27 Ultra-Moody Emo Characters From Anime, Movies & Cartoons

Have you ever thought about whether your favorite character is emo or not? If so, you’ve come to the right place. This article lists 27 male and female emo characters from movies, cartoons, and anime. We’ll even tell you which Dr. Seuss characters we think fit an emo stereotype. We’ve also added a section explaining the common traits of an emo character to help you identify them in your favorite books, shows, and movies.

Most Emo Movie & Anime Characters

Edward Scissorhands – Edward Scissorhands
Wednesday Addams – The Addams Family & Wednesday
Sasuke Uchiha – Naruto
L Lawliet – Death Note
Edward Cullen – Twilight series

Section 1 of 8:

Male Emo Characters

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Jack Skellington – The Nightmare Before Christmas As the king of Halloween Town, Jack is longing to have something more meaningful in his life than thrills and chills. His introspective nature and search for meaning are common traits associated with someone who is being emo.
- Jack also dresses emo in his black pinstriped suit.
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Donnie Darko – Donnie Darko Donnie Darko is a bit of an outcast who often appears contemplative and introspective. As he begins to see terrifying visions of the end of the world—and a horrifying man-sized rabbit—he becomes more and more isolated and lonely. Donnie’s emotional struggle, along with the film's dark costuming and aesthetic, make him the perfect emo character.
- Richard Kelly, writer and director of Donnie Darko, has said he wrote the script to become more emo and realized as an artist.^{[1]
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Loki – Marvel Universe Loki spent his childhood feeling overlooked by his father, Odin, who favored his brother, Thor. This set him on the path to becoming a villain. But Loki’s conflicted feelings for his family, his mercurial emotions, and his fabulously dark costumes put him in the emo camp.
- He also demonstrates a lot of creativity in his many schemes and plots to gain power and take over Asgard.
Edward could fit in with both the goth and emo crowds.^{[2]
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Expert Interview} But it’s his dark clothing, emotional depth, and artistic talents that align him with the emo subculture. He also experiences quite a bit of emotional turmoil during his story. His “father” dies, he’s an outsider, and he experiences a doomed love.
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Tom Hansen – (500) Days of Summer Tom’s top emo trait is that he listens to Joy Division and The Smiths, 2 post-punk bands that feature deeply emotional lyrics, much like emo music.^{[3]
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Research source} Tom also becomes moody and unable to hide his emotions over the course of the movie. Both of these are common traits in emo characters.
- (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb got his start directing music videos for emo bands like My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects, and Yellowcard.^{[4]
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Section 2 of 8:

Female Emo Characters

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Moaning Myrtle – Harry Potter series Moaning Myrtle haunts the second-floor girls’ lavatory at Hogwarts. Before her untimely death, she was teased mercilessly and found it difficult to make friends with other students.^{[5]
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Research source} Her outsider status and her constant loud crying after becoming a ghost make her very emo.
- Myrtle is very lonely and desperate for someone to pay attention to her. But she’s also mistrustful of people showing her kindness.
- These conflicting emotions are also emo character traits.
For most of 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat only shows anger and sarcasm, which isolate her from her family and most of her classmates. She hides her growing feelings for Patrick Verona to protect herself from rejection. However, she finally confesses her feelings by tearfully reciting her emotional poetry. What could be more emo than that?
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Ramona Flowers – Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Ramona holds her emotional cards pretty close to her vest most of the time. But with 7 evil exes, the girl’s got some serious emotional baggage. She’s also conflicted about her feelings for Scott Pilgrim and Gideon Graves.
- Because of her history, Ramona often stays distant and isolated from other people.
- Ramona also has an emo fashion sense with dark clothing and dyed hair.^{[6]
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Wednesday Addams – The Addams Family & Wednesday Wednesday is more commonly identified as a goth character, but hear us out! Wednesday is definitely an outsider… even among outsiders. She’s conflicted in her feelings for her mother and her roommate Enid Sinclair. Plus, she writes in a journal, which shows her introspective, emo nature.^{[7]
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Expert Interview}
- While there is a difference between emo and goth, the groups have a lot in common.
- This can make determining which group a fictional character belongs to a little subjective.
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Nancy Downs – The Craft Nancy’s style is pure goth, but her outsider status and emotional vulnerability make her personality lean more emo. She puts up a strong front at school, where she’s the target of gossip and bullying. But at home, she deals with an alcoholic mother and a creepy stepfather.^{[8]
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- Nancy has strong conflicting feelings. She wants acceptance, but can’t handle rejection.
- This causes her to turn on her friend Sarah when Sarah tries to leave the coven.

Section 3 of 8:

Emo Characters from Movies

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Kylo Ren – Star Wars universe The son of Princess Leia and Han Solo and grandson of Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader), Kylo Ren finds himself caught between the dark and light sides of the force. His emotions often explode into a violent use of the Force.^{[9]
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Research source} It’s this emotional turmoil—and his preference for wearing all black—that makes Kylo Ren an emo character.
- Kylo loves his parents and feels a strong connection to Rey and the light side of the Force. But the dark side feeds on his pain and conflicting emotions.
Edward Cullen doesn’t talk about his emotions. But he has a hard time hiding how much he wants to be with Bella Swan, all while knowing he’s a danger to her. He broods and wears dark clothing all the time.^{[10]
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Expert Interview} Plus, he’s a vampire, the most emo of all monsters.
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Lydia Deetz – Beetlejuice & Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Lydia is another character who is usually identified as goth. But her disconnection from her family and desire to find a new family are emo characteristics. Her sensitivity is stronger as an adult in the sequel film. She’s experienced real loss and struggles with strong emotions that keep her isolated from her daughter.
- Young Lydia shows her emo creativity by writing poetry and taking photographs.
- She also has a dramatic flair that she shows through her clothing and hairstyles.
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Janis Ian – Mean Girls Janis is witty, creative, and emotional, which are all traits associated with emo characters. Plus, she has an emo sense of style. She’s a self-identified outcast, but has strong bonds with her friends. Other kids pick on her, but she’s able to give as good as she gets. Even though she puts up a tough front, being betrayed first by Regina and then by Cady hurt her deeply.^{[11]
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- In spite of her emotional pain, Janis is a little more confident and outspoken than the stereotypical emo character.
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Allison Reynolds – The Breakfast Club Allison was created long before the emo subculture, but she still has many emo traits. She’s a loner who wears dark clothes and heavy, black eye makeup.^{[12]
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Research source} She’s emotionally vulnerable, which often causes her to withdraw and act in ways that make her a social outcast.
- Allison occasionally acts in ways that are purposefully off-putting. For example, she shakes dandruff on a drawing to make snow.
- However, her drawing also shows how creative she is, which is another emo trait. She also reveals she can play the piano with her toes.

Section 4 of 8:

Emo Characters from Anime

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Rin is the son of the Devil, which might give him enough emotional turmoil to make him emo. But he also has explosive emotions that swing from anger to empathy. It’s these conflicted emotions—and his inability to hide them—that really make him an emo character.^{[13]
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L Lawliet – Death Note L is solitary and looks the part with his black, shaggy emo hair. He’s known for his deep thinking and problem-solving skills. He’s also seen as being lonely and isolated from others. The character also shows an emo inner conflict between his emotions and the detached logic he uses to solve cases.
- While L isn’t exactly an outcast, he doesn’t have any real friends. This makes him isolated and even more emo.
Nana is a musician who uses her creativity to express her pain and longing through her lyrics. This alone is enough to put her squarely in the emo category. But she also looks emo in dark colors and has an edgy hairstyle that cements her emo status.
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Shinji Ikari – Neon Genesis Evangelion Shinji deals with insecurity and longs for acceptance. He’s introverted and has a habit of shutting out the world to protect his emotional vulnerability. Shinji is also deeply introspective, leading fans to think of him as an emo character.
- He often has emotional outbursts that make him seem even more emo because he can’t seem to hide his feelings.
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Sasuke Uchiha – Naruto Sasuke is often identified as emo because of his brooding and introspective character. He hates his brother and is driven by the desire to avenge the deaths of his family.^{[14]
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Expert Interview} He resists forming friendships because he sees it as a sign of weakness.^{[15]
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- There are several characters that could be labeled as emo in Naruto, but many feel Sasuke is the most emo of them all.

Section 5 of 8:

Animated Emo Characters from Cartoons

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Daria Morgendorffer – Daria While Daria is more snarky than mopey, she dials her brooding all the way up. She’s also an outsider who struggles to connect with her family and classmates. Plus, Daria’s cynicism is a mask to prevent feeling vulnerable when someone sees her true self.
- Daria also identifies as a writer, so she also has that emo creative streak.
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Marceline – Adventure Time Marceline is a 1,000-year-old vampire queen. She’s extremely independent. But she can be emotional and sentimental or vicious and sinister, depending on how hungry she is. Marceline finds it easier to express emotions through writing and performing songs, something that makes her more emo.^{[16]
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- Marceline also wears clothing in dark colors like violet, gray, blue, and red.
Eeyore is melancholy… and he’s not afraid to show it. His angst often comes from introspection and a too-sensitive nature.^{[17]
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Research source} Eeyore’s commonly quoted line, “Thanks for noticing me,” shows how eager the character is to be accepted and included. But his depression often isolates him from the rest of the characters.
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Charlie Brown – Peanuts Charlie Brown was around long before emo became a thing. But his thoughtful observations and profound questions show how introspective he is, which makes him the original emo boy. He’s also prone to emotional outbursts. And that’s not even mentioning his unrequited love for the Little Red-Haired Girl, something he can’t hide.
- Charlie’s also been seen wandering around with a storm cloud that follows him around to pour rain on his head.
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Squidward Tentacles – SpongeBob SquarePants Voice actors for Kamp Koral, the SpongeBob SquarePants prequel, have referred to Squidward as “Emo Squidward.” They imply he’s hormonal and moody.^{[18]
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Research source} While the adult Squidward isn’t hormonal, he’s certainly kept his moodiness, making him a little emo.
- Squidward also has a creative outlet in his clarinet playing, another emo trait.
- And clarinets are made out of African blackwood, meaning they’re the ultimate emo color.

Section 6 of 8:

Emo Dr. Seuss Characters

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JoJo McDodd – Horton Hears a Who! Many people identify JoJo McDodd from Horton Hears a Who! as emo. JoJo’s personality is more introverted than the people around him, which makes him a bit of an outsider. He shows his emo creativity by inventing a huge instrument that he uses to make music.^{[19]
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- JoJo is also designed with a stereotypically emo appearance. His hair is long and dark, and his fur is black-and-white striped.
- This makes him look much more emo than the other, more colorful Whos.
The Grinch is grumpy, especially at the beginning of his story. He’s also mostly solitary and feels like an outsider. He has intense negative emotions toward Christmas and the Whos down in Whoville. The Grinch might not be the first character you think of when someone says, “emo.” But give him some bangs and dark clothes, and he could fit right in.

Section 7 of 8:

More Emo Characters

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Emo characters are in all types of fiction. Once you start looking for emo characters, you can find them in many of your favorite movies, TV shows, and even books. Here are a few characters that might fit in with the emo subculture:
- Charlie – The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
- Batman – Batman movies
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead – Deadpool series
- Norah – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
- Sid – Toy Story
- Beverly Marsh – It
- Andrew Largeman – Garden State
- Lloyd Dobler – Say Anything…
- Emily – Corpse Bride
- Dwayne – Little Miss Sunshine
- Ulquiorra Cifer – Bleach
- Itachi Uchiha – Naruto
- Zero Kiryu – Vampire Knight
- Sadness – Inside Out
- Ruby Gloom – Ruby Gloom
- Anakin Skywalker – Star Wars universe
- Severus Snape – Harry Potter series^{[20]
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- Angel – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Louis de Pointe du Lac – Interview with a Vampire

Section 8 of 8:

What is an emo character?

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A character that embodies the moodiness & clothing of emo culture. Fictional emo characters are often based on more obvious traits associated with emo culture. There’s more focus on how they look and act, which can make it less about the subculture’s musical inspiration.^{[21]
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Frank DiLuzio
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Expert Interview} Some other characteristics of fictional emos are:
- Emotional conflict
- Dark clothing & straight hair
- Journaling
- Writing/reading emotional poetry
- Inability to hide their emotions
- Quiet & shy behavior
- Introspectiveness
- Listens to emotional music
- Emotional vulnerability
- Isolation