IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters Ever

Like with everything else, IGN has decided to do a top 25 list detailing the best Anime Characters. And with every other IGN list, the fail is pretty strong in this list.

Seriously, Naruto ranking higher than L, Light Yagami, Vash The Stampede, Edward Elric, andLupin? What the hell type of sacrilegious blasphemy is this?

I don't even like anime, but I'll use any excuse to post this gif.

Sailor Moon? Astro Boy? Speed Racer? :shock:

Ichigo, Motoko, and L should have been much higher on the list. Where's Jin and Mugen? Where's Inuyasha? Another crappy IGN list...

I like that list. Goku FTW is number 1. Nothing else really matters too much.

I don't even like anime, but I'll use any excuse to post this gif.

PBSnipes

That's amazingly funny.

Well that list was horrible.. here is my top 5 because that list depresses me:

Captain Harlock 

(No, I am not sucking up to the now Mod, I love the show)

Sunred from Astro Figther Sunred

The entire Baccano Cast

Ginko from Mushishi

Kamina from Gurren Lagann

I know I wasted my time putting them up, but I still think I had to, to make myself feel better. :P

I don't even like anime, but I'll use any excuse to post this gif.

PBSnipes

Barney is win.

And while I have always enjoyed DBZ, I don't think Goku is the top Anime character ever. I need to watch more Anime for sure. 

Awesome :D

Goku deserves #1, he's easily the most recognizable anime character around today.

He's also the most pure no doubt about it.

Haruhi should have been higher though, and where's mah Konata?! :x

what the hell is this ****?

Naruto isn't even the best character in his own series.

Hell that title goes to Kakashi.

:? Terrible list. You leave out characters like Kamina (Gurren Lagan), Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2), Soul Eater or Black Star (Soul Eater), Onizuka (GTO), Makenuchi Ippo (Hajime No Ippo)... hell, even Chiyo-chan from Azumanga Daioh would've made a better choice than some of the ones they chose. Astro Boy at #3? Really IGN?Hoffgod

Yeah! another Onizuka fan!

Not a real great list, though I do agree with Goku for the top spot.

Naruto shouldn't have been anywhere near the top 10.

The amount of fail is staggering.This is nothing more than another reason why mainstream anime sucks..."We're gonna do this list because everyone know these characters!!!11!!". At least they have Spike and Lupin. Everything else can shove it (Astro Boy as a show/manga is really good but as a character...meh)

[QUOTE="Hoffgod"]:? Terrible list. You leave out characters like Kamina (Gurren Lagan), Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2), Soul Eater or Black Star (Soul Eater), Onizuka (GTO), Makenuchi Ippo (Hajime No Ippo)... hell, even Chiyo-chan from Azumanga Daioh would've made a better choice than some of the ones they chose. Astro Boy at #3? Really IGN?spinecaton

Yeah! another Onizuka fan!

I may not know much about anime, but having pikachu on the list and not having anyone from Gundam Wing seems like blasphemy to me. And according to you all they went mainstream and left off the second of the two animes that really brought it to the minds of Americans (DBZ and Gundam Wing). Disgraceful.grapefruit21

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I may not know much about anime, but having pikachu on the list and not having anyone from Gundam Wing seems like blasphemy to me. And according to you all they went mainstream and left off the second of the two animes that really brought it to the minds of Americans (DBZ and Gundam Wing). Disgraceful.kage_53

I'll take your word for it, but I could have sworn the wing was almost as popular back in the day.grapefruit21

[QUOTE="kage_53"][QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I may not know much about anime, but having pikachu on the list and not having anyone from Gundam Wing seems like blasphemy to me. And according to you all they went mainstream and left off the second of the two animes that really brought it to the minds of Americans (DBZ and Gundam Wing). Disgraceful.grapefruit21

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I'll take your word for it, but I could have sworn the wing was almost as popular back in the day.Hoffgod

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I'll take your word for it, but I could have sworn the wing was almost as popular back in the day.Hoffgod

[QUOTE="Hoffgod"][QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I'll take your word for it, but I could have sworn the wing was almost as popular back in the day.Shinobishyguy

Pfft, this shouldn't be the best anime character list, it should be the best Char list. :P

I don't even like anime, but I'll use any excuse to post this gif.

PBSnipes

Kenshin behind speed racer ? 

Kenshin behind speed racer ?

Ontain

Agreed, that's lame.

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"]I'll take your word for it, but I could have sworn the wing was almost as popular back in the day.Hoffgod

 Oh, you did NOT just diss Gundam Wing. :| 

The lack of Conan was what depressed me the most. Detective Conan/Case Closed was awesome man. :(

I think IGN needs to watch more anime.siLVURcross

They do, they listed spike spiegel at $#4 which is damn good, but his first appeareance is in episode 1 of cowboy bebop which is entitled Asteroid blues.

Yeah, this list has Naruto in it rated higher than most characters, er, what? Really shows how overrated he is. And I have watched that show too.

Believe it.:P

I stopped watching most anime when I found out that it was one of the worst offenders of narrative in all of storytelling, but the list is not half bad. I personally agree with characters like Ichigo and Naruto being on this list, as they are driving forces of manga and anime today. Say what you will about their character depth, but their impact in their respective series lends to their popularity. Without them, anime would be struggling to find hits to keep the general public interest. Look at One Piece as an example as great series with a great character that just never caught on in this side of the earth. In other words, characters shouldn't be ranked by their depth or appeal, they should be ranked by their impact in their respected narrative that has lend to the success of the story. Hell, its why I'm tolerating whiny emo extraordinaire Shinji Ikari in this list.

Also, some of you need to respect your elders. Astro Boy was rocking deep themes such as loss of a child, racism,  child neglect, and class injustice when most creators of these other series weren't even thought of. Astro Boy as a character was not only appealing for his design, but for his innocence when dealing with these issues through the series. This made him the driving force for his show, which was the world's first anime. Without him representing anime to begin with, all other characters on this list wouldn't even exist and animation in Japan today would be insanely different. In fact, I'd say Astro Boy should have taken the top slot.

I stopped watching most anime when I found out that it was one of the worst offenders of narrative in all of storytelling, but the list is not half bad. I personally agree with characters like Ichigo and Naruto being on this list, as they are driving forces of manga and anime today. Say what you will about their character depth, but their impact in their respective series lends to their popularity. Without them, anime would be struggling to find hits to keep the general public interest. Look at One Piece as an example as great series with a great character that just never caught on in this side of the earth. In other words, characters shouldn't be ranked by their depth or appeal, they should be ranked by their impact in their respected narrative that has lend to the success of the story. Hell, its why I'm tolerating whiny emo extraordinaire Shinji Ikari in this list.

Also, some of you need to respect your elders. Astro Boy was rocking deep themes such as loss of a child, racism,  child neglect, and class injustice when most creators of these other series weren't even thought of. Astro Boy as a character was not only appealing for his design, but for his innocence when dealing with these issues through the series. This made him the driving force for his show, which was the world's first anime. Without him representing anime to begin with, all other characters on this list wouldn't even exist and animation in Japan today would be insanely different. In fact, I'd say Astro Boy should have taken the top slot.

Redmoonxl2

 Got the perfect candidate right here

Shinobishyguy

G Gundam was the only Gundam series I ever liked. :P

I remember when I liked Naruto, both the show and character. He was a little ninja who was too loud and wore orange but you couldn't help but root for him because he was the underdog. My favorite part was the exams. Then it got worse, especially after the time skip.

And Luffy > Naruto. :evil:

Seems to me a lot of people failed to read the opening paragraph.

Our criteria for selection involved a little bit of everything – each character's lasting fame, the impact they had on the medium and their particular genre at the time, the depth and quality of their realization on screen, and of course, a little bit of personal taste. Everyone out there has their own damned opinion, of course, so have a look at ours, and then feel free to share yours afterwards.IGN

Impact and popularity were major critera in the selections on IGN's list. That's naturally going to skew things towards recognizable faces, such as Goku. With this in mind (especially in a list targeted towards US anime audiences), putting Goku on top makes a lot of sense. 

That said, Shonen Jump characters are certainly a bit overrepresented here, and a bit more recognition of some manga giants that are more popular in Japan (such as Gundam) or different genres (something besides the token Sailor Moon mention) would improve the list, even by their critera. 

Seems to me a lot of people failed to read the opening paragraph.

[QUOTE="IGN"]Our criteria for selection involved a little bit of everything – each character's lasting fame, the impact they had on the medium and their particular genre at the time, the depth and quality of their realization on screen, and of course, a little bit of personal taste. Everyone out there has their own damned opinion, of course, so have a look at ours, and then feel free to share yours afterwards.sonicmj1

Impact and popularity were major critera in the selections on IGN's list. That's naturally going to skew things towards recognizable faces, such as Goku. With this in mind (especially in a list targeted towards US anime audiences), putting Goku on top makes a lot of sense. 

That said, Shonen Jump characters are certainly a bit overrepresented here, and a bit more recognition of some manga giants that are more popular in Japan (such as Gundam) or different genres (something besides the token Sailor Moon mention) would improve the list, even by their critera. 

what the hell is this ****?

Naruto isn't even the best character in his own series.

Hell that title goes to Kakashi.

Shinobishyguy

Amen to that, Kakashi is badass.

[QUOTE="Shinobishyguy"]

what the hell is this ****?

Naruto isn't even the best character in his own series.

Hell that title goes to Kakashi.

fabz_95

Amen to that, Kakashi is badass.

Yep, he can kick your butt while reading a book.

So, are you arguing that impact and popularity are what dictate "best"?

I would also say that most forms of art and entertainment are just big of offenders as Anime when it comes to "narrative" as you put it. I'm guessing that's a shot at the simplistic form of just conveying a work of fiction wrapped nicely in a bow to the viewer? I'd agree most anime is highly derivative.Ibacai

O hai, Mr. ILIKETOPUTWORDSINPEOPLESMOUTHS, how are we doing today? I see the profession of your namesake is being put into great usage!

Seems to me a lot of people failed to read the opening paragraph.

[QUOTE="IGN"]Our criteria for selection involved a little bit of everything – each character's lasting fame, the impact they had on the medium and their particular genre at the time, the depth and quality of their realization on screen, and of course, a little bit of personal taste. Everyone out there has their own damned opinion, of course, so have a look at ours, and then feel free to share yours afterwards.sonicmj1

Impact and popularity were major critera in the selections on IGN's list.

Oh, well, lookie here. Looks like I was on the ball when it came to what this list actually represented! To be quite honest, I overlooked it as well.

[QUOTE="Ibacai"]So, are you arguing that impact and popularity are what dictate "best"?

I would also say that most forms of art and entertainment are just big of offenders as Anime when it comes to "narrative" as you put it. I'm guessing that's a shot at the simplistic form of just conveying a work of fiction wrapped nicely in a bow to the viewer? I'd agree most anime is highly derivative.Redmoonxl2

O hai, Mr. ILIKETOPUTWORDSINPEOPLESMOUTHS, how are we doing today? I see the profession of your namesake is being put into great usage!

[QUOTE="Redmoonxl2"]

[QUOTE="Ibacai"]So, are you arguing that impact and popularity are what dictate "best"?

I would also say that most forms of art and entertainment are just big of offenders as Anime when it comes to "narrative" as you put it. I'm guessing that's a shot at the simplistic form of just conveying a work of fiction wrapped nicely in a bow to the viewer? I'd agree most anime is highly derivative.Ibacai

O hai, Mr. ILIKETOPUTWORDSINPEOPLESMOUTHS, how are we doing today? I see the profession of your namesake is being put into great usage!

Well, considering that "best" is subjective at best (lulz), I find it stupid to get butthurt when a list contains a Naruto or a Goku to begin with. People will name a thousand names and swear by them like the holy word without care of how other factors may play a part in such a decision. Then when you get into the issue of depth, oh lord, watch yourself. 

"Oh, this guy went through the heartache of being an orphan and grew up to be the greatest mecha pilot ever and devoted to the common man even when that alien chick tried to use him in her plans!"

"Well, my favorite guy went through all that, got corrupted by a demon, AND broke free from the demon's grasp, obtaining all his powers without killing anyone! He's so much better!"

It's the stupid crap sane people's nightmares are made of. Not to belittle you anime fans, but I have a hard time taking things seriously when character discussions revolve around things like this.  In other words, IGN went the correct route by objectively measuring the impact on anime in general, which is why Astro Boy and Goku are high up on the list; Their influence as character types are still being felt today. If you want to argue which character is better because he or she slept with his baby's demon mama and how he/she delt with that in a world ending scenario, you're kind of missing the point of such a list.

By the way, I agree that other forms of art and entertainment are even bigger offenders than anime in narrative. Have you seen paintings throughout history? No character development at all! A still life flower?! THIS TELLS ME NOTHING OF PLOT! (Yes, I'm being kind of silly here.)

I wasn't trying to come off hostile or put words in your mouth. It's just the written word does not convey my emotion of curiosity.Ibacai

Also, don't mind me. I've had the Pike of Life shoved up my exiting back door for several weeks. If I sound snappy, it be the pike.

[QUOTE="Ibacai"][QUOTE="Redmoonxl2"]

[QUOTE="Ibacai"]So, are you arguing that impact and popularity are what dictate "best"?

I would also say that most forms of art and entertainment are just big of offenders as Anime when it comes to "narrative" as you put it. I'm guessing that's a shot at the simplistic form of just conveying a work of fiction wrapped nicely in a bow to the viewer? I'd agree most anime is highly derivative.Redmoonxl2

O hai, Mr. ILIKETOPUTWORDSINPEOPLESMOUTHS, how are we doing today? I see the profession of your namesake is being put into great usage!

Well, considering that "best" is subjective at best (lulz), I find it stupid to get butthurt when a list contains a Naruto or a Goku to begin with. People will name a thousand names and swear by them like the holy word without care of how other factors may play a part in such a decision. Then when you get into the issue of depth, oh lord, watch yourself.

"Oh, this guy went through the heartache of being an orphan and grew up to be the greatest mecha pilot ever and devoted to the common man even when that alien chick tried to use him in her plans!"

"Well, my favorite guy went through all that, got corrupted by a demon, AND broke free from the demon's grasp, obtaining all his powers without killing anyone! He's so much better!"

It's the stupid crap sane people's nightmares are made of. Not to belittle you anime fans, but I have a hard time taking things seriously when character discussions revolve around things like this. In other words, IGN went the correct route by objectively measuring the impact on anime in general, which is why Astro Boy and Goku are high up on the list; Their influence as character types are still being felt today. If you want to argue which character is better because he or she slept with his baby's demon mama and how he/she delt with that in a world ending scenario, you're kind of missing the point of such a list.

By the way, I agree that other forms of art and entertainment are even bigger offenders than anime in narrative. Have you seen paintings throughout history? No character development at all! A still life flower?! THIS TELLS ME NOTHING OF PLOT! (Yes, I'm being kind of silly here.)

[QUOTE="Ibacai"]I wasn't trying to come off hostile or put words in your mouth. It's just the written word does not convey my emotion of curiosity.Redmoonxl2

Also, don't mind me. I've had the Pike of Life shoved up my exiting back door for several weeks. If I sound snappy, it be the pike.

I would like to mention that some of the generalizations of anime would be similar to saying every FPS is a bland and mindless shoot and run, and that every RPG is an amnesiac trying to save the world.

I fully understand why the list is what it is, but unfounded bashing of anime isn't cool either, most people know like a handful of the older great titles and assume everything after that just became generic and stupid, as to avoid having a real opinion, I'm not targeting this at any specific person, just some general thoughts.