Male Anime Characters Who Are Younger Than They Look

When it comes to anime, nothing is a given, and the looks, personality, and actions of a character can be deceiving. That’s how plot twists happen, and some of the greatest anime arcs take place all because a character wasn’t who the viewers thought they were.

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Even though a character’s design and personality can be entirely contrasting, they are often similar to each other, and this helps the viewer get a gist of the character’s personality just by looking at them. The same concept applies to a character’s age, and a character who looks older than he is can portray wisdom, intelligence, struggle, or years of suffering. With that in mind, these next male anime characters are all much younger than they initially appear.

7 Zeke Yager

Age: 29

The Best Drama and Best Score-winning anime Attack on Titan showcased Zeke Yager, a half-brother to the main protagonist, Eren Yager. Zeke Yager was a genius whose loyalty was always towards his father in being a true Eldiean Restorationist. From the start, Zeke planned to use the power of the founding titan and sterilize all the subjects of Ymir, which would eventually lead to their extinction.

Zeke was a good-looking young man. However, his plan took a lot out of him, leading to Zeke's overgrown hair along with his facial hair making him look much older than his age, appearing to be a mature man at just 29 years old.

6 Kenzo Tenma

Age: 28

The story of Kenzo Tenma is very strained and full of troubles. Tenma was a neurosurgeon who worked in a German hospital called Eisler Memorial, and dated its director’s daughter. He was a good man who always prioritized others' lives over his own. One day, Tenma received a patient who was only 11 years old, and was shot in the head. He was ordered to abandon the case of the boy and instead operate on the mayor of the city, whose life the directors deemed more important. Tenma refused. The young boy got a second chance at life just because of Dr.Tenma. However, Tenma realized that he had saved a vicious Monster and made his goal to end the monster that lives because of him.

Chasing John (the boy) was the only thing on Tenma’s mind, so much so that he neglected himself. He grew his hair out and ate a lot less than he needed, which is why Tenma lost weight and looked pale and old. This made him look much older than he actually was at just 28 years old.

5 Leorio Paradinight

Age: 19

Hunter X Hunter aired from 2011 through 2014. The anime really claimed a spot in the hearts of its fans. The characters in this series were really interesting, especially Leoro. Leorio Paradinight is initially presented as a materialistic and self-centered individual, driven primarily by the pursuit of wealth and financial gain, but he soon reveals to Kurappika that he dreams of becoming a doctor and helping the poor. He believes that money is everything and anything can be bought, even lives. Leorio joins the hunter's quest so he can take care of the funds for his medical education.

Leorio acts as the big brother of the group and many times Killua has infuriated Leorio about the difference in his age and his appearance, even after Leorio has sworn that his appearance is of a mere teenager. He certainly doesn't look a mere 19 years old, but that's his actual age.

4 Kohei Katsuragi

Age: 16

We see Katsuragi as part of the Class 1-A student in the anime Classroom of the Elite. Katsuragi is one of the two class representatives of 1-A. He is a hard-working, extremely intelligent, and well-mannered student who sticks to the rules. Katsuragi is a top-ranked student in his class, and he was even elected as a participant in the mental math section of the Event Selection Exam.

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Katsuragi has a muscular body on a tall frame paired with a serious-looking face. This, and the fact that he is bald, adds to his intimidating look and makes him look older than he actually is. Visually, he appears well into his adult years, when in fact he is just 16 years old.

3 Kaoru Hanayama

Age: 19

Kaoru Hanayama plays a major part in Baki the Grappler. He is from a Yakuza family and is known as the strongest Yakuza in Japan. Kaoru is a proud fighter and his moral principle is never to fall in a battle, even if it means his death. He has often appeared to comfort Baki Hanma when needed, and even fought a battle against Baki to gain the attention of Yujiro Hanma, who is known as the strongest man alive. Baki defeated Kaoru and became his friend.

Kaoru is large and very bulky for his age. He also has a massive tattoo on his back which is given to each member of the Hanayam family. Kaoru has many scars around his body that make the tattoo look like a joined puzzle. Even though he is a mere 19-year-old, nobody would want to mess with Kaoru.

2 Piccolo

Age: 8 (At The Start Of The Sayian Saga)

Piccolo, a Namekian, is the final child and a reincarnation of the Demon King Piccolo. Piccolo was the main antagonist in the final saga of the original Dragon Ball series, and a vicious enemy of Goku, born to take vengeance on for father. At the start of Dragon Ball Z (Raditz saga), Piccolo had lost all of his villainous traits, and a new threat to the planet convinced him to fight alongside Goku, formerly his sworn enemy. Piccolo also started training Gohan in the Saiyan saga, and even became a permanent member of Z fighters.

Piccolo is a very tall, muscular Namakian, who looks just like his father. Piccolo was born late but grew very fast due to his Namekian genes. He is just 8 years old but looks like a fully grown man (or alien).

1 Bill Watkins

Age: 6

Bill Watkins is a supporting character in the anime Spy X Family. He’s the son of an army major and goes to the same school as Anya. Bill is a boy whose main purpose is to make his father proud, and for this reason, he trains himself very harshly. That’s why this 6-year-old boy looks so tall and muscular.

This side character is a mature and very disciplined boy for his age. He is more than just muscles, and has an enhanced intellectual mind that can make complicated calculations quickly. All of this works to make Bill appear much older than he actually is.

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