Let’s take the time celebrate anime’s most supportive moms!
Before I start, let me make it clear that this is a list of the best anime moms.
So, two things follow:
I’m not just talking about moms who are pretty.
You know, the kind of people who look much younger than they are and could be their kid’s onee-chan?
If a figure on my list is also beautiful, that’s a bonus.
This is also not just a list of real mothers. Not all of the best moms are the ones who gave birth to the kids they help so much.
So let’s look at some of the best and my favorite anime moms of all time. Always bless them.
Also, surprises are coming.
So, be warned.
38. Leonora Nakiri From Food Wars!
Food Wars just isn’t as fun to watch as it used to be. But that doesn’t change the fact that Leonora Nakiri is one of the sexiest moms in anime.
She’s also smart, which is why she’s here.
Does it seem like she desperately tries to look hot?
Not at all.
The Research Division Head of Nakiri International shines with ease thanks to her long, beautiful hair and hypnotic red eyes.
All the while staying nice and being very competitive in the cooking world.
37. Shiki Ryougi From Kara no Kyoukai
I’m going to be honest with you: sometimes Shiki Ryougi scares me.
She’s totally cool, but also kind of scary.
Then again, what should I expect since she’s from Kara no Kyoukai?
Shiki’s time as a mom is not a big part of the series.
But I love that she and Mikiya Kokutou have Mana Ryougi, who is funny because she wants to “defeat” her own mom to get her dad.
36. Yoshie Hanabatake From Aho Girl
She’s from the group Aho Girl.
Yoshie Hanabatake isn’t as stupid as her daughter, but she still doesn’t have her head on straight.
Even so, Yoshie only wants one thing more than anything else: to be left alone.
But that can’t happen until either her daughter marries a good guy (like Akuru Akutsu) or she stops being so stupid, or both.
So, Yoshiko’s mother will do anything, and I mean anything, to get Yoshiko and Akuru married.
Also, did you know that Yoshie can tell what other women are thinking just by looking at their pantsu?
35. Chi-Chi From Dragon Ball
Chi-Chi might as well be in the top 5 based on how popular it is.
Chi-Chi is well-known because she is the loving wife of Goku, one of the shounen kings who is still popular today, and the mother of Gohan and Goten.
Plus, she doesn’t have to be a serious, peace-loving mom for people to like her.
If you’ve seen her from the beginning, you know that she went from being shy to being tough and sometimes annoyed.
34. Kobayashi From Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Miss Kobayashi had a baby, right? No, and once I even thought she was just a guy with long hair.
But when Kanna Kamui came along, this hacker who gets crazy when she’s drunk showed that she could be a mother.
First of all, Kobayashi makes sure that Kanna is doing well both as a cute little kid learning at school and as a powerful dragon getting used to living with humans.
She worked hard, like most moms do, to get a day off so she could cheer for Kanna at the school sports fest.
Also, I love it when Kobayashi tells the cute Kanna that everything will be fine. Such a mom.
33. Kanata Izumi From Lucky Star
I forget that Kanata Izumi is Konata’s mother sometimes.
I mean, just take a look at her. It’s like she’s her twin sister who likes books and the beach more than video games.
I wish she was still alive so that her husband Sojiro and daughter Konata could have spent more time with her. She died when Konata was a baby. But such is life.
Also, I’m glad that Lucky Star let her spend time with her family, even though she was only a ghost.
32. Nana Sawada From Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
In my country, Katekyo Hitman Reborn was a middle-level shounen. Even though it wasn’t as popular as Naruto or Bleach, a lot of people still watched.
Nana Sawada cares deeply about her family. Because of this, she is very friendly to Tsunayoshi Sawada’s friends.
But Nana also shows something that many kids feel in real life: that they don’t look good enough to their own mom.
Tsunayoshi is a good kid. But Nana is worried about how he will do in college.
I can see why she feels that way, so I put her on my list.
She cares, but just like any parent in real life, she worries and has things to learn, like how to believe in her own kid more.
31. Kazue Sonokawa From Sabage-bu!
Do people remember that Sabage-bu even exists?
This 2014 movie may not be on anyone’s mind anymore, but Kazue Sonokawa, the strange-looking but kind-looking mother, should be.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” applies well to Kazue.
Yes, she seems like a mom who likes to stay at home and cook for her kids, but then you find out that Kazue has a gun and a thing for people who look good on the outside but might be hiding something bad.
30. Delia Ketchum From Pokémon
Japanese fans know her more as Hanako. But to everyone else, she is Delia Ketchum. That woman who was with Mr. Mime.
It’s nice to see Delia around, just like it’s nice to see Chi-Chi from Dragon Ball.
The first Pokémon game came out more than 20 years ago.
And Ash is still trying to be the best (even though no one has ever been).
And Delia will always love and support her son when he comes home, even if he loses the title.
29. Sukuyo Mankanshoku From Kill la Kill
Wouldn’t it be funny if, instead of Sukuyo Mankanshoku, I added the other mother from Kill la Kill?
I don’t care if her meals have a lot of secret (and maybe even questionable) ingredients.
Sukuyo knows how to take care of Mako, Mataro, and Ryuuko, her three children.
Also, she gets extra points for not defending her creepy husband and instead letting Ryuuko beat him up for what he did wrong.
28. Jessica Randy From Banana Fish
I like Banana Fish a lot.
Jessica Randy may not be a big reason why, but I like how she isn’t afraid to speak up and get down to business.
Think about how she was ready to shoot Max.
I don’t know of any other anime ex-wife who would do something like this… It’s cute, though, because she wanted him back by the end of the series.
In the same way, she doesn’t only care about her son Michael. She is also a good person to Ash Lynx.
27. Kurumi Saiki From The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
How can she be 37 years old?
She looks like she’s in her 20s, but she’s getting a master’s degree and working part-time.
Does she care about them?
For sure.
She is a big reason why Kusuo hasn’t used his magical powers to do bad things.
And I like that she decides to think that most people are good.
But does she care enough about her family to fight for them?
Also, yes, and that’s why I love her.
26. Mito Freecss From Hunter x Hunter
Auntie Mito Freecss is so kind and gentle that she deserves everything in the world, especially a map and access to Google Maps 24/7 so she doesn’t get lost again.
Mito did try to stop Gon from becoming a hunter like his father by telling him lies. But her only goal was to keep him safe.
Gon never knew his real mom, but Mito showed him what it was like to grow up with a loving mother.
25. Yuriko Gouda From Ore Monogatari
Yuriko Gouda is a very good mother in a show that is also very good.
It’s hard not to think of her as her son Takeo’s female version.
But what’s wrong with that when they’re both great people?
No matter how much I praise her, the one thing I’ll always remember most is when she helped another woman give birth while she was also pregnant.
She’s strong, dependable, and willing to help anyone without asking for anything in return.
24. Irisviel von Einzbern From Fate/Zero
I love stories about things that were made just for study and testing, but as time went on, they became a little more human and learned how emotions can win out over reason and logic.
Irisviel von Einzbern is the mother of Ilyasviel and the wife of Kiritsugu Emiya. She is a homunculus.
Irisviel was treated like a real person, which was different from other homunculi. All of this was also for science.
But this let her have a child and raise it like any other mother.
No matter how strange or unusual her parenting was, it showed what people have always known: that nothing beats the joy of seeing and being with your child.
23. Soyon From Kemono no Souja Erin (The Beast Player Erin)
Still, it’s funny and scary to think about how long ago 2009 was… But that’s when this fantasy story about a slice of life started.
Kemono No Souja Erin never really caught on with people. But most people who watched it thought it was good, and they were right.
Erin is the show’s main star. But Soyon, her mother, also deserves to be known.
She raised her child on her own after Asson died.
She helped Erin become the smart and stubborn kid she is today, especially when it comes to taking care of animals. Erin also learned to deal with change no matter what.
22. Rinko Iori From Gundam Build Fighters
I know that Rinko’s story as a mother isn’t as exciting or difficult as some of the other stories I chose.
But I would be lying if I said that I didn’t like having her in Gundam Build Fighters.
She cooks very well. She loves her husband a lot, even though they don’t see each other very often.
Plus, she gives her son a lot of help.
Yes, she enjoys making fun of Sei with China Kousaka… But who doesn’t remember when their mom or dad sent them to live with a friend?
21. Clara Magnolia From Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden is one of the most beautiful anime shows ever made (KyoAni, if you must know).
And many fans say that Episode 10, which had this mom, was their best.
The only thing people know about her is that she was Ann Magnolia’s mom. Aside from this, they don’t know her husband’s or son-in-law’s names.
But none of that mattered. Because it was all about her relationship with Ann and how she wanted Ann to be guided by her motherly love for the rest of her life.
She was a wonderful woman who loved her daughter very much. I can’t wait until more anime fans watch her show.
20. Izumi Curtis From Fullmetal Alchemist
Izumi Curtis is a very cool anime character. And I think we can all agree that Edward and Alphonse wouldn’t be as great in fight (or in life) without her.
It’s funny that she says she’s a gentle mother.
I mean, she’s a big, strong woman who can easily take down anyone who calls her old.
But what I like most about her is that she chose to teach the brothers and became like a mother to them.
She has an open mind, values hard work, accepts (not just tolerates) differences, and has learned how to help others help themselves instead of making them dependent on her.
19. Ryouko Tamiya From Parasyte -the maxim-
I give Parasyte a score of 10 out of 10. And Ryouko Tamiya made it even more special than I thought it would be.
I could tell she was strange just by looking at her, but I didn’t think she was more than a murderous math teacher.
Yes, she was more interested in study than anything else. But then something magical happens, a wonderful moment that everyone has (or should have) at some point in their lives. It is love, yes.
Somehow, the parasitic alien came to see the human baby as something to protect, not as something to try to figure out.
Some say Ryouko didn’t have to die. But I think that her death was more of a message than a sign that the show had a big problem with logic.
18. Momoko Shigeno From Major
Like Haikyuu, Major makes it easy for me to care about a lot of characters, even the ones who don’t get much attention.
Momoko Shigeno has lived for a long time. And seeing her has always been a pleasure.
She was like a mother to Goro Honda even before she was engaged to Shigeharu Honda.
Shigeharu died, which was sad, but life goes on.
Shigeharu’s best friend is now her husband. She now has two kids of her own, but she still cares for Goro.
17. Touko Fujiwara From Natsume’s Book of Friends
I really like how the author wrote Touko Fujiwara.
Yes, she is a kind mother and wife who loves her family. But she also did it for herself when she took Natsume Takashi in.
As a married woman in her mid-40s who can’t have children, she needed to fill a big hole in her life.
A loneliness that not even her wonderful husband could fix, and Natsume had been important to her from the beginning.
Because of this depth (or the fact that people are naturally flawed), she seems more real than most anime characters. At least from where I stand.
16. Miyako Ishida From A Silent Voice
When A Silent Voice came out in theaters, I saw it several times in just two weeks. Every time I saw it, I loved it.
What Yaeko Nishimiya did to Miyako was not fair. But as a mother, she would rather have her earring torn off by a hard slap than see her anger toward her son, who was the bully.
Also, unlike most of the moms on my list, she never gave up on Shoya, who wasn’t the easiest kid to raise.
I just wish there were more mothers in real life like her, who didn’t have to hit their own children to teach them a lesson.
15. Yukari Nitani From Bunny Drop
Yukari Nitani is one of the best moms because of many things.
First, she’s a beautiful 32-year-old single mom who takes good care of Kouki.
Second, she thinks about how a big choice will affect other people, even if it’s something she’s always wanted.
She turned down Daikichi’s request to live with him, even though it was clear she liked him, because she was afraid about how this would affect Kouki and Rin’s relationship.
A lot of thought.
But Yukari never stopped being like a mother to Rin and a guide for Daikichi, even after that.
14. Akari Kawamoto From March Comes In like a Lion
At her age, Akari Kawamoto should be in college, getting her degree and maybe working part-time to pay for her hobbies and interests.
Instead, since their dad left and their mom died, she has taken care of her two younger sisters.
It’s hard to be her. But she never gave up. Because she loved her family, she took on such a big job.
Even though Akari was already busy day and night, she chose to help Rei Kiriyama even though she was drunk.
She cares so much. Her brothers don’t feel like they’re in a broken family because of her.
13. Maquia From Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
It was hard to decide, but Maquia instead of Hana gets the silver award.
They are already the best moms, not just in anime but in all stories.
But I find Maquia’s story more interesting.
Maquia is a 15-year-old child, just like a few of the other people in this list.
Maquia also doesn’t age as quickly as people do. So she could still look like a girl for a few hundred more years. But her slow growth and the mental challenges she faces are clear.
Maquia isn’t a perfect mother. She didn’t take in the child just because she wanted to help him. No, she didn’t just want to be with herself. To make life just a little bit less sad. She said that she was sure this was her hibiol.
Maquia learns and, more importantly, lives through the joys and pains of parenting over time.
She didn’t have any babies. But she learned what it’s like to care for a baby, to watch him grow up, and to have hopes and dreams that don’t always include living with him. And to see him start his own family and even find someone else to give his life for.
Even though Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms was beautiful to look at, the way the story moved from one year to the next didn’t always impress.
But the fact that a young-looking orphan girl who can live for hundreds of years finds and raises a child, a human who will grow up much faster than she does and die much sooner, despite being told that loving another person will make her truly alone, and realizes in the end that it was worth it and worth doing again, is a worthy triumph.
And a wonderful trip.
12. Sachiko Fujinuma From ERASED
Even before I finished the list, I already knew that Sachiko Fujinuma would win the crown. I even rewatched ERASED to remind myself why I like her so much.
The second time I saw it, I realized how smart, hardworking, and eventually selfless this woman was. She was a great mom to both her son Satoru and Kayo Hinazuki, who didn’t get the love from her real mom that every child deserves.
Also, Sachiko was never a person with too much power. She knew when to be quiet (while still keeping an eye on how her child was doing) and when to talk to Satoru.
When you have a mother’s love, there is nothing else like it. And Sachiko gave it to Satoru, no matter how old or young he was.
Sachiko is very curious, which makes sense since she used to be a news writer.
She knew that Satoru’s coworker Airi Katagiri liked him, for one thing. And on the other hand, Airi knew that Satoru would never put his mom in danger. Both women learned these things after having dinner with each other.
The most important thing is that Sachiko’s ability to think critically helped save lives. Not just in the sense of stopping someone from dying, but also in the sense of helping them live a happier, more loving life.
Sachiko and ERASED showed everyone that parents, whether they are biological or not, don’t always have to choose between their own kids and other kids. Her love is limitless.
11. Junko Kaname From Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Junko is a no-nonsense kind of anime moms.
She cherishes her morning routine with Madoka and is always willing to have a conversation at night after work, but Junko also knows when to give Madoka space to figure out her own problems.
Junko has a habit of dropping subtle advice bombs, which no doubt influenced Madoka during her magical girl journey.
10. Emi Handa From Barakamon
Emi goes through a tough time accepting that her son Seishuu is growing up and ready to pursue his own dreams.
She is overbearing and overprotective of Seishuu, and is against him staying on the Gotō Islands.
Despite this, Emi realizes that Seishuu is happy there and she learns to let go and supports his decision.
9. Kyoko Honda From Fruits Basket
Kyoko Honda, like Kanata Izumi in Lucky Star, was never “physically” in the show because she had already died.
But that doesn’t change the fact that she was a great mom.
Kyoko was not a good person when she was young. She was a bad person who led a bunch of other bad people.
Then Katsuya Honda came along, married her, and made her life better by starting a family with her.
When Katsuya died, she did think about killing herself… But she came to her senses and was the best single mother Tohru could have ever had.
In fact, Tohru often talks about the lessons she learned from her.
8. Yasuko Takasu From Toradora!
Yasuko is more than just how she looks, and her story is a big part of why Toradora is such a well-known show.
She is like many young women around the world who become mothers but don’t get the help they need from their partners and families.
She did have a choice. She made the decision to keep Ryuuji.
Yasuko knew it was going to be hard, but she didn’t give up.
She worked two jobs so her son could focus on school. She hopes he won’t have to deal with the same problems she did.
Yasuko might seem silly, but she really wanted Ryuuji to have a good life.
7. Trisha Elric From Fullmetal Alchemist
Trisha is known for her mother personality and dedicated her life to raising Edward and Alphonse the moment their father left.
6. Kushina Uzumaki From Naruto
Do I even need to be told who she is?
Kushina was an impulsive and stubborn child, but she matured into a level-headed adult.
She loved her family – especially her newborn son, Naruto.
She is Naruto’s mother, and she is a wonderful person in general.
Kushina would still be on my list even if she hadn’t died for her son.
I love that when she was young, she was like Naruto: playful, quick to act, and ready to take on the world.
Kushina did grow up, and she did fall in love with Minato Namikaze. But she never stopped being strong for the people she cares about, even if it meant losing her life.
5. Sanae Furukawa From Clannad: After Story
I know that Sanae Furukawa was in Clannad as well. And I love all the stories and jokes about her bread.
But she really shines as one of the best anime moms ever in After Story.
Consider this:
When Tomoya Okazaki’s pregnant wife, Nagisa, who was also her daughter, was sick, Sanae was always there to help.
Second, after Nagisa died, she had to go on with her life. No parent wants to be at the funeral of their own child.
Third, she and Akio took care of their granddaughter Ushio for five years because Tomoya was unhappy and turned to alcohol to help him feel better.
And finally, Sanae played a strict parent because she was sure that Ushio would be happier with her dad, Tomoya.
Sanae could have been the best mother she could be to Ushio. Which probably would have made her want to stay with her and Akio forever, giving Sanae (in a way) another daughter.
But she knew it was wrong and that she shouldn’t take Ushio away from Tomoya, who had already lost the love of his life.
Sanae has been through a lot in her life, but she has stayed kind, happy, and strong.
4. Akari Sakishima From Nagi no Asukara
Akari is selfless step-mother and sister.
She leaves Shioshishio to be with the man she loves, which leads to a complicated dynamic with her step-daughter.
Not only does Akari try her best to provide her step-daughter, but she also acts as a mother figure for her brother Hikari as he goes through his own personal struggles.
Underneath Akari’s quiet demeanor lies a lot of strength.
3. Hana From Wolf Children
I sometimes wonder how much that famous Youtube channel for streaming lo-fi hip-hop sparked a new interest in Wolf Children.
The channel was shut down in the end because of a copyright violation, but the five-second loop of Hana learning did have an effect.
Anyway, Hana meets the Wolf Man in one of her college classes in the 2012 movie by Mamoru Hosoda.
The two fell in love, got married, and had children. Everything was going well until Hana’s husband and children’s father died in a terrible accident, leaving Hana alone with their children.
Hana’s hard, but ultimately satisfying, journey as a widow and mother has just begun.
With her husband’s money running out, her kids being rowdy and acting like small wolves when they shouldn’t, and being asked to leave the apartment because the neighbors didn’t like all the noise, she felt like she had no choice but to leave.
Hana had to move to the country because she had nowhere else to go.
Is it hard to take care of animals?
Yes.
What about being a parent yourself?
Definitely.
So, what would you do if your own kids could turn into wolves and soon had to decide whether they wanted to be humans or wolves most of the time (i.e., they had a special kind of identity crisis)?
Hana didn’t know who she should talk to. She couldn’t just rely on vets or doctors for children.
Even though she wasn’t ready, she never thought about failing. She was a mother, after all.
Wolf Children is about being different and being part of a group. Not just putting up with differences, but also welcoming them.
If you didn’t have to carry the weight on your back. And knowing when to use your power as a parent and when to let your kids make their own choices.
Hana didn’t think that what happened to her, her husband, and, most of all, her children, would happen.
She didn’t give up, though. Because a good mother does that.
2. Nancy Takaishi From Digimon
Nancy has a kind and cheerful personality, and is very protective of her sons.
Despite not having custody over Yamato (Matt), Nancy tries her best to be a good mother towards him.
1. Inko Midoriya From My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia never fails to give anime fans of all ages a new shounen wonder, and Inko Midoriya is a big part of that.
Inko Midoriya might have wondered if Izuku would get into UA High.
But she more than made up for it by making her son a superhero costume and saying she was sorry, which isn’t something many parents do in real life.
Since then, Izuku has always had Inko’s back.
But not without being careful around UA High and making sure he’s safe there all the time.
I also love how often she and Izuku cry. Like until they were almost dry.
