Ah, anime main characters. Fans love to love them, and they love to hate them. But what features would define a “good” anime MC, or a “bad” one? I made a list of five great anime main characters whose stories I enjoy watching unfold, and five “bad” anime main characters who we’d probably be better off without.
First, let’s define what elements I might look for in an anime main character, so I can quantify how I’m choosing these characters. Some of these include:
- Is the MC a generic, one-dimensional character created solely so fans can self-insert?
- Does the character go on a journey or change in any way? Does he have faults or weaknesses that he works hard to fix?
- Does he have empathy for others, and try to help other people when they need him?
The Five Worst Anime Main Characters!
Ichika Orimura from Infinite Stratos. This is “a harem anime that could be created with a harem anime-generating algorithm,” so naturally it’s silly to expect great things from Ichika. He’s just about the most boring and generic harem MC ever, and doesn’t deserve all those great waifus he’s surrounded by.
Kirito Kirigaya from SAO. Why is Kirito so frustrating as a character? He’s a Gary Stu who can achieve any goal easily because the writer believes that most of his readers are NEETs who want to pretend to fight battles vicariously through his light novels. The most frustrating thing is how each time a new girl enters Kirito’s life, the existing girls get relegated to side squeeze status…even Asuna.
Another problem with Sword Art Online is that it just goes on and on and on. This is because the show is made by Aniplex which is owned by Sony, a company that can’t not run any profitable IP into the ground when they get one.
Read my blog post about how Sony conquered anime here!
Kodaka Hasegawa from Haganai. Kodaka should be an interesting character, because of his frustration at becoming a social outcast because of his blonde hair, making people think that he’s a yankii thug when he’s really half Japanese/half British. But he has no redeeming characteristics, doesn’t think of the feelings of the girls in his harem and doesn’t make a move to support the girl who needs him the most, Yozora.
Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. While we’d all love to find out our father is secretly developing a giant robot for us to pilot then learn we’ll be living with a hot redhead and an alcoholic cougar, Shinji is one of the most frustrating characters in Evangelion. Of course this is fulfilling the “main character is far less interesting than all the side characters” trope that is a time-honored part of anime, but it’s still a challenge to feel sympathy for him.
What did I think of the final Evangelion movie? Read my blog post here!
Makoto Itou from School Days. It can’t be denied: Makoto from School Days and Shiny Days is a bastard, having sex with two girls at once in a sad love triangle, then helping himself to a dozen or so other girls on the side.
If you’ve only watched the anime, you’ll probably hate Makoto unreservedly, because of what a jerk he is throughout the 12 episodes of the series. But the game is quite different, since the fully animated visual novel is around 30 hours of playtime with 21 routes, giving lots of time for Makoto to develop relationships with side characters who only appear on screen for a short time in the series. If you haven’t played School Days or the non-violent prequel Shiny Days, find them on the site here!
Is the School Days anime responsible for all the hate the NTR genre gets? Here’s another blog post!
The Five Best Anime MCs!
Hachiman Hikigaya from Oregairu. I like Hikki because he’s a very relatable character: a smart but socially awkward young man who hides his anxiety in deep cynicism. But when the time comes to make the girl he loves happy, he cheerfully takes a step into the world of ria-juu (happy normies with girlfriends).
Koyomi Araragi from Monogatari Series. A great series about the main character who needs to help a bunch of girls fix their supernatural problems so he can get back to dating his straight-haired kuu-dere girlfriend. Because this series has been around for so long (and supposedly won’t be completed until 2030), we have lots of opportunities to see what kind of anime main character Araragi-kun is. His most important character trait is the empathy he feels for all the girls around him, always happy to help them with whatever curse they’ve gotten mixed up in. He even cares about his little sister’s dental hygiene!
Sakuta Azusagawa from Seishun Buta Yarou. A great series about a main character who needs to help a bunch of girls fix their supernatural problems so he can get back to dating his straight-haired kuu-dere girlfriend. I positively love this show for its unforgettable characters and story arcs. I also appreciate that Sakuta is just like any of us, always trying to get into the panties of his cute girlfriend. Wouldn’t you, if you were him?
Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass. A legendary anime that everyone should experience, Lelouche works hard to find a way to free his country from the clutches of the evil Britannia. He realizes that the only way the world can be healed is if everyone is united against a hated villain, so he becomes that villain. Kind of reminds me of certain world events taking place right now.
Rudius Greyrat from Mushoku Tensei. Literally one of the best-structured isekai stories ever, Jobless Reincarnation is the story of a NEET who is almost impossible for us to feel sympathy for…until we learn the sad events that made him turn away from society. When he dies he gets reincarnated into a world of magic, where he learns to become a powerful sorcerer and builds a harem of S-rank waifus. Like Sakuta above, he’s a normal human just like any of us, not above making a move on a sexy female when he has the chance.
Thanks for reading this post about the best and the worst anime main characters. Do you disagree with any of my picks? Post your comments below, or share with us on Twitter!
J-List has been busy adding wonderful new anime figures to the site for you, giving you dozens of new offerings to preorder! Browse our new stock here, and remember that all products shipping from Japan are covered by our $25 J-List Shipping Support automatic discount for orders totaling $150 or more!
