Hitori Gotoh‘s selection in a Crunchyroll poll for the most “comforting character” continues to prove Bocchi the Rock’s influence long after its broadcast finished. Despite only providing one cour in Fall 2023, the show is hard to forget after viewing, in no small part thanks to its leading lady. With these polls showing how much fans resonate with the eponymous Bocchi, it is unlikely the brief show will be consigned to history any time soon.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Crunchyroll put out a poll asking what characters viewers “connect with most” and made them feel “safe and seen”. While there was a wide variety, Bocchi’s awkward and anxious persona continues to strike a chord with fans, whether seriously or in jest.

After jumping onto the scene only half a year ago, it seems clear that Bocchi the Rock is one-of-a-kind in the anime space, with Hitori herself likely to go on to become a modern icon.

Bocchi the Rock Proves To Be Unforgettable

Strong Visuals And Memorable Scripts Make Hitori Easy to Sympathize With

The top 10 ranks for most comforting characters provided plenty of new and old faces, including Naruto Uzumaki, Anya from Spy X Family, and the long-lived Frieren. In the end, however, Hitori Gotoh was the character that took the top spot. In terms of being identified with while also engendering a protective instinct, she certainly can’t be beaten. It seems that while many anime fans could appreciate the comfort of watching a charismatic and powerful character glide through trouble, it was more important to see this nervous wreck of a guitarist voice everyday problems, and, more importantly, deal with them.

While Bocchi isn’t the first walking disaster of a protagonist, with similar ones seen in shows like No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! and Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, Bocchi the Rock is far easier to remember, and not only just because of the catchier title. Thanks to the unique art direction that perfectly expresses its lead character’s fits of panic with visual metaphors, as well as internal monologs that strike truer to home than those from similar shows, fans have come to identify with Hitori more strongly than other overly self-conscious comedy leads.

Poll Proves Bocchi Won’t Be Forgotten Anytime Soon

The anime has had the uncanny luck of having such an unforgettable and lovable lead character, to the point that fans can easily recall her after half a year. It’s quite a feat, for a slice-of-life comedy that shares space with long-running shonen anime, upcoming long-awaited adaptations like Sakamoto Days, and countless other shows. While the only follow-up announced for Bocchi the Rock so far are two movie compilations, the Crunchyroll poll nonetheless proves the outsize effect Hitori has on the anime community, given how effortlessly she beats out countless series icons on the strength of being “just like me”.