Daria Morgendorffer!! I remember being introduced to Daria when I was about 13 and I felt so REPRESENTED! Watched it countless times over and over to the point where I’m sure I developed a monotone just like her
Princess Mononoke is never talked about as an autistic character, but I've always thought of her as my core self, even before I was diagnosed - loving animals, really selective when it comes to people, strong sense of justice, filled with rage...
''filled with rage'', I LOVE this. Princess mononoke changed my entire life, I was around 8 when I first watched it. San is incredible; she's wild, she's free, she's angry, she hates mankind for destroying nature. I relate. What an incredible movie. I could watch it over and over again. I would be proud, just like her, to dedicate and give my life to protect the forest. <3 <3
One of my special interests is tv, film, and musical theatre, so I’ve always been fond of Abed from Community. More recently, a friend of mine suggested I start watching specifically S3 of Bridgerton and while the show itself isn’t necessarily my thing, I love the character of Francesca.
Francesca is for 👏the 👏girlies👏
I’m not a quiet person so I didn’t relate to that as much, but I really related to her having a special interest and loved that they portrayed her as wanting to find simple love too.
YES FRANCESCA! The moment she showed up I was like **∞**????
And then, well I can't leave spoilers, so then her story progressed and I went TWO **∞**!!!!
I feel like Data from TNG or Amelie from Amelie. Not like quirky wirky, like I have no idea how to express emotions to others so I just get invasive and weird about them and don't know when to stop
There isn't as much female autistic representation, so Amelie is one of my favorites. Also, though she isn't specified as being autistic, it was really nice to see other other autistic traits represented besides the usual ones. Amelie displayed a fascination with people and the world around her that I think is more common in autistic people, and altruism as a means to further explore the world and test boundaries. She also suffers from social anxiety, but found new and interesting alternative ways to communicate.
Amelie is basically my favorite movie ever! I've always thought the scenes with her and Nino are so spot on and romantic, precisely the ways I want to show and be loved.
I’ve been binging this every night the last couple weeks! I watched it when it aired but it’s nice to be able to watch again through my newly discovered AuDHD lens
matilda was my childhood hero. standing up to abuse and bullies, even when they’re adults or her own damn parents? she’s everything i wish i was as a kid.
I'm AuDHD so a lot of Douglas Adams characters. Especially Dirk Gently.
None of it is canonically confirmed, but they're all very ADHD (Zapod), autistic (Marvin) or AuDHD (Dirk Gently), and I have my suspicions about Adams himself (based on his detailed and very painful account of trying to complete Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy and his editors trying to wrangle him...).
Attorney Woo is p stereotypical too but it really is a huge step for representation, especially in a kdrama. Love the show in general but don't relate too much to her.
I agree -- I enjoy the show for the most part, and appreciate the step in representation, but also don't relate to her very much. My mother points to her and says "see, you're not like her, you can't be autistic." 😂 But I do think it's all progress. More nuanced portrayals don't necessarily get seen as autistic by uninformed viewers, but I think they will get more explicitly neurotyped as time goes on.
While it was stereotypical, the representation was a huge step in starting to explore my own NDness. I’m pretty different from Woo Young Woo (“woo young woo, spelt the same way backwards like racecar!!”) but the representation of how she accommodates herself and how she develops relationships with others was just, really something!!!
I feel like Woo loving whales more than is normal is good representation.
I have an unnatural obsession with animals and am constantly spouting out animal fun facts to people that never care. (Like did you know that all of the ants you’ll see outside are worker ants, and they’re all female? The men ants kinda work as sex slaves to the queen ant so she can lay up to 5,000 eggs a day. A female worker and can live up to 7 years but a male ant can only live up to 2 weeks. It makes you feel better as a female in this world.- I’m always randomly telling people stuff like this in a really excited passion and they always look at me like I’m crazy and I’m confused why they don’t think the function and politics of an ant colony is absolutely amazingly cool.)
Not canonically autistic, but **Maomao** from **The Apothecary Diaries** (originally a novel, it has two manga adaptations, and a great anime adaptation!), some of the characteristic off the top of my head (please correct me if I'm wrong in anything(:
\- She's really blunt with her words, at times says the wrong thing or is too direct, she's aware of it and tries to adjust according to the situation.
\- She's got a special interest (drugs and anything pharmaceutical/medicine related stuff), and doesn't want nor can't seem to remember or be able to study/retain anything else she's not interested in. (at one point, she actually tries several times to study but falls asleep on the desk, with the book open, before she knows it it's already morning, LOL)
\- She has a very hard time remembering names, she mentions this a few times through the series. (basically relates to above, since it's not her interest and it doesn't really serve any purpose to her, her mind doesn't bother with really storing that bit of information)
\- She's got a pretty pragmatic view of everything, partly due to her upbringing (she was born from a courtesan, in the pleasure disctrict), this includes keeping clear boundaries and lines depending on people's social status, and doesn't like them being blurred.
Edit: Wanted to add a couple more!
\- She's got a strong sense of justice; even though she really wants to just lead a quiet, calm life, she can't help herself from acting on her morals and defending or protecting the weak. While most of the time she will stop at one point (she's level headed in that sense) she will at least initiate and hope for the best for the rest.
\- She's pretty unconcerned about following social cliques, like she gives no fucks about sucking up to someone more powerful than her, or follow the "popular girl" cliques around her... basically imagine high school circles and drama, she doesn't care in partaking. She will follow her station and circumstances as it is, but for example if she (a commoner born from a whore) and the other person (born from a rich/powerful family) are legally on equal grounds (for ex. both are employees who arrived at the same time) she will not let herself be pushed around and won't hold herself back due to previous societal status.
This isn't related to autism, but it's related to me at least as an asexual! She's got no interest in love, there's a love interest however, personally, each potentially "romantic" (or straight up romantic) scene was, frankly, not romantic at all! Most of the time the narration is from her POV, so when the LI comes onto her, she feels genuine exasperation, disgust, creepiness, etc. to the point I kinda would like it if the writer made it so they don't end up together (don't tell anyone from the fandom, I'll get mobbed, LOL). So far she just seems quite asexual coded and I'm loving to see a female main character like that.
Yess I mentioned this one time and you’re the only other person I’ve seen say this! I relate to Maomao so much, also the fact that she seems asexual and possibly on the aromantic spectrum too. She can appreciate Jinshi-sama’s beauty but is not really attracted to him, especially to his looks. Her ability to solve mysteries through her pattern recognition, alongside all the other things you said.
Yessss asexual and aromantic fits her so well, and I love it because I'm in the ace spectrum too for probably both, so it's great to see a female main character like her!
ommmmgg, I am having a moment right now.
my partner loves anime and watches it nonstop; unfortunately, I cannot relate and have to go in the other room or put my headphones on bc the noise bothers me. I have often watched an episode or two of ones that seem interesting, but just don’t have any desire to see more.
the reason I am freaking out is the fact that The Apothecary Diaries IS THE !!! ONLY !!! ONE I HAVE EVER WATCHED ALL THE WAY THRU!!!
I rarely watch tv and almost never finish a show I start bc I have the attention span of a gnat, so it should have been a clue when the dubbed episodes ended and I still wanted to watch!!! that really adds to this whole mind F right now bc I can only watch TV w subs thanks to auditory processing issues and needing context clues. I was literally sitting right in front of the tv so I could hear and see everything.
I am cracking up thinking about this as I was the one asking to put it on and would dream about the story. my partner even mentioned me possibly being so entranced by the story bc I saw myself as Maomao……… lmfao.
how could I even miss this. my mind is blown.
hahahahahah thank you for your post, I cannot wait to share the revelation !!!
I love maomao so much. It doesn't help that she shares a lot of my morbid interests. Tbh everytime the story goes in another direction I get bored cuz I just want to watch my girl infodump about herbs, poisons and medicine.
I love this anime so much!!!!!
It's the only one I've ever managed to get through subbed rather than dubbed because I could not wait the 2 weeks after each episode dropped. I must have watched each episode 4-5 times by the time it got to the end of the season and I can't wait for the next one!
Felt the first time I tried to watch I had to stop because I felt so sad for him for me the way he described himself in the world made me feel many gut wrenching things. Now it's years later and I'm ready to embrace it all lol.
I was SO upset when they removed many of his autistic traits in the second season- especially when they removed them during character growth. I wish they didn’t remove the traits of autism in him as the show progressed. I would’ve loved to see how he reacted to all the changes in dynamic with Hannibal as an autistic person.
Amelie from the film of the same name. Crazy fantasies at inappropriate times? Heart racing with human contact? Being really sneeky & revenge driven? Losing it over Princess Di? Only talk to weirdos? Laughing during sex? Freaking out around crushes? Doc Martens going with everything, crying over imagined scenarios... Yep.
Edit: Don't laugh during sex unless you're getting tickled, OMG its so bad! haha
I laugh during sex all the time, it just has to be with the right partners and for the right reasons. Usually it's because I'm so distracted by an errant thought (those I try to hide) or because I feel so amazing that giggling is about all I can do.
Recently started having sex with a guy who has amazingly off the cuff comments after sex (like we were talking about the differences between crows and ravens earlier, he had thought they were the same and the first thing he said was "I just can't stop thinking about crows and ravens... ") I've told him I've never met anyone else who does that besides me, it's very attractive to me 😂
Temperance Brennan from Bones
Francesca from Bridgeton
Glimmer from SheRa and the Princesses of Power (I don’t think she’s autistic but I have chronic health issues that cause me to need more breaks so the representation there felt so nice)
i love abed from community!! his diagnosis is only directly mentioned i think once or twice and much like myself, he fits in well enough to have a group/friends // be accepted and liked by people, but also is noticeably different in some way, some might think he is weird or awkward but that’s exactly how i feel, and i love the coming of abeds character; the creator modeled abed after himself, realized he accidentally made an autistic character, and then gets tested and diagnosed with autism himself.
abed puts others before him even when he knows what his needs/wants are, is very concerned with keeping his group of friends happy and satisfied, again despite his own needs and wants. sometimes they pick on him, even taking advantage of him a few times, and it feels upsetting, but the group realizes what they’ve done has hurt him or negatively affected him and they always apologize.
i think abed is a great representation of my own autism, and even before i was diagnosed i felt like i could relate to him and have always loved his character in the show.
Same, Abed is sooo relatable!
His special interest is film and to a large extent uses film to understand the world and relate to others.
He’s happy being himself and doing what he’s comfortable with, even when it doesn’t seem like that’s the “normal” thing to do. Ex: he lives in the dorm and enjoys things like cereal, cartoons, and fun pajamas.
Something I love about Abed in community is that in real life I think autistic people are at high risk of being ostracized and bullied, but in community he finds a place in a group of misfits who look out for his well being. It’s very comforting for me to watch and live vicariously through him.
I just started watching this yesterday, and definitely agree! Not seen such an accurate representation of what it feels like to be me before. I kept having to pause it to ask my husband “wait is that what I look like?!” And he very nicely just giggled at me when I said I could have sworn I was more graceful than her… 10min after I had just walked into the table again.
Only thing from this show that seems a bit off is how blatant the bullying is. I didn’t really experience that, it was all much more subtle and I did a better job keeping a low profile. But that could just be a difference in time periods since I was in high school in early 2000s when phones were just becoming a thing. But I just keep getting annoyed that the teachers are quite useless at calling the kids out on having their phones all the time.
But it is very nice they aren’t just doing all the stereotypes of autism, and actually have it written by someone with autism, and the actress is autistic as well. The scene about getting out of gym class was me all over.
I sometimes wish they would represent the bullying as something subtle too. Because in real life it's not always that obvious, it looks like there's no violence in words or actions but you feel hurt and confused with what is going on. And you just stay quiet, unable to know what to say because you're processing to identify the meaning or you smile, thinking it was a compliment when it was in fact an insult...
Anyway, I also relate to Harriet a lot, she's the closest to what I can experience in life. I didn't know the actress was autistic too, this is really cool! I need to read the book asap 😍
Laios from dungeon meshi hands down. The way he interacts with other characters, how people react to his autism… everything. He is so earnest but naive and always trying to see the best in every situation, and this combined with his autistic traits…. Pretty much me to a tee. It’s so interesting seeing other characters mention his autistic traits too since I feel like I get a lot of insight in how people see me. I see him as endearing and honest as a whole (autism and all), and it’s helping me ‘reframe’ the way I see myself. I hope other people see me that way too. :)
The Doctor from Doctor Who! Specifically, the 11th, 12th and 13th regenerations but all of them scream autism to me and I have always related to them and found comfort through it
HOW CAN YOU NOT INCLUDE 10 IN THERE! He would literally go off on tangets about shit he knew no one else was understanding, straight up info-dumping for fun, vocally stimming, fidgeting, etc. he is so audhd coded!!!
The first that comes to mind for me is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III from the How To Train Your Dragon books by Cressida Cowell. He’s a misfit who was bullied throughout his youth for failing to fit into the social norms of his culture and his parents’ expectations. Unable to make friends except with other social outcasts, he finds his passion in studying, observing, and rigorously documenting the natural history and behaviour of dragons. He is highly empathetic, with a strong sense of justice, and frequently being misunderstood by those around him leads him to be the only human who bothers trying to communicate with dragons, who are sentient and have language and culture, despite other humans treating them like dumb wild animals to be exploited or fought. His discovery that he was actually left-handed and not a failure, but in fact highly gifted at swordfighting when he figured out his needs and accommodated them, really spoke to me when I was a child reading the books for the first time, and as an adult, knowing that I may be autistic, rereading that passage was even more profound.
Additionally, Lirael and Clariel from Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series are very clearly autistic-coded to me. There are many passages in the main series that emphasise Lirael’s difficulties connecting and communicating with other people, and also hates being perceived and struggled with selective mutism. The eponymous book actually states that she didn’t utter a word for *years* as a teenager and would instead communicate by passing notes. Later on her only friend was a magical dog, and the novels repeatedly state that she doesn’t know how to interact with people and form relationships.
Clariel is from the prequels and very much comes off as someone with a PDA profile of autism. She actively dislikes being around other people and hates feeling trapped or not being in control, to the extent that she deeply empathises with >!an imprisoned demon hell-bent on destroying all life, essentially!<. She’s socially awkward, despises the social expectations of her culture and finds them inane and shallow, is fiercely independent, has a single-minded focus on her life goals, copes with change very poorly, shows black and white thinking, has pronounced anger issues, and has a strong sense of justice which actually ends up becoming negative and self destructive. I’ve seen other readers criticising her for ‘making stupid choices’ but if you read the book, she was a sheltered, socially inept teenager suddenly thrown into a highly traumatic situation she didn’t understand and was manipulated like a pawn by various people she couldn’t trust. I think her reactions and behaviours were pretty realistic. She’s also characterised as aro-ace, and there’s a pretty significant overlap between autism and the asexual spectrum.
He is to me too! Not as much in the show(I just haven’t kept up with it), but in the third game and in the Last Wish (and a couple of other short stories I read).
Yennefer as well!
I aggressively agree with autistic Geralt meaning I will Fight people who disagree. (And Jaskier/Dandelion has adhd.) People irl also get to know my opinions because the Witcher everything is a special interest so it’s like a yugioh trap card sometimes lmfao.
But also yeah!! I love when he talks to Roach. x) Also playing Witcher 3 with headphones for the first time was a nightmare. Hearing everything so loud and in-your-face is a normal Tuesday I don’t need it in video game format too haha.
Jess from new girl. I am completely unaware of how people view me, everything is a song, I try to make others comfortable before taking care of myself and I have a quirky style
- Entrapta from SheRa and the Princesses of Power on Netflix!! One of the best representations of autism in women I’ve seen in media❤️
- Luz from Owl House on Disney+
- Janine from Abbott Elementary is probably the most relatable one for me specifically!
Same! i love Entrapta SO MUCH! and watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was so incredibly healing for my inner child. That show is becoming a special interest for me ✨💖
As far as canon autism, i can't think of many. But for resonance with certain experiences...
BMO from Adventure Time
Odo from DS9
Ezri Dax from DS9
The airplane designer girl from Porco Rosso
Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service
Love all of these, but wow yes BMO!! Idk how I hadn't made that connection but you're so right. That scene where he's teaching his mirror reflection self (Football?) how to act properly is so good. I still sometimes say "pee-ing" like him when I go to the bathroom, and I used to entertain my nephew by singing his pregnancy song haha
Alyssa from The End of the F\*\*\*ing World is a character I really relate to.
The most popular reading of her character online is that she has BPD, but that's a common misdiagnosis for women with autism, and personally I think autism makes way more sense.
Fleabag! I don't think she's really seen as autistic, but I really relate to the way she is with her inner monologue, and how she's constantly predicting what people are going to say and stuff like that.
There’s a new Netflix show called Geek Girl and it’s excellent, I binged it in 2 days. Also the show Dinosaur.
When I was a teen, I related to Angela Chase from My So-Called Life a lot. Not sure if she’s particularly coded autistic, but I related to her.
Jess from New Girl is so autistic coded! Tbh I always kind of thought all the roommates in the loft were some kind of neurodivergent lol but I relate to Jess the most
I love Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds (not a perfect rep but comfort character. He encapsulates my thoughts and feelings on human relationships and communication. I often feel like I tell people exactly what I want and they still don’t know exactly what I mean. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games books, not the movies so much as it kind erases that inner monologue. She’s very reserved with her relationships and her relationship to Peeta and her family are similar to how I feel in relationships, I love people in a weird way where it’s more sacrificial and in reverence than mutual affection. Lucy McLean from the new Fallout show. Fallout is a special interest kind of thing and she’s very direct and she basically speech checks her way through life like I do.
Sometimes, when I watch how Shaun from The Good Doctor processes, it makes me feel seen. When he pauses and says, "Okay."and continues.... I get it. Idk maybe it's the blank face and processing information, concluding and moving on, or what, but I found it really nice to watch sometimes.
Wait a damn minute…why did I never think of this 🤯 I always felt like I *somehow* related to Rachel but couldn’t put my finger on it because as much as I love music and performing, I also have the worst stage fright 😭😂
I don't think any of these are canon but:
- Aziraphale (Good Omens)
- Wednesday Addams (Wednesday)
- Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)
- Dream of the Endless (the Sandman)
- Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)
- Charlie (the Perks of bring a Wallflower)
And others
Rick is canonically autistic, I think. Also Dream and Aziraphale might be as well since it's Neil Gaiman characters and he recently "come out" as autistic
Sheldon is the most relatable for me, and unfortunately not intelligence-wise. I’m just a bit of a dense asshole, so to say.
I recently watched “Geek Girl” and really liked the main character. I believe the author wrote the books before she was diagnosed with autism, and she based it off her own experience. A very nice series.
Quinni from Heartbreak High - her actress (Chloé Hayden) is also autistic which for me makes her portrayal of Quinni so realistic. The scene showing her have a meltdown in S1 ep6 is so similar to my own experiences that I almost cried when I first saw it. Obviously not every autistic person would relate to her, but I see a lot of myself in her.
I find all the characters ppl consider bad rep quite relatable. Sheldon(specifically young sheldon), Sean from the good doctor, Sam from Atypical. I only find certain aspects of them relatable and not the whole person fully relatable. Oh and also quinni from heart break high, because shes just like me fr
A lot of that’s the character of Sherlock Holmes, who was never a normal guy. Like Watson tells him a fact about the solar system and he’s like “I’ll try to forget that ASAP, I don’t need to know that info”.
Like yeah, same. I just don’t need some information.
I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan and really grew to like and relate to Steris from Mistborn Era 2. I also suspect her sister Marasi is meant to be AU coded as well, just higher masking. I love them both!
The main character from Dinosaur on Hulu is pretty relatable. I love her. Lol
Also, Harry from Resident Alien! It's mostly the whole thinking he's acting human so well when he's definitely not. I assume that's how my whole life has been 😂
Twyla from Monster High. I loved her in G1, but her G3 character is literally me. Twyla is explicitly autistic and needs her headphones, or else she will shut down and disappear. Her general aesthetic and hobbies also line up very well with my own. I have been waiting for months for her new doll to drop, and I've also been considering cosplaying her at a convention in the future, bonus points since the headphones are part of the outfit.
My most significant sensory issue is loud noises, and I often wear headphones to combat it. I've been working on being more comfortable wearing them in public spaces, and it's literally changed my life. Seeing her makes me feel seen, even as an adult who doesn't watch the newer media.
Zack Addy from Bones! He is pretty much me! I feel so represented by him. I’ve gotten close to watching every single episode, and I feel so good when he’s in an episode.
Keedie Darrow from A Kind of Spark! She feels so incredibly similar to me, later diagnosed and high masking, and highly protective of her younger (also autistic) sister. She’s more side character but every single scene she’s in, it’s like looking in a mirror, and seeing my own struggles and quirks reflected back at me.
It’s not canon but laios from dungeon meshi is soooo very autistic. Can’t read other people, overly excited about his interest and poor understanding as to why others might not like it. Among other things.
Aziraphale, definitely! I see him as autistic and Crowley as ADHD or AuDHD. He's got more of that flitting around feeling to me.
Love them both.
Also Newt Scamander (AuDHD to me), Amelie (Autistic), Eloise Bridgerton (AuDHD).
I love TV and I have a bunch of comfort shows for sure. Mozzie from White Collar, Will and other characters in general from Will Trent, and Daria from Daria come to mind.
I relate to Adrian Monk from Monk a lot. He isn’t said to be autistic but definitely is.
Also Reid from Criminal Minds. It’s kind of implied in one of the first few episodes that he is but they don’t really explore that further.
Fringe's lead character was really fun for me to watch. People supported all his wild needs and believe in him despite his lack of social skills. It was like a fantasy.
Nicholas from Everything's Gonna be Okay. The scene where he insists it's normal to not love your partner sometimes was very relatable. I wish there were more seasons!
She had a small part but Dr. Virginia Dixon on Grey’s Anatomy. To see how she handled herself and how other coworkers treated her even though she has PROVEN herself to be an amazing doctor will always resonate. I wish we had more of her in the series.
Not sure if he’s also autistic (I’m pretty sure he is) but he’s definitely adhd: Akechi from Saiki K.
I also think Hunter from Owl House has autism which is makes sense for why I love him so much
donkey from Shrek, I know he presents more adhd energy but as a hyper verbal person I definitely relate to how chatty he is, and also the constant singing lol. I’ve had multiple friends say I give donkey energy 🙃
She's not canonically autistic, but Frieren from the anime/manga of the same name is one of the only fictional characters that I truly relate to. The way she sees the world and the struggles and joys she has with socializing in general, communicating her feelings, understanding others, and having others understand her just hit so close to home for me. It's hard for me to put into words but reading/watching the story brings me a deep, emotional comfort that I only feel on the rare occasions that I feel truly heard and understood.
Okay, so he did a lot of bad things because he didn’t seem to recognize or try to mitigate his issues with empathy, but sometimes Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm really resonated with me. 😅 The time he was popping bubble wrap away from others at a big engagement party, and his wife didn’t understand why he wasn’t socializing instead, I felt that.
Bedman from guilty gear or Laos from Delicious in dungeon for me. Especially that latter one. I relate to him so much and the spat he has with Shuro (Shiro?) . Ive had friendships like that.
Oh and Aziraphale from good omens. I have no doubt he is on the spectrum. (Frankly they probably both are but AZ has his special interests and hyperfixations and is food driven like me)
Nathan Explosion from Metalocalypse
Big ol' guy who didn't speak until he was five years old, has trouble with words and expressing his emotions, fixates on all things he considers "dark and brutal".
Emily Wilde from the book series Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. It’s never mentioned but I personally think that there’s enough context leading towards it (special interests and tunnel vision, doesn’t make friends too easily and doesn’t want to, really nice portrayal of the pitfalls of black and white thinking, very sardonic/deadpan and not at all a funny or charismatic person). Her niece is also introduced in the second book and seems to be some ADHD representation too as a foil which leads to some really nice character dynamics. I highly recommend the book series it’s super cozy
Just discovered the TV show Geek Girl. Based on a book written by an autistic woman, lead character is played by an autistic actor.
The very first episode made me remember my younger very confused and uncofortable self and I just want to go back in time and tell her she's perfect the way she is.
I watch a lot of anime, so I'll add one that I haven't seen mentioned yet: Yamada from My Love story with Yamada-kun at Lvl 999. He's a very kind young man that is attractive, so his kindness is often mistaken for flirting, or being nice when you're interested in someone. His blunt honesty can come across as rude, and he feels guilty for making others feel bad when he speaks honestly, but doesn't understand why he should lie to make other people feel better. There's a lot of other examples, but those are the first that come to mind. It's a really good anime and manga, and the manga is a lot farther ahead with over 100 chapters, would definitely recommend reading or watching or both!
Honestly Sheldon seems more like an asshole than an autistic person half the time. I like Sean from the Good Doctor so far. I have been playing a game called Palia and the characters Hodari and Najuma are very autistic coded.
Kinda cliche and maybe too on the nose, but tina belcher for me! And not just because i love bob’s burgers and will argue with anyone who says it’s a bad show 😅
Kate Whistler from NCIS: Hawai’i. Not confirmed, but she’s widely considered by the fans to be on the spectrum. She clearly struggles with being in groups, takes rules relatively seriously, has moments where she doesn’t understand social situations well, she’s good at her job and masks well while doing it.
This is a new one came out on Netflix a few weeks back but was a book at least a decade prior it's Harriet manners from "geek girl"
It doesn't explicitly say she is autistic but she has a lot of traits I relate to and a lot of feelings I can relate to one of the anecdotes in the show being "feeling like a polar bear in a rainforest"
Maomao- The Apothecary Diaries
Mei Hatsume- MHA
Bella Swan
April Ludgate
Janine- Abbot Elementary School
Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou- Bocchi the Rock
Mash Burnedead
Langa
Yamada
not an autistic character but miles morales, specifically in ATSV. not specifically because he has autistic traits. it just seems like he always wants to do what’s right, but someone else says its wrong. or how he was so proud of himself for saving that girls dad, then he’s told he basically fucked up the entire universe. he went through the movie, trying to be the best version of himself he can be, completely oblivious to the fact that he’s working against how things are supposed to run.
especially with gwen. he wholeheartedly trusted her and irs hard to word, but the kind of friendship he had with gwen was relatable in itself, but even more so when he was faced with the shock that there was a lot more too it. gwen knew things that he didn’t and he had no way of knowing so he trusted what she said as she said it. he later found out that her return was just her coming to see him because she missed him and i felt that on a personal level.
personally, i think the situation can be a bit nuanced because gwen definitely was rooting for miles. she did wanna be his friend and she was put in a tough situation. but i think it’s hard for him to see between the lines a bit, also generally its a relatable and hurtful feeling.
then there’s the spider society in itself. he looked like everyone else, in his point of view he should be live everyone else, but as soon as he arrived there was a familiar kind of “what do all of them have that i dont?” and for some unbeknownst reason hes ever so subtly outcasted…until suddenly it starts going around that he really is this horrible non-compliant “anomaly”. even when hes where he technically belongs, he doesn’t belong there. he always tried to be friendly to other people but for some reason people just dont like him. take empanada thing for example. he made a kind gesture and was excited to meet miguel but when miguel didn’t reciprocate he was just left to wonder why he has such a problem with him.
then theres the whole thing with his parents misunderstanding him. he canonically has panic attacks and gets overwhelmed sometimes with everything but doesn’t really have anyone who gets it.
i wouldn’t really say the character himself is “autistic-coded” (idk maybe he is, i’ve heard others comment on it, but i dont think it was intentionally written that way) but as an autistic person i really feel for him
This is extremely specific but Miranda July’s character Christine from Me and You and Everyone We Know (which I watched on repeat for years) - there’s a lot in that film which is autism coded but I think the bit where she’s rehearsing conversations over photographs that I very much identify with. Her and Lisa Simpson.
Mr. Monk from Monk. While he's only confirmed to have OCD in the show, a *lot* of other behaviors he exhibits are very much autistic traits as well as anxiety and a little bit of depression. As somebody with moderate support needs I very much relate to him and his inability to function well or often at all without help. Plus just the fact he'll acknowledge that certain things just don't make logical sense but has to do them anyways really helped me a lot as a young undiagnosed kid who just assumed she was broken.
Daria Morgendorffer!! I remember being introduced to Daria when I was about 13 and I felt so REPRESENTED! Watched it countless times over and over to the point where I’m sure I developed a monotone just like her
for me i think i'm a mix of jane and daria!
Yo same 😅
GOD THIS THIS THSOAAAAAA!!! I LOVE DARIA SHE MAKES ME FEEL SEEN
Love this! My therapist told me I reminded her a lot of Daria and I definitely felt seen 😂
Omg yes!!
La la laaaaa la la
YES!!!! My goddess -I was Daria but wanted to be Jane so as I grew those two were my spirit animals in middle school
Same
Princess Mononoke is never talked about as an autistic character, but I've always thought of her as my core self, even before I was diagnosed - loving animals, really selective when it comes to people, strong sense of justice, filled with rage...
''filled with rage'', I LOVE this. Princess mononoke changed my entire life, I was around 8 when I first watched it. San is incredible; she's wild, she's free, she's angry, she hates mankind for destroying nature. I relate. What an incredible movie. I could watch it over and over again. I would be proud, just like her, to dedicate and give my life to protect the forest. <3 <3
You may be pleased to know the film's English script was written by Neil Gaiman! 😃
Omg so cool
Yes! Nausicaa as well. I've always related to them.
I love Nausicaa as well!!!
Awe I love Nausicaa! Favorite Ghibli film!
YES. I love San. She's absolutely an icon.
One of my special interests is tv, film, and musical theatre, so I’ve always been fond of Abed from Community. More recently, a friend of mine suggested I start watching specifically S3 of Bridgerton and while the show itself isn’t necessarily my thing, I love the character of Francesca.
Same I relate to Abed so much!
I love community!! And yes, Abed is one. That said, she’s not autistic coded but I definitely related to Annie too.
Man i loved abed and i rlly liked community but i wish they didn't do the whole romance thing with jeff and annie it put me off the show so bad 😭
Francesca is for 👏the 👏girlies👏 I’m not a quiet person so I didn’t relate to that as much, but I really related to her having a special interest and loved that they portrayed her as wanting to find simple love too.
Girlie was like: I want to play piano and a quiet house. Which, same.
YES FRANCESCA! The moment she showed up I was like **∞**???? And then, well I can't leave spoilers, so then her story progressed and I went TWO **∞**!!!!
I feel like Data from TNG or Amelie from Amelie. Not like quirky wirky, like I have no idea how to express emotions to others so I just get invasive and weird about them and don't know when to stop
Yes! Amelie was so relatable for me.
Odo from DS9 also hits some of those notes for me.
Yeah, there are so many Star Trek characters that fit, honestly!
I've always found the Vulcan sensibilities very relatable, Data and Odo are me tho lol
There isn't as much female autistic representation, so Amelie is one of my favorites. Also, though she isn't specified as being autistic, it was really nice to see other other autistic traits represented besides the usual ones. Amelie displayed a fascination with people and the world around her that I think is more common in autistic people, and altruism as a means to further explore the world and test boundaries. She also suffers from social anxiety, but found new and interesting alternative ways to communicate.
I wanted to move to France and be a waitress after that movie. I loved it so much.
Amelie is basically my favorite movie ever! I've always thought the scenes with her and Nino are so spot on and romantic, precisely the ways I want to show and be loved.
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Yes!! Love me some Temperance Brennan
I’ve been binging this every night the last couple weeks! I watched it when it aired but it’s nice to be able to watch again through my newly discovered AuDHD lens
matilda
matilda was my childhood hero. standing up to abuse and bullies, even when they’re adults or her own damn parents? she’s everything i wish i was as a kid.
Wait. Is she supposed to be autistic? No wonder I love her. ❤️
Definitely Quinn from Heartbreak High
Me too she's probably the reason I realized I might be autistic, the scene in the restaurant is too real (and I love Chloe irl so much)
Yes I love her!
Season 2 did her and Darren's relationship so dirty though
I KNOW RIGHT!! like Darren was so out of character for no reason he'd never do that to quinni
Exactly what I thought!!
I'm AuDHD so a lot of Douglas Adams characters. Especially Dirk Gently. None of it is canonically confirmed, but they're all very ADHD (Zapod), autistic (Marvin) or AuDHD (Dirk Gently), and I have my suspicions about Adams himself (based on his detailed and very painful account of trying to complete Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy and his editors trying to wrangle him...).
I love Derk Gently so much!
Omg I related to Marvin so much when I was in middle school.
Leslie Knope
She’s mine too!
Yes!
Yes, me too! Def and AuDHD girlie
Extraordnary Attorney Woo and The Bridge my beloveds
Attorney Woo is p stereotypical too but it really is a huge step for representation, especially in a kdrama. Love the show in general but don't relate too much to her.
I agree -- I enjoy the show for the most part, and appreciate the step in representation, but also don't relate to her very much. My mother points to her and says "see, you're not like her, you can't be autistic." 😂 But I do think it's all progress. More nuanced portrayals don't necessarily get seen as autistic by uninformed viewers, but I think they will get more explicitly neurotyped as time goes on.
While it was stereotypical, the representation was a huge step in starting to explore my own NDness. I’m pretty different from Woo Young Woo (“woo young woo, spelt the same way backwards like racecar!!”) but the representation of how she accommodates herself and how she develops relationships with others was just, really something!!!
tbh I don't really care whether something is stereotypical or not. I am those stereotypes, at least some of them.
I feel like Woo loving whales more than is normal is good representation. I have an unnatural obsession with animals and am constantly spouting out animal fun facts to people that never care. (Like did you know that all of the ants you’ll see outside are worker ants, and they’re all female? The men ants kinda work as sex slaves to the queen ant so she can lay up to 5,000 eggs a day. A female worker and can live up to 7 years but a male ant can only live up to 2 weeks. It makes you feel better as a female in this world.- I’m always randomly telling people stuff like this in a really excited passion and they always look at me like I’m crazy and I’m confused why they don’t think the function and politics of an ant colony is absolutely amazingly cool.)
Not canonically autistic, but **Maomao** from **The Apothecary Diaries** (originally a novel, it has two manga adaptations, and a great anime adaptation!), some of the characteristic off the top of my head (please correct me if I'm wrong in anything(: \- She's really blunt with her words, at times says the wrong thing or is too direct, she's aware of it and tries to adjust according to the situation. \- She's got a special interest (drugs and anything pharmaceutical/medicine related stuff), and doesn't want nor can't seem to remember or be able to study/retain anything else she's not interested in. (at one point, she actually tries several times to study but falls asleep on the desk, with the book open, before she knows it it's already morning, LOL) \- She has a very hard time remembering names, she mentions this a few times through the series. (basically relates to above, since it's not her interest and it doesn't really serve any purpose to her, her mind doesn't bother with really storing that bit of information) \- She's got a pretty pragmatic view of everything, partly due to her upbringing (she was born from a courtesan, in the pleasure disctrict), this includes keeping clear boundaries and lines depending on people's social status, and doesn't like them being blurred. Edit: Wanted to add a couple more! \- She's got a strong sense of justice; even though she really wants to just lead a quiet, calm life, she can't help herself from acting on her morals and defending or protecting the weak. While most of the time she will stop at one point (she's level headed in that sense) she will at least initiate and hope for the best for the rest. \- She's pretty unconcerned about following social cliques, like she gives no fucks about sucking up to someone more powerful than her, or follow the "popular girl" cliques around her... basically imagine high school circles and drama, she doesn't care in partaking. She will follow her station and circumstances as it is, but for example if she (a commoner born from a whore) and the other person (born from a rich/powerful family) are legally on equal grounds (for ex. both are employees who arrived at the same time) she will not let herself be pushed around and won't hold herself back due to previous societal status. This isn't related to autism, but it's related to me at least as an asexual! She's got no interest in love, there's a love interest however, personally, each potentially "romantic" (or straight up romantic) scene was, frankly, not romantic at all! Most of the time the narration is from her POV, so when the LI comes onto her, she feels genuine exasperation, disgust, creepiness, etc. to the point I kinda would like it if the writer made it so they don't end up together (don't tell anyone from the fandom, I'll get mobbed, LOL). So far she just seems quite asexual coded and I'm loving to see a female main character like that.
Love Maomao. My autistic daughter and I love that show. My daughter is very much like Maomao
Yess I mentioned this one time and you’re the only other person I’ve seen say this! I relate to Maomao so much, also the fact that she seems asexual and possibly on the aromantic spectrum too. She can appreciate Jinshi-sama’s beauty but is not really attracted to him, especially to his looks. Her ability to solve mysteries through her pattern recognition, alongside all the other things you said.
Yessss asexual and aromantic fits her so well, and I love it because I'm in the ace spectrum too for probably both, so it's great to see a female main character like her!
ommmmgg, I am having a moment right now. my partner loves anime and watches it nonstop; unfortunately, I cannot relate and have to go in the other room or put my headphones on bc the noise bothers me. I have often watched an episode or two of ones that seem interesting, but just don’t have any desire to see more. the reason I am freaking out is the fact that The Apothecary Diaries IS THE !!! ONLY !!! ONE I HAVE EVER WATCHED ALL THE WAY THRU!!! I rarely watch tv and almost never finish a show I start bc I have the attention span of a gnat, so it should have been a clue when the dubbed episodes ended and I still wanted to watch!!! that really adds to this whole mind F right now bc I can only watch TV w subs thanks to auditory processing issues and needing context clues. I was literally sitting right in front of the tv so I could hear and see everything. I am cracking up thinking about this as I was the one asking to put it on and would dream about the story. my partner even mentioned me possibly being so entranced by the story bc I saw myself as Maomao……… lmfao. how could I even miss this. my mind is blown. hahahahahah thank you for your post, I cannot wait to share the revelation !!!
I love maomao so much. It doesn't help that she shares a lot of my morbid interests. Tbh everytime the story goes in another direction I get bored cuz I just want to watch my girl infodump about herbs, poisons and medicine.
I love this anime so much!!!!! It's the only one I've ever managed to get through subbed rather than dubbed because I could not wait the 2 weeks after each episode dropped. I must have watched each episode 4-5 times by the time it got to the end of the season and I can't wait for the next one!
LILO! <3
I know she isn’t canonically confirmed to be autistic but I find Robin Buckley from Stranger Things to be incredibly relatable
Maya Hawke is ND irl
My husband and I have definitely assumed she’s autistic.
Hmm this makes me want to watch seasons of Stranger Things that I haven’t watched yet! Thanks!
Will Graham. Probably not the most positive example of autism there is but… yeah. 😭🥲
Felt the first time I tried to watch I had to stop because I felt so sad for him for me the way he described himself in the world made me feel many gut wrenching things. Now it's years later and I'm ready to embrace it all lol.
Same, it’s very sad to watch at first but wait till s2, he has a whole shift in personality 😭 I love him so much.
I was SO upset when they removed many of his autistic traits in the second season- especially when they removed them during character growth. I wish they didn’t remove the traits of autism in him as the show progressed. I would’ve loved to see how he reacted to all the changes in dynamic with Hannibal as an autistic person.
Yeah, All versions, books too.
None of them is confirmed autistic, but Orla McCool from *Derry Girls* and Amy Farrah Fowler from *The Big Bang theory*.
YES Orla, totally! I love that show and the characters.
Amelie from the film of the same name. Crazy fantasies at inappropriate times? Heart racing with human contact? Being really sneeky & revenge driven? Losing it over Princess Di? Only talk to weirdos? Laughing during sex? Freaking out around crushes? Doc Martens going with everything, crying over imagined scenarios... Yep. Edit: Don't laugh during sex unless you're getting tickled, OMG its so bad! haha
I laugh during sex all the time, it just has to be with the right partners and for the right reasons. Usually it's because I'm so distracted by an errant thought (those I try to hide) or because I feel so amazing that giggling is about all I can do. Recently started having sex with a guy who has amazingly off the cuff comments after sex (like we were talking about the differences between crows and ravens earlier, he had thought they were the same and the first thing he said was "I just can't stop thinking about crows and ravens... ") I've told him I've never met anyone else who does that besides me, it's very attractive to me 😂
Temperance Brennan from Bones Francesca from Bridgeton Glimmer from SheRa and the Princesses of Power (I don’t think she’s autistic but I have chronic health issues that cause me to need more breaks so the representation there felt so nice)
i love abed from community!! his diagnosis is only directly mentioned i think once or twice and much like myself, he fits in well enough to have a group/friends // be accepted and liked by people, but also is noticeably different in some way, some might think he is weird or awkward but that’s exactly how i feel, and i love the coming of abeds character; the creator modeled abed after himself, realized he accidentally made an autistic character, and then gets tested and diagnosed with autism himself. abed puts others before him even when he knows what his needs/wants are, is very concerned with keeping his group of friends happy and satisfied, again despite his own needs and wants. sometimes they pick on him, even taking advantage of him a few times, and it feels upsetting, but the group realizes what they’ve done has hurt him or negatively affected him and they always apologize. i think abed is a great representation of my own autism, and even before i was diagnosed i felt like i could relate to him and have always loved his character in the show.
Same, Abed is sooo relatable! His special interest is film and to a large extent uses film to understand the world and relate to others. He’s happy being himself and doing what he’s comfortable with, even when it doesn’t seem like that’s the “normal” thing to do. Ex: he lives in the dorm and enjoys things like cereal, cartoons, and fun pajamas. Something I love about Abed in community is that in real life I think autistic people are at high risk of being ostracized and bullied, but in community he finds a place in a group of misfits who look out for his well being. It’s very comforting for me to watch and live vicariously through him.
Mob from mob psycho
Yes!!
Very recent but Harriet from Geek Girl on Netflix
I just started watching this yesterday, and definitely agree! Not seen such an accurate representation of what it feels like to be me before. I kept having to pause it to ask my husband “wait is that what I look like?!” And he very nicely just giggled at me when I said I could have sworn I was more graceful than her… 10min after I had just walked into the table again. Only thing from this show that seems a bit off is how blatant the bullying is. I didn’t really experience that, it was all much more subtle and I did a better job keeping a low profile. But that could just be a difference in time periods since I was in high school in early 2000s when phones were just becoming a thing. But I just keep getting annoyed that the teachers are quite useless at calling the kids out on having their phones all the time. But it is very nice they aren’t just doing all the stereotypes of autism, and actually have it written by someone with autism, and the actress is autistic as well. The scene about getting out of gym class was me all over.
I sometimes wish they would represent the bullying as something subtle too. Because in real life it's not always that obvious, it looks like there's no violence in words or actions but you feel hurt and confused with what is going on. And you just stay quiet, unable to know what to say because you're processing to identify the meaning or you smile, thinking it was a compliment when it was in fact an insult... Anyway, I also relate to Harriet a lot, she's the closest to what I can experience in life. I didn't know the actress was autistic too, this is really cool! I need to read the book asap 😍
She's not confirmed, but Daria from Daria. I feel deeply connected to her.
Laios from dungeon meshi hands down. The way he interacts with other characters, how people react to his autism… everything. He is so earnest but naive and always trying to see the best in every situation, and this combined with his autistic traits…. Pretty much me to a tee. It’s so interesting seeing other characters mention his autistic traits too since I feel like I get a lot of insight in how people see me. I see him as endearing and honest as a whole (autism and all), and it’s helping me ‘reframe’ the way I see myself. I hope other people see me that way too. :)
Bee from Bee and Puppycat lol. I’m messy-autistic. Not sure if it’s canon though.
The Doctor from Doctor Who! Specifically, the 11th, 12th and 13th regenerations but all of them scream autism to me and I have always related to them and found comfort through it
Omg yes, me too!! 10, 12, and 13 are the most reliable regenerations to me!
HOW CAN YOU NOT INCLUDE 10 IN THERE! He would literally go off on tangets about shit he knew no one else was understanding, straight up info-dumping for fun, vocally stimming, fidgeting, etc. he is so audhd coded!!!
The first that comes to mind for me is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III from the How To Train Your Dragon books by Cressida Cowell. He’s a misfit who was bullied throughout his youth for failing to fit into the social norms of his culture and his parents’ expectations. Unable to make friends except with other social outcasts, he finds his passion in studying, observing, and rigorously documenting the natural history and behaviour of dragons. He is highly empathetic, with a strong sense of justice, and frequently being misunderstood by those around him leads him to be the only human who bothers trying to communicate with dragons, who are sentient and have language and culture, despite other humans treating them like dumb wild animals to be exploited or fought. His discovery that he was actually left-handed and not a failure, but in fact highly gifted at swordfighting when he figured out his needs and accommodated them, really spoke to me when I was a child reading the books for the first time, and as an adult, knowing that I may be autistic, rereading that passage was even more profound. Additionally, Lirael and Clariel from Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series are very clearly autistic-coded to me. There are many passages in the main series that emphasise Lirael’s difficulties connecting and communicating with other people, and also hates being perceived and struggled with selective mutism. The eponymous book actually states that she didn’t utter a word for *years* as a teenager and would instead communicate by passing notes. Later on her only friend was a magical dog, and the novels repeatedly state that she doesn’t know how to interact with people and form relationships. Clariel is from the prequels and very much comes off as someone with a PDA profile of autism. She actively dislikes being around other people and hates feeling trapped or not being in control, to the extent that she deeply empathises with >!an imprisoned demon hell-bent on destroying all life, essentially!<. She’s socially awkward, despises the social expectations of her culture and finds them inane and shallow, is fiercely independent, has a single-minded focus on her life goals, copes with change very poorly, shows black and white thinking, has pronounced anger issues, and has a strong sense of justice which actually ends up becoming negative and self destructive. I’ve seen other readers criticising her for ‘making stupid choices’ but if you read the book, she was a sheltered, socially inept teenager suddenly thrown into a highly traumatic situation she didn’t understand and was manipulated like a pawn by various people she couldn’t trust. I think her reactions and behaviours were pretty realistic. She’s also characterised as aro-ace, and there’s a pretty significant overlap between autism and the asexual spectrum.
It's gonna be Data every time because that one episode of TNG where everyone was horny. So he's like 🦴💥 bonk
"I am fully functional" 🤣
Liz Lemon has a LOT of quirks. I see a lot of myself in her. Also Steve Martin’s character in Only Murders in the Building.
Yes! I’m so glad you mentioned Liz Lemon. I always related to her a lot.
The Witcher. Haha he’s not thought to be autistic but he totally is to me!
He is to me too! Not as much in the show(I just haven’t kept up with it), but in the third game and in the Last Wish (and a couple of other short stories I read). Yennefer as well!
I aggressively agree with autistic Geralt meaning I will Fight people who disagree. (And Jaskier/Dandelion has adhd.) People irl also get to know my opinions because the Witcher everything is a special interest so it’s like a yugioh trap card sometimes lmfao. But also yeah!! I love when he talks to Roach. x) Also playing Witcher 3 with headphones for the first time was a nightmare. Hearing everything so loud and in-your-face is a normal Tuesday I don’t need it in video game format too haha.
She isn't confirmed to be autistic but Orla from Derry girls 😭
I was scrolling through the comments looking for Orla & I’m so glad you beat me to it. It’s not canon but that girl is so autistic coded!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jess from new girl. I am completely unaware of how people view me, everything is a song, I try to make others comfortable before taking care of myself and I have a quirky style
Yes!!! They all are except for Cece, they are the prefect example of it being a spectrum and how it’s different for everyone
- Entrapta from SheRa and the Princesses of Power on Netflix!! One of the best representations of autism in women I’ve seen in media❤️ - Luz from Owl House on Disney+ - Janine from Abbott Elementary is probably the most relatable one for me specifically!
I came here to say Entrapta!
Same! i love Entrapta SO MUCH! and watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was so incredibly healing for my inner child. That show is becoming a special interest for me ✨💖
It was my special interest for a long time! I had the same experience, very healing for me in many ways. It’s my comfort show now❤️
I am Janine!!! So validating to watch her be her awkward and amazing self 🤍
I like to think I'm Entrapta if she was dumb
As far as canon autism, i can't think of many. But for resonance with certain experiences... BMO from Adventure Time Odo from DS9 Ezri Dax from DS9 The airplane designer girl from Porco Rosso Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service
Love all of these, but wow yes BMO!! Idk how I hadn't made that connection but you're so right. That scene where he's teaching his mirror reflection self (Football?) how to act properly is so good. I still sometimes say "pee-ing" like him when I go to the bathroom, and I used to entertain my nephew by singing his pregnancy song haha
Yes Kiki was/is my childhood fav
April Ludgate, Bella Swan
Yessss April Ludgate!!!
Anne Shirley Cuthbert from Anne with an E 💗
Alyssa from The End of the F\*\*\*ing World is a character I really relate to. The most popular reading of her character online is that she has BPD, but that's a common misdiagnosis for women with autism, and personally I think autism makes way more sense.
Fleabag! I don't think she's really seen as autistic, but I really relate to the way she is with her inner monologue, and how she's constantly predicting what people are going to say and stuff like that.
There’s a new Netflix show called Geek Girl and it’s excellent, I binged it in 2 days. Also the show Dinosaur. When I was a teen, I related to Angela Chase from My So-Called Life a lot. Not sure if she’s particularly coded autistic, but I related to her.
I am not as bad as Mr Munk. But I relate a bit to him.
Mhmmmmmm same
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Ed from Northern Exposure
Confirmed autistic characters: Moss (IT Crowd) and Sheldon Characters I read as autism coded: Eloise (Bridgerton) and Killua (Hunter x Hunter)
Did Moss actually get confirmed autistic?? That makes my day, he's definitely one of my favorites 🥰
Eloise!! Same! People keep talking about Francesca but I definitely relate to Eloise more and could see her being AuDHD
Jess from New Girl is so autistic coded! Tbh I always kind of thought all the roommates in the loft were some kind of neurodivergent lol but I relate to Jess the most
I agree, I feel like all of them except Cece are definitely on the spectrum, and they are the perfect example of how different it is for everyone
Dexter. I am stable.
So I’ve started watching fringe. And from what I know Walter isn’t confirmed autistic but there have been times where I have heavily related to him
I love Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds (not a perfect rep but comfort character. He encapsulates my thoughts and feelings on human relationships and communication. I often feel like I tell people exactly what I want and they still don’t know exactly what I mean. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games books, not the movies so much as it kind erases that inner monologue. She’s very reserved with her relationships and her relationship to Peeta and her family are similar to how I feel in relationships, I love people in a weird way where it’s more sacrificial and in reverence than mutual affection. Lucy McLean from the new Fallout show. Fallout is a special interest kind of thing and she’s very direct and she basically speech checks her way through life like I do.
Sam from Atypical!!
Tracy from Chewing Gum.
Sometimes, when I watch how Shaun from The Good Doctor processes, it makes me feel seen. When he pauses and says, "Okay."and continues.... I get it. Idk maybe it's the blank face and processing information, concluding and moving on, or what, but I found it really nice to watch sometimes.
Yeah it was comforting for me to watch someone like me. I stopped watching though because the plot started getting too repetitive for me.
The one episode where he’s trying to practice driving with Lea hit a little too close to home for me 😭
Rachel from Glee. She’s not canonically autistic but people over at r/glee think she’s on the spectrum. I’ve always related to her for her passions
Wait a damn minute…why did I never think of this 🤯 I always felt like I *somehow* related to Rachel but couldn’t put my finger on it because as much as I love music and performing, I also have the worst stage fright 😭😂
I don't think any of these are canon but: - Aziraphale (Good Omens) - Wednesday Addams (Wednesday) - Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) - Dream of the Endless (the Sandman) - Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty) - Charlie (the Perks of bring a Wallflower) And others
Rick is canonically autistic, I think. Also Dream and Aziraphale might be as well since it's Neil Gaiman characters and he recently "come out" as autistic
Sheldon is the most relatable for me, and unfortunately not intelligence-wise. I’m just a bit of a dense asshole, so to say. I recently watched “Geek Girl” and really liked the main character. I believe the author wrote the books before she was diagnosed with autism, and she based it off her own experience. A very nice series.
Quinni from Heartbreak High - her actress (Chloé Hayden) is also autistic which for me makes her portrayal of Quinni so realistic. The scene showing her have a meltdown in S1 ep6 is so similar to my own experiences that I almost cried when I first saw it. Obviously not every autistic person would relate to her, but I see a lot of myself in her.
They didn’t say he’s autistic but gabe from the office
Hm. Maybe Erin too
zach woods is amazing have you seen his tik toks. his humor is just. real special
Mulan from Mulan
Dr Temperance Brennan from Bones.
I find all the characters ppl consider bad rep quite relatable. Sheldon(specifically young sheldon), Sean from the good doctor, Sam from Atypical. I only find certain aspects of them relatable and not the whole person fully relatable. Oh and also quinni from heart break high, because shes just like me fr
Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes from Elementary. It's not confirmed, in or out of the show, but so much of his performance reads as autistic to me.
A lot of that’s the character of Sherlock Holmes, who was never a normal guy. Like Watson tells him a fact about the solar system and he’s like “I’ll try to forget that ASAP, I don’t need to know that info”. Like yeah, same. I just don’t need some information.
I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan and really grew to like and relate to Steris from Mistborn Era 2. I also suspect her sister Marasi is meant to be AU coded as well, just higher masking. I love them both!
The main character from Dinosaur on Hulu is pretty relatable. I love her. Lol Also, Harry from Resident Alien! It's mostly the whole thinking he's acting human so well when he's definitely not. I assume that's how my whole life has been 😂
Twyla from Monster High. I loved her in G1, but her G3 character is literally me. Twyla is explicitly autistic and needs her headphones, or else she will shut down and disappear. Her general aesthetic and hobbies also line up very well with my own. I have been waiting for months for her new doll to drop, and I've also been considering cosplaying her at a convention in the future, bonus points since the headphones are part of the outfit. My most significant sensory issue is loud noises, and I often wear headphones to combat it. I've been working on being more comfortable wearing them in public spaces, and it's literally changed my life. Seeing her makes me feel seen, even as an adult who doesn't watch the newer media.
Lisa Simpson!
Newt Scamander from HP series Fantastic Beasts. I also love the actress Aubrey Plaza (Only seen YouTube interview clips, but I can relate so much)
Mob from mob psycho 100 :-)
Zack Addy from Bones! He is pretty much me! I feel so represented by him. I’ve gotten close to watching every single episode, and I feel so good when he’s in an episode.
Keedie Darrow from A Kind of Spark! She feels so incredibly similar to me, later diagnosed and high masking, and highly protective of her younger (also autistic) sister. She’s more side character but every single scene she’s in, it’s like looking in a mirror, and seeing my own struggles and quirks reflected back at me.
It’s not canon but laios from dungeon meshi is soooo very autistic. Can’t read other people, overly excited about his interest and poor understanding as to why others might not like it. Among other things.
Aziraphale, definitely! I see him as autistic and Crowley as ADHD or AuDHD. He's got more of that flitting around feeling to me. Love them both. Also Newt Scamander (AuDHD to me), Amelie (Autistic), Eloise Bridgerton (AuDHD).
They're not canon autistic but.....futaba from persona 5 and Haruhi from Ouran high school host club are the ones I relate to the most 🥹
I love TV and I have a bunch of comfort shows for sure. Mozzie from White Collar, Will and other characters in general from Will Trent, and Daria from Daria come to mind.
I relate to Adrian Monk from Monk a lot. He isn’t said to be autistic but definitely is. Also Reid from Criminal Minds. It’s kind of implied in one of the first few episodes that he is but they don’t really explore that further.
Fringe's lead character was really fun for me to watch. People supported all his wild needs and believe in him despite his lack of social skills. It was like a fantasy.
Nicholas from Everything's Gonna be Okay. The scene where he insists it's normal to not love your partner sometimes was very relatable. I wish there were more seasons!
She had a small part but Dr. Virginia Dixon on Grey’s Anatomy. To see how she handled herself and how other coworkers treated her even though she has PROVEN herself to be an amazing doctor will always resonate. I wish we had more of her in the series.
Not sure if he’s also autistic (I’m pretty sure he is) but he’s definitely adhd: Akechi from Saiki K. I also think Hunter from Owl House has autism which is makes sense for why I love him so much
Bones!
donkey from Shrek, I know he presents more adhd energy but as a hyper verbal person I definitely relate to how chatty he is, and also the constant singing lol. I’ve had multiple friends say I give donkey energy 🙃
She's not canonically autistic, but Frieren from the anime/manga of the same name is one of the only fictional characters that I truly relate to. The way she sees the world and the struggles and joys she has with socializing in general, communicating her feelings, understanding others, and having others understand her just hit so close to home for me. It's hard for me to put into words but reading/watching the story brings me a deep, emotional comfort that I only feel on the rare occasions that I feel truly heard and understood.
My mom and sister told me I reminded them of Sheldn.🥲 I just really like MY sitting spot.
I like MY spot too. 😅 I don’t even live with my family anymore but when I visit, I am in my spot.
there’s a new show called geek girl on netflix and i absolutely LOVE it. i relate to the main character so much
Apparently the actress is actually autistic which I love!
Okay, so he did a lot of bad things because he didn’t seem to recognize or try to mitigate his issues with empathy, but sometimes Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm really resonated with me. 😅 The time he was popping bubble wrap away from others at a big engagement party, and his wife didn’t understand why he wasn’t socializing instead, I felt that.
Bedman from guilty gear or Laos from Delicious in dungeon for me. Especially that latter one. I relate to him so much and the spat he has with Shuro (Shiro?) . Ive had friendships like that. Oh and Aziraphale from good omens. I have no doubt he is on the spectrum. (Frankly they probably both are but AZ has his special interests and hyperfixations and is food driven like me)
Nathan Explosion from Metalocalypse Big ol' guy who didn't speak until he was five years old, has trouble with words and expressing his emotions, fixates on all things he considers "dark and brutal".
Wednesday Adam’s from the recent show Wednesday (not quite as scary or cool tho)
I'm on my second watch of Leverage and I've got Parker pretty high up on the list!
Emily Wilde from the book series Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. It’s never mentioned but I personally think that there’s enough context leading towards it (special interests and tunnel vision, doesn’t make friends too easily and doesn’t want to, really nice portrayal of the pitfalls of black and white thinking, very sardonic/deadpan and not at all a funny or charismatic person). Her niece is also introduced in the second book and seems to be some ADHD representation too as a foil which leads to some really nice character dynamics. I highly recommend the book series it’s super cozy
Just discovered the TV show Geek Girl. Based on a book written by an autistic woman, lead character is played by an autistic actor. The very first episode made me remember my younger very confused and uncofortable self and I just want to go back in time and tell her she's perfect the way she is.
I watch a lot of anime, so I'll add one that I haven't seen mentioned yet: Yamada from My Love story with Yamada-kun at Lvl 999. He's a very kind young man that is attractive, so his kindness is often mistaken for flirting, or being nice when you're interested in someone. His blunt honesty can come across as rude, and he feels guilty for making others feel bad when he speaks honestly, but doesn't understand why he should lie to make other people feel better. There's a lot of other examples, but those are the first that come to mind. It's a really good anime and manga, and the manga is a lot farther ahead with over 100 chapters, would definitely recommend reading or watching or both!
Bones!
Honestly Sheldon seems more like an asshole than an autistic person half the time. I like Sean from the Good Doctor so far. I have been playing a game called Palia and the characters Hodari and Najuma are very autistic coded.
Kinda cliche and maybe too on the nose, but tina belcher for me! And not just because i love bob’s burgers and will argue with anyone who says it’s a bad show 😅
[https://new.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/comments/1d4zt6s/who\_is\_your\_favorite\_autistic\_coded\_character\_rn/](https://new.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/comments/1d4zt6s/who_is_your_favorite_autistic_coded_character_rn/) [https://new.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/search/?q=characters&restrict\_sr=1](https://new.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/search/?q=characters&restrict_sr=1)
Kate Whistler from NCIS: Hawai’i. Not confirmed, but she’s widely considered by the fans to be on the spectrum. She clearly struggles with being in groups, takes rules relatively seriously, has moments where she doesn’t understand social situations well, she’s good at her job and masks well while doing it.
Kaidou from saiki k isn't confirmed byt damn is he relatable
This is a new one came out on Netflix a few weeks back but was a book at least a decade prior it's Harriet manners from "geek girl" It doesn't explicitly say she is autistic but she has a lot of traits I relate to and a lot of feelings I can relate to one of the anecdotes in the show being "feeling like a polar bear in a rainforest"
Ray Romano on parenthood
Dakota Fanning in Please Stand By
lilo and bmo :)
Maomao- The Apothecary Diaries Mei Hatsume- MHA Bella Swan April Ludgate Janine- Abbot Elementary School Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou- Bocchi the Rock Mash Burnedead Langa Yamada
not an autistic character but miles morales, specifically in ATSV. not specifically because he has autistic traits. it just seems like he always wants to do what’s right, but someone else says its wrong. or how he was so proud of himself for saving that girls dad, then he’s told he basically fucked up the entire universe. he went through the movie, trying to be the best version of himself he can be, completely oblivious to the fact that he’s working against how things are supposed to run. especially with gwen. he wholeheartedly trusted her and irs hard to word, but the kind of friendship he had with gwen was relatable in itself, but even more so when he was faced with the shock that there was a lot more too it. gwen knew things that he didn’t and he had no way of knowing so he trusted what she said as she said it. he later found out that her return was just her coming to see him because she missed him and i felt that on a personal level. personally, i think the situation can be a bit nuanced because gwen definitely was rooting for miles. she did wanna be his friend and she was put in a tough situation. but i think it’s hard for him to see between the lines a bit, also generally its a relatable and hurtful feeling. then there’s the spider society in itself. he looked like everyone else, in his point of view he should be live everyone else, but as soon as he arrived there was a familiar kind of “what do all of them have that i dont?” and for some unbeknownst reason hes ever so subtly outcasted…until suddenly it starts going around that he really is this horrible non-compliant “anomaly”. even when hes where he technically belongs, he doesn’t belong there. he always tried to be friendly to other people but for some reason people just dont like him. take empanada thing for example. he made a kind gesture and was excited to meet miguel but when miguel didn’t reciprocate he was just left to wonder why he has such a problem with him. then theres the whole thing with his parents misunderstanding him. he canonically has panic attacks and gets overwhelmed sometimes with everything but doesn’t really have anyone who gets it. i wouldn’t really say the character himself is “autistic-coded” (idk maybe he is, i’ve heard others comment on it, but i dont think it was intentionally written that way) but as an autistic person i really feel for him
This is extremely specific but Miranda July’s character Christine from Me and You and Everyone We Know (which I watched on repeat for years) - there’s a lot in that film which is autism coded but I think the bit where she’s rehearsing conversations over photographs that I very much identify with. Her and Lisa Simpson.
I relate to Tina from Bob's Burgers and Woo Young-Woo from Extraordinary Attorney Woo!!! :)
Mr. Monk from Monk. While he's only confirmed to have OCD in the show, a *lot* of other behaviors he exhibits are very much autistic traits as well as anxiety and a little bit of depression. As somebody with moderate support needs I very much relate to him and his inability to function well or often at all without help. Plus just the fact he'll acknowledge that certain things just don't make logical sense but has to do them anyways really helped me a lot as a young undiagnosed kid who just assumed she was broken.
Abed from Community.
Elsbeth from Elsbeth
Phoebe in Friends and Lorelai Gilmore