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The List - Seven Orphans That Beat the Odds


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Time Bandit



Joined: 16 Jan 2017
Posts: 203
Location: Raleigh
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:28 pm Reply with quote
Nice list! Rin and Emiya are good orphan boys, and Emma is one of the strongest I've watched to date.

Still miss the polls...they were fun.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2266
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:53 pm Reply with quote
Dang, no poll about favorite orphans.
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John Thacker



Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 1006
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 1:03 pm Reply with quote
Hoshino Ruri from Martian Successor Nadesico is still my favorite orphan.
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 1015
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 1:41 pm Reply with quote
A list of anime orphans who overcome ordeals and insurmountable odds for the sake of her and those she loves and no mention of spoiler[Rika Furude] of Higurashi fame? Rip.
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ebronstein



Joined: 25 Oct 2018
Posts: 45
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 1:47 pm Reply with quote
A true list is countless, and go back to the beginning of the medium.
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Calsolum



Joined: 11 May 2010
Posts: 899
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 1:53 pm Reply with quote
lmao Tohru is probably the only 'normal' kid here as all the rest have interesting animey circumstances.

My favourite orphan would be Renka/Lenka of God Eater.
He didn't exactly have a really unique start in the anime but the last couple of episodes detailing his life before the start of the series really sold me on him.
Sure spoiler[he had a one track mind for a bit but he'd recently lost all his family to Aragami and his newfound resolve at the was emotionally moving]
Man I really need a S2 or some sort of direct continuation to his story.
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Triltaison



Joined: 03 Jul 2011
Posts: 755
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 2:03 pm Reply with quote
I rather love Judy from Daddy Long Legs, Conan from Future Boy Conan, Sarah from A Little Princess, and Remy from Nobody's Boy Remy.
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WingKing



Joined: 27 Apr 2015
Posts: 617
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 3:45 pm Reply with quote
Anime sure does love its orphan protagonists, doesn't it? In just a few minutes thinking I also came up with Pazu and Sheeta from Laputa, Van Fanel from Escaflowne, Himura Kenshin from RuroKen, Yotsuba Koiwai from Yotsuba, Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, Fuuka Reventon from Vivid Strike, and most of the protagonists from Gunslinger Girl. And that's just stuff that I'm familiar with on top of the ones already listed (which were all great choices to begin with).
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Arale Kurashiki



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 755
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 5:44 pm Reply with quote
I guess I'm gonna have to post "where's Utena!!!!" on every list lol
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Lactobacillus yogurti



Joined: 17 Aug 2011
Posts: 846
Location: Latin America
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 5:50 pm Reply with quote
My pick's definitely Hinomaru from Hinomaru Zumou. Granted, he had his grandparents, but spoiler[his mother's death was a very important factor in his life and it also shaped his personality to a rather distorted point where he spoiler[became self-destructive, yet got angry at someone who was okay with dying and has abandonment issues.]]
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Rika Hue



Joined: 19 Dec 2015
Posts: 147
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 5:50 pm Reply with quote
Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs

Not including him is an incredible slap to the character's face (he gets enough of that in is past)

You'll regret skipping him after season 3 aired.

Hmph.
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nobahn
Subscriber



Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5126
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 7:30 pm Reply with quote
Typo in the last :
Quote:
Her widowed mother had recently passed in a traffic accident and, not wanting to further convenience her extended family, she lies that she's staying with friends.
should read:
Quote:
Her widowed mother had recently passed in a traffic accident and, not wanting to further inconvenience her extended family, she lies that she's staying with friends.
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kotomikun



Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 1205
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 7:52 pm Reply with quote
WingKing wrote:
Anime sure does love its orphan protagonists, doesn't it?


It's pretty common in general, not just in anime. Making your (young) main character an orphan dodges the issue of how their parents might interfere with their adventuring, and scores them some underdog points for likability.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11458
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 8:24 pm Reply with quote
Soooo many plucky orphans out there! Very Happy I'll pick Dororo and Guts for the moment.

And the moment has passed so now I'm picking Goku (I'm thinking of the Saiyuki version, though all the other ones have had their troubles too) since he had it kind of rough being born from a rock and all, and being imprisoned alone in a cave for 500 years, for starters.

Still want the poll back. Or at least an explanation of why you can't or won't.
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meruru



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 473
PostPosted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:41 pm Reply with quote
This article reminds me of how frequently in shoujo they're homeless in high school, but they make it a cute or humorous rather than awful, and mostly it's a device so the authors don't have to deal with parents (they tend to get in the way of romantic comedy hijinks, so it's much more convenient to get rid of them somehow) and get the protagonist living with the love interest or an entire reverse harem. Fruits Basket in particular was odd because Tohru was literally living in a tent, yet it didn't seem to bother her at all.
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