Just because an anime is dark doesn’t mean it can’t be funny. In fact, there’s a good number of anime out there that balance their existential dread and overt horrors with a comic relief character or two.
If these characters aren’t inherently comedic, they’re usually the kind of comic relief who find themselves at the receiving end of every joke or unfortunate situation. Either way, these characters shine a much-needed light in some otherwise bleak stories.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
10 Dorohedoro — Jonson’s Mere Existence Is Comically Hard To Fathom
To be fair, there is nothing ordinary in Dorohedoro; Caiman having a lizard head is arguably one of the tamest of sorcery to occur in The Hole. And then there’s Jonson, a giant humanoid cockroach that’s first introduced when it tried to brutally attack Caiman and is last seen in its debut episode devouring the corpse of its previous handler.
Things took a turn for the comically weird when, just one episode later, Jonson is shown as a member of The Hole’s baseball team. Jonson can only yell its designated name and “Shocking!,” though it’s capable of independent thought. Johnson isn’t naturally funny, but its existence is just that unexpected and weird, even by Dorohedoro’s standards.
9 Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex — The Tachikomas Are Practically Section 9’s Kids
Life for Section 9 is anything but a cakewalk. When they’re not dealing with deadly cyber terrorists and other such extremists, they’re questioning the futility of their lives and existence in a world where dehumanization is the norm. The only ones who barely mind this sense of foreboding are the childlike Tachikomas, Section 9’s sentient combat droids.
The Tachikomas may be childish, but they’re a lot smarter and introspective than they let on. Despite becoming self-aware and realizing the world’s faults, the Tachikomas continued to help Major Kusanagi while also having fun. Further cementing their status as indispensable comic relief are their omake shorts “Tachikomatic Days” and their own stand-alone episodes.
8 Baccano! — Isaac Dian & Miria Harvent Bumbled Into Conflicts Bigger Than They Realized
When Baccano! isn’t focused on ancient immortals killing each other, it switches to a timeline where criminal gangs fight one another for turf or wealth. Amidst all that violence that’s only broken by the occasional streak of dark comedy are Isaac and Miria, a pair of bumbling thieves who live in their own world.
Isaac and Miria are an outlaw couple whose crimes are so nonsensical that authorities don’t even bother going after them. Any time they pop up, everyone else in the cast is either confused or amused by their shenanigans. Not only did they accidentally get involved in the anime’s biggest conflicts, but they also became immortal through sheer luck.
7 Black Lagoon — Bao Is The (Un)Luckiest Guy In Roanapur
Roanapur is the world’s worst criminal cesspool, and it’s dominated by career criminals, ruthless killers, and sociopathic masterminds. Despite that, Bao thought it would be the perfect place to start his business, the Yellow Flag bar. Unsurprisingly, the combination of alcohol and gun-slinging patrons always led to property damage.
The Yellow Flag has been blown up more times than anyone could remember, and Bao somehow managed to recover and rebuild every time. The destruction of his business has become so routine that he’s more annoyed than anything else whenever a gunfight breaks out, making his predicament all the more hilarious.
6 Re:Zero — Natsuki Subaru’s Clumsiness Is One Of This Dark Isekai’s Few Light Spots
Re:Zero came out at the height of the isekai boom, but unlike its contemporaries, it’s anything but a fun and exciting power fantasy. Natsuki Subaru’s life in another world is more of a nightmare and a cautionary tale than wish-fulfilling escapism, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to some much-needed moments of levity.
Regardless of how many times he repeated a timeline through Return By Death, Subaru is still a newcomer in Lugnica, meaning he’s still clueless about everything. When he’s not engaging in silly fish-out-of-water hijinks, Subaru finds himself at the mercy of his friends’ capacity for comedy, such as Ram’s biting sarcasm or Emilia’s denseness.
5 Cowboy Bebop — Ed & Ein Were Just Having Fun On The Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is about a lot of things, such as revenge, regret, empty nostalgia, and more heartbreaking feelings. Amidst all that are the hacker Ed and the corgi Ein, the Bebop’s youngest crewmembers who are also the anime’s most energetic and eccentric characters. Individually they can be quite a lot to handle, but together, all manner of fun chaos ensues.
Ed and Ein brought a childlike glee to the galaxies, that, while populated with people, are devoid of connection. In fact, the anime evolved from a crime drama to something of a sitcom after Ed and Ein joined the Bebop’s crew and goofed off on it. The moment Ed and Ein left and never looked back, Cowboy Bebop became darker and more somber than usual.
4 Junji Ito Collection — Souichi Tsujii Is Hilariously Inept At Being Evil
Junji Ito Collection is an anthological adaptation of horror maestro Junji Ito’s shorter stories and, unsurprisingly, almost all of this anime’s episodes are bleak and existentially harrowing. The rare exception is literally any episode starring Souichi, a comically edgy kid who’s more of a walking punchline than a horror villain.
Souichi isn’t evil, and his schemes amount to little more than pranks motivated by the pettiest of reasons. For example, he cast curses on his classmates in Episode 1 because he thought their fearful reactions would be funny. Additionally, all his plans backfire hilariously, with him always getting a taste of his own medicine.
3 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba — Inosuke Hashibira Is Hilariously Bad At Social Interactions
Demon Slayer may be a shonen anime, but it can get so dark that it borders on seinen territory. Tanjiro Kamado’s journey to revert his sister Nezuko back to human is paved in bloodshed and difficult choices, which is what makes Inosuke’s membership in the Demon Slayer Corps such a fun change of pace.
Born in the wild, Inosuke is clueless about civilization and customs, leading him to excitedly overreact to anything that mildly fascinates him. That, or he headbutts anything and anyone that either confuses him or gets on his nerves. His determination to fight whichever being is “the strongest in the land” makes for a fun contrast to Tanjiro’s tragic cause.
2 Attack On Titan — Sasha Braus Just Wanted To Eat Anything & Everything
Attack On Titan was initially about humanity’s last bastions fending off the Titan threat that was bearing down on their walls, and it still managed to have a comedic icon in Sasha. Known to Survey Corps and the fanbase as “Potato Girl” because of her seeming addiction to potatoes, Sasha was one of the few bright spots in a very bleak anime.
There’s actually a sad reason behind Sasha’s eating habits, but that didn’t stop her from hoarding all the food she could get or going nuts at the sight of meat or seafood. Rewatches are made even more fun when trying to spot what Sasha’s up to in the background. Sasha was such a bright spot that her death signaled the beginning of the anime’s darkest arc.
1 Death Note — Ryuk Enjoyed Kira’s Rampage From The Sidelines
In Death Note, Light Yagami used the titular notebook to enact his twisted justice on the world. Joining him on his crusade is the Shinigami Ryuk, but he’s only an enabler at worst. Beyond telling Light how the Death Note worked, all Ryuk did was watch Light lose himself to his delusions of godhood, enjoying the ride the whole time.
When he’s not egging Light to do something funny (read: deadly), Ryuk’s munching apples, suffering from an apple withdrawal, or providing the silliest commentary Light never asked for. In an anime defined by sociopathic masterminds and complex mind games, the otherworldly Ryuk is oddly one of Death Note’s most humane characters.
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