Ghostlightning made an interesting post on favorite anime characters over at THAT Anime Blog.  I originally thought to post a comment in response, but then I decided it would be better as it’s own post.  Maybe you’re all interested in my choice of characters as well.  GL presents two categories: Complex and Admirable.  I would like to add Entertaining as well.  Let’s face it, sometimes you like a character because no matter what they do, they look awesome and steal the show.  This list does contain some spoilers.  So without any further ado, here is my top 10 list of favorite characters, and the reason for their selection.

Eikichi Onizuka - GTO - Complex

He is definitely not the greatest man in the world by moral standards.  He used to be a delinquent, he drinks, he smokes, he’s a womanizer.  But he also cares deeply about his students and always looks out for their well being, even if they do him wrong.  I would have loved to have him as a teacher.  He’s a case study in judging people based on their appearance, rather than their ability.

Masamune Date - Sengoku Basara - Entertaining

Every time Masamune comes on screen, something amazing happens.  Whether he’s riding on his motorcycle horse, dropping boisterous lines to rally the troops, or launching his latest electrically charged attack, he does it all with style.  The guy oozes charisma, even when he’s lying wounded on the ground.  The eyepatch and awesome headgear helps his image as well.

Maka Albarn - Soul Eater - Admirable

She’s not this overly sexed up heroine like you see in so many series.  She’s a girl who likes to read books.  Maka has her compassionate side, which I’m convinced she could use to befriend anyone.  She also isn’t afraid to toss off orders because of things more important.  Add to it the patience of a saint for having to deal with Soul all day every day, and you have quite an admirable character.

Firo Prochaineze - Baccano! - Admirable

He’s probably the closest thing to a gentleman on my list.  Even at his young age, he acts quite mature and becomes an executive of his mafia family.  He has exceptional skill with the knife, but he never lets his abilities go to his head.  Firo goes way out of his way to help others at his own inconvenience.  He even has an unfortunate run-in with the law in order to protect the woman he loves.  Of course, he can be a bit cocky too, especially if you look down on him.

Kamina - TTGL - Complex (surprise?)

Ghostlighning said it best, he’s a “courageous moron.”  Never tell him the odds, because he’ll simply brush it aside and charge straight into battle anyway.  Even if he’s going to lose, he’d rather fail than not even try at all.  His bravado hides his own insecurities though.  He projects this strong will because he has to motivate the troops for battle.  Really, he fears death.  When a cave-in threatened to kill him, he froze up.  He truly believes in Simon, his friend and companion who saved him that day, to the point he uses his last ounce of energy to protect him.

Manami Amamiya - Manabi Straight - Admirable

In a veritable sea of pessimism, Manami remains the only optimist.  I’d really call her a super optimist.  Her cheerful demeanor motivates an entire school to join together for a single cause: holding a school festival.  She has a unique way of looking at the world, seeing the “big picture” all the time.  Her little eccentricities, like running in order to think, make her all the more endearing.

Kazuma Kuwabara - Yu Yu Hakusho - Complex

He’s a delinquent who acts a lot like Kamina in his sheer determination.  He never quite measures up to the ability of his comrades, but he makes up for it by never giving up.  His sheer force of will and refusal to fail allows him to overcome impossible obstacles.  Despite his tough exterior, he is easily the nicest out of the quartet of heroes, and has a soft spot for cats  Kuwabara sits out the final arc of the series.  Why?  Because he finally decided he wants to do something with his life by pursuing an education, and he succeeds.  Good on him.

Haruko Haruhara - FLCL - Entertaining

Haruko is quite the “over-the-top” character.  Crazy things follow her everywhere, and she instigates most of it.  She makes her big debut by hitting the main character… with her bike. Shoot, her guitar acts as both a gun and a rocket launcher, how cool is that?  And the family cat?  She uses it as a telephone.  Her spastic craziness and overwhelming personality really drive FLCL for me.

Hiiragi - Hanamaru Kindergarten - Entertaining

Hiiragi is the precocious child in series’ trio.  Fortunately, she uses her massive knowledge for awesome.  When the other character’s have a problem, she delivers a solution.  The solution makes sense, in a child-like way, and shenanigans ensue.  I wonder if she does it all for her own amusement.  She also enjoys cosplay, and it’s nigh impossible not to “D’awww” at her when she reveals her latest outfit.

T.K. - Angel Beats - Entertaining

He speaks in broken English phrases.  He spends the majority of his screen time dancing.  And every time he comes on camera?  Yeah, he steals the show.  Even sitting in the background, he’s usually doing something to take your eyes off the main characters.  T.K. has an entirely one dimensional personality, and I love him for it.  He’s also the only character I really wish I knew more about.

Closing Statistics

Since GL was looking for some sort of correlation in character selection, here’s some number crunching.  Entertaining characters make up the plurality of my list, with 4 selections, while Complex and Admirable characters split the remainder.  I tend to like characters from series I like, as 4 of the top 10 are characters in my top 5 favorite anime, and 1 is from my top 5 manga.  All the characters from my top series are the main character as well, except for Kuwabara.  I prefer “determinator” type characters who never give up even against impossible odds: they account for 6 slots on the list.

So that’s that.  Hopefully this gave you a good viewpoint toward my preferences in anime characters.  I enjoyed putting this post together.  If you’ve got a bunch of characters you really appreciate, I encourage you to either comment or write a post of your own.