What Is “Oniichan”? Here Are The Best Oniichan Characters in Anime

1. Taihei Doma/Himouto! Umaru-chan

2. Tatsuya Shiba/The Irregular at Magic High School

Tatsuya is the main protagonist of the series and is depicted as a highly skilled and powerful magician who enrolls in First High School, a magic high school. This guy is built like a unit, at only 5’11 (according to the wiki), Tatsuya has an athletic build.

Tatsuya’s analytical are pretty scary in terms of strength. He categorizes people into 2 genres: hostile and non-hostile. This is pretty good since his future has to do with politics and military activities. Despite his exceptional abilities, Tatsuya is often seen as emotionless and aloof, leading some to view him as a cold and distant individual.

A common trope we see in oniichan animes is that the brother is overprotective and loving towards his sister, and this anime portrays it quite well. He may not be emotional, but when it comes to his sister, he can break off from his stoic personality and show a rare side of himself.

3. Tanjiro Kamado/Demon Slayer

Tanjiro is a demon slayer and the main protagonist of this series. Despite his tragic start of losing most of his family members to demons, he keeps pushing forward in hopes of curing his little sister Nezuko.

Tanjiro’s personality brings warmth to the cold world that the demon slayers live in. He can be seen as an aloof go-getter whose personality can infect those around him. Even the stoic Giyu Tomioka was influenced by him in a way. He also has a strong sense of justice and does not rest until he gets the job.

Throughout the series, Tanjiro grows and develops as a character, becoming a skilled and powerful demon slayer. We also see his interactions with Nezuko, he really does care about her and even at a point in the manga got into an argument with another character and said “Nezuko was the beauty of our hometown!”. He truly is a ride-or-die sibling.

4. Kamui/Gintama

Kamui is a member of the Yato Clan, a powerful and feared group of aliens, and is depicted as a ruthless and cunning individual who is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He can be considered an antagonist of Gintama. He is someone who really cares for his sibling.

During his youth, Kamui was kind and caring, this changed as he got older. One event that changed him intrinsically is when he failed at saving his mother and the loss of hope/grief from it led him to a new goal; to become stronger that his father.

At first, Kamui thought of Kagura as nothing but a weakling, but after his fight with Gintoki in Rakuyou, his feelings became more clear and he was able to face the truth that he does in fact care for his sister. One of the reasons why Kamui refused to go see his sister is that she looked just like their mother, from this we can understand that Kamui has really been through it, and the tragic event of losing his mother really hurt him and his relationships.

5. Itachi Uchiha/NARUTO

Itachi Uchiha is really that brother who loves their sibling to death. He was a member of the Uchiha Clan, one of the most powerful clans in the Naruto universe, and was depicted as a highly skilled and powerful ninja. Despite his reputation as a top-ranked member of the criminal organization Akatsuki, Itachi was portrayed as a complex and mysterious character who had a deep and tragic backstory.

6. Portgas D. Ace/ONE PIECE

Portgas D. Ace is the adopted younger brother of the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. He is also the biological son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the older brother of Sabo, another important character in the series. His devil fruit is the Mera Mera no Mi, it gives him the ability to control and manipulate flames, allowing him to create and control fire at will.

Ace was depicted as a strong and confident individual who was highly respected by other pirates, and was known for his exceptional combat abilities. Despite his tough exterior, Ace was depicted as having a kind and caring personality and was fiercely loyal to his friends and family. He was an impactful character who was well-received by fans from his introduction.

The relationship between Ace, Luffy, and Sabo is depicted as a strong and close sibling bond, with each of them supporting and protecting one other. Throughout the series, their relationships and interactions with each other play a significant role in driving the plot forward and shaping the characters’ development.

7. Shinnosuke Nohara/Crayon Shin-chan

Shinnosuke Nohara, also known as Shin-chan, is the main protagonist of the manga and anime series Crayon Shin-chan. He is a mischievous and energetic 5-year-old boy who is known for his crude humour and antics.

Despite his young age, Shinnosuke is depicted as being highly independent and has a strong personality, often getting into trouble and causing chaos wherever he goes. Despite his mischievous behaviour, Shinnosuke is depicted as a loving and caring individual who has a close bond with his family and friends.

Usually while watching Shin-chan go about his daily life we get introduced to a lot of comedic situations. One of my favourites is when he and his sister Himawari interact with one another. Sometimes we get Himawari smugly teasing Shin-chan while he’s unable to do anything about it. We also get to see the two dynamics of their characters which reflect their parent’s qualities making some humoresque situations.

8. Killua Zoldyck/Hunter × Hunter

Killua is a member of the famous and powerful Zoldyck family, who are known for their skills as assassins. Despite his upbringing and training as an assassin, Killua is depicted as a kind and caring individual. He has 5 siblings including himself and he ended up being the middle child, so you know he has that angst, haha.

Gon and Killua share similar personalities when it comes to being cheerful, kind, and caring toward others. They differ in the aspect that Killua can also be downright rude to others. He can go from a warm cinnamon roll to a cold, calculating, bloodthirsty assassin at the drop of a pin.

Killua and Alluka have a really nice dynamic. First off, Alluka was once deemed uncontrollable and dark due to the circumstances of her birth. This later changes when she reunites with Killua. Whenever she’s around Killua she turns into this adorable little sister. This is in part due to Killua being the only one to show her affection. She also calls him Oniichan while Nanika (the dark spirit that possessed her) calls him by his name. Killua is really that loving big brother we all would want.

9. Edward Elric/Fullmetal Alchemist

Edward is the older of two brothers and serves as the protagonist of the series. Edward is depicted as a highly capable alchemist and is known for his exceptional skills and intelligence.

He is depicted as being caring and compassionate and is often willing to put himself in harm’s way in order to protect his friends and family. Despite his tough exterior, Edward is also depicted as having a sensitive side and can struggle with feelings of guilt and insecurity. On the outside, he may seem immature or childish, but on the inside, he has matured far beyond others’ thoughts.

When I think of an anime oniichan, usually Edward is who comes to mind, he and his brother went through a lot together and stuck by each other despite what happened. He was always a shoulder Alphonse could lean on and someone you can reach out to for great advice.

10. Mahiro Oyama/Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister!

Mahiro Oyama turns in a sister. Now I know what you’re thinking “HUH?!?! truly something manga could pull off”, and to that, I say yes. Not much is known about his life as a male, but from his sister’s remarks, we understand that he was a NEET and was socially inept. He locked himself in his bedroom and became a hikikomori who only played ero-games and talked with his sister only. Mahiro as a male was internally broken, but this changed when he came a female.

With the support of his sister, he started to think more positively and had a better outlook on the world around him during his transition. His close bond with his sister is where we can see the trust that he has for her as well as his high regard for her too. After his transformation into a female, Mahiro learns how to break out of her shell and create friendships with others. She still does struggle in some settings, but we’re all cheering her on.

Mahiro went from being a big brother to a big sister, and with the support of her little sister, she got a second chance at creating a life for herself. This last entry is quite different from those above, but I feel like it fits simply due to it showing the great bond a once big brother had with his sister.