Best Anime Shows With The LEAST Plot Armor