Hello everyone!

I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Beneath the Tangles team! I love their mission and ministry to connect faith and anime together because for many of us, they are two valuable things!

To celebrate my first post, I thought it would be super fun to share about four anime characters I would want to hug in real life.

I am not sure if I would call myself a “hugger,” but I will say that when I am excited, I do tend to want to hug others.

Hence my latest obsession with personal fanart of me hugging some of my favorite characters!

(Psst. If you don’t believe me, here is one I commissioned for when I published my Haikyu!! inspired poetry collection, Team Lines, on my website.)

But I’m getting ahead of myself!

Well, maybe I’m not and should say let’s go ahead and do this thing because I am beyond excited and ready to gush about what anime characters I want to hug!

You guys ready?

Let’s do this!

1. All-Might

When I think of hugging All-Might from My Hero Academia, all I can think of is Deku’s experience when he first got to meet All-Might and if I would be the same way.

Seriously, I have no idea if I could actually give him a hug because I would be so in shock to meet him!

I mean, he’s one of the coolest superheroes ever! How does one even approach the coolest superhero?!

We would probably need some intervention from Deku, but I’m not sure if that would make things better or worse because then I would be meeting All-Might and Deku.

Maybe I should just settle for an autograph?

Hmmm…no.

No, I’m definitely wanting an autograph!

2. Violet Evergarden

I may have not seen a lot of anime compared to a few friends of mine, but I feel I can safely say that no other anime or OVA has emotionally wrecked me like Violet Evergarden.

Violet’s story is packed with tear-inducing episodes that make it seem like your heart is going to explode from her desire to not only discover and learn what love is, but also how she willingly gives her all in helping others.

I think she deserves the same kind of experience.

If I could meet Violet, I would scrounge up every ounce of compassion and love that I could muster and pour it into that one hug with her.

(And hope that I don’t make her feel awkward…)

I would hold it for at least a good 10-15 seconds and pray that what I want to say without words is being conveyed. She desperately needs to know she is loved, treasured, and valued.

I might even try to take her out for tea and say that verbally to her!

3. Red and White Blood Cell

Technically, they are two characters, but I absolutely adore the idea of a relationship between Red Blood Cell and White Blood Cell from Cells at Work! (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)

I not only totally ship them together, but I love both of these characters individually and simply need a mini group hug!

I would also need to give Red Blood Cell a bear hug because she is one of the few heroines that I relate to on a deep level. Plus, she’s just so sweet!

(I’m not quite sure if I could give a hug to White Blood Cell because I really don’t want to embarrass the poor guy, even though he makes me just as happy as Red Blood Cell.)

If I could convince them to hang out with me after our “hug session,” I would definitely ask if I could get a photo with them and then try my hand at matchmaking these two.

Never mind that Red Blood Cell would probably freak out and rush off to work or that White Blood Cell would be so bashful and also leave.

I’d just do my best in the moment to help them realize their feelings for one another!

4. Karasuno Team

While I make it known regularly on my social media that I love Hinata from Haikyu!! and that I consider him to be my senpai, I can’t deny that if I was given the opportunity to meet all of his teammates (including Hinata), I would be over the moon excited!

Truly, I don’t think I can even fully imagine what that looks like because my brain just can’t fully picture that level of awesome!

The Karasuno team is completely amazing and I would give each one of these guys a huge hug that probably would involve me squealing into each of their ears. (I can profusely apologize but then hug them again!)

And after I’ve hugged everyone, I’m pretty sure I’m going to try and see if I can get a second (or third) round of hugs and then beg them to teach me how to play volleyball.

It would be such an unforgettable experience!

And I would definitely need to collect autographs!

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Though this list feels small in comparison to the many anime characters that have touched my life, I feel as if these are some of the most influential.

But what about you?

I would love to hear your choices of what anime character(s) you would love to hug!

Let me know in the comments!

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Laura A. Grace

Growing up, Laura A. Grace dreamed of being a Sailor Scout and searching for the seven dragon balls so she could make a wish. Those dreams have continued to inspire her as co-founder and co-organizer of the devotional Finding God in Anime as well as a writer and YouTuber for Beneath the Tangles, a website that blends discussion of anime and Christianity. She also even started her own anime-inspired small business, Cheery Tangerine Creations! When she’s not busy brainstorming new pin designs or filming YouTube videos to convince others to read her favorite manga titles, you can find her playing video games with her husband and three children. Come see what manga she is reading and recommending on her YouTube channel, Laura A. Grace!

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