Okay, remember the opening paragraphs that Subaru will meet characters that are straight up creepy? This one’s a doozy. Aside from the obvious signs of a straight up creep, with the bowl-cut green hair, dark hooded outfit, Petelgeuse can be a bit of a quirky goofball in its own way; always babbling about ‘sloth’ this and ‘sloth’ that, repeating multiple times to express something, and making things a bit more complicated to be understand since it sounds like gibberish when he speaks. Petelgeuse is a Sin Archbishop in the Witch’s Cult that represents sloth, which explains his tendency to use the word sloth in sentences which makes no sense at times (until you watch the more recent episodes, then it kind of makes sense). The anime took a really dark turn as Subaru had to witness some graphic scenes where Petelgeuse killed Rem in a bizarre and twisted way. To sum it up, Petelgeuse is the very definition of crazy, maniacal, twisted individual. This guy got some serious issues.

Moving away from the creepy guy, here’s a sight for sore eyes. Emilia, one of the series’ most popular female character. Emilia is, in fact, a half-elf with silver hair and white dress which just make this character so beautiful. Looks aren’t the only thing that this girl got going, she has an amazing attitude and a kind heart. This can be seen in the 1st episode of the series, as she intentionally stopped to help Subaru even though she was in a hurry to find a thief. Her quirkiness came to light when she had to make up lame excuses to Subaru for saving him so that he would not feel indebted to her. Another case of her quirky behavior is how Emilia acted so strangely when Subaru complimented on her beauty even when she revealed that she was a half-elf. She awkwardly crouches down and cover her head with her hands, presumably to hide the blushing.

You might already know this character for being a demon with an angelic personality. Literally. Rem is a twin sister of Ram, both who served as housemaids under Lord Roswaal L. Mathers in Margrave Mathers Mansion. One noticeable trait from Rem is that despite being the better twin at doing general housework, she often feels inferior to Ram who happened to possess extraordinary abilities as a demon despite only having a single horn. It’s also cute to see how both twins, Ram and Rem to take turns insulting and throwing slurs at Subaru during the early episodes of the series. Her appearance already reeks quirkiness, with her bright blue hair with bangs that covers her right eye, and her somewhat monotone way of speaking is the cherry on top for the Top 10 quirky characters list.

Moving on the list, we have Priscilla Barielle taking the number 7 spot. Judging from her appearance, one might say that everything is normal. But if you have seen episode 12 of the series, you would find her quite the quirky one. Although Priscilla can be fearless and at times quite full of herself, she isn’t just all talk. She, in fact, is the head of Barielle House and one of the opposing rivals to Emilia. She truly believes that the world is designed to somehow work in ways that are best for her, so that she is never at a disadvantage, hence her annoying attitude. She seems to have little knowledge over outside world, as she never seen an unpeeled “appa” or apple in real life perhaps due to her extremely lavish lifestyle.

Felix Argail, or Ferris, is a knight for the Crusch Karsten, one of the candidates to the royal selection as well as an opposing rival to Emilia. The very first impression you get from this character is that it has a cute voice, cat-like ears, cute dress, and even a tail, basically, everything from Ferris reeks femininity, and you’d think that this character is indeed a woman? Ha! SIKE! The fact is, Ferris is a male and is one of the most gender misleading characters in the series so far. The fact that he is a male was first presented in episode 12, the same episode where Ferris first appeared. From all his character traits, the quirkiest thing that stood out is the way that Ferris speaks. He adds the prefix ‘–ny’ to words, having a distinctive resemblance to a cute cat-like voice when he speaks. “Ah, nyow I see… Of course. You must be the boy Emilia-sama mentioned.”

Next, we have Beatrice, a mage who works in Roswaal L. Mathers’ manor. Despite her petite appearance, Beatrice is actually quite a powerful mage, since she was hired as a librarian by Roswaal to oversee and protect his forbidden library filled with secrets and mystery. As a mage user herself, Beatrice uses her Door Crossing Magic, a spell that can connect any door in the mansion to her own room, making it impossible to find Beatrice unless you try every single door in the mansion. This is also an act of preventive measure for intruders if they ever want to steal or break into Roswaal’s secrets. In hindsight, Beatrice may look cute and quirky but she is actually really snarky towards Subaru, this can be seen in episode 4, where Subaru was able to correctly guess which room Beatrice is in at the moment which kind of annoys Beatrice, but at the same time admired by Pack. Sneers and slurs aside, Beatrice still agrees to help Subaru if he ever needs help, which goes to show that Beatrice isn’t that bad after all.

The next characters to take a spot on the list is also another cat-like character with fluffy ears and a small stature. Meet Mimi Pearlbaton, a cat-like female child who serves under Anastasia Hoshin. Her stature, voice, and even personality, is of a kid’s, being so carefree, goofy and not taking things seriously around her makes this character, in its own way, a quirky one to be around with. Even with her childish traits, Mimi is second-in-command in Anastasia Hoshin’s private army, the mercenary group, Fang of Steel. Although the extent of her powers hasn't been revealed in the series yet, but from her position in a mercenary group is a testament as to how powerful Mimi can be. Definitely not to be underestimated upon. She seems to show a lot of amusement for a hamburger, this was seen in episode 16 of the series.

After the altercation in the looted house, Subaru passed out and was brought to the mansion by Emilia as a token of gratitude. It was there then that Subaru meets the man that owns the Margrave Mathers Mansion, Roswaal L. Mathers. The quirkiest thing that stood out about this character is his bizarre sense of fashion as well as his voice and way of speaking. With his bluish hair and purple tacky robe, Subaru even mistook Lord Roswaal for a clown during their first encounter, though Roswaal seemed to not mind it as well. Roswaal is the official sponsor and benefactor for Emilia’s candidacy for the royal election. Not only that, Roswaal is known to be the greatest magic-user in the kingdom capable of powerful spells, and knowledge of secrets in books that are protected by his librarian, Beatrice. Roswaal is also known to be able to fly as seen in episode 9, an ability that was attained thanks to his superiority over magic.

Felt is a girl that lives in the slums and relies on her ‘sticky fingers’ to live by. Despite the poor conditions, Felt has a lot of life in her, refusing to be compared to the other losers that live in the slums and tries very hard to get out of her current lifestyle even if it comes to the need of thieving. In fact, she is also the one responsible for stealing Emilia’s insignia in the first place. In the later episodes of the series, Felt was taken by Reinhard to the capital city of Lugnica, only to reveal that Felt was a legitimate candidate for the royal election. Even when she has dressed accordingly, her quirky behavior from her slum life doesn’t seem to fade away. Nonetheless, Felt is surely one of the most likable characters in the series!

Taking the number 1 spot of the Top 10 Quirky Characters list is Pack. Who doesn’t love a furry little sidekick? Pack is Emilia’s guardian spirit that takes the appearance form of a cat. He is also the one that grants Emilia the capabilities of using ice magic spells. He may be furry and cute, but being a spirit, he has the ability to alter his own size of appearance as seen in episode 1. The quirkiest thing about Pack is his appearance. His soft ears and fur, cute cat-like fluffy body, just makes you want to pet him. Subaru is known to love petting him, as well as Beatrice who seem to be obsessed with Pack, even having her own nickname for Pack as she refers him as Bubby. The furry little friends can have quite the behavior, as he was seen in the very first episode when he intentionally talks in a high pitch voice when talking to Subaru when he first woke up making this character so lovable.

Kaito Kirishima is your average teenager, whose hobby includes documenting daily activities with his video camera. One evening while filming, Kaito records an instance of something falling out of the sky, which then blasts him off the bridge. Following this event, Kaito remarkably turns up in his room with no recollection of how he got home. As such, he marks this as normal and goes about his day. When at school, he and his friends propose the idea of filming their summer vacation with Kaito’s new camera. As the kids discuss their plans for the summer, Kaito lays eyes on Ichika Takatsuki, the gorgeous new “transfer” student. As the anime develops, we discover that the phenomenon from the sky was Ichika, who succeeded in saving Kaito after he was knocked out from the blast. Thus, Ichika later lives with Kaito in his home. All in all, Ano Natsu de Matteru purely chronicles the lives of Kaito and Ichika, with friends Kanna Tanigawa, Tetsurou Ishigaki, Mio Kitahara and Remon Yamano, their growing romances, relations, and the obstacles they must overcome, all throughout their summer vacation. In comparing Ano Natsu de Matteru (Waiting in the Summer) with Toradora! the quality in animation is very similar, producing bright and vivid illustrations. Moreover, the characters are very relatable, providing somewhat complex platonic and romantic relationship scenarios where each of them has difficulty expressing themselves. Also, (at least for myself), the recurrence of tugging at the heartstrings emerged while watching both.

Golden Time follows Tada Banri, who suffers from amnesia after an accident on a bridge. While in recovery, Tada decides he wants to attend college and commits to doing so. Once enrolled, Tada meets an array of people, including Linda, a girl he previously knew before the accident; Mitsuo, a boy he befriends at college orientation, and Kouko, another individual from Tada’s previous “life”, who later grows closer to him, as friends and romantically. Golden Time recounts Tada’s experiences with the many people he meets, how his relationships will develop with them, and how he must juggle the resurfacing memories from his past with the life he’s built in the present. In comparing Golden Time with Toradora! both share a similar theme with intertwining and complex relations that encompass the various characters in each. Incidentally, Golden Time and Toradora! were produced by the same studio, demonstrating common elements.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun aka My Little Monster, highlights the budding relationship between Shizuku Mizutani and Haru Yoshida. Shizuku is very isolated, distant and ice cold, only focusing on herself and her studies. Haru, conversely, wears his emotions on his sleeve and couldn’t care less about academics. Their relationship begins when Shizuku is tasked with delivering handouts to Haru’s home. Their romance is slow, but the two of them begin to discover new aspects of themselves and each other despite what others have observed about them. Over the course of this anime, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun presents the close connections one needs to chance upon in order to flourish. Here, the phrase “opposites attract” really comes into play. In comparing Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) with Toradora! both share the component of vibrant and charismatic characters bringing the stories to life. They are similar in romantic and comedic themes. More so, the setting of each anime exists at school. Again, the context for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Toradora can suggest a relatability for viewers with moments of surprises, sorrow, and OMGs.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) is about a group high school students residing at the dormitories of Suimei High. At Suimei High, second year student, Sorata Kanda was recently ejected from his dorm for taking in a stray cat. Sorata was then transferred to the notorious Sakura dorms, which houses the troublesome and the misfits of Suimei High. Just when Sorata sought to protest his transfer, he meets Mashiro Shiina, an art student who is incredibly gifted and talented, but lacks stability and structure for other components in her life. Thereafter, Mashiro instantly latches onto Sorata. In the in the same way he nurtures his strays, Sorata does the same for Mashiro. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, in its entirety, follows their developing relationship, emotional struggles, and hardships as students and young adults. In comparing Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) with Toradora! both involve the main male characters, Sorata from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, and Ryuuji from Toradora! taking care of the main female characters, Mashiro from Sakurasou and Taiga from Toradora!. Each anime takes place in high school highlighting the connection between aspiration, romance, friendship and determination.

Humanity long ago used to live in the seas, granting them the ability to breathe underwater. However, as many migrated to the surface, the population lost that gift. As time went on, surface dwellers and underwater folk grew to despise one another. In Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea), the anime centers around a group of friends who live in this underwater village. Companions Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, Kaname are faced with the issue of their school shutting down, forcing them to attend studies on the surface. Throughout the series, these four friends are thrusted into this circumstance and must learn to deal with the challenges of living among people on the surface. On top of this, these young adults must conquer the challenges of personal growth and obstacles. In comparing Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea) with Toradora! they are similar in a way that the characters must choose between the value of friendship and romantic interests. Both also have lively characters, highlighting the progress and development of the slice-of-life storyline. Additionally, the animation for both is aesthetically pleasing.

Nijiiro Days (Rainbow Days) details the lives of four students: Natsuki Hashiba, Keiichi Katakura, Tomoya Matsunaga and Tsuyoshi Naoe and their daily lives in high school. As we commonly hear “boys will be boys” Natsuki, Tomoya, Tsuyoshi and Keiichi banter with one another about their love interests. As the boys balance their social lives with school, Nijiiro Days is an easy going series with various shifts of conflict between one of the boys and a girl, and how they collectively try to help and uplift one another. In comparing Nijiiro Days (Rainbow Days) with Toradora! they are identical in that they are incredibly relatable and perhaps reminiscent of romantic situations in high school (or if one has not experienced such events, it is a scenario that one can imagine having). Also, both anime have characters displaying a diverse and mixed set of personalities. Lastly, although they differ in plot and dynamic, Nijiiro Days and Toradora! are fun to watch!

In an era where pirates make a significant influence on land and sea, Gol D. Roger was the most prominent “Pirate King” to sail the Grand Line in search of One Piece. Upon his capture and death by the World Government, his last words invoked a challenge to the next generation of pirates. Among the challengers is Monkey D. Luffy, unlike the typical pirate persona, he quickly distinguished himself with the highest bounty to boot. Luffy and his Straw Hat crew, with missions of their own, dream of sailing the Grand Line in search of riches, fame and glory. Their adventurous spirits take them on an incredible voyage, with countless twists and turns. One Piece is the longest running anime I’ve experience thus far. I really enjoy the array of personalities in the Straw Hat crew. They are considerably different, which makes me wonder how they get anything done. Nonetheless, their animated characteristics are comedic, entertaining, and amusing.

Gon Freecss is determined to be the very best Hunter, in the hope of finding his father, who left him when he was an infant to become a Hunter himself. In becoming a Hunter, Gon must face perilous tasks and challenges, testing his strength and character. In completing the Hunter’s exam, Gon meets several people who grow to become his close friends, Leorio, Killua and Kurapika. Each with their own goals in mind after achieving their Hunter’s license, the four of them are always at each others’ sides. Throughout the anime, Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika encounter various characters, creatures and obstacles that prove to be more challenging than the next. Furthermore, they never lose sight of their ambitions, continuing to grow as skilled Hunters. Hunter x Hunter is an exciting, action packed anime leaving you at the edge of your seat. I was always kept wondering “what’s going to happen next?!” Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika each had their own stories to share, which kept the series constantly riveting.

Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish) is the story of Tsukimi Kurashita and her four awkward, nerdy, and anti-social roommates, possessing a fascination and fixation with something strange, e.g., meat, older men, and of course, Tsukimi’s is jellyfish. Tsukimi and her roomies all live in a home in Tokyo with a strict ‘no boys allowed’ rule. Tsukimi moved to the big city with the dream of becoming an illustrator. Tsukimi’s world, along with the other girls, is greatly impacted when she meets a gorgeous ‘lady’ who is actually a guy name Kuranosuke, the alter ego of Kurako. Tsukimi and Kuranosuke are from vastly different worlds, but offer each other great advice, teaching each other the benefit of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and accepting yourself as you are. Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish) was really fun to watch.

Clannad is the first part of the journey between Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa. The story follows a very misunderstood boy named Tomoya and his relationships with various people in his high school, particularly with Nagisa, with whom a friendship grows romantically over time . Tomoya first notices Nagisa when she alone shouts random things, catching Tomoya’s attention. Following that incident, Tomoya becomes more aware of Nagisa’s presence around school and finds out that she is actually a grade older but held back because she was often too sick to leave home. As Nagisa becomes more active, she dreams of reviving the school’s drama club. As such, Tomoya reluctantly helps along with four other classmates. While he interacts with his new companions, Tomoya realizes the intricate details of their lives, providing them guidance as needed and deepening their relationships. Clannad After Story is the sequel to Clannad, documenting Tomoya and Nagisa’s lives after they graduate high school and transition into adulthood. Their stories channel several joyous and heartbreaking moments, thus emphasizing the importance of family and close friends in time of need. Furthermore, a symbolic, illusionary world is intertwined into the plot, revealing to the main characters how to face their difficult situations out in the real world. Along with the storyline, what was captivating about these anime was the artistry for Clannad and Clannad After Story. They were both incredibly beautiful, delicate, and serene, complementing the story and genre. I really enjoyed both these anime. Moreover, I don’t usually cry watching shows or movies, but I fell victim with Clannad and Clannad After Story.

Fruits Basket is a story of 16-year-old Tooru Honda. Under the care of her grandfather, due to the death of her parents, he and her aunt decided to renovate their home to accommodate the growing family. As construction begins, Tooru’s grandfather asks if she has a place to stay for the time. She says yes even though she doesn’t. Being accustomed to fending for herself, Tooru decides to camp out in an area she thought was deserted. However, the secluded home nearby belongs to the most popular boy in school, Yuki Sohma, and his cousins, Shigure and Kyou. When the Sohmas stumble upon her tent, they offer her a place to stay in exchange for housekeeping services. She accepts their offer. During her stay, Tooru gains knowledge of the Sohma family curse, which transforms the members into animals of the Chinese zodiac, plus the cat. Normally, knowledge of this is erased, but the head of the family decides to keep her memory intact. Over time, Tooru grows closer to each member of the Sohma family, thus changing their views of the curse and life. In return, Tooru gains a sense of belonging, in an atmosphere where she appears so out of place. Fruits Basket is rated number one on my Top 5 Anime list because I can watch this series over and over again without getting sick of it, lol. Furthermore, Tooru’s outlook on life, despite the various circumstances she’s experienced, is very admirable and is something I strive for constantly. Throughout the good and bad, one must always have a positive outlook on the outcome; making the very best with what life deals you.

To LOVE-Ru follows Rito Yuuki who is not really a brave person. He wants to confess his feelings to the girl of his dreams Haruna Sairenji but can’t… Then as if things could not become more difficult for him, a girl comes crashing into his bathroom butt-naked. She is Lala Satalin Deviluke and is a princess next in line to the throne. She is running away from her forced political fiancée and decides that she would rather marry Rito in order to escape her father and her arranged fiancée. Lala is not the only one that Rito finds on his hands as a gaggle of girls appear to fight off him confessing to Haruna. Who will he end up with! For those of you who are more inclined to choose an anime based on looks, both Lala and Moka have quite the bouncy chest, as well as, sporting pink hair. Now that we have passed the physical realm, let's get into the meat of the situation. Both Lala and Moka actually sport the same personalities as well as the family baggage that Rito and Tsukune have to deal with and found out later. Both series also feature harem comedies with a nice bout of ecchi mixed in as well. Supernatural elements abound as well with Lala being from outer space and Moka being a vampire along with a gaggle of unique characters all after the MC. It goes without saying as well, but both main characters start out fairly dense as well as is standard in most ecchi harem comedies.

Let’s jump right into a parallel world of ours where Kimihito Kurusu lives. Japan is now on the cutting edge of technology and has begun to mix non-humans in with humans. However, they have to live with humans. Due to an accident, Miia, a lamia, has now come to live with him and with her, brings a crowd of other non-human species monsters with her?! Suddenly, the girls are fawning over him and wanting… well a little bit more of him. However, all sexual acts are banned via the permission to allow these non-humans to live with humans unless they can get married. Put a ring on it, and that monster girl can have her way with you forever! Sounds like a dream right? Well, all of these non-human girls have one goal in mind, to get married to Kimihito! Right off the bat, we have some good ecchi harem matchups between these two shows. Then compound that with the fact that it is all girls of another race/species going after a rather average protagonist and it’s easy to see why fans of Rosario to Vampire like Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou! Heavy ecchi scenes to boot really help as well between the two series. All the girls in both series are aiming for the love of the main character while there is a clear path as well for the MC and one of the girls. That, however, does not stop him from enjoying what he has! Check out the PV below to learn more.

The sun shines one day as Asahi Kuromine goes into a classroom to confess his feelings to the girl of his affections, Youko Shiragami. However, through a blunder, he finds out that she is a vampire! If anyone knows, she would have to quit the school. Promising to keep her secret safe, they become friends and Asahi does not want to let go of her. One problem, though, Asahi cannot keep secrets well. As if things could not get worse, it appears that not only are there vampires in the school, but there are also other creatures of unique powers that want to bring destruction upon the earth and more! Can Asahi keep his mouth shut so as not to have to say goodbye to Youko? Time will tell in this romcom! Thankfully both Rosario to Vampire and Jitsu wa Watashi wa both have a vampire female lead along with a fairly average male character. The comedy never stops, though. While Rosario to vampire gives you ecchi comedy, Jitsu wa Watashi wa doubles down the super special head of the school Akane Koumoto. The cooking episode will leave you in tears! There are a variety of other supernatural beings in the series as well was while Tsukune masquerades as a non-human, Youko has to pass as one! Of course, as well there are harems in both that while the main male character is only pursuing the main female character, other female characters are not about to sit around and let it happen!

Somehow brilliant, yet bad at testing, Minato Sahashi has once again failed the entrance exams for college. With nowhere to go, one day a woman falls out of the sky, literally, and into his lap. Musubi, as she is called, is a supernatural alien with superpowers. She is known as a “Sekirei”. There is more than meets the eye as by kissing him, she can awaken his latent powers via the Ashikabi gene; so she does! A bond is formed and Minato now has to help Musubi fight in the world of Sekirei however… more is at stake than he realizes. Much like how Tsukune is whirled into another world for the Youkai Academy, Minato is taken to the plane of the Sekirei. Girls start appearing around Minato and becoming attracted to him much like how Tsukune is set up. Both have some sort of supernatural powers where the girls in Rosario to Vampire are all supernatural beings but the girls of Sekirei are all of a different race! Fighting is something that does occur in both series as well as this seemingly ordinary main character being protected by these super powerful girls! Of course as well ecchi abounds! Did you really think a kiss was where it was all going to stop? Check out the trailer below!

Karin has what would be called reverse-anemia. The more that her body produces, the more she is affected and starts to exhibit the symptoms of anemia. So what she does, is that with the help of her supernatural family, oh yeah hey, Karin is a vampire, she actually gives blood to others. When she does this, though, they start to become more upbeat and happy than they were previously. Her older brother Ren, who is a bit of a pig, helps her by wiping the memories of the “victims.” Everything is going smoothly until one day when a new boy transfers into her class. As he begins to suspect something is awry, she finds that her blood is… acting more differently towards Kenta? Both R+V and Karin also feature romcoms with vampire main female characters and seemingly bland male characters. Both Karin and Moka need to suck blood from someone so they might as well do it with the male main character aka Tsukune and Kenta. Both shows as well feature a wide variety of supernatural characters. Naturally of course, the series both feature a human/nonhuman couple. Interspecies love for everyone!

Akuto Sai enrolls at a new school. This school is called the Constant Magic Academy. After a few events, he finds out that he’s way better than the rest of the students; he actually has incredible magical powers and is fated to become the Demon King! While he may not be the most willing, it turns out to be a total panty dropper for the girls in the school! A wide variety of girls suddenly begins going after Akuto with all of their might. How long can he hold out before he gives in? Right as soon as the girls find out, the ecchi and fanservice are dialed up. The same is true in Rosario to Vampire. Both schools also deal with Supernatural beings and school leaves the students in what seems like a surprisingly unsupervised environment. The girls in both series feature a wide variety of personalities such as the cool one, the perky one, the jealous one and more! The difference between these two would be the face that Akuto is destined to be a super powerful king while Tsukune is fairly plain. That being said, it is not one to miss!

“Don’t judge a book by its cover!” Tell that to Sawako Kuronuma’s classmates! In the anime Kimi ni Todoke, Sawako’s appearance is often mistaken as the scary girl from the film “The Ring,” thus giving her the nickname, Sadako. The gossip about Sawako deters people from getting to know who she really is. Consequently, those who know her can say that she is opposite from this fictitious film character. Sawako is very timid, kind and sweet. As Sawako yearns for friends and a sense of fitting in, she is drawn to Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular boy. Incidentally, when Shouta starts talking to her, Sawako’s spirit is overjoyed. Over the course of time, Sawako and Shouta venture on to new endeavors, both individually and together. In comparing Kimi ni Todoke with Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You"), they share a similar character complex where the shy and outcast female lead seeks refuge in the popular, coveted lead male. Additionally, both opposing natures grow to embrace different aspects of life through each others’ perspectives.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) documents the growing relationship between the very isolated, distant and ice cold Shizuku Mizutani and the carefree yet emotional Haru Yoshida. Their relationship begins when Shizuku is tasked with delivering homework assignments to Haru’s house. As such, their romance proceeds slowly, but the two of them begin to discover new aspects of themselves and each other despite what others have observed. With each episode, this anime presents the needed close connections one must chance upon in order to develop and grow. In comparing Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) with Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You"), both are romantic comedies highlighting the buildup of a friendship among two opposites into something more. Also, My Little Monster and Say “I Love You” have strong, dynamic characters that provide significant support to an already fantastic storyline.

Nanami Takahashi begins her first year in high school. Mentally prepared, Nanami has her mind set that her school life will go as typically portrayed in teen movies, which consists of making tons of friends and gaining popularity rapidly. Further along, Bokura ga Ita revolves around the budding relationship between Nanami and Yano Motoharu, a boy from her school. Collectively, we journey through the struggles and joys of blossoming romance, drama, and comedy between Nanami and Yano. In comparing Bokura ga Ita with Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You"), the animation is very similar between the two, displaying very light and delicate artistry. Moreover, the development of the characters and storyline are very simplistic and easy to follow.

Hiyokoi highlights the adventures of Hiyori Nishiyama, a very shy and awkward girl starting off at a new school. Hiyori is quickly drawn towards the very attractive and charismatic Yuushin Hirose. In this three episode special, Hiyori and Yuushin navigate the school year before Christmas holiday. Additionally, these two very visually dissimilar characters provide an interesting and exciting plot. In comparing Hiyokoi with Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You"), again the element of “opposites attract” is demonstrated. Furthermore, there are components of realism to each story.

Misaki Ayuzawa is the first female school president in a school that newly transitioned from being all-boys to co-ed. As she is deemed “Demon President” by a majority of males at the school, she is not afraid to lay down the law and stick up for her fellow female classmates. Strong and strict, Misaki appears to be running the show. However, as she appears as nothing short of perfection among her schoolmates, she embarrassingly works part-time as a café maid in order to support her family. No one at her school knows about this shameful secret until the most popular boy in school, Takumi Usui catches her on her work shift. Caught in a bind, Takumi holds the power of whether to bring the president down or take advantage of the situation to get closer to her. In comparing Kaichou wa Maid-sama with Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You"), they share familiar aspect of characters falling in love with each other in very cute and funny ways. Also, the main characters share identically close personality traits.

Ao Haru Ride also known as Blue Spring Ride follows Yoshioka through her life in high school. Recognized as the “cute girl” in middle school, Yoshioka is on a mission to revamp her image due to the hate she received from her female peers and the popularity and awe from the boys. As such, Yoshioka is faced with the many issues and obstacles of being a teenager: love, romance, friendship, etc. On top of that, her new, contrasting image disrupts how she really is naturally. Correspondingly, her friend from middle school also joins her in high school, Kou Mabuchi. Kou’s appearance too has greatly changed from middle school. Taken together, Ao Haru Ride, channels Yoshioka and Kou discovering themselves and the development of their relationship. Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) and Sukitte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You") both are about romance, friendship, school life and the triumphs and failures of each. They are also both heart-tugging, enjoyable anime that succeeded incredible manga. The stories mean for the audience to truly be engaged, really feeling what the characters do.

Subaru would have never imagined how his life would dramatically change, as he leaves the convenience store, and is thrown into a fantasy world. Shortly after his arrival to this unknown world, he is attacked by some thugs while armed with only a grocery bag full of snacks, and his lousy cell phone. Subaru tries his best to fend them off but unfortunately he gets beaten to a pulp and all ends there. Fortunately for him, a mysterious beauty woman named Satella stumbles across Subaru's broken body and saves him. In order to thank her for saving him, Subaru offers his assistance in Satella's search, and later that night, he even finds the whereabouts of the enemy she seeks. But to their surprise, a much darker force waits behind the shadows, and just minutes after locating the insignia, Subaru and Satella are fatally wounded. However, Subaru immediately reawakens to a familiar scene in which he is confronted by the same thugs who pummeled him prior, and meeting Satella again only for her not to recognize him. The one important aspect that really resonates within the Elfen Lied series is just how much shock value there is. Every scenario that Lucy finds herself in always leads up to some extremely brutal and gruesome ending. Subaru's life reflects that very same circumstance since every time he's led down a path, it always ends up with an entire cast of characters dying in the most grotesque fashion. Limbs are lying around freely, throats have been slashed clean, and corpses lie motionless in a scene of terror. Both shows just have so much surprise to them that you're never too sure as to who'll be the next victim. The two characters suffer extreme traumatic experiences which encourage them to lash out, and inflict pain upon others. They've been thrown into events which they never asked for, and are left to go through agonizing pain while the enemy laughs at it all from a distance.

Mirai Nikki follows the crazy life of Yukiteru who soon discovers that his habit of conversing with imaginary friends through his device called the diary, eventually becomes a fateful reality. Yukiteru is confronted with a girl named Yuno who he builds a strong attraction to throughout the series. This close relationship however eventually becomes a game of survival, where both Yukiteru and Yuno must pursue and eliminate their enemies, while using their equipped diaries that allow them to assist one another in this fierce battle conducted by God himself. The winner is rewarded with the ultimate power of becoming the ultimate leader of the universe. Yukiteru and Lucy have been put through a lot of maddening experiences, so much to the point where violence and death become immune to them. They've been subjected to so much pain and suffering that now it only feels right to return the favor in some way. The two never asked for their lives to be full of torment, but some sick and twisted individual felt that they'd make a great fit in their experiments. This psychological burden is what provokes the anger and deadly intent in both main characters, because they feel it's the only way for them to survive and protect everything they own.

One day, a new transfer student comes to class named Kuroha Neko, that shocks Ryouta completely as she resembles that of his friend who had been killed prior. Kuroha can't recall any memory of being Ryouta's friend, but he discovers something odd about her. Kuroha possesses superhuman strength, the ability to see death, and other abnormal abilities. After Kuroha saves his life, Ryouta becomes a part of Kuroha's life, learning about her past and the hidden forces that exist in the universe. As he sinks more and more into a world of artificially created witches and spells, Ryouta must allow his scientific mind to accept that Kuroha has a very real power, the kind of power some corporations will stop at nothing to take advantage of. Lucy and Kuroha have a power that a team of special forces is after to grab hold of it. Their powers are so life threatening that it takes a whole brigade of officers to stop them, but even so the two leave a pile of guts and limbs lying around as a chilling reminder. The two experienced some very tragic beginnings which provoked the darker side of them to lash out, causing others to panic in their presence. The two females never saw any of this coming, as they originally had normal lives prior to it all crashing down on them abruptly. This darker side gave them superhuman strength and the ability to control people and things around them.

Saya Otonashi is a seemingly ordinary girl living a mundane life in Okinawa City with the family who adopted her. Due to suffering from amnesia and being unable to remember any of her life beyond the previous year, life felt very difficult for her. However, Saya's forgotten past quickly comes back to haunt her as one night, she is surprise attacked at school by a creature that desires on human blood. Just before her life is about to be robbed from her, a mysterious man named Haji appears and fends off the creature temporarily. But when her Haji convinces her to drink his blood, Saya suddenly enters a trance and slays the monster with relative ease, using her own blood as a tool. Saya then learns of an organization named Red Shield, so now Saya and Haji must work together with Red Shield to fight these fearsome monsters and unlock the secrets to her troubled past. One major reason why blood and gore sell so well is because of how well portrayed the story is behind it. None of these protagonists woke up dreaming to slash and dismember other beings without reason, but something drew them in which ignited a fuse in their minds to take action. Saya, much like Lucy, had been taken advantage of by another and now possess special abilities to seek retribution against the enemy. Destiny chose the path for these unsuspecting characters, and because of their fate, they must now use what they have in order to end suffering for others. It's as if they've taken on the pain and suffering of the innocent, and are now using that same energy to leave guts lying around in their free time.

It's the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the start of World War III. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the mind breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. This incident triggers psychic powers within one of the gang members, Tetsuo, and he is taken by the army to be experimented on. His mind has been altered and is now on the path of war, seeking revenge on the society that once called him weak. Tetsuo was the victim of an experiment that went terribly wrong, and now he must come to terms with his new abilities to put a stop to the evil around him. Many people considered him to be the black sheep of the motorcycle gang, and claimed him to be weak. Much like Lucy, the two were bullied in some way which led to their inner rage to explode. Their intent for revenge was incredibly strong, leaving nothing but dismembered corpses everywhere as a reminder of their pain. Similarly, Tetsuo also has the ability to control the minds of those around him, using the bodies of guards as shields from a barrage of bullets. All you're left with is a bloody body that resembles swiss cheese, and an enraged individual who just wants it all to end. Gore plays a huge role in both anime because it shows a symbolic reference to the inner pains that we all experience, but is now expressed in a physical form.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has created an anti-paranormal special forces group called the Supernatural Disaster Prevention Office, which focus on capturing and infiltrating any vital information they can get about certain creatures. They are the ones responsible to protect Japanese soil and its people from supernatural and paranormal events. However, things didn't go so well in one of their missions, as one of the members is attacked and it's now up to this force to come to a conclusion as to what's transpiring around them before it's too late. The great thing about anime of this nature is that there's always a lesson to learn from them all. The main protagonist goes through such a bloody ordeal that it leaves them scarred for a great length of time. They then use this same experience as a way to seek redemption and restore peace back into their hearts. Both anime feature female leads whose lives are in just a mess, that they can't help but lash out on others for it. Graphic violence and supernatural powers persist all throughout the anime, leaving you wondering who the next victim is. As we mentioned earlier in RE:Zero, the shock value plays such a huge role in every show we've mentioned because we just never know what will happen next. Lucy and Yomi must fight against special forces which have caused an enormous amount of torment on innocent lives, and now must use everything they've got to stop it all.

Kuronuma Sawako has a terrifying expression that scares away just about everybody she meets. It does not help that her name is just one character away from the popular horror figure - Sadako which coincidentally, is her nickname. Deep down, however, Sawako is just a shy high school girl who really just wants to make friends. Isolated and deprived of friends, this was to change when she happened to meet the most popular guy in the school - Kazehaya Shouta. They happened to click and started hanging out more often than not which started to spur some rumors of a relationship between them. This relationship might just be the break that Sawako has been looking for in her whole high school life.   Similar to Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, both female heroines are somewhat weird or social outcast. The relationship formed between them started off awkward and interesting to watch at first but eventually developed to one that is bittersweet and cute. Both heroines learn more about being more sociable with the male protagonists. Of course, the romance factor progresses at a consistent pace that never makes you feel bored if you're someone that likes the romance and high school genre. Kimi ni Todoke might just be the most alike to Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun no kaibutsu kun so if you liked the latter, do give this anime a try!

Freshly entered college, Tada Banri happened to witness a quirky encounter between two individuals. One of them will  become his best friend and the other, a potential love interest. It doesn't take him long to enter into a relationship with Koko Kaka. However, with the meeting of his childhood friend in college, the repressed memories of his past starts to surface. Might Banri have made a wrong decision in his soulmate? Who is his childhood friend and what was the one memory that he seemingly forgot that might change his whole relationship?  If you're into the romance genre, then this anime is one that you should not give up! Golden Time shares many aspects with Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. Both have a hard-to-describe relationship going on. Both also has characters that constantly evaluates their relationship, having their ups and downs. With Golden Time, however, the existence of an unknown prior relationship adds spice to the anime, something that Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun lacks. It's an added bonus if you ask us! 

The Sakura Hall in Suimei High is well known to house the gifted and talented savants of the school. However, when his good conscience of not abandoning kittens takes over him, Sorata Kanda has to move into the famous dorm. There he finds many eccentric individuals who have been the dorm residents for quite a while now. Things did not end there. With the inclusion of a genius painter, Mashiro Shiina, Sorata now has to take care of her. Due to her eccentricity, Shiina can't perform normal tasks alone and as the title suggests, Sorata's job is to care for the pet girl at Sakurasou.   Quirky, weird and inconceivable, the premise of this romance anime is just that. This anime highlights just how 2 very different 'different' people can get together similarly to Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. Both have their fair share of comedy and romance. Both occur in the high school setting. The colorful cast adds substantial humor and develops the plot, because, who needs a normal relationship when you have quirky characters running around?

Ayuzawa Misaki is the first female president of the school council after a merger with an all boys school. Her prowess in Aikido promptly earned her the nickname of Demon Princess. However, even the intimidating president of the school has a dark secret. To aid the financial stress on her household, she works part time at a maid cafe. All was well until Usui Takumi walks in on her while at her job. He could end her tyranny with the revelation of her job or he can use this opportunity to become closer with her. Get ready, the tale of Usui and Misaki is just starting. Both animes have similar vibes with the female protagonists being somewhat distant and aloof. The male protagonists are somewhat playful and cheery in contrast with the stiff personalities with the female protagonists. Both are somewhat light hearted romance comedy that is sure to get you laughing. Development of the story is neither too fast nor too slow. So if you're looking for an anime that is not romance heavy to the point of a melodrama like Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, definitely give Kaichou wa Maid-sama a try!

Erika Shinohara is a single high school girl. Like every high school girl, she really wanted to impress her friends with romance. The only way that she knows how however, is to lie about her romantic pursuits. It would have been smooth had her friends not asked for a picture. Desperate, she took a picture of the next guy that she thought was cute and showcased it to her friends. Unfortunately for her, the guy was identified to be Kyouya Sata, an immensely popular guy whose appearance beguiles just about every high school girl. Explaining her situation to him does not help, as she realizes soon enough that he is not the kind hearted person that everyone painted him out to be. Now, he has her at his fingertips unwillingly. Will their relationship ever develop to be one of romance? Both animes have very sweet moments despite the characters bumbling attempts to make sparks happen. Although extremely complicated, the efforts that both characters take will make you appreciate the pace and development of the story. Both animes truly highlights the ups and downs of teenage romance in an easy setting. Both female protagonists struggle to come to terms with their feelings, working hard to accomplish their goal. In that way, both animes are strikingly similar despite having characters that are different so do definitely give this one a try!

This is a story of an adult who has the chance to relive his youth. Not everyone is given the opportunity to relive their  life and go back to high school. As Kaizaki Arata re-enters high school, he recalls his high school days but his perception as an adult makes him an eccentric kid but nevertheless a sociable one. Arata resolves the problems of his fellow high school mates while at the same time, catching the attention of Chizuru Hishiro. This could very well be a new life for but his journey is set to expire in 1 year so he has to make full use of the time he has left.  ReLIFE is also a high school romance anime. Likewise, the characters in both series can be a bit awkward. However, they try their best to overcome their social differences and improve themselves. For ReLIFE, it is more focused on self-improvement whereas for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, it is more on how the couple develops each other. Expect your daily dose of high school interactions and innocent love in both series! 

Senkou no Night Raid (Night Raid 1931) documents the adventures of four intelligence agents from the Sakurai Kikan agency during the height of Imperial Japan’s occupation in China, specifically Shanghai during the early 1920s and onward. Surrounded in various schemes, mysteries and conspiracies encompassing the political and economic strife of this era, Senkou no Night Raid brings the scenario to a higher level of intrigue by providing the characters with special abilities to help solve the disturbances around them. Of the four Sakurai intelligence agents, Kazura Iha appears to be the most eye-catching, both personally and by his ability. Kazura’s demeanor is very reserved and polished, due to his samurai heritage. He carries himself with confidence and demonstrates self-restraint using his ability on an “as-needed” basis. Moreover, his special supernatural ability is teleportation, freely moving from place to place, as long as he can envision where he lands. Lastly, he fits the bill for the persona of gangster in this time period.

Gangsta. is set in the city of Ergastalum, filled with mobsters, thieves, crooked police officers and vice crimes. Straddling the sides of criminals and enforcers are Nicolas Brown and Worick Arcangelo, also known as the “Handymen”, who handle the affairs of the opposing forces when they aren’t able to complete the tasks on their own. The story begins when Nicolas and Worick are assigned to and succeed in killing the local pimp. Alongside a prostitute also marked for death, Alex Benedetto, Gangsta. excitingly follows various events unfolding as Ergastalum undergoes a shift in power between “normals” and “twilights” and corruptible dominance. From the “Handymen” duo, Nicolas steals the show. Nicolas is deaf, but this handicap does not hinder his other skills. He demonstrates his strength with his brazen attitude and unapproachable rough exterior. Nicolas’ threatening and frightening reputation is coupled with his swordsmanship and criminally violent tendencies.

Bungou Stray Dogs is an action, supernatural anime following Atsushi Nakajima, an orphan who gets recruited by the Special Detective Company. This group of detectives tackle seemingly impossible cases in addition to fending off their counterparts, the “Port Mafia.” Aside from their intellect and talents, these detectives have incredible abilities that are extremely helpful in violent and intense confrontations. Bungou Stray Dogs channels the development of each character and how they came to be, as well as countless, stirring mysteries to solve. Akutagawa Ryuunosuke is the Port Mafia’s current leader. His appearance is gangling and ominous. His ability is the Rashomon, where his coat transforms into a shadowy beast and can be manipulated in various forms. Akutagawa is the most vicious member in the Port Mafia because he is notably opportunistic. Although he has a great appreciation for his gang, he has a clear-cut perception of retaining strong and powerful assets, disregarding elements that will drag him and the gang down.

91 Days is a drama thriller, emphasizing criminal activity and the overall livelihood of people during the prohibition era. Mob ties and revenge-seeking gangsters dominate the storyline. As 91 Days is still airing, this anime chronicles Angelo Lagusa, a young man whose family was murdered in his presence. By a narrow escape, we fast track seven years where Angelo is presented with a list of names of the gang members responsible for the murder of his family. Using his intellect and wit, Angelo integrates himself into the mafia world, cautiously waiting for the opportune moment to strike back at the people who took his family away. After harboring such intense animosity and hatred for the Vanettis, the crime family responsible for the murder of his parents and brother, Angelo demonstrates the most painful and damaging way to retaliate: trust and then betrayal! Angelo makes the list for top 10 anime gangster character because of his malevolent intent portrayed by amazing action scenes. Frankly, he is one bad mofo.

Nisekoi (Nisekoi: False Love) is the story of Ichijou Raku, the son and heir to one of the Yakuza leadership. A decade ago, Ichijou was given a precious locket from a little girl, promising her that they would reunite in ten years time, open the locket and be together. Time has passed and Ichijou is now in high school. He meets Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of the boss from a rival gang. In order to keep peace between the two, the heads of the opposing gangs agree that Ichijou and Chitoge form a faux relationship. In this romantic comedy, Ichijou must learn to balance the clashing personality of Chitoge, in addition to discovering who this mystery girl is from his past. Unlike the aforementioned gangster characters, who exhibit dark, scary, and bad boy appearances, Ichijou fits into this list because of his association with the famed organized crime group, the Yakuza. Furthermore, the operation and methods to maintain order between the two dueling gangs, although unpractical (e.g. dating rival gang members), may produce unlikely outcomes that can occur in other instances, furthering alternative objectives and strengthening gang status.

Gungrave follows BFFs Harry McDowell and Brandon Heat: two delinquents and members of the most renowned and powerful crime syndicate, Millennion. Having to earn the confidence and esteem of the Millennion hierarchy, the duo must complete tasks assigned by their superiors in order to advance through the chain. Based on the excitingly popular videogame, Gungrave depicts the inner-workings of gang structure and leadership, unveiling where loyalties, dishonesty, and treachery inhabit. Between Brandon and Harry, Harry takes the cake on the debate of “who is more gangster”. Without spoiling too much, when it comes to wanting power, Harry is super thirsty for it; acting on his own accord for personal gain, double crossing members and various criminal partners, and basically doing whatever it takes. As it is commonly known, “power corrupts.”

Kenichi Shirahama is your average teenage boy, with an affinity for physically stimulating activities that do not require personal engagement from himself. Essentially, he is an observer more than a do-er. Nonetheless, Kenichi works up the courage to join the school’s karate club. With many members of the club against him being apart of the “team”, Kenichi is somehow forced to fight one of its members in order to prove his worth. At a loss as to how he will accomplish this challenge, he runs into a new classmate, Miu Kurinji, who herself is a skillful fighter. As Kenichi trains for the task to come, joined by Miu and many skillful masters of their respective class, who all reside at the dojo she trains, Kenichi learns and develops his own personal style of fighting. As Kenichi does not identify with your typical gangster persona, he is acceptable on this list for top 10 anime gangster characters because of the multitude of ass-kicking styles he acquires in a short amount of time. Harnessed in that average boy body awaits a serious beating if someone strokes Kenichi the wrong way! Additionally, as Kenichi learns these various disciplines, his confidence and physical toughness increase, as well as they should because he is faced with fighting Ragnarök, the strongest gang in his neighborhood. Kenichi’s rivals of Ragnarök, also known as the Eight Fists, are the embodiment of notable figures of Norse mythology, e.g., Loki, Hermit and Valkyrie, who can easily defeat fifty opponents or more. Furthermore, the members of Ragnarök are not just average thugs and hoodlums, but are extremely skilled fighters who, eventually are defeated by Kenichi.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is a mafia-centric anime that isn’t quite mafia because it is also combined with supernatural themes and adorable miniature characters. Tsunayoshi “Tsuna” Sawada is an incredibly awkward and scrawny guy who happens to get thrown into the mafia world due to his succession in leadership within the notorious Vongola family. In preparation for his new duty as the tenth boss, he is bestowed a home tutor, Reborn. Reborn is one of the miniature beings in this anime who demonstrates the ways of a professional hit man. From this point forth, Tsuna’s life drastically changes, as he faces the obstacle of what is required in the family business. Tsuna is on the list for top 10 anime gangster characters because of his forced affiliation to his mafia family. Although he tries so hard to stay away from this path, the importance of the Vongola family to stay in power is not a decision that can be ignored lightly. In becoming the tenth boss, the customs and legacy that have been retained for decades are on the brink of dissolution. Therefore, a major trait of the mafia revolves around upholding tradition and loyalty to the family. “Blood is thicker than water.” As Tsuna combats various challengers, his strength and abilities progress in line with the development of this anime.

Mikado Ryuugamine moves to the big city, Ikebukuro, after hearing of its excitement and to attend school there. His childhood friend, Masaomi Kida, becomes his tour guide, showing him all the cool sights. Together, they explore the city with various run-ins with a myriad of characters. These characters are highlighted throughout the anime, notating their own trials and tribulations that result in a massive spider web of interconnectedness. Durarara! is a captivating and intriguing series, leaving viewers eager for what’s to come and how everything comes full circle. Izaya Orihara is a devious and manipulative character that has a way of acquiring Intel around Ikebukuro. He is very sneaky and resourceful. Izaya loves to stir trouble and chaos wherever he goes, particularly with Shizuo, the strongest guy in Ikebukuro. He is very savvy when it comes to staying out of trouble himself. More often than not, he sees his share of conflict, where he can easily maneuver and outwit his opponents. Izaya, in this view is dangerous.

The story of Baccano! expands throughout a significant time range, from 1711 and 1932, focusing on a variety of characters and sequences of events, who are all connected to each other. Baccano! is filled with intricate scenarios that are threaded together to form an extremely exciting and lively anime. Without spoiling too much, the major themes in Baccano! include an elixir of immortality, feuding mafia groups, a rampaging killer, and a duo of “Bonnie and Clyde” bandits. As there is no main focal story and each character has their own personal experiences to tell, Baccano!’s non-linear fashion of conveying experiences is very unlike traditional anime, but nonetheless super stimulating. Ladd Russo is a maniacal, reckless, and sadistic hit man, obsessed with violence and inflicting harm to victims he deems “too safe”. He is a confident fellow with an extremely active personality, doing everything with style. He enjoys what he does, a little too much, and to the highest degree, is really good at it. Ladd’s background is traced to mob affiliation because of the Russo Family being a major criminal syndicate in Chicago, during the twentieth century. Although he is not as gifted as the other Russo family members, Ladd nonetheless operated in the family business. We discover that the root cause to the way Ladd currently operates is due to the tragedy that occurred when he was a young man. He was captivated and in love with a vivacious young lady named Layla. The two were going to elope, but she unfortunately was killed and it somehow was linked to Ladd. This event impacted him greatly, emotionally and psychologically. Later on, we do observe Ladd’s softer side, especially when it comes to his lover, Lua. Ladd values her companionship equally if not more than his own self. Conclusively, Ladd is the number 1 pick for our top 10 anime gangster characters because of his connection to the mafia, his motives to act in such reckless violence, his sway and confidence, and his menacing nature.

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi is an anime that is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat and desperately wanting more as you watch each episode unfold. It's a supernatural mystery story, following Satoru Fujinuma on his mission to discover the answer to a murder that happened 18 years ago. He never expected to be involved, but when he finds himself accused of being a murderer, he ends up transported back into the past when he was a child. Will he be able to solve the mystery of what happened to his classmate Kayo Hinazuki, who was mysteriously murdered? Can Satoru change the past with his time travel ability he deems "Revival?" And is the past really something you should mess with? First and foremost, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi and Kimi no Na wa. are both supernatural stories about unexpected abilities. While Mitsuha and Taki have their ability to switch bodies, Satoru has his to travel back in time. Both anime use that ability to change the characters' lives in ways they would never have expected possible. More importantly, though, both anime have a theme of changing the past to try to change the future. The present world both characters begin in has problems that seem too big to be overcome and defeated because they are already out of control - but what if the past had been different? That's the question both Kimi no Na wa. and Boku Dake ga Inai Machi try to answer as the male protagonist fights to change the past - and thus the future - for the girl he grows to care for.

Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo is another story about time travel. Makoto Konno is a high school girl with an extreme supernatural ability; she can literally "leap" through time and change events, rewriting the past the way that she wants to. When she first discovers this power, Makoto uses it haphazardly to play and change the past, redoing things she doesn't like the outcome of and experimenting with the extent of what her ability can do. However, the more she changes, the more she sees the Butterfly Effect coming into play. She can't change just one event without many others also changing beyond her control! Everything she does has consequences she could never have imagined, and she has to learn to use her power with that in mind... Kimi no Na wa. and Toki wa Kakeru Shoujo are both coming of age stories with the supernatural element of time travel. Thus in both films, the teenage protagonist(s) must learn how to control their newfound power while dealing with the usual struggles of life that teenagers have, like questions about the future and romance with their peers. These characters become motivated to try to use their abilities for good, but with how complicated time is, it proves difficult to control so they have a lot to struggle through to reach their goals. These themes of becoming adults while trying to use forces beyond their control to shape the future of their world for the better tie Kimi no Na wa. and Toki wa Kakeru Shoujo together. And an added bonus, if you enjoy the art style and animation of one, you'll likely enjoy the other as well!

Yuu Otosaka has a very big secret in Charlotte - he has the ability to control people by going into their minds for five seconds at a time. And he has been abusing it his whole life to get whatever he wants! Eventually, though, Yuu is caught by Nao Tomori and convinced to transfer from his prestigious high school (that he cheated his way into) to Hoshinoumi Academy - a special school for kids with supernatural powers. Specifically, Yuu ends up on the student council after being coerced thereby Nao and ironically tasked with finding students who abuse their powers like he did. The more challenges they face, the more Yuu learns about his power, and that what he has been able to do is only the beginning. The most obvious thing that Charlotte shares with Kimi no Na wa. is the supernatural ability to switch bodies. While it happens at random to Mitsuha and Taki and is beyond their control, Yuu is able to do it himself (though only for a very limited time). More than that, though, what these stories have in common is showing the struggles of teens that are growing up with supernatural abilities that they don't understand. Being special is not always what someone wants, especially a confused teenager, and these two stories show the price that they must pay for the abilities that these teens never asked to have. For better or for worse they have to learn to live and deal with them, and Kimi no Na wa. and Charlotte shows how.

Sakasama no Patema is about an underground world full of an elaborate tunnel system. Patema is a girl of royal blood who lives there and spends a lot of her time exploring the tunnels much to the chagrin of those trying to keep track of her. When exploring one day in the forbidden area of the tunnels, she falls into what seems to be a bottomless pit - only to wind up on the surface! Saved from falling into the sky by Eiji, a young man from the nation of Aiga, Patema learns that the surface people believe that those like her are sinners that deserve to fall into the sky. Eiji disagrees and goes against the standards of his society to befriend her despite all the odds stacked against them. Both Kimi no Na wa. and Sakasama no Patema both tell the story of two teenagers from very different worlds who are brought together by unexpected circumstances and still find a relationship together. The difference between Patema and Eiji's world is vaster than that between Taki and Mitsuha, but the idea is the same. Despite the different ways they have been brought up, and the different lifestyles they currently lead, a serious relationship sparks between them. Together, they learn to coexist with each other - and with society - despite all the odds. Taki and Mitsuha could have never imagined meeting one another, let alone the circumstances of their meeting. Eiji and Patema are the same. Patema barely knew anything about Eiji’s world other than what she had seen in one picture after all! That story of an unlikely relationship between two opposing worlds is what makes Sakasama no Patema and Kimi no Na wa. similar films to enjoy.

Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo is a story about a magical adventure. Asuna Watase seems to be having an average day when suddenly she finds herself attacked by a mysterious creature on her way to her usual place to hang out. Luckily for Asuna, she is saved by a boy named Shun, who claims to be from the country of Agartha. The two bond together over Asuna's mysterious, cackling radio, and while Asuna promises to see Shun the next day she doesn't realise that he will die that very night. The next day, when she returns to her clubhouse she meets Shin, Shun's younger brother and the two are attacked again! It's the beginning of an adventure that will lead Asuna beneath the earth to a realm she never knew existed to finish the mission that Shun started. But what exactly will they find? Like Kimi no Na wa., Hoshi wo ou Kodomo tells the coming of age story of two teenagers who are brought together through mysterious circumstances. In both stories, the teens are forced to grow up faster than they should due to the circumstances that surround them - in Kimi no Na wa., because of the comet, and in Hoshi wo ou Kodomo, because of the real dangers in Agartha and the quest Asuna finds herself on. These events illustrate the fragility of life. The world could end at any moment, through a disaster like a comet. And life is short, as illustrated by the Land of the Dead. The main characters look death right in the face - and it changed them, and their relationships, forever.

Yamaboshi Academy has five students that just can't seem to fit in with everyone else in Kokoro Connect. Taichi, Iori, Himeko, Yui, and Yoshifumi all have very unique personalities and interests, and when they can't find a club to join, they make their own - the Student Cultural Society. However, things start to get pretty strange when Yoshifumi and Yui switch bodies temporarily and unexpectedly! The strange phenomenon doesn't stop there as all five members of the Student Cultural Society find themselves switching bodies at random, without pattern or warning. Suddenly these five unlikely friends that previously shared nothing more than that they were different from everyone else are learning more about one another than ever before. And that sort of intimate knowledge draws them closer together than anything else ever could have - while simultaneously threatening to tear them apart when secrets and histories are brought to the surface. Both Kimi no Na wa. and Kokoro Connect centre around the idea of teenagers that switch lives and bodies, regardless of background and gender. They may know each other in Kokoro Connect, but they don't start out as very close because they are nothing more than classmates. But just like in Kimi no Na wa., the phenomenon of switching bodies and sharing lives brings them a lot closer together and builds very unique relationships. And of course, in both films they learn more about each other than ever would have been possible in normal relationship - even if they never chose to have this kind of experience. Kimi no Na wa. and Kokoro Connect keep the experience of how hard being a teenager and discovering oneself really is at the centre of their stories, with the added supernatural element of body switching to make the stories unique from other coming of age films.

Looks can be deceiving because while you stare at Lucy’s naked body, you’ll probably be sliced in many tiny pieces because Lucy is one dangerous gal. Lucy is a Diclonius, a new type of human species with psychokinetic abilities evolved through a genetic mutation. Due to their new abilities and, well, people do fear the powerful and unknown, they are at odds with the humans to the point that the Diclonius may eventually replace humans as the dominant species on Earth. There are countless experiments to replicate or control the Diclonius, but Lucy is, in fact, a naturally born Diclonius and scientists call her the queen of her species. Unfortunately for the human race, Lucy is extremely violent and will kill any human on sight using her “invisible arms” called vectors. Vectors are extremely powerful that can destroy anything it touches and since they’re invisible and telekinetic in nature, they’re hard to dodge or even hold. Many fell victim to Lucy’s vectors and throughout the anime, she has killed almost a hundred people… in the most brutal way possible. Normally vectors have an extremely limited range around a couple of meters, but the potency and range increase over time from 2 meters, to 5 meters, to long enough to engulf the entire world and has enough destructive force to crush the planet. Ouch. So with those overpowered vectors of hers, why is Lucy at number 10? Unfortunately, the anime adaptation toned her power down with a range of a few meters and kill count to less than a hundred. In the manga, you can’t escape her vectors and unlike the anime, Lucy has murdered thousands of people.

Nanoha is your typical grade school girl who happens to have extremely high magical power and ended up being one of the most stupidly powerful characters in the Nanoha universe. While you can argue that every main character is meant to be powerful, Nanoha takes a few steps higher because her character design and powers took inspirations from the popular mecha series Gundam. The Nanoha series overall took inspirations not just from Gundam, but from various mecha anime from the 70s to the present. Nanoha, in particular, is inspired by the Gundam’s main protagonists Amuro Ray and Kira Yamato, both sharing the same color palette. Nanoha’s powers are also inspired by the Gundams of Amuro and Kira, as these mechs are considered one of the most powerful in their respective series. If a character is inspired by skilled mech pilots and their powers are inspired by overpowered robots, it’s natural for the character to have the OP qualities as well. Plus, Nanoha has a tendency to shoot first, befriend later. So if you wanna be friends with Nanoha, expect a huge crater behind you.

Espers are special humans who emit AIM, also known as An Involuntary Movement, a phenomenon… that’s basically magic. AIM is just a silly acronym of magic. *ahem* Espers are special humans with the ability to use magic and espers are ranked into levels with level 5 being the most powerful. Misaka Mikoto is one of the 7 most powerful espers in Academy City and her power is electromagnetism. Nicknamed Bug Zapper by Kamijou Touma, Mikoto is a living power generator with a staggering 1 billion voltage output. Imagine the free energy she can give to Academy City if she sticks her finger in a power socket for one week. Mikoto is an Electromaster who can pretty much do anything with electricity and magnetism to the point of absurdity. She can shoot lightning bolts from her forehead (throwing bolts with your hands is so ancient mythology), incapacitate enemies by targeting organs with electricity, disrupt electronics, even hack them by altering the signal of the circuits, manipulate metal around her like turning them into shields, being able to stick to metallic walls, has telepathic immunity, spatial awareness… man, the list goes on. Oh, and she can fly because of science! With a huge laundry list of powers, there is one move that trumps all — Mikoto’s signature move, the Railgun. Mikoto shoots metal projectiles at very high velocity by channeling her power through her arms and to the projectile of her choosing (mostly arcade tokens). The Railgun is so powerful it can destroy everything it hits, which is impressive considering the size of the projectiles used.

Claymore is a name coined by humans to describe pale female warriors who wield great swords called claymores and hunts demons that feast of human flesh called the Yoma. These demons are extremely powerful and only the Claymores, enhanced with Yoma blood, can defeat them. The main protagonist of the series is Clare, a claymore who rose through the ranks through sheer will and determination. She started out very weak with ¼ Yoma blood compared to the other warriors with ½ Yoma blood, but after a series of events, countless battles, she quickly gained power and eventually she is powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with Phantom Miria, a powerful claymore with inhuman speed and agility who defeated an entire generation of claymores (with a few exceptions). Clare’s powers include enhanced speed, strength, agility, healing power, and is a master of a few powerful sword techniques like the Quicksword - channeling yoki energy to the arm and making it go berserk with a barrage of high-velocity swings, and the Windcutter - similar to the Quicksword but the slashes are more precise and normally doesn’t require yoki energy to use. But Clare’s most powerful and the most dangerous move to use is her Awakened Limbs. By channeling yoki energy to her limbs, she can force transform her limbs into that of a yoma to deliver destructive blows at lightning speed.

Ryuuko is essentially a hot-blooded male hero in shounen anime with a skirt… and female features. What that implies is Ryuuko has the same perks like her overpowered male counterparts. Hot-blooded? Check! Reckless, but a resilient fighter? Check! Grows stronger as the series progresses? Check! Has a dark side, or hidden powerful trump card that no one predicted? Check! However, Ryuuko still stood out among her counterparts thanks to her character and assortment of powers. Throughout the series, Ryuuko constantly fights the students of Honnouji Academy who wears special Life Fiber-infused uniforms called the Goku Uniforms. Life Fibers, depending on how much is sewn into the uniform, gives its wearer superhuman speed, agility, power, and give unique special moves depending on how they are custom-made. A three-star goku uniform, composed of 30% life fibers, can easily shake the foundations of the school and it can even obliterate it. Thankfully, Ryuuko gets help with a lot of allies, but what makes her formidable against her enemies is, SPOILER ALERT, she's completely made of pure life fibers, making her one hell of a powerhouse.

Eucliwood, or Eu, looks like a goth loli who rarely speaks and while it may look silly for a necromancer to fully clad in armor, Eu intentionally burdens herself because she possess the power to alter fate just by saying it. Her magic is so powerful, Eu is even afraid of it, and after a lot of hardships, she left the Underworld, decided to go mute, and wears a special armor that suppresses her fate-altering power. What makes her so powerful? Well, she can kill anyone just by saying “Die.” You could say Eu is part raiser of the dead and part Death Note. The only difference is Eu doesn’t need to figure out and write down the names of her victims.

Explaining Saber’s convoluted story, character relationships and power is going to be tough because everything about Fate/stay night is as confusing as the theory that the universe came into existence out of nothing. If you’re planning to delve deep into this lore-rich series, be prepared. Saber is a Servant, and a servant is a heroic spirit or divine spirit summoned to fight along with their masters for the Holy Grail. Her powers vary from master to master (mana capacity, personality, etc.), so her powers are hard to scale. Saber is very skilled with a sword, but her true strength is her enormous amount of magical power. With her magical power, Saber is extremely durable because she can repair her armor and coupled with healing ability, she can absorb a ton of damage. With an assortment of special moves like making her sword invisible to confuse her enemies, her most devastating move is perhaps her ability to call forth the last wishes of fallen warriors across time, focusing that energy into Excalibur to unleash a wave of energy that can destroy almost anything. And together with Avalon, a scabbard that gives her absolute defense, Saber was able to defeat Gilgamesh, the most powerful servant in the Fate universe.

Another character with fate-altering powers, Beatrice is one of the most, if not, the most powerful witch in the Umineko universe. Unlike Eu, who fears her powers and suppresses it, Beatrice carelessly uses her powers of life and death just to torment everyone and entertain herself. And what a way for her to entertain herself. Beatrice can kill anyone and revive them at will but she isn’t the type who enjoys mindless bloodlust (well, most of the time). She uses her power to challenge Battler Ushiromiya, Beatrice’s formidable enemy, to solve a series of murders that’s happening on the isolated island of Rokkenjima. Beatrice kills the victims with magic and Battler has to solve the mysteries in a logical and plausible way. Sadly for Battler, Beatrice loves this game and repeats the murders as much as she wants.

Maybe Akemi just wanted to have a normal life and spend her school days with Madoka and her friends without worrying about fighting witches, being a magical girl, or seeing the world end. But sadly, the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn’t as normal as she hoped. Given the power to travel back through time, Akemi tried many times to save Madoka from turning into a witch, and while Akemi did finally change her fate, the end result is equally heart-breaking — Madoka became a goddess and changed the laws of the universe so that she can save everyone, especially the witches, but at the same time, her existence as a human being has been erased. Driven by despair and the desire to see Madoka, the witch Homura Akemi defied fate and transformed herself into something more than a witch — a being with equal power as a god. Akemi sealed Madoka’s power and rewrote the laws of the universe again, and changed everything back to the way she always wished — a world where Madoka exists as your average school girl. Love can drive a person to the brink of insanity, and Akemi is not an exception. With her newfound goddess powers, Madoka, friends, the entire world is back to the way they were. Well, for the most part, Madoka still has her goddess powers and Akemi, also a goddess, is no longer the meek and shy girl she once was.

Haruhi is the founding member of the SOS Brigade with the purpose of finding strange phenomena and paranormal activities… really it’s just for finding aliens, time travelers, and espers, and conveniently, they’re right next to her. There’s a reason for that, because Haruhi has the power to change, destroy, and reshape reality. What makes her dangerous is she’s completely unaware of her power to change the very fabric of spacetime, and has the ability to make something she desires simply just by wishing for it. To make matters worse, Haruhi is extremely moody, so the SOS Brigade will do whatever it takes to keep her entertained and happy. Otherwise, Haruhi can completely obliterate the universe or shape the universe into a dark and lifeless place if she experienced one bad moment. Her powers include the ability to wish for anything, reshape the world, the ability to alter time, space, and rewrite the general rules of the universe. So with all that said, here’s a very helpful tip, a pro-tip, to anyone who dates a literal god: Don’t cheat on her. It’s for your own sake. And ours. And the universe’s. While a majority of the OP guy characters prefer using raw power to get the job done, the ladies, well, the majority of them prefer using magic, or magic-infused weapons and ranged attacks. Some of the characters are so magically powerful, they even reach god-like status and change the universe at will or by emotion. This god-like quality is why Suzumiya Haruhi is number 1. She’s not capable of dismembering people like Lucy or has the fighting skills like Saber, but Haruhi holds the power to shape the universe to whatever she wants. She may make the universe a happy place filled with espers, aliens and talking cats, or turn it into a lifeless blob of space in an instant. Depending on her mood, of course.

If big things can come in small packages, then one example is Guts’ most noted companion, the cute little elf named Puck. He joins Guts after he frees him from some cruel thugs who only used him as target practice on a knife throwing board. Curious about his savior, Puck decides to stick around regardless of Guts’ life of endless horror and violence. A majority of his role is to be the comic relief in a world literally gone to Hell. One example of how he expresses this quality is how he thinks he can handle himself in a fight when, in fact, most of his attacks do no damage, or he just chickens out. The unique thing about him is that he is only visible to those who believe in fantasy creatures. For some individuals who belong to religious sects that don’t believe in elves, he cannot be seen as demonstrated with Farnese and members of the Holy See. In addition to being the comic relief, at heart, he is a very good-natured creature who cares about others and tends to show empathy in comparison to Guts, who rarely shows such emotions. In fact, the emotions of humans run through him and can affect his own well-being. Thankfully, his ability to fly is useful to Guts for easy reconnaissance purposes (especially if the opponent can’t see him), and he can produce healing dust that heals physical wounds.

Sometimes the most useful of sidekicks can literally be a parasite that happens to live in your right hand, which is the case of Izumi Shinichi. Migi’s (meaning the right side in Japanese because he took over Shinichi’s right hand) influence on Shinichi progresses throughout the series both physically and emotionally. Due to Shinichi being physically weak at the start of the series, Migi will naturally do all the fighting against other parasites on his own (and Shinichi will develop a body suitable for combat). If anything, Migi and Shinichi are of one body to the point that one cannot live without the other. Thanks to Migi’s presence, Shinichi naturally develops enhanced abilities, which helps him in his fight against the other parasites. Though Shinichi acquires the qualities of parasites such as showing a lack of emotion towards situations that would shock ordinary people, Migi in turn also develops some human-like qualities such as empathy. As this duo’s unique partnership progresses, they are able to find trust as one entity whenever they are in battle. They go as far as to help each strategize battle plans. Thankfully, he can also help Shinichi whenever he is in any other forms of trouble. His presence allows him to transform himself into various objects of many substances and uses whether they would be blades or keys.

If there have to be any recognizable sidekicks in the history of anime, it would certainly be Pikachu, the face of the Pokemon. Though Ash (or Satoshi in the Japanese version, named after co-creator Tajiri Satoshi) may possess hundreds of Pokemon throughout his journeys into the wild, if there is one Pokemon he can always count on, it is the Pikachu that has walked with him from day one. Though other trainers, including Ash, tend to keep their other Pokemon contained in Poke’ Balls, Pikachu refuses to be contained. Ash has been ridiculed as a poor trainer for not keeping Pikachu in a Poke’ Ball, but the series always demonstrates that they share a deep bond and that Ash lets him free as a demonstration of that. Their connection is deep to the point that even though, Pikachu is always limited to his own name, Ash understands what he is saying. At times, they are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. Early in the series, Ash puts himself in harm's way when a flock of Spearow’s attacked Pikachu. And any fan cannot forget in the inaugural Pokemon: The First Movie when Ash sacrifices himself against Mewtwo, and Pikachu desperately tries to revive him with all of his power. Though Pikachu cannot speak, he can still express emotions and no one needs words to see that Pikachu cares about Ash who he not sees as a master, but as his best friend.

If opposites do attract, look no further than Kyon and Haruhi. Kyon is just a regular teenager who is caught up in the hijinks of Haruhi Suzumiya, a hyperactive girl who is turned off by regular people but doesn't tend to see that in Kyon. Incidentally, he ends up as a member of her club, the SOS Brigade (after somewhat sarcastically suggesting the idea to her). Like most people, he sees Haruhi as a strange girl, but for some reason finds himself joining her on her unusual excursions. He tries to talk sense into her but tends to fall on deaf ears. As the series progresses, it demonstrates why his presence is necessary. Kyon is the kind of sidekick who is a yin to Haruhi’s yang, whose imagination and emotions have mysterious influences onto the real world. Due to Kyon’s creative use of just being average, whatever shenanigans Haruhi causes, he can help influence Haruhi to restore balance. It was thanks to him that the infamous and controversial Endless Eight was put to a stop. Though Kyon and Haruhi are not officially an item, there is very clear chemistry between them and share a distinct need for each other.

Upon his introduction in the first story arc, Speedwagon is just a penniless hooligan but still lives by a code of honor. After encountering Jonathan Joestar, he befriends him out of his respect for his compassion. His role is mostly served as the comic relief by providing over the top narration. Whenever he sees something, he just has to scream it to the top of his lungs in an attempt of being dramatic. In a way, Speedwagon is a character that represents the audience who reacts in the same way they would while watching. He also tends to get emotional in a way that connects the audience with its characters. Going into the second story arc in his advanced years, Speedwagon shows that he is totally reformed from the thug he initially was by becoming a successful businessman in the U.S. In addition, he continues to show his devotion to Jonathan by supporting his family and serves as an uncle like figure to Jonathan’s grandson, Joseph. Though he is dead by the time of the third story arc (due to old age), his Speedwagon Foundation continues to support the activities of the Joestar family. Even in death, his legacy still lives on by giving moral and financial support to his foundation.

In an anime where worlds collide, curiosity tends to follow. Sometimes humans crave what they want to see on the opposite side, while the same can be true for the others on the opposite end of the realm, which leads to the plot of World Trigger. The A.I. Trion Warrior named Replica, serves not only as just a sidekick, but also as a guardian to our main character, Kuga Yuuma, and as the catalyst to how the events of the series unfold. It is thanks to Replica’s suggestion that Yuuma comes to visit the regular world. His programming and knowledge give Yuuma (and other characters) counsel that is at his unlimited disposal. Replica can offer all the advice it can but ultimately makes the realistic disclaimer that he can’t make the decision for anyone knowing it's up to the individual to face whatever consequences that decision is. Even though Replica can’t force people to make decisions, he still has enough free will to save those he cares about at the cost of his own life.

The dedicated and disciplined Genos (aka Demon Cyborg) is pretty much Saitama’s polar opposite. While Saitama is relatively bored (but willing) with being a superhero, Genos is passionate about his profession thus making his role a foil to Saitama’s easygoing nature. A majority of their relationship is more on the comedic side compared to other superhero relationships. With Saitama’s strength, he may not need a partner, but he must have bill to pay, right? Thanks to Genos helping him take care of that problem, that is where their relationship is founded on. His obsession with Saitama goes as far as calling him Sensei, showing how much he respects him while Saitama is just a humble guy who built up his strength through a hard training regiment. Unfortunately, due to people’s love of style over substance, Genos tends to have higher recognition for his feats compared to Saitama. Genos feels offended every time Saitama doesn’t get recognition though he doesn’t care. But thanks to their time together, Genos learns that it is not Saitama’s strength that makes him a hero, but for his simple down to earth personality. But in the end, if you need a roommate that can help take care of rent, hopefully, someone with cash like Genos is looking for a place to crash as long as you have a skill that he is seeking.

In some instances, a sidekick can be the kid brother to the main character. In Fullmetal Alchemist, it is the bigger little brother to Edward Elric, Alphonse, or Al for short. Due to a failed experiment in trying to bring their mother back to life, Al loses his physical body and Ed puts his soul into a suit of armor lying around in their house. As a result of his appearance, it is only natural that he tends to be assumed as the titled Fullmetal Alchemist. Thankfully, Al still retains his powers as an alchemist and his present body allows him to fully use his other combative capabilities. The series does a great job of portraying Al is still an innocent child at heart in contrast to his appearance where people tend to not see him as a child. Due to Al’s current predicament, he is Ed’s sole motivation in becoming the best alchemist and find the Philosopher’s Stone. Compared to Ed who is rather short-tempered, Al demonstrates great maturity and empathy despite his appropriate childlike innocence and does his best to keep Ed in check. He has his own unique abilities in bringing out the best in people which is the main reason why he is someone you need to have around you. Though Ed’s frustrations may get the best of him at times, the fact that he still has his brother with him is what counts. There is no bond stronger than that between siblings and what better sidekick than your own flesh and blood.

Though Armin may not have the same physical attributes as Erin or Mikasa, what he lacks in body, he makes up for in mind and ultimately, heart. While Eren tends to be hot-headed and acts with little to no thinking, Armin is the one who keeps a cool head and tends to be the chief strategist. When things go wrong, he is the one that tries to keep things together. When Eren gets into trouble with other soldiers, Armin calms him down. When Mikasa gets enraged during Eren’s court martial, Armin manages to restrain her knowing it’s only going to lead to more problems. When sacrifices need to be made, he is always the first to volunteer to show he cares for his friends. The very fact he always puts others before himself is why if you need someone for something, he’s your man. It is also thanks to Armin that Eren is driven to see the outside world. If anything, Armin is probably the closest thing to being educated about the outside world compared to everyone else. Where talking about the outside world before the walls is equivalent to breaking the law. Thanks to his Grandfather’s upbringing, he learned of the old world through a book he illegally possessed and is the closest person to being educated.

What can be more helpful in any situation whether it would be fighting crime, the forces of the netherworld, or just getting by in life? How about a demon maid girl named Rem? At a base level, she is simply a demon maid who can cook and clean for you (and has horrific powers). After having her life saved by Subaru, she dedicates herself to him and discards all of her initial doubts about him. She is sweet on the outside, but if you have her loyalty she will throw everything including the kitchen sink to protect you. Despite her abilities, she also has her vulnerabilities where a nice man can comfort her when needed. Her qualities feel very sweet, ideal, and surreal all the same time. Though Rem may be a demon, she shares characteristics similar to that of a real human girl where she enjoys the smaller things with Subaru, such as, when he pats her on the head. The best thing that makes her a great sidekick is that she sees the most positive things in Subaru in the simplest manner. And we won't mention the rest between the two, for it is heartbreaking!

This show might revolve around a male butler, but we are interested in Hinagiku, the student council president of hit anime Hayate the Combat Butler. Luck really isn’t on Hayate’s side. First, his parents abandon him with a debt of several million yen. Then, he tries to kidnap a young girl from a wealthy family but fails miserably. Finally, he gets hired as a personal butler by that exact girl and now has to spend his days fulfilling all of her needs. Can Hayate’s fate be turned around? The student council president in question is Hinagiku who attends the same school as Hayate and his master. Her pink hair might look girly and innocent, but she isn’t to be taken lightly. On top of her role in the student council, she is also the president of the kendo club and thus enjoys swords and fights more than anything else. At times, Hinagiku acts like a tomboy, but that is only due to her strong personality which makes her a suitable student council president.

Next up is the first and only male student council president on our list: Tadase Hotori from Shugo Chara!. Amu Hinamori is a student at a school with a very unique student council. Here, the members are known as Guardians and each one of them has his or her own position: King, Queen, Jack and Ace. After meeting her charming Guardian Characters, Amu is recruited by the Guardians to help them out in their fight against evil powers. A whole new school adventure is about to begin for Amu. Tadase has earned himself the King’s Chair, meaning that he is the leader of the Guardians and president of the student council. This position suits him well since Tadase is heartbreaker #1 on campus and a long-time crush of Amu. His blonde hair and charming smile didn’t earn him the King’s Chair, though. Tadase is a natural born leader and handles the responsibilities of being a student council president with ease. Shugo Chara! is a simply adorable show that deserves a special spot in the hearts of all Shoujo fans.

We are graduating from elementary school straight to high school with our next student council president, Shino Amakusa from Seitokai Yakuindomo. Ousai Academy was once an all-girls school but has now opened its doors to male students as well. Tsuda Takatoshi couldn’t care less about his new school or female classmates, but he decides to be one of the first boys to attend Ousai Academy. Too bad that the school is looking for a male representative and quickly recruits Takatoshi as vice president of the student council. Takatoshi’s school life certainly won’t be a quiet one. Where there’s a vice president, there must also be a president and that student is Shino. She is the perfect fit for a student council president: she gets good grades, is enthusiastic, popular with her fellow students and overall a diligent student. But there is a second side to her; Shino is a big pervert and usually spends her days thinking about all kinds of lewd things. But somehow this only makes Shino more charming in our eyes and that is why she deserves a shout-out on our list.

Our next president comes straight from the future. Get ready for the quirky Manami from Manabi Straight!. This anime is set in the near future of 2035 and tells the story of a group of high school girls. Their school is facing a serious crisis due to a continuously receding birth rate, but that doesn’t mean that Manami and her friends cannot make the most out of their time. After being selected as the next student council president, Manami puts all her efforts into making her school days the best time of her life. Watch the show to find out if she succeeds! Manami is a typical overly energetic character. She is always looking for another challenge and completely throws herself into new situations. With her bubbly personality, she is able to motivate her peers and it seems like she is actually able to create a great atmosphere at her high school. What Manami lacks in experience, she definitely makes up in enthusiasm and energy and that is why she has earned the seventh spot on our list.

After an innocent Slice of Life show, let’s go down into the dark pits of the Ecchi realm, shall we? Shimoneta is another story set in the near future. In this universe, however, the Japanese government has designed a new set of laws that are supposed to protect the morality of the people. To enforce this law, citizens are equipped with a device around their necks that detects all kinds of impure and obscene actions. In this world of suppressed desires emerges a superhero of the special kind - a girl wearing underwear over her face who believes that her classmates need sexual liberation. The story of Shimoneta is so exaggerated and weird that it somehow becomes funny again. What makes this show so great are its strong contrasts, just like in the student council president Anna. She is the symbol of innocence; no dirty thoughts cross her mind and no lewd actions leave a strong impression on her. But could there also be a second side to this innocent beauty? You have to watch Shimoneta to find out, but let’s just say that Anna is one of the most fun and unique presidents on our list.

The name says it all, but next up is a girl who leads a double life as student council president and young wife. Hayato Izumi’s life could be so easy if it wasn’t for Ui Wakana. Hayato is a good student, enthusiastic and ready to become the next student council president. He might have won the race if his opponent wasn’t the quirky yet charming Ui. Settling for vice president, Hayato thought that his life could return to normal. This illusion is destroyed when he finds out that his parents have made a pact with Ui’s family to marry the two kids and let them live together. How will his unexpected matrimony turn out? Ui is simply too adorable not to include on this list. At school, she is outgoing and not afraid to stand out in order to become student council president. Her campaign is to spread the love (and free condoms) across campus and this approach made her likeable enough to earn her the title of president. Ui might be weird, but she simply tries to please her peers as well as her new husband Hayato and her efforts could not go unnoticed on our list.

Shimoneta isn’t the only show on our list revolving around large-chested students and dirty jokes. Prison School, too, can satisfy all of your Ecchi needs. Hachimitsu Private Academy is an elite boarding school exclusive to female students - until the school board decides to also allow boys into its prestigious halls. What might sound like a dream to the first five boys enrolled, turns out to be their worst nightmare. After peeking into the girls’ bath, the boys are transported to Prison School where they’ll learn lessons of the special kind. In this school, there are actually not one, but two student council presidents. Kate is the president of the less popular Aboveground Student Council, while Mari Kurihara is the president of the Underground Student Council. Mari surpasses Kate in almost all aspects of their school and private lives; so why did we include Kate on this list? Unlike Mari, Kate has to work hard to keep her current position. She is strong-willed and driven by the will to surpass her arch-rival. You won’t see her give up easily and while she is a manipulative and sadistic girl, she can also be supportive towards the people she cares about. What a charming yet scary lady!

Angel Beats! Might already be six years old, but it has made it on yet another list on our website. Our next president is no other than Kanade Tachibana from Angel Beats!. Otonashi wakes up on a school campus he is not familiar with. Before he can understand what’s happening, he is thrown into a battle between the Afterlife Battlefront (also called SSS) and a mysterious white-haired girl. Otonashi is trapped in the afterlife. With no recollection of who he is or how he got there, he has to help his newly found friends in a fierce battle between their trapped souls and an entity they believe to be God. Some of you might have forgotten it, but the quiet Kanade is indeed the president of an imaginary student council. Her school might not be real either, but that doesn’t stop the girl from doing her best. From her point of view, she is responsible for overseeing all events at the school and making sure that no one causes trouble. This naturally makes her an enemy of the SSS and involves her in more than just a few battles. Kanade is the most mysterious yet destructively powerful president on our list.

You didn’t think we would mention student council presidents without going back to the all-time classic Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, did you? Misaki Ayuzawa needs to be tough. Not only does she come from a rough background, but she is also the first female student council president at a former all-boys high school. This means that she has to act and look as strong as she can in order to be taken seriously. Too bad that one of her male classmates spots her at her part-time job at a maid café where she has to serve customers in a cute maid uniform. Will her secret finally be revealed? It is difficult not to be amazed by Misaki. Not only does she have to work a part-time job on top of attending high school in order to earn enough money for her family, but she also has to take a job that could potentially embarrass her in front of her classmates. Yet, you never see Misaki complain and when things get rough she simply becomes rougher. Misaki is a true role model and maybe the toughest president on this list.

Who could be a better president than powerful yet kind Misaki? Nao Tomori from Charlotte, of course. There are teenagers with special abilities on this earth and Yuu Otosaka is one of them. He is able to control people’s minds for a couple of seconds and even though he could use this skill for the greater good, he is only interested in his own needs. His selfish days might be over when he meets Nao Tomori who recruits him for her student council. Together with the other members, the teenagers set out to save and protect other kids like them. Nao’s strengths are her determination and willpower. She takes her position as student council president more than just serious and is making sure that all of their plans turn into a success. The cold look on her face might suggest otherwise, but Nao truly cares about the people around her. These facts combined with her leadership skills make Nao a perfect student council president. Her dark past never stopped Nao from doing her job and that is why we reserved the final spot on our list for her.

A new princess must be chosen every 30 years as part of the Hime family tradition to serve the Hayagami. Arata is one of the very few who were born to take over the throne, since time and time again, no female had been able to take the throne. However Arata isn’t a female at all, but in fact a male and now he’s forced to disguise himself and play the role of the princess until an actual one is found. A shocking turn of events occur as he witnesses the current princess being murdered at a festival and now his own life is in turmoil, as he’s been framed for her murder. The real killer is on the loose and so now Arata must somehow convince the Imperial Court of his innocence. Even more of a twist is that another Arata is introduced into his world, and now the two of them are being chased after in this very comedy driven shounen series. As we stated earlier, Yuu Watase developed much of her reputation around the shoujo genre, but her shounen works have also garnered a lot of attention. Arata Kangatari came out in 2008 and was her first shounen serialized manga which debuted in the Weekly Shounen Sunday. While many were a little skeptical at first as to how the story would pan out, Arata Kangatari managed to woo over a lot her fans and created a lot of buzz among various mangaka in the community. Arata Kangatari is extremely funny because you have a young man posing as a woman who then is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and what’s worse is that another Arata shows up to create even more drama. You couldn’t ask for a more terrible start to your teenage life, and try to live up to everyone’s expectations. The mythical world of Amawakuni is where it all goes down as Arata tries to uncover the truth behind the murder, why this new Arata character shows up, and just how he’ll manage to survive with his head being hunted by the entire kingdom.

This romantic story which takes place in the Taishou Era focuses on the life of Tagami Masataka, as he aims to seek out his life purpose. While preparing himself to become a rounin in school, he encounters a young boy named Saiki Souma, who’s the son of a dignified noble, and the two start to create a new relationship as part of the Saiki household. Sakura-Gari focuses on the life of Tagami and his budding relationship with Saiki, as the two come to learn of each other's pasts and uncover more about their own futures. It’s Yuu Watase’s first attempt at a Yaoi story which really dives into areas which can be a bit touchy for some, but it’s main purpose is to show you just how serious life can be at times. As you read on through this story, you start to discover more secrets behind Tagami’s tragic past and just how much hardships he’s dealt with, along with learning dark truths about the Saiki family. With so much going on throughout the story, you’re led to believe that one particular thing is true, but then your entire mind is blown by a shocking revelation that changes the story again. This psychological maze of mystery is sure to keep you buckled in your seat, as you start to unravel just what’s transpiring in this odd household.

Alice is considered by many to be quite the normal high school girl, as she’s a bit shy in her ways, has a crush on a young boy named Kyo, and her older sister is quite popular among many of her peers. However one day, Alice encounters a mysterious looking girl that isn’t quite like a normal girl since she resembles that of a rabbit. This encounter changes Alice’s life forever as she’s now introduced to a new power of the Lotis Words, which was given to her by this rabbit girl and she must use these special abilities to help reshape the world. This manga is full of laughter because Alice just doesn’t seem to know how to control her own powers, and one of the first big mistakes she encounters is making her sister disappear. The Lotis ability uses words to create special spells that affect the world around the user, and can reach the inner heart of others when used properly. Maram Words are the dark counter to the Lotis Words, which took Kyo’s girlfriend Mayura and so now she must learn to master this ability so that she can bring her sister back, and team up with her crush Kyo to uncover the dark truth that lies ahead of them. Yuu’s take on the fantasy drama proved to be a successful one as she stated this adventure drew inspiration from the famous Alice in Wonderland series, from which she remade her own unique story about Alice Seno. This tale is sure to excite those who enjoy a little slice of unpredictability, as well as a funny love triangle that’ll entertain you for some time.

Tanpopo attends an extremely elite academy in Tokyo but feels that the environment just doesn’t suit her. Many of the students at school tease her and claim that she isn’t capable of living up to their standards, and even the boy who she had interest in had absolutely no interest in her. All Tanpopo wanted to do was make friends and create a community around the things she loves, so she decides to make a gardening club in order to make her school experience more fulfilling. In this world of elitism and egocentric behaviors, Tanpopo must try to discover herself and hopefully encounter someone special along the way. This slice of life comedy looks at Tanpopo as she tries her best to fit into a world that she doesn’t belong in. Many of her peers accuse her of being unintelligent, while others just don’t seem to notice her existence. This determination to find answers is what makes Imadoki so rewarding of a read because, it demonstrates the power of the human mind to overcome obstacles, so long as you continue to strive to achieve what’s in your heart. Tanpopo truly wanted to make friends and so the insults and disgraceful remarks didn’t deter her from finding people who actually cared. A lot of people in this world will claim to respect you, but then laugh behind your back and make fun of you due to their own insecurities. Tanpopo overlooks all of that and along the way decides that her destiny relies solely on her decisions, and that love will only find her once she starts to accept and love the things she truly enjoys.

Something just didn’t feel right for both Aya and her twin brother Aki, as they thought they’d be celebrating their birthday at their grandfather’s home. However the funeral style atmosphere they were thrown into really tipped them off, and they suddenly realize that their birthday gift is a mummified hand which grants them enormous power. This hand awakens mysterious powers that were once hidden in Aya’s body, and leaves her brother Aki’s body covered in scars. Her grandfather informs her her brother will inherit the Mikage fortune while Aya must perish. With these newly found powers at her disposal, Aya must decide what’s right for her and to prevent further catastrophe from developing. Ayashi no Ceres was well received in Japan and was awarded the 1998 Shogakukan Manga award for best shoujo, which cemented her status as one of the great mangaka. What made Ayashi no Ceres so exciting was that the way it all began seemed intriguing. Aya has this mysterious power that can destroy anything in her path, and it was granted to her through her grandfather of all people. Then these very same powers almost killed her brother, but now she must finish the job to receive the heir. Two of her friends try to come to her rescue but they two face an extremely out of control power that only Aya can tame. You’re left curious as to why she needs to be killed, and just how much Aya can endure before she goes nuts and causes more pain which was never her intention to begin with.

For most of her life, Riiko just hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to dealing with men. Her countless efforts to score the right mate ends up in rejection, so she decides to take the next step and signs up for a free trial of a nightly lover figure. By the next day the robot figure arrives at her door, and surprisingly wants to become her boyfriend. All of the traits she had wished for had finally become a reality, and now all she needed was time to spend with him. Unfortunately there’s only so much time to spend with him since she needs to return it back, so Riiko must decide what’s best for her. This manga was so popular all throughout Japan that it was turned into a drama series, which also became an extremely huge hit among many. We managed to read and watch both and they really do follow the story to the tee. Riiko’s life was just a bore and almost depressing, as she just couldn’t find someone who she could love. This is so relatable because we’ve all been there before at least once in our lives, where constant rejections continue to haunt us and opportunities pass us by. What made this manga so wonderful to read was that it spoke of the truths pertaining to human behavior but reflects on the relationships between humans and robots. Think of this like Chobits but on a more mature and extremely romantic level, and how much it truly captures every detail of Riiko’s budding yet humorous relationship. You laugh so hard at her mishaps or when she tries to express her deepest emotions, but you feel her struggles as she tries to get to know more about herself through the entire ordeal.

Fushigi Yuugi has an expansive story that looks at the life of various characters who all get sucked into the Universe of the Four Gods. Much of Fushigi Yuugi looks details the mythology of the four creatures of China. Genbu Kaiden is the prequel to the original series and focuses more on how the Universe of the Four Gods was created, and explains the full backstory of the Princess of Genbu. Takiko had every intent in her body to destroy her father’s translation of the Universe of the Four Gods, but is then transported into the world and becomes the Princess of Genbu on a quest to find seven warriors. We chose Yuu’s prequel mainly because it gives readers an opportunity to learn more about the origins of the Universe, and to understand just why Takiko was chosen. Yuu’s clever approach to the series is what made it very fascinating since you’re initially thrown into the main part of the story with the original, but if you wanted to know how it all began reading through Genbu Kaiden would serve its purpose. This manga is full of so much emotion and tragedy that it’ll tear right through your heartstrings once it all escalates. Without giving too much away, Takiko falls in love with Uruki and the two become inseparable, but because of her duties as a princess much of their relationship is back and forth. Takiko works hard to find these celestial warriors and must use her own willpower to overcome deadly obstacles that could potentially prevent her from having her 3 wishes granted. As an extra bonus in the manga, there’s a side story to Ayashi no Ceres that details the events after the end of the series, so once you read through Genbu Kaiden be sure to check that out as well.

Ebichu is the sweet and caring pet hamster of Office Lady who just wants to do what she can to please her owner. Ebichu’s constantly fighting with Office Lady’s useless, cheating boyfriend, Kaishounashi, who Office Lady just can’t quit. This little hamster is determined to make up for the useless people in her master’s life, taking it upon herself to do household chores, answer embarrassing questions for her master, and refereeing Kaishounashi and Office Lady’s sex when she thinks it’s not good enough for OL. Despite getting beat up constantly, Ebichu faces each day with energy and optimism! Both Ebichu and Gakuen Handsome take things that are supposed to be cute and instead pervert and make a mockery of them. While Ebichu definitely has more sexual content, they share in their use of violence as comedy, with characters healing quickly from their wounds. Neither of the shows uses romance or sexual innuendo in an attempt to arouse or excite the audience. When Ebichu reads an erotic novel out-loud using character voices while her master has sex, and when Sakuya asks Yoshiki out to pee together, it’s only to elicit laughs with the ridiculous scenarios.

Teekyuu follows the everyday life of Yuri and her three friends in the tennis club, who are far removed from reality. She’s swept along by their antics every day despite wanting to lead a normal life abiding by the laws of physics. Kanae, Marimo and Natsuno flout decency of logic without much concern for what that means for others. Yuri doesn’t have the luxury of worrying about their lack of tennis proficiency when she has to constantly stop her three senpai from abusing their wealth, committing crimes, and engaging in reckless activities! Yuri and Yoshiki both are the main characters and end up being somewhat of a straight man in the series. They are also both the target of gay advances by multiple characters. However, Yuri is definitely more likely than Yoshiki to give the others a hard time about their antics or refuse their advances. Both anime feature quick dialogue where almost every other line is something ridiculous or perverted. The actions and abilities of the characters far exceed human limitations which make for a lot of visual humor. Teekyuu doesn’t have quite as strong a gay romance presence as Gakuen Handsome does, but they are very similar in terms of comedy!

Ai, Mai, and Mii are members of the manga writing club, yet Mai and Mii care little for actually participating. Instead, they spend their days annoying Ai, who is the only one who takes activities seriously. The three girls are constantly getting into crazy, video game-like situations and often get into battles with each other, yet they'll be together again by the start of the next episode. From meeting strange creatures to encountering magic and becoming cyborgs, each day brings with it new and strange joy! Ai and Yoshiki are very similar in that they both are slightly more serious than their schoolmates but still get into some weird antics of their own. They might not be as prone to crazy, but they have their own bizarre displays. Ai Mai Mii is another short anime with ridiculous scenarios and undetailed artwork, yet it parodies several genres and there is far less romance in this series. However, if you came for a crazy, slice of life comedy, you will not be disappointed!

When Tomoya’s father remarries, Tomoya is interested to see what kind of person his new stepsister, Ichika, is. He soon finds out she is an obsessive stalker and desperately wishes to be around him at all times. She’ll even put her safety on the line just to get a few more moments with him! Ichika has no shame and will throw herself at her stepbrother in front of friends and family. Tomoya tries to maintain normal relationships with others but that’s a difficult endeavor when Ichika won’t let him be alone with anyone! While not being potential romantic interests to the main character like in Gakuen Heaven, the supporting characters of Oneechan ga Kita are similar. We have the childhood ikemen (pretty boy) friend, the verbally abusive and intelligent student from another class, and the violent delinquent who shows favor to the main character. Aside from additional characters being introduced, there's not much progression to the plot. However, My Sister Came is a bit more of a serious attempt to show complicated romance between characters. Instead of gay love, it's sibling love, and of course, the other characters react to it like it was a weird hobby rather than a social taboo.

When the cat-loving Inugami meets the dog-enthusiast Nekoyama, a mutual attraction is born when the two find the characteristics they love in each other. Inugami is quite the dog when it comes to cute girls, and she relentlessly goes after Nekoyama. Nekoyama enjoys the attention, but too much makes her run away. As more animal-like classmates enter their circle of friends, the girls might find the need to mark their territory. Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san features an all-girl cast where multiple relationships seem possible, while Gakuen Handsome features an all-boy cast with multiple possible pairings. Right off the bat, though, we can guess who the main character will end up with in Inugami-san, while Gakuen Handsome leaves us wondering just who Yoshiki will choose sexy tea-time with. Inugami also is quite easily flustered by each new girl she encounters just as Yoshiki feels his heart beating faster with each new senpai! This show is great for animal lovers~

Arikawa Hime finds himself in serious trouble when his parents leave a huge debt in his name and then run off, leaving him to be the prey of loan sharks. After being forced into a maid outfit in order to bring in some money, the beautiful boy tries to run away, only to be hunted down. He thinks his luck is turning around when the bishoujo (beautiful girl) student council members of Shimoshina High School beat off the intruders, and offer to pay his debts. The catch? He must continue to dress as a girl, and be the dog of the student council! While Himegoto has the added ridiculousness of forcing the main character to dress as a girl, it’s similar to Gakuen Handsome in that both main boys are showered with more attention than anyone else in the school. Both shows are also in a school setting where teachers obviously don’t do much to stem the flow of crazy from their students. The artwork certainly isn’t as laughable as Gakuen Handsome and their antics are more nonsensical than straight up impossible. However, it is definitely another fun, short, ridiculous anime to watch when you run out of GH!