Top 10 Fictional Characters with a Form of Autism Spectrum Disorder

1. Julia - Sesame Street

   

   She is such a sweetheart. I don't understand why some people make jokes about autism. Autism is very serious. She is a great way to help little ones learn about serious things.

   Personally, I think she is one of the best characters on the show!

   Too bad she is the center of ableist jokes for older audiences.

2. Yui Hirasawa - K-On!

   

   The way she acts, talks, cries, and behaves proves that she has autism.

   I definitely can see her being on the spectrum.

   I think she has autism. She's cute.

3. Black Manta - Aquaman

   

   Black Manta is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Aquaman #35 in 1967 and is considered the archenemy of Aquaman. Black Manta has also appeared in various animated series, video games, and live-action films, including the... read more

4. Tsubomi Hanasaki / Cure Blossom - HeartCatch Precure

   

5. Yuri - Doki Doki Literature Club

   

   Not trying to be mean. Genuine question. Dan is obviously not one to shy away from real issues that people deal with when writing characters, so I wanted to see if anyone thinks this was intended. Now, I should disclaim that I'm not an expert on Autism and what telling symptoms of it are, but I've noticed a lot of similarities between Yuri and a few people I'm very close to who have some kind of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I'll list them here.

   (Mostly about Act 1 Yuri by the way):

   1. Having one or two subjects/hobbies that they are extremely into and passionate about.

   2. Being able to talk confidently about these passions for a long time but struggling with basic conversation otherwise.

   3. Social anxiety.

   4. Having collections.

   5. Low self-confidence.

   6. Impulsively putting self in social situations, then not knowing how to handle it and panicking.

   7. Overthinking, usually in a negative way.

   8. Struggling to articulate thoughts and sometimes regretting what they've said after saying it, like That came out wrong.

   Yuri is portrayed throughout the majority of the game as being shy, generous, polite, passionate about topics she is interested in, apologetic, very intelligent, mature, and eloquent.

6. Carl Gould - Arthur

   

7. Fluttershy - My Little Pony

   

   Fluttershy is a female pegasus pony from the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which aired from 2010 to 2019. She is known for her gentle and timid personality, and she cares deeply for animals. Fluttershy represents the Element of Kindness in the series.

   I actually do believe Fluttershy has autism. I mean, she's very shy, and people with autism are shy.

   Fluttershy is autistic?! She's my most relatable character, and my parents think I might be autistic.

8. Pascal - Tales of Graces F

   

9. Jimmy Neutron - Jimmy Neutron

   

   James "Jimmy" Isaac Neutron is a fictional character and the central protagonist of the Jimmy Neutron franchise. He is best known for starring in the 2001 American 3D computer-animated science fiction film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.... read more

10. Rick Sanchez - Rick and Morty

    

    Rick Sanchez is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rick and Morty, which airs on Adult Swim. He is a genius scientist known for his reckless behavior, dark humor, and adventures across alternate realities. The character was co-created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Jackie - Cyberchase

    
12. ?

    Ashitaka - Princess Mononoke

    
The Contenders

13. Twilight Sparkle - My Little Pony

    

    Twilight Sparkle is the primary main character of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She is a female unicorn pony who transforms into an Alicorn and becomes a princess in the episode Magical Mystery Cure. Her character is known for her intelligence, love of books, and leadership qualities.

    As someone on the spectrum, I believe that she has Asperger's. She has quite a few traits of the disorder, especially early in the series. The fact that the entire premise of Friendship is Magic revolves around "special talents" tied to the ponies' cutie marks leads me to believe that most, if not all, of the ponies are on the spectrum in some way. Twilight is just the most obvious choice due to her having a need for structure and order, as well as being hyperlexic (reads a lot), having a huge interest in history, and often having to relearn friendship lessons every now and then. Best autistic Pony EVER!

    Twilight's entire thing is studying friendship because she doesn't understand how it works.

    Also, her entire character in Friendship Games is just painfully relatable.

14. Buddy - Elf

    

    I'm not surprised if he has autism. He's still a great character!

    I see. He's still my favorite character though!

15. Aaron Pratt - CSI

16. L - Death Note

    

    L Lawliet, known exclusively by the mononym L, is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note. He was created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. L is a highly intelligent and eccentric detective who takes on the challenge of capturing the mysterious killer known as Kira.

17. Minnie Mouse - Disney

    

    Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is a cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. She was first drawn by Iwerks in 1928, at the same time as Mickey Mouse. Her former voice actor, Russi Taylor (1944 to 2019), voiced her for 30 years and was married to Wayne Allwine (1947 to 2009), the former voice... read more

18. Star Butterfly - Star vs the Forces of Evil

    

    Star Butterfly is the main character in the animated television series Star vs. the Forces of Evil, which aired on Disney XD from 2015 to 2019. She is a teenage princess from the dimension of Mewni who is sent to Earth to learn how to use her magical powers. The show follows her adventures as she battles... read more

19. Harold - Total Drama

    

20. Chidi Anagonye - The Good Place

21. Austin - The Backyardigans

    

    He has autism because he displays some autistic traits like being imaginative and being shy, and so on.

22. Ralph Wiggum - The Simpsons

    

    Ralph Wiggum is a supporting character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is the son of Chief Clancy Wiggum and is known for his nonsensical and often humorous remarks. Ralph is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and features prominently in several episodes, including I Love Lisa and This Little... read more

    That's actually not that surprising.

23. Beth Harmon - The Queen's Gambit

    She should be listed higher than Jeffy. Calling Jeffy an accurate portrayal of autistic people is like calling Jar Jar Binks an accurate portrayal of black people.

24. Arthur Read - Arthur

    

    Arthur Timothy Read is the titular protagonist of both the book series and the PBS children's television show Arthur, created by Marc Brown. The show debuted in 1996 and ran until 2022, becoming one of the longest-running children's animated series. Arthur is an eight-year-old aardvark navigating school... read more

25. Tomoko Kuroki - WataMote

    

    Tomoko Kuroki (Japanese: 黒木 智子, Kuroki Tomoko) is the lead protagonist of the anime series and light novel No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! ("WataMote"). The series chronicles the various attempts of the socially inept and often desperate protagonist to become more popular... read more

    She fits perfectly in most of the signs of the autism spectrum. Maybe that's what makes her a character that you either love or hate. Obviously, her social interactions are pretty hard, but when it comes to things of her interest such as video games or anime, she's a bit more confident.

    Compared to the others on this list, her social problems are extremely high. I actually think she has social anxiety.

26. Shinn Asuka - Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

    

    Shinn Asuka is a fictional character in the Japanese science fiction anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny by Sunrise, part of the Gundam franchise. He is introduced as the main protagonist and a pilot of the advanced mobile suit ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. Shinn's character is known... read more

27. Sailor Mercury / Ami - Sailor Moon

    

    Yes, I agree they have autism. Even I happen to have autism myself too, and once, I cosplayed a male version of Sailor Mercury and had a guy referring to me as "Professor Mercury," and I got a kick out of it. When I had a photo with a lady as Sailor Moon and another with someone as Sailor Mars, I told them about this "Professor Mercury" stuff. Even they got a kick out of that and didn't get upset one bit when I told them I have autism and even told them Sailor Mercury had autism. I explained it, and soon they understood what I meant about Sailor Mercury having autism and even found it interesting too. Yep, they were very friendly ladies.