In anime, dialogue is an extremely powerful tool. It is used to convey personality, exposition, character relationships, and even motivation – simultaneously showcasing their personality and traits. Overall, it is indispensable to any given story. However, there are a number of characters that have never spoken a word.
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As a result, others must talk around them in order to help explain their rationality and decisions. Through identifying such silent individuals, it becomes easier to understand the role their silence plays in the plot and how it has impacted their lives for better or worse.
Updated on May 17, 2023 by Ajay Aravind: Anime characters, especially shonen protagonists, are known for being egregiously loud. Luffy and Naruto are particularly noisy, but that's just a part of their charm. On the other end of the spectrum are characters who don't speak at all. As such, we've revamped this list of characters in anime who haven't uttered a single word.
16 Tae Yamada (Zombieland Saga)
While most members of Zombieland Saga's zombie idol group Franchouchou are indistinguishable from humans, their mysterious seventh member Tae Yamada is the only one without consciousness. Being the first of the idols to come back to life, Tae acts the most zombie-like, communicating through groans and biting everything she comes across.
Nevertheless, she is more cute than harmful, being the group’s unorthodox mascot. Tae is slow to develop thoughts and feelings, but the bits of progress she made throughout the series suggested that she might eventually catch up to her zombie peers.
15 Saty (Blood Lad)
Despite being employed as a socially demanding barkeep, Saty from Blood Lad never spoke a word to anyone – communicating solely through her partner Mamejirou. Luckily, Mamejirou is the total opposite of his emotionless partner and loves to talk for both of them.
A three-eyed humanoid demon, Saty has a formidable presence, and her icy silence does nothing to make her seem more approachable. While her customer service skill might use some work, Saty’s intimidating stare is usually enough to solve any problems in the Third Eye bar.
14 Im (One Piece)
One Piece's Im is the leader of the World Government and presumably the person responsible for the Void Century. Shadowy and mysterious, they observe the high seas from the darkest recesses of Mary Geoise.
Considering the enormous amount of organizational skill it must take to command the Gorosei, it is likely that Im has spoken at some point in the story. However, they have never said anything so far, remaining so anonymous that even their gender remains uncertain.
13 The Gedo Statue (Naruto)
The Gedo Statue was a gargantuan monument constructed from the husk of the world tree. Unlike the Tailed Beasts, it did not speak despite clearly having a mind of its own. Throughout Naruto Shippuden's Fourth Shinobi War, the Gedo Statue periodically screamed and raged at its attackers.
While it's possible that Madara simply forbade it from speaking, this structure likely never had the capacity for dialogue to begin with, due to its raw and primal nature. Regardless, the Gedo Statue is at least somewhat intelligent since it can attack hundreds of shinobi with its offspring.
12 Shion Yasuoka (The Flowers Of Hard Blood)
Shion Yasuoka witnessed her family's brutal murder when she was a child in The Flowers of Hard Blood. The resulting trauma caused her to lose her ability to speak. Yet, Shion’s silence didn’t stop her from becoming a professional shogi player, finding the strength and comfort to keep living and exacting her career.
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Despite featuring a non-speaking protagonist, The Flowers of Hard Blood excels at developing Shion’s multifaceted and lovable personality. The girl’s mental fortitude allows her to rise in the competitive shogi world while piecing together the mystery of her family’s murder.
11 Ymir Fritz (Attack On Titan)
From her youth, it seemed as if Ymir's decisions in Attack on Titan were never her own. Whether being manipulated by a treacherous Eldian king or commanded by his descendants, she has remained completely silent. Her lack of dialogue is indicative of her servitude and therefore reveals more of her character than speaking ever could.
Even after Eren set Ymir free and acquired the Founder for himself, Ymir refused to speak. It is possible that she has gone so long without voicing herself that she is not capable of doing so any longer. Or maybe she never needed to.
10 The U.S.J. Nomu (My Hero Academia)
The U.S.J. Nomu in My Hero Academia did not say anything to All Might during their extended battle at U.A. High. Superficially, one might attribute this to its monstrous nature and general unintelligence. After all, no one seemed surprised that the creature had no words to say.
However, based on what audiences know now about Kurogiri, it was technically possible for nomu to talk even at the time. This is further substantiated through Endeavor's fight with High-End, where the latter taunted his blazing opponent until the hero reduced him to smoldering ashes.
9 The Chopman (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
The Chopman was a serial killer that Kaiba procured to fight Yugi. When introducing the challenge, he ordered the monster to hold a screen of him so that he could explain the nature of the game. Despite being a grown man allegedly capable of speech, Chopman had nothing to say to Joey Wheeler during their encounter in Yu-Gi-Oh!
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However, his gleefully murderous intent was evident throughout the entire fight, culminating with his unprecedented and gruesome demise. In the end, Chopman's lack of speech was likely due to his inspiration from Leatherface.
8 Carne (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Unlike previous opponents in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Carne did not have flashy gimmicks with which to harangue and terrorize Giorno's crew. He simply charged the second he found the heroes, ignoring Mista's warnings, which resulted in him being shot in the head.
Carne's Stand, Notorious B.I.G, survived after his death in order to haunt the JoBros. Unlike most Stands, it did not speak and could not even be destroyed. Luckily, the heroes cast it into the ocean before it got out of control.
7 Saitou Shimaru (Gintama)
Gintama’s Third Division Commander of the Shinsengumi, Saitou Shimaru, is feared by foes and allies due to his intimidating appearance, excellent swordsmanship, and stoic demeanor. Even Saitou’s comrades in the Shinsengumi admit to never hearing the swordsman speak.
Despite his deceiving looks, Saitou is a gentle and friendly individual, and the only thing stopping him from speaking up is his extreme shyness. The only enemy Saitou has is Elizabeth, Gintama’s other silent character who communicates through board texts. Yet, their rivalry is played for laughs, as Elizabeth is jealous of Saitou for stealing their shared gimmick.
6 Shoko Nishimiya (A Silent Voice)
One of Kyoto Animation’s most heartfelt films, A Silent Voice focuses on the hardships of Shoko Nishimiya, a clinically deaf girl who was relentlessly bullied for her disability as a child. However, the world’s cruelty didn’t break Shoko’s spirit.
Even after everything she’s been through, the girl remains easy-going and compassionate, still willing to forgive her childhood bully Shoya. Nevertheless, growing up ostracized from society left some scars on Shoko’s heart, planting venomous guilt, the fear of being useless, and copious amounts of self-hatred in her soul.
5 Oono Akira (Hi Score Girl)
Hi Score Girl franchise's main female protagonist, Akira Oono never utters a word. Excelling at everything she does, the heir of the powerful and wealthy Oono family prefers to spend her time at the arcade, where she bonds with Haruo Yaguchi.
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Becoming the boy’s only legitimate gaming opponent and equal, Akira still chooses to communicate with Haruo through sounds, gestures, and occasional punches. Nevertheless, Akira's silence does nothing to diminish her charm and popularity gained through her countless talents.
4 Eucliwood Hellscythe (Is This A Zombie?)
Unlike most non-verbal anime characters, Eucliwood Hellscythe from Is This a Zombie? doesn’t use facial expressions or animated gestures to get her point across. In fact, this aloof Necromancer communicates solely by writing in her notepad.
While it’s easy to dismiss Eu’s distaste for talking as a part of her cold and emotionless attitude, she chooses to stay quiet for the sake of the people around her. Eu’s uncontrollable magical powers activate by voice and cause her extreme pain. At the same time, her abilities can endanger those around her, so Eu keeps them at bay by not uttering a word.
3 Prince Bojji (Ranking Of Kings)
Ranking of Kings’ Prince Bojji was subjected to bullying from a young age and ostracized from the court due to his disability. He was born deaf and doesn't speak as a result. Yet, Bojji never allowed his disability to bother him, growing up to be a sincere, hard-working, and adventurous kid.
While communicating may be difficult for Prince Boji, he found his way around letting the world know his thoughts and feelings, excelling at sight language, and even using pantomime to get his point across.
2 The Evangelist (Fire Force)
The Evangelist was the leader of the White-Clad, a mysterious entity that wanted to destroy the world in Fire Force. Despite having a supernaturally high level of intelligence and power, she did not speak in the traditional sense. Instead, the Evangelist communicated telepathically and in ways that her subjects could sense.
This made her a terrifying figure, especially since she existed on a separate plain of reality from the mortal world. Overall, the Evangelist's sobriety and elusiveness rendered her one of the most compelling cult villains to date.
1 Celty Sturluson (Durarara!!)
Celty Sturluson from Durarara!! would love to talk to everyone openly without relying on typing as her only form of communication. Unfortunately, Celty is a headless Irish fairy known as Dullahan, so she doesn’t have a mouth to talk like everyone else.
Despite being arguably the most eccentric character in the show’s cast of bizarre individuals, Celty’s personality is the most human and grounded. She has an adorably optimistic outlook on life and genuinely cares for her friends, even if her unusual appearance causes her to be a bit insecure.
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