The 25 Best Anime Teachers, Ranked

Who are the best anime teachers?

With high school being such a prevalent setting in anime, it makes sense that there is no shortage of teachers to go around.

However, not all teachers in anime are memorable, and some are merely used as background characters with very little screen time.

Today, we’re looking at the teachers who have really stuck with us and become fan-favorite characters in their respective series.

The 25 Best Anime Teachers

Although there are many teachers in anime, we’re interested in the ones who have had the biggest impact on fans.

These teachers have stood out from all the rest and become some of the most well-known in the anime community.

So, if you’re ready to take a trip back to school, here’s our list of the 25 best anime teachers:

25. Genkai

Yu Yu Hakusho is an anime filled with teachers, but Genkai is the one who stands out from all the rest.

The master of the spirit detectives, she put Yusuke through some training that was so grueling he would have rather died.

Despite this, everything she did was out of love because she wanted to make sure he was capable enough.

She even often puts her own safety at risk to protect him, which we think is super sweet.

When she was younger, she easily qualified as one of the best pink-haired anime girls, but now she’s graduated to being a great teacher!

24. Anna

Anna is the fiancé of the main character in Shaman King, and she’s also his very demanding teacher!

This woman put her man through every trial possible to get him to become the Shaman King, and she won’t let up until it happens.

While she’s a capable soul medium, she doesn’t like doing much for herself, like cooking and cleaning, because she is the fiancé of the future king!

She’s certainly not a teacher in the conventional sense; she certainly has done more than enough to earn a spot on our list!

23. Chisa Yukizome

Chisa is the homeroom teacher of the Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 77-B in Danganronpa 3, and man, is she cute.

One of the best long-haired anime girls, Chisa is very cheerful and perky, but she can adjust her personality to better communicate with each of her students.

She really loves keeping things clean, and along with being a homeroom teacher, she was previously known as the Ultimate Housekeeper.

Chisa is just a delightful character in every way, and we wish we’d had a teacher like her growing up!

22. Kisuke Urahara

The mysterious ex-captain of the 12th Division in Bleach, Kisuke helps and trains Ichigo and his crew throughout the series.

Along with helping Ichigo awaken his inner hollow, Kisuke runs a convenience store selling Shinigami items.

He’s definitely one of the most unpredictable characters in the series, and he borders on being an anti-hero at times.

However, we can’t deny that he’s been a great teacher to Ichigo, which is why we had to include him!

21. Mikami

One of the best brunette-haired anime girls, Mikami is a gorgeous assistant homeroom teacher in Another.

Along with homeroom, she also serves as the art teacher at Yomiyama North Middle School and oversees the art club.

Of course, being a teacher isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be, especially in this anime, and Mikami’s seen a lot of horrifying stuff.

Let’s just say there’s a lot more to worry about at this school than late homework like, you know, pickaxes.

20. Tetsuo Takahashi

The main character of Interviews with Monster Girls, Tetsuo is a biology teacher with an interest in demi-humans.

An all-around decent guy, Tetsuo’s gentle nature has caused him to sympathize with the struggles demi-humans have adapting to the human world.

Because he is so welcoming, many demi-humans take an interest in him since he doesn’t fear or appear disgusted by them.

He even ends up dating the math teacher, who just so happens to be a succubus, and it’s honestly pretty adorable.

19. Kousuke Ooshiba

Another main character, Kousuke is the start of Hotorijime My Hero, and he’s a really hot math teacher.

This rather sexy teacher is almost always cheerful, and he can even be a bit perverted and lewd when he’s in a particularly feisty mood.

Of course, he is 29 and engaged to a 17-year-old, which is kind of ick, but if you forget about their ages, their relationship is cute.

Kousuke is definitely a good math teacher, and we would have ranked higher if not for the kind of creepy engagement bit.

18. Heine Wittgenstein

The royal tutor in the anime, you guessed it, Royal Tutor, Heine, is responsible for teaching the Glanzreich princes.

This dude is incredibly stoic, and he rarely shows any emotion except when someone mistakes him for being a child.

Yeah, he’s a 40-year-old man who looks at most 13, and he absolutely hates when people comment on it.

Along with being a tutor, Heine has a bit of a darker past, previously being part of a Mafia group, which we totally didn’t see coming.

17. Izumi Curtis

Izumi is easily one of the best black-haired anime girls, and she is one of our favorite characters in Fullmetal Alchemist.

This badass woman was responsible for mentoring Ed and Al in alchemy, and she was a pretty harsh teacher!

However, her tough approach was only because she’d come to care for them and even saw them like her own children.

Now, Izumi and her husband are like the Elric brother’s second parents, which automatically makes them awesome.

16. Franken Stein

Franken Stein in Soul Eater is a creepy, crazy doctor, but he’s also absolutely hilarious, and he always makes us laugh.

This guy is basically like the tips and tricks dude in a video game or that paperclip that used to pop up in Microsoft Word.

He teaches Maka and Soul about soul resonance, and he’s always willing to help out, but sometimes he just beats up his “students.”

Despite being crazy, we absolutely love this guy, and if there ever is a Soul Eater remake, we hope they don’t change him a bit!

15. Sawako Yamanaka

The adorable music teacher from Sakuragaoka High School, Sawako appears to her students to be mild-mannered and soft-spoken.

However, this cute teacher actually used to be the lead singer of a metal band when she was younger, which is totally awesome.

She was the one to come up with the name Ho-kago Tea Time for her student’s band and later helped Azura form Wakaba Girls.

Sawako is just an amazing teacher, and when you watch her in K-On, you’ll really wish you’d had her at your school!

14. Noboru Taki

From Sound! Euphonium, Taki is another music teacher, this time at Kitauji High School, and he directs the Concert Band after school.

An attractive man with messy dark hair and glasses, Taki is very soft-spoken, but he can be brutally critical and demanding.

However, he is 100% dedicated to music, and he’s often the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night.

We definitely admire how committed he is to his job, and he genuinely cares about his students and their education.

13. Tōtōsai

Hailing from one of the best fighting anime series, InuYasha, Tōtōsai is the only one in the world who can reforge Tetsaiga.

This old geezer knows his swords, and he loves them more than anything else, though his knowledge is valuable.

However, while he did mentor InuYasha on how to awaken the sword, he’s also a pretty bad teacher, all things considered.

Tōtōsai’s go-to teaching method is having his students make him a bath, which definitely isn’t terribly useful.

12. Iruka Umino

One of the best Naruto characters, Iruka started off as a mischievous boy and ended up becoming the Hokage!

Out of everyone in the village, he was the only one not to shit on Naruto, so naturally, the boy gravitated to him like a father figure.

Iruka does what he can to make Naruto take his studies seriously, and he’s always fixing his messes and treating him to ramen when he does well.

He’s like a father figure and a teacher all rolled into one, and he’s definitely become a fan favorite.

11. Shota Aizawa

Also known as Eraser Head, Shota is a pro hero and the homeroom teacher for the U.A. High School’s Class 1-A in My Hero Academia.

Stern and reserved, this teacher has very high standards for his students and often comes across as apathetic and impatient.

Despite this, he really does care for his students and will do anything to protect them, even saving Tsuyu while being grievously injured.

He’s also powerful, as his quirk allows him to nullify another person’s quirk just by looking at them.

Sure, he’s not charismatic and cheerful, but he gets the job done and is honestly a pretty awesome teacher!

10. Yukari Yukino

A minor character in Your Name and a main character in The Garden of Words, Yukari is a Japanese literature teacher.

Known for being very beautiful, Yukari is a good teacher when she can actually bring herself to go to work.

The Garden of Words delves deeper into her feelings as she learns to open up with the help of one of her students.

Yukari is a pretty tragic character, and we highly recommend checking out both films for yourself.

9. Shuji Hanamoto

Shuji is an art professor in one of the best romance anime series, Honey and Clover, and he’s the cousin of the protagonist, Hagumi.

Growing up, he was a bit like a father figure to her, and he helped foster her artistic talents, which have become substantial.

Although he isn’t the greatest artist himself, he is good at giving advice when needed, but he can also come across as a bit nervous.

While his relationship with Hagu can be a bit questionable at times, he is a good teacher, and the series is very well-written.

8. Nozomu Itoshiki

Now, Nozomu from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei really isn’t the best role model for his students, especially since he’s tried to commit suicide multiple times.

This teacher exists in a permanent state of hopelessness, and he’s often shouting, “I’m in despair!” which is played for comedic effect.

You see, this anime is a very satirical slice-of-life take on aspects of Japanese culture, so don’t take it too seriously.

However, Nozomu is a pretty terrible teacher, though many girls in his class like him because of a misunderstanding.

We feel like he’d really enjoy the best games like Dark Souls given he likes dying so much that he’s gained the ability to see ghosts.

7. Muten-Roshi

Everyone knows Roshi as one of the best Dragon Ball Z characters, and he’s literally the god of martial arts.

Roshi is not just powerful, but he’s been a teacher throughout Goku’s childhood and continues to mentor him as an adult.

He may look really old, but he can be hit with the force of billions of Tsar Bombas, which is freaking terrifying.

Oh, he’s also a total pervert, but with all that power, we certainly aren’t going to be the ones to call him out on it!

6. Junichiro Kagami

Coming to us from the Ultimate Otaku Teacher, Junichiro is like the world’s coolest teacher and super jealous of his students.

As a physics teacher, Jun influences his students with anime and games to make learning more enjoyable, which is just awesome.

Oddly enough, he never wanted to be a teacher, but we’re thankful he decided to go down that path after all!

He really is one of the best teachers in anime, and he actually cares about instructing his students while entertaining them!

5. Yuri Koigakubo

Yuri is the homeroom teacher of Class 2-C in Toradora, and she likes to take things at her own pace.

Since turning 30, she has become desperate to get married and feels very depressed about her single status.

Of course, whenever Taiga talks about her, she’s always keen to emphasize the fact Yuri is single, which definitely doesn’t help.

She may be a bit frantic in the relationship department, but she is a good teacher and is kind to her students, which is more than some on this list!

4. Koro-Sensei

Koro-Sensei of Assassination Classroom, one of the best high school anime series, is a smiley-faced tentacle man who used to be human, and then he was experimented on.

While Koro is a pretty amazing teacher, especially when it comes to training students in the art of killing, he’s also pretty nice.

This smiley boy also has a pretty tragic character arc, and while we never thought we’d cry over an octopus man, here we are.

Koro-Sensei may be training kids to be lethal assassins, but he will always be one of our favorite teachers.

3. Aikurou Mikisugi

While it’s unlikely we’ll ever get a season 2 of Kill la Kill, Aikurou remains an iconic character and a great teacher.

Although he’s horribly boring when teaching, with a monotonous voice that could put even a caffeinated infant to sleep, he’s got another side.

Truthfully, Aikurou is an undercover spy for a nudist beach rebel group, which is something we never saw coming.

When he’s not teaching, look out because he has a habit of slowly stripping off his clothes and being extremely flirtatious.

However, he does seem genuinely determined to help Ryuko find the truth behind her father’s murder, even if she doesn’t completely trust him.

2. Ittetsu Takeda

The faculty advisor of the Karasuno High boys’ volleyball club in one of the best sports anime series, Haikyu, Ittetsu is a good egg.

While he started off as a Japanese literature teacher with little knowledge of volleyball, he stepped up when he was assigned the role.

He’s not willing to let his shortcomings affect the team, and he’s willing to work hard to ensure they can all succeed.

Optimistic and polite, Ittetsu is the exact opposite of what you’d expect from a sports coach, but his approach totally works.

We definitely wish we’d had a coach like him when we were at school; then, maybe we’d have enjoyed sports more!

1. Jiraiya

Topping our list is one of the strongest Naruto characters, who is both incredibly powerful and remarkably perverted.

Jiraiya has traveled the world gathering knowledge that would help his friends, and his quest certainly paid off.

A mentor and father figure to his godson, Naruto Uzumaki, Jiraiya is honestly one of the best teachers you could ever ask for.

He would later share all the knowledge he acquired with his final student, Naruto, which has proven to be invaluable.

Although he’s far from a conventional classroom teacher, there’s no denying that Jiraiya is freaking awesome!

Summary

We hope you enjoyed our list of the 25 best anime teachers and that you’ve found some new series to binge!

School isn’t for everyone, but teachers like these certainly make for some entertaining anime, and we’re definitely obsessed.

Jiraiya, especially, is an iconic teacher, and his mentorship of Naruto has had a huge impact on the entire series!

Here’s a quick recap of the 25 best anime teachers:

1. Jiraiya
2. Ittetsu Takeda
3. Aikurou Mikisugi
4. Koro-Sensei
5. Yuri Koigakubo
6. Junichiro Kagami
7. Muten-Roshi
8. Nozomu Itoshiki
9. Shuji Hanamoto
10. Yukari Yukino
11. Shota Aizawa
12. Iruka Umino
13. Tōtōsai
14. Noboru Taki
15. Sawako Yamanaka
16. Franken Stein
17. Izumi Curtis
18. Heine Wittgenstein
19. Kousuke Ooshiba
20. Tetsuo Takahashi
21. Mikami
22. Kisuke Urahara
23. Chisa Yukizome
24. Anna
25. Genkai

Who’s your favorite anime teacher? Leave a comment below.