Your top ten Characters

[Clephas]

This thread is very simple, but perhaps more interesting than you might think. 

 

What ten fictional characters have given you the most inspiration, joy, laughter, and food for thought?  Think carefully on this.  Fanboyism is all well and good, but you should think carefully and consider - what characters have had the most lasting effect on you?

 

1) Anomander Rake- Oddly, he is one of the few characters of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson that you never once get behind the eyes of.  Nonetheless, if I had to pick a character who was the most inspiring in the series, just off the top of my head, it would be him.  He gets off-hand compliments from various oddballs in the series, and his actions are always honorable and (perhaps more importantly) thoughtful.   He is a Tiste Andii, a member of a race of black-skinned beings that live unbelievably long lifespans and who are perpetually morose due to the absence of their goddess.  For three hundred thousand years after his people's goddess abandoned them, he simply went about the task of protecting his people from themselves, giving them causes and reasons to live.  At the same time, he made others' causes his own, protecting many and opposing tyrants.  Perhaps what he is most infamous for is his sword, Dragnipur, which absorbs the souls of those it kills and sets them to eternally pulling a wagon that represents Darkness in its perpetual flight from chaos.  However, despite the sheer power he wields (he is also a Soletaken - basically a were-being dragon) he can take the time to find joy in the happiness of one of his servants falling in love and he will be the first to tell them to prioritize that love over his service. 

 

2) Hinaori Kagome- The true heroine of Comyu (a VN that is in the process of translation by Amaterasu).  She is Akihito's self-described 'deredere osananajimi'.  She is vicious, sadistic, and contemptuous of virtually everyone.  She is also utterly ruthless with anyone who threatens Akihito, who is her priority number one, though she is just as contemptuous of him at times as anyone else.  Her favorite weapon is a kukri, which she wields with careless skill that is terrifying to those around her.  She is also a genius (as in a Hawking-level genius) and Akihito's name for her is 'the Black Witch'.  Incidentally, she is the only heroine I've run into so far that no one has successfully attempted to turn into a cookie-cutter archetype in other VNs.

 

3) Shigure Sora- Ok, two 'evil' characters in a row, but that's Clephas for you, lol.  Shigure Sora is the protagonist of Devils Devel Concept (another VN).  He describes himself as being 'broken' and has the habit of smoking cigarettes on the roof (bad cigarettes at that) at school, having sex with his sexfriend Mutsuki, and killing demons on his way to the convenience store.  He is lacking in certain emotions normal humans need, such as guilt, love (though he does possess an odd sort of attachment to people he likes to be around), and empathy.  Despite this, he is very rational most of the time, and due to his high degree of self-awareness, is something of a philosopher.  He doesn't believe in objective morality, and he continually lectures others when they ask him about it that all 'good' in the world is simply that person's 'evil' or their subjective perspective.

 

4)  Kokoro (real name: Chenfui)-

Shiranui Yoshikazu's heart (literally).  She is a character in Evolimit, a wise, perceptive young girl who is an eternal child in appearance due to the fact that she herself is quite dead, though her consciousness seems to have entered Shiranui's body as a result of the heart transplant.  She is curious, intelligent, and she is also an extremely moral individual.  She cares deeply about Shiranui, and it was her dream that led him to go to Mars as part of the first colonization team.  She is not overly attached to her continued existence, as is shown when she willingly allows Shiranui to cast her aside in several of the endings for the sake of the greater good. 

 

5) Ilya- Every VN fan and a lot of anime fans know Ilya.  As such, I'll set aside the long description.  Simply put, she was the female character who left the strongest impression amongst the first VNs I played and it still strikes me hard now that she always seems to get the short end of the stick.  C'mon Nasu, let the girl have a life for god's sake.

 

6) Konata- The protagonist of Konata yori Kanata Made. 

My main reason for choosing him is that his experiences had a profound impact on me, both for his experience as a cancer patient on chemo, his struggles with the reality of his inevitable death, and his desperate desire to close accounts with his dearest loved ones before he passes on.  His last days are terribly poignant, regardless of what path you choose in the game, and he is strikingly normal, human in a way fictional characters rarely manage

 

7) Belche- One of the heroines of Draculius.  She is a 500 year old vampire, a loli, and a maid.  Not to mention that she is ruthless, powerful, and brilliant. 

She was born in Ireland, where she was a fairly normal country girl until she was gang-raped and almost killed.  She was saved by the protagonist's father, who turned her, whereupon she promptly slaughtered those who had assaulted her.  To be honest, if I were asked what vampire character seemed the most like a vampire in all the novels, anime, VN, and other media I've experienced, she is the one.  Her ruthless, callous attitude toward normal humans, her somewhat carelessly hedonistic personality, and her fierce protectiveness toward her 'family' were what led me to see her in this light.

 

Ganoes Paran- The very first character whose eyes the author gets behind in the Malazan Book of the Fallen.  He is a surprisingly resilient young man who endures the unendurable and always does his best for those that he has a responsibility to.  The manner in which events take hold of him in the early books only serves to make him more admirable when he takes something resembling control over his own destiny.

 

9)  Harry Dresden- The protagonist of the Dresden Files, an urban fantasy novel series written by Jim Butcher.  His antics as a wizard in Chicago both amuse and fascinate throughout the book series so far, and he will make you laugh on a regular basis, if only because he is such a smart-aleck that can't seem to stop from using Star Wars references on a regular basis.

 

10)  Magus- One of the antagonists of Chrono Trigger and the man who started my ongoing obsession with pointed ears, pale skin, dark clothing, and cool-looking bad guys. 

[Steve]

If I would to take it by the amount these characters affected me and my life until now, this would be the list:

 

1. Steve Rowland - well I am using persona of this character on the internet ever since I read the comic as a kid like 15 years ago. It has actually been 10 years since the game adaptation was released, holy molly I remember playing it like it was yesterday.

2. Mare - she is the best girl ever and I think about her every day since I met her some year and a half ago (well I live with her so I can't not think about her). I even Mareied her

3. Kud - thanks to Kud we have the famous phrase "Kud Night" shortened as kn, used everyday on teamspeak.

4-5. Vivio and Einhart - those 2 are the synonyms of cuteness, literally. I include them in most of my arts. I even Mareied Vivio and I am planning wedding with Einhart for next year.

6. Kobato - Super cute loli from Haganai, I was using her as an inspiration for my TERA character and later as a name for my first pso2 character so she certainly affected my life.

7-10. Random lolis that I was in love with for a short period of time like Rin (vocaloid) and such, they affected my life for some time but most of it is gone and only few girls remain in my heart forever - Mare, Vivio, Einhart. And Kud will always be in my heart too since there isn't a day we don't mention her name on TS.

 

Other than that I can't say any characters affected me, basically before I first started with anime/vn 2 years ago it was only Steve Rowland that affected me as otherwise I was using custom made names for my mmo characters and such so Kobato was my first character name inspired by an existing character.

[Mizore Man]

So uh, this is in no particular order, but here are my ten (and if I can't think of ten, then just the most meaningful) fictional characters:

1. Emi Ibarazaki (Katawa Shoujo) - Katawa Shoujo may not be the best VN out there, but it is one of the few that left a lasting impression on me on a psychological level. As much as I enjoyed the other routes in the game, I have got to say that Emi's route had the biggest lasting impression on me. It was just the way that 4Leaf made her character; Somebody who's entire life was altered in a major way in just seconds, whose determination and strong will lead her to continue living life the way she wanted it. She never let anything stop her from doing what she wanted to do, and to be honest it was inspiring. It was her route in the VN that got me to get off my lazy butt and actually care about myself too, and to this day I still maintain a more active lifestyle than I did a year ago. 

2. Yuzuru Otonashi (Angel Beats!) - This guy, this guy does not know when to stop putting his friends and the people he cares about above himself. I personally like to put the people I care about before myself because it makes me happy to spread happiness to others, but Otonashi does it because he is truly just a selfless person.

3. Grunt (Mass Effect) - The dynamic change that takes place in Grunt from when you first recruit him in Mass Effect 2 to when you fight alongside him on a mission in Mass Effect 3 I found very endearing. Grunt was designed to be a war machine in essence, yet over the course of Mass Effect, Grunt develops much more than just his fighting skills and in his last stand scene in Mass Effect 3, where he sacrifices his own team to save Shephard, I felt that Grunt had truly demonstrated loyalty on an entire new level.

4. Itsuki Midoriba (Shuffle!) - In both the VN and the anime, Itsuki teaches the protagonist to live life to the fullest. There should be no regrets and nothing holding you back in your life, and if there are regrets or obstacles in your way, you need to wake yourself up and ask yourself if you really are actually living.

 

5. Himeko Inaba (Kokoro Connect) - Where to begin? The obvious choice for "Best Girl" in the Kokoro Connect anime & manga. She is smart, witty, arrogant yet modest. Conscientious yet oblivious. Caring but stoic. A reality check when needed, and cold-humored friend when not. Her emotions are a roll of the die, and her actions in the series are quite spectacle. She is one of the most static characters I have ever seen or read. And for these reasons she is possibly my favorite character from anything.

6. Glenn Rhee (Walking Dead) - To put it simply, Glenn is a representation of David vs Goliath. Even the smallest in stature or skill can accomplish the greatest tasks and challenges. What more need I say?

 

7. Hanako Ikezawa (Katawa Shoujo) - Beauty is just skin deep. Bah. Beauty comes from within is more like it. Hanako teaches the reader that all scars can heal, and that with the right support, and keeping a firm head on your shoulders, anyone can be beautiful. 

 

8. Ryuuji Takasu (Toradora!) - It's Ryuuji. Enough said. If you have seen Toradora!, then you probably know why he is on this list. If you haven't seen Toradora!, then go start watching it as soon as you are done reading. Just go. Watch it. Laugh. Cry. I don't care what you do while watching it, just watch it. (As an extra incentive, the PSP VN for it is on this site  )

 

9. Ethan Mars (Heay Rain) & Kurama (Elfen Lied) - Each character a true father, to the very end, just on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ethan Mars I find to be the epitome of the perfect father; Devoted to his family, hard working, willing to go to any extent to save what he cares about, and knows that he is flawed and not perfect. Kurama, although an antagonist throughout the series of Elfen Lied, seems to show much more humanity than meets the eye the longer you watch the series, as you learn about his history and what has drawn him down this path. 

And his final moments where he truly gets to be a real father before he and Mariko cease to exist are momentous to say the least.

 

10. Mizore Shirayuki (Rosario + Vampire) - Hey, I'm named after her, so that's gotta mean something, right? My opinion for best girl from this series, just because of her personality.

[Okami]

When you watched 250 anime and read dozen VNs it is pretty hard to choose only 10 characters so I will have to add at least one more in my list and make it 11.  Also it is pretty hard for me to explain why I like them, I just like them for who they are, I mean you don't really need a reason to like someone you just like who they are.

 

1. Yuno Gasai (Mirai Nikki)

[spoiler]

 

2. Suguha Kirigaya (Swort Art Online)

[spoiler]

 

3. Momo Velia Deviluke (To Love-Ru)

[spoiler]

 

4. Leoluch Lamperouge (Code Geases)

[spoiler]

 

5. Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)

[spoiler]

 

6. Keima Katsuragi (The Word God Only Knows)

[spoiler]

 

7. Ootori Chihaya (Rewrite)

[spoiler]

 

8. Mikasa Archeman (Shingeki no Kyojin)

[spoiler]

 

9. Tabitha (Zero No Tsukima)

[spoiler]

 

10. Nina Antalk (Chrome Shelled Regios)

[spoiler]

 

11. Mina Tepes (Dance In The Vampire Bound)

[spoiler]

[GoldenSorcerer]

I'll try my best to make an order, and a quick description about why I like them:

1)Ushiromiya Battler. My favourite character of all times, I like everything about this character, and I mean everything. He's the main character of Umineko no naku koro ni. At first, I don't think he stood out too much, he seemed more like a character who focuses in telling jokes and doing stupid things to me.

He was really stubborn and it took him a while to realize what Beato had been trying to tell him, he kept denying magic over and over again, although I really liked his reasoning, what I liked the most is how he develops, when he finally understood what magic is, and why love is the single and only element in the world, then he was able to become the Golden Sorcerer. I completely agree with his way of thinking, I don't think I'll ever find a character who will teach me as much as Battler did.

2)Emiya Shirou. He's the main character of Fate/Stay Night. Most people think he's just an stupid guy with rather cliche ideals (the anime adaptation made it even worst, "People die when they are killed" anyone?) but, once again, this character turned out to be one of my favourite characters of all times. At first, just as I said, I thought he was just your "I'm a good for nothing but somehow I'll manage to beat them all, although I don't want to fight at all" hero, but look at how he developed, I really ended up liking him a lot.

Alright, in the Fate route he wasn't that great, he helped out Saber but that's pretty much it, Rin lost Archer to save him, and all he managed to do was recreating Saber's sword. But then, UBW arrives. For me, he became an amazing character, he showed Archer that his ideals were correct, and walked down the path he had chosen, being able to beat Gilgamesh in the end, the strongest servant, although Shirou was just a mere human, leaving some epic quotes behind "Do you have enough swords in stock, King of Heroes?". He was also great in HF route, surprassing Archer, and his fight against Kotomine Kirei was amazing. All in all, I learnt a lot from Shirou, even if he's hated by many people (he actually doesn't deserve so much hate) he's a character I respect a lot.

3) Usami Haru. My favourite female character, the main heroine of G-senjou no Maou. First of all, I'll make something clear, I really like smart characters, I usually prefer a smart character over a overpowered one. Haru played most of that role in G-sanjou no Maou, he was the detective, who chased Maou

Kyousuke did the same but only in the last chapters of the game, I really liked him too though

and played along with Maou's "games".

I also liked her because of her past, plus I always had a thing for violins

4) Lamperouge Lelouch. He's the main character of Code Geass. Yet another smart character, and a really smart one, he's one of the greatest tacticians I've ever seen.

At some point, even if he was such a great character, I grew to dislike him a bit, because of his way of doing things, and how he turned "evil". Of course, all of that cleared up in the end, when I understood Lelouch's objective. All hail Lelouch!

5) Beatrice the Golden. She's the main female character of Umineko no naku koro ni (together with Ange), the Golden Witch who has lived for a thousand years. I'll have to write almost everything in spoiler this time

Alright, I really disliked her at first, I was really close to hate her. I thought she was cruel, and that she didn't value other's lifes at all. Of course, that's why because I didn't understand her. Later on, I started to understand her bit by bit, her motives, and that she was trying to tell Battler something really important. In the end, I completely understood her, and thanks to that, he became one of my favourite characters, she really deserves the tittle of Golden and Endless Witch, she made me realize what the single element of this world is, and that, without love, it cannot be seen.

6)Onizuka Eikichi. He's the main character of GTO - Great Teacher Onizuka. This guy's just amazing. I laughed so much with him, I spent some really good moment with him, and also, just like he claims, he's the best teacher ever, he truly is Great Teacher Onizuka. The ideal teacher for me, and how every single teacher in this world should be in my opinion, every teacher should aim to be like Onizuka Eikichi.

7) Reinhard von Lohegramm. He's one of the main characters of Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu. The ideal ruler for me. Even if he's a tyrant, great intelectuals (such as Yang Wenli) questions themselves if a democracy (in this case, a corrupted one) is actually better than a dictatorship with someone as brilliant as Reinhard as their leader, who actually thinks about people, and changed the power balance for good. Sieg Kaiser Reinhard!

Alucard. He's the main character of Hellsing series. He's the most badass character I've ever seen. Yeah he's pretty evil (not so much as most people would think) but even if that's the case, I really liked him.

9) Ushiromiya Ange. She's one of the main female characters of Umineko no naku koro ni.

Yes, she's pretty cold at first, yes, she takes a lot of time to realize what Battler had been trying to tell her, yes, she was so blind with anger that she wasn't able to understand anything, much less Eva's behaviour. But hey, she had a really hard past. When she finally understood what magic was, she understood what she wanted to do with his life, and that she shouldn't throw it away (magic end). About the trick end, she did one hell of a reasoning when she reached Rokkenjima.

10) Emiya Kiritsugu. He's the main character of Fate/Zero. He was really cold, but all he did was to make his ideal come true. It was a noble goal, even if he didn't hesitate to sacrifice something to make it come true. I liked him a lot too, nothing much more to say about him.

[Albedo]

Here's my top ten, in no particular order (also, I'll probably edit this later to explain why I liked them):

 

1- Vic Mackey (The Shield)

2- Stringer Bell (The Wire)

3- Eva Ushiromiya (Umineko)

4- Mitsurugi Meiya (Muv Luv Unlimited/Alternative)

5- Batman (Dark Knight Returns)

6- Nick Fury (Fury MAX series by Garth Ennis)

7- Samwise Gamgee (Lord of The Rings)

8- Frank Reynolds (Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

9- Akemi Homura (Madoka)

10- Delita Hyral (FFT)

[Zhiroo]

In no particular order:

 

1. Archer (UBW route of Fate/stay night) - Wasn't anything special in Fate route but in the UBW route he makes the route good. Didn't read the last route yet but I rate F/SN a masterpiece based only on the UBW route and him.

 

2. Usami Haru (G-senjou no Maou) - Funny and weird, perfect combination.

 

3. Ayamine Kei (MuvLuv series)  - Same as Haru I have a thing for weird women.

 

4. Okazaku Tomoya (Clannad) - The way he grows during the whole experience is great definitely one of the best protagonists I've seen so far.

 

5. Onizuka Eikichi (GTO) - If I ever become a teacher I would want to be like Onizuka.

 

6. Kamina (TTGL) - Manliest man ever. Ever.

 

7. Nagisa (Clannad) - Too cute.

 

8. Emiya Kiritsugu (Fate/Zero) - Sacrifices everything for his ideals.

 

9. Yuuko-sensei (MuvLuv series) - A mother figure. A bad ass mother.

 

10. Azai Kyousuke (G-senjou no Maou) - I could've ended my top 10 with 10 other characters but Kyousuke is awesome. The last scenes in the true were very touching and he was too cool.

[nohman]

Okay, I've given this topic some thought of the last couple of hours. For me it's hard to narrow down a top 10 character list for a specific medium, let alone a comprehensive one. Still, I tried my best to pluck some good candidates from out of my head. I'm sure this is suffering from some recency bias and I'm also sure that I've probably overlooked some more deserving options, but this is what I've come up with

 

1) President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (West Wing)

 

The West Wing spanned 7 seasons and along with the quality,  mostly consistent writing, I feel confident in placing Jed Barlet among my list of favorite characters, TV or otherwise. His character is a bit idealized, but the show does a good job in showing his fallibility while still emphasizing his remarkable qualities - his integrity, intellect, wit - to create an at least half-believable, wholly captivating character.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVgK5HKj3P4

 

 

2) Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

 

I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe... [laughs] Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those... moments... will be lost in time, like [coughs] tears... in... rain. Time... to die...

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_saUN4j7Gw

 

 

3) Bob Harris and Charlotte (Lost in Translation)

 

This one might be cheating a little bit, but their characterization is largely developed through their interaction with one another and so I wanted to include them both together, rather than having to leave one out. They're both arguably assholes, but at their core, their characterization touches on the kind of loneliness that most people can relate to. I think it might be best to put that they come across as very humane.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNK7N3AwVFQ

 

 

4) The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)

 

Man, those feels during that last fight and the following ending cut scene. She was a true... patriot.

 

5) Clementine (Telltale's The Walking Dead)

 

TWD was was one of the few times in a video game where I had to consciously deliberate on the choices I had to make, and probably one of the lesser than few times where the consequences left me feeling like shit. The game did a good job in instilling in you a sense of obligation to Clementine and the desire to protect her. The ambiguous choices you are forced to make and her horrifying reaction to some of them, well a video game character has never made me feel that way before.

 

6) Dae-Su Oh (Oldboy)

 

Revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge. Oldboy is probably my 2nd favorite revenge movie and what puts Dae-Su Oh on this list is just how badass his character is. Between the incredible hammer fight scene and the end

where he cuts out his tongue in atonement

he just ends up coming across as so striking.

 

7) Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)

 

It was tough to pick between him or Glad0s, but in the end I feel Handsome Jack wins out. You hate him, yet you laugh so much you love him.

 

Niles Crane (Frasier)

 

I think that out of all the TV shows I've seen, I've never laughed as hard at a show than in the time I've spent watching Frasier. Partly of which can be attributed to Niles' character.

 

9) Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment)

 

An appalling execution of idealism, yet somehow you sympathize and maybe even root for him as he descends into madness and comes out of the other side redeemed.

 

10) Samantha (Gone Home)

 

A character you never see, yet however is focal point of the entire 'game'. As you gradually make your way throughout your home, you uncover more and more about your sisters life during your absence and I couldn't help but feel a connection to her and neither could I help from feeling a growing concern about her fate.

[Flutterz]

I'm bad at ordering stuff, so in no particular order, some number of the best characters I can think of.

1. Kudryavka Noumi (Little Busters!), because she is best girl

2. Ushiromiya Battler (Umineko)

3. Falsita Fawcett (Symphonic Rain)

4. Saya (Saya no Uta)

5. Okabe Rintarou aka Hououin Kyouma (Steins;Gate)

6. Lyra Belaqua (His Dark Materials)

7. Jeffrey Lebowski (The Big Lebowski)

[Nosebleed]

1 Oshino Shinobu (Monogatari Series)

Shinobu best girl. Period.

This is just me being a fanboy, move along.

2 Nakano Azusa (K-on!)

3 Momo Belia Deviluke (To LOVE-Ru)

4 Misaka Mikoto (Toaru Majutsu no Index/Kagaku no Railgun)

5 Noumi Kudryavka (Little Busters!)

6 Kamina (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)

7 Sakata Gintoki (Gintama)

8 Okabe Rintarou (Steins;Gate)

9 Konjiki no Yami (To LOVE-Ru)

10 Nymph (Sora no Otoshimono)

[Clephas]

One thing I love about this kind of thread, it really shows the tastes of those who post in it.  Obviously, I have a thing for fantasy-heavy plots, for instance...