Who's your favourite anime protagonist? After watching Berserk, I think that Guts is mine. He's a refreshing take of a Byronic hero in an anime that, unlike some others, never complains about his plight and, rather, bears them with a frankness about it. Not to mention that he's a hero in a sea of despicable bastards, and has probably one of the most tragic backstories of any anime protagonists I've known yet. Also, he, along with most of the other characters in the series, have a remarkable human quality about them that really get you to feel for them as the story progresses, and Guts just exudes pure badass, so it's no wonder that he has the nicknames of "Black Swordsman" and "Hundred Man Slayer".
I like Light too; he's just an interestingly manipulative character. And, even though he technically isn't the protagonist, Griffith is my favourite character in Berserk because of the various elements to him, despite what happened at the end of the Golden Age arc.
Possibly one of my favourite characters ever. She is like a mixture between Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell and Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but also with a gentler side to her. Unlike those two she doesn't fight because she wants to but because she deems it necessary, and while she is overall a good person she does have a darker side to her, although unlike a lot of other characters she overcomes it and feels bad for it.
Three come to my mind-
Monkey D Luffy from One Piece (He's goofy but he can be serious at times. Still he is a good honest guy who isn't in for the glory but for the adventure!)
Kotetsu T. Kaburagi from Tiger and Bunny (He is just so loveable and he's also a perfect superhero role model despite his tendency with his reckless damage toward properties!)
Yu Narukami from Persona 4: The Animation (While I do find him bland at times but it is also for that reason that he can be friend with anyone no matter who they are and aswell his selfless and friendly demeanor.)
EDIT- Oh yeah Spike from Cowboy Bebop and Motoko Kusanagi frp, Ghost in the Shell series (badass female lead).
Since the OP's answer is Berserk, I'm going to assume that manga is okay, too.
Munsu, from Shin Angyo Onshi - by far my favourite protagonist of all time. It's hard to concisely explain why, though, without spoilers.
In anime specifically?
Kiritsugu Emiya, from Fate/Zero. I'm not really sure if he's a very popular character or not, but it isn't very often that I wholeheartedly agree with the philosophy/actions of an anime protagonist.
I'm trying to think of a favourite female lead but only a couple come to mind - maybe Togame from Katanagatari?
I really like Yoh Asakura from Shaman King. In middle school when everyone else was going through their grim dark Evanescence listening phase, I tried maintain a more positive attitude because of Shaman King.
EDIT: Oh, also Gintoki Sakata. Rather than a kid going through his hero's journey like in most Shonen manga, he's already been around the block a few times and was a veteran of a war where he fought on the losing side, but he also likes sweets and prefers strawberry milk to coffee. Such a cool guy.
Well seeing how lots of anime is pretty awful, I'm going to have to go with a classic series, Gundam.
Gundam Seed gets a lot of criticism for... reasons? I don't know why exactly, its one of the highest selling facets of the franchise and the characters always place highly in "favorite character" polls in anime magazines.
Favorite character though, protagonist? I'd say Mu Laflaga.
The Han Solo of that anime and his demise is just a tear jerker in the end. I got a little misty eyed.
He returned later in Gundam Seed: Destiny as ...
Commander Roanoke and was an awesome antihero
Also his dubbed voice actor has played some other awesome roles such as...
I mean, it helps that Trigun is my favorite anime ever. But, the character of Vash is a good part of why Trigun is my favorite anime. Besides for the fact that he's a lot of fun, you really grow in your understanding of the character; he's one of the few characters who succeeds at being deeply characterized and hilarious.
Mines a tie between Rikka Takanashi from Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions and Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail
Rikka is a hilarious no matter what she does. Either bothering the main character with her delusions or getting into epic "battles" with her "slave" and older sister. She also has a very depressing back story on how she developed her eight grader syndrome aka schizophrenia, which made me like her all the more.
Natsu is a fire mage who has the potential to become the most powerful mage in the world if he took himself seriously, but he rather destroy entire cities trying to stop one bad guy than train. He can use flaming punches and absorb fire, need I say more?
I mean, it helps that Trigun is my favorite anime ever. But, the character of Vash is a good part of why Trigun is my favorite anime. Besides for the fact that he's a lot of fun, you really grow in your understanding of the character; he's one of the few characters who succeeds at being deeply characterized and hilarious.
Gundam Seed gets a lot of criticism for... reasons? I don't know why exactly, its one of the highest selling facets of the franchise and the characters always place highly in "favorite character" polls in anime magazines.
It's mainly because of Kira, most of the main characters, the borrowed story, the hypocritical character motives, and how it focused to much on the over arching theme to the point of annoyance. It could also be because it had to live up to the light of Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, G Fighter Gundam, Gundam Wing and Turn A Gundam. Seed may have been popular but it's never regarded as 'good' in comparison to previous(already stated) and post Gundam franchises(00 and Unicorn).
Why? Well, I'm no authority on anime, I've only watched a few, but I'd say he's the only whiny protagonist I've seen so far who is of age to be whining and might have more than enough to whine about. All his friends are dead and he's in a corrupt prison for a crime he didn't commit on death row where both the guards and inmates want him dead and the only way to stay living is to play these extremely dangerous games to win cast points of which 10,000 is needed to buy special "candy" which postpones death for 3 days for people on death row like himself.
Yeah, and you wanna know what the worst part is? The candy tastes like shit!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
