And the inevitable counterpart to my article from two weeks ago, let’s take a look at my favorite protagonists and heroes from television shows and anime!
10) Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie ~ Agents of SHIELD
Mack first enters the world of Agents of SHIELD as a side character for season two, but oh boy does he grow to become one of its finest heroes! From his witty banter with characters like Coulson and May, to his friendship with Fitz, to his complicated but wholesome relationship with Yo-Yo, to his heroic partnership with Daisy, to his unforgettable ShotgunAxe, Mack is an amazing character through and through. His emotional story beats are some of the best in the show too, and never fail to hit me in the feels.
9) Blake Belladonna ~ RWBY
From the onset of RWBY, Blake was the character I was most interested in, as I felt that I related to her the most. That initial attention paid off, because Blake is such an awesome character, and her journey throughout the show is consistently entertaining. I love her dry wit and the subdued insights she is able to offer her team thanks to her reclusive, methodical mindset. Her fighting prowess is also a thing to behold, and I love her interactions with Roman Torchwick, my favorite antagonist from the show. Also, her occasionally cat-like tendencies are super adorable!
8) Tokaku Azuma ~ Riddle Story of Devil
I have, of course, already talked at length about Tokaku in my earlier analysis of Riddle Story of Devil, so I won’t go off the rails praising her characterization even further. I will simply reiterate how great she is, and the extraordinarily well-paced arc she undergoes in this 12-episode series. The way she realizes the truth in her own past and comes to terms with who she wants to be as a person and what matters most in her life…it’s great stuff! It’s an added bonus that she’s such an entertaining fighter, too, and that she isn’t afraid to let her vulnerabilities show around those closest to her.
7) Miguel Diaz ~ Cobra Kai
There is just something so incredible wholesome and appealing about Miguel and his character arc, and even from the first episode of Cobra Kai he’s such an engrossing protagonist. He has this earnest, sincere charm and optimism to all of his words and deeds, to the point where you can’t help but root for his success. When he wins, you feel triumphant too. When he veers towards the dark side, you hope he comes back to the light, and when he’s at his lowest after his cataclysmic injury, you shout for joy as he walks the road of recovery with his sensei by his side!
6) Mine ~ Akame Ga Kill
Akame Ga Kill has no shortage of excellent characters, but even on my first watchthrough, Mine stuck in my head the most. My love for her has only grown on subsequent revisits to this wonderful show. Her hair-trigger temper and condescending sarcasm are a source of much comedic relief in this otherwise dark fantasy, but her hidden depths and intense personal attachments are no less engaging, and the way her relationship develops with Tatsumi is both believable and heartwarming. Her action scenes are some of the standout ones too, and her bloody rivalry with antagonist Seriyu is one for the ages.
5) Erza Scarlet ~ Fairy Tail
Erza, clad in nigh-impenetrable full body armor, makes a commanding and intimidating first appearance as a stoic, no-nonsense warrior. However, it’s when that armor figuratively (and literally, because she has like a million different battle outfits) peels away that she becomes so much more engaging. Her fierce will, unyielding determination, and indomitable strength are one thing, but her compassion and empathy are another altogether. Her complicated history with Jellal, love for her teammates, and personal struggles with trauma are all highlights of this top tier Shonen anime. Her fight scenes are also spectacles of bombastic scale.
4) Gray Fullbuster ~ Fairy Tail
The man, the myth, and the legend, as well as being the character that I instantly fell in love with years ago when I first watched Fairy Tail. Gray’s icy demeanor belays a reckless, wild, and passionate fighting spirit just like all his guild family, plus some! His style is impeccable, his powers are super cool (pun slightly intended), and his witty sarcasm often hilariously brings his larger-than-life rival Natsu back down to earth. His backstory is intensely horrific, but how he overcomes that and grows (and helps those closest to him grow, like Lyon and Ultear) is amazing to see, and his complex relationships to people like Juvia and Silver solidify Gray as a consistently memorable hero.
3) Vi ~ Arcane
Vi is never one to back down from a fight, no matter the cost. It’s both her blessing and her curse. She pushes back against the oppressive Piltover enforcers, survives years locked away in a jail cell under unjust circumstances, almost singlehandedly dismantles the Zaun underworld, and fights to her last breath to pull her precious sister Jinx back from the brink of despair. She gets knocked down, but she always gets up again. She is the personification of unyielding will and courage, and the confidence with which she carries herself is the icing on the cake. Both in universe and out, Vi is a role model for the ages. I’m so excited to see her arc continue in Season Two!
2) Daisy “Quake” Johnson ~ Agents of SHIELD
Over the course of seven long seasons, Daisy undergoes quite the dramatic hero’s journey, but she handles every obstacle with strength and her team by her side, coming out the other side stronger than ever. From her humble days as an inquisitive hacker trying to make a difference, to unlocking her latent powers as an Inhuman, to losing everything she loved in Season Three, to stepping up as a leader and a symbol for peace near the show’s end, Daisy is always amazing, entertaining, and engrossing. She’s funny, able to kick the butts of everything from Hydra to aliens, and never loses her core compassionate nature. Above all, her daughter-father relationship with Coulson is continuously the key emotional crux of the show, elevating Daisy to the highest echelons of “best MCU characters ever”.
1) Ahsoka Tano ~ Star Wars The Clone Wares
As inevitable as this placement was, just thinking about Ahsoka as I’m writing this is enough to put a smile on my face. After all, she’s one of my favorite characters in anything, ever. Star Wars fans often talk about “my Star Wars”, and for me that was the prequels and The Clone Wars. When Ahsoka first debuted, she was right in my age range, and was awesome in every single way imaginable, to say nothing of how relatable her struggles in the early seasons were. She was the perfect hero and growing up alongside her is something that I’ll never forget.
Ahsoka had the deck stacked against her when she debuted, and yet against all odds, she’s one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars. It’s amazing to see that she is still relevant, and still showing up in Star Wars media to this day. Her impact on the series, and on my personal life, has been profound, and I eagerly hope that this unforgettably fantastic character continues to live on in the hearts of fans for years to come!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 