AUTISM IN MOB PSYCHO 100

What is this thing?: so like. mob psycho 100 is a show full of characters who exhibit piles of autistic traits. and as such it's a show a lot of autistic people gravitate and feel connected to, myself included. and I have a special interest in human psychology/physiology that I'm only able to utilize to psychoanalyze my favorite characters and run diagnostics on them all the time because it's fun! for me! SO. I will be doing exactly that here. I will be listing traits that are shown within the series itself, not headcanons though I might put those somewhere eventually. I will be listing every piece of the diagnostic criteria as it is written in the DSM-5. This isn't a set in stone article or anything; I'm not good enough with words for that. This will be edited over time if I ever find other things in the series I want to add (I rewatch on a regular basis...augh)

TO CLARIFY: Nobody in mob psycho 100 is canonically autistic. No character is ever directly stated to be on the spectrum, and I doubt ONE was actually writing any of these characters with it in mind specifically. so I will also not be referring to any of them as 'autistic-coded' since coding is based on the writer's intention. Each character I will write about however absolutely exhibit behavior that can easily be read as autistic, to the point that tons of fans out there do. So that's what I'm getting into. If you want to come to my house and tell me they aren't autistic for whatever reason, you wouldn't technically be wrong but also I'd ask you why you feel so strongly about it that you outwardly reject this idea. also I would kill you. anyways enjoy my vision.

Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama

Section A. "Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts."

Throughout the show it is made very clear that Shigeo experiences deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, verbal/nonverbal expression and communication, and developing relationships. In the beginning of the show, he does not have any friends aside from Ritsu and Reigen. and when he confronts Reigen about his career in episode 2, Reigen mentions that it is the first time he's ever initiated a conversation with him in the 3 years they've known each other (and he continues to point out in later episodes how Shigeo rarely voices his thoughts on anything). He responds to others' attempts to interact with him very bluntly, and it's first brought up in season 1 episode 3 that he cannot mimic others' emotional responses. This is, of course, the same episode that directly addresses his inability to understand social cues (aka reading the room aka getting a clue). Shigeo has very limited facial and vocal expression, and even when his struggles with emotional repression begin to resolve, this is not something about him that ever changes, it's just the way he is. Even as Ritsu states that Shigeo was more emotionally open when they were kids, any flashbacks depict him as being similarly flat in tone if not just a little more affectionate.

Shigeo also hardly ever uses hand gestures, he often stands with his hands by his side in the exact same pose. He also does not often make eye contact with other characters, but this is kind of hard to pinpoint considering everyone else in this show is also moving around so much that there is actually kind of a lack in characters just sitting directly in front of each other and talking. There is one scene animated from Reigen's point-of-view in which Shigeo does not appear to be looking in his exact direction, moreso off to the side, and there are scenes where characters try to look in his eyes only for him to turn away. There are also multiple significant scenes where he is making direct eye contact and expresses no discomfort, so it's likely something he struggles with under certain circumstances.. Anyways, it's also shown in flashbacks that Shigeo struggled to understand his peers growing up. His only friend besides Ritsu was Tsubomi, and even she (as well as other kids) tended to criticize his struggles with social cues. He says in an omake that he may have even been bullied for this, but just failed to recognize it at the time. Failure to recognize mocking and dishonesty is a common trait in itself as well, and there are multiple points in the story in which Shigeo gets involved in shady situations without picking up on it.

Section B. "Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities."

In terms of repetitive movement, Shigeo actually shows opposite behavior in that he doesn't move very much at all. HOWEVER we do have this:

There's also the scene in season 2 ep 8 where he is bouncing in his chair at Reigen's office, but he explicitly states that he is doing this on purpose to exercise specifically. While obviously it wouldn't surprise me if he was also doing it to stim, we as the viewer don't get to know so wahh. I'm writing from what I remember at the moment, so if I ever find anything else I'll add it.

Shigeo also displays rigid thinking. The clearest examples being his dislike towards Reigen calling him for jobs on short notice, and his strict adherence to Reigen's rules regarding using his powers against others (though this kind of? fades away after season 1 when he is placed in situations where he has no choice but to do so).

Regarding sensory input, there aren't really any in-universe examples of Shigeo showing explicit aversion or sensory seeking behavior except for one scene I remember of him flinching when a client raises their voice. While overreaction to sensory input is a common autistic trait, so is underreaction, which I'd say Shigeo has more often given his lack of any reaction to most things at all. HOWEVER, Shigeo frequently experiences overstimulation caused by emotionally distressing experiences, and such distress can easily exacerbate sensory overload that may not have been obvious before as well. Shigeo's percentage system and 100% states are also very very reminiscent of autistic meltdowns (percentage accumulating from unexpected and mildly stressful events leading to becoming completely overwhelmed by a situation and a resulting temporary loss of control). More positive 100% states such as trust and friendship being an exception, of course.

Other things I want to take into account but can't tell what diagnostic criteria they would fit into, if they did:

I've seen someone point out that Shigeo's struggle with athleticism early on in the show can be caused by dyspraxia (a developmental coordination disorder), which is common in autistic people. Same goes for his struggle with math possibly being dyscalculia.

Shigeo does not understand everyone else's fears regarding the dragger and other urban legends. While this is explained in the show as being because he's grown up with the ability to see spirits and the like, considering his other underreactions it's also probably because of a general muted fear response, which is also a common autistic trait.

This is about all I've got for Shigeo. I want to write a section for Ritsu too but I have to kind of think on it AAHHHH

Tome Kurata

Section A. "Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts."

Tome is actually the exact opposite of Shigeo with how she expresses herself emotionally and in social settings. While she's just as blunt and nonconforming to social cues, she is loud and seemingly 'overemotional' as she often overreacts to things others aren't as bothered by or similarly passionate about. She has difficulty engaging in conversations regarding subjects she doesn't care about (frequently only discussing telepathy with others, and the REIGEN manga begins with her talking about how she finds her time in highschool boring because none of her friends seem to have odd interests like she does). Like Shigeo, she seems to have no friends in middle school outside the boys in the telepathy club, and everyone outside of it calls her club 'creepy' when she tries to get new recruits.

Section B. "Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities."

Firstly,

(There's also a scene in season 3 episode 8 of her playing with her hair as she tries to think of something to say to the aliens, but I don't have a gif of it on me right now.

Secondly, she has a very obvious special interest in aliens and telepathic communication. The majority of the time she is on-screen this is what she is talking about to others, and she is very intense about it to the point of being frequently frustrated when others don't understand her passion for the subject.

There isn't really much to say about her regarding reactions to sensory input, since she doesn't really have much screen time. What I will say though is that everyone's scattered behavior and scheduling during their trip up the mountain in season 3 episodes 7-8 along with their previous disregard for her passion (along with her current misread of the situation being that they are doing all this to make fun of her) leads to her growing so frustrated she yells at them and refuses to move forward with the trip, which can be seen as a sort of meltdown?

TBA

Katsuya Serizawa

Section A. "Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts."

So, Serizawa is described as a 'withdrawn and naive person' prior to leaving Claw. He was a shut-in as a result of bullying from peers and his own anxiety regarding his powers. He talks about this in the same omake Shigeo brings up his own experience with bullying in, and he states that he did not have any friends and never moved from his desk.

He mentions this again when he starts taking night classes, saying he's given up on making friends (though he does end up making some yayyyyy!!!)

Serizawa when introduced is shown to be sort of gullible in the same way Shigeo is, in the way that he follows Toichiro's every word and struggles to see his malicious intentions. Toichiro actually straight up tells him he’s seen as easy to manipulate in the season 2 finale.

He also relies on scripting/using a guide for his actions when he starts working at Spirits & Such, having an entire list of business interactions in his sleeve during the OVA.

Section B. "Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities."

There's not really much to say here other than I assume he was very adherent to some sort of internal routine as a shut-in? (However I am saying this using my own personal, as someone who struggles to leave my house on my own due to the routine I've built right now, so take that point how you will.) He's also shown to have been prone to meltdowns in his past, being sort of on the brink of one when he first meets Toichiro. He's also very attached to his umbrella prior to leaving Claw, using it as a comfort item, to the point of panicking and losing control when it is taken away from him.

Also regarding special interests, there is a scene in the season 2 OVA where he just starts talking about video games as a way to explain what he thinks of the whole 'being stuck in a train car issue.' He gets so into the subject that Reigen cuts him off.

as for repetitive movements,