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Anime characters who are always sleeping are a running gag that has been quite prominent over the years, especially when it comes to the shonen genre. It often serves to point out that a character is lazy or that they don't care about things around them, which works as a way to show a bit of the character's personality.
Of course, anime characters of this ilk often have elements like this just for comedy purposes. It is something that renowned series like One Piece and Slam Dunk have done over the years. This list will take a look at, in no particular order, ten anime characters who love to sleep.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series mentioned on this list. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.
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One Piece's Roronoa Zoro and nine other anime characters who love sleeping
1) Kaede Rukawa (Slam Dunk)
Kaede Rukawa is the most talented basketball player of Shohoku High in Slam Dunk. He is someone who was deemed good enough to go to the United States to pursue a professional career in the sport. Kaede is also someone who loves to sleep so much that he has mentioned that is his favorite hobby.
Anime characters who are always sleeping don't go more obvious than the main rival of the protagonist Hanamichi Sakuragi. That does give a bit more comedic edge to the character. Some fans have mentioned that Rukawa sleeps a lot because he is exhausted from constant training but that hasn't been confirmed in the series.
2) Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)
When discussing anime characters who are always sleeping, Roronoa Zoro from One Piece is probably one of the first examples many are going to think of. Not only because he is part of one of the most popular anime series of all time but also because of the running gags involving the character.
Zoro is usually very stern and serious but the series constantly shows him as comedic relief as he is either getting lost or sleeping at the weirdest moments. There have been chapters where the entire boat is getting rocked by enemies or storms and Zoro is still sleeping.
3) Dorothy Unsworth (Black Clover)
The element of making anime characters sleep a lot, as mentioned earlier, can oftentimes be used just for comedic purposes in the story. However, there are a few examples of being used as a narrative tool, such as what Black Clover author Yuki Tabata did with the Coral Peacock captain, Dorothy Unsworth.
Dorothy is one of the Magic Knight Captains of the Clover Kingdom and a very powerful one in her own right. However, readers and viewers don't get to see a lot of her personality until later in the story, building some mystery around her and her abilities.
It was later revealed that she has a very charming and friendly personality. Her magic allows her to capture her targets in a dream realm, thus explaining her habit of sleeping a lot.
4) Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer)
Just like Dorothy in Black Clover, Zenitsu's sleeping habits in Demon Slayer are something that serves as a narrative tool for the character in question. In fact, a lot of people in the fandom claim that he is a lot more compelling when he is asleep.
Zenitsu only learned one sword attack during his entire training with his grandfather but he mastered it to the point that he can do it while asleep. That is something that becomes a plot point, with him becoming a lot more willing to fight when sleeping as he doesn't feel afraid.
5) Shouta Aizawa (My Hero Academia)
Shouta Aizawa, also known as Eraserhead, is mostly known as the teacher of Class A-1 in My Hero Academia or as the cool vigilante with the Erasure Quirk. However, the fact that a lot of people seem to forget that he likes to sleep. He is one of the most iconic examples of anime characters who are always sleeping.
When Aizawa was first introduced in the series, he showed up in his sleeping bag, trying to wake up. That is a running joke in the story, highlighting how much he enjoys having a rest.
6) Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock)
Blue Lock is a series about football players and very quirky individuals, so it made there were some anime characters with unique traits, such as Meguru Bachira. While Bachira has a lot of peculiar quirks, such as his "inner demon", this is one of the most fun.
Most characters in the Blue Lock project managed to show glimpses of their personalities when first introduced. However, Bachira's introduction was him sleeping during a test, only to end up kicking someone in the process. It was, in a way, a very good introduction to what to expect from this character.
7) Portgas D. Ace (One Piece)
One Piece author Eiichiro Oda seems to love the trope of anime characters who are always sleeping. He not only did it with Roronoa Zoro but also with Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace. It is worth noting that he added a lot more comedic elements to this character.
When Ace was first introduced in the series, he was shown time and time again falling asleep in weird moments, including while eating. This is a trait that Oda seemed to have removed from the character, but it could be argued that it was due to Ace being featured in much more serious scenes.
8) Shikamaru Nara (Naruto)
Shikamaru Nara from Naruto is probably one of the anime characters who have popularized this trope due to his series' popularity and how that connects to him as a person. Throughout the story, he is shown as someone lazy and without a lot of grand ambitions, even though he is a naturally gifted strategist.
Naturally, as the series progresses, Shikamaru's habit of always sleeping tends to reduce quite significantly but his lazy nature still remains. Regardless, it is part of what makes him so endearing among Naruto fans.
9) Sougo Okita (Gintama)
As with Dorothy and Zenitsu, very few stories use the trope of anime characters who sleep a lot as a narrative tool and are often just a simple comedic element. However, it would be Gintama, an actual comedy series, that would give this trope a very interesting twist.
Sougo Okita is depicted through the vast majority of the series as aloof and uninterested, highlighted by his habit of always sleeping while wearing his mask. However, this is meant to hide his sadistic and evil nature, thus becoming a much more effective and memorable antagonist when his true colors are shown.
10) Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Part of Usagi's appeal as a main character throughout Sailor Moon is not only her arc to become a stronger and more dependable hero and leader but also that she is very human. She is one of those anime characters who are flawed but not in an evil or tragic sense but have shortcomings that any normal person can have.
A good example of that is that Usagi loves sleeping a lot and is prone to tantrums when things don't go her way. These two traits can often go hand-in-hand when she is not allowed to sleep as much as she would like but that is part of her arc as she becomes more selfless and determined.
Final thoughts
As it tends to happen in these discussions, there are a lot more anime characters who are always sleeping and love doing so. It is one of the medium's oldest tropes and one that, as mentioned earlier, is often used for comedic purposes.
