The Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time (by Brandon Lewis and Ryan Mason) #10 - #1

Here is the final part of the Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time list. If you haven't seen numbers 25 through 11 and the commentary, click here and here.


Here is a recap of the list:
11. Kakashi - Naruto
12. Inuyasha - Inuyasha
13. Agumon - Digimon
14. Ichigo Kurosaki - Bleach
15. Sailor Moon - Sailor Moon
16. Jimmy Kudo/Conan - Case Closed
17. Renton - Eureka Seven
18. Abel Nightroad - Trinity Blood
19. Haruko - FLCL
20. Roy Mustang - Fullmetal Alchemist
21. Sakura - Cardcaptors
22. Julia - Cowboy Bebop
23. Ketaro - Love Hina
24. Shin - Shin Chan
25. Mugen - Samurai Champloo

Now, onto the Top 10!

#10 and #9. L and Light Yagami from Death Note

Our favorite depiction of tension between good and evil comes in at 9 and 10 in our list. And how the hell could they not? Light and L of Death Note fame spent the vast majority of the show playing a devilishly cool, intellectually kickass game of cat and mouse. Light, after he comes in possession of a notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written in it, embarks to rid the world of evil and corruption but ends up being corrupted himself. Soon, the Death Note becomes a tool in constructing his terrifying vision for a new world order; all the while L is on the case attempting to stop him. Light does end up killing L – I can still remember having to pick up my jaw from off the floor – yet in the end he and the rest of us watching find what fate had in store for him. (Ryan)

#8. Vegeta - Dragon Ball Z

If Vegeta had anything to say about it, he would be #1 on this list, being the "Prince of All Saiyans" and all that jazz. Yes, he was a ruthless villain in the beginning, but his transformation from bloodthirsty bastard to slightly disgruntled protector of Earth made him one of the most popular characters in anime history. Still, his adjustment to protecting his new home never abated his desire to surpass his greatest rival, that damn Kakarott. Of course, he finally conceded that Goku was more powerful, but that didn't take away from his own awesomeness. The scene where he kills himself in a desperate attempt to defeat Majin Buu is arguably the best scene in DBZ history, because as Piccolo put it, Vegeta finally fought for someone other than himself; he fought for his son Trunks and his wife Bulma. It was an epic moment for a truly epic character. Just don't tell him that. (Brandon)

#7. Lelouch Lamperouge - Code Geass

Lelouch Lamperouge had one major goal in life: create a happy world for his sister Nunnally to live in peacefully. How do you go about that? Simple, just disguise yourself as a masked rebel and commit unspeakable amounts of genocide to destroy your homeland, with the help of a mystical power that steals people's will away from them. From many perspectives within the show, Lelouch is a demon, but his touching relationship with his sister, his unmatched intellect and his harrowed past gives his actions a thick layer of depth.

#6. Byakuya Kuchiki - Bleach

Yes, I know, he is higher than the lead character, Ichigo, but can you really blame us? Byakuya is easily the coolest captain of the 13 Court Squad in the Soul Society. When he first appeared on Bleach, he appeared to be a stoic villain arriving in the real world just to kidnap Rukia. Then we learned he was her older brother, and that despite internal conflict, he felt that he had to follow orders. It would lay the groundwork for some of the most interesting and underrated character development in recent anime history. His internal conflict over love and duty makes for a truly fascinating character. That and his ability to slay with millions of pink flower petals. What more can you ask for? (Brandon)

#5. Spike - Cowboy Bebop

Let me just say I deeply respect Spike. He was everything a male hero should be. He was lazy, had amazing martial arts skills, and had a troubled past that haunted him all throughout Cowboy Bebop’s run. He also had another thing – a commendable death. I remember that the first thing I saw of Cowboy Bebop was that scene: Spike making a gun with his fingers, his forehead bloody, him saying his last words ‘Bang!’, then collapsing to his death and the wonderfully heartbreaking song to follow. At that point, I didn’t understand, so I watched the repeat of the episodes and then I did. And can bet your ass that I shed a tear. Or two. (Ryan)

#4. Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist

Edward Elric is the classic "chip on his shoulder" teen. He had every right to be, though, with royally screwing his and his brother's lives more than it already was by trying and failing to bring his mother back to life. That, and he was short. Still, his unconditional love for his brother made his travels to find the Philospher's Stone very poignant and admirable. He also had the very awesome ability to turn his replacement arm into a variety of weapons with the power of alchemy. Now, isn't that handy (I swear, no pun intended)?

#3. Major Mokoto - Ghost in the Shell

Honestly one of my favorite heroines from any genre, the Major from Ghost in the Shell comes in at number 3. She commanded a military unit (well, sort of military unit), beat the ever living crap out of the bad guys, and got shot in the head ....only to come back later and seek out the scum that did it. While Ghost in the Shell had its run on Cartoon Network’s adult swim, I made sure I had a nap during the day in order to be able to make heads or tails of the bewildering storyline the show cranked out. And the Major wasn’t hard on the eyes herself either. (Ryan)

#2. Goku - Dragon Ball Z

Goku is more than a lead character. Goku is an institution in the world of anime. Regardless of your feelings about the three shows that surrounded him, denying his iconic status makes you look foolish. He is the strongest being in the universe, participating in the most epic battles in anime history. He has a heart of gold and he is incredibly selfless, dying countlessly to protect the world. Plus, when he chose to quit being such a lovable goofball, he could get badass in a way that could inspire awe from even Vegeta. All of that made Goku the perfect cartoon idol for kids growing up in the 90's, and, despite what I said about Sailor Moon, he can be single-handedly credited for bringing anime into the Western mainstream. He apparently can even beat Superman in a fight. While the archetypal hero character will continue forever, Goku is the gold standard.

#1. Pikachu - Pokémon

Are their stronger Pokémon than Pikachu? Yes. Are there cooler Pokémon than Pikachu? Absolutely. But there is no denying the singular cultural impact that the bright yellow mouse has made worldwide. His role as Ash Ketchum's other (and better) half helped make Pokémon a global phenomenon. The electric Pokémon has sold millions of games, trading cards, books, toys, and other crap to transform the brand into a multi-billion dollar franchise unmatched in its field. In the series, he beat countless opponents and his tough, but cute nature made Ash's "Pokémon master" proclamations a lot less annoying. It's not that difficult to see why Team Rocket spent twelve years chasing him; Pikachu was special. Yes, Pikachu may not be the strongest of the kajillion creatures out there, and I'm pretty sure that everyone in the Top 10 could decimate it, but then again, none of them had their own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, or their own Got Milk ad. Pikachu is more than a character, he's a pop culture landmark, and therefore, the greatest character in anime history.

There is our list! So, did we get it right? Did we get it horribly wrong? Who was missing? Who was inexplicably on the list? Feel free to leave comments and even make your own list. If there are enough comments, we'll tally them up and produce a new list! Thanks for reading!