15 Iconic Anime Characters Born In May

Highlights

• May is a month in anime filled with iconic characters like Ken Ryuguji and Shinji Harako, born in this vibrant season.
• Characters like Vanessa Enoteca and Dragon Ball’s Gohan born in May showcase diverse personalities and stories in anime.
• From Deidara in Naruto Shippuden to Monkey D. Luffy of One Piece, May births legendary anime characters worth celebrating.

Anime has featured a plethora of remarkable characters who have become ingrained in the hearts and minds of viewers all around the world. May is a month of blossoming beauty and renewing vitality that holds a special place in the world of anime as it marks the continuation of spring anime and the birthdays of several iconic characters.

These individuals have captured the admiration of fans worldwide, inspiring admiration and a deep connection. From pirates to shinobi, their stories and personalities have left a mark on the anime landscape, reminding us of the power of art. Here are some of the iconic anime characters that are born in May.

Updated May 6, 2024, by Emedo Destiny: The month of May in the anime community is a rather good one as it solidifies the presence of the Spring anime season and the new anime shows that come with it. However, another notable part of the month is just how many famous and loved anime characters the month is home to. A character’s birthday is among the many underrated aspects of fans’ knowledge of anime characters. From one of anime’s most convincing villains to arguably anime’s most loved child protagonist, these are some of the most famous anime characters born in May.

15 Ken Ryuguji – Tokyo Revengers

Age: 15 (Past), 27 (Present)

The vice-leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang, one of the founding members of Toman, Ken Ryuguji, represents the moral part of the whole, that is, himself and Mickey as the heads of Toman. Better known as Draken, Ken was born on the 10th of May, 1990, and like Mickey, he is also a widely impulsive and violent individual who loves to meet stronger opponents and never backs out from a fight.

Of the duo, Draken has a more mature and logical side to himself, which he uses to moderate the affairs of both Mickey and Toman. Despite his cranky and rude personality, Draken is rather affectionate and caring, albeit not overtly.

14 Shinji Harako – Bleach

Age: 300+

The former captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei 13, Hirako Shinji, was born on the 10th of May and is a rather comical character. Exiled more than a century before the events of the Bleach series, Hirako was one of the Shinigami who underwent hollowfication.

He and other former Shinigami who survived the process were exiled from Soul Society, ultimately leading to the formation of the Visored, of which Hirako is the leader. As an individual, Hirako has a flippant attitude to most situations, as he offers a comical perspective even in battle. Despite a laid-back attitude, Hirako is perceptive of those around him and level-headed in battle, even when angry.

13 Suzume Iwato – Suzume’s Locking Up

Age: 17

Born on the 24th of May, 2006, Suzume is the titular protagonist of Suzume no Tojimari. Suzume, in 2011, lost her mother to the Great East Japan earthquake. While looking for her mother following the quake, Suzume gets lost in the Ever-After, where she meets a mysterious who gives her a chair similar to the one made for her by her mother for her 4th birthday.

Following the events in the Ever-After, Suzume is adopted by her aunt and deliberately blacks out her diary relating to her mother’s death before relocating. What follows for Suzume is a journey of supernatural curiosity that changes her life.

12 Satori Tendo – Haikyu!!

Age: 18 (Pre-Timeskip), 24 (Post-Timeskip)

Born on the 20th of May, 1994, Satori Tendo, better known as the Guess Monster is a third-year student and a member of the Shiratorizawa High School volleyball team. Conspicuous due to his spiky bright red hair, Tendo is a rather cheerful and loud individual but also very cynical, especially while playing volleyball.

Extremely confident in his blocking abilities, Tendo becomes even more intimidating when he gets into the game. While Tendo is mostly perceived as weird or creepy even, Tendo doesn’t care about how he is perceived as long as he can play volleyball.

11 Deidara – Naruto Shippuden

Age: 19

The youngest member of the infamous Akatsuki from the Naruto Shippuden series, Deidara, was born on the 5th of May and, before defecting, was a member of the Explosion Corps of the Hidden Stone village of the Land of Earth. Deidara, was an arsonist with a rather sardonic personality.

Usually cool and level-headed, while his partner was still Sasori, he changes just slightly once he is partnered with Tobi, showing a more irritable side to his usual cool and collected self. More than anything, Deidara was a lover of art. Beyond his antics and brutal fighting habits, Deidara appreciated art in whatever form it took.

10 Vanessa Enoteca – Black Clover

Age: 25

Born into the closed Witches’ Forest on May 16th, Vanessa quickly grew up to become one of the Witch Queen’s favorites, which resulted in her being caged up for all of her childhood. She owes her escape to Yami, who recruited her to join the Black Bulls when he attacked the forest.

Vanessa might look helpless and unserious, but she rises to the occasion whenever her friends need her to, with her Thread Magic allowing her to control the threads of fate. She fights every day to get stronger and help her magic squad, though she loves to loosen up and drink now and then.

9 Atsushi Nakajima – Bungou Stray Dogs

Age: 18

Atsushi was born on May 5th, and he lived all of his childhood in an orphanage where he was isolated from other children. The constant physical and emotional damage he sustained from the adults in charge caused him to have low self-worth, and he was kicked out when he turned 18.

But the beloved protagonist of the show learned to think more highly of himself, make friends and deepen relationships once he joined the Agency. He learns to control his abilities and fights to protect himself, his beloved city, and his friends at the Agency from the Port Mafia.

8 Gohan – Dragon Ball

Age: 27

Son Gohan was born on May 18th to the well-known warrior Son Goku. Though he might have been born to a horrible and muscle-head father, he prefers to read. He studied to become a scholar instead of a warrior as he dislikes conflicts and fighting. He only gets involved when he or his loved ones are threatened, but he does not deny that his Saiyan half enjoys the thrill of clashing with strong opponents and utilizing martial arts.

As the son of a Saiyan and a human, he sometimes finds himself torn between two worlds: his father’s adventurous and battle-driven lifestyle and his mother’s desire for him to live a somewhat normal life.

7 Killer B – Naruto

Age: 35

Born on May 15th, he was selected to become the next jinchuriki of the eight tails after the previous one died in the last rampage. He became the adopted brother of the successor to the Raikage. Even though he was trained to become an impeccable shinobi capable of matching the Fourth Raikage, he never gave up on his dream of becoming an entertainer.

He is also an impeccable swordsman capable of using a mind-blowing number of eight swords simultaneously. His strength, control of his tailed beast, and tutelage of Naruto also played a huge part in winning the Fourth Shinobi World War.

6 Rengoku Kyojuro – Demon Slayer

Age: 20

This Demon Slayer fan favorite was born on the 10th of May to the Flame Hashira at the time, he grew up to become the new Flame Hashira. He is a master swordsman who uses flame breathing which was inferred earlier.

Although he met an untimely death, He was strong enough to hold off and protect countless people from the fourth-strongest demon in the entire series, which earned him the respect of characters in the series and viewers all around the world. He is a very enthusiastic and charismatic person whose words inspire characters to fight by his side and trust him with their lives.

5 Gon Freecs – Hunter x Hunter

Age: 14

The protagonist of the Hunter x Hunter series was born to an absent father, Ging, on May 5th and was left in the care of his aunt Mito. Gon made up his mind to become a hunter when he heard that his father left him to become one in hopes that he might find his father along the way.

Gon is known for his playful nature and his willingness to go on dangerous adventures, take on challenges and get stronger. As the story progresses, he makes friends with fellow hunters Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.

4 Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece

Age: 17 (Pre-Timeskip), 19 (Post-Timeskip)

The poster boy for freedom and joy was born on May 5th. Even though he had an absent father just like his birthday mate above, his grandfather, Garp, was there to teach him all the ethics he needed to become the most uncharacteristic pirate to sail the seas.

Garp wanted him to tread in his path and become a marine who captures pirates, but Luffy dreamt of becoming the freest man in the world, the pirate king. Luffy is very protective of the friends he made on the way and very grateful for the adventures he gets to experience with them as he chases his goals.

3 Kaido – One Piece

Age: 59

The Captain Commander of the Beast Pirates was born on the 1st of May. He was the main antagonist of the Land of Wano arc. Despite being one of the four emperors, he has attempted suicide countless times because, till recently, he believed life was boring.

After surviving numerous execution attempts by the Marines, he was dubbed “the strongest creature in the world” due to his nigh invulnerability. He has no ethics except when facing a worthy opponent on the battlefield and has no problems betraying his allies to further his goals.

2 Aizen Sousuke – Bleach

Age: 100-130

This master of illusion and manipulation was born on May 29th, if he truly was or if the viewers are trapped in his illusion too is another question. He is an incredibly deceitful murderer who showed no remorse when stabbing his loyal vice-captain. He manipulated the soul society heads for years and was behind most of the incidents that dictated Ichigo’s life.

His obsession for power, incredibly high IQ, and exceptional prowess in casting battle spells make him a formidable opponent. His ultimate ambition is to absorb the soul king and become the strongest being.

1 Ash Ketchum – Pokemon

Age: 10

Ash, one of the most popular anime protagonists, was born on May 22nd in Pallet Town, located in the Kanto region, and had always dreamt of becoming the world’s best Pokemon master, which can only happen by winning tournaments. He was able to bond with Pikachu in ways that have never been seen before, being generally sympathetic towards Pokemon along the way and befriending them.

He hates trainers who mistreat their Pokemon. He is generally smart and has a good battle IQ, using special Pokemon abilities to solve problems in high-pressure situations. Ash is kind, courageous, and adventurous and is the perfect role model for younger audiences