Poll: The Coolest Anime Characters

[Adrian Madhog]

Okay, okay, don't destroy the Internet, folks. After I made a thread about the Coolest Cartoon Characters, I said I was going to make something for anime as well. Obviously the choices I put on this poll are personal and obviously a LOT of your favourites won't be part of it... so, again, don't demolish the Internet for that okay
Well then, who's the coolest, most memorably badass anime character ever made?

P.S. I needed at least 30 choices for this poll... damn it.

EDIT: Okay people, perhaps I didn't make myself clear... this poll only allows EIGHT choices, okay? I can't possibly include ALL cool anime characters ever invented! I'd need at least 30 spots for that... and many of you would still complain about not having their personal faves and whatnot in said list. So please, just bear with me...

EDIT: I'm very disappointed in you for the lack of Astro Boy love... come on, anime wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for good old Atom!

 

[Scarim Coral]

Out from those choices, Spike Spiegel for sure. He is so lay back, own a cool spaceship, know Bruce Lee fighting style and wear a nice suit!

 

[Drakane]

off hand I would say D from Vampire Hunter D. Was one of the first Anime I watched and is still one I can go back and watch at anytime. Dudes a bad ass 1/2 vampire w/ a talking parasite in his hand.

 

[SckizoBoy]

You've missed a shitload out there (though 8 options admittedly ain't much for this kinda poll):

Major Motoko Kusanagi - GitS
Hei/Kuro/BK201 - Darker than BLACK
Shizuo Heiwajima - Durarara!! (fuck off, I think he's brilliant)
A. Oryzae - Moyashimon, added for shits
Twilight Suzuka - Outlaw Star
Revi - Black Lagoon

And a whole load more. Anyway, why do you think Kino was cool? Didn't think much of her.

 

[Matt-Sama]

Kenshiro. Obviously.

 

[Mr.Petey]

I'm gonna be very underdog here and give out the following favourites of mine:

Mizuho from Please/Onegai Teacher
Joe/Ryu from City Hunter

Both Amuro and Shiro (the protagonists from the UC Gundam series) were very good characters in my book

 

[Head Chef Dom]

I said L, because I thought he was awesome.

Buuut I'd also have to go for Picollo from Dragonball Z and Death the Kid from Soul Eater. That said everyones going to have different favourites so you're going to need a much bigger poll

 

[JoJo]

I don't know if he's the sort of cool you're looking for but having recently watched the last episode of Elfen Lied, I certainly have a newfound respect for this guy:

Spoiler

 

[PunkyMcGee]

I said, Baccano I've only seen the first two episodes (and have been_told_of/seen clips) but I like what I see so far.

 

[TheMagicIndian]

I chose other for this one but my first thought was Spike. My top three are tied between Spike, Alucard from Hellsing, and Kamina from Gurren Lagann.

 

[Enigmatic Master]

I put L from death note because he was my favorite of the choice given. but i think that hiei from yuyu hashuko is my favorite because he is just bad ass and he a kinda good guy wielding the powers of darkness

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Out of the choices listed, I said Majin Buu. After all how can you not love this guy:

Spoiler: Buuuuuuuuuu

?
And if you don't love him, he'll turn you into chocolate and eat you.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Glad that you have Baccano on there, though Shizuo from Durarara (Baccano's spiritual successor) is even more awesome than anyone from it.

Though I have to wonder, of all the Dragon Ball Z characters, you have Majin Buu as the coolest? Not Vegeta, not Cell, but Buu? Really?

 

[wooty]

OOOOOO, hard to choose from Gintoki or L....hmmm.
Theres really too many to decide from, but I guess L, not cool, but weird, and thats fine by me.

But then again, how could you leave out people like Lelouch, C2, Yurippe, Taiga, Ryuuguu Rena.....ect?

 

[mlbslugger06]

Kamina from Gurren Lagann takes it. He is easily the manliest anime character ever. Though Spike is the best from the choices above.

 

[Adrian Madhog]

You've missed a shitload out there (though 8 options admittedly ain't much for this kinda poll):

Major Motoko Kusanagi - GitS
Hei/Kuro/BK201 - Darker than BLACK
Shizuo Heiwajima - Durarara!! (fuck off, I think he's brilliant)
A. Oryzae - Moyashimon, added for shits
Twilight Suzuka - Outlaw Star
Revi - Black Lagoon

And a whole load more. Anyway, why do you think Kino was cool? Didn't think much of her.

It's complex to summarize it in a few lines... Let me try.

Kino's the only anime female character whose personality not only isn't downgraded by "Girliness" but, on the contrary, the fact she presents herself basically as a "genderless" entity provides a major "fusion" with the point of view of the people who watch the anime. You see, the great thing about this apparently "minimalist" character is that she's to be seen as some sort of avatar that guides us through a deep journey of both self-discovery and re-discovery of the world in all its variety and magnificence; we feel all sorts of emotions through her perception of the world, we judge humanity in its qualities and defects and, in doing so, we found our own vision of the world, thus learning more about ourselves and, in retrospect, we also learn about the character herself... or at least what we think of her as a character! In fact, with just a few exceptions, Kino doesn't get actively or willingly involved in all events she partakes, she's a spectator (much like us), a literal traveller who's out to understand Life... and watching this anime IS much like a journey for us, a journey into pure Suspension of Disbelief, in which we can actually learn something about pretty much anything..............

Uff, there's actually a LOT more were this analysis comes from (Kino means both "Cinema" and "Eye" in many Asian languages including Russian; The Kinopravda, the cinematic concept devised by Soviet Union director Dziga Vertov in the '20s, by which a single cameraman (a Kinoki) goes around filming life only to deform it through groundbreaking montage technicques, in order to analyze it better; Soviet Russian Filmmaking in general), but I'll just leave it at that.
So yes, "Kino's Journey" is one of my favourite things of all time and Kino kicks arse.
I hope your mind hasn't blown yet

 

[Adrian Madhog]

Kenshiro. Obviously.

You're already dead.

 

[Tsaba]

First episode I saw... need I say more on how awesome the series is?