Top 10 NEETs in Anime

“Heaven’s Memo Pad” (2011)
Not everything is as it seems in the series “Heaven’s Memo Pad”. Alice, a recluse that lives above a local ramen shop, is introduced to series protagonist Narumi Fujishima who is thrust into a world of Mystery and Intrigue. Don’t judge by first appearances, as Alice reveals that she actually is a “NEET detective” that runs an entire agency consisting of fellow slackers. Incredibly intelligent and perceptive, Alice is definitely the brains behind the agency’s day to day operations. Beyond this, not much is actually known about her mysterious lifestyle.

“Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” (2007-09)
How do you solve a problem like Kiri Komori? The illusive class hikkikomori, stands as one of Nozomu-sensei’s most problematic students – as if the class wasn’t difficult enough. Initially staying at home and avoiding school entirely, Kiri eventually moves into an unused classroom after the despair-drenched teacher tries to visit her. Unsurprisingly, she’s welcomed back into the bizarre classroom after being mistaken for being a yokai – but still spends most of her time wrapped in her blanket.
Kiri is Always appearing in the oddest of places, and manages to hit that perfect balance between adorable and downright terrifying.

“The Devil is a Part-Timer!” (2013)
Oh boy how the mighty have fallen. A fallen angel and one of Satan’s many demon generals in Ente Isla, Lucifer initially comes to Japan to usurp Maou once and for all. After his defeat however, he moves in with Satan and his friends and spends most of his days ordering games on amazon. Rather cunning and manipulative, Lucifer is often mocked mercilessly despite his nature. Unlike most NEETs, Lucifer is rather useful, often assisting our heroes with updates on their missions or the modern world in general.

“Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” (2011)
No matter what people say, NEETs flock together. Most commonly known as “Anohana”, we watch series protagonist Jinta Yodami as his friendships had deteriorated following the death of their mutual friend Meiko Honma. Jinta is also haunted by Meiko’s ghost, which doesn’t bode well for the socially awkward fellow. Suffering from a major personality change as the result of her death, we are treated to a rather honest and saddening take on NEETs in real life - and It’s up to Jinta’s friends to pull him through it.

“Jellyfish Princess” (2010)
It’s easier to embrace your obsessions when you’re surrounded by people as fanatical as you. This is the case for Tsukimi Kurashita, an aspiring illustrator that lives in the Amamizukan where everyone is either a NEET or an otaku. Youthful and naive, Tsukimi shows fans that it is perfectly fine just being you. Tsukimi has her own quirks that make her unique, such as her fascination with jellyfish, much to the curiosity of her peers. But what will break her out of her social anxieties? The influence of a young cross-dresser, of course!

“KonoSuba” (2016)
Sometimes to break out of your NEET cycle you’ve just got to do something drastic like…well die.
Originally a hikkimori that had very little friends and spent his last few days playing video games, Kazuma gets another chance at life in a fantasy world alongside the beautiful goddess, Aqua. Upon his reincarnation, Kazuma aims to become more sociable and active – after all he’s finally living the video game life he wanted. Kazuma proves that NEETs can certainly thrive...just in the right environment.

“Welcome to the NHK” (2006)
It isn’t too much of a stretch to say NEETs and conspiracy theories go hand in hand. One of the most well known NEETs in anime, Tatsuhiro is a shut-in that has begun to lose his mind - believing that a mysterious organization known as the NHK is after him. Dark, cold, and calculating, Tatsuhiro would like nothing better to live in harmony with his games and without any of society’s involvement. A rather realistic portrayal of NEET culture, the series shows just how Tatsuhiro and other NEETs like him view the world...in a rather dark and comedic kind of way.

“Kaiji” series (2007-11)
Downtrodden and down on his luck, Kaiji lives the far less romanticized version of the NEET lifestyle. He’s got money problems like you wont believe, unable to keep a decent job and falling into the world of underground gambling rings to survive. While he makes every effort to survive, he easily loses much of his composure along the way. Kaiji may just be the victim of the harsh times, but this NEET just doesn’t seem to learn his lesson.

“No Game No Life” (2014)
Now we are making our way to the NEET elite. A pair of step-siblings, Sora and Shiro connect with their equally impressive skills as gamers and don the legendary username “Blank”. Both brilliant hikkimoris, Sora and Shiro are two sides of the same coin, with Sora being manipulative and cunning while Shiro is calm and calculating. But things take a turn for the wild when they’re thrust into the world of “Disboard” and their gaming skills are put to the test – as well as their social skills. Good luck, Sora.

“Osomatsu-san” (2015-16)
Ahh the woes of child actors. It’s always tragic to see them grow up to be such louts.
A follow up series to the original 1962 “Osomatsu-kun”, the once beloved sextuplet brothers have now become NEETs of the absolute worst category. Each one has a different unique personality that makes the distinguishable from each other, but they still share their NEET lifestyle. They would much rather be throwing their money at a pachinko machine than go job hunting. And if one of them even tries to break away from this vicious cycle, you can count on the rest of these deadbeat brothers to drag him back to hell. Love them or hate them, the Matsuno brothers are next level NEETs.