Initially, I intended it to merely
be a Top 10 anime characters list – regardless of being heroes, anti-heroes or
villains, like what I did with my top 10 comic book characters list. However, I decided to try something new, to
make a respective 10 for protagonists and antagonists. Note: Though the main factor is the depiction
of the characters in the anime, I also give some consideration to those parts
of the character’s characterization and performance which have been omitted in
the anime but are in the manga in my evaluation of the characters for the top
10 lists.
Let us start first with the
protagonists… Making this list, I realized that I’m drawn to anime characters
that are cool, smart, have swords, or/and have guns.
10.) TOKIYA MIKAGAMI (“Flame of Recca”)
Shinichiro Kudo a.k.a. Conan Edogawa
has all the right to get this spot since he’s one of the greatest fictional detectives in my book. However, the
ridiculous and unnecessary “turning into a child” thing about the character
annoys me greatly. Also, I’ve already
analyzed Kudo/Conan before in my top 10 fictional detectives list. So, I have to give this spot to the character
that follows closely behind Kudo in my personal fave anime characters list; if
Kudo is 10A, Tokiya Mikagami from “Flame of Recca” is 10B. So number 10 goes to Mikagami. Mikagami, or Dylan in the Filipino dub,
possesses my most favorite Madogu (psychic or elemental weapons that powers
most of the combatant characters in “Flame of Recca”), the Ensui – a sword
handle that forms its blade by the use of water. Mikagami’s character is a perfect fit for
Ensui. With the technique of Hyomon Ken,
Mikagami is able to manipulate Ensui well, utilizing the water and ice
abilities of the Madogu. Among the
members of Team Hokage, Mikagami is definitely the smartest and most
cold-blooded. In a fight, Mikagami is a calculative
tactician and treats opponents equally, thus, he has no reservations on taking
down a female opponent.
9.) VASH THE STAMPEDE (“Trigun”)
At face value, Vash has one of
the coolest get-ups or appearances found in anime. Just one look at him and you can easily tell
that he’s one kickass, badass dude. And
the appearance is not at all deceiving.
At the first episode, we learn how awesome he is when the fact that he’s
a guy with a high bounty on his head was presented. And then we got acquainted with his
superhuman agility, reflexes, and eyesight, which are combined with his
superior gunslinging skills. More than
that, the reason the anime is titled “trigun” is because Vash has three guns in
his disposal: his revolver, a cybernetic left arm that turns to a machine gun,
and his “Angel Arm” – his right arm, when activated by his revolver, turns into
a powerful cannon that can level cities with a single blast.
8.) LEORIO PALADIKNIGHT (“Hunter
X Hunter”)
Leorio has one of the coolest
names I’ve ever encountered in fiction. Though he’s probably the weakest in spite of
being the oldest among the four main characters of “Hunter X Hunter”, I still
like him the most. Maybe because I’m a
sucker for guys with sunglasses. Or
maybe because he doesn’t balk or give up even when faced with overwhelming odds
in battle (like when he boldly faced Hisoka, earning the murderer’s
respect). He is also very loyal to his friends,
and being the oldest, acts like a big brother to them. He has some skills in weapons and is a
talented haggler.
7.) HIEI (“Yu Yu Hakushu”)
Yu Yu Hakushu or Ghost Fighter,
as it was entitled when I first encountered it, is the first anime of its kind
that I have watched. Hiei or Vincent (in
the Filipino-dub) was my favorite character from that anime. His charm was probably having characteristics
– black spirit power, monster background, etc. – that were more usual in a
villain than a hero. But that
clicked. When I first saw Vincent’s body
covered with eyes, I found it cool and appealing of the character. Moreover, I really loved Vincent’s
swordmanship. I would encounter plenty
of “fast skilled swordsman”-type of anime characters, but Vincent was the
first.
6.) ROROANA ZORO (“One Piece”)
Zoro is the unofficial first mate
of the Straw Hat Pirates. It is presumed
that Zoro is the second strongest among the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy being the
strongest. What makes him unique among
swordsman characters is his ability to use three swords at once – with the
third one being held by his mouth.
That’s one totally badass dude.
5.) YOICHI HIRUMA (“Eyshield 21”)
Hiruma is the quarterback and
leader of the Deimon Devil Bats. Though Kobayakawa
Sena – the Eyeshield 21 – is the story’s main character and team MVP, it can’t
be denied that Hiruma is the reason of the team’s success. He is the brains of the Devil Bats and the
one who assembled such unique, diverse, and talented team. Though Hiruma is not exceptionally
athletic, his main asset is his tactical and cunning mind. He loves using psychological warfare and
running trick plays, and more often than not, his plans and manipulations work
to the advantage of the team. He knows
well how to analyze and evaluate the talents and abilities of both his
teammates and opponents, thus, he knows what plans to draw up to both perfectly
utilize the strengths of his teammates and to attempt to exploit the weaknesses
of his opponents. During the last story
arc, when Japan created an all-star team, Hiruma was the undisputed
leader/mastermind/coach of the all-star team, having the freedom to run the
plays and use the combination of players he wanted. Being able to operate like a chess player
with the other players willing to be his chess pieces showed how much the other
players acknowledge his genius.
4.) HATAKE KAKASHI (“Naruto”)
Kakashi has probably the richest
arsenal of ninja techniques in the anime Naruto. Having a Sharingan eye (gifted by his late
friend Obito to him), he was able to copy around one thousand techniques. He’s also an intelligent tactician (rivaled
probably only by Shikamaru Nara and his father) and calm combatant. His personality is that of a cool and detach
one, but still cheerful. But being
versatile is not the only reason for me to like the character. What’s special about him is his
character. Though he has a great
reputation and plenty of talents as a ninja, he remains modest. Moreover, he highly gives importance to
teamwork and loyalty to friends and teammates above anything else. Usually, a very talented or powerful anime
character prefers (or is preferred by the creator or/and audience) to fight his
opponents alone. But in Kakashi’s case,
even though he has the qualities of the powerful/talented anime character
stereotype, because of his value for teamwork, he makes us appreciate the idea that
there is more glory and appeal in fighting opponents as a team.
3.) HIMURA KENSHIN (“Samurai X”)
Not only is he my most favorite
samurai in fiction, but he’s my most favorite fictional character that wields a
sword. For most of my childhood, Kenshin
is my most favorite anime character. At
that time, he was the deepest anime character I’ve ever encountered. And his convictions are very admirable. The way he fights is such a joy to watch, there’s
a beautiful mix of grace and lethality in it.
But he does it in a way without having to kill his opponents. After being known as a legendary and
dangerous assassin “Hitokiri Battosai” during the Meiji Revolution, he grew
weary of killing and found appreciation of life, thus, he vowed never to kill
again. In his personal path for
self-redemption, he now uses his skills to help those in need and fight for the
weak that are oppressed by wicked people.
With the use of a “reverse-edged” sword, Kenshin manages to fight
utilizing his awesome sword skills without having to break his vow of
non-killing.
2.) LELOUCH LAMPEROUGE a.k.a.
ZERO (“Code Geass”)
The greatest anime series I’ve ever encountered (so far) is Code Geass.
Lelouch Lamperouge, or Lelouch vi Brittania (his real name), is one of
the most compelling fictional characters ever created. Donning a cape and a mask, Lelouch takes the
identity of Zero. He’s just a mere teenager
but he has such a genius tactical and manipulative mind that allows him to formulate
mindblowing and brilliant plans and strategies and execute them
efficiently. Not all his plans work, but
he is able to make a comeback from his failures until he actually wins. Though Lelouch has shown some motivations for
noble reasons, his main motivations remain selfish and vengeful (although, we
might be able to say that he has redeemed himself in the end), making his noble
reasons seem insincere and mere guises. He
is very manipulative; and though he has a conscience, his desire for revenge is
stronger than it, thus, he is ready to use anybody for his own purposes. Through his alter ego Zero, Lelouch has created
the Black Knights to be his “chess pieces” for taking on the mighty Brittanian
Empire. Dependent on Zero’s leadership,
the Black Knights had successes and slowly but steadily grew in power. Lelouch also possesses a Geass which grants
him the power of mind control, enhancing the extent of his manipulations.
1.) GENJO SANZO (“Gensomaden
Saiyuki”)
When I wrote a list of my favorite fictional characters years ago, the “most fave anime/manga character”
went to Genjyo Sanzo. Having encountered
several animes and anime characters since then, Sanzo remained as number one to
me. Gensomaden Saiyuki’s four main
characters are the coolest foursome ever in fiction. There’s an overflowing amount of swag in
them. And the best among them is the
leader Sanzo. Genjyo is rational, indifferent,
and cold (though quick-tempered when he’s annoyed by Goku and Gojyo), and,
reflecting the general attitude of his group, has the confidence that all
opponents and obstacles can be overcome no matter how difficult (even gods!). Possessing a revolver and the Maten Sutra,
which neutralizes demons thoroughly, Sanzo is one mean, badass monk you don’t
want to mess with.
At the case of antagonists, the
villains that appeal to me are a pretty diverse bunch. Common things among them are pretty
small. Some are totally evil. Some are antagonists, but only because of the
context of the story. Some have been able
to aid the protagonists. Anti-hero-type antagonists
and competent deep villains interest me.
But I don’t like the type of villains that, though perfect as villains, are too disgusting already (like Koran Mori from “Flame of Recca”, especially
after he bonded with the Tendo Jigoku) to be fascinating.
10.) KUREI MORI (“Flame of
Recca”)
Kurei was introduced as the main
bad guy, with his foster father Koran Mori, at the start of the story and was
the prominent main villain during the first half of the story. Though Kurei would progress on to become more
of an anti-hero later on, he still remained vengeful, dangerous, ruthless and
callous. In fact, he’s only an ally to
Recca in the sense that they now shared a common enemy (Koran Mori). But as Kurei promised, he would deal with
Recca after he’s done with his foster father.
Still, there always remain a respect and sense of brotherhood between
Recca nad Kurei. I actually find
Kurei’s flame more fascinating than Recca’s.
Kurei’s takes the form of a phoenix, which is able to absorb souls and
make them his flame as what he has done with his lover Kurenai and his ally
Jisho. I like Kurei with a full mask on,
since it makes him more sinister.
9.) FLEET ADMIRAL SAKAZUKI,
formerly ADMIRAL AKAINU (“One Piece”)
Even when he was first introduced
as an admiral, I found Akainu (I’m still not used with “Sakazuki”) to be the
most ruthless and has the makings of a perfect main villain among the three
Navy admirals (while Kuzan has the most potential of favoring Luffy and crew). Akainu’s Spartan disposition leads him to
commit harsh acts like killing the fan favorite Portgas D. Ace and destroying a
ship of refugees because of the small possibility that a target is hiding on
board. Akainu is also the only one who
was able to break Luffy’s spirit (after killing Ace), as well as giving Luffy
an X-shaped scar on the chest. His
volcanic power is a perfect fit for his character. Hands down, among all the One Piece
antagonists, he’s the best.
8.) OROCHIMARU (“Naruto”)
Even if you don’t know a thing
about Naruto, just one look at Orochimaru and one can see he’s the villain of
the story. His appearance is first class
villain material: pale skin, malicious snake eyes, and a dark dangerous
smile. Even his hissy voice is perfect
for a villain. And, moreover, his ninja techniques
are evil, as he has such techniques like summoning snakes and manipulating the
dead. He greatly lusts for personal
power and doesn’t care whoever or whatever he needs to destroy to get it. He commits dastardly things with no
hesitation to get what he wants which include but not limited to performing
evil experiments on people (even children!), murder, slavery, and treachery. Personally,
I find Orochimaru a more interesting villain than Tobi though the latter is filled
with mystery and twists. Orochimaru has a
straight-on, hard boiled pure evil in him.
7.) EVIL BUU/SUPER BUU/KID BUU ("Dragon Ball Z")
No doubt that the most powerful
and most interesting villain in Dragon Ball Z is Super Buu. As the product of Evil Buu eating Good Buu
(Majin Buu), Super Buu would go on causing great devastation – more than any
other Dragon Ball villain before him has done – on the planet with his
tremendous power. He is greatly
empowered by his anger and destructive nature, and he’s very cunning as well,
being able to find ways to turn the tide against his opponents when the fight
is not going his way. He has a wide
range of powers and abilities which includes different kinds of ki or energy
attacks, manipulation and regeneration of his body due to his physical make-up,
turning people into food, and absorption.
With his ability to absorb people, by either turning them to food or by
using a part of his gooey pink composition, he is able to grow stronger with
each absorption. He was able to absorb
Goten and Trunks (Gotenks), Piccolo, and Gohan during his run. Though Vegeta and Goku managed to free the
absorbed ones from Super Buu, turning him to Kid Buu, he remained completely
dangerous and powerful.
5.) & 6.) TOGORU BROTHERS ("Yu Yu Hakushu")
The 5th and 6th
spots go to the Togoru Brothers. Who's 5th and who's 6th? Either
way will do. Though they have different motivations and
personalities, their notoriety is enhanced as a package. Both brothers have very interesting
abilities. The Elder Togoru has total
control of his body that he can manipulate and shape-shift, thus he can sharpen
body parts, elongate, create a dummy of himself, regenerate, and even move
internal organs around his body. The
Younger Togoru can manipulate how much percentage of his power he will release,
ranging from 0% to 120%; as percentage increases, his muscles thicken and
enlarge and his appearance proportionately change to be more demon-like. Remember that Yu Yu Hakushu was the first
anime that I had followed, and after having watched plenty of animes since
then, the Togoru brothers charm as villains are rarely surpassed.
4.) GIN ICHIMARU ("Bleach")
“Bleach” has several solid
villains. Ichigo and the other Shinigamis
taking on Hallows and Arrancars are fun to see (yep, I don’t like the Bounts). Sosuke Aizen is an intriguing antagonist due
to the character’s awesome 180 degrees turn from kindly and nice brotherly
figure to being the ruthless and cunning main villain as a twist. But, still, in spite of that, I still find
Gin Ichimaru a more fascinating character.
To be fair, maybe indeed Aizen is the better villain objectively and I just
really like the Ichimaru character so much.
Nonetheless, I would still give this spot to Ichimaru (it’s my list
after all. I can do what I want!). Prior to the revelation of Aizen faking his
murder and actually being the manipulative mastermind behind the conspiracy, it
was being suggested that Ichimaru was the traitor inside Gotei 13 and is going
to be the main antagonist in the story.
Aizen would eventually turn out to be the main villain and Gin merely a
subordinate, but still, there is a nagging feeling in me that there could be something
more to Gin. He’s such a rich and interesting
character since he was introduced, because of the sense of mystery wrapped
around the character. And then in Bleach’sbiggest twist (so far), it is revealed that Gin only joined Aizen so he can
kill him. Yes, for years, Gin pretended to
be Aizen’s ally and lackey so he can get his trust and learn his weakness. So when the perfect opportunity arises, he
can have the pleasure of killing him. It
was for the sake of avenging what Aizen did to the only person he cared for,
Rangiku Matsumoto. It’s not completely
revealed what Aized did though, but it was enough to make Gin Ichimaru vow
revenge and formulate such elaborate plan to take down Aizen. Gin would fail in killing Aizen, but, still,
what he did is a proof that he’s an awesome character. If that’s not a good enough reason for you,
let me add the fact that his Shikai’s ability is to extend its blade like a
boss.
3.) AGON KONGO ("Eyeshield 21")
In a story with a sport context,
usually, antagonists are only “antagonists” in the sense of being competitors
and opponents of the main character/s or main characters’ team – “antagonists”
only because they play against the “protagonists”. In fact, the word “antagonist” seems to be
too much to describe them since they are merely competing and not
antagonizing. But, indeed, there are
competitors who are jerks and dirty in their games, so having the word
“antagonists” fits them. One such in
“Eyeshield 21” is Agon Kongo. He’s not a
dirty player, since he doesn’t need to be so because his talents are more than
enough. But he is vicious, and delights
in overwhelming and destroying his opponents.
Agon is a genius, in which he finds it easy and natural to learn skills
and be athletic. He possesses natural athleticism,
speed, intelligence, and strength, and though he’s lazy and doesn’t train, his
skills are still far better than those who train extensively (like his twin
brother Unsui). He possesses an innate
talent called “God’s impulse” which allows him to understand and learn
difficult physical movements and activities in a short span of time. “God’s Impulse” also gave him a superhuman
muscular memory and reaction time that allows him to move and react against
opponents with great haste. Because of
these natural talents that he possesses, Agon is extremely arrogant and has a strong
superiority complex and treats everyone as mere “worthless trash”. However, this arrogance is not of
overconfidence but just based on the fact that he’s actually superior. Nonetheless, after his team got defeated by
the Deimon Devil Bats, Agon began training profusely everyday in his desire to
beat them next time, which would be considered a progress with Agon’s
attitude. Agon also started showing some
signs of ability to care for a team (though, maybe, still selfish in
motivation) and his teammates during his stint with the All-Japan team. At the end of the manga, Agon is showed to
have joined Hiruma, Akaba, Yamato, and Taka in college to form a powerhouse team.
2.) SHISHIO MAKOTO ("Samurai X")
Shishio could be the most popular
and most iconic villain from Samurai X.
Being burned alive and surviving it, Shishio covered his entire body
with bandages to hide his disfigured appearance, which gave him a badass mummy
look. Shishio is a ruthless, coldblooded
sociopath and believes that the weak only lives for the benefit of the strong. He is crafty, intelligent, and a very
talented swordsman. However, he can
only fight for a maximum of 25 minutes because of the danger of overheating due
to having no sweat glands. He is shown
to have the ability to neutralize his opponent’s abilities after seeing it in
action. What makes him more badass than
he already was is that though he failed in his attempt to take over the
Japanese government, he seems to have continued his aspirations in the
afterlife, by deciding to take over Hell (seriously, it was implied in the
anime).
1.) HISOKA ("Hunter X Hunter")
Hisoka is a very fascinating
character. His personality is that of a
jester, cheerful killer. He’s very
cruel, deceitful, and dramatic. He’s
completely egocentric and would only do something if it interests him. He’s an extremely strong combatant who
delights in killing. However, he obtains
his greatest pleasure from fighting and killing powerful fighters. He has great instinct in judging somebody’s
strength and potential. Therefore, when
he perceives someone having the potential to be a powerful fighter someday, he
would allow them to live even though he can easily kill them, and will wait
until they reach their full strength to challenge them. He calls these potential targets as “unripe
fruit” and such was the case with the four main protagonists of Hunter X
Hunter. What I like most about Hisoka is
his uniqueness from other villains.
While typical villains have motivations of revenge or lust for power or
“taking over the world”, Hisoka’s motivation is mainly based on his
self-interest and lust for the thrill of fighting and killing (especially
strong opponents).
5 comments:
now, I've just realised that hisoka is the biggest, the most fascinating, yet bizarre anti-hero in anime history, you are already described, thanks for the great article sir.
I am so agree about hisoka as the best antagonist character, and what you have wrote about him
Johan Liebert (Monster)anyone? The best antagonist for me...There's something in his scarily unfathomable nature that makes him the best...
what about alucard?
Ah, yes. Alucard is indeed awesome. But I made this list before I got to read and watch the Hellsing manga/anime.
He, however, made my "Top 10 Vampire Hunters" list - http://bernel.blogspot.com/2012/08/top-10-vampire-hunters.html
Post a Comment