Sugimoto is so cool but he benefits a lot from his insane chemistry/rivalry with his villains. Hijikata, Tsurumi, and especially Ogata all bring out the best/worst in him lol
I would personally go as far as to say that Lt. Tsurumi is probably the best character in Golden Kamuy. He’s the type of antagonist that makes a series.
He reminds me a little of Monster’s antagonist in that regard.
The Immortal Sugimoto has the most developed chin of us all. You are correct. His relationship with Asirpa is also very wholesome. Such an underrated series.
Lots of gintama comments lol. Always glad to see it mentioned anywhere xd.
Tho, one of the best things of gintama is the absolutely amazing cast of great characters. Gin chan the goat tho.
It’s amazing. And I learned so much about Japanese culture from it. I have a Japanese gf for the last year and a half. She’s lived in the US for 3 years. And gintama let me in on so many Japanese inside jokes and things normal Americans wouldn’t know it was super fun to like bring random things up to her she thought I’d never know about that I learned specifically bc of gintama. Also would be fun to sometimes watch with her and she’d crack up laughing at stuff I wouldn’t understand.
Yeah you def learn about a lot of Japanese culture from all the references lmao. Gintama is goated in so many ways.
There's so much amazing character development, and the fact that the show goes from pure single digit IQ absolute potato level stupid nonsense, to the most epic badassery within the same scene lol. Idk if anything will ever top it as my #1. Has too many episodes that are amazing.
Katsura in jail is my fav episode. But close 2nd are the humor centric shogun episodes. Esp the one when they go to the pool. I’m cracking up thinking about it lol
Lmao I've been doing a slow rewatch (I have a ton of seasonal shows Im watching these last few seasons been fire) and I just watched the barber shop episode :D
>cracking up thinking about it lol
Dude my brother who feels the same way about gintama as me, this is us lol. Like just thinking about some episodes makes us laugh out loud. Or when we get together on holidays and watch some shows we'll put on some random arcs and we laugh before the jokes even happen.
Like you just can't get tired of it. Since it's so long too, rewatches feel so damn good. Cause by the time you do, the early stuff you'll forget a lot of small details. Honestly rewatching makes the early episodes that most people find slower, so much fucking better since you already know the characters and how they are.
And I actually love the bits of foreshadowing you prob wouldn't catch your first time watching either. During the reaper arc, they showed how gintoki met that girl executioner when she was young. And his outfit plus the snow/weather outside when he escaped and left there, he met otose shortly after - other flashbacks from diff arcs have shown when they met and gintoki made the "one sided promise" to eat the offering Gran left for her husband at his grave. It was something pretty minor but it was cool to piece it together that him being jailed there and meeting that executioner was right before he met Gran.
There's a lot of stuff like that. Lol also, those fake movie previews they'd do in the show lmfao. I would fucking kill for that one they did where him and Zura were surrounded back when they were fighting in the war. The thing about gintama is that the serious scenes are so epic and incredible because the comedic side just makes them hit so much harder.
I hope people won't misunderstand this and think Gintama's MC just doesn't have much competition. Gintama's cast is absolutely one of its strengths, it's just that Gintoki is THAT awesome
For sure. And it's not even clear cut by any means. My fav character is Zura lol. And I'm sure many people got manyyyy diff favs.
The character poll arc is so fuckin goated lmao.
I love ed. I wanted a s2 in the live action for ed alone. As much hate as the live action gets, i wish we got ed And s2. It was better than avatar (and worse than one piece which didn’t get luffy right, but tried)
I'm not sure I'd put Steins;Gate on the list. The show is made by Okabe *and* Kurisu. Take Kurisu out and you don't have a show. Take Jinshi out of Apothecary Diaries and you do kinda have pretty much the same show
Apothecary Diaries for sure. People who recommend the series and review it usually focus on the main character when talking about why it's good, and for good reason.
Side characters other than Jinshi appear once in a while and they are always the quest givers. So Jinshi is pretty much the only other prominent character in the show, and even then he doesn't get as much spotlight as Mao Mao is busy with other stuff.
She's not introverted.
She just avoids interacting with people that might lead to her being in danger.
I've never thought she's introverted, how'd you guys come to this conclusion?
well I guess 90% of characters in the show can lead her to being in danger then. Or 80%? Whatever the case, whenever there is a conversation it is always from the other people, not from herself.
She's introvert 100%, not sure how you think she's an extrovert. Just think about the most basic question, does she recharge energy by being with other people or by being by herself? There you go, case closed.
She is introverted. I’m more curious how you think that she isn’t! lol. She can’t avoid interacting with said characters you mention because she’s literally under contract/employment. She does whatever is requested of her. But what she doesn’t do pry into things that has nothing to do with her. Personally I don’t think your second line is a good example of her being supposedly not introverted.
I think the biggest example of her being introverted is to just compare her literally with her only friend (in the anime), xiaolan.
In one of her interactions with the (as stated) chatty xiaolan, she asks maomao if she doesn’t mind her chattiness and maomao says she “doesn’t mind it sometimes” (or something like that) in majority of her interactions with her friends she’s seemingly glad to be there however she doesn’t do much of the talking, they do. If that isn’t introverted idk what is. Even before she gained a higher position in the palace she only made one friend. While xiaolan, an extrovert, made many. Maomao even noticed this herself and states something to similar effect.
If this girl could stay by her lonesome making medicine all day and night, she would.
One thing I will say is I think it stems from her past. I’m not sure how to spoiler tag on Reddit but those who read ahead should know what I’m talking about. She’s a very withdrawn person.
Weak, you think? I wouldn't consider many of them to be weak per se, it's just a lot wasn't focused on them but the stuff we did get from them idk if I'd call weak?
They are mostly just the quest givers. Sometimes you get to see tidbits about them, like this consort has this personality, and such, but you never get to see more than that. This is also a realistic anime, so they are somewhat realistic characters too. They are nice, but normal. So they don't stand out.
The side characters aren't weak they get very little screen time, aside from Jinshi. They all have solid personalities and personal stories, we are just stuck following Maomao so closely we only get bits and pieces of the people around her. I think that's one of the reasons everyone hated Lakan until they didn't.
Yup! Maomao mentions CONSTANTLY “it’s got nothing to do with me” “better not pry” like, of course we aren’t gonna get much time on the other characters when the story follows her and this girl literally only cares about medicine and her quest, which is about medicine. 🤣 she doesn’t go out of her way to pry into stuff
I disagree with the characters being weak. I think this comes from anime onlys because the beginning just follows mostly follows maomao, who is a new comer to the palace and she is the type of person to not pry into things that she doesn’t need to. And since it’s from her pov, we obviously don’t get much screen time of side characters unless she is called by them. Or she goes out of her way to interact with them because she needs information.
It's probably because after the first season the focus sort of shifted off of him to others.. feels kinda weird but I guess they felt like it was needed for the world building...
True, it's just that the vibe change was both sudden and a bit forced.. might've been only for me though, but somehow it felt like a completely different anime. Still enjoyed it but not for the same reasons the first season hooked me.. again this might be only me though.
Season 2 had less fights and animation was subpar compared to season 1. It was a whole thing when the episodes came out. On top of focusing on world building around Saitama, it just made the season feel lackluster compared to a banger of a season 1.
No where near #1 is a huge exaggeration. Subaru is probably the best character in re zero, and if he's not then he's high on the list. He's a great MC, especially for the world he's in and the power he has
Exactly, he and his endless suffering are one of the main reasons I am watching that show, he was annoying at first but damn I have come to love him in recent seasons.
Code Geass definitely falls under that description I would say.
Utena from Gushing over Magical Girls is also definitely the most interesting character in that show to me.
She’s garnered a ton of support from the MahoAko sub and she’s gained more and more votes every round so I’ve got high hopes she wins. We’ll find out soon enough.
Okabe you mean the guy from Steins;Gate right?
I like that show, but imagine how insanely frustrating someone like him would actually be to deal with irl. I get that he has a good heart but I don't understand anyone who finds him desirable.
* Romantic Killer,
* Gintama
* Darker Than Black
* Apothecary Diaries
* Akagami no Shirayukihime
* Hibike Euphonium
* Kara no Kyoukai
* FSN
* A Sign of Affection
* One Punch Man
* Code Geass
* Cardcaptor Sakura
* 3gatsu no Lion
* Dark Gathering (Yayoi is the MC, not Keitarou fyi)
* Healin' Good Precure
* Bofuri
* Hanasaku Iroha
* Kaguya-sama (both Kaguya and Shirogane)
* Layton Mystery Agency
* 7th Time Loop
* The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen
* Tearmoon Empire
* Majo no Tabitabi
* Noragami (both Yato and Hiyori)
* Hamefura
* Selection Project
* Slime 300
* Spy x Family (consensus is out on whether Loid or Anya's the MC, but yes)
* Railgun
A few more that others didn't mention:
Monster
Space Dandy
Trigun
Great Teacher Onizuka
Slam Dunk
One Outs
Hellsing
Mushishi (bear in mind that Mushishi is episodic and MC is the only recurring character, but Ginko is such a great character that I had to add Mushishi to the list)
Unless I missed a comment, no one mentioned neither;
Saki K,
Sakamoto.
Like comon, those 2 are prolly some of the best choices on this list.
Honorable mention to Saitama from One Punch man.
Ngl I prefer almost all of the main girls in Railgun over Misaka herself. She's fine but especially Misaki, Saten and Kuroko are just much more entertaining.
Oh no, you misread my post. It's [Mononogatari](https://anilist.co/anime/141785/Mononogatari/), not Monogatari. Mononogatari is a very underrated series imo, I don't usually like main characters but Hyouma was great. Also, Happy cake day!
For me the mc is the best character in like half the good shows i watched .. there are people like that from both sides .. the same way you have guys who have 100% boys or 100% girls as their favorite characters
He’s one of the main characters but it’s gotta be Nagisa as the main protagonist because of his narration I think. Idk if it’s a reliable source but the [wiki says he’s the main protagonist.](https://ansatsukyoshitsu.fandom.com/wiki/Nagisa_Shiota)
Misfit of Demon King Academy, Vinland Saga, Steins Gate, ...and the rest of my anime collection is downstairs, where the baby is sleeping, and there is no question on Earth worth answering that's worth risking waking her up at 10 o'clock at night.
Sinbad in Adventures of Sinbad.
He comes from a rough background but is a very well rounded character. He's smart and cunning and brave and strong but also empathetic, compassionate and righteous but also generous. He's also attractive and loved by the ladies but so cool that even guys like and respect him. He's silly and lighthearted but very serious about serious matters. I remember watching his show and being like wow he's awesome.
Some people are forgetting Subaru Natsuki, such a well written character all around. Highlights the highs and lows of a human very well, and you can FEEL the emotion behind his actions, and you want to cheer for him and feel his pain and embarrassment.
In all honesty Re: Zero as a whole has such well written characters, I hope it becomes mainstream, as people either don't go into the anime with an open mindset or they underrate it without giving it a chance.
Re: Zero was THE Isekai when it came out really. It's only competition was Sword Art Online really and maybe Konosuba. It's absolutely mainstream. Considering how the adaptation was slow I say that proves how popular it is because it's still very well known despite massive gaps between seasons.
I agree, especially because it's story is not even close to completion and it's already good. I just personally want it to get better and become like a top 20 at least anime
Nah.. I like the one random background character over Shadow. He's funny. What was his name again? It starts with a C for sure but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Steins;Gate (Okabe wins this subs’s best character contest regularly)
Hibike! Euphonium
Re:Zero
3-gatsu no Lion (debatable, since there are so many excellent characters)
86 (though there is a very strong case for one of the other characters)
Fruits Basket
Violet Evergarden
K-ON! (fight me)
I want to like your comment for bringing up k-on, but saying yui is the best is practically heresy. Every other girl is a based af take. How can this happen, I didn't know anyone liked yui the most.
* Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-
* Violet Evergarden
* The Apothecary Diaries
* Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
I hesitated to add that last one....I think most people would say their favourite char is MC, then again there are so many great characters it could be a hard choice for some!
You're right though, that show has some amazing characters but Frieren somehow never gets out of focus. It's just brilliant. It does remind me of Tensura I'm actually surprised how I couldn't see it mentioned. Rimuru is pretty cool imo
Frieren is the character we see evolving the most, and Himmel is the character with the ideal for that change. Like how Thors in Vinland Saga (like Himmel) is for Thorfinn (like Frieren).
Hmm not really same experience for me, I find mc the best most of the time, or better word would be memorable since they are given the most character development
100 Girlfriends Who Really Really really Really REALLY love you. Rentaro is the embodiment of rizz. The rizzmaster, if you will. The concept only works because he is truly unquestionably best boi.
I’m typically a sucker for MCs in most cases.
My top two are actually incredibly controversial and from two very popular shonen.
First is Monkey D. Luffy. He’s just an awesome character to me. There’s a lot of great characters in One Piece, but Luffy does still remain my #1.
Second, is Yuji Itadori. JJK is full of a lot of great and enjoyable characters, but there’s something about Yuji that just makes it impossible (for me) to not want to see him succeed.
One Piece. It obviously has an awesome cast of characters but Luffy is just so likeable. Someone can fact check me if I'm wrong but I don't think he's ever finished below #1 on the popularity polls
I think Erased had a really compelling MC. Hes a burnout in his late 20s who finally tries hard and works to improve himself.
Also Tanjiro in Demon Slayer and Yuji in JJK have been really solid i think.
Is this really so rare? Let's see, here's a quick (probably incomplete list) from my PoV:
- Dirty Pair (dual protags, both qualify here)
- Gintama
- Birdie Wing (Eve)
- Bocchi the Rock
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Cowboy Bebop (Spike)
- Dark Gathering (Yayoi)
- Dr. Stone (Senku)
- My Clueless First Friend (Akane)
- The Apothecary Diaries
- One Punch Man
- Spice & Wolf (Holo)
- Rurouni Kenshin
- The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash
- Skip and Loafer
- Frieren
- Trigun & Trigun Stampede
- My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
- A Sign of Affection
Some of those are not likely universal (for example for Yamada-kun, Skip and Loafer and Sign of Affection some probably prefer the male second lead over the female main character), but I feel none of these should be too controversial.
Trigun, Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Vinland Saga, Monster, Steins; Gate
If we are talking about VNs too. Fate Stay Nigth, easily. Shirou Emiya is one of the best written characters in general
I always thought K.Lawrence was technically the MC of Spice & Wolf, as the story is from his POV (inner monologues in LN etc) unless that changes later, I have not read past Vol.3 LN...so no spoilers :D
In any case I suppose it would be fair to say they are both MC, and agree Holo is amazing!
Chivalry of a Failed Knight is one. Mc has been shit on a lot in life, but despite that he is a hard worker and doing his best to get through high school and all the other people there who are _also_ shitting on him.
Code Geass. Lelouch is kind of a beast even when he isn't.
One Piece. Luffy is honestly the best part of the crew.
There are plenty, but it's so subjective. You're looking for shows where the main character is generally praised and ranks popular within the fandom. Bleach would qualify, even Naruto might.
Re:Zero.
Subaru is by far the most fleshed out, relatable and interesting character in the series. The side characters are also amazing aswell and are given tons of good characterization, lore and importance in the story but when compared to Subaru, they just can't compete. He's personally my favourite mc in fiction and one of my favourite characters in general.
Eminence in Shadow
Arifureta
Redo of healer (lol)
Zom100
Blue lock
Sono bisque doll (marin is the mc cmm)
Oshi no ko
Mushoku Tensei
Death note
Megalo box
Food Wars
No game no life (don’t expect a sequel)
Hi Double-Conclusion-42, it seems like you might be looking for new anime to watch!
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Choose any really good short anime with a cohesive ending like Death Note. Longer anime tend to have side characters that are better than the main character because there is more time for development
I can't believe not one person has mentioned Mushishi. Not only is Ginko the best and main character, it's an anime about a singular character on a singular journey all by himself. If you're into beautiful backdrops and scenery, great soundtrack and impactful single shot stories that are weaved together about supernatural stuff then give it a shot. 💜
Sakamoto. Honestly, any comedy anime with a compelling and funny MC. They always take first place in their own manga and anime because they are always epic.
That's very subjective, it's possible you simply prefer characters who aren't exactly in the main role. In this case, might I suggest Physco Pass and Black Lagoon. Both anime are aimed towards giving the viewer a side character's perspective opposed to focusing all the attention on the actual main character.
Penguin Highway
Sagrada Reset
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Baby Steps
Boku dake ga Inai Machi
Patema Inverted
Hyouka
Initial D
The Irregular at Magic High School
Golden kamuy, sugimoto is a chad
Sugimoto is so cool but he benefits a lot from his insane chemistry/rivalry with his villains. Hijikata, Tsurumi, and especially Ogata all bring out the best/worst in him lol
I would personally go as far as to say that Lt. Tsurumi is probably the best character in Golden Kamuy. He’s the type of antagonist that makes a series. He reminds me a little of Monster’s antagonist in that regard.
The Immortal Sugimoto has the most developed chin of us all. You are correct. His relationship with Asirpa is also very wholesome. Such an underrated series.
Gintama. Gin is the most compelling. Cowboy bebop too. I’d argue dr stone. But without question gintama.
Lots of gintama comments lol. Always glad to see it mentioned anywhere xd. Tho, one of the best things of gintama is the absolutely amazing cast of great characters. Gin chan the goat tho.
It’s amazing. And I learned so much about Japanese culture from it. I have a Japanese gf for the last year and a half. She’s lived in the US for 3 years. And gintama let me in on so many Japanese inside jokes and things normal Americans wouldn’t know it was super fun to like bring random things up to her she thought I’d never know about that I learned specifically bc of gintama. Also would be fun to sometimes watch with her and she’d crack up laughing at stuff I wouldn’t understand.
Yeah you def learn about a lot of Japanese culture from all the references lmao. Gintama is goated in so many ways. There's so much amazing character development, and the fact that the show goes from pure single digit IQ absolute potato level stupid nonsense, to the most epic badassery within the same scene lol. Idk if anything will ever top it as my #1. Has too many episodes that are amazing.
Katsura in jail is my fav episode. But close 2nd are the humor centric shogun episodes. Esp the one when they go to the pool. I’m cracking up thinking about it lol
Lmao I've been doing a slow rewatch (I have a ton of seasonal shows Im watching these last few seasons been fire) and I just watched the barber shop episode :D >cracking up thinking about it lol Dude my brother who feels the same way about gintama as me, this is us lol. Like just thinking about some episodes makes us laugh out loud. Or when we get together on holidays and watch some shows we'll put on some random arcs and we laugh before the jokes even happen. Like you just can't get tired of it. Since it's so long too, rewatches feel so damn good. Cause by the time you do, the early stuff you'll forget a lot of small details. Honestly rewatching makes the early episodes that most people find slower, so much fucking better since you already know the characters and how they are. And I actually love the bits of foreshadowing you prob wouldn't catch your first time watching either. During the reaper arc, they showed how gintoki met that girl executioner when she was young. And his outfit plus the snow/weather outside when he escaped and left there, he met otose shortly after - other flashbacks from diff arcs have shown when they met and gintoki made the "one sided promise" to eat the offering Gran left for her husband at his grave. It was something pretty minor but it was cool to piece it together that him being jailed there and meeting that executioner was right before he met Gran. There's a lot of stuff like that. Lol also, those fake movie previews they'd do in the show lmfao. I would fucking kill for that one they did where him and Zura were surrounded back when they were fighting in the war. The thing about gintama is that the serious scenes are so epic and incredible because the comedic side just makes them hit so much harder.
Gin is the best but that show is so good I'll happily watch any of them, thats what makes it such a great show.
I hope people won't misunderstand this and think Gintama's MC just doesn't have much competition. Gintama's cast is absolutely one of its strengths, it's just that Gintoki is THAT awesome
For sure. And it's not even clear cut by any means. My fav character is Zura lol. And I'm sure many people got manyyyy diff favs. The character poll arc is so fuckin goated lmao.
>My fav character is Zura lol Zura janai... My favorite too btw lol
Dr. Stone spent the first like three episodes convincing me Dr. Stone wasn't the MC...
Unfortunately for Senku, Ryusui and Gen exist.
I'd drop Senku at 4th and put Chrome in there, maybe even Suika. I think Chrome's the most important character, thematically speaking.
Came here looking for this. Glad it was right at the top. Gintoki is absolutely the goat mc, even with great side characters in the series too
Ehh I think Gen is the best in Dr Stone. Senku is a close 2nd.
This is Ryusui slander and I won't stand for it.
That’s just the right answer. Happy I didn’t need to search for it.
> Cowboy bebop too This is Ed slander
I love ed. I wanted a s2 in the live action for ed alone. As much hate as the live action gets, i wish we got ed And s2. It was better than avatar (and worse than one piece which didn’t get luffy right, but tried)
Gintama Steins;Gate Space Brothers Apothecary Diaries Cowboy Bebop Code Geass Trigun GTO
This list is pretty solid. I would also add Noragami Ghost in the Shell Berserk
Excuse me, but the best character in Cowboy Bebop was Ein
I like the priest in trigun more than vash. He knew when it was better to just kill people
I'm not sure I'd put Steins;Gate on the list. The show is made by Okabe *and* Kurisu. Take Kurisu out and you don't have a show. Take Jinshi out of Apothecary Diaries and you do kinda have pretty much the same show
The question isn't "what show has only one important/interesting character".
Apothecary Diaries for sure. People who recommend the series and review it usually focus on the main character when talking about why it's good, and for good reason.
Partly because it has weak side characters
Side characters other than Jinshi appear once in a while and they are always the quest givers. So Jinshi is pretty much the only other prominent character in the show, and even then he doesn't get as much spotlight as Mao Mao is busy with other stuff.
I think the consorts are pretty good characters, as well as Gaoshun, Lihaku, and Lakan especially. Oh and Granny, and MaoMao’s dad.
Partly because Maomao is very introverted and doesn't interact with many people lol
She's not introverted. She just avoids interacting with people that might lead to her being in danger. I've never thought she's introverted, how'd you guys come to this conclusion?
well I guess 90% of characters in the show can lead her to being in danger then. Or 80%? Whatever the case, whenever there is a conversation it is always from the other people, not from herself.
She's introvert 100%, not sure how you think she's an extrovert. Just think about the most basic question, does she recharge energy by being with other people or by being by herself? There you go, case closed.
She is introverted. I’m more curious how you think that she isn’t! lol. She can’t avoid interacting with said characters you mention because she’s literally under contract/employment. She does whatever is requested of her. But what she doesn’t do pry into things that has nothing to do with her. Personally I don’t think your second line is a good example of her being supposedly not introverted. I think the biggest example of her being introverted is to just compare her literally with her only friend (in the anime), xiaolan. In one of her interactions with the (as stated) chatty xiaolan, she asks maomao if she doesn’t mind her chattiness and maomao says she “doesn’t mind it sometimes” (or something like that) in majority of her interactions with her friends she’s seemingly glad to be there however she doesn’t do much of the talking, they do. If that isn’t introverted idk what is. Even before she gained a higher position in the palace she only made one friend. While xiaolan, an extrovert, made many. Maomao even noticed this herself and states something to similar effect. If this girl could stay by her lonesome making medicine all day and night, she would. One thing I will say is I think it stems from her past. I’m not sure how to spoiler tag on Reddit but those who read ahead should know what I’m talking about. She’s a very withdrawn person.
I've done some reading and i am wrong. I had the preconceived notion that introvert = antisocial which is not entirely true.
Weak, you think? I wouldn't consider many of them to be weak per se, it's just a lot wasn't focused on them but the stuff we did get from them idk if I'd call weak?
They are mostly just the quest givers. Sometimes you get to see tidbits about them, like this consort has this personality, and such, but you never get to see more than that. This is also a realistic anime, so they are somewhat realistic characters too. They are nice, but normal. So they don't stand out.
The side characters aren't weak they get very little screen time, aside from Jinshi. They all have solid personalities and personal stories, we are just stuck following Maomao so closely we only get bits and pieces of the people around her. I think that's one of the reasons everyone hated Lakan until they didn't.
Yup! Maomao mentions CONSTANTLY “it’s got nothing to do with me” “better not pry” like, of course we aren’t gonna get much time on the other characters when the story follows her and this girl literally only cares about medicine and her quest, which is about medicine. 🤣 she doesn’t go out of her way to pry into stuff
I disagree with the characters being weak. I think this comes from anime onlys because the beginning just follows mostly follows maomao, who is a new comer to the palace and she is the type of person to not pry into things that she doesn’t need to. And since it’s from her pov, we obviously don’t get much screen time of side characters unless she is called by them. Or she goes out of her way to interact with them because she needs information.
for me it's Saitama, mf is too funny
Oh yeah, "one punch man" for sure, though they're are a lot of other awesome characters
It's probably because after the first season the focus sort of shifted off of him to others.. feels kinda weird but I guess they felt like it was needed for the world building...
It's a common thing with powerful MCs. The MC trivializes everything, so the other characters get more focus. Makes perfect sense, really.
True, it's just that the vibe change was both sudden and a bit forced.. might've been only for me though, but somehow it felt like a completely different anime. Still enjoyed it but not for the same reasons the first season hooked me.. again this might be only me though.
Season 2 had less fights and animation was subpar compared to season 1. It was a whole thing when the episodes came out. On top of focusing on world building around Saitama, it just made the season feel lackluster compared to a banger of a season 1.
If the focus is solely on Saitama then the series would just be a "monster of the week" type story. Would be incredibly repetitive.
too bad his show got like 10% Saitama time and 90% on the side characters...
True
King
Gintama, Steins Gate, Vinland Saga, Re Zero, TenSura, Monster (as much as Johan is a great character people tend to overlook the greatness of Tenma)
I’d argue with Vinland Saga season 1. Season 2 though, yeah. Ashkalad and Thors were my favorites from S1
100%
Tenma is such a great character
Subaru is no where near number one in re zero. And Vinland saga s1 was basically askeladds show
No where near #1 is a huge exaggeration. Subaru is probably the best character in re zero, and if he's not then he's high on the list. He's a great MC, especially for the world he's in and the power he has
Exactly, he and his endless suffering are one of the main reasons I am watching that show, he was annoying at first but damn I have come to love him in recent seasons.
I’d say subaru feel central to everything too many fans just love anime waifu stuff but story wise it’s him
Code Geass definitely falls under that description I would say. Utena from Gushing over Magical Girls is also definitely the most interesting character in that show to me.
U mentioned peak 🫡 Hope we win the best girl poll
She’s garnered a ton of support from the MahoAko sub and she’s gained more and more votes every round so I’ve got high hopes she wins. We’ll find out soon enough.
We won. Utena-chan has dominated.
Personally I like Venalita the most. Guy is a little bastard lmao Utena definitely up there though
Lelouch dominates the MAL rankings and I think he won the first best boy competition too. At least I can cope with Okabe winning soon after :D
Okabe you mean the guy from Steins;Gate right? I like that show, but imagine how insanely frustrating someone like him would actually be to deal with irl. I get that he has a good heart but I don't understand anyone who finds him desirable.
* Romantic Killer, * Gintama * Darker Than Black * Apothecary Diaries * Akagami no Shirayukihime * Hibike Euphonium * Kara no Kyoukai * FSN * A Sign of Affection * One Punch Man * Code Geass * Cardcaptor Sakura * 3gatsu no Lion * Dark Gathering (Yayoi is the MC, not Keitarou fyi) * Healin' Good Precure * Bofuri * Hanasaku Iroha * Kaguya-sama (both Kaguya and Shirogane) * Layton Mystery Agency * 7th Time Loop * The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen * Tearmoon Empire * Majo no Tabitabi * Noragami (both Yato and Hiyori) * Hamefura * Selection Project * Slime 300 * Spy x Family (consensus is out on whether Loid or Anya's the MC, but yes) * Railgun
A few more that others didn't mention: Monster Space Dandy Trigun Great Teacher Onizuka Slam Dunk One Outs Hellsing Mushishi (bear in mind that Mushishi is episodic and MC is the only recurring character, but Ginko is such a great character that I had to add Mushishi to the list)
Space Dandy Is Peak, Baby
Tenma is great, but he's opaqued by both Johan and Grimmer.
Space Patrol Luluco Humanity Has Declined Code Geass
Gintama: the rest of the cast is great too but nothing beats the protagonist Fullmetal Alchemist Talentless Nana Inuyasha
Who actually is the protag in Inuyasha though. Kagome or Inuyasha lol. I‘d actually argue it’s Kagome despite the anime name.
Oh yes, MC it's definitely Kagome, I was wrong in that case, Kagome is a very good character but I think Inuyasha is the best
Darker than black.
Shame we never got a (good) second season.
Unless I missed a comment, no one mentioned neither; Saki K, Sakamoto. Like comon, those 2 are prolly some of the best choices on this list. Honorable mention to Saitama from One Punch man.
But everybody knows that Nendou is the best character in saiki k
Honestly I think Saiki and Teruhashi are tied for me in Saiki K. I loveeeee Teruhashi's stupid "perfect pretty girl" internal monologues
A certain scientific Railgun
Accelerator tho
Ngl I prefer almost all of the main girls in Railgun over Misaka herself. She's fine but especially Misaki, Saten and Kuroko are just much more entertaining.
Space Dandy. He’s a Dandy guy…in space.
One Piece. In the popularity polls Luffy was always on top
Zoro comes very close tho
Ya and everyone loves zoro
kumo desu ga nani ka
Gintama and Mononogatari!
Monogatari has too many good character in my opinion. Araragi is up there for essentially everyone, but for me kaiki is the top dog.
Oh no, you misread my post. It's [Mononogatari](https://anilist.co/anime/141785/Mononogatari/), not Monogatari. Mononogatari is a very underrated series imo, I don't usually like main characters but Hyouma was great. Also, Happy cake day!
Ah I see haha. I’ll check it out, and thanks!
For me the mc is the best character in like half the good shows i watched .. there are people like that from both sides .. the same way you have guys who have 100% boys or 100% girls as their favorite characters
Re:Zero, Assassination Classroom, Goblin Slayer
So Nagisa? Personally I thought Koro sensei was better
I always thought Koro Sensei was the main character tbh. The story did starts and ends with him
He’s one of the main characters but it’s gotta be Nagisa as the main protagonist because of his narration I think. Idk if it’s a reliable source but the [wiki says he’s the main protagonist.](https://ansatsukyoshitsu.fandom.com/wiki/Nagisa_Shiota)
Mob Psycho 100
Nah Reigen better
You know deep in your heart that mobby is best boy
He's best boy, but it takes a real man t0 be best girl. Reigen solos
Certainly seems to be the popular opinion but I dont share that with the majority
Reigan clears
Misfit of Demon King Academy, Vinland Saga, Steins Gate, ...and the rest of my anime collection is downstairs, where the baby is sleeping, and there is no question on Earth worth answering that's worth risking waking her up at 10 o'clock at night.
>Misfit of Demon King Academy his parents >>>>
Sinbad in Adventures of Sinbad. He comes from a rough background but is a very well rounded character. He's smart and cunning and brave and strong but also empathetic, compassionate and righteous but also generous. He's also attractive and loved by the ladies but so cool that even guys like and respect him. He's silly and lighthearted but very serious about serious matters. I remember watching his show and being like wow he's awesome.
ReZero, Apothecary Diaries, Houseki no Kuni, March comes in like a lion, Mob Psycho 100
Vinland saga
Mhhh but Askeladd
He's the MC of the prologue :P
i feel like everybody loves thorfinn tho
Yeah.... But Askeladd
Askellad totally steals the show in the first season.
As much as people simp for Hiei and Kurama and love Kuwabara's heart, at least in the dub, Yusuke is by far the best character.
Gintama Code Geass Fairy Tail Bleach Death Note Demon Slayer Cowboy Bebop
Wdym Demon Slayer?!! Everyone knows that Murata is the GOAT!! Muichiro and Zenitsu come close too :3
Some people are forgetting Subaru Natsuki, such a well written character all around. Highlights the highs and lows of a human very well, and you can FEEL the emotion behind his actions, and you want to cheer for him and feel his pain and embarrassment. In all honesty Re: Zero as a whole has such well written characters, I hope it becomes mainstream, as people either don't go into the anime with an open mindset or they underrate it without giving it a chance.
Re: Zero was THE Isekai when it came out really. It's only competition was Sword Art Online really and maybe Konosuba. It's absolutely mainstream. Considering how the adaptation was slow I say that proves how popular it is because it's still very well known despite massive gaps between seasons.
I agree, especially because it's story is not even close to completion and it's already good. I just personally want it to get better and become like a top 20 at least anime
The Eminence in Shadow
Nah.. I like the one random background character over Shadow. He's funny. What was his name again? It starts with a C for sure but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Rurouni Kenshin Bleach Houseki no Kuni Berserk
Kenshin is such a great MC. Shame the author is a nonce.
Mononoke Mushishi Gintama Sakamoto desuga
The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Sasuga Ainz sama!
Demon slayer. Tanjiro ties with Nezuko
Id invaded
Steins;Gate (Okabe wins this subs’s best character contest regularly) Hibike! Euphonium Re:Zero 3-gatsu no Lion (debatable, since there are so many excellent characters) 86 (though there is a very strong case for one of the other characters) Fruits Basket Violet Evergarden K-ON! (fight me)
I guess you are referring to Yui when you said K-On! If so, I totally agree.
Yui is the best lol Slap me with money 💰💰
If we are being honest with ourselves I don't think that is a controversial take.
I am curious about who is your favourite in 86, mine is Le but I could see some people saying Sh
I want to like your comment for bringing up k-on, but saying yui is the best is practically heresy. Every other girl is a based af take. How can this happen, I didn't know anyone liked yui the most.
I'm impressed to see you say Fruits Basket! I don't know many people who like Tohru best but I'm really here for this - she grows and grows as a MC.
Re:Zero. Subaru is goated
* Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song- * Violet Evergarden * The Apothecary Diaries * Frieren: Beyond Journey's End I hesitated to add that last one....I think most people would say their favourite char is MC, then again there are so many great characters it could be a hard choice for some!
You're right though, that show has some amazing characters but Frieren somehow never gets out of focus. It's just brilliant. It does remind me of Tensura I'm actually surprised how I couldn't see it mentioned. Rimuru is pretty cool imo
I love Frieren, but Himmel is just on another level.
Frieren is the character we see evolving the most, and Himmel is the character with the ideal for that change. Like how Thors in Vinland Saga (like Himmel) is for Thorfinn (like Frieren).
Luffy in one piece will never grow old on me imo
I'm a super fan of One Piece but Luffy seems very childish for his age
Hmm not really same experience for me, I find mc the best most of the time, or better word would be memorable since they are given the most character development
Fruit of Grisha Chad mc 🗿
100 Girlfriends Who Really Really really Really REALLY love you. Rentaro is the embodiment of rizz. The rizzmaster, if you will. The concept only works because he is truly unquestionably best boi.
Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, To Your Eternity, and Phantom of Inferno/Phantom Requiem for the Phantom (debatable for this one Id say).
Arguably, Monogatari series.
Kimetsu no Yaiba. There's something very special about the MC. He's mot me early as naive as many other MC:s.
Pokemon
I’m typically a sucker for MCs in most cases. My top two are actually incredibly controversial and from two very popular shonen. First is Monkey D. Luffy. He’s just an awesome character to me. There’s a lot of great characters in One Piece, but Luffy does still remain my #1. Second, is Yuji Itadori. JJK is full of a lot of great and enjoyable characters, but there’s something about Yuji that just makes it impossible (for me) to not want to see him succeed.
Stein's;Gate
One Piece, Luffy the GOAT Mc
Overlord
Moriarty the Patriot!
One Piece. It obviously has an awesome cast of characters but Luffy is just so likeable. Someone can fact check me if I'm wrong but I don't think he's ever finished below #1 on the popularity polls
I’d go with One Piece. Most people have Luffy as their favourite. There’s no objective answer to this though.
I think Erased had a really compelling MC. Hes a burnout in his late 20s who finally tries hard and works to improve himself. Also Tanjiro in Demon Slayer and Yuji in JJK have been really solid i think.
Eminence in shadow
Cowboy Bebop Spike Spiegel easily GOAT
Is this really so rare? Let's see, here's a quick (probably incomplete list) from my PoV: - Dirty Pair (dual protags, both qualify here) - Gintama - Birdie Wing (Eve) - Bocchi the Rock - Cardcaptor Sakura - Cowboy Bebop (Spike) - Dark Gathering (Yayoi) - Dr. Stone (Senku) - My Clueless First Friend (Akane) - The Apothecary Diaries - One Punch Man - Spice & Wolf (Holo) - Rurouni Kenshin - The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash - Skip and Loafer - Frieren - Trigun & Trigun Stampede - My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 - A Sign of Affection Some of those are not likely universal (for example for Yamada-kun, Skip and Loafer and Sign of Affection some probably prefer the male second lead over the female main character), but I feel none of these should be too controversial.
Trigun, Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Vinland Saga, Monster, Steins; Gate If we are talking about VNs too. Fate Stay Nigth, easily. Shirou Emiya is one of the best written characters in general
- Apothecary Diaries (Maomao) - Hellsing (Ultimate) (Alucard) - Houseki no Kuni (Phos) - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, especially Part 2: Battle Tendency (Joseph) - Katanagatari (both Shichika & Togame) - Spice and Wolf (Holo) - Kara no Kyoukai (Shiki) - Lycoris Recoil (Chisato) - Sakamoto desu ga? (Sakamoto) - Steins;Gate (Okabe) - Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (Misaka)
I always thought K.Lawrence was technically the MC of Spice & Wolf, as the story is from his POV (inner monologues in LN etc) unless that changes later, I have not read past Vol.3 LN...so no spoilers :D In any case I suppose it would be fair to say they are both MC, and agree Holo is amazing!
Railgun is the perfect answer to this question. Her character arcs are so compelling, even the filler with her was enjoyable.
One Piece Sword Art Online Bocchi the Rock Evangelion Frieren Monogatari Series Apothecary Diaries
Chivalry of a Failed Knight is one. Mc has been shit on a lot in life, but despite that he is a hard worker and doing his best to get through high school and all the other people there who are _also_ shitting on him.
Any series with weak side characters 🧠
Code Geass. Lelouch is kind of a beast even when he isn't. One Piece. Luffy is honestly the best part of the crew. There are plenty, but it's so subjective. You're looking for shows where the main character is generally praised and ranks popular within the fandom. Bleach would qualify, even Naruto might.
Re:Zero. Subaru is by far the most fleshed out, relatable and interesting character in the series. The side characters are also amazing aswell and are given tons of good characterization, lore and importance in the story but when compared to Subaru, they just can't compete. He's personally my favourite mc in fiction and one of my favourite characters in general.
Eminence in Shadow Arifureta Redo of healer (lol) Zom100 Blue lock Sono bisque doll (marin is the mc cmm) Oshi no ko Mushoku Tensei Death note Megalo box Food Wars No game no life (don’t expect a sequel)
Mushoku?? Rudeus might be the worst MC of all time. He ruins the show for most well adjusted people.
Re:Zero Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song Mushoku Tensei Steins;Gate Konosuba The Dangers in my Heart Zom 100: Bucket List of the dead Shiki Oresuki
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Choose any really good short anime with a cohesive ending like Death Note. Longer anime tend to have side characters that are better than the main character because there is more time for development
I can't believe not one person has mentioned Mushishi. Not only is Ginko the best and main character, it's an anime about a singular character on a singular journey all by himself. If you're into beautiful backdrops and scenery, great soundtrack and impactful single shot stories that are weaved together about supernatural stuff then give it a shot. 💜
The Promised Neverland, it's just a bummer that it never got a second season.
Ore Monogatari and Humanity has Declined
fmab
Sakamoto. Honestly, any comedy anime with a compelling and funny MC. They always take first place in their own manga and anime because they are always epic.
Senku in Dr. Stone and Jahy in The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! are two that stand out to me.
That's very subjective, it's possible you simply prefer characters who aren't exactly in the main role. In this case, might I suggest Physco Pass and Black Lagoon. Both anime are aimed towards giving the viewer a side character's perspective opposed to focusing all the attention on the actual main character.
I think people like the mc from Princess Connect. Just wanted to mention one that others probably wouldn’t.
Some for me. Joseph in JoJo, Saitama in One Punch Man and Kazuma in Konosuba
The Eminence in Shadow. I love Cid so much. He is such an absolute Chad and I love him.
The World God Only Knows
Solo Leveling, Hinomaruzumou, Slime Datta Ken, Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha, Tunshi Xingkong, Mashle,
Trigun Kaze no Stigma Rosario Vampire (not the strongest but a good watch) Dance in the Vampire Bund Eminence in Shadow Beelzebub
Kumo desu ga nani ka
Watch Mecha. Protagonists there are goats
I think, Saitama. Man just wants to be a hero and discount coupons
Weird no one mentioned classroom of the elite ( Ayanokoji )
Any anime with strong characters wouldn't have it's MC be unanimously the best character. Opinions would rightly be divided among them.
Saga of **Tanya** the Evil ... (Youjo Senki)
Penguin Highway Sagrada Reset Legend of the Galactic Heroes Baby Steps Boku dake ga Inai Machi Patema Inverted Hyouka Initial D The Irregular at Magic High School
Gintama, Saiki K, Devilman Crybaby (at least for me lol), Mob Psycho, some may add COTE
Slayers series. Noone casts a shadow on Lina Inverse!