Yep! That’s right the number one anime character on my list is none other that Kenshin Himura. I am a sucker for stories about samurais. In my book you will not find another character that is able to balance dark and light moments as well as Kenshin Himura. Though Kenshin has a basic samurai character look, what makes him a great character is that we are able to get moments and episodes where Kenshin plays the straight man, or the comedic foil, but when push came to shove he can pull of the dark moments like no other character. When we get to see Kenshin’s eyes go from their usual color to the yellow/gold you know that you should not be anywhere nearby. With his Hiten Mitsurugi-style Kenshin is basically unstoppable as he is able to move at god-like speed with no other character being more dangerous with a sword than him.

I will admit that I am not a fan of how Kenshin’s story ended in the anime OVA, as I thought it was a very sad death when Kenshin, after all the crap he had been through, deserved a happier ending. Personally, I prefer the we got in the manga and it sucked that the anime was never able to do an anime version of the final arc in the manga. I really liked the last arc. Though it wasn’t as good as the Kyoto arc it was awesome to learn all of Kenshin’s backstory.

And even though the anime never did reach that point they did a great job revealing enough information of Kenshin’s past during the Kyoto arc made him still a character you can sympathize with. I would rank the Kyoto arc among my favorite stories told in anime as the series really picked up the intensity in that arc which it never was able to reach with the filler arc that happened afterwards. Kenshin was faced with impossible odds and it was great watching how he was able to face his past and did not allow the Battosai personality overcome him anymore as he was able to let go of that past of being Man Slayer.

Also Kenshin participated in three of my favorite anime fights. His fights with Saito, Aoshi, and Shishio in the Kyoto arc were just pure awesomeness with all the sword action. I would put any one of those three as my favorite anime fight. Kenshin really proved his worth in each of these fights as each opponent did what they were supposed to do when fighting the hero: pose an actually threat and challange/ None of these fights never felt like they were forced on to Kenshin as each one of these fights were well developed that in the end, while knowing Kenshin would win, had me wondering how he would pull of the win with all the intense action going on.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #1 – Kenshin Himura

You want to talk about one of the most popular series around than you do not have to look in farther than Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed. The series has been running for 15 years collecting over 700 chapters that have been collected in 66 volumes and around 550 episodes with 13 movies with no signs of slowing down both in the anime and manga. I think if you show that to anyone that is an impressive resume that no other fictional character can say they have. And what is more impressive is that even after 15 years of writing Detective Conan Gosho Aoyama has still been able to keep the story just as interesting as it was when it first came out. Each mystery we get is fun to watch Jimmy try and figure out.

As a life long comic book fan I highly respect Gosho Aoyama for his ability to write interesting mysteries as not even comic book writers are able to write a series that comes out once a month for a few years without it getting stale or having boring arcs. And I have always felt that Detective Conan was given an unfair shot when it aired here in the States as I think many anime/manga fans would love.

Taking a look at the star of this series, Jimmy Kudo, or as he is also known Conan Edogawa, is the modern age Sherlock Holmes. Though he has yet to catch the men who turned him into a kid again Jimmy is always able to figure out the cases he is given. And even as a kid he is just as sharp as he was as a teen and with some help from devices that are James Bond-esque he always catches the criminal. Though Jimmy doesn’t have the fighting prowess of a lot of the characters on my Top Anime Character list he more than makes up for it with his mind as he is able to figure out any case he is given on his own.

Also what makes Jimmy’s situation even more interesting is that he has to hang out with his girlfriend acting like her little brother as he does not want to put her in danger if she found out Jimmy was turned into a kid by a dangerous organization. Behind all the mysteries is the great love story were Jimmy really wants to admit to the love of his life that he loves her but is unable to do so because of his current situation.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #2 – Jimmy Kudo/Conan Edogawa

Created by: Yasuhiro Nightow

When you talk about cool anime looks it is hard to get better than Vash the Stampede. With the blond broom head type hair, the long red trench coat, some nice shades, a killer gun, and even better robotic arm that transforms into an even bigger gun that can destroy whole cities what else is there not to like about Vash. And when you add to it that Vash has a $$60 billion dollar bounty on his head it doesn’t get much better.

Trigun is similar to Cowboy Bebop in that it combined the western, comedy, action/adventure, and sci-fi genre, with more of a heavy reliance on the western genre, into this one show and made it work. So like Cowboy Bebop the anime and manga work on a lot of levels. This is probably my favorite series that had a western/post-apocalyptic look to it as Yashiro Nightow made everything look great as well as creating a great story.

To make things more interesting was as the anime progressed we started to learn more about Vash’s past and why he had a bounty of $$60 billion on his head. I think what really sets it home of how much of a tortured life Vash has lived is seeing all the scars on his body. Though on the surface Vash is a goofy acting character underneath there laid a complex character who had everything taken away from him by his “brother.” You add in the western look of his world Vash is great character who you do not want to mess with especially when he uses his gun.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #3 – Vash the Stampede

If you take a look at Shotaro he isn’t very impressive in his look. The design of the character is very basic anime. Also his core personality is your typical street punk. And those two things may have kept him from making any sort of Top List. If anything Shotaro would probably be at best a one shot villain for most animes. It isn’t until you pair him up with his iconic red motorcycle that the coolness of the character is shown. Team that up with probably one of the most iconic anime movie posters and you got a character that is an instant win. And it helps that Akira is one of my favorite anime movies.

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#9. Arsene Lupin IIICreated by: Kazuhiko Kato
First Appearance: Lupin III Episode 1 – Is Lupin Burning….?
Voiced by: Japanese: Yasuo Yamada; English: Sonny Strait

Want to talk about the Bugs Bunny of Japan you don’t have to look any further than Asene Lupin III. After not only dodging but also tricking and outwitting the police for 40 years Lupin is unquestionably the #1 thief in the world. Even though you know that Lupin will somehow outsmart his foes it is always fun to watch how he gets himself out of any situation he is in. Watching Lupin is just like watching Bugs Bunny since we always knew that both Lupin and Bugs would win out in the end.

And in the 40 years Lupin and his crew have been around he has gathered some great directors along the way to give him even more credibility to why he is so popular. And of all the directors it is interesting to note that Lupin is where the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki got his first major project. That of in itself should prove how much history the character has

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#8. AshitakaCreated by: Hayao Miyazaki
First appearance: Princess Mononoke
Voiced by: Japanese – Y?ji Matsuda; English – Billy Crudup

When thinking of some of the most creative minds we have Hayao Miyazaki-sama is right up there on any list. And to this day I will always remember when I first discovered the brilliance that is Miyazaki-sama with Princess Mononoke. Though Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki film, Princess Mononoke will always hold a special place in my heart both for its brilliance and all in all fun ride.

Leading the pact of Princess Mononoke is the hero of the story Ashitaka. Though this entry really belongs to the entire Princess Mononoke film and cast Ashitaka is really the stand-out, outside of the great animation. Ashitaka is a great hero to follow as he fights for his town while afflicted by a deadly disease that both gets worse and gives him superpowers. And it helps that Ashitaka was not just a great character with plenty of depth but also the story he was placed in was truly epic, like all Miyazaki films feel.

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#7. Spike SpiegelCreated by: Shinichir? Watanabe

Part western, sci-fi, action, and comedy Cowboy Bebop worked on many levels as it was able to take parts of each genre, which really shouldn’t happen but it did. And Spike is what made the show so fun. There are very few characters that define cool like Spike does. With his business casual suit he is always wearing, always drinking and smoking, and all in all sounding very aloof he defines cool.

To make things even better is that while each character in Cowboy Bebop has their own story everything always goes back to Spike. Even with all the interesting stories his comrades have to tell it is Spike story, specifically his past, that was the most interesting to watch play out. And from beginning to end everything goes through Spike and what happens to his character at the very end of the story. Which is what made Cowboy Bebop so much fun to watch back in the day.

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#6. LCreated by: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

When it comes to finding Japan’s version of Superman it is not very hard to figure it out as Goku is the obvious choice. That choice is not so simple when it comes down to figuring out their version of Batman. That was until L. L’s personality is almost identical to Bruce Wayne as he has the whole dark, brooding personality down. He is also a master detective and only lets his allies in on what he is thinking on a need to know basis just as Bruce treats his fellow superhero allies.

And you know that a character is big when a story never reaches the same level it was when said character was alive. That is very true when it comes to L. Though Death Note was still a lot of fun to watch even after L died the series just felt as it lost some of its magic once L died. And to show how intensely popular L is the writers of the live-action films did not only have L actually beat Light in the end of the second movie but also gave him his own film that was set in the last 30 days of his life, after defeating Light. And you know watching L makes me feel like having some sort of sweets like a strawberry shortcake. Weird huh?

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #10-#6

#15. Speed RacerCreated by: Tatsuo Yoshida

If you want to talk about the ultimate car you want how can you go wrong with the Mach 5? Just like the entry with Astro Boy earlier, what elevates Speed Racer is how he help usher anime to the states. Even 40 years later you can mention Speed Racer and there will be plenty of people who will know who you are talking about. Like most anything we watch or read we know that the hero would win but it was always fun to see what Speed would be able to do with the Mach 5 to pull out the win and how Racer X would help him win/survive the race.

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#14. Naruto UzumakiCreated by: Masashi Kishimoto
First appearance: Naruto Episode 1 – Enter: Uzumaki Naruto
Voiced by: Japanese – Junko Takeuchi; English – Maile Flanagan

In terms of popularity you won’t find a more popular series than Naruto here in the states with the manga making it in the Top 10 best selling list in TPB and manga whenever releases a new volume. And recently Disney XD started showing the Part II of Naruto called Naruto: Shippuden. I still question why Cartoon Network allowed Naruto to escape their grasp especially since the series has yet to reach its best as the Part II of Naruto is even better in the manga and the anime should follow suit.

But enough of my bitching on that subject. Naruto Uzumaki on his own right is probably a character if I was making this list 10 or 20 years down the line would most likely break my top 5 favorite anime characters. Even though it has been shown that Naruto isn’t the most popular character of his own series I actually prefer him over Sasuke, who is the #1 fan favorite character of the series.

Naruto is a much more relatable character as everything he does and accomplishes is through hard work and dedication. He has to earn the respect of everyone in his village that has vilified him since he was born because of being the container of the Nine Tailed Fox. Throughout Part I of the series he work hard to get that respect and now in Part II we see how much Naruto has matured so far as he goes from being a kid looking for respect to a young man out to protect his friends and village. Though Naruto: Shippuden has only started up if the manga is any example the anime should only get better as there are a lot of great fights that Naruto and everyone in the series get into.

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Created by: Sunrise
First Appearance: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Episode 1 – The Day a New Demon was Born
Voiced by: Japanese – Jun Fukuyama; English – Johnny Yong Bosch

For those who have read my reviews of Code Geass you will know I questioned how rushed the story in R2 as well as a lot of the character development that happened at the end of the series. But the one thing that always kept the anime series enjoyable was what Lelouch Lamperouge did throughout the series. Even though many of the characters around him become very unwatchable due to how the writers of the series developed them in the latter half of R2 Lelouch was still the well writing master strategist until the end. And throughout the series, from beginning to end, it was a mystery of how Lelouch’s story was going to end as there were many ways it could have gone. And man when we got to the ending it was a jaw dropper.

What is interesting about Lelouch is that it is a bit hard to describe him as he is a mix of Light Yagami and some of your typical Sunrise heroes like you’ll find in the Gundam series. And if you take a look at his murder record he is probably only beaten out by Light Yagami. But still unlike Light who is the villain of his series Lelouch is unquestionably the hero of Code Geass. Everything Lelouch did was not necessarily for himself but to create a much better and safer world for his sister and friends he cared about.

And there are many interpretations of if Lelouch actually did die at the end of R2, with some believing him alive and others believing him to be dead. I myself fall under those who think he did die as it is a much better ending for his character and think it is actually cruel to think that he is alive in the end making his little sister he cared so much about think he was dead. Also his death really gives a lot more weight to what his character did and why he should be seen as a true hero who put others above himself as he committed the ultimate sacrifice by sacrificing not only his life but his name in order for the world improve and work together to make better tomorrow.

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#12. Monkey D. LuffyCreated by: Eiichira Oda
First Appearance: One Piece Episode 1 – I am Going to be King of the Pirates
Voiced by: Japanese – Mayumi Takana; English – Colleen Clinkenbeard

As I mentioned earlier with Roronoa Zolo it is a shame that One Piece never got a shot at catching as it is my favorite manga and anime’s. And if you want to think of who is this generations Goku it is Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy has just about the same simple and overeating personality that Goku have. And you think I am lying about this than go try and find the Cross Epoch one-shot manga crossover between Dragon Ball and One Piece that was written by Akira Toriyama , creator of Dragon Ball, and Eiichira Oda. Also if you can find the one-shot anime that both Luffy and Goku appeared in that was only shown at an event over in Japan.

Even though Luffy is this generations Goku he is a great character in his own right. It helps that I am a sucker for stories based about pirates, which is why I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. One Piece is an epic story centered around Luffy’s trying to become Pirate King. And like any great character Luffy does have a great supporting cast in his crew The Strawhats. Each character is a great balance for Luffy’s simple personality.

Also like most a lot of Goku-type characters, even though Luffy has a simple personality he is pretty smart when it comes to fighting his opponent. With his powers from the Gum Gum Devil’s Fruit his elastic ability, that is similar to Mr. Fantastics powers, make him a very unpredictable fighter. And unlike his second mate, Roronoa Zolo, Luffy is one of those that creates’ attacks as fight goes along and is a great improviser in fights. And because of this it makes his fights fun to watch.

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#11. Light YagamiCreated by: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

For me there has never been a show that had me more captivated and on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen in the next episode more than Death Note. This is largely takes to the protagonist of the series Light Yagami. It is a rare thing to have the protagonist of a series to also be the villain and it’s even rarer for it to be so much fun to read and watch. But in the case of Light that is what happened as I tuned in every week to see what was going to be the next brilliant idea and strategy to outwit his nemesis, L.

Though Vegeta was the original bastard character, the king of bastard characters is Light. No one else took more pleasure in killing people of he judged as not worthy to be part of his world where he thought himself as God. And the only reason he would allow people to live on for as long as they did was just to use them for his own master plans (cough*Misa*cough). And though we are all thought that murder and death is wrong watching Light do his thing by planning out his next brilliant strategy to really become the God he already was in his own mind.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #15-#11

Time to continue my Top 25 Anime Characters with #20-#16:

#20. PikachuCreated by: Satoshi Tajiri

First Appearance: Pokemon Episode 1 – Pokemon, I Choose You
Voiced by: Ikue Otani

Who ever thought we would get a rat that would become more famous than Jerry from Tom and Jerry? Not me. But this is where Pikachu and the billion dollars franchise known as Pokemon comes in. Even 13 years after throwing red and white balls at creatures known as Pokemon the franchise is still going and only getting stronger with games being released every year since its first release. And seriously who didn’t play the video games as a kid of the 90s.

The one leading the charge of the Pokemon phenomenon is Pikachu. He/She is the poster child for Pokemon and it is incredible that the character and series are still around as kids are still playing the games. And how much bigger can a character get when you appear as a Thanksgiving float. You are an icon when you get your own float which is what Pikachu has been able to do.

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Created by: Osamu Tezuka
First Appearance: Astro Boy Episode 1 – The Birth of Astro Boy
Voiced by: Billie Lou Watt /Mari Shimizu (1963); Patricia Kugler Whitely / Mari Shimizu (1982/1980); Candi Milo /Makoto Tsumura (2004/2003); Freddie Highmore/Aya Ueto (2009 Film)

After successfully having an anime that lasted almost 200 episodes Astro Boy has been a series and character that has tried to make a comeback a few times now since the 60s anime though never reaching the success of the original. Even now Astro Boy is trying to make a comeback with a CGI movie from Imagi Animation Studios that was recently released.

And Astro Boy is an important character and series to the US as it has the distinction of opening the door for anime to enter the US. Astro Boy is a character with identical origins to Pinocchio as he was created by a scientist to trying to recreate his son after his son was killed in a car accident only to be abandon by said scientist to the circus since Astro could not replace his son. And that is where we see that this is just not boy robot as he does have a heart of gold willing to fight evil to protect those who reject him because he knows it is the right thing to do.

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Created by: Masamune Shirow
First Appearance: Ghost in the Shell Anime Film
Voiced by: Japanese – Atsuko Tanaka; English – Mimi Woods (film), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (anime)

When you want to talk about anime woman you do not want to mess with is Motoko Kusani. Who doesn’t like a good anime that is set in a futuristic time period? Ghost in Shell is an awesome anime and Motoko is a great character.

As a cyborg you just do not mess with this Terminator/Robocop. And what sets her apart from other cyborgs is that the only real part that is human about her is that she has only a human brain and spinal cord, the rest is full robot. Which brings in an interesting question of what does a cyborg/robot need to be human. Through this question and the setting and job Motoko has undertaken it makes her adventures in Ghost in the Shell fascinating to watch as we see you don’t need much to be human.

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#17. VegetaCreated by: Akira Toriyama
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z Episode 4 – Goku’s Unsual Journey
Voiced by: Japanese – Ryo Horiwaka; English – Christopher Sabat

Though there are plenty of bastard anti-heroes like Light Yagami and Lelouch Lamperouge but not many are better than the original Vegeta. Even though Vegeta himself feels ashamed that he lost to Goku in their first battle he did technically win with Goku being the one that had yet to beat Vegeta in a straight out fight. It was Vegeta’s intense pride of being the Prince, though never King (weird!?), of Saiyan’s that never let that loss he thinks he suffered in his first encounter with Goku to let him get over it. And after that first fight were Vegeta was stronger than Goku he was never able to surpass Goku’s power level only match it.

And it was his anti-hero personality along with all the hard work he put himself through that made him a great character. Even when Vegeta reached what at the time was the pinnacle of strength for the Saiyans he was never really able to surpass Goku. All of that made his transformation into Majin Vegeta during the Buu Saga even better as we finally saw the rematch between him and Goku. Though things weren’t settled it was a great fight. And though we never saw a true conclusion to the fight it was good seeing Vegeta’s life come full circle as he settled down with Bulma and started a family at the end of Dragon Ball Z.

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#16. Amuro RayCreated by: Yoshiyuki Tomino
First Appearance: Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 1 – Gundam Rising
Voiced by: Japanese – Toru Furuya; English – Brad Swaile

Who doesn’t like seeing a bunch of giant robots fighting. The king of all giant robot series is the long running mecha anime Gundam. And when you talk about Gundam you can’t go long without talking about one of the best, if not the best, Gundam pilots out of the whole series Amuro Ray. He along with the original Gundam set the stage for the rest of the franchise that is still going on to this day. And even with the various universes Amuro Ray still stands out as the pilot all other Gundam pilots will be compared to.

Also what helps to elevate Amuro from the rest of the pilots in the other Gundam series is that he had the greatest rivalry/enemy in the Gundam franchise in Char Aznable. As they say, a hero is only as good as his villain and for Amuro he did have the greatest enemy in the franchise. All in all Amuro is and will always be what other pilots will compared to.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #20-#16

#25. Roronoa ZoloCreated by: Eiichiro Oda
First Appearance: One Piece Episode 2 – Roronoa Zolo: Pirate Hunter
Voiced by: Japanese – Kazuya Nakai; English – Christopher Sabat

One Piece is one of my favorite manga’s running today and I was extremely disappointed when the anime did not continue to run here in the States as the story of One Piece gets much better as it moves along. Still we do have the DVD’s to look forward to. And probably my favorite character of the series is Roronoa Zolo. This guy is the ultimate badass when he wields his three swords at the same time.

While Zolo lives in a world where there are a bunch of people with extraordinary powers thanks to the Devil’s Fruit he is the biggest example of hard work. Everything he is able to do is through all of the painful and growling hours he puts into training. Though his abilities are inhuman, especially his stamina (he has lost more blood than any other anime character I’ve seen), you got to respect a man who is as dedicated as Zolo is to be the best at what he does, swordsmanship. And who else can say they can wield a sword in their mouth and still banter with your opponents?

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#24. Selena Tsukino/Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)Created by: Naoko Takeuchi

Though I have never been a fan of Sailor Moon even I have to recognize the impact this anime and the character has had here in the USA. While there are plenty of magical girl series out there none of them come close to what Sailor Moon did. Selena Tsukino and her group can be credit for bringing in the female demographic, specifically young girls, into the world of anime and manga. Selena Tsukino is sort of the Wonder Woman of anime as she is a strong individual character who saves the day and her boyfriend. And there are very few female character oriented shows that have found the balance and popularity Selena and her crew have reached.

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#23. MugenCreated by: Shinichiro Watanabe
First appearance: Samurai Champloo Episode 1: “Tempestuous Temperaments”
Voiced by: Japanese – Kazuya Nakai; English – Steve Blum

When it comes to wielding a sword there is no one that is more unpredictable than Mugen from Samurai Champloo. His combination of various martial art disciplines along with some breakdancing and basically making things up as he fights there is no anti-hero more unorthodox than Mugen. Plus he has one wicked sword.

Along with his skills what really sets Mugen apart from many anime characters, especially those set in older eras of Japanese culture, is his take no shit attitude. Taking a look at the character his personality would probably be more in line with characters that are in the modern era. And when you pair him up with his comic foils in Jin and Fuu there are some comically gold moments for Mugen.

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#22. Ichigo KurosakiCreated by: Tite Kubo
First Appearance: Bleach Episode 1 – The Day I Became a Shinigami
Voiced by: Japanese – Masakazu Morita; English – Johnny Yong Bosch

Ichigo is sort of the stereo typical bad boy hero type who actual is a caring individual when it comes to his friends and family that you get in Shonen Jump series. But add in a huge sword along with some great opponents to face it is hard to find a better action hero in the current running anime.

And when it comes to big fast paced action Bleach is the anime to watch. Throw in some wicked sword designs straight out of the imagination of Tite Kudo what else can you ask for. And it doesn’t get any better than Ichigo and his huge butcher knife-like sword. With his large amount of spiritual pressure (power level) Ichigo is one guy you don’t want to mess with especially when he yells out Bankai and transforms into the Tensa Zangetsu form of his release.

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Created by: Kouta Hirano
First Appearance: Hellsing Episode 1 – The Undead
Voiced by: Japanese – Nakata Joujo; English – Crispin Freeman

With Vampires being all the rage right now due to a specific franchise it is hard to escape that craze. And when it comes to vampires in anime you don’t get any better than Allucard. This is one sadistic anti-hero who loves do dish out pain to his enemies. When facing off against this character you would be lucky if he killed you the moment you looked at him as he loves to torture his enemies before killing them. And what makes Allucard so cool now especially with the typical moppy vampire we get now is that he is just so sadistic that it is hard not to root for this anti-hero.

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Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Top 25 Anime Characters: #25-#21

#25. Roronoa ZoloCreated by: Eiichiro Oda
First Appearance: One Piece Episode 2 – Roronoa Zolo: Pirate Hunter
Voiced by: Japanese – Kazuya Nakai; English – Christopher Sabat

One Piece is one of my favorite manga’s running today and I was extremely disappointed when the anime did not continue to run here in the States as the story of One Piece gets much better as it moves along. Still we do have the DVD’s to look forward to. And probably my favorite character of the series is Roronoa Zolo. This guy is the ultimate badass when he wields his three swords at the same time.

While Zolo lives in a world where there are a bunch of people with extraordinary powers thanks to the Devil’s Fruit he is the biggest example of hard work. Everything he is able to do is through all of the painful and growling hours he puts into training. Though his abilities are inhuman, especially his stamina (he has lost more blood than any other anime character I’ve seen), you got to respect a man who is as dedicated as Zolo is to be the best at what he does, swordsmanship. And who else can say they can wield a sword in their mouth and still banter with your opponents?

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#24. Selena Tsukino/Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)Created by: Naoko Takeuchi

Though I have never been a fan of Sailor Moon even I have to recognize the impact this anime and the character has had here in the USA. While there are plenty of magical girl series out there none of them come close to what Sailor Moon did. Selena Tsukino and her group can be credit for bringing in the female demographic, specifically young girls, into the world of anime and manga. Selena Tsukino is sort of the Wonder Woman of anime as she is a strong individual character who saves the day and her boyfriend. And there are very few female character oriented shows that have found the balance and popularity Selena and her crew have reached.

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#23. MugenCreated by: Shinichiro Watanabe
First appearance: Samurai Champloo Episode 1: “Tempestuous Temperaments”
Voiced by: Japanese – Kazuya Nakai; English – Steve Blum

When it comes to wielding a sword there is no one that is more unpredictable than Mugen from Samurai Champloo. His combination of various martial art disciplines along with some breakdancing and basically making things up as he fights there is no anti-hero more unorthodox than Mugen. Plus he has one wicked sword.

Along with his skills what really sets Mugen apart from many anime characters, especially those set in older eras of Japanese culture, is his take no shit attitude. Taking a look at the character his personality would probably be more in line with characters that are in the modern era. And when you pair him up with his comic foils in Jin and Fuu there are some comically gold moments for Mugen.

Tribute Video:

#22. Ichigo KurosakiCreated by: Tite Kubo
First Appearance: Bleach Episode 1 – The Day I Became a Shinigami
Voiced by: Japanese – Masakazu Morita; English – Johnny Yong Bosch

Ichigo is sort of the stereo typical bad boy hero type who actual is a caring individual when it comes to his friends and family that you get in Shonen Jump series. But add in a huge sword along with some great opponents to face it is hard to find a better action hero in the current running anime.

And when it comes to big fast paced action Bleach is the anime to watch. Throw in some wicked sword designs straight out of the imagination of Tite Kudo what else can you ask for. And it doesn’t get any better than Ichigo and his huge butcher knife-like sword. With his large amount of spiritual pressure (power level) Ichigo is one guy you don’t want to mess with especially when he yells out Bankai and transforms into the Tensa Zangetsu form of his release.

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Created by: Kouta Hirano
First Appearance: Hellsing Episode 1 – The Undead
Voiced by: Japanese – Nakata Joujo; English – Crispin Freeman

With Vampires being all the rage right now due to a specific franchise it is hard to escape that craze. And when it comes to vampires in anime you don’t get any better than Allucard. This is one sadistic anti-hero who loves do dish out pain to his enemies. When facing off against this character you would be lucky if he killed you the moment you looked at him as he loves to torture his enemies before killing them. And what makes Allucard so cool now especially with the typical moppy vampire we get now is that he is just so sadistic that it is hard not to root for this anti-hero.

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Top 25 Anime Characters: #25-#21