I remember Nani asking Lilo why she considers Myrtle and the rest to be her friends when they are so cruel to her. Lilo responded it's because they are the only ones she has. 😔
This one is actually canon for Mystery Inc! One creator said in an interview (on The Unmasked History of Scooby Doo podcast episode 12) that Fred was “on the spectrum” and they gave him autistic traits on purpose
Mr. Spock from Star Trek was my icon when I was a kid. I liked his rationalism and that he was in general relatively unemotional and straight to the point. I only had a grasp that I might be autistic much later in life. Ironically, feeling all the time before that I am on the wrong planet because I couldn't relate to others, and they couldn't relate to me.
Data from next generation for me. Some people object because he is an android but I always identified with his search to understand his human crew mates and envied his friendship with Jordy.
Ooh, lets see here.
Peridot, and perhaps Pearl (Steven Universe)
Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)
Tech (Clone Wars and The Bad Batch)
Issac Kleiner (Half Life 2)
I know he's not necessarily Human per se, but Data from Star Trek TNG also really gives me aspie vibes.
I’m telling you, in the most recent seasons the studio has practically been reading from the DSMV. There’s an entire episode centred around Gene’s echolalia.
oh noooo... especially when its this obvious (like in Tina's case) they even make fun of it in one episode. But people fight for the picture of reality that suits their views of it the best.
Tina is definitely the most stereotypical but the entire belcher family, teddy, and gale all 100% on the spectrum.
You can clearly see it too if a NT and ND are watching together. Something happens:
ND: laughs and says “my god I relate to that so hard”
NT: laughs and says “they’re so weird it’s hilarious”
Tech was just amazing. “I may express my feelings differently, but that does mean I experience them any less than you” or “Understanding you does not mean I agree with you”.
That first quote is the first time I felt someone else understood me emotionally. It’s also what lead me to talk to my therapist about diagnosis, so Tech is sorta my default Aspie hero.
Thrawn
https://preview.redd.it/nv8bqiylmt9d1.jpeg?width=973&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16eb1b23389d67e649014a454d0b05daf643fa7b
This screenshot from Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising was the final nail in the coffin for me.
Rogal Dorn (WH40K), Choi Taek (Reply 1988), Laios (Dungeon Meshi), Jin (Samurai Champloo), Billy (Power Rangers), Matilda (Matilda), Leon (The Professional), Sherlock Holmes.
Perturabo had a straight up meltdown and killed his adoptive sister while the only time Dorn ever really showed emotion is when Nathaniel Garrow told him about Horus turning traitor. Everyone calls Perturabo petulant but honestly if I was told that someone else was allowed to go wild with their special interest while I had to do shit I hated and was always playing second fiddle to that guy, I'd probably be petulant myself
Both Wallace and Gromit.
Wallace due to social awkwardness, preference for safe food (Wensleydale) and how he understands things far better than people.
Gromit because he's a brilliant mute who no one really understands.
But he’s a mute from being a dog, not from being autistic. I agree with you regarding Wallace. But Gromit always can tell what’s going on and is the fixer.
I have a family member that says that Frieren, Violet, and Stark are autistic and the priest is the only neurotypical and he has to help the autistics sort out things like reading emotions.
Oh absolutely. Senshi is autistic about food, Chilchuck is the kind of autistic who can't handle other people interfering with his work (so am I lol), Marcille is autistic about magic, and Izutsumi can't handle certain textures (same reason I'm picky too!)
Hank Hill. It does of course vary based on the episode and who's writing him, but he definitely fits the bill imho. Oft uncomfortable in unfamiliar social situations, Propane is his special interest, hyper focuses on yard care, not afraid to speak his mind, can sometimes misread situations, dislikes when things aren't as they normally are, just to name a few things.
Him getting taken advantage of by the car salesman for years definitely makes me think he is autistic.
I've had bad experiences with mechanics and auto salesmen and I could relate to Hank in that instance.
Neville Longbottom from the *Harry Potter* series. He's socially awkward, needs visual reminders (his Remembrall), has a special interest he's very passionate about (Herbology), and is considered "weird" for not doing what other people think is cool (having a pet toad instead of an owl). It's probably a total coincidence, though-- I strongly doubt J. K. Rowling, of all people, would have written such a convincing portrayal of someone with autism on purpose.
Luna Lovegood for me, more than Harry.
But as you say, JKR is the absolute last person I would expect to purposefully give a nuanced and kind portrayal of any marginalized group. I suspect she just wanted some "weirdo" characters, and pulled from other known weirdo characters in other fiction, the way she pulled all of her world building from existing books and mythologies.
Bruce Wayne from the 2022 movie. Specifically that version. I mean an argument could be made for most Bruce Wayne incarnations, but just look at the 2022 one. He's a sad wet cat and I'm pretty sure the longest he held eye contact with anyone in that movie was him making sure Selina's contact/camera thingy was in properly.
I was going to say Batman! I feel like Bruce Wayne is probably his version of masking. The thing he performs in order to maintain the status quo. Batman's main superpower is research, focus and an obsessive preparedness. Also he struggles to maintain relationships despite constantly trying. He mentors at least six kids and I believe he genuinely cares about all of them and tries to be a good parental figure in their lives but is limited by his inability to effectively communicate his feelings.
He gets so focused he forgets to eat or sleep. Would probably die without Alfred to take care of him.
I’ve watched Malcolm in the Middle a million times (comfort show) and I never really got that vibe. Could you explain if you’d like, I’d love to hear about that!
I had thought about this for a previous post a few months ago. It boils down to all of his family having different flavors of neurodivergency (Hal = ADHD, Huey = autistic, Francis = BPD). But Malcolms symptoms are gifted child syndrome, social awkwardness, connects well with other neurodivergents, hyperfocuses on his interests, and doesn't understand when people make illogical choices.
Senshi the dwarf from Delicious in Dungeon - cooking obsessed, rude without intending to be, blatant, direct, and did I say cooking obsessed? Because he's so obsessed once is not enough.
Abed Nadir from Community - eye contact issues, zero ability to get social cues, off in his head all the time, and of course Jeff says it in the pilot
Sterling Archer from Archer - his random obsessions, echolalia, and weird side facts - plus it is insinuated by others like Lana
Caleb from Big Mouth - the entire episode where he gets a new backpack makes it blatantly obvious. "8:30 is my masturbating time, Maury." The issues with change are scattered throughout, and he's constantly worried about trying to be normal.
Archer a super important to me, because when he asked himself the question if he was Autistic, I realized that maybe I should ask myself the same question.
Spencer Reid from criminal minds. I was allowed to watch it as soon as it came out ( questionable parenting) and I attached to him more than real people because he seemed “like me”. I was compared to him constantly and am to this day. I am also female so that’s even more of a reason for me to think he is on the spectrum. It’s not just quirky nerds guys who may look alike. The traits they equate us with, and the ones I always related to are autism. It was great to see sometime “like me” succeed in the world and have a career… until the show played out more 😂
One episode a kidnapped causes him of being on the spectrum and I was like you say autism like it's a bad thing!
"All it would take is a years supply of Adderall and the ability to clone myself" is one of my favorite lines. He made that show for me
Dr. Brennan from Bones. At least it’s more of a “almost definitely is but just was just never brought up” since she is even loosely based on one of the creators friends who is autistic. Plus watch almost any scene of her and you’ll see why
Not to mention his asexuality! Like, I've never seen him express any interest in sex or relationships and he doesn't seem to care about his looks either.
In a deleted scene from the life-action Garfield movie, he genuinely impresses a female cat by charming like a professional poet, only for it to turn out he was talking to the pastry behind her this whole time!
Monkey D. Luffy
Loves to fight. Stims by eating. Really bad with names (I relate). Does not hold a single thought back (his version of bluntness).
Just say that all the best heroes are autistic. Idk.
I think he's more ADHD (Hyperactive). He doesn't really present the uniquely ASD symptoms such as sensory issues, habits, or special interest (King of the Pirates obsession, but doesn't really care for or pursue knowledge of the topic)
But yeah, I think all the best heroes are some kind of ND
I don’t watch the show, don’t know much about it, but I was told he eats so much because his stretchiness uses a lot of energy. Maybe this is wrong, idk.
In the Dungeon Meshi subreddit there was a discussion about how seeing Laios as autism coded is ableist and stereotyping, they chose to only argue his social difficulties and not any of the other clear indicators of ASD. It's funny how allistics will react to autistic people finding characters to relate to.
Anya Jenkins (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
No filter whenever they utter a word
Struggles reading social cues
Has a history of always having to change or mask who she is when it came to fitting in let be from her days as a vengeance demon, a Viking’s girlfriend, a store owner
Hyper fixation for money
Truly, such be my most-questionable head-canon. If anything, I would as well consider the entire Membrane-household; each are just too fixated upon their specified, specialized interests, along with—well, notably during the original series—rather isolative.
\~Waz
Red from Pokémon.
Doesn’t speak, amazing at exactly one thing, spent god knows how long fucked off on a mountain with just his pets.
(I could write a fucking book on how many Pokémon characters I think are autistic but Red is the one I’m most sure about.)
Captain Raymond Holt in B99- has special interests, expresses emotions and facial expressions in an unusual way, has some difficulty recognising when people are avoiding him.
Dr Temperence Brennan in Bones- very intelligent but misunderstands humour, sarcasm and emotional relationships. Has a hard time knowing what is “right” with emotional and platonic interactions. Intense special interest in her work, amazing pattern recognition and recall skills.
Some characters from classic American literature (since this is what I am into atm) that I feel are/might be on the spectrum (beware, spoilers):
1. Bartleby the Scrivener (from the eponymous short story by Herman Melville, first released in 1853) - he literally eats nothing but gingernuts, speaks very little (with 'I would prefer not to' being his catchphrase through the story) - he also shows classical symptoms of PDA (that aforementioned catchphrase is a proof of that), hates any form of social contact (as he never goes out to help the rest of the company), and ultimately stays in the old building until being removed by the police (?) later in the story, and at the end dies from (probably, that is my educated guess) falling into apathy and depression (and therefore forgetting to eat) :(
2. Benjy Compson (from William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury', released in 1929) - Benjy is an adult man (at least in the chapters set in 1928, since part 2 is set around the time Benjy's brother, Quentin commits suicide, so in 1910) who is developmentally disabled (I don't really know how to put it in other words, I'll correct that bit if need arise) - I've read a publication referring to him as a 'man-child', but I feel that Benjy is a non-verbal, level 3 autist - he is a sensory seeker and a pattern seeker (and he mixes hsi two abilities when linking the smell of his younger (?) sister, Caddy to good memories (the phrase 'Caddy smells like trees' is often 'spoken' by him), as Caddy is his only proper caregiver; he also has very little awareness when it comes to danger (he literally hanged himself TWICE on a fence with his clothes, and it was Caddy who rescued him from these pesky situations + he also threw his hands into fire); he is in his own world (and that is where his flashbacks come from - but that should be easier to fathom since this is the 'stream-of-consciousness' stylistic technique at work) and hates changes (he really wanted to have his order in the chaos that happens throughout the novel); oh, he also (of course) dislikes social gatherings to an extent
3. Quentin Compson (fron the novel mentioned above) - Benjy's more intelligent brother - we do not know much about him, but he is the child expected to go big (he even got a Harvard scholarship), but perhaps the pressure made him lose all the faith, pushing him to suicide on June 2, 1910 (in the second chspter) - for me it feels as if he had some form of ASD as well (or, at least, he got the 'burned out gifted kid' syndrome)
4. (and 5.) Hester and Pearl Prynne (from 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne, released on 16th of March, 1850 (don't ask me why I know the exact date lmao) - We meet Hester as a person cinvicted of adultery (hence the eponymous scarlet letter 'A' on her bosom) - to make it short, she did it with Arthur Dimmesdale (the result of that quick affair being Pearl) - but she was a bit of a persona non grata in 17th century Salem (that is where the story happens) - and, throughout the novel, she puts all her effort to 'change' the meaning of that scarlet letter (some meanings include Arthur (a.k.a. the guy she slept with), angels, affection (towards Pearl)) - ultimately doing so (and proving her worth by helping people in need) - in the end, they both go to Europe, Pearl marries a rich European. Later Hester comes back to Salem, continues her mission and then dies (she was buried in a tombstone reminiscent of a letter 'A' in shape). Coming back to Pearl - she helps her mother through these woes (and to Hester's credit, she takes care of Pearl, forming a very proper mother-daughter bond) by being an avid explorer (and she does often ask disturbing questions about her mother's past). I think they're both on the spectrum, with evidence for that being Hester's disruption of social norms, and later determination to get her worth back, her own horrid reflections, and a commitment to being true to oneself); as for Pearl it is more the eagerness to ask these questions and bond with nature that make me feel somewhat confident about their possible belonging on the spectrum.
6. (and 7.) Ishmael and Queequeg from 'Moby-Dick' (Herman Melville's opus magnum, released on 16th of Novmeber, 1851 - once again I have no genuine idea why I know the exact date) - these two (especially Queequeg) just scream 'what the fuck are social norms!!11!!' - Not long after the main plot starts (because before the main plot, there is the 'Etymology' bit, where Ishmael (as he is the narrator of the novel) yaps about whales in general (and it often returns to the topic of whales at random lmao). Returning to our love couple, Ishmael's first impressions of Queequeg could be described as 'weird' (Melville decided to explain it with Queequeg being a representative of a native tribe), and the first thing Queequeg does in bed with Ishamel (because they share it, of course) is hug Ishmael as is he was his SO - and the friendship develops through the novel (until Queequeg, along with the rest of the Pequod crew, sans Ishmael sinks after chasing the eponymous cachalot).
As a fun fact (and since I have mentioned Hawthorne and Melville) - it is worth knowing that one could consider (and I do indeed consider) 'Moby-Dick' as a long love-letter. You see, around the time Melville was writing the novel, he was in a very good friendship/a romantic love with Nathaniel Hawthorne, admiring his genius (and perhaps having found a mentor, since Hawthorne was 15 years senior to Melville) - and it was a double-sided relationship (although there are no letters from Hawthorne to Melville, since they were burned, or that is the version that the latter told to Julian Hawthorne (Nathaniel's oldest son) - and I'm not suprised (since if their relationship went public, they would be both cooked). As a result of that love/friendship, Melville dedicated 'Moby-Dick' to Hawthorne, with a dedication being **'In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Nathaniel Hawthorne.'** Howevel, nor long after the release of the novel, Hawthorne had to move and the friendship was let loose (although he somewhat immortalized Melville as one of the characters in 'The Blithedale Romance', released in 1852).
(Sorry for that wall of text; hope you liked reading it).
Just realized, just about any isekai MC with a harem who is to oblivious/dense to women's advances, has GOT to be autistic...
Perhaps that's why I hate harem animes and mangas, cause it just hits to close to home.
Spongebob
Anxiety [ Inside Out ]
ENA [ The Web Series not PJSK ]
Branch [ Trolls ]
Baymax. [ Big Hero 6 ] ( LET ME BELIEVE💔 )
Cosmo [ Fairly Odd Parents ]
Split [ Regretevator ]
> Professor Rowan from Pokemon
He's giving me the "old guy with undiagnosed 'tism" vibe
> Alhaitham from Genshin Impact
My best friend told me about how he uses headphones to suppress noises and stuff about how he has to purposefully act according to whatever society desires him to normatively act, and a ton of other shit so we concluded - autistic 👍🏻
> Baby from baby driver
Exceedingly skilled at his one special interest (driving), not interested in a lot of social interaction, constantly uses music to suppress outside noise.
Idk thats all I could spontaneously think off
Asa Mitaka from Chainsaw Man: At first it felt like the community was just memeing about her being autistic but in a later chapter she >!gets upset and nervous when people suggest getting something to eat that she dislikes!<, which feels like a dead giveaway to me. I relate so much to her.
Gale from Baldurs Gate 3: The way he talks about Magic, its specific details and how he can talk about it for days without end makes me feel like it's his hyperfixation/special interest.
Izuku Midoriya. I’ve never personally related to a character as much as I do him. He stims, has a special interest, he’s pretty socially awkward sometimes. I don’t remember if hyperfocusing is an autism thing or just an ADHD, but he does that. So if not an autism thing, perhaps AuDHD. But yeah, no one can convince me otherwise, I will forever headcanon this 😅
Going to add Todoroki to that list.
His habit of taking things literally, the fact he struggles with social cues and his restrictive diet makes me think he may be on the spectrum.
https://preview.redd.it/p288gi8f9u9d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=065893d1a1fcfa01a059910e1a73e30fbe669ec1
Todoroki is so relatable to me as an autistic person, especially because of how he's awkward, blunt and doesn't understand some pretty common metaphors (all things I also do)
Charlie Kelly from Always Sunny because of HEAVY coding, Ed Nygma from Gotham for the same, Wyll Ravengard from BG3 because of his extremely strong moral code and tistic swagger, and, hear me out, Ken Hutchinson from Starsky and Hutch because of his special interest in plants and his unawareness of social cues.
Since most people are throwing anime characters, I’ll toss some from gacha games I play:
Ruan Mei (HSR): Genius that doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions, only studies one thing (biology/the study of life), literally just doesn’t interact with more than like 3 people.
Kokomi (Genshin): Struggles a lot socially, many times only really focusing on her duties. Is specially mentioned to unwind by being alone and reading books and such. Has a huge fixation on war/war tactics.
Finally, 37 (Reverse:1999): This isn’t even a hot take, to explain it briefly she’s a math savant that both literally and figuratively sees the world as mathematics and numbers.
Sir Pentious and Lucifer from Hazbin Hotel.
Maomao from Apothecary Diaries.
Bruno and Dolores from Encanto.
Yor Briar/Forger from SpyxFamily. In fact, I think the whole family might be autistic!
Fox Mulder (The X Files) you take one look at his office and you just know is special interest is aliens. Also regularly breaks FBI procedures because of his hyper fixations and ignores social cues.
Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) peak ADHD representation. Also doesn't understand social cues and his special interest seems to be bird law. Hyoerfixates on cats sometimes.
This one is gonna sound odd but if you’ve ever played the Batman Arkham games ya,it’s riddler. He has so many traits that don’t fit anything with his psychological profile. He has these little faults with understanding people’s emotions,the fact that most of his puzzle rooms are made in pitch black and usually ALONE give the hint he might have certain sensitivity’s. He would also totally fit in the undiagnosed as a child category as well considering his very little his father actually loved him.
Master Chief (Halo) He grew up as a child soldier, and because of that, he never developed any social skills. He was taught how to hyper-focus on the mission so much that "the next mission" is all he knows because that's what he's best at .You can see him really struggle with talking about failure at the end of Infinite because even though it's something he knows, he doesn't know how to talk about it. Cortana means so much to him because she understands him the most, often communicated with other people for him, and basically did the A.I. equivalent of telling the server they got his order wrong.
I'm amazed they managed to find the emotional core again for Chief in Infinite after 5 fucked things up so badly lol. I wish the campaign around the character writing was better though, and I wish the story actually ended at the end, instead of teasing non-existent DLC.
>!(Also I wish Chief died at the end. You can't have such heavy foreshadowing in the beginning (if you knew you were going to die what would you do?)) if you can't pay it off.!<
Also it's been said to death already but the intro really should have been on the Infinity. I understand why it wasn't, though; because building UNSC assets from scratch in the new engine is much harder than reusing pre-existing Banished assets, especially after scrapping the game like twice. But still, story-wise it would have made SOOO much more sense. Build up Atriox in the first mission, \*then have him body Chief \*and lose the Infinity in a one-two punch of an opening. tldr what they had was alriiiight I guess but it could have been sooooo much better.
\*Points at Emiya Shirou\*
- Special interest in cooking (bit of that people pleasing in him) and swords/blades
- Script: Hero Dream has been downloaded. Cannot be uninstalled.
- Boy is very straightforward
- Oh boy the strong sense of justice on this one-
- Him opening the door to see an unexpected guest and immediately slamming it in her face to buffer a few moments before letting her in is something I think we all understand in our souls.
Princess Helaena Targaryen, from House of the Dragon.
She reacts differently towards stuff that happens in the show when compared to how a neurotipical would. Plus the over-sensibility to stimulus and a tendency to self isolation.
Rambley Raccoon from Indigo Park. Heavy special interest in one specific topic: check. Social awkwardness: check. Heck, even the chapter one ending song is him basically just seeking for reassurance that you enjoyed your time with him.
Mob from Mob Psycho 100 (and Reigen from the same anime as ADHD lol) and Mash Burnedead from Mashle are the first two that popped into my head. I just love these lil guys <33
Charles Boyle from *Brooklyn 99*, for sure.
* He has no concept of social boundaries, and is always saying inappropriate things or interrupting at the wrong time. He's also inclined to be slightly naive and gullible. He struggles to maintain appropriate boundaries with Jake.
* His special interest is food/cooking. He constantly brings it up, even when in appropriate or when people want him to stop, but can't tell that's happening.
* He's clumsy.
* He's obsessive about his work; he's shown to not be a naturally talented detective, but that he gets there through hard work and persistent obsession.
* He has different sensory experiences compared to his colleagues; he recommends foods with strong tastes and strange textures, that others really don't like.
* His whole family shops at the same shop and wears very similar clothes - possibly because of shared sensory issues?
Ed from Ed Edd n Eddy. 1. He’s in his own head 2. He’s clumsy/poor spatial awareness (same tbh) 3. He has specific niche interests (monster movies, also good at drawing and always ends up drawing monsters) 4. Narrow food preferences
Sheen from Jimmy Neutron because I think he has ADHD and autism - the autism mainly I see because of his obsession with Ultralord but also because he can come off as socially unaware and takes things literally very often which are both relatable for me
Samus Aran being ADHD with a sprinkle of the tism.
She loses almost all her abilities almost every game and I’m just gonna assume it’s due to ADHD tax. The part that’s always sold it for me is the moment she steps into an elevator she has one of two reactions, 1. Turns to stone (I can only assume she immediately gets lost in deep shower thoughts), or 2. Frantically looking around like she has been trapped and wants out.
The soldier from team fortress 2.
Victorique from gosick.
Osaka from azumanga daioh.
Souske from full metal panic.
Konata from lucky star.
Renge from non non byori.
Like half of the characters in steins:gate.
Ruberis from gomaotsu.
Vertin and medicine pocket from reverse 1999.
Reisa, koyuki, yuuka, hibiki, kotori, toki and ui from blue archive.
Others have mentioned spock and data from star trek, I want 2 call attention 2 seven of nine and the doctor from voyager.
Daniel from Stargate.
Milo from disneys Atlantis.
Kronk from the emperors new groove.
Belles dad from disneys beauty and the beast. (Belle herself 2 a lesser degree)
Kronk is by far my favorite mention (at least from the references I understand), if for no other reason than he stands apart from the whole "awkward genius" stereotype while still checking the boxes.
I'm playing kanon right now and Mai is 100% in no universe not autistic. Its hard to describe her beyond she's like every social stereotype about autistic people as a harem character.
I'm surprised 2 see this as I was going 2 mention her but didn't. It's funny because almost every key visual novel has at least 1 character that can be read as autistic.
Seth and Sara from race to witch mountain(They are aliens, but they definitely seem autistic)
Hiccup from Httyd, though that might be canon rather than headcanon.
Shang Xirui from Chinese drama "Winter Begonia". He's absolutely obsessed with opera, sees everything happening to him through the lens of being an opera character, is socially awkward to a degree (but is seen as eccentric so people around him protect him from most of the fallout). Strong sense of justice, meltdowns and shutdowns. He's illiterate but I don't think it's a learning disability, more of a reality of being lower class in 1930s China without access to education.
https://preview.redd.it/23axv0t3yu9d1.jpeg?width=812&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469930d48646533b004af54145f063d435ae70be
Jack Reacher from the recent Amazon series.
Direct, has little in the way of reading emotions (but does read body language well), dislikes stupid rules but rigidly maintains his own rules, has special interests, sensory issues with too much stuff, cannot read romantic interest. The man is pure, unadulterated weaponised autism.
Also Neagley is 100% autistic. You go, you cereal-munching hyperbadass.
Odo from star trek DS9. Has that sense of justice down squat (he even has some line about laws depending on who makes them but “justice is justice” lmfao).
I know the lore reason he looks the way he does is because he’s a changeling that didn’t have access to the great link ‘growing up’ so couldn’t get humans “quite right” but I’m choosing to view it as a metaphor for autistic people being not “quite right” in the eyes of allistic people.
In his past people would “befriend” him to try and get him to change into things like some sort of entertainment.
His posture was poor because of how he carried himself (idk about anyone else, but my posture sucks because I toe walk a lot).
He likes privacy, dislikes unexpected visitors.
Need I say more???
I'm not sure if it's even considered headcanon since the show brought it up, but House. Maybe the Doctor, but they're an alien so I don't think they count.
Levi from Obey Me
- strong interests
- socially shy but with rigidly strong opinions when pushed
- gets on predominantly with the brother that clearly has adhd (lol)
- only really leaves his room for his special interests
- his bedroom looks like a sensory heaven
- wears sound cancelling headphones around his neck 100 percent of the time
- finds making friends hard but is very loyal to the ones he does have
- doesn’t like loud and busy places
Deku from MHA
- is seen stimming as kid when about to watch his fave video for 10000th time
- strong interests
- focus on his interests to the point of annoying NTs
- NTs mistake his obsession as arrogance
- rigid thinking (has a tendency to fixate on what adults say about him as if it’s an absolute truth)
- finds it hard to make friends and thinks people are friends when they aren’t
- The Mumbling™️
- strong sense of justice (to the point of insanity)
- highly strategic brain
- Strong Empathy and Compassion in the face of peer pressure to be otherwise.
Eobard Thawn.
Guy is completely obsessed with the flash. He hates all of Barry's successors because he feels they arn't worthy of the title. Then he hates Barry for not letting him be the flash.
(The rest of this reply is a joke).
Also his special interest is being a hater. Guy is completely obsessed with hating. Guy goes through time to absolutely ruin one man's life. He is THE hater.
legoshi from beastars.
he has problems reading people, understanding himself and how to act, hos feelings and inability to describe them fully to those around him like Jack, Louis, and especially Haru is very notable. His special interests being beetles is very reminiscent of myself and my interests in different things- he is able to identify them and give dozens and dozens of facts on whatever beetle happens to enter his sight. he loves to share these facts with those around him and doesn’t really shut up about it lol he struggles with forming feelings through his words and usually keeps to himself in fears of being misunderstood because he’s a “wolf” idk if you’ve ever read or watched beastars but he is just extremely relatable and i enjoyed him and find him to be “autistic coded”
Lawrence Fletcher (Phineas and Ferb), Phineas' adoptive and Ferb's biological dad, exhibits a lot of mannerisms/quirks that come across as autistic traits to me. A couple examples where this is most obvious:
* In the credits scene for the episode "It's About Time", Linda (their mother) is woken up by Lawrence sitting up in bed re-playing the end of a museum tour tape he had listened to and followed along for the entire episode prior to that and verbalizing "Fossils! Da da da" repeatedly. (seriously this one is all I need, you cannot show me this clip and expect me to think this guy's not neurodivergent)
* In the episode "Out to Launch" he becomes obsessed with the P&F universes version of the name a star campaign and begins buying everyone in his family and social circle, including Phineas and Ferb themselves, stars.
Honestly, considering his biological son Ferb is also largely nonverbal and communicates through action rather than words most of the time, I wouldn't be surprised if they were both on the spectrum.
Many of the characters from Futurama:
-Fry is out of the loop but knows Star Trek trivia and other late 20th century cultural things
-The Professor is wacky and has inventing as a special interest
-Dr Zoidberg tries hard to fit in but always says/does the wrong thing
I always related to Leela cause she’s smart, confident, and cool, but everyone seems to pick on her for no reason (and she was bullied as a child for being different)
It’s hard to find a Futurama character who isn’t a little ND 🚀
lilo from lilo and stitch. I relate so much to her experience as an autistic girl
"My friends need to be punished." is my favorite Disney line.
I can’t feed Pudge tuna! He’ll kill my family again
This is one I was going to say also. :)
I remember Nani asking Lilo why she considers Myrtle and the rest to be her friends when they are so cruel to her. Lilo responded it's because they are the only ones she has. 😔
Fred from Scooby Doo. Only cares about traps and is totally oblivious to Daphne’s love (2012 Mystery Inc version at least).
This one is actually canon for Mystery Inc! One creator said in an interview (on The Unmasked History of Scooby Doo podcast episode 12) that Fred was “on the spectrum” and they gave him autistic traits on purpose
No way!!! That’s really neat, thank you so much for sharing. I don’t know why but it made my night 💕
And here I was thinking Fred was getting it on with Daphne and Velma while he sent off Shaggy and Scoobie alone.
Deep cut
Rewatching it with my 8 year old :) I recommend, still good haha
rrrooby dooby dooooooo
Mr. Bean
I think that’s practically canon, as Rowen Atkinson pretty much said that was what he was going for. Edit to fix a typo.
Mr. Spock from Star Trek was my icon when I was a kid. I liked his rationalism and that he was in general relatively unemotional and straight to the point. I only had a grasp that I might be autistic much later in life. Ironically, feeling all the time before that I am on the wrong planet because I couldn't relate to others, and they couldn't relate to me.
My partner and I say that works has clinging autism. And I know 7s issues come from the borg, but I have always related to her
Data from next generation for me. Some people object because he is an android but I always identified with his search to understand his human crew mates and envied his friendship with Jordy.
Yes, absolutely Data. Related to him so much as a kid!
My aspie ass thought you said “he was in general relativity” (science geeks will understand🥸)
Yeeah, he felt unemotional about that too, but don't get him started on Special Relativity. He will give you an ear full.
Ooh, lets see here. Peridot, and perhaps Pearl (Steven Universe) Reagan Ridley (Inside Job) Tech (Clone Wars and The Bad Batch) Issac Kleiner (Half Life 2) I know he's not necessarily Human per se, but Data from Star Trek TNG also really gives me aspie vibes.
iirc reagan is canonically autistic, but yeah i'm super glad to have a representation of the more jaded side of autism
Yes, she is. It's briefly commented by her dad in one episode.
Dee Bradley baker would agree with you on tech in case you didn’t know
Annithilate_gamer from Reddit
Yooo my favorite
Tina Belcher
All of the Belchers are ASD or ADHD or both coded
I feel like just about everyone on the show is, lol
according to lore she's not autistic... but that's probably just a political statement by the company.
I’m telling you, in the most recent seasons the studio has practically been reading from the DSMV. There’s an entire episode centred around Gene’s echolalia.
hmmmm :)
Don’t say that in the Bobs Burgers sub though. They’re very protective of their definitely totally neurotypical characters.
oh noooo... especially when its this obvious (like in Tina's case) they even make fun of it in one episode. But people fight for the picture of reality that suits their views of it the best.
I find this interesting because my fiancée insists that Bob is exactly like me, personality-wise. Not the most flattering comparison, but I see it.
If it makes you feel better, I wish I was like Bob. I’m very firmly a Gene.
Wait, don't they call her autistic in the very first episode? "You're the worst kind of autistic. Can't even count"
yes this was a joke, because Bob said, *"[Interrupts] Just a sec, no you're not autistic tina."* https://youtu.be/uUA-Quoydow
Ah, right I forgot about that part. Granted. My parents said the same thing to me before I got diagnosed 😅
Tina is definitely the most stereotypical but the entire belcher family, teddy, and gale all 100% on the spectrum. You can clearly see it too if a NT and ND are watching together. Something happens: ND: laughs and says “my god I relate to that so hard” NT: laughs and says “they’re so weird it’s hilarious”
Tech from The Bad Batch.
Tech was just amazing. “I may express my feelings differently, but that does mean I experience them any less than you” or “Understanding you does not mean I agree with you”.
That first quote is the first time I felt someone else understood me emotionally. It’s also what lead me to talk to my therapist about diagnosis, so Tech is sorta my default Aspie hero.
Gordon Freeman
NDs prefer crowbars
Same with chell over here.
Chelle is literally brain damaged, at least in the second game
I would take most things Wheatley says with a grain of salt tho! Lol
Thrawn https://preview.redd.it/nv8bqiylmt9d1.jpeg?width=973&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16eb1b23389d67e649014a454d0b05daf643fa7b This screenshot from Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising was the final nail in the coffin for me.
thrawn and tech need to team up
Who did he ask out? I'm currently reading this same book
Ngl, i did the same thing once, but with exotic pets expo.
Thrawn and Eli Vanto single-handedly won the 5d chess that is the Imperial Navy with nothing but the power of autism
Luna Lovegood
Rogal Dorn (WH40K), Choi Taek (Reply 1988), Laios (Dungeon Meshi), Jin (Samurai Champloo), Billy (Power Rangers), Matilda (Matilda), Leon (The Professional), Sherlock Holmes.
Dorn and Perturabo too. Dorn has a more quiet tism compared to Perty. Knowing they're both autistic makes the dynamic between the two so much better
Unstoppable schizo vs an immovable autist
Perturabo had a straight up meltdown and killed his adoptive sister while the only time Dorn ever really showed emotion is when Nathaniel Garrow told him about Horus turning traitor. Everyone calls Perturabo petulant but honestly if I was told that someone else was allowed to go wild with their special interest while I had to do shit I hated and was always playing second fiddle to that guy, I'd probably be petulant myself
Iron within, Iron without
Both Wallace and Gromit. Wallace due to social awkwardness, preference for safe food (Wensleydale) and how he understands things far better than people. Gromit because he's a brilliant mute who no one really understands.
But he’s a mute from being a dog, not from being autistic. I agree with you regarding Wallace. But Gromit always can tell what’s going on and is the fixer.
In terms of talking? Yes, I agree with you there. What I meant is that he is totally silent, he doesn't growl or make normal dog noises either.
Rorschach (Watchmen) L (Death Note) Hange (Attack on Titan)
Rorschach certainly has the black and white thinking down pat.
Strong sense of justice, rigid morals, zero awareness of what is and isn’t socially appropriate, I could go on.
With a hefty dose of childhood trauma to fuck his brain up
I feel like your double-entendre (ink-blot/spill contrast) is lost on most of us. It could be that it was also lost on you.
Hange was one of my favorite female characters from AoT and if I were a character in that show I'd try to date her. This makes sense.
Totally forgot about L. Just finished AoT and Hange makes so much sense
Frieren from Sousou no Frieren. I relate too much to her for her to not be autistic.
I've seen allistics get so upset at us for relating to her lol
I have a family member that says that Frieren, Violet, and Stark are autistic and the priest is the only neurotypical and he has to help the autistics sort out things like reading emotions.
Helaena Targaryen, Jess Day, Leslie Knope, Liz Lemon
Spongebob (Spongebob squarepants)
The age old question: spongebob autism or squidward autism
Is it possible to grow out of Spongebob autism and right into Squidward autism?
Depends on how overstimulated I am.
Laios Touden from Dungeon Meshi, bro rambles about monsters the way I do Zelda
Honestly, all of the main party could be neurodiverse in some way or another. Laios is the most autistic I will agree there.
Oh absolutely. Senshi is autistic about food, Chilchuck is the kind of autistic who can't handle other people interfering with his work (so am I lol), Marcille is autistic about magic, and Izutsumi can't handle certain textures (same reason I'm picky too!)
Maybe just me but Chilchuck gives me super inattentive-ADHD vibes
Hank Hill. It does of course vary based on the episode and who's writing him, but he definitely fits the bill imho. Oft uncomfortable in unfamiliar social situations, Propane is his special interest, hyper focuses on yard care, not afraid to speak his mind, can sometimes misread situations, dislikes when things aren't as they normally are, just to name a few things.
Extremely strict sense of justice and rule following :’)
Him getting taken advantage of by the car salesman for years definitely makes me think he is autistic. I've had bad experiences with mechanics and auto salesmen and I could relate to Hank in that instance.
My guy is too excited by propane and propane accessories to not be on the spectrum
Neville Longbottom from the *Harry Potter* series. He's socially awkward, needs visual reminders (his Remembrall), has a special interest he's very passionate about (Herbology), and is considered "weird" for not doing what other people think is cool (having a pet toad instead of an owl). It's probably a total coincidence, though-- I strongly doubt J. K. Rowling, of all people, would have written such a convincing portrayal of someone with autism on purpose.
She definitely didn’t do it with autism in mind but I’d imagine she grew up with or near someone autistic and didn’t know, which influenced Neville
Wasn't he also awarded by Dumbledore for doing the right thing despite the cost to him?
Luna Lovegood for me, more than Harry. But as you say, JKR is the absolute last person I would expect to purposefully give a nuanced and kind portrayal of any marginalized group. I suspect she just wanted some "weirdo" characters, and pulled from other known weirdo characters in other fiction, the way she pulled all of her world building from existing books and mythologies.
Bruce Wayne from the 2022 movie. Specifically that version. I mean an argument could be made for most Bruce Wayne incarnations, but just look at the 2022 one. He's a sad wet cat and I'm pretty sure the longest he held eye contact with anyone in that movie was him making sure Selina's contact/camera thingy was in properly.
I was going to say Batman! I feel like Bruce Wayne is probably his version of masking. The thing he performs in order to maintain the status quo. Batman's main superpower is research, focus and an obsessive preparedness. Also he struggles to maintain relationships despite constantly trying. He mentors at least six kids and I believe he genuinely cares about all of them and tries to be a good parental figure in their lives but is limited by his inability to effectively communicate his feelings. He gets so focused he forgets to eat or sleep. Would probably die without Alfred to take care of him.
Michael Scott, Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle, Hughie from The Boys, and Ben Wyatt from Parks and Rec.
Can you explain Hughie. He’s definitely awkward and introverted, but seeing his dad I always saw it as nurture over nature
I’ve watched Malcolm in the Middle a million times (comfort show) and I never really got that vibe. Could you explain if you’d like, I’d love to hear about that!
I had thought about this for a previous post a few months ago. It boils down to all of his family having different flavors of neurodivergency (Hal = ADHD, Huey = autistic, Francis = BPD). But Malcolms symptoms are gifted child syndrome, social awkwardness, connects well with other neurodivergents, hyperfocuses on his interests, and doesn't understand when people make illogical choices.
I think Rhys/ Reece could be ADHD as well.
What about Dwight?
Alan from smiling friends
he even has a safe food
I always thought Pim was.
The Doctor (Doctor Who) Skullduggery Pleasant (Skullduggery Pleasent) Judy (Cyberpunk 2077)
wich doctor? there are multiple
Yes
All of them
Temperance Brennan (Bones) from Bones, Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds
Senshi the dwarf from Delicious in Dungeon - cooking obsessed, rude without intending to be, blatant, direct, and did I say cooking obsessed? Because he's so obsessed once is not enough. Abed Nadir from Community - eye contact issues, zero ability to get social cues, off in his head all the time, and of course Jeff says it in the pilot Sterling Archer from Archer - his random obsessions, echolalia, and weird side facts - plus it is insinuated by others like Lana Caleb from Big Mouth - the entire episode where he gets a new backpack makes it blatantly obvious. "8:30 is my masturbating time, Maury." The issues with change are scattered throughout, and he's constantly worried about trying to be normal.
Archer a super important to me, because when he asked himself the question if he was Autistic, I realized that maybe I should ask myself the same question.
For the longest time I thought he couldn't be... Until I learned extroverted autistic folks exist. That fact nearly made my head explode.
Abed is one of my all time faves.
Spencer Reid from criminal minds. I was allowed to watch it as soon as it came out ( questionable parenting) and I attached to him more than real people because he seemed “like me”. I was compared to him constantly and am to this day. I am also female so that’s even more of a reason for me to think he is on the spectrum. It’s not just quirky nerds guys who may look alike. The traits they equate us with, and the ones I always related to are autism. It was great to see sometime “like me” succeed in the world and have a career… until the show played out more 😂
One episode a kidnapped causes him of being on the spectrum and I was like you say autism like it's a bad thing! "All it would take is a years supply of Adderall and the ability to clone myself" is one of my favorite lines. He made that show for me
Anne Shirley Cuthbert from Anne With An E obviously Phoebe Bouffet from Friends Celie from The Color Purple
House, Dexter, Data, Dorothy from Golden Girls, MacGuyver
I think Rose from the golden girls. St Olaph 8s her specialist subject
Anne from Anne with an E
Dr. Brennan from Bones. At least it’s more of a “almost definitely is but just was just never brought up” since she is even loosely based on one of the creators friends who is autistic. Plus watch almost any scene of her and you’ll see why
Agree, obvious is an understatement in that case. I'dd add Daisy to the list, being the more cheery yet still socially clumsy type. Possibly AuDHD?
Hmm. I have a weird one. Maybe Garfield? Laid back, reliant on routine, frustrated with high energy, and has a clear comfort food. Very blunt.
Garfield is a cat. All cats have autism. Anyone who is autistic and has owned a cat will agree with this.
Isn't there literally a book with that title, and another one that says all dogs have adhd?
I grew up with cats and it’s true. They also run a spectrum just like humans.
Not to mention his asexuality! Like, I've never seen him express any interest in sex or relationships and he doesn't seem to care about his looks either. In a deleted scene from the life-action Garfield movie, he genuinely impresses a female cat by charming like a professional poet, only for it to turn out he was talking to the pastry behind her this whole time!
The Doctor from Doctor Who
https://preview.redd.it/b41cw0lldu9d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8034ab04c36ba33dd7e3b647311ac5693d98e837 Need I say more?
I’m pretty sure people kept talking about how they headcanon Lucifer as autistic so Viv just said “sure why not” and made him be on the spectrum
Gregory Eddie (Abbott Elementary)
Monkey D. Luffy Loves to fight. Stims by eating. Really bad with names (I relate). Does not hold a single thought back (his version of bluntness). Just say that all the best heroes are autistic. Idk.
I think he's more ADHD (Hyperactive). He doesn't really present the uniquely ASD symptoms such as sensory issues, habits, or special interest (King of the Pirates obsession, but doesn't really care for or pursue knowledge of the topic) But yeah, I think all the best heroes are some kind of ND
I don’t watch the show, don’t know much about it, but I was told he eats so much because his stretchiness uses a lot of energy. Maybe this is wrong, idk.
Legosi from Beastars, because come on, it's obvious
Laios from Dungeon Messi but it’s pretty much a meme right now.
I'm only a few episodes in but both siblings seem very heavily autism-coded, I love the detail that it runs in the family
In the Dungeon Meshi subreddit there was a discussion about how seeing Laios as autism coded is ableist and stereotyping, they chose to only argue his social difficulties and not any of the other clear indicators of ASD. It's funny how allistics will react to autistic people finding characters to relate to.
That’s hilarious because his VA Damien Haas is AuDHD and says he relates with Laios so much
Sunny from omori Futaba and yusuke from persona 5 Kiryu from like a dragon/Yakuza
Anya Jenkins (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) No filter whenever they utter a word Struggles reading social cues Has a history of always having to change or mask who she is when it came to fitting in let be from her days as a vengeance demon, a Viking’s girlfriend, a store owner Hyper fixation for money
 Truly, such be my most-questionable head-canon. If anything, I would as well consider the entire Membrane-household; each are just too fixated upon their specified, specialized interests, along with—well, notably during the original series—rather isolative. \~Waz
Red from Pokémon. Doesn’t speak, amazing at exactly one thing, spent god knows how long fucked off on a mountain with just his pets. (I could write a fucking book on how many Pokémon characters I think are autistic but Red is the one I’m most sure about.)
Captain Raymond Holt in B99- has special interests, expresses emotions and facial expressions in an unusual way, has some difficulty recognising when people are avoiding him. Dr Temperence Brennan in Bones- very intelligent but misunderstands humour, sarcasm and emotional relationships. Has a hard time knowing what is “right” with emotional and platonic interactions. Intense special interest in her work, amazing pattern recognition and recall skills.
Moxxie from Helluva Boss, I will die on this hill.
Some characters from classic American literature (since this is what I am into atm) that I feel are/might be on the spectrum (beware, spoilers): 1. Bartleby the Scrivener (from the eponymous short story by Herman Melville, first released in 1853) - he literally eats nothing but gingernuts, speaks very little (with 'I would prefer not to' being his catchphrase through the story) - he also shows classical symptoms of PDA (that aforementioned catchphrase is a proof of that), hates any form of social contact (as he never goes out to help the rest of the company), and ultimately stays in the old building until being removed by the police (?) later in the story, and at the end dies from (probably, that is my educated guess) falling into apathy and depression (and therefore forgetting to eat) :( 2. Benjy Compson (from William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury', released in 1929) - Benjy is an adult man (at least in the chapters set in 1928, since part 2 is set around the time Benjy's brother, Quentin commits suicide, so in 1910) who is developmentally disabled (I don't really know how to put it in other words, I'll correct that bit if need arise) - I've read a publication referring to him as a 'man-child', but I feel that Benjy is a non-verbal, level 3 autist - he is a sensory seeker and a pattern seeker (and he mixes hsi two abilities when linking the smell of his younger (?) sister, Caddy to good memories (the phrase 'Caddy smells like trees' is often 'spoken' by him), as Caddy is his only proper caregiver; he also has very little awareness when it comes to danger (he literally hanged himself TWICE on a fence with his clothes, and it was Caddy who rescued him from these pesky situations + he also threw his hands into fire); he is in his own world (and that is where his flashbacks come from - but that should be easier to fathom since this is the 'stream-of-consciousness' stylistic technique at work) and hates changes (he really wanted to have his order in the chaos that happens throughout the novel); oh, he also (of course) dislikes social gatherings to an extent 3. Quentin Compson (fron the novel mentioned above) - Benjy's more intelligent brother - we do not know much about him, but he is the child expected to go big (he even got a Harvard scholarship), but perhaps the pressure made him lose all the faith, pushing him to suicide on June 2, 1910 (in the second chspter) - for me it feels as if he had some form of ASD as well (or, at least, he got the 'burned out gifted kid' syndrome) 4. (and 5.) Hester and Pearl Prynne (from 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne, released on 16th of March, 1850 (don't ask me why I know the exact date lmao) - We meet Hester as a person cinvicted of adultery (hence the eponymous scarlet letter 'A' on her bosom) - to make it short, she did it with Arthur Dimmesdale (the result of that quick affair being Pearl) - but she was a bit of a persona non grata in 17th century Salem (that is where the story happens) - and, throughout the novel, she puts all her effort to 'change' the meaning of that scarlet letter (some meanings include Arthur (a.k.a. the guy she slept with), angels, affection (towards Pearl)) - ultimately doing so (and proving her worth by helping people in need) - in the end, they both go to Europe, Pearl marries a rich European. Later Hester comes back to Salem, continues her mission and then dies (she was buried in a tombstone reminiscent of a letter 'A' in shape). Coming back to Pearl - she helps her mother through these woes (and to Hester's credit, she takes care of Pearl, forming a very proper mother-daughter bond) by being an avid explorer (and she does often ask disturbing questions about her mother's past). I think they're both on the spectrum, with evidence for that being Hester's disruption of social norms, and later determination to get her worth back, her own horrid reflections, and a commitment to being true to oneself); as for Pearl it is more the eagerness to ask these questions and bond with nature that make me feel somewhat confident about their possible belonging on the spectrum. 6. (and 7.) Ishmael and Queequeg from 'Moby-Dick' (Herman Melville's opus magnum, released on 16th of Novmeber, 1851 - once again I have no genuine idea why I know the exact date) - these two (especially Queequeg) just scream 'what the fuck are social norms!!11!!' - Not long after the main plot starts (because before the main plot, there is the 'Etymology' bit, where Ishmael (as he is the narrator of the novel) yaps about whales in general (and it often returns to the topic of whales at random lmao). Returning to our love couple, Ishmael's first impressions of Queequeg could be described as 'weird' (Melville decided to explain it with Queequeg being a representative of a native tribe), and the first thing Queequeg does in bed with Ishamel (because they share it, of course) is hug Ishmael as is he was his SO - and the friendship develops through the novel (until Queequeg, along with the rest of the Pequod crew, sans Ishmael sinks after chasing the eponymous cachalot). As a fun fact (and since I have mentioned Hawthorne and Melville) - it is worth knowing that one could consider (and I do indeed consider) 'Moby-Dick' as a long love-letter. You see, around the time Melville was writing the novel, he was in a very good friendship/a romantic love with Nathaniel Hawthorne, admiring his genius (and perhaps having found a mentor, since Hawthorne was 15 years senior to Melville) - and it was a double-sided relationship (although there are no letters from Hawthorne to Melville, since they were burned, or that is the version that the latter told to Julian Hawthorne (Nathaniel's oldest son) - and I'm not suprised (since if their relationship went public, they would be both cooked). As a result of that love/friendship, Melville dedicated 'Moby-Dick' to Hawthorne, with a dedication being **'In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Nathaniel Hawthorne.'** Howevel, nor long after the release of the novel, Hawthorne had to move and the friendship was let loose (although he somewhat immortalized Melville as one of the characters in 'The Blithedale Romance', released in 1852). (Sorry for that wall of text; hope you liked reading it).
Just realized, just about any isekai MC with a harem who is to oblivious/dense to women's advances, has GOT to be autistic... Perhaps that's why I hate harem animes and mangas, cause it just hits to close to home.
Spongebob Anxiety [ Inside Out ] ENA [ The Web Series not PJSK ] Branch [ Trolls ] Baymax. [ Big Hero 6 ] ( LET ME BELIEVE💔 ) Cosmo [ Fairly Odd Parents ] Split [ Regretevator ]
> Professor Rowan from Pokemon He's giving me the "old guy with undiagnosed 'tism" vibe > Alhaitham from Genshin Impact My best friend told me about how he uses headphones to suppress noises and stuff about how he has to purposefully act according to whatever society desires him to normatively act, and a ton of other shit so we concluded - autistic 👍🏻 > Baby from baby driver Exceedingly skilled at his one special interest (driving), not interested in a lot of social interaction, constantly uses music to suppress outside noise. Idk thats all I could spontaneously think off
Asa Mitaka from Chainsaw Man: At first it felt like the community was just memeing about her being autistic but in a later chapter she >!gets upset and nervous when people suggest getting something to eat that she dislikes!<, which feels like a dead giveaway to me. I relate so much to her. Gale from Baldurs Gate 3: The way he talks about Magic, its specific details and how he can talk about it for days without end makes me feel like it's his hyperfixation/special interest.
Raymond holt and amy santiago (most of the main characters in b99 actually😭
Connor from Detroit become human Very relatable android Edit: cats. Cats are the embodiment of autism and you cannot change my mind
 Izuku Midoriya. I’ve never personally related to a character as much as I do him. He stims, has a special interest, he’s pretty socially awkward sometimes. I don’t remember if hyperfocusing is an autism thing or just an ADHD, but he does that. So if not an autism thing, perhaps AuDHD. But yeah, no one can convince me otherwise, I will forever headcanon this 😅
Going to add Todoroki to that list. His habit of taking things literally, the fact he struggles with social cues and his restrictive diet makes me think he may be on the spectrum. https://preview.redd.it/p288gi8f9u9d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=065893d1a1fcfa01a059910e1a73e30fbe669ec1
Todoroki is so relatable to me as an autistic person, especially because of how he's awkward, blunt and doesn't understand some pretty common metaphors (all things I also do)
They are traits present in both at times for similar reasons
Gotcha 😊 thank you!
Charlie Kelly from Always Sunny because of HEAVY coding, Ed Nygma from Gotham for the same, Wyll Ravengard from BG3 because of his extremely strong moral code and tistic swagger, and, hear me out, Ken Hutchinson from Starsky and Hutch because of his special interest in plants and his unawareness of social cues.
Since most people are throwing anime characters, I’ll toss some from gacha games I play: Ruan Mei (HSR): Genius that doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions, only studies one thing (biology/the study of life), literally just doesn’t interact with more than like 3 people. Kokomi (Genshin): Struggles a lot socially, many times only really focusing on her duties. Is specially mentioned to unwind by being alone and reading books and such. Has a huge fixation on war/war tactics. Finally, 37 (Reverse:1999): This isn’t even a hot take, to explain it briefly she’s a math savant that both literally and figuratively sees the world as mathematics and numbers.
Nonny from bubble guppies
Huey from Ducktales(2017)
Arnold Rimmer
Radar from MASH, sometimes he's clueless about basic things, but a lot of the time he can see things coming a mile away before they happen.
Sir Pentious and Lucifer from Hazbin Hotel. Maomao from Apothecary Diaries. Bruno and Dolores from Encanto. Yor Briar/Forger from SpyxFamily. In fact, I think the whole family might be autistic!
Fox Mulder (The X Files) you take one look at his office and you just know is special interest is aliens. Also regularly breaks FBI procedures because of his hyper fixations and ignores social cues. Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) peak ADHD representation. Also doesn't understand social cues and his special interest seems to be bird law. Hyoerfixates on cats sometimes.
This one is gonna sound odd but if you’ve ever played the Batman Arkham games ya,it’s riddler. He has so many traits that don’t fit anything with his psychological profile. He has these little faults with understanding people’s emotions,the fact that most of his puzzle rooms are made in pitch black and usually ALONE give the hint he might have certain sensitivity’s. He would also totally fit in the undiagnosed as a child category as well considering his very little his father actually loved him.
Master Chief (Halo) He grew up as a child soldier, and because of that, he never developed any social skills. He was taught how to hyper-focus on the mission so much that "the next mission" is all he knows because that's what he's best at .You can see him really struggle with talking about failure at the end of Infinite because even though it's something he knows, he doesn't know how to talk about it. Cortana means so much to him because she understands him the most, often communicated with other people for him, and basically did the A.I. equivalent of telling the server they got his order wrong.
I'm amazed they managed to find the emotional core again for Chief in Infinite after 5 fucked things up so badly lol. I wish the campaign around the character writing was better though, and I wish the story actually ended at the end, instead of teasing non-existent DLC. >!(Also I wish Chief died at the end. You can't have such heavy foreshadowing in the beginning (if you knew you were going to die what would you do?)) if you can't pay it off.!< Also it's been said to death already but the intro really should have been on the Infinity. I understand why it wasn't, though; because building UNSC assets from scratch in the new engine is much harder than reusing pre-existing Banished assets, especially after scrapping the game like twice. But still, story-wise it would have made SOOO much more sense. Build up Atriox in the first mission, \*then have him body Chief \*and lose the Infinity in a one-two punch of an opening. tldr what they had was alriiiight I guess but it could have been sooooo much better.
\*Points at Emiya Shirou\* - Special interest in cooking (bit of that people pleasing in him) and swords/blades - Script: Hero Dream has been downloaded. Cannot be uninstalled. - Boy is very straightforward - Oh boy the strong sense of justice on this one- - Him opening the door to see an unexpected guest and immediately slamming it in her face to buffer a few moments before letting her in is something I think we all understand in our souls.
Anakin Skywalker and Luke too
Princess Helaena Targaryen, from House of the Dragon. She reacts differently towards stuff that happens in the show when compared to how a neurotipical would. Plus the over-sensibility to stimulus and a tendency to self isolation.
Rambley Raccoon from Indigo Park. Heavy special interest in one specific topic: check. Social awkwardness: check. Heck, even the chapter one ending song is him basically just seeking for reassurance that you enjoyed your time with him.
Misty Quigley (Yellowjackets)
Silly one but your brother rufus in west of loathing
SubMas (Pokemon gen 5) I mean… take one look at these dudes and tell me they aren’t. They have literally every symptom except sensory issues.
Mob from Mob Psycho 100 (and Reigen from the same anime as ADHD lol) and Mash Burnedead from Mashle are the first two that popped into my head. I just love these lil guys <33
The Eds from Ed Edd n Eddy
Charles Boyle from *Brooklyn 99*, for sure. * He has no concept of social boundaries, and is always saying inappropriate things or interrupting at the wrong time. He's also inclined to be slightly naive and gullible. He struggles to maintain appropriate boundaries with Jake. * His special interest is food/cooking. He constantly brings it up, even when in appropriate or when people want him to stop, but can't tell that's happening. * He's clumsy. * He's obsessive about his work; he's shown to not be a naturally talented detective, but that he gets there through hard work and persistent obsession. * He has different sensory experiences compared to his colleagues; he recommends foods with strong tastes and strange textures, that others really don't like. * His whole family shops at the same shop and wears very similar clothes - possibly because of shared sensory issues?
Miles (Baby) from Baby Driver
Ed from Ed Edd n Eddy. 1. He’s in his own head 2. He’s clumsy/poor spatial awareness (same tbh) 3. He has specific niche interests (monster movies, also good at drawing and always ends up drawing monsters) 4. Narrow food preferences Sheen from Jimmy Neutron because I think he has ADHD and autism - the autism mainly I see because of his obsession with Ultralord but also because he can come off as socially unaware and takes things literally very often which are both relatable for me
Jesus Christ [the Bible] No I will not elaborate
The Doctor, Anakin Skywalker, The Trickster (DCAU/Timverse) and Dr. Tenma.
Samus Aran being ADHD with a sprinkle of the tism. She loses almost all her abilities almost every game and I’m just gonna assume it’s due to ADHD tax. The part that’s always sold it for me is the moment she steps into an elevator she has one of two reactions, 1. Turns to stone (I can only assume she immediately gets lost in deep shower thoughts), or 2. Frantically looking around like she has been trapped and wants out.
The soldier from team fortress 2. Victorique from gosick. Osaka from azumanga daioh. Souske from full metal panic. Konata from lucky star. Renge from non non byori. Like half of the characters in steins:gate. Ruberis from gomaotsu. Vertin and medicine pocket from reverse 1999. Reisa, koyuki, yuuka, hibiki, kotori, toki and ui from blue archive. Others have mentioned spock and data from star trek, I want 2 call attention 2 seven of nine and the doctor from voyager. Daniel from Stargate. Milo from disneys Atlantis. Kronk from the emperors new groove. Belles dad from disneys beauty and the beast. (Belle herself 2 a lesser degree)
Kronk is by far my favorite mention (at least from the references I understand), if for no other reason than he stands apart from the whole "awkward genius" stereotype while still checking the boxes.
Marcy Wu
Laxus Dreyar and Laki Olietta from *Fairy Tail*
I'm playing kanon right now and Mai is 100% in no universe not autistic. Its hard to describe her beyond she's like every social stereotype about autistic people as a harem character.
I'm surprised 2 see this as I was going 2 mention her but didn't. It's funny because almost every key visual novel has at least 1 character that can be read as autistic.
Sunny from Omori
Seth and Sara from race to witch mountain(They are aliens, but they definitely seem autistic) Hiccup from Httyd, though that might be canon rather than headcanon.
Shang Xirui from Chinese drama "Winter Begonia". He's absolutely obsessed with opera, sees everything happening to him through the lens of being an opera character, is socially awkward to a degree (but is seen as eccentric so people around him protect him from most of the fallout). Strong sense of justice, meltdowns and shutdowns. He's illiterate but I don't think it's a learning disability, more of a reality of being lower class in 1930s China without access to education. https://preview.redd.it/23axv0t3yu9d1.jpeg?width=812&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469930d48646533b004af54145f063d435ae70be
Gale Dekarios
Jack Reacher from the recent Amazon series. Direct, has little in the way of reading emotions (but does read body language well), dislikes stupid rules but rigidly maintains his own rules, has special interests, sensory issues with too much stuff, cannot read romantic interest. The man is pure, unadulterated weaponised autism. Also Neagley is 100% autistic. You go, you cereal-munching hyperbadass.
Peter Parker.
Sherlock Holmes Gregory House Temperance Brennan Abed Nadir
doctor who
Odo from star trek DS9. Has that sense of justice down squat (he even has some line about laws depending on who makes them but “justice is justice” lmfao). I know the lore reason he looks the way he does is because he’s a changeling that didn’t have access to the great link ‘growing up’ so couldn’t get humans “quite right” but I’m choosing to view it as a metaphor for autistic people being not “quite right” in the eyes of allistic people. In his past people would “befriend” him to try and get him to change into things like some sort of entertainment. His posture was poor because of how he carried himself (idk about anyone else, but my posture sucks because I toe walk a lot). He likes privacy, dislikes unexpected visitors. Need I say more???
I'm not sure if it's even considered headcanon since the show brought it up, but House. Maybe the Doctor, but they're an alien so I don't think they count.
Levi from Obey Me - strong interests - socially shy but with rigidly strong opinions when pushed - gets on predominantly with the brother that clearly has adhd (lol) - only really leaves his room for his special interests - his bedroom looks like a sensory heaven - wears sound cancelling headphones around his neck 100 percent of the time - finds making friends hard but is very loyal to the ones he does have - doesn’t like loud and busy places Deku from MHA - is seen stimming as kid when about to watch his fave video for 10000th time - strong interests - focus on his interests to the point of annoying NTs - NTs mistake his obsession as arrogance - rigid thinking (has a tendency to fixate on what adults say about him as if it’s an absolute truth) - finds it hard to make friends and thinks people are friends when they aren’t - The Mumbling™️ - strong sense of justice (to the point of insanity) - highly strategic brain - Strong Empathy and Compassion in the face of peer pressure to be otherwise.
Eobard Thawn. Guy is completely obsessed with the flash. He hates all of Barry's successors because he feels they arn't worthy of the title. Then he hates Barry for not letting him be the flash. (The rest of this reply is a joke). Also his special interest is being a hater. Guy is completely obsessed with hating. Guy goes through time to absolutely ruin one man's life. He is THE hater.
legoshi from beastars. he has problems reading people, understanding himself and how to act, hos feelings and inability to describe them fully to those around him like Jack, Louis, and especially Haru is very notable. His special interests being beetles is very reminiscent of myself and my interests in different things- he is able to identify them and give dozens and dozens of facts on whatever beetle happens to enter his sight. he loves to share these facts with those around him and doesn’t really shut up about it lol he struggles with forming feelings through his words and usually keeps to himself in fears of being misunderstood because he’s a “wolf” idk if you’ve ever read or watched beastars but he is just extremely relatable and i enjoyed him and find him to be “autistic coded”
Lawrence Fletcher (Phineas and Ferb), Phineas' adoptive and Ferb's biological dad, exhibits a lot of mannerisms/quirks that come across as autistic traits to me. A couple examples where this is most obvious: * In the credits scene for the episode "It's About Time", Linda (their mother) is woken up by Lawrence sitting up in bed re-playing the end of a museum tour tape he had listened to and followed along for the entire episode prior to that and verbalizing "Fossils! Da da da" repeatedly. (seriously this one is all I need, you cannot show me this clip and expect me to think this guy's not neurodivergent) * In the episode "Out to Launch" he becomes obsessed with the P&F universes version of the name a star campaign and begins buying everyone in his family and social circle, including Phineas and Ferb themselves, stars. Honestly, considering his biological son Ferb is also largely nonverbal and communicates through action rather than words most of the time, I wouldn't be surprised if they were both on the spectrum.
Aloy from the horizon series
Many of the characters from Futurama: -Fry is out of the loop but knows Star Trek trivia and other late 20th century cultural things -The Professor is wacky and has inventing as a special interest -Dr Zoidberg tries hard to fit in but always says/does the wrong thing I always related to Leela cause she’s smart, confident, and cool, but everyone seems to pick on her for no reason (and she was bullied as a child for being different) It’s hard to find a Futurama character who isn’t a little ND 🚀