Familial stories are extremely common within fiction, including anime. Most predominantly, characters' connections to their parents and siblings are either the source of emotional turmoil in the story or are saved for huge plot twists. However, a less frequently used family dynamic is that of the found family.
Found families differ due to the fact that the individual members don’t have to be related by blood, and in fact most often start out as strangers. Despite having not grown up together, found families come together and form bonds just as strong as any family. It’s a heartwarming relationship that helps even social outcasts have a place to belong.
8 Dororo and Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
At the start of Dororo, the story’s titular character is nothing more than a wandering street urchin, stealing for every meal. Meanwhile, Hyakkimaru is an amputee out to retrieve the body parts his father used in a barter with demons.
Dororo quickly becomes a little brother to Hyakkimaru, covering for the bigger boy’s lack of sight and hearing, and becomes a constant positive force in his life. Even when Hyakkimaru gets into conflict with his blood family, Dororo is there supporting him and encouraging him away from his worst impulses.
7 The Kobayashi Household (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)
Sometimes a family can be a salarywoman and the several dragons that have taken up residence in her house. Miss Kobayashi may have given up her solitude when she saved the life of the dragon Tohru, but she gained an ever-growing family.
Kobayashi and Tohru’s relationship is quite confusing, as one side wants to make it romantic while the other doesn’t. However, they both undeniably become parents to the young dragon Kanna, even sending her to school and attending her school contests along with their other draconic friends.
6 The Band of The Falcon (Berserk)
A band of mercenaries is as good a basis for a new family as any. With all manner of origins bringing them together, the group united under Griffith and his ambitions, standing tall as one of the greatest combat forces in the world.
Sadly, this family did not last. After Guts left the band, Griffith’s resulting depression led to him being captured and tortured, while the rest of the band were on the run. Even when they managed to reunite with Guts and save their leader, Griffith sacrificed most of the group for his own ends, bringing a tragic end to the band. Luckily, Guts and Casca were able to survive, and over time formed more bonds with new groups.
5 Team Bucciarati (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)
Every part in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure features a cast of characters that travels with the protagonist, supporting them on and off the battlefield. However, none are as close-knit as Bucciarati’s squad within the gang ‘Passione.’
They spend by far the most time together of any Jojo squad, with the group having been built over years even before Giorno’s arrival. The oldest members Abacchio and Bucciarati visibly act as parents in the group, giving orders to and looking out for the younger members. This closeness is evidenced even in the dramatic way they react to each other’s deaths and departures.
4 Denji, Aki, and Power (Chainsaw Man)
While Denji famously had no money before joining the devil hunters, he also had no family. It’s unclear what happened to his mother, but it’s revealed that his father committed suicide due to his massive debt. While he hated both of them initially, his new coworkers quickly became the family he needed.
Aki is easily the parental figure in the relationship. It’s his house they all live in, and he’s tasked by Makima with taking care of the other two. It doesn’t take long for him to somewhat tame his roommates, but as Chainsaw Man continues, the three of them grow into a genuinely loving unit.
3 The Gracefield Kids (The Promised Neverland)
Of all the families on this list, this is the one who has spent the largest portion of their lives together. They were all raised as orphans in Gracefield house, building a close-knit sibling relationship before finding out their home was a farm raising them to be eaten.
Once the oldest kids start planning the group’s escape, the desire to not sacrifice the rest of their family becomes the main emotional struggle in the series. This persists all the way till the end of the series.
2 The Forgers (Spy x Family)
This is the found family currently taking the anime world by storm. Secret agent Twilight has had many undercover missions, but his latest one requires him to play the part of a family man, leading him to adopt the adorable Anya and marry the bashful Yor.
While the three of them are all keeping a big secret from each other, they function better as a family than one might expect. As an orphan, Anya is overjoyed to have loving parents. Yor, meanwhile, finds her new position as a mother extremely validating and motivational. All the while, Twilight slowly starts to realize that being Loid Forger might be the happiest he’s ever been.
1 The Straw Hat Pirates (One Piece)
The ultimate found family is one formed from a bunch of outcasts who build a home for themselves together. This perfectly describes the Straw Hats. They come from all walks of life across One Piece’s massive world, yet all unite under the same flag to follow Luffy and his dream of being king of the pirates.
The group hasn’t always gotten along, with members like Nico Robin even being enemies of the group at one point or another. Despite this, they’ve endured everything the world has thrown at them, even being separated for two years before reuniting better and closer than ever.