10 anime characters who can't swim

Anime characters come in a lot of shapes and forms because writers tend to give them a lot of specific quirks and details. That is something that makes them unique, and some of these characteristics end up becoming plot points in their respective stories, such as the inability to swim.

There are a lot of anime characters whose inability to swim is a major aspect of who they are, or at least go through plot points focused on that. There are even series such as One Piece where people lose said ability after eating Devil Fruits. However, one thing all of these characters, in no particular order, have in common is the fact that they have to deal with this situation at some point in their respective series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for all the series mentioned here. Any opinion belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

10 anime characters who can't swim and why

1. Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Monkey D. Luffy, one of the most famous anime characters who can't swim (Image via Toei Animation)

There are a lot of characters in the One Piece universe who could be on this list, since each person who eats a Devil Fruit loses the ability to swim. The protagonist of the series, Monkey D. Luffy, has been chosen since he is the face of the franchise and his origin story does face some adversities because of this.

When he was a kid, Luffy was kidnapped by a pirate after the protagonist ate a Devil Fruit and was thrown into the sea. He was ultimately saved by his friend and hero, Shanks, who lost his arm in the process of rescuing him, which became a major inspiration for Luffy to become a pirate.

2. Akane Tendo (Ranma 1/2)

Ranma 1/2, one of the most famous anime characters who can't swim (Image via MAPPA)

Akane Tendo is an independent, capable, and caring person but there are some things she simply cannot learn, and one of them is swimming. One of the elements that is often played out as comic relief is the fact that the youngest Tendo daughter cannot swim, no matter what, to the point that water that isn't deep drowns her.

There are moments when her fiance Ranma Saotome uses this to mock her, much to her annoyance. However, this is a common practice by author Rumiko Takahashi, who is known for giving her characters a bizarre quirk to make them unique and peculiar.

3. Ren (Rising of the Shield Hero)

Ren is another one of those anime characters who can't swim (Image via Kinema Citrus)

Ren might be the most mature of the Legendary Heroes after Naofumi, and the former had the latter's back from time to time early in the series. However, there were times when his lack of courage was shown, and one of those moments was when he faced a Dragon Hourglass underwater.

It was assumed by the two other Legendary Heroes, Itsuki and Motoyasu, that he couldn't swim, and that proved to be the case when he was thrown into a small pond of water and started to panic. Sadly, this scene was only in the manga and the light novel, so anime-only fans didn't have the chance to see this happen in animation.

4. Psyduck (Pokemon)

It is ironic that Psyduck has become one of the most iconic anime characters of the Pokemon franchise when considering how little he contributes to the plot. Despite its endearing look and adorable personality, Misty's Psyduck, is borderline useless, although he ends up becoming a classic part of the squad.

However, the biggest irony with Psyduck is perhaps that it was a water-type Pokemon and couldn't swim, which caused Misty an endless amount of problems in the series. The only good news is that this Pokemon could at least go through the water with a floater.

5. Joe Kido (Digimon)

Joe Kido, one of the most underrated anime characters who can't swim (Image via Toei Animation)

The first generation of Digimon had some of the most popular anime characters of its time, and Joe Kido might be one of the most underrated. He was the core member of this Digidestined team and was oftentimes the voice of reason, especially considering that he was a year older in a team of kids.

That makes the notion of Joe not knowing how to swim all the more ironic, although that didn't stop him from attempting to save T.K. when the latter fell into the water once in the series. This was at a time when the Digidestined couldn't transform, so this makes Joe's moment of heroism all the more significant since he prioritized saving his friend.

6. Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom)

Koro-sensei, a popular choice among anime characters who can't swim (Image via Lerche)

If anime centered around battles has proven anything, it's that no character cannot be defeated. In that regard, Koro-sensei is one of the most broken anime characters of the Assassination Classroom universe and seems impossible to defeat, except for one major weakness, and that is being thrown into the water.

That is because Koro can usually move quite fast and avoid almost any attack but he absorbs so much water when he is on a beach, lake, or similar water bodies. Therefore, he becomes a lot slower and cannot move underwater, becoming an easy target since he can't physically swim.

7. Taiga Aisaka (Toradora)

Taiga is definitely one of those anime characters who can't swim (Image via J.C. Staff)

Taiga Aisaka is one of the loudest and most upfront anime characters as far as romantic comedies go in the medium. However, there is a major contrast between her personality, her small appearance, and the fact that she cannot swim.

It was shown in the series that she cannot swim and there are some instances in the story where that is played out as comic relief. There are also examples where she is seen swimming with some support objects, although she learns to swim as the story progresses.

8. Suguha Kirigaya/Leafa (Sword Art Online)

Suguha Kirigaya, one more of those anime characters who can't swim (Image via A-1 Pictures)

There are a lot of reasons why anime characters cannot swim and Suguha's case in Sword Art Online might be one of the most understandable. She almost drowned when she was a kid, and her friend Kazuto saved her, but she grew up with the fear of water.

It wasn't until Suguha grew older and had the support of her friends that she managed to overcome her fear of water and learned how to swim. This serves as one of the best examples among anime characters of why people might struggle to swim and the way they can overcome these issues.

9. Nobita Nobi (Doraemon)

Nobita Nobi, one of the most notorious anime characters who can't swim (Image via Shin-Ei Animation)

Part of the plot of Doraemon is that the titular robot goes back in time to help the protagonist, Nobita Nobi, so he can have a friend and become a better person. This includes helping him become a better student, better son, and overall develop a sense of maturity and responsibility, helping him and Doraemon become two of the most iconic anime characters of all time.

In that regard, another issue that Nobita has is that he can't swim and has to use a floater to go through the water. There are some episodes where he wants to learn how to swim and gets help from Doraemon and his friends, which is a good lesson for young kids.

10. Yoichi Karasuma (Samurai Harem)

Yoichi Karasuma, another one of the most underrated choices of this type of anime characters (Image via AIC).

A major aspect of Yoichi's character is that he spent most of his life training to become a powerful swordsman, and that came at the expense of separating himself from most of the world. This meant that he didn't learn any meaningful social skills and some other abilities, such as swimming.

There are times in the series when he has to save people who are drowning and steps in to help, only to be the one drowning at the end. He is one of those anime characters who can't swim because he never focused on learning that skill.

Final thoughts

While there are a lot of anime characters who can't swim, these are some of the most prominent in the medium. Each of these characters has had moments where their inability to swim has been a plot point.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay