Sometimes behind a strong anime protagonist is a sister who has their back. Whether they’re related by blood or not, what matters is the bond they have. They protect their siblings, friends, and/or sibling figures fiercely and sometimes aren’t afraid to tell them off to keep them on the right track.

What matters the most is that these anime sisters are just so lovable, even when they’re being scary. They are always looking out for their siblings' well-being and will help them in any way they can. Their siblings and friends love them for being in their lives, and fans love them because of their personalities and strength, and because they’re just overall amazing sisters.

Updated on December 11, 2023, by C.M. Edwards: A vital aspect of many anime series is the characters. Strong bonds between these characters and the viewers allow connections and allow fans to relate to the series on a deeper level. When these characters share bonds such as friendship and loyalty, fans enjoy the comradery and the dynamic these characters present. Familial bonds also make for exceptionally strong character dynamics, even more so when involving sisters. Sisters are usually dependable siblings, able to pull their family out of the fire whenever they are in need. Here are some more of the most lovable anime sisters in anime.

18 Karin Kurosaki

Bleach

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Karin is the youngest of the Kurosaki family, and unlike her family, she is a much more reserved character who keeps a cool head most of the time. During the majority of the Bleach series, it is seemingly alluded to that Ichigo's family is unaware of his soul-reaper activities.

However, Karin is one who is aware of spiritual presence and the presence of hollows. Karin is the binding that keeps her family together. She is very mindful of their stress levels and emotional state. She tries her best to ensure her family is happy and healthy, especially her big sister.

17 Inui Shinju

My Dress-Up Darling

• First Appearance: Episode 7

Shinju is the younger sister of Sajuna in My Dress-Up Darling. She is first introduced in episode seven of the series and is much the polar opposite of her big sister. Shinju is a very soft-spoken girl with a clumsy demeanor and serves as the photographer for Sajuna's cosplay photoshoots. Shinju idolizes her big sister and wants nothing more than to see her continue to be more successful. Its Shinju's love for her big sister that makes her such a sweet character.

16 Shiro

No Game No Life

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Shiro is a bit of a dark horse but makes up for her personality with her intellect. In No Game No Life, Shiro is a genius who excels in strategy and tactical thinking, which serves her well when taking on the god of games, Thet.

Shiro has a somewhat cold and dry personality that usually rubs others the wrong way, which is why she is so close to her brother, the only one who accepts her as she is. With all her skill and intelligence, Shiro is unable to function without her brother, Sora, due to her abandonment issues from her mother.

15 Maki Zenin

Jujutsu Kaisen

• First Appearance: Season 1 Episode 5

Maki and her sister Mai are on horrible terms, but there’s a lot of family history behind it. However, Maki is very much like an older sister figure to the underclassmen and to some of the other classmates regardless of their age. Though a bit cold and sometimes impatient, Maki still helps her underclassmen train hard because she genuinely wants them to get stronger. She was even hard on Yuta, who was in the same grade as her because she wanted to get stronger and fight beside her.

Her classmates greatly respect her on and off the battlefield. Nobara had told Yuji they had to win the Goodwill Event because they had to help Maki prove the Zenin wrong. Maki was initially annoyed by this but was touched by this.

14 Shizuru Kuwabara

Yu Yu Hakusho

• First Appearance: Episode 1

She might not be the most lovable sister to her brother, but Shizuru has shown that she cares about Kazuma and his overall well-being. She supported Team Urameshi throughout the Dark Tournament along with Botan, Yukina, and Keiko. Plus, she showed that she’s not someone to mess with and beat up a couple of low-level demons by herself. Shizuru is highly critical of her brother and isn’t afraid to be harsh if he does badly in anything. Even though he’s clearly stronger, Kuwabara is shown to be afraid of her when she gets mad at him.

Shizuru also doesn’t just care about Kuwabara’s physical well-being, but also his future. She strongly advocated for her brother to focus more on his education and not go to the Demon World because it’s not his fight or problem. Kuwabara decides to listen to her advice and retires from fighting to live a normal life, not wanting to fight demons for the rest of it.

13 Yor Forger

Spy X Family

• First Appearance: Season 1 Episode 2

She might be an assassin with a deadly set of skills, but Yor truly loves her family. In order to give her younger brother Yuri a better life, Yor joined Garden (an assassination group) to provide for him. She took up a parental role in his life and has gone to extreme measures to take care of him.

When Yuri was sick, Yor went to the forest to collect herbs, got stung by bees, and killed a boar. Though her occupation is dark and bloody, Yori is very protective of her family and truly loves them with all her heart.

12 Saeko Tanaka

Haikyuu!!

• First Appearance: Season 2 Episode 2

Much like her younger brother Ryunosuke, Saeko is loud and confident. She’s a little rough around the edges and is more of a “tough love” kind of sister. However, she and her brother have a close relationship and usually have the same chaotic energy to match. Ryunosuke does get embarrassed at times by Saeko’s antics, but he knows he can always count on her to help when he needs it.

She was willing to help him bring Kageyama and Hinata to Tokyo when they needed a ride. She would show up to games and loudly cheer on Karasuno even though her brother would tell her to take it down a notch. But it was very heartwarming to see Saeko bring a taiko drum group to cheer on Karasuno during their match against Shiratorizawa.

11 Kohaku

Dr. Stone

• First Appearance: Episode 6

She might be a little rough around the edges, but Kohaku has been shown to do just about anything to keep her older sister Ruri safe. She was even willing to participate in a tournament in which the winning prize was Ruri’s hand in marriage. Senku is surprised at the lengths Kohaku goes to in order to keep her sister safe and happy, showing she put Ruri’s health above her own. Kohaku will lie if it means not distressing her sister.

She also becomes an older sister figure to Suika and sees the younger girl as one of her good friends. Kohaku even finds Suika adorable and her antics amusing.

10 Mikasa Ackerman

Attack On Titan

• First Appearance: Episode 1

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly Mikasa’s relationship with Eren is at times, but it’s undeniable that she started off as a sister figure to him. She took her protectiveness of Eren very seriously and put his safety and health above her own. Eren was the one who told Mikasa she had to fight if she wanted to survive and this has played a huge effect on her personality.

The protectiveness Mikasa feels for Eren also extends to her comrades because she sees them as her family and doesn’t want to lose any of them. When they were kids, she and Eren would protect Armin from bullies. After Eren’s betrayal, Mikasa and Armin would often stick together and give each other emotional support.

9 Nunnally Vi Britannia

Code Geass

• First Appearance: Episode 5

• First Appearance: Episode 5

After meeting Nunnally, it’s easy to see why Lelouch fought so hard to make the world a better place for her. Nunnally is insanely nice and kindhearted to everyone around her. Despite being blind (under Charles’ Geass) and paralyzed, Nunnally faces her handicaps with a smile and inner strength. She is able to make tough decisions, but she isn’t as cold and ruthless as her brother Lelouch.

All Nunnally wanted was for her and Lelouch to live in a peaceful world together. Sadly, Lelouch sacrificed himself to make sure she would rule as empress and knew she would make the world better for everyone.

8 Alluka Zoldyck

Hunter X Hunter

• First Appearance: Episode 138

The second youngest member of the Zoldyck family, Alluka is an anomaly when she’s compared to the rest of her family because she’s such a sweet girl. Considering that she grew up in a family of assassins, her being like this is strange. She cares deeply for Killua even though some of their family believes she’s incapable of feeling anything.

Even the being that she hosts in her body, Nanika, loves Killua and is willing to do anything to earn his praise. When Killua asked her to heal Gon, she did so without hesitation. Even after Killua told her to not come back and was heartbroken over this request, she forgave him since he did it to protect her.

7 Fuyumi Todoroki (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia

• First Appearance: Season 2 Episode 12

Though it’s hard to forgive Endeavor for being a horrible and abusive father, it’s harder to not feel sorry for Fuyumi and root for her as she tries to bring the Todoroki family together. After their mother was locked up, Fuyumi stepped up and took on the mothering role for Shoto. She admits that she feels anger towards their father at times, but she sees Endeavor’s changing attitude as a step in the right direction.

Though she does try to push her brothers into getting along with their father, Fuyumi is not forceful about it. She knows it’ll take time, but she’s hoping all of them can be a good and loving family.

6 Saki Hanajima (Fruits Basket)

Fruits Basket

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Saki is an odd girl with strange powers, but she has a great family and amazing friends. She and her younger brother Megumi see each other as equals and seem more like twins. Though she’s the older one between them, Megumi is very protective of her and Saki appreciates it. The two of them often look out for each other and even look out for Saki’s friends, Tohru Honda and Arisa Uotani.

She is very protective of Tohru, usually looking out for her whenever the Prince Yuki Fan Club shows up. If she feels like they’re being too much, Saki will use her powers to defend her. Sometimes Uotani will have to tell her to not go too far or when to stop.

5 Ui Hirasawa (K-On!)

K-On!

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Yui might be one of the main characters in K-On!, but she should consider herself lucky to have a sister like Ui. Unlike her older sister, Ui is dependable and mature and often takes care of herself and Yui since their parents are hardly ever around. Despite her older sister being an airhead, Ui loves and highly respects Yui.

The other girls see that Ui is more mature and are even a little envious that Yui has someone so caring to look after her. Ui is also a groupie of Yui’s bands and supports them with all her heart.

4 Mirajane Strauss

Fairy Tail

• First Appearance: Episode 2

There is no doubt that Mirajane is like a loving mother and older sister figure to most of her fellow Fairy Tail guildmates. She happily cooks meals for them and helps them find jobs. Overall, she helps make the Fairy Tail guild feel like family and the guildhall feel like home for its members. She’s also very protective of her two younger siblings, Elfman and Lisanna.

When Lisanna was believed to have died, Mirajane lost most of her powers and her personality changed into what it is now. After Greed kept attacking Elfman, her powers returned because she couldn’t stand watching him get hurt.

3 Gou Matsuoka

Free!!

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Gou is like a younger sister to almost all the characters aside from being the team manager for the Iwatobi Swim Club. She works hard to make sure the boys keep up their training and sets up regimens for them. Gou even sets up practices with Samezuka Academy’s swimming team for the Iwatobi team.

Gou's main reason for doing this is to hope that her older brother Rin will find joy in swimming again and see him smile. Because the members of the Iwatobi Swim Team are his childhood friends, she hopes they can help him.

2 Akari Kawamoto

March Comes In Like A lion

• First Appearance: Episode 1

When it comes to someone taking care of their siblings: Akari Kawamoto is one of the best anime sisters to have. After their father abandoned them and the deaths of her mother and grandmother, Akari stepped up to take care of her two younger sisters and their grandfather. During the day, she helps her grandfather run a wagashi shop and then works as a hostess in a bar run by her aunt.

To top off how caring she is, Akari extends a helping hand to Rei after finding him drunk and passed out on the street. This starts off his relationship with her and her sisters, and she looks after him much like she does her sisters.

1 Nezuko Kamado (Demon Slayer)

Demon Slayer

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Even though she can’t talk and is potentially stronger than her big brother, there’s just something about Nezuko that fans can’t help but love. She was a doting older sister before her transformation and now has to rely on Tanjiro a lot now that she’s a demon. However, this doesn’t mean she’s helpless and is able to hold her own against Kizuki-level demons like Rui and Daki. Thanks to Urokodaki’s teachings, she is able to resist the need to feed on humans and isn’t a burden to her brother.

Nezuko is cute and adorable outside of battle, but beautiful and a little scary while kicking demon butt. It’s pretty easy to see why Zenitsu fell in love with her. Plus, most of her reactions to situations going on around her are just too adorable and meme-worthy, and fans love her for it.