Poll: IGN Ranks 25 Best Anime Characters Of All Time

[Kruxxor]

Some deserve to be there. Where is:
Ryuk (Death Note)
Piccolo (Dragonball Z)
Ryoko (Tenchi Muyo)


Pikachu?! It's all about Gary MOFO Oak.

 

[Nemu]

Awful list.
I understand why some were chosen--tho I had to re-re-re-re-read their criteria in order to burn it into my brain and keep from violently wretching out of utter confusion.


But, really... "impact on the medium" in regards to Death Note? Really? And Melancholy of H.S.? Are either of these series going to be remembered after a couple more years? Hell, I'd forgotten about Death Note's existence last year.

But nothing by Rumiko Takahashi. Awful.

NGE ranked lower than both FMA AND Naruto. Awful.


I never trust a list with not only more than one Dragonball universe character, but I REALLY don't trust a list with one at number one.


Eh, I'm seeing a lot more "let's name characters from lots of money-making series" characters and a lot fewer characters that had a lasting impact socially, technically and with their story-telling. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of most of the "new" series up there-I'm more of a fan of the older titles they listed, but I see why they made THIS list. I just don't agree with much of it at all. *shrug*

(For the record, I'm not a snobby teen anime fan, I'm a snobby 30+-year-old fan who remembers when fansubs were expensive, few and far between and recorded on VHS tapes.)

 

[Amnestic]

As for Luffy against the likes of Naruto and Ichigo - you have to remember that Lasting Fame was also a criteria. While One Piece is popular (and there is no doubt about that), I feel that both Bleach and Naruto are still far more publicised and 'famous' than One Piece are. I'm not saying you're wrong, just offering possible insights into why IGN chose to go the way they did.

In the English speaking world.

In Japan they're also-rans.

Well obviously in the English speaking world. IGN is an English website. If this was a global or Japanese-only top 25 list I daresay there'd be a few names even I wouldn't recognise.

And Melancholy of H.S.?

Considering she has her own religion?

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Wish Astro Boy got #1, but Goku is a good choice number 1.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Well obviously in the English speaking world. IGN is an English website. If this was a global or Japanese-only top 25 list I daresay there'd be a few names even I wouldn't recognise.

However, if the list aspires to deal with characters that have actually had an impact on anime as a whole, it really should deal with the Japanese market more than it did, because anime fan scenes elsewhere don't feed back into the medium in nearly the same way.

Really, it's a "list of the first 25 anime characters an IGN editor thought of one day", it's not a list of popular or influential characters in any way.

 

[Nemu]

Speed Racer and Astro Boy in the top 3 ??? Come on.....! this is the main part i don't like.

Let's see:

Characters that have had a technical impact in the genre? Check.
Characters that have been beloved for DECADES? Check.
Characters that still are money-makers and relevant in the genre? Check.



What would you list in the top 3?

While I don't agree with the list that IGN compiled, the characters (for the most part), DID have an effect on the industry, none-so-more than Astro Boy--which was the first "anime", for crying out loud!

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I think Imperfect Cell is better than Goku ... Vegeta too

I am kinda surprised Mikiru isn't on the list when Haruhi is ... and no Nyu/Lucy from Elfen Lied!? That's just a crime I think ... I also think Wolfwood could have placed on this list

 

[Amnestic]

Well obviously in the English speaking world. IGN is an English website. If this was a global or Japanese-only top 25 list I daresay there'd be a few names even I wouldn't recognise.

However, if the list aspires to deal with characters that have actually had an impact on anime as a whole, it really should deal with the Japanese market more than it did, because anime fan scenes elsewhere don't feed back into the medium in nearly the same way.

Really, it's a "list of the first 25 anime characters an IGN editor thought of one day", it's not a list of popular or influential characters in any way.

No argument there. I find I'm playing Devil's Advocate to defend IGN here, or at least post my interpretations of what their explanations would be for the choices they made.

 

[Nemu]

And Melancholy of H.S.?

Considering she has her own religion?

...all the more reason to stay a follower of my chosen philosophy and not any particular religion. hehe

 

[Nicragomi]

lol, wtf? am I reading that right? does that say Pikachu was from some hentai?

 

[ALKATRAZACAZ]

Speed Racer and Astro Boy in the top 3 ??? Come on.....! this is the main part i don't like.

Let's see:

Characters that have had a technical impact in the genre? Check.
Characters that have been beloved for DECADES? Check.
Characters that still are money-makers and relevant in the genre? Check.



What would you list in the top 3?

While I don't agree with the list that IGN compiled, the characters (for the most part), DID have an effect on the industry, none-so-more than Astro Boy--which was the first "anime", for crying out loud!

Well i did say "I" as in MY personal opinion.
I didn't say that they suck and shouldn't be in the top 3 just that i didn't like it.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Even then, Luffy should be above Naruto. One Piece is much more influential as a show than Naruto, despite it's low profile in America. Naruto and Bleach might be more influential on the scene in the english speaking world, but that doesn't feed back into anime itself in a major way. If you included influence in manga, you couldn't possibly argue for him being lower than the top two, because One Piece is the first series to actually cause Shonen Jump sales to increase since Dragonball ended.

In terms of influence on the medium and characterisation, I'd say there's a good argument for having Luffy at the top, because he's not a boring invincible brick like Goku, who doesn't even stop when he's dead (the same problem as Superman, basically).

Also, there are no giant robot shows on the list other than Eva. No Char, no Amuro, no Roy Fokker (who even in America is generally remembered as the first person people ever saw die in a cartoon, like a more badass version of Bambi's mother, not influential or a good character?), no Gundam characters at all. I mean fucking seriously, a list supposedly based on characterisation and influence within the medium and there is no Gundam?.

Second this. No Robotech (which is one of the iconic serise to move giant robot anime to America), no Gundam (which is quite iconic over here) and Jump's third most profitable/popular character of ALL TIME at #22? I understand that this list is done in the name of American (not even NORTH American) popularization, but some of the choices on this list are obviously uneducated.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Yea! I know 5 of them. Better than I thought I would coming in.

 

[Deleted]

I would have put L Lawliet as number 2 before Astro Boy, and I'm not a fangirl. Nice list though, the comments on the site are taking it a bit too seriously.

 

[Pink_Pirate]

generally an ok list, although they got ichigo wrong. I agree with his placement on the list, but just look up his entry and see what they wrote about him... bleach the thinking mans shonen series?.... LOL... and his sword gets smaller in his bankai... an uninformed opinion from someone who obviously has not seen bleach past the first episode... but a decent list nonetheless

 

[KaiRai]

It's not bad, pretty good in fact.

They need Glass Heart from Angel Heart though, and Guyver 3 from the Guyver series.

Also, although it's not a series, come on guys, HOWL from Howl's moving castle!

 

[Ciarang]

8. Pikachu (some Hentai)

Ooh I lol'd xD

Oh I should've expected Goku to be first place...

 

[Jaebird]

I don't really agree with the list overall, considering the majority of the characters on the list are practically mainstream and commercialized when compared to others. Its as if they never bothered to tap into the vast list of characters there are in Anime. It's strange that I feel this way, because I don't really care for Anime as much as I use to.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Wow. So many lists of things are forcing me to nausea and lung coughing up. I don't even have a big thing for anime and I see huge problems with this list. For one thing, where the hell is Alucard? He's one of the most badass characters ever.

 

[ma55ter_fett]

I'm glad to see that Edward Elric made it in the top ten. Though I would have liked to see his brothers name along side his, Alphonse was just as influential to the series. So yeah #7 should be "The Elric Brothers" in my opinion.

Don't know enough to comment on the other ones.