My Favorites in Anime: My First Top 5!

Greetings, one and all!  Welcome to my first post of September!  Why am I making such a big deal about it?  If you’re new around here, I do annual event for the month of September to celebrate my birthday.  For this year, I’ve decided to do a month of posts dedicated to something that I’ve wanting to do on Hanime on Anime for the longest time now: countdowns!  And in the first of these countdowns you’ll be reading this month, I decided to start off with something simple.  Last year, I dedicated the month of September to my favorite characters in anime.  Based on that list, I decided to rank my top five absolute favorites of all time.  And believe me when I say that was no easy feat.  I also want to note that while I could have done a top ten list, I thought doing a top five would be an easier start-writing wise anyway.  And so, without further adieu, let’s take a look at my top five favorite anime characters of all time!

#5: Cynthia (Pokémon)

Starting off this list is one of the few female anime characters that I can truly call a favorite.  Cynthia serves as the reigning Sinnoh League Champion in the Pokémon Sinnoh series.  What’s especially impressive about this is that she is the first female Champion in the franchise.  Cynthia is overall intelligent and compassionate towards Pokemon and trainers alike, leaving a lasting impression on everyone she comes across.  In fact, she’s made such an impact on the show that she makes a guest appearance in the Unova region arcs of the series as well.  Plus-and probably one of the biggest reasons I like her- she’s a total badass!    And let’s face it, when do we not think of Garchomp and think of her.  Overall-and to quote from Ash himself- “What can you say?  She’s the Champion.”

#4: Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)

Moving right along is not only one of my all-time favorite anti-heroes, but also one of the hottest anime guys you’ll ever find (in my opinion).  But don’t be fooled by his looks, Lelouch is also incredibly smart and a cunning mastermind.  After obtaining the power of Geass from the mysterious C.C., Lelouch goes on to undertake the alter ego Zero and form the terrorist organization the Black Knights as an attempt to exact revenge on his father, the Emperor of the Holy Britanian Empire (yeah, did I forget to mention that Lelouch was a prince?).  Looks aside, I love the fact that Lelouch is such a master strategist.  It’s a neat aspect to a protagonist that I feel is rare and hard to find.  Then again, it’s not any secret that I like anime characters with brains (more on that later).  I also have to give a nod to Johnny Yong Bosch for bringing Lelouch to life in the English dub in one of the finest dubbed performances I’ve ever seen.  Looks, brains, royal blood, leader of a band of terrorists, what more could you want with this guy?

#3 The Major: (Hellsing Ultimate)

Ok, I realize this guy is a Nazi, and there was the Charlottesville riot that was started by a handful of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, but like I said, I like characters with brains-besides, his past as a Nazi is not even discussed only that he was one.  Ranked within the top 5 of Watchmojo.com’s smartest anime villains, the Major should not be underestimated.  Not only is he intelligent, he’s also well spoken, having made some rousing and memorable speeches in Hellsing Ultiamte, especially his famous speech on how he loves the act of war and wants nothing more than to see it continue for generations onward.  Like I said, it’s the smart guys that usually win me over in anime characters.  But strangely enough, the Major is also further proof that my top favorite characters are villains (again, more on that in a minute).  Villains often tend to be one sided and one dimensional characters, but when written well and performed right, they can be more entertaining than the heroes.  And the Major is proof of that.  Well, him and another favorite coming up right about…now.

#2 Naraku (Inuyasha)

Out-ranking the Major by just one spot up in the same Watchmojo.com countdown is this half-demon nightmare from one of my all time favorite anime shows.  Naraku could arguably be as smart as the Major in terms of master planning and speaking, but Naraku’s evil schemes come with a painful twist- and many people who left my outside feedback on Major vs. Naraku post would agree.  Not only do his plans hurt physically, but they also hurt emotionally- just ask Kikyo and Inuyasha.  This dastardly trait is actually one of the reasons why I love this guy.  Naraku is pretty much a villain that you just love to hate.  But he is also in some respects a character you can have some sympathy for, at least in Inyasha: The Final Act.  And let’s face it, Inuyasha may have not been the best anime ever, but it sure had one hell of a villain.  Kinda glad my first favorite anime show came with a fantastic villain.

And before I reveal my number one pick, take a look at some honorable mentions.

 

Alucard (Hellsing & Hellsing Ultimate)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

Satsuki Kiryuin (Kill la Kill) 

#1 Tetsuo Shima (Akira)

I talk constantly how much I love this film, but probably not enough about this character.  Those who have seen Akira know the story: the omega in a biker gang, Tetsuo gains psychic powers and goes on an all-out rampage until he loses control of his new powers.  Tetsuo’s story is a tragic one, but it’s one that’s fascinated and entertained me.  He goes through one of the darkest character transformations-figuratively and literally- I’ve ever seen.  Watching him go from shy outcast to insane villain, and then to giant mutating fetus, is one of the highlights in Akira.  This is so much so that the actual protagonist Kaneda is almost ignored, or at least seen as comic relief.  Still an impactful character now as he was nearly thirty years ago, I definitely kept true to my word when I talked about him last year.  But not only did he make my top three, but also as my number one favorite anime character.

And so that’s my top five favorite characters.  What did you think?  Who are your favorite characters?  Were any of these your favorites?  Let me hear what you’ve got!  Stay tuned next week when I go over some of my all time favorite English dub performances!

-Hanime on Anime