The last two decades have been filled with some of the most monumental characters in anime. There have been hundreds of amazing series, butonly a few characters have truly claimed the past 20 years as their own.These characters are instantly recognizable, come from a variety of genres, and took anime to the heights it’s at today.
There have been a ton of great anime characters since 2005, but not all of them have made waves both within and outside the anime world. To become absurdly popular, an anime character needs to stand out from not only their genre, but anime as a whole.
The biggest characters of the past 20 years are defined by their unique qualities, their role within the story they’re in, and so much more. Anime fans around the world should be thankful for these characters, as each of them added something immeasurable to the art form that is anime.
One Piece
There are few characters, if any, like Monkey D. Luffy fromOne Piece.He’s the star of one ofthe longest-running anime series of all time, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, andone of the most popular anime characters in history.
Luffy could be considered the star of almost any year in the past two decades.One Piecehasn’t slowed down a bit since it began, and even 20 years later, the series is still reaching new heights.
Bleach
The Big Three shōnen anime series not only dominated shōnen anime for years: they introduced millions of Western viewers to anime.One Piece, Naruto,andBleachhelped bring anime over from Japan, and Ichigo Kurosaki deserves a ton of credit.
Ichigo is the protagonist of one of the best shōnen series of all time.He’s more than the star ofBleachtoo:he’s a character who inspired tons of fans around the world, taught people to overcome their limits, and came back decades later for a great finale.
Clannadis an amazing anime series by the famed Kyoto Animation that fans are still talking about nearly 20 years after it came out. It’s one of the most gripping, heartfelt series around, andits two leads cement the series as an all-timer.
Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa are the two stars ofClannad.Their blossoming relationship allows them to see the best in one another. They grow more as individuals, grow together, and begin to live a new life relying on one another.
Lelouch Lamperouge is one ofthe smartest anime characters in the art form. He’s one of the few characters in animesmart enough to reshape the world in his image, and with the Geass, he might just be able to.
Lelouch set the standard incredibly high. He’s dark without being too edgy, ambitious without being unrelatable, and cynical while still being (relatively) reasonable. There are a ton of Lelouch clones, but there will only ever be one Lelouch of the Rebellion.
For a long time,Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodranked as the single greatest anime of all-time on MyAnimeList.com.It’s a series that truly takes anime to new heights, as the Elric brothers' story is intriguing, heart-wrenching, and exciting all at once.
Edward and Alphonse are two of the most lovable and tragic characters around. They’ve only ever wanted to reunite their family, and the harder they try to, the more they lose. No matter how bleak their futures look, the pair persevere, maintain hope, and work towards a brighter future.
Naruto
Naruto has cemented himself as another one ofthe most popular anime characters of all time. He’s the star ofNarutoand a character whose arc is nearly unrivaled. Naruto started the series as a brat before he transformed into the hero his village always needed.
BecauseNarutois such a long series, there are a few different years in which Naruto could’ve been considered a star. 2010 is a special year forNarutobecause of the Pain Arc, one of the best arcs in the franchise.Naruto’s battle with Pain is unbelievably amazing, and anime fans will remember it for generations.
Steins;Gateis a mind-melting series that is perfect for a veteran anime fan who wants to see how far the art form can really go.It’s a series that tackles some tough themes masterfully, like identity, reality, and fate.
At the center of all the action is self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe. He’s one of the few characters who has a right to sing his own praises, as there aren’t many characters around as smart as Rintarou. He does his best to save himself, his friends, and create a future where he can have it all.
Hunter X Hunter
It’s hard to describe Gon Freeccs. On the surface, he’s an adorable, hopeful, honest young boy looking to do his best whenever he can. Beneath the surface, however, isa character capable of feats nobody else can even imagine.
Gon is the best part ofHunter x Hunter.He’s one of the easiest characters to root for every time that he’s on-screen. Gon has well and truly created his own space within the anime world at large, and no other character since has replicated what he’s done for the art form.
Gintamais widely considered to bethe funniest anime series of all time. It’s also one of the longest, spanning years and years and documenting one of the weirdest stories in the art form. Gintoki Sakata is the star ofGintama,andthe series couldn’t possibly be the same without him.
Gintoki is funny without trying. He set the standard for what it means to be the star of a comedy anime series, and years later, his presence is felt in a lot of series trying to do the same thing.
Attack on Titan
Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto,andBleachare easily the biggest anime series of the early 2000s.When it comes to 2010-2020, no series is bigger thanAttack on Titan.Attack on Titanbrought anime to the mainstream in the West, and modern audiences should be grateful for what it accomplished.
There are so many reasons to loveAttack on Titan,and one of the biggest has to be Eren Yeager. He’s a terribly tragic character who went through more trauma than an entire series' worth of characters. His brutal existence makes for one of the best anime series of all time.
