Cowardly Lion / Anime & Manga

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• The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: Thanks to her martial arts training, Eira will not hesitate to deal with scary things that can be beaten with capoeira, including moving cars. While she's deathly scared of literally anything that can't be dealt with through capoeira, seeing other people afraid overrides her own fear as she acts to protect them.
• Hoodlum from Akudama Drive. He's generally a cowardly individual, but when he's inspired by Brawler's (misguided) admiration for him in Episode 4, he's compelled to stay behind with him and Cutthroat to hold the line against the Executioners. He instantly regrets it though and mostly just watches, aside from when he knocks Master over the head when he's about to finish off Brawler. He also, upon finding Brawler dead after his fight with Master, performs a rage-filled charge at Pupil and manages to take her eye.
• Kamiya Maki of All Rounder Meguru first finds Aya huddled in the corner of a room at a kickboxing event. She darts off like a rabbit the moment Maki tries to talk to her, leaving Maki bemused to discover that Aya is actually her next opponent, and astonished to find that she's the most formidable opponent she's ever faced in a kickboxing match.
• Arata Hinohara from Arata: The Legend is understandably scared to fight and follow his destiny in the beginning of the series, but he follows through with completing the task at hand, anyway. As the story progresses, he gradually grows out of it.
• Attack on Titan has many of these, which is understandable considering what they are up against. Among the main characters, the following stand out.
  • Sasha Blouse is a Cloud Cuckoo Lander, and breaks down during her first battle. She even apologizes to a Titan she'd failed to kill, and agonizes over it later. But she's also managed to charge down a 50m wall to rescue an injured comrade, and faced down a Titan with nothing but a hatchet and a bow to save a child.
  • Bertolt Hoover readily admits to being an Extreme Doormat, and constantly stands there awkwardly with a slightly terrified expression. He's also ranked 3rd in their class, and is noted by their instructor to be one of the best at physical combat. He's also the Colossal Titan that smashed open Wall Maria and Wall Rose.
  • Any soldier that shows fear prior to combat. It's not uncommon to see the same person that was weeping hysterically prior to battle turn into a Hot-Blooded warrior when the chips are down. Unfortunately, since it's that kind of story, many of them still die horribly.
• Jacuzzi Splot from Baccano!. The guy knocked over eighteen Mafia-owned speakeasies in one night by himself, with a single Tommy gun, crying hysterically in fear all the way. The week after, he helped save a train from two clashing terrorist groups; to do this, he did battle unarmed but for a single cherry bomb against someone with a shiv knife, a fist-gun and a flamethrower (which did turn out to be pretty convenient for lighting said bomb) on top of a moving train. He took a couple of bullets in the gut and a knife in the elbow before he tackled the other guy off the train and won. He was later half-carried to the station by his girlfriend, moaning in pain.
• Black God: While Yakumo is perfectly capable of curbstomping Tribal Ends, if at all possible, he'd much rather cut and run. Part of stems from the fact that he isn't as powerful as most other Tera Guardians, though it's mainly because he doesn't want to put Riona at risk. But if anyone tries to harm her....
• Nobuhiro Watsuki's debut one-shot "Crescent Moon In The Warring States" (later retroactively declared a prequel to Rurouni Kenshin) features a terrified peasant conscript to whom samurai Master Swordsman Hiko Seijurou gives his katana to sell for traveling money to return to his girlfriend. The peasant, so scared he's weeping, instead returns to the battlefield in the nick of time to return the sword to Hiko, letting him slay his nemesis.
• In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, this is the actual core of Zenitsu’s character; on the surface he is cowardly, is always complaining about something, screaming at the top of his lungs that he should just run away and give up on being a demon slayer. Yet, despite his incessant tantrums Zenitsu keeps proving that his heart is in the right place. His first Establishing Character Moment in that regard is when he risks his life to protect Tanjiro's box from another Slayer, just because Tanjiro said it's precious to him (and at a time when it didn't seem like Zenitsu was listening). He will (albeit with great reluctance and hesitation) follow his companions into dangerous situations (especially when Nezuko is involved), and while his combat usefulness is crippled by his fear, he has a kind of trance sleep mode where he can bravely fight against his foes while being somewhat unconscious thus unable to fear what is in front of him. It turns out that Zenitsu's issues stem mostly from an absolutely crippling case of self-esteem issues and complete lack of confidence in his own abilities (he is completely unaware of his deeds while in his sleep trance), even though in reality he is easily in the upper tier among new recruit Slayers despite only knowing one move. As the series progresses, Zenitsu becomes able to fight more as himself instead of always relying on his trance mode.
• Joe Kido in Digimon Adventure. His introduction shows him running and screaming from his Digimon partner and after the climactic battle with the leader of the dark masters, he says "Excuse me while I go throw up". He also doesn't hesitate to put himself on the line when his friends are in danger, he even tries to protect his Digimon partner when it's supposed to be the other way around!
  • His counterpart from Digimon Adventure: (2020) is this as well. He's even more of a Lovable Coward than he was previously, as well as being more of a goofball and a Leader Wannabe to boot. However, that doesn't stop him from putting his money where his mouth is; he's stalled a rampaging mammoth with just Ikkakumon while one of his friends was dying of frostbite, which triggers his partner's Digivolution into Zudomon, just to name one instance.
  • Digimon Ghost Game has Kiyoshiro Higashimitarai, a complete scaredy-cat whose partner Jellymon basically had him Kidnapped by the Call. When he gets scared enough, he even tends to Faint in Shock. Even so, he's more than capable of overcoming his fears and standing his ground when needed.
• Dragon Ball:
  • Gohan as well all the way up until Dragon Ball Z's Cell Saga. Granted, he was a young child during these events (his first fight being when he was four.)
    • Zig-zagged, especially during the Saiyan Saga, where he's just as likely to panic and cower in a corner at a crucial moment as rise to the occasion. His level of bravery seems directly proportional to how hard the villain is hitting his Berserk Button.
  • To a lesser extent, Krillin. He's perfectly aware that he Can't Catch Up, but he'll still fight even with that knowledge.
  • There's a brief moment during the cell saga where Mr. Satan ultimately steps up to get Android 16's head closer to Gohan. Despite everything about Mr. Satan having been an absolute joke by this point and a con-man, he does end up getting 16 close, and 16's speech motivates Gohan to finally fight back.
• Dr. STONE:
  • Gen generally attempts to avoid physical confrontations whenever possible, but that doesn't mean that he isn't willing to put himself on the line when necessary. The most notable instance is when he manages to talk an enemy warrior into an Enemy Mine situation in order to keep him from slaughtering everyone; his reaction after the warrior decides to leave shows that he was clearly scared out of his mind during the entire encounter.
  • When push comes to shove, Ginro is capable of blocking out his aversion to putting himself in danger to save his friends. He just really, really dislikes doing so, and tends to avoid putting himself in such situations whenever possible.
• Eyeshield 21: Sena Kobayakawa. He's a coward that runs at the first sight of trouble... but then gets drafted into a football team, had his team in dire strait, and then, forced by his own conscience, runs into Seijuro Shin. And the legend of the legendary running back begins....
  • It really shows during the match with Shinryuji. At one point, Sena, carrying the ball, was being blocked by Agon. At that point, Sena is ready to go down and surrender, rather than letting the ball get stolen. But then, Agon says something of the effect, "Your dream for three years? It's GAME OVER." At that point Sena is flipped out, and resulted in series of events in which Sena pass him and delivering a touchdown.
  • Kobanzame of the Kyoshin Poseidons is another example. A nervous nellie of a quarterback, Kobanzame thinks he's useless and leaves all the major decisions to Kakei. Yet he has perfect ball handling, and on short passes is a perfectly competent player. Reiji Marco, captain and quarterback/safety of the Hakushuu Dinosaurs is a villainous example—he's utterly terrified of getting hurt, yet continues to use himself as his own best piece, risking his neck to lead his team to victory.
• In Fate/Zero, Rider praises Waver Velvet for being willing to ride with him into battle despite being scared out of his mind.
• In Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, both Eisen and his apprentice Stark constantly struggle with their fear in battle. Despite this, they are both incredibly strong warriors and Eisen even cites their fear as a positive.
• Kain Fuery in Fullmetal Alchemist. He's the smallest and youngest member of Roy Mustang's hand-chosen unit, and his main value is as the communications specialist. When the team gets split up and he's reassigned to the southern war front, he's absolutely terrified and only gets through it by shouting at himself that he's going to live. Later, he deserts in order to return to Central City and aid Mustang and Hawkeye with their coup.
  • And then we have Warrant Officer Falman, who was literally crying and shaking with fear as he defied Bradley's order to open the gate to Central palace. Captain Buccaneer called him on it.
    Buccaneer: Oh come on now. Don't cry like a girl when you act like a man!
• Yukiteru Amano from Future Diary. The resident Shrinking Violet Non-Action Guy who usually gets reduced to tears in the Survival Game prefers to leave the fighting and killing to his psychopathic girlfriend, Yuno. However, he can still hold his own when he has to, as Third, Ninth, Sixth, and Fourth found out.
• Ghost Talker's Daydream: It's no secret that Kadotake is utterly terrified of ghosts and will haul ass at the first sign of one. But, if it's just a hood trying to pick a fight with him, that's different. Kadotake knows martial arts and he isn't afraid to use it.
• Hard though it may be to see at first glance, Golgo 13 is, by his own admission, something of a coward. This cowardice, ironically, makes him very good at his career as a Cold Sniper, as it keeps his survival instincts sharp and situational awareness ever keen.
• Sir Penwood is the prime example in Hellsing. Part of the Round Table, he is well-aware that he is a nervous man not suited for battle and war and knows the only reason he got his position was through inheritance, yet he stands by to do his duty all the way to the bitter end, where he blew himself and his base up, taking a massive amount of Nazi vampires with him and inspiring his subordinates to stand by him during London's invasion. It's little wonder why Integra and the other Round Table members have great respect for him as well.
  • Seras Victoria herself is this. Serving as an Audience Surrogate for entering the mad world of being a vampire, she was initially a normal police girl, though with a troubled past. As she overcomes her traumas, she outgrows this to become a full Badass.
• Hanyuu in Higurashi: When They Cry. She's really fearful and insecure, but lays the smackdown when it comes to people she cares about, as shown at the end of Kai. This isn't always a good thing though.
• Yuu from Holyland personifies this beautifully. Basically, if you took a timid, scared, insecure piece of bully-bait and gave him the ability to knock a man unconscious with one punch, he would be Yuu. Part of the plot centres around his fear that he'll go too far into Lion mode and become the thug he's trying to fight.
• Closer from Hyde and Closer could be called Shonen Sunday's answer to Tsuna Sawada. Always run from battle, Hyde always had to bail out his ass, but never let his friends in danger, even if that means takes the beating all for himself.
• Koichi Hirose is arguably the bravest character of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable because he jumps straight into the most dangerous situation while shaking from fear. However, he later grows out of the cowardly part.
• Kenichi from Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple will not run away, even if he's facing weapon users. However, the knee-trembling terror he feels occasionally leaks out.
  • At one point, Kenichi is induced with a 'mental seed of fear' after a near-death defeat by one of his enemies. It took the efforts of one of his teachers who essentially invoked this trope when she did not intend to not cure him of his fear, but rather to teach him to weaponize it as a means of self defense in order to overcome its negative effects.
• Kasumi of King of Thorn. She believes she is weak and useless, having depended on her braver twin sister Shizuku for most of her life. Later she depends on Marco for protection and often needs him to rescue her. However, she's still able to put her fears aside long enough to save someone else's life. She even saves Marco a few times, and earns his respect for it.
• In Mission: Yozakura Family, Taiyo is easily spooked and social interaction leaves him hyperventilating at the beginning. But when it comes to protecting Mutsumi, he won't hesitate to grab Razor Wire or even jump off a building to his death. He toughens up considerably thanks to the Yozakura's training, but it's mainly because everything seems less scary after the hell he went through. For instance, it's a lot easier to scale down a building when you know there aren't spikes at the bottom.
• Kai Shiden of Mobile Suit Gundam with emphasis on "Lion". An abrasive jerk who perpetually points out the stupidity of the situations they're in and often seems about to panic when sent into combat, Kai's nevertheless a reliable soldier who racks up a pretty impressive kill count over the course of the war. He might have easily ended up as one of the Earth Federation's most celebrated aces, if not for being the wingman of the White Devil Amuro Ray.
• Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia. As he goes to rescue Ochaco Uraraka at the beginning of the series, he is lying on the ground, shaking and crying in fear, but upon seeing her in danger he knows immediately what he has to do. This is also the reason he receives One For All; not because he is immune to fear, but because he does the right thing DESPITE his fear. Even as his control over his new power grows, he never quite shakes off his nervousness and fear of dangerous Villains, but it never stops him from rushing in to help others in need.
• Suigetsu from Naruto tried to run away from Team Taka as soon as he gets the chance, despite being made of water and completely impenetrable. Too bad non-combative Karin is faster than him and prevents him from getting away.
• Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Normally a timid, withdrawn, and slightly neurotic person, he gets surprisingly confident when he pilots the Evangelion, but he quickly falls back to his usual behavior outside of it.
• One Piece:
  • Nami is partly justified because she lacks the insane superhuman strength and/or Devil Fruit powers a lot of her crewmates have, so she must rely on her brain, wits, and Clima-Tact to survive in battle. As she gets skilled with the Clima-Tact (and is upgraded to the Perfect Clima-Tact and later the Sorcery Clima-Tact), she becomes more courageous. Even when she's pushed against the wall, she's not afraid to use lethal levels of heat, cold, or lightning on her opponents. But she'll only do that if she feels like there's no other option, and frequently comments about how she's in over her head.
  • Chopper is fairly young, shy, and sheepish. He freaks out a lot and gets shook up in bad situations. Post time-skip, he's more in control. He also frequently wants to prove his manhood, so if there's some sort of situation where he can prove that a bad guy doesn't know what he's in for, Chopper will take it, pushing aside doubts about his power to do it.
  • Usopp's a funny case; as long as everything is fine, he's a total Miles Gloriosus. But the instant there's the slightest hint of danger, and particularly when he's the only one who can do anything about it, he upgrades to Cowardly Lion. When any significant danger presents itself, Usopp will panic, then proceed to kick ass despite shaking in his boots the whole time. As Sogeking, he tries to ham it up under the facade of a capable badass, but the disguise melts away as soon as real danger comes his way or he gets annoyed. After the time-skip, he gets a bit better, and resembles a real badass, though with some cowardly traits still very much intact. It just takes a much higher level of threat to bring them out now.
    • One excellent example comes from the Arlong Park arc where Usopp faces down Chew. He is so horrifically outmatched and Chew manages to completely knock him out... or so Chew thinks. In reality, Usopp is Playing Possum, and, once Chew is far enough away, sits up and covers himself in mud. He comes up with a simple plan: make himself look ragged and muddy, and say he tried his best but Chew was too strong. Unfortunately for his cowardice, Usopp's memory of Nami's plight and how hard everyone else is fighting makes him feel ashamed, and this trumps his cowardice. He gets up, calls out to Chew to continue the fight, and manages to beat him this time around. When he returns to Arlong's headquarters later, he proudly exclaims the victory he earned.
  • Karoo from the Baroque Works Saga is a lesser example.
• PandoraHearts has Gilbert Nightray, who is both a skilled Battle Butler and the resident Chew Toy whom everyone loves to torment. It doesn't help that he has a very bad case of cat phobia, which caused a Color Failure when he faced the Cheshire Cat... but in the end Gilbert still stood up and fought him to protect Oz.
• While Ranma Saotome of Ranma ½ is a Combat Pragmatist, he's generally pretty far away from anything that resembles cowardice... unless cats are involved, in which case a few seconds after being surprised by a housecat he is literally catatonic and will eventually lose his mind from the sheer terror until he starts thinking that he's a cat and starts kicking the ass of almost everything within eyeshot using the ultimate technique, the Neko-ken. However, when he was tossed into a situation that almost perfectly replicated his initial trauma (being tossed into a pit of hungry cats while wrapped in fish products), he managed to (sorta) maintain his composure until they brought out a tiger that was about as tall as he was, at which point he snapped. Later on, when facing a grandmaster that was casually kicking his ass and holding his manhood hostage, Ranma deliberately strapped a cat onto himself (or rather, herself) in order to pull out the Neko-ken and get his opponent to back down. That is to say, he deliberately drove himself insane with fear in order to win a fight.
• Tsuna from Reborn! (2004). Early, when the series was still focused in comedy, he was a meek wimp with poor academic performance, and he needed the comically useful Dying Will Mode to save the day. Even after the series became more serious and focused in action, he still had some fears; however, thanks to the Hyper Dying Will mode he eventually Took a Level in Badass and became the very reason the villains never won a decisive battle.
• Escanor from The Seven Deadly Sins is one in his night/weakened form. He is very timid and cowardly. Funnily enough, his symbol is also a lion.
• Asura from Soul Eater could be a Deconstruction of one. Born with fear in his soul, his fear of the outside world and possibility drove him to fight alongside Shinigami-sama and other warriors to make the world a better place. However, these fears overwhelmed him, turning on his comrades and becoming a horrible monster and threat to humanity. Especially since as a Great Old One and Shinigami's offspring (as in Kid's older brother), he possesses the Madness of Fear, his presence driving people into insanity through fear. To Asura, fear is a motivator, but in the sense he wants to drive everyone insane and or destroy all in his path to quell his fear.
  • A more benevolent example is Crona, Medusa's "child." Despite the fact that the are constantly afraid of pretty much...everything, they will not hesitate to take on bigger scarier enemies if it means helping their friends. Given how they were made by Medusa to try and recreate the Kishin, this makes her a foil to Asura. Especially in the manga, where Crona ends up back as a Heel and absorbs Asura before Maka knocks sense back into them and Crona becomes a Barrier Maiden to seal off Asura.
• Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is like this initially. Scared of all the things happening around him that nearly kill him, but if Kamina is in danger he opens up a can of badass at a moment's notice.
  • Kamina is also a Cowardly Lion, but puts on the face of a Fearless Fool in order to keep Simon inspired. He admits as much to Yoko, while also saying that if it weren't for Simon's brains, he'd have bitten the dust ages ago.
• Takemichi from Tokyo Revengers is repeatedly portrayed as a coward, a weakling and a crybaby who happens to be surrounded by delinquents far above his weight class. But when the chips are down and defeat is not an option there is no force on Earth that can keep him down, his courage inspiring his peers to not give up either and providing the catalyst necessary to alter the timeline every time he travels to the past.
• Yugi Mutou from Yu-Gi-Oh!, who is timid and sensitive, conflict-averse, would rather turn the other cheek than escalate the situation whenever someone is a jerk to him, and believes himself to be weak and cowardly, despite showing astounding courage and grit from his very first appearance (standing up to a bully twice his size to protect Jounouchi and Honda, who had been mercilessly bullying him prior to that moment) and growing progressively more confident over time, finally truly realizing his own strength at the end of the series.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Medici/Crowler can come across as a panicky Agent Peacock at times. He ends up dueling Shadow Rider Camula by accident when he tries to sneak away during the call for volunteers, but leaps forward in fright after backing into Banner (who is also trying to sneak away). Crowler then tries to weasel out of the duel by saying he was volunteering to go fetch straws for them to decide who should duel Camula. However, during the duel itself, he's surprisingly brave and fierce, even when he's been defeated and Camula is about to claim his soul.

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