Top Ten Best Anime Protagonists

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The Top Ten
1 Ash Ketchum - Pokemon Ash Ketchum, known as Satoshi in Japan, is a fictional main character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. Ash is training to be a Pokemon Master, with his buddy Pikachu. Ash tries to stop the evil Team Rocket from stealing his Pikachu.

Nice to see some appreciation for this character. And now that he's World Champion, maybe the haters will finally shut up.

Gotta catch em all! Or at least gotta catch Pikachu, Charizard, Greeninja, Lucario, Infernape, and Sceptile for the win.

2 Eren Jaeger - Shingeki no Kyojin Eren Yeager, spelled Eren Jaeger in the Funimation dub, is a fictional character appearing as the protagonist from the manga series Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama.

S1 - He's angry.
S2 - He's betrayed.
S3 - He's lost.
S4 - He's a MONSTER.
and his name is.. Eren Jaeger.

Simply being one of the best characters of all time, Eren tops the Shingeki no Kyojin cast, along many other Anime characters, with his superb character development. He might as well be in the top 10 Anime characters in history, but does he deserve it? Indeed.
Isayama-Sensei knew what he was doing with his character. He made every single one of us think he's just a generic, shonen MC with no unique traits, and later reveals us a masterpiece. Eren is not generic, he's special, since the day he was born. From an angry and whiny wimp who cried for his mother's death, he developed into a mature person who knows how the world evolves around him. You might think he has similar goals to other protagonists, but you're mistaken, and I'll tell you exactly why.
Other shonen protagonists: I hate how this world has become, I'll change it!
Eren Jaeger: This world has always been the same and I hate it, but at the same time, I am not someone special to change it. That's why I'll destroy it.
Hope that made you realize how well written Eren is.

3 Revy - Black Lagoon
4 Lelouch Lamperouge - Code Geass Lelouch Lamperouge, whose real name is Lelouch vi Britannia, is the title character and protagonist of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Greatest MC ever, intelligent (classic intelligence and emotional intelligence), motivated, drives the action, yet very emotional and human, compassionate for the people he cares about. Thoroughly enjoyed Lelouch in action.

Easily the best character here. His character development is top notch, and his character arc ties up so perfectly at the end of the show.

A tactical genius, idealist, hero, villain, maniac, big brother, king, demon.
All rolled into one.
What's not to like?

5 Soul Eater Evans - Soul Eater Soul Evans (Japanese: ソウル・エヴァンス, Sōru Evansu) is the main male protagonist of the anime and manga series, Soul Eater, which was written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. He is a demon weapon who was born into a family of famous musicians... read more
6 Dan Kuso - Bakugan: Battle Brawlers
7 Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood Edward Elric, commonly nicknamed Ed, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa.

Best character of all time in my opinion, he is a smart shounen anime protagonist unlike most other shounen protagonist. What I like about him in both FMA series is how he would sacrifice everything just to getbhis brother's body back. In FMA03 one of the most emotional scene is when Ed sacrifice himself to get his brother back but in expense of him going to the other side of the gate, probably wouldn't meet his brother again. But, that scene is really heartbreaking because at the end we never see a happy ending with two brothers meeting each other again with their wish became granted.

8 Yugi / Yami - Yu-Gi-Oh!
9 Spike Spiegel - Cowboy Bebop
10 L Lawliet - Death Note L Lawliet, exclusively known by the mononym L, is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata .

His sense of justice is so twisted and at the same time interesting. His way of talking and living is interesting and his past is a very weird one.

Needs to get some sleep. Mans need therapy as well, I mean have you seen how he sits on a chair? No manners Fam

Now L is my favorite anime character ever but he's not a protagonist light is the main character therefore he is the protagonist l is the antagonist

The Contenders
11 Alucard - Hellsing Alucard is a fictional character and the protagonist and antihero of the Hellsing manga and anime series created by Kouta Hirano.
12 Light Yagami - Death Note Light Yagami is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

One word: Psychopath. Mans on another level. His genius is on par with Tony Stank. Mans is so evil after touching da note book. Kira has taken over light and Light is no longer with us anymore.

Has a goal and does whatever he needs to obtain it. Plays the mind games 24/7 and always has something up his sleeve. Very entertaining to watch.

He was actually making the world a better place, by reducing the crime rates by 70%. He is an end justify the means type of character.

13 Goku - Dragon Ball Son Goku (Kakarrot) is the main protagonist in Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. He has many abilities like, super strength, utilization of ki, flight, teleportation, super speed, enhanced reflexes, and Super Saiyan transformation that increase strength, speed, and durability... read more

He showed Vegeta and Frieza mercy! After all they did, all the people they killed, he gave them a second chance! Also, we watch him grow as a person, become a father, become a grandfather, and he saved the planet, what, more than 10 times? He even saved the entire GALAXY! Goku definitely would be at my number 1 favorite anime, no even character in anything.

Loved him in dragon Ball. Love him even more in DBZ. My favourite progranist in anime. Love his personality and dedication to get stronger. Love the eating moments the most.

14 Ryuko - Kill la Kill Ryuko Matoi is the main protagonist of Japanese anime series 'Kill La Kill' produced by Studio Trigger. Ryuko Matoi is a highschool student who attends Honnouji Academy to find her father's murderer.
15 Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto Naruto Uzumaki is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto.

Naruto is a great protagonist. His character development has been great, as he has shown to mature as the series progress. He has finally achieved his dreams if being a hokage, but has not turned out the way he has envisioned it. Love him so much

He is the most inspirational protagonist amongst all anime characters.

He is the no.1 anime protagonist in my opinion

16 Ichigo Kurosaki - Bleach Ichigo Kurosaki is a fictional character in the Bleach manga series and its adaptations created by Tite Kubo.

I knew he was gonna make the list but why so low? (Literally placed lower the deku) You can't just compare legends to new gens yes they may be goated but overall old gens are better

Goku with a brain and personality and motivation beyond enjoying a challenge. Ichigo is a gentleman and a badass.

17 Monkey D. Luffy - One Piece Monkey D. "Straw Hat" Luffy is a fictional character and the protagonist of the One Piece manga franchise created by Eiichiro Oda.

Where to start.. Luffy is literally the best. He makes you feel so many different emotions. He isn't a hero or anything, cause he has his own wishes and life. But this boy is literally the most dependable one can be.

You feel emotional as you follow Luffy, he has suffered like many of the protagonists on this list and laughed, and he is a very charismatic MC who I genuinely think should be higher up on the list.

Never seen the anime, but I don't like it anyway. not interested in a guy who is called a monkey and acts like a fxcking monkey. Might as well call him the next Optimus Primal

18 Gon Freecs - Hunter x Hunter

I love this boi so much. He's different from most shonen protagonists, in how he's not necessarily good, and he actually has many qualities other than "he's a smol bean" *cough* Deku *cough*

19 Kaneki Ken - Tokyo Ghoul

He's kaneki. Anime suffers a little in the Re version of it. But in terms of manga...he is top 3 best developed characters of all time. It's guts, kaneki, eren yaeger at this point.

20 Izuku Midoriya - My Hero Academia Izuku "Deku" Midoriya is a fictional character and the protagonist of My Hero Academia, a manga series written by Kohei Horikoshi.

I can't believe Eren Jaeger got more votes than this fluffy little otaku. Midoriya needs all the hugs and is surprisingly nuanced and interesting for a protagonist who's generally a very nice guy already. I love his growth and how he makes others around him grow.

Mah boi Izuku needs some representation on this list. I'm biased because he reminds me of myself to a T but isn't that the sign of your favorite protagonist? I don't know. I just wanted to represent my favorite green headed boy.

Deku is a great character. Yes, he may come across as a wimp who cries a lot, but has matured a lot and now learns the responsibilities of his quirk. He has shown to get stronger as the series goes and will succeed his goal in being the next NO.1 Hero

21 Rin Okumura - Ao no Exorcist Rin Okumura is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Blue Exorcist created by Kazue Kato. He's known for being the son of satan and trying to kill him. He is the main Protagonist in Blue Exorcist. His notable feature is the blue sword in which he draws when in trouble

Ever since he was a child, he had a stubborn personality and people started calling him a 'demon'. He was frustrated about this because he didn't want to believe it. After a few years, he found out that he is indeed a half-demon, the son of Satan. After Satan killed his foster father, Shiro Fujimoto, the strongest Paladin (highest-ranked Exorcist) of all time be killed right infront of his eyes, he swears to kill Satan and gain revenge. A certain Mephisto invites him to True cross Academy where he will be getting lessons on how to be an Exorcist. His powers as the son of Satan is sealed in a certain "Kurikara" sword. Rin can be lazy and funny at times. Okay dude, ALL THE TIME. that's why I like him so much. Not bad for a demon.

22 Haruhi Fujioka - Ouran High Host Club

She is really amazing. I love her way of hosting. She should be at least in top 5. I love her smile. She is so quite.

23 Joseph Joestar - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Joseph Joestar is a fictional character from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series created by Hirohiko Araki.

Joseph Joestar is an amazing character in Battle Tendency. Clumsy, but badass. Goofy, but hyper-intelligent. Comic, but sentimental (I cried at a certain part, and chances are you did too if your heart isn't made of stone). One of the most expressive characters you'll ever see, every moment he is on screen is endless entertainment.

Unlike most anime heroes, Joseph's fights are not won by brute strength. Instead, he takes down enemies massively stronger than him with ingenuity, mind games, and pure luck. The fact that his raw power is relatively modest (in terms of anime) also makes him a more relatable character, and you can almost put yourself in his shoes.

This guy pretty much single-handedly made Battle Tendency the best JJBA. Well, him and Speedwagon.

Respect.

24 Sadao Maou - The Devil Is A Part Timer

Good man, taking care of others and being nice all around. Very entertaining to watch.

He is the funniest protagonist of all time!

25 Okabe Rintarou - Steins;Gate

Considering the hell he goes through and emerges out not only sane, but new and improved, determined to protect everything and everyone he cares about.

Great personality and spices everything up. Very caring towards friends. Has great chemistry with others. Very enjoyable to watch.

A lovable Chuunibyou character who literally crossed across time for the people he care, the lab members especially Kurisu and Mayuri.

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