10 best anime characters like Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden is the main character of the Japanese light novel series and anime series titled Violet Evergarden. She is a young girl who was used as a weapon in a war but now struggles to integrate into society. Her character arc revolves around learning empathy and understanding emotions in order to move forward after the war.

If you loved Violet's character development and emotional journey, here are 10 other anime characters who share similar traits of overcoming trauma, learning empathy, finding their place in the world, and going through an incredible character evolution.

Kaori Miyazono, Winry Rockbell, and 8 anime characters like Violet Evergarden

1) Kaori Miyazono from Your Lie in April

Kaori Miyazono is the female lead in the coming-of-age anime drama Your Lie in April. Like Violet Evergarden, Kaori is focused on getting someone else to open up emotionally.

She pulls the male lead, a former piano prodigy struggling with depression and his mother's death, out of his emotional numbness through her vibrant personality and violin performances.

Over the course of the anime, Kaori helps the male lead confront his traumatic past and learn to feel emotions genuinely again. Their relationship enables deep personal growth for both characters. Sadly, Kaori bears secrets of her own.

2) Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Winry Rockbell is the childhood friend and mechanic to the Elric brothers in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. She often scolds the brothers for recklessness, showcasing her empathy and care for them.

Like Violet Evergarden becoming an Auto Memory Doll to understand emotions, Winry is driven by her passion for mechanics and her desire to support Edward Elric after his limbs are lost. Over the course of the story, Winry discovers the greater complexities underpinning the political conflicts.

She represents how ordinary citizens get embroiled in war conflicts beyond their comprehension. Through her emotional trials, she finds the courage to do what she can to help.

3) Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer

Nezuko Kamado is Tanjiro Kamado’s younger demon sister in the popular dark fantasy anime Demon Slayer. After her whole family is slaughtered and she herself turns into a demon, Nezuko joins Tanjiro on his quest to find a cure for her and prevent further tragedies.

Though transformed into a demon, Nezuko retains her human emotions and empathy due to her exceptional willpower. Like Violet Evergarden, Nezuko was thrust into violence at a young age but maintains her compassion. She learns to harness her demonic traits to help humans over the course of the anime.

4) Casca from Berserk

Casca starts off as the only female soldier in the Band of the Hawk mercenary gang in the dark medieval fantasy Berserk. A skilled warrior, she manages to thrive in a patriarchal context through her sword skills and leadership.

Over the course of the story, she evolves into a more vulnerable version of herself after finding intimacy with the main character, Guts. Unfortunately, Casca eventually endures extensive trauma, like Violet Evergarden.

But she similarly finds the strength to survive and, with Guts’ help, tries to adapt to reality after her pain. Casca’s femininity, layered with ruthlessness and fragility, makes her one of anime’s most complex female characters.

5) Lucy from Elfen Lied

Lucy is the tragic protagonist of the sci-fi horror anime Elfen Lied. As a child, Lucy was ostracized and traumatized until a violent incident unlocked her inhuman psychic powers.

After years of being treated as a lab experiment, trauma fractures her psyche into separate personalities. The plot explores themes of discrimination, loss of identity, regret, and the human potential for cruelty versus compassion.

Lucy mirrors Violet’s desire to understand humanity despite experiencing severe trauma at human hands. Their unique abilities isolate them, spurring their feelings of detachment.

6) San from Princess Mononoke

San, or Princess Mononoke, is the young protagonist from Studio Ghibli’s seminal fantasy film Princess Mononoke. Raised by wolves as a child, San champions the forest spirits against humans destroying nature.

She forms her values and feral fighting skills growing up in the wilderness with limited human contact. When San meets the merciful human protagonist, Ashitaka, he slowly teaches her that reconciliation with humankind is possible.

As her hostility softens, she evolves to champion coexistence instead of violence. Like Violet Evergarden, San is learning peaceful ways to interact with a world that opposes her.

7) Sakura Matou from Fate/Stay Night

Sakura Matou is a significant character in the visual novel and anime series Fate/Stay Night. Enduring years of horrific abuse from her family to develop her latent magecraft, Sakura maintains a sweet, submissive façade as she secretly falls into darkness.

Her darker persona yearns to destroy herself and the world. Over the story’s routes, the protagonist, Shirou, struggles to rescue Sakura from her inner torment. Sakura and Violet share extremely traumatic pasts that fracture parts of their being. Their eventual redemption highlights the resilience of the human spirit.

8) Rin Nohara from Naruto Shippuden

Rin Nohara is the childhood teammate and friend of Obito and Kakashi in the popular ninja action anime Naruto Shippuden. While not hugely developed in the main story, Rin is revealed to be a kind, considerate girl who served as an emotional anchor for her team.

She ends up developing immense admiration for Kakashi before tragically dying at a young age. As shown in the anime and manga series, her death completely changes Obito’s personality and worldview for the worse.

Similar to Violet Evergarden’s role in Gilbert’s life, Rin’s presence brought out the best in others, and her absence expanded the plot's trauma and drama.

9) Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion

In the influential mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rei Ayanami is a mysterious, albino Evangelion pilot infused with traces of protagonist Shinji Ikari’s late mother’s DNA.

Despite her quiet, obedient behavior, glimpses of deeper reflection reveal Rei contemplates her purpose in life and relationships apart from her pilot responsibilities. When Rei learns to embrace emotions beyond her programming, she graduates from a detached tool into a more empathetic human being.

Similar to how meeting Violet Evergarden sparks Gilbert’s growth, Shinji being drawn to Rei leads him to confront difficult truths about himself.

10) Ai Enma from Hell Girl

Ai Enma is the tragic lead of the horror anime Hell Girl. Once a kind village girl sacrificed brutally by townspeople, Ai returns as Hell Girl to damn abusive people to hell when desperate victims access her supernatural services.

Despite her vengeful role, glimpses of Ai’s former humanity and empathy emerge through her encounters with clients of her hell-sending services. She forms a genuine bond with one girl, whom she exempts from damnation.

Like Violet Evergarden struggling between her military past and present emotions, Ai battles her identity as Hell Girl versus her former self's lingering care for people.

Conclusion

Anime characters like Violet Evergarden make for fascinating studies on the indomitability of the human heart when faced with suffering. Their diverse emotional journeys, spanning trauma, growth, redemption, and understanding, are all relatable on some level.

Violet’s dream to comprehend love cements her place among memorable anime protagonists who recognize that denying their emotional sides only limits their worldview. Watching them gain hard-earned wisdom through radical empathy and communication can inspire viewers to be more in tune with themselves and others as well.