Anime Diagnostics
This Neon Genesis Evangelion pilot displays classic signs of Major Depressive Disorder and Avoidant Personality traits, famously refusing to "get in the robot" due to fear of rejection and failure.
Who is Shinji Ikari?
In Dragon Ball Z, the protagonists belong to this warrior race known for their tails and their ability to turn blonde when angry.
What are Saiyans?
This Water-type duck Pokemon suffers from chronic severe migraines; when the pain becomes too great, it unleashes a massive burst of psychokinetic energy.
Who is Psyduck?
This large, fuzzy forest spirit becomes friends with two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei, and helps them cope with their mother's hospitalization.
Who is Totoro?
This term describes a character (usually female) who is initially cold, hostile, or aggressive towards their love interest, but gradually shows a warmer, softer side (e.g., Asuka Langley).
What is a Tsundere?
Light Yagami from Death Note displays a grandiose sense of self, a lack of empathy, and a belief that he is "The God of the New World," fitting the profile for this Cluster B personality disorder.
What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (or Antisocial PD)?
This anime, featuring a protagonist named Tanjiro, centers on a corps of swordsmen who use "Breathing Styles" to hunt creatures that eat humans.
What is Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)?
This Normal-type Pokemon, known for blocking roads, spends the majority of its life sleeping and only wakes up to eat 900 lbs of food, displaying classic signs of hypersomnolence.
Who is Snorlax?
In Spirited Away, the protagonist Chihiro takes a job in a bathhouse run by this witch who steals people's names.
Who is Yubaba?
The opposite of a Tsundere, this character type appears sweet and loving on the outside but becomes deranged, obsessive, and violent (often homicidal) in pursuit of their love interest (e.g., Yuno Gasai).
What is a Yandere?
Tatsuhiro Satou from Welcome to the N.H.K. is a classic example of this Japanese sociological phenomenon (often comorbid with Agoraphobia), where young adults withdraw from society and isolate in their homes for months or years.
What is a Hikikomori?
In One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy gains the properties of rubber after eating this specific type of cursed fruit.
What is a Devil Fruit (Gum-Gum Fruit)?
This Ground-type Pokemon wears the skull of its deceased mother and cries at the moon, effectively becoming the mascot for "Complicated Grief" or "Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder."
Who is Cubone?
This Ghibli film features a curse that turns the protagonist, Sophie, into an old woman—a metaphor for how she feels internally about her self-worth.
What is Howl's Moving Castle?
A staple of the "Isekai" genre, this object (often a moving vehicle) is jokingly credited with sending protagonists to fantasy worlds by running them over.
What is "Truck-kun" (The Truck)?
In Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elrich suppresses the memory of his failed human transmutation, only for it to manifest as nightmares and guilt, a core feature of this trauma disorder.
What is PTSD?
This term refers to the spiritual energy used by Shinigami in Bleach and Ninjas in Naruto (though they call it Chakra).
What is Reiatsu (or Spiritual Pressure)?
In Pokémon: The First Movie, this genetically engineered Legendary Pokemon suffers an existential crisis, destroying the lab where it was born while asking, "Who am I? What is my purpose?"
Who is Mewtwo?
While most Ghibli movies are whimsical, this 1988 film is a devastatingly realistic depiction of two siblings struggling to survive (and failing) in Japan during the final months of World War II.
What is Grave of the Fireflies?
Often seen in sports or battle anime, this trope occurs when a character explains their technique or backstory in the middle of a fight, and time seemingly stops for the exposition.
What is "Talking is a Free Action"? (talk-no-justu)
The film Perfect Blue depicts a pop-idol transitioning to acting who begins to lose her grasp on reality, suffering from hallucinations and the delusion that a "double" is impersonating her—a condition often called "The Truman Show Delusion" or this specific misidentification syndrome.
What is Capgras Syndrome (or Brief Psychotic Disorder)?
In Jujutsu Kaisen, the most powerful sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, wears a blindfold to dampen the sensory overload from this hereditary eye technique.
What is the Six Eyes (or Limitless)?
This move, a staple for Ghost and Psychic types, involves eating the target's dreams to regain health—a literal interpretation of parasomnias.
What is Dream Eater?
Though not directed by Miyazaki (it was Satoshi Kon), this 2006 anime film about a device that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams was a major inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Inception.
What is Paprika?
This emotionless, stoic character archetype (e.g., Rei Ayanami) often speaks in a monotone voice and displays high intelligence but low affect.
What is a Kuudere?