Anime, like any medium, is at its best when it’s telling a story with a great cast of characters; a show or movie can have great action and animation from start to finish, but if the characters aren’t fun to watch, that will only take things so far before people get bored and move on to something with more substance.
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The best anime are the ones with the best characters, and it’s to the point that the popularity of some characters will transcend anime to make them cultural icons. A few characters especially stand out, as it’s hard to see them as anything other than the most popular anime characters of all time.
10) Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Haruhi Suzumiya is, naturally, one of the main characters of Kyoto Animation’s The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi is an eccentric young girl who creates a club dedicated to finding the supernatural, unaware that most of her friends are the supernatural entities she has been looking for, who have come together to observe Haruhi and her godlike powers.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was once the most popular anime in the world, and much of that can be attributed to how fun Haruhi is, all while boasting an adorable design. The love for Haruhi even sparked a jokingly named religion called “Haruhiism”, and that’s probably the best indication of how much of an icon she once was.
9) Himmel (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
Himmel the Hero is a major character in Madhouse’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End as the hero who saved the world from the Demon King. Decades later, Himmel died peacefully of old age, and his death inspired Frieren to go on a journey to learn how to understand people better, thus making him responsible for the entire plot.
While Himmel dies very early in Frieren, the incredible amount of depth he’s given in and out of flashbacks has done wonders to make him just as endearing as the main cast. In Japan, there’s a meme of prefacing doing a good deed by saying it’s what Himmel would do, and that says a lot about how big he’s become.
8) Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Usagi Tsukino is the protagonist of Toei Animation’s Sailor Moon. When monsters start attacking her city, Usagi is given the power to turn into the eponymous Sailor Moon, and it isn’t long before she finds more Sailor Scouts like her and leads them in one fight against evil after another.
Sailor Moon was one of the most popular anime of the ’90s, and much of that can be attributed to Usagi’s fun and relatable personality and the growth shown in her relationships and as an individual. 30 years later, Sailor Moon is still constantly referenced in and out of anime, and that wouldn’t have happened if not for Usagi.
7) Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba)
Tanjiro Kamado is the main character of Ufotable’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. After his family is killed by demons and his sister, Nezuko, is turned into a demon, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human and help rid the world of demons, once and for all.
Demon Slayer is the biggest anime of the decade, and much of that is owed to how likable Tanjiro is as a protagonist, thanks to his strength, unwavering determination, and, most importantly, his unparalleled kindness and empathy. Japanese school kids reportedly say they look up to Tanjiro more than anyone, and that perfectly encapsulates how endearing he’s become.
6) Anpanman (Soreike! Anpanman)
Anpanman is the eponymous hero of TMS Entertainment’s Soreike! Anpanman. Anpanman is a superhero with a red bean paste bun—an “anpan”—for a head, and every day, he acts as a symbol of justice who protects the world from evil, most typically his archenemy, the anthropomorphic alien germ named Baikinman.
With his cute design and the fun, episodic stories he stars in, Anpanman is one of Japan’s most popular mascot characters, with him having countless merchandise items and even inspiring the design of Saitama from One-Punch Man. Anpanman might not have mainstream appeal outside Japan, but it’s hard to deny the impact it’s had on Japanese culture as a whole.
5) Astro Boy (Astro Boy)
Astro Boy is the eponymous hero of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy. Astro Boy was created as a failed attempt to replace the late son of Dr. Tenma, but while Tenma abandoned him, Astro soon found friends and family who would accept him, and he now dedicates his time to protecting them and the world they live in.
Astro Boy was incredibly popular for essentially being a fun superhero character, and because of his popularity, anime blew up in popularity to become a mainstay before slowly evolving into a cultural juggernaut. Osamu Tezuka is known as the godfather of manga, and it’s safe to say that Astro Boy was the biggest reason he earned that title.
4) Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
Char Aznable is the main antagonist of Sunrise’s Mobile Suit Gundam and many of its sequels and spin-offs. Char is the deadliest pilot in the Principality of Zeon and their strongest fighter in the One Year War, although Char has his own agenda that puts him in conflict with Zeon and Amuro Ray, the pilot of the Earth Federation’s Gundam.
With his great fight scenes, charismatic personality, and surprisingly deep character work, Char is not only one of the most popular characters in Gundam, but also one of the most iconic characters in mecha anime, in general. Even after 45 years, nearly every Gundam anime has a character invoking Char’s archetype, and that’s not going to stop anytime soon.
3) Doraemon (Doraemon)
Doraemon is the eponymous hero of Shin-Ei Animation’s Doraemon. When Nobita Nobi grows up to be such a loser that it hurts his descendants’ lives, Nobita’s great-great-grandson sends the robotic cat Doraemon to the past to improve Nobita’s life, although it’s hardly as smooth as either of them would have wanted it to be.
Between the easy accessibility of the story and how adorable Doraemon’s design is, Doraemon has always been a mainstay in Japanese culture, and Doraemon himself has become something of a mascot for Japan. It’s hard to find an anime or manga that doesn’t reference Doraemon at some point, and that’s an honor that few other stories can claim in earnest.
2) Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
Monkey D. Luffy is the main character of Toei Animation’s One Piece. Luffy travels the seas as a pirate to search for the legendary One Piece and become the Pirate King, and while Luffy might be an inexperienced rookie with a body made of rubber, he’ll slowly grow to have a better chance of doing it than anyone.
As One Piece has grown into one of the biggest anime franchises in history, Luffy has similarly skyrocketed in popularity, with his fun and charismatic personality and fighting style resonating with countless people worldwide. Luffy and One Piece, in general, have become the face of shonen anime, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
1) Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
Son Goku is the protagonist of Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball and its various sequels. Goku is introduced as an odd boy with a monkey tail and a love for fighting, and as Goku grows into adulthood, he learns of his true identity as an alien called a Saiyan and the scale of his battles has gotten increasingly large ever since.
Dragon Ball is, undeniably, one of the biggest anime of all time, and that’s led to Goku becoming a cultural icon and the inspiration for countless dimwitted, yet kindhearted heroes in the years to follow. Modern anime would be unrecognizable without Dragon Ball and Goku, and that makes it easy to call Goku the most popular anime character in history.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
