While speaking of life the problem remains and we fail to get a different perspective to look into it. But worry not, here are some very interesting inspiring, and somewhat complex characters that have either overshadowed their own show or are hidden within it. Mind it these characters may not be complete and perfect but are here for giving us their side of the story.
7. Vegeta (Dragon Ball Franchise)
Yes, the probably the most known character on this list and also the most generic character.
Vegeta starts off in the series as an egoistic, prideful, and villainous character who kills for fun and considers himself the strongest until he meets Goku, and that is where everything changes for him. Let’s rewind to those times when the Vegeta we know was an arrogant and merciless bastard who knew only destruction not the one who is extra careful to hold Bulla. Vegeta as a “man” changes leaps and bound considering other characters who have rarely taken a different step throughout the 1K episode of Dragon Ball Saga…..
Vegeta transforms himself into a man who knows what true strength is and knows humility through being persistent on his Pride as a Saiyan warrior(Prince). He went on from a villain to a savior all the while becoming a people’s favorite character and that itself should be enough to recognize him as a character unique in many ways.
Let’s all accept that at some point in the story we have all mocked his ways, but later came to accept the sheer dedication he puts into his work probably that the motif of the creator Akira Toriyama. Vegeta is probably that man we all sought to become, the one who continues despite knowing he will never be able to climb the highest peak, he acknowledges Goku as the one stronger than him but refuses to believe that he can’t be stronger. He is not the main protagonist who trains to defeat the enemy he trains to be strong that’s all there is to it. He is a loving and caring father who loves his wife (not like someone we know who loves training more than his wife).
While Goku was created as a symbol of hope for the weak Vegeta was probably created to give hope to those who are capable but lack conviction. Thus creating a greater impact on the viewer’s mind.
6. Madara Uchiha (Naruto & Naruto Shippuden)
“Would you like these clones to use Susanoo or not?”
One more of those characters who is very very popular among the fanverse but not just for being a villain but for being a villain with morals and purpose.
Madar Uchiha starts off as one of the strongest and remained the most badass character ever to appear on the series through the culmination of such a character was “poor” to say the least.
We all probably love Madara for taking on the whole Allied Shinobi Force head-on and crushing them like bugs then forcing the Kages into despair. Well, he was superb in terms of strength, but it was also clearly shown how pitifully he was used. Yes, what Madara wanted was to stop the painful wars and sufferings of society solely based on merit but what he did to stop all those was a very grave sin. The problem with Madara as a human would be “being too fixated with ideals and trying to fix problems once and for all” something that’s not possible and thus he was used for something that’s vastly different.
Even then Madara as a character has an enormous amount of influence in the series like all of Obitos and most of Pain’s Ideals were Madara’s, to begin with. Madara’s supreme power was just overwhelming and his villainous attitude was just awesome. But the main question still remains was Madara’s character needed such an unjustified end? Probably not and probably yes. No, because his stature as a villain was that of a “final boss” and that just doesn’t feel right to a viewer who watched the series or at least that arc over the years. And ‘yes’ because otherwise, he would become a final boss impossible to defeat thus not under any plot armor.
So long story short Madara probably will remain one of those infamous people who sought calamity but done in by a plot armor for Naruto and Sasuke.
5. MERUEM (Hunter x Hunter)
One more of those superbly written characters another villain (I like these roles actually). Meruem was created as a supreme beast endowed with strength and intelligence second to none, to conquer the world, to overtake the world’s reigns from the humans, and bring back glory to his race the sole thought when his mother names him after his birth. His name meant, as said by the Queen ant herself:
“The light that illuminates all”
And let’s all accept what a great end it was to this glorious light which went out not within the battlefield or the not drenched in blood nor with his limbs broken off but with the sole human he was close to the sole human who made him know defeat the sole human who changed him from a monster meant to slaughter to a something so human in his last moments where he was happy and calm.
Meruem’s end may itch you and probably it should but let’s remember he wasn’t part of a Shounen show. His end was not glorious but peaceful which is some superb “out of the box” thought.
The following line as a friend pointed out to me, I shall write “at one end where Gon was becoming more of a monster drenched in revenge and rage and madness Meruem stepped more and more into a human mind frame. One end where Gon’s sole thoughts became narrow Meruem’s grew wider. At one end where Gon’s end was fought within the battle, Meruem dies in the lap of his beloved.”
If this doesn’t appear as work of art so intricate and perfect what more can you ask for what difference do you desire. Yes, he came into the story very late his developments were very late and yet the culmination was one that was worth the wait. As Meruem was a character probably developed to complement the story’s plot not the other way around not many are accepted it wholeheartedly and to be honest it’s acceptable.
4. Kiriyama Rei (Sangatsu no Lion)
What if the cost of you developing into a child loved by all looked up to by many, is you losing everything that call ‘my’. Quite the pathetic state it would come to be then.
Well, Kiriyama Rei starts off as that pathetic boy, lost his entire family in an accident and had to live a life among strangers doing something he wasn’t even sure of loving, it was just a struggle to survive. When you watch or read “Sangatsu no Lion” you feel pity for Rei and almost nothing else yet sometimes his situations are enough to bring you down to tears. Thus he is a character you can’t ignore.
Kiriyama Rei is a prime example of the human instinct of survival. So if you ask, what makes Kiriyama a unique character? there you have it. He is so bare in his ways, so fragile that he perfectly reflects the human desires of love and compassion with companions and it’s not pleasant, to say the least.
For a very good part of the story, Kiriyama remains that aloof kid who seems so lost in this vast world that he starts to attract people’s attention and you find many good people around him to the point where it appears unnatural and yet so fair, considering what he went through. Another interesting yet unnoticed part of Kiriyama the character is his similarity to Suo Meijin the reigning champion in the shogi world, a man who stands so high that he is left alone too.
They are the embodiment of the fact that sometimes being good is not enough and our mere existence is enough to whip up storms in many lives and we can do nothing about it even knowing that.
The part where he goes through the slump in Kiriyama’s shogi coincidences with the time he moves in to live alone, this shows how up to that point for him shogi was just a way to escape the torment he was constantly suffering, the moment his torments were removed his desire to excel in shogi to disappear into thin air, and it took him another but very different reason to start excelling his game again that was the Kawamoto family. They are a part I can write buckets and yet feel “halfway” so let’s rest it saying He finds solace with them and transforms into someone with a purpose, that’s not just survival.
3. Legoshi (Beastars)
The picture of a gray wolf horrifies many known for their unnatural raw strength and cunning nature. But we all know the twist, Legoshi the gray wolf is an overly self-conscious and wimpy teen, who just loves a bunny and is afraid to even touch her, scared that she might end up dead before he knows it. He is once again of those characters created to compliment the plot of the story, not the other way around, and thus ended up ignoring this superb character. If I talk about him maybe I should talk about his counter Louis but this article is and has to be just about Legoshi.
Legoshi throughout the story keeps his desires very simple “, he didn’t want to be branded as a bloodthirsty carnivore” and he does so much to prove his point. But I won’t be talking about him as a Shounen manga protagonist what I want to highlight is how intricate his character is made. Since he is based on a humanoid model but is not a human it becomes very important and difficult to understand.
Legoshi’s simple reason to change may be for Haru but maybe she can be just the final push to his long-dormant desire to change. He even though shown a bit wimpy, he very definitely changed. He became more firm in his decisions and all of it was just because he was sure of what he actually wanted to be. The amount of courage and perseverance needed to oppose the prejudice of a society that’s based on birth is immense, and when you consider someone like Legoshi doing that, it appears unnatural. So when he fights his instincts given to him since birth his motive has to outdo it. And don’t we all often find ourselves in such situations? But the thing he does so well is, his way of thinking, he always considers everyone’s opinion involved. It might appear to be a simple task but when you have big sharp claws strong bite strength and surrounded by people who annoy you it becomes a pretty difficult job.
2. Yakumo Yuurakutei (Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju)
A few years back when I first discovered this anime I was shocked, at the sheer force the story hits you with, and never had the seen characters so realistic and approachable. And among them, he is the one that struck me hardest. A man riddled with hard facts of life and burdened with past choices
Yakumo was the one we call ‘average’ in our daily lives starting from average problems to average luck and obviously average talents. Probably nothing so outstanding about him. Accepting reality as it is and keeping it simple in your heart without holding resentment towards it is a mammoth task and that’s how he becomes special, just because he is shown to do exactly that. He takes a huge burden and protects people who he intends to giving them a shot at what could be a better life. If there is a reason to write about such an awesome character it would be to entice you into watching the anime. And I hope it to be successfully achieved.
To begin with, Rakugo wasn’t his bread and butter there is a point in the story where he almost has a fallout with it. But somehow he always finds himself in Rakugo and thus he decides to keep enduring it. While doing all this at one point he meets the woman who plays a big part in his life by both being and not being there. He falls in love with her but chooses his career. He had a friend whom he couldn’t stop from ruining his career and many more choices that he chose to burden himself with. Yakumo is shown as a stoic person who refused to change with time and kept up his very unique and pale style of Rakugo. But with time people came to admire him and praise his style of Rakugo, probably showing us that with time everything is straightened for those who persist. He who was shy and quiet when young became was a strong man bearing the weight of his wrongdoings and never once complained.
1. Miss Kobayashi (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)
Yes, I know that you’re surprised, probably thinking what complexity does a character living with a bunch of big-breasted dragons and a couple of lolis have. Well, let me make it clear she is not a character that needs to be understood but one that stands or should stand as a template for humans, so she needs to be celebrated or at least be given a bit more recognition. So let’s celebrate!
Miss Kobayashi is a flat(I mean simple) woman working in a company doing coding and raising a bunch of dragons. Her life is the one we call filled with drama but what’s interesting in all this is the way she reacts to certain situations that make her so loved.
For the beginning let’s all remember the way she brought home a DRAGON & accepted it as a reality quite easily and even adjusted to her life thereafter, she remains indifferent. The subtle way she accepts Kanna after knowing about her situation proves, even when we are not that “all-knowing” and ‘understanding’ person we still can be nice to other people. She lived a simple life but even after the dragons came she changed very little of it. She accepts responsibility but for things she is capable of handling, she makes time to spend with her little weird family but is not overly into them letting them feel at ease. She listens to everyone’s story never judges them but makes fun of them because she isn’t a bore. She lets people enjoy around her but doesn’t become a party animal. She handles an overly protective father- a being far superior to her just by standing strong on her morals. She handles hostility towards her by staying calm and considering the other’s emotions, not just facts. But what’s most important is that she always makes up for her mistakes and holds herself alone responsible for them. She is not that super kind super nice human you will never find in your actual life but she is that person you can be sacrificing very little of yourself and being loved by others that’s why she is a template rather than a standard.
Do you agree with our picks?! Check out these other recent articles from Indian Anime Network and be sure to subscribe and hit the bell icon here somewhere to be notified about our latest news, reviews, updates, and more.