10 Best Greatest Anime Characters Of All Time That You Should Know Update 04/2024

The art of building a strong protagonist is a difficult one.

A performance can be ruined by the tiniest of errors. Like when Black Clover was panned by the anime community because Asta was so unpleasant at first.

Anime MCs, on the other hand, are deserving of recognition.

Anime’s golden instances of main character development are what we’re looking for in this list.

10. Eren Yeager

Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)

Awkward: Attack of the Titans

To be honest, it took a long time for me to warm up to Eren. Levi and Erwin had always piqued my interest the most.

Season four, on the other hand, completely captivated me and elevated Eren to the rank of a household name.

It was, after all, always excellent. Putting Eren’s photo on Twitter was the first time that I found him interesting and wanted to use his picture as my avatar. When it comes to anime fans, that’s the biggest compliment they can give.

Due to his performance in the first three seasons, I’m unable to rate him too highly… But at least the finale placed him into the top 10 of this rating.

9. Nana Osaki

Nana is a character from an anime series.

My friends and family know how much I enjoy this series.

I’ve never seen an anime with such believable and affecting drama as this. As you get older, I think it only gets better!

The Rock Queen Nana was my favorite of the two Nanas, because she was so intriguing to watch.

Insecurities and sensitivities were well-balanced, making her a standout character.

I wouldn’t describe her as perfect or ideal. In fact, she’s so believable flawed that after just a few episodes, I was completely smitten with her.

8. Zoro Roronoa

Roronoa-Zoro-From-One-Piece

One Piece is an anime series.

Even though Zoro was always in second place, he was always #1 in my heart!!

Zoro’s undeniable badassery and toughness were more appealing to me than Luffy’s hopeful ideal.

The guy looks like he’s having the time of his life.

You should never mess with a guy who can wield a sword with his mouth, since he’s an expert swordsman.

The iconic “nothing occurred” scene will undoubtedly go down in anime history as the greatest audience excitement moment ever produced. His endurance and commitment are also fairly remarkable.

7. Kamina

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is an anime.

Kamina has a way of making an impression on me that no other character has.

It took me no more than a few episodes before I started looking for his recognizable specs on eBay.

I was on the verge of becoming an alcoholic when you-know-what-happens.

Just look at the guy’s charisma. When he gives Simon a pep talk, even the audience is inspired.

So inspired that you take 100 selfies, write a book, and finally ask your long-term crush out? No, I’m not talking about that kind of inspired.

6. Gon Freecss

Gon Freecss

Hunter × Hunter (2011)

Gon’s writing doesn’t strike me as particularly inventive. In reality, he adheres to many of the tried and true clichés of a shounen hero…

But with some minor adjustments.

Like other shounen protagonists, he, too, has a glimmer in his eye and an idealistic attitude on life. In reality, though, the narrator kills a lot of people.

It’s not like he’s slaying the ultimate supervillain in order to save the planet, either. The only thing that gets in his way now and again is a worker ant.

It’s safe to say that this tiny guy still has a lot to offer.

5. Edward Elric

“Brotherhood” is a Fullmetal Alchemist anime.

Edward, like Gon, is a shounen protagonist who may appear to be a little boring at first.

However, closer scrutiny reveals that he is not what he appears to be.

Aside from the evident fact that he’s not a muscle-head, the man has a wide range of knowledge that helps him win. A rarity in the world of shounen manga, he’s a devout pacifist who is terrified of dying.

When the occasion calls for it, he can still rock like a badass. Then again, he’s a lot more human than most of his peers.

4. Light Yagami

Yagami Light (Death Note)

Death Note: The Animated Series

Seeing light in all its glory is awe-inspiring.

The character is brilliant in and of himself, and it is his God complex that serves as the story’s driving force.

His demeanor can shift from one extreme to another at any given moment.

His and L’s cat-and-mouse game was one of the most thrilling in anime history. And, like the superb writing, their personas were equally vital to one another.

Light is not a hero in the truest sense of the word. However, as the show’s protagonist, he was fantastic. And it will be remembered for years to come.

3. Rintarou Okabe

Steins;Gate is a popular anime series.

It was my intention to include Okabe as part of my hall of fame psycho genius three, and you’ll see what I mean by that in the next two sections.

However, he is deserving of great acclaim.

The writers did an excellent job of balancing his dual roles as the world’s most charming idiot and a time-traveling lunatic.

Throughout the show, we see his faults, but we also see how devoted he is to the people he cares about, giving him a three-dimensional quality that makes him seem idealistic.

Also, Kurisu is a serious candidate for the position of best in class.

My mad scientist, on the other hand, is significantly more appealing to me.

2. Johan Liebert

Johan Liebert

Monsters Inc.

For 74 episodes, Johan holds the attention of the audience with the promise of being understood, making him one of the best-written antagonists of all time.

Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t appear as frequently as one might expect. Every syllable that he utters becomes a verse in the Bible for some depraved soul in the audience.

He doesn’t completely comprehend himself, which allows the authors to make twists and turns in his brain while we’re all strapped in and screamed on the sociopath roller coaster.

1. Lelouch Lamperouge

Animation: Code Geass.

Here we have Lelouch, king of all anti-hero characters, to complete my psychopathic trilogy.

Lelouch had the strongest grip on my attention and the most gratifying story arc out of all the characters on this list.

If you’re a fan of anime, you should definitely check out this series’ ending and overall story.

And it’s unlikely that he could have been written any other way.

Like Johan and Light, he’s a genius, but he’s not as cold or psychopathic as them. Instead, he’s a true leader at heart who just so happened to earn the authority he needed to effect change.