@phantomgirl21:

YES! We shall! XD GO MINOR CHARACTERS!

@MewChero:

It's fine we can still show the minor characters some love!

@Pleiades Rising:

hahaha Yep

i cant choose., i feel like if i choose one of my favorites, ill b betraying the others

@phantomgirl21:

lol yes...and no minor character love in the end. *pout* Ahhh well

@:

Oh I knew he was joking it's just that it got me to thinking about when people actually do say things like this and create polls such as this one. It's a tough call to make. I was just saying what I was thinking is all.

@MewChero:

yeah I know what you mean. I don't like picking main characters because the story is already about them, besides it's not like they are going anywhere. And you're right being good looking does help their case in making them great There are main characters that I do like in other animes but for the most part I usually go for the other characters as well! They help make the main character look good!

@The Shirt:

First round already, so I guess giving rigorous definitions of "greatness" might be a little too late on my part. Ah well, let's see what this all amounts to. I guess it's now time for us to hit the sidelines and cheer (and possibly boo) the contenders.

@phantomgirl21:

ahhh makes sense. .-. I picked the character I picked....for many reasons. I rarely pick the main character....and I like my characters complex...and strong on the inside. *blinks* Being super good looking helps :D *jk*

GAH, if only I had seen the post in time! I would have voted Haji from Blood+ as the greatest ever... :(

@Shadweh:

I chose Kenshin too I love your reasons you voted for him. I'll add that he is willing to risk himself over an over in hopes of changing someone else (Aoshi and Sojirou). He has chosen a hard life, but he doesn't give it up. His spirit and soul influence those around him. He is a true leader to a plethora of amazing characters. Finally, perhaps my favorite reason for choosing him is because he is one deep character.

@MewChero:

You know it's kind of like asking everyone who's the greatest person in the world and people would probably pick someone from their families, favorite singer, actor, dancer, ect. You pick the perosn (or in this case character) you most identify with, and I think Ace was pretty much drawing his ideas and conclusions on different factors such as strength to pick the character rather than how to identify with the character.

@Ace: and again if I have misinterpreted what you were trying to say then please explain it to me and the rest of us who question your comment.

@Ace:

I must apologize for that might you explain them to me please?

@Allamorph:

Yeah I know, but I couldn't resist it! *must fight temptations!* It's quite all right people still are going to vote for who they like as their greatest anyway.

ooo! How exciting! ^^ I know who I voted for will loose though... -__-

@The Mask:

Indeed... That's what I wondered, tooXD

@:

ahhhh ok XD thanks

@Pleiades Rising:

Okay, stupid was a harsh word. I was still raging at the whole broadness of the poll. Irrational thoughts are bound to emerge when one is not in a state of calm and tranquility. The poll's topic is too general to get the results that I'm thinking of.

With it being over, I'm more interested in seeing who is the most looked up to character "in theOtaku's community". It slipped my mind that this is a poll within a small community of anime goers of a wide range of ages. (Too many "of"s) It's not something official. Just something for fun. (I guess.) I'm an open minded person. I state my opinion. If something bothers me and turns out to be insignificant, I'll put it behind me because I have more important things to stress over. (Life. Work. School. Friends.)

So like you said, the question was very general and I didn't like that. But? It's over now so there's no use continuing a discussion about it. D: All that's left is to see who won. :]

It's really hard to pick among your equally-loved anime characters. Geez, you torture us! xD

And most online polls do suck. xDDD

YAY TOURNAMENT MATCH-UPS! THAT SOUNDS EXCITING. 8D

Stay tuned for our tournament match-ups!

So that answers a question that popped in my head at one point. Otherwise, wouldn't it be odd for a character to be considered the greatest simply because he got 2 votes while all the rest got one each?

@The Shirt:

Well for one thing, I'm not sure what you take me to be agreeing or disagreeing with. I hope to make myself clearer this time around.

If by your initial point you mean what you've just stated, "It's a stupid question", then I don't completely agree with that. I don't think this is a stupid question, but I do think that it's a very broad and open question. Since it can be broadly interpreted, it's problematic. But is it so problematic that we should all throw up our hands and make no attempts to correct it? No, because that would be about as helpful as simply commenting on how flawed this entire project is.

Personally, I find it very hard to believe that most people here are engaging in an entirely meaningless process. Go down the list and you'll find members putting on their thinking caps. Deliberating on the concepts of "favorite" and "greatness" isn't exactly a pointless endeavor. If something else was meant by this whole thing being pointless, I'll have to ask you for more info. Otherwise, if this really is pointless, why not simply make the effort to give it some substantial meaning? That can't be too bad, after all.

Secondly, you'll have to explain what you mean by my own thoughts supporting your own. If my thoughts are taken to support the claim that this poll will end up being a popularity contest where the mainstream shall rule, then I don't agree with that either. Mind you, of course it's easy to confuse popularity with greatness, but that doesn't mean that popularity and the mainstream are completely vacuous. Just because something like Gurren Lagann still fits both categories, does not automatically make it the anime equivalent to Paris Hilton. I mean, c'mon, great anime and characters don't instantly, timelessly pop into existence free of context, unsoiled by the dirty hands of consumerism. That line of thinking comes close to some sort of misguided romanticism: "In our time, things were better, truer, purer." You know, like grandpa and grandma had the best anime ever, while we're stuck with tripe. However, the other examples you mention are surprisingly just as contemporary as the ones you cast doubts upon. You'll have to explain what the significant difference is between the groups you've singled out. My whole messy point in this paragraph is that it's wrong to think that "trendy" anime have little or nothing to offer. I know Death Note was quite ridiculous (and fun!), and it was popular, but you don't have to search too hard to find someone contemplating it as a moral tale, an ethical thought experiment. Furthermore, focusing entirely on how something is popular and contemporary invites us to miss the fact that we indeed can experience great things in our own time! How shocking is that idea? Not too much, I hope.

Okay, before I really get out of hand in terms of comment-length (sorry if I did, but hey, open discussion is healthy) here's where I kind of agree with you: this is a wacky poll in the sense that we really can't take that whole "scientific" stuff too seriously. I mean, that statistic would make the folks at CERN jump for joy. But that bit of fun shouldn't get in the way of anyone doing some honest thinking on this subject. And in that case, I'd much rather be wordy and hopefully helpful - and not distracting, in some ongoing resignation to the mainstream.

Oh damn, LITERALLY voted 5 minutes before the deadline.

Kenshin Himura, of course! And I'm not just saying that because he's one of my favorites either.

To grant him a small bit of justice, he's a man of principles that were forged from hard-learned lessons. Instead of letting these wounds dictate his life in a negative sense, he turns his destiny around to do what he can to make the world around him better than how he found it.

...that and he's one hard-core swordsman and total sweet-heart. X3

@Ace:

who else would you vote for? A character you hate? *blinks*
I barely notice any mainstream ones listed here. lol most character people have mentioned...I have not heard of

Ahaaaa, this is easy!
Ash Ketchum from the original Pokemon.
Gotta be him xD

C yaz!! ^U^
Alwayz BELIEVE

@phantomgirl21:

For clarification, his motives were to get someone to say pretty much what you said.

Because he's a smart aleck.

@phantomgirl21:

I think you may have misinterpreted my motives ever so slightly.

@Ace:

Oh Ace listen though it says vote for the greatest people, based on their opinions, believe that the characters they like are the greatest! It's an opinion poll! Don't take it so serious. It's all in good fun.

@beloved blood:

*BOWING* ALL HAIL REN FOR TAMING THE TAKUMI BEAST!!!

I didn't have to think about mine because He's perfect (to me anyway) There's absolutely nothing wrong with him!!! He's strong, determined, a bit cocky, caring, and fiesty!!! Plus I love how he looks. I've seen quite a few anime's and well I just love him!!

I'm talkin' 'bout Renji Abarai Ya'll!!!!!

Point out one thing wrong with him! I dare ya!!!

hmm...hmm... Ha didn't think so!

*calmer voice*: Anywho I can't get enough of Renji oh that red hair! The Redness of it!! He should win just off that alone! If he doesn't win or make it to the top it's okay. This is all in good fun!

Can't wait to see who wins though. This should be good!

Vampy Phantom

DUDE. I can't pick!!! >.< I like a lot of them! I feel like I've forsaken them!!! Too.. many... men!! Wait... maybe I'll put someone... hahaha

Ah. I voted for Ren Honjo of Nana. RENNNNNNNNNN!!! TT^TT. Not only was he the only one who could tame the Takumi-beast, but he was awesome and mature...oh, Ren... you stole my heart as well...TT^TT

Totally picked Edward Elric. I luffles him. I can't wait to see who'll win!

Luffy.....

This is very interesting^^
I just voted , and I think I'll be the only person at theO to vote for that character, because she isn't popular. But it's okay, I can't wait for the result. Although I don't believe that it would be completely true..but it's still fun ~ :)

My brain isn't cooperating today. I was going to think of all of the anime characters I know and pick someone who was great, based on their deeds, personality, and how they fit in(or not) with the other characters in the anime.

But then I thought: pfft screw it!I can't decide! I'm just going to vote my fave.

If he is my fave, they must have done something right when he was created, right?

Also the deadline is today, I would have needed way more time.

@ElfDuchess:

yeah, i'm surprised at the ammount of thought everyone is putting into this too. i'm also surprised at how little some people did. unfortunatley, myself included in that later half of that...

now, i agree that Tohru honda is great and all, but much like colette brunel, there's this weird sense of "perfection" that makes them seem a little TOO great... and a little off-putting...

and now to be a smart-alec, the defintion of greatness:

–adjective
1. unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions: A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
2. large in number; numerous: Great hordes of tourists on europe each summer.
3. unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc.: great pain.

Hang on, are we differentiating between anime and manga for this one or are two and two the same? Like does it have to be limited to just a series that has been animated? (just making sure, since there weren't any specifications...)

I must say, I'm impressed at the obvious thought that has went into some of the comments. And, honestly, I'm very excited to see the results. But the fact is that this poll will still be extremely subjective - which, you know what? That's okay by me. Some of the remarks made [especially that one about 'greatest wartime leader' - or something along those lines, sadly, I've read too many comments to remember it exactly] got me thinking that if you ask any group of people to name the greatest anything, [even soda!] you'll still get so many different answers. I think that's what makes polls like this so fun.

After all, you can look at the results and go 'so-and-so only got this many votes? What were you people thinking?' or 'how could so-and-so get so many votes?' I think as long as it's taken as fun, [yes, even serious business can be fun] which it seems to be as a whole, that it will be a good poll. The only catch I have is the greatest/favorite issue. Well, that and the whole 'define greatness' thing. I should seriously ask someone to define it for me because I'm still a little at sea as to who I'm going to vote for. Really, I've even begun to think of Tohru Honda...

Anyhow, thanks for the awesome comments, they've been so fun to read.

I was going to say Gendo Ikari as the greatest character but I realized he will get a lot of votes. Someone who won't get a lot of votes? Lupin III. His franchise is famous for being part of the early Miyazaki creations (green shirt series and Cagliostro), creating the greatest car chase sequence in all of animtation and perhaps all time, survived forty-four years in Japanese culture, inspired mutiple Western directors including Steven Spielberg, has an amazing cast and pretty much does whatever Lupin wants. It's simple, straight-up and I love it. You have all these characters in Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop, which are legendary series, that have mind-blowing character developments. Lupin III hasn't changed once. ONCE. He is still a gentleman and forever a thief.

@Allamorph:

*Conversation crashing*
And the Panda will rise again!:D

I may have picked a character from a 'mainstream' anime (ATLA), but she is totally BAD@$$ - Toph Bei Fong:3 Yes, I put some thought into this because I don't really have a favourite anime character. I figured Toph is worth the title (in my opinion, don't brick me>_>) because she is unique, and strong, and is just a great character overall:3

~S.G~

Dear Adam,

Troll harder.

Best,
Kei

@Pleiades Rising:

I understand and see where you coming from. I don't know whether your agreeing or not though. ^^; I feel you are giving my initial point more depth and better output. I've pretty much given up the debate due to the lack of influence it will have on the contest. We'll have to wait for the results and then bash away because the notion being proposed is probably going to be in vain.

First off. It's a stupid question.

Second, and I quote, "Most online polls suck."

This is one of them.

damn. EITHER MISTY OR ASH (kasumi or satoshi for all you die hard originals.)

Akito/Agito Wanijima from Air Gear gets my vote....
He (They?) is (are?) my current obsession.

Wanijima may not be as well known as some other characters out there, but he's still an adorably evil naive little innocent bloodthirsty bada$$ all in one.

I voted for Sangome. She is clearly the greatest anime character. Ever.

@wolf of sorrow:

So my hunch was correct. Unfortunately, we can't resubmit our vote anymore.

The question, though, is how the people behind the survey will count your vote. Will they count it for Son Goku, or Goku from Saiyuki or Monkey Typhoon or not count it at all?

Same goes with Sakura. Is it gonna be for Card Captor Sakura or for Naruto?

@The Mask:

Drats, I didn't know of any Gokus!! Wonder if I can resubmit..

@chibimaster:

He was once a panda. =D

@Allamorph:

lol to bad he's not a anime character.

This is an interesting development.

Now, the message in the Member Backroom now states "Click here to vote for who you think is the greatest anime character of all time".

They seem to have taken out the "honor your favorite character" line already.

Despite that, though, the votes can't be changed. So right now, we should acknowledge that the survey does have some extraneous variables (popularity of anime, location of members, time of survey, message in Backroom) that blocks it from being perfect.

But hey, it's not like this is for a serious academic research paper.

@The Shirt:

I read Ace's comment, specifically when he mentions acts alone don't endear us to a character. I think there's something right about that, even though I disagree with the idea that it all boils down to subjective tastes. See my other comment on that matter. Concerning acts, these are my fairly brief thoughts.

Take your Gurren Lagann example: "Kamina died while trying to save someone. He's great?" Well, that example and the others mentioned are too brief, and they gloss over what those acts mean to the anime as a whole. It's kind of like saying Dante's The Divine Comedy isn't a great work because Dante the character isn't riding a Harley. I know that sounds flippant, but noticing only the acts alone will make one miss what's going in the anime as a whole. In fact, seeing what's going on in only the anime itself is also somewhat a narrow view when discussing the greatness of a character. And it's here where I think we do have to make objective evaluations on whatever it is we are studying.

Figuring out exactly who and what is a great character deserves the distinctions I made. Otherwise, we're all seemingly discussing only boring, dusty "texts" or "genres" that have no real emotional import, no connections to things outside themselves - a thought most of us intuitively know is wrong.

I'm surprised Luffy's only been mentioned ONCE here, and not even as a voting option. So I put my vote in for him (and my favorite One Piece character is Sanji, not Luffy, though I do find Luffy a great character as well).

Why did I choose him? For a couple of reasons, but mainly because, as I've read in other places on the internet, he's got this optimism and excitement for adventure that's really a great example of your model shounen hero. There's a reason he's placed #1 in the One Piece character polls.

that's so hard... i have lots of favs.. hmm...
to me i'd probably say Edward Elric because everyone i've known seems to stick with him the longest. Regardless if you have favs over the manga, anime or brotherhood..i can't imagine too many people hating Ed. He's just a well written character :D

@ElfDuchess:

You have a valid point here. In fact, the Member Backroom seems to be encouraging people to "honor your favorite character of all time" in the Greatest Anime Character Tournament.

Personally, I voted for Conan Edogawa primarily because he is my favorite character. If they were indeed focused on who the greatest is, I might have given it a second thought to be a bit fairer and weigh things more carefully. But then again, that message in the Member Backroom made me think otherwise.

People do make a point as to how this poll will likely end up with today's most popular characters at the top. This is also based on my own personal experience with these types of anime surveys. Though my recent survey is currently in limbo due to lack of respondents, the initial results seem to indicate a change in the responses if compared to a similar survey I did back in 2007, such that more of the 2000s anime are appearing and the 1990s anime aren't as prominent at the top responses as it used to be.

@Ducky:

I don't exactly agree with the idea that "greatest" and "favorite" amount to the same thing in this instance.

Think of these cases, which I'll admit are only working analogies: "Who is the greatest writer ever?" can to some degree be separated from the question "Who is your favorite writer?" Intuitively, the former seems to ask who had a great influence beyond academia itself, while the latter asks which writer resonated with you. These aren't exactly the same things, and as such we can make a reasonable distinction between the two. Again: "Who is the greatest wartime leader ever?", contrasted with "Who is your favorite wartime leader?". Some military aficionado might pick, say, Napoleon as the best, but pick Churchill favorite. Finding objective results is a matter of seeing what changes occurred in history, and then determining the scope of those changes and effects.

Closer to this context, assessing influence (which is a part of greatness) can indeed be an objective task. If I really like Yomiko Readman from R.O.D., I don't attempt to empirically quantify my feelings. On the other hand, if I think, say, Goku from DBZ is the greatest anime character ever, finding some objective support is a matter of finding writers, artists, genres, and possibly even cultures influenced by whatever the heck it is that Goku has. And I don't exaggerate when I include cultures - this site is a culture greatly influenced by and indebted to anime and its characters. Astro Boy is a great character, and the greatness of his character is still spreading across genres and generations, no matter how indirectly.

In any case, we can make reasonably sound judgments on what objectively qualifies as being the "greatest", given a definition of greatness and what it entails. Of course, no definition was given here, and the backroom link mentions "favorite". But I think we can be careful enough to separate the two concepts, without chalking this up as some brand of subjectivism - i.e. everything is opinion.

@:

When I think of 'The Greatest Anime Character Ever' I think of Lawliet...but since this poll is more over favourite character of all time, I didn't pick him...but I do hope inside he wins! >:D

@Estheryuki:

You love Akito also~!? That's not who I picked, but, sheesh, he's up there in my faves!

Ah, Kikyo is an interesting character. I had a lot of faves when I was little what I was obsessed with like Rini and Rei Ayanami...But to think about it, those kinds of characters really had a lot of heart which probably made us love them so much.

@chibimaster:

I think you mean Jack Black.

yey finally a poll in theO.. im interested who would win this title.. XD

i impulsively submitted a character that had great impact in my life but greatest in the anime world is the question.. >v<!

I'm having trouble deciding between Vash the Stampede or Spike Spiegel.....

Time to break out the dice.

My vote is for Black Jack.

URYU ISHIDA. <3 That came off the top of my next. Ishi love! :3

@:

Do it. o3o

yeah, it is nice. xD

@Ace:

lmao Apparently they are.

Guess I should give up. Ranting any further won't make a difference. The point was already stated and I'm content with just that. :}

@:

THIS. Where is the like button when you need it? XD To fans I'm positive it really is~

@The Shirt:

Rita is kickass but I love Yuri more. xD

Omg....so much thinking D:
This is as hard as math >(
I'm not sure who to vote for....I love so any animes!
Lets see....Misha...Sailor Moon, Sebastian, Ciel....ect ect ect

@The Shirt:

That reason is high budget. Better funding.

...Which tends to lead to an overall increase in quality anyway. Better animation, better writers, etc.

Better broadcasting. Bigger audience. Even if the story is mediocre (Elfen Lied),

Not an entirely fantastic example, as Elfen Lied was never actually broadcast in the US as far as I'm aware. Naruto probably would have gotten the point across better here.

more people (adults and kids alike) will be exposed to it and the majority will grow to like the characters for the small things they do.

...Which is bad? Characters have to do things in order for them to be characters. Personally I find it's the small details that define them the most. Take a heroic character who defends his friends and never backs down from a fight. Those are a dime a dozen, but if you give this guy a few likable personality quirks, he becomes unique and interesting.

In your case, you've actually known the character for a long time and have seen their greatness. But it doesn't take much for Ichigo to be great. Slay a bankai or whatever it's called lol and he's a hero. Slay a few more and he's great. Kamina died while trying to save someone. He's great? XD Right.

See above. Acts alone aren't what makes people like these characters. They have personalities as well. It all boils down to a matter of taste, which means that "Greatest character of all time" is just as subjective a title as "Favorite character of all time".

Not trying to be mean of course but not enough people are like you to make a difference on this pointless poll. I'm buddy buddy with the Elf on this matter.

If you're not trying to be mean, you should probably stop dismissing peoples' opinions as "pointless". Also lol popularity polls are serious business.

@:

oh dear, well i pick Yuri. xD

@HelloKatty:

Yuri's a kick. Don't forget about Rita Mordio though. She was always a trip.

@Ace:

↖

See my avatar? Yeah. That's what I wanna do to people who pick Ichigo.

OH GEEZ, really? why are you doing this to me, Adam? I am the most indecisive person on the planet, not to mention fickle! this is going to haunt me all day!

@ElfDuchess:

I am not the greatest at voicing my opinion so thank you for putting it in a more understandable manner. I'm glad that there are some people who are using their head.

Now more are aware of how wacky (yes, wacky) this poll is. I wasn't going to vote at all but I suppose I should just to see where that character would stand amongst the "more wealthy anime character". (ahaha) Now there's something.

Food for thought: In most stories, it's the impoverished characters that grab the viewer's attention. They do something amazing in their story and become great. They are great because they do not think of themself/what they do as great. The wealthy characters are always seen as snobbish or evil in some way. Think of that in production terms.

• Ichigo = Rich/Stops random badguy that majority of populace [in Bleach] know nothing or care about.
• Ginko = Penniless/Is STILL being great somewhere out there saving people from harmful Mushi.
• Balsa = Rich in Character/Raised a child that wasn't even hers! Taught him the values of life whilst protecting his life. And made him into a man. And ultimately a KING! She sought no reward but only to be left to her travels. <-EPIC

Don't know if I worded that right but hopefully you get the idea. D:

@:

I already voted for Yuri. D:
Vote for Presea...you know you want too. xD

@SakuraDust:

"Popular series are popular for a reason."

That reason is high budget. Better funding. Better broadcasting. Bigger audience. Even if the story is mediocre (Elfen Lied), more people (adults and kids alike) will be exposed to it and the majority will grow to like the characters for the small things they do. In your case, you've actually known the character for a long time and have seen their greatness. But it doesn't take much for Ichigo to be great. Slay a bankai or whatever it's called lol and he's a hero. Slay a few more and he's great. Kamina died while trying to save someone. He's great? XD Right.

Not trying to be mean of course but not enough people are like you to make a difference on this pointless poll. I'm buddy buddy with the Elf on this matter.

For truly great characters, I immediately think of Durarara! and Baccano! Unfortunately, I can only choose one. Hmm...

It annoys me how people are voting for characters they like because they like them.

Come on, guys. Don't be so mainstream.

This took me SO MUCH THINKING, but I'm gonna go with Light Yagami, my one and only god <3

The question as to who's the greatest character is a very difficult one because so many people will tend to go with their favorite. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I can look at my list of favorite anime characters and admit that very few - if any - actually deserve the moniker of greatest character. Not to say they aren't amazing [at least I think they are] but the majority of them lack that certain something that makes a character great.

As a couple of particularly astute members already remarked, so many people will look at the most popular shows and, to even take it a step further, look at the main characters off those shows - which will most likely result in the most popular and well advertised shows getting the most votes with the most well known characters [most likely the characters that have been on the show the longest] of the show getting the most votes.

Honestly, I would like to vote, but as of right now I don't know who would be the greatest - not taking into account my personal preference as to favorites. I'm not even certain how I would measure greatness. Although I certainly like the idea of Balsa from Moribito...

GAH!!!
So many amazing names, I'm surprised we're allowed to pick just one. My list is a tie between Lupin III, Spike Spiegel, Ash Ketchum, Roger Smith, L, and Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. Maybe even Ryu Sasakura or Pierre Le Fou just to throw little known names in the mix.

But then you have entire casts that are amazing (Evangelion and Ouran).

I'm gonna need some time.

Ichigo Kurosaki, everyones favorite hot head, orange hair guy!!! >3<

I'm going to have to go for Haruko Haruhara from FLCL. Who else can beat a giant monster-robot thing with noting more than a rickenbacker 4001 bass? Oh, and look good in a bunny outfit while doing so? She'll destroy worlds to gain what she wants.

Yup, Haruko Haruhara.

I actually dont know with this. i've watched a few animes and i just cant choose between them. maybe usui takumi from maid-sama :D

Hmm, I don't like that people seem to be picking their personal favorites. I'm positive that my all-time favorites are not the greatest character of all time. I think this is more of a generational thing also. I'm betting that most users here are, I dunno', maybe in the 15-20ish range, so I'm pretty sure some of the less mainstream anime from the 80-90's is going to be completely ignored. Ah well~ What do I know right? P: I had fun making a big list and then narrowing it down~ Excellent idea theO.

I'd go for Son Goku! :)

It is sure hard to choose one character in anime to call the "greatest", especially when fan boys and fangirls find themselves having a number of favorites. Sometimes, what makes it difficult is when several characters have something in common, whether it's the kind of powers or type of personality.

Anyway, after some thinking, I say Captain Harlock deserves the vote. He may be a human without have any special powers, but he has the will to fight only for what he stands for and not let others stand in his way. Plus, he always manages to avoid getting killed in battle, whether it be a gun fight or a spaceship battle.

Yuri Lowell....Nuff said! xD
Or Colette Brunel. i shall consult with cutepresea. o3o
*skips off*

L from Death note. That is all.

No doubt, Saito Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin!

hard to say but i guess haruhi suzumiya i just can't help but just wonder wats in her head :P she crazy XD

Someone with depth, comedic relief, and darkness. Complexity, simplicity, defender of life and love. Whoot Kenshin! I should do more fan work for this great anime character XD
~Wall-iE

ranma saotome!!!

This is definitely not an easy question...I kind of agree with Sunhollow about asking "the funniest" or "the best line" or something. But..it's probably between Kenshin Himura and Vash...

@:

I just started watching Baccano! Hi, I am fma17 or Gaby! I saw your comment and I was like yay Baccano XD My cousin recommended it to me so I just started to watch it :)

I like too many different ones for different reasons... I'm torn between Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle, Ginko from Mushishi, and Nausicaa...

And Chihiro and Haku...

Decisions...Decisions...*stomps foot and looks at her watch*

I love so many people, XD Ciel, Haruhi, Sebastian...Oh, the list goes into infinity.

My vote shall go to the girl that's crazy fun--Konata!

Why?

She's the one that made me fall in-love with anime in the first place. The first *true* anime character that I discovered (Other than ones encountered in my childhood, such as Ash, Misty, etc.) My main reason, though is: she is just plain hilarious. She'll make you laugh so hard you'll truly ROFL. Love ya, Konata!

Totoro ♥

@jomz:

You're not alone...

Wow XD so far the only consistent name is Sailor Moon.
.......
*voted for Itachi Uchiha<333*
I love some of the characters from lesser known animes....like Moribito....I also was leaning towards Conan from Detective Conan...but....*loves Itachi the most out of all the anime* XD
He like...changed the whole plot of Naruto Shippuden.

Shizuo Heiwajima is amazing, enough said<3

VASH the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon of course D:

It's a shame that so many awesome characters will be ignored or overlooked because of all the mainstream b.s. that governs most of the younger and less imaginative generation of anime viewers. I can see a lot of votes headed towards characters from shows like Gurren Lagaan, Hellsing, Darker Than Black, Kuroshitsuji, K-ON, Ergo Proxy, Death Note, DBZ, Elfen Lied, etc.. because of the popularity gained by advertising.

Don't get me wrong, the shows are good but what about the genuine characters that don't follow those typical trends. Balsa, from Seirei no Moribito. You could learn a few things from her. She's a woman with a head on her shoulders. Ginko, (Mushishi) an elusive man that introduced viewers to an amazing concept of life. Or perhaps Kujo, from the airing Gosick? He's got such a manly spirit. Robin (Witch Hunter Robin), Mashiro & Takagi (Bakuman), Age (Heroic Age), Baka Ouji (Level E), The cast from Angel Beats..

The list goes on.

My point, yes I have one, is that in a way the whole thing is still rigged. Which ever show was best marketed, will have the higher votes leading to comments like "Really? So-n-so is so much better. :" or something along those lines. :(

Anyway, have fun with it. I still want to see the results. :]

[Edit]
Wow.. I didn't even read the other comments and I hit a few marks. :|

I picked Sailor moon

As much as I adore APH, I'm gunna go with Hiroki Kamijou! ^^

I first try to look in Evangelion but there's no great character in it, even if I love them all to death. So now, I turn my head towards Ergo Proxy or Samourai Champloo...
I think my vote goes to Re-L Mayer <3

Hahaha i know China from Hetalia! Hahaha

Darn, I can't decide... D:

For me, it's gotta be Lavi!

I picked Juri Arisugawa from Revolutionary Girl Utena because she's too cool for school.

That's so hard to pick ; ^;
B-b-but....... I think my name gives it all away OTL
So biased xD

I figure characters like Goku and Spike and Kamina will get the majority of votes. My love of anime characters comes and goes, but there's only one that's remained constant: Sei Satou from Marimite. Yes, I know, an unconventional choice. But hey, to me she is the greatest. :P

@wolf of sorrow:

Were you specific in who "Goku" is in your vote? Because I think Goku can refer to at least 3 anime characters from 3 different series - all of which are based on Journey to the East.

@:

That you, Kamina? :o

You know I was thinking Kakashi but darn I will have to think about this!!!

umm... sailor moon!
cause she started everything for me and many others

Wow... that is tough. I will have to think. I think I have it down to five characters so far.

I'll have to think about this more before voting... there are just too many amazing anime characters! *u*

Greatest it's obvious Sebastian Michaelis~! is the best.

I'll go with someone I think greatly impacted a series overall, and had the natural ability to make almost everyone who experienced such a strong personality stand up and cheer.

I'll wait until the results come in, then see where my pick places.

I just went with the first anime character to pop in my head: Goku! :D

IKUTO TSUKIYOMI <33333333

-dies from fangirl squee overdose-

That is too hard to choose! XD So many to choose from! I love so many... But this poll is interesting and I can't wait to see other opinions. The first character that came to my mind was Edward Elric... but then I started to think of more animes, older ones as well and I will cast my vote later :)

The greatest?! O______O; That's a tough one cuz there's so many I think are awesome characters

I'm gonna need to really think about this before answering lol ^^;