Top 5 Anime Main Characters

TV & Film

Apr 16

One of the best things about anime is the main characters. They can be everyday humans, aliens, animals, or even elves, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are going to take us on a journey. I wish I could include Goku on this list, but as most Dragon Ball fans know, he really isn’t the greatest once you get to the later episodes of Dragon Ball Z. Let’s take a look at five of the best anime main characters!

5. Thorfinn – 'Vinland Saga'

Thorfinn is one of the characters that goes through so much you don’t understand how they haven’t gone crazy yet. After losing his dad and being kidnapped, Thorfinn swears that he will avenge his father even if it means giving his life. He is a small boy when the anime starts, and by the time you reach the end of season one, you have seen him change so much! His best character moments are in season two though when we see him as an adult grappling with the choices his younger self made. He is easily one of the best and most unique main characters in anime.

Vinland Saga is available to stream on Netflix.

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4. Izuku Midoriya – 'My Hero Academia'

Izuku is the person that we all wish Goku had grown into. He starts out as a naive child who wants nothing more than to have a quirk so that he can be a superhero. By the end of the most recent season though he is a broken person who has sacrificed everything to keep the ones he loves most safe. Although he goes through some pretty dark changes, he never quits being a hero. He breaks his body over and over again just to save those that need him even if he doesn’t know them. His naivety only adds to how endearing of a character he is.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

3. Akira Tendou – 'Zom 100: Bucketlist Of The Dead'

Akira is a unique main character. He is overworked and wants nothing more than to just stay in his apartment, drink beer, and watch movies. His wish is kind of granted when the zombie apocalypse hits Japan. While it seems weird for him to be celebrating the apocalypse, you fully relate to him after seeing everything he has gone through. He begins a list of things that he wants to do before he becomes a zombie, and while the list starts out silly with things like “try facial hair” and “wine and dine flight attendants” they quickly become more heartwarming. He adds “thank my parents” and “become a superhero” to the list, and we see him evolve into an incredibly kind and selfless character who decides that he is going to save the planet by discovering a cure for the zombie virus.

Zom 100: Bucketlist of the Dead is available to stream on Netflix and Crunchyroll.

2. Maomao – 'The Apothecary Diaries'

Maomao is a character that is very similar to Akira in the sense that she has a unique sense of humor about the things happening around her. She is an apothecary in training when she is kidnapped and sold to the palace. Due to her training and obsession with poisons, she is immune to many of them and quickly becomes an important member of the palace’s staff. She also begins solving crimes around the palace. As her character develops, we get to see her become more confident in herself, but she also begins to change the characters around her in amazing ways.

The Apothecary Diaries is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

1. Tohru Honda – 'Fruits Basket'

Tohru may not be everyone’s first choice for the best main character in an anime, but she is mine! Not only has she been through more than most people could imagine, but she keeps a smile on her face and always does her best to help those around her. When she discovers the truth about the Soma family, she doesn’t share it and instead swears to help them break a curse that is believed to be unbreakable. One of the reasons that she is the best is because rather than becoming someone stronger or more positive like most other characters, she instead has to learn how to cry and ask for help. Her character development is actually about her learning that it is okay to not be strong all the time, and to me, that is amazing.

Fruits Basket is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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