2009 Year-Ender – Male Characters

Part 6: Main Male Characters

This category is for the main male characters only, there will be a separate one for supporting roles (because there’s always a case where some characters gets to be more awesome than the lead). I think I picked the 12 most relevant male characters of the year and this is just on my view. Not like any other else not mentioned in here would probably win anyway, so let’s be realistic and face that these dudes are the most relevant males of this year. Sorry for the lack of Hetalia, because that would be too biased for me. It’s hard to pick a guy from that show because I only want to limit this list to twelve and one character per show only. Ok~ we have 2 amnesiacs, 5 already-known names in anime from the past year/s, a seems-like harem lead, someone who doesn’t believe on witches, bishies, and one sweet trap~ There’s the character, followed by seiyuu, then a quick bio copy-pasted from MyAnimeList and Wikipedia (to make the post look longer *lazy~*), then my top five reasons what makes him relevant. I know there are lots more reasons so help me and say what else on the comments! lol. Ok, let’s get on with the list:

1: Akira Takizawa – Eden of the East

Seiyuu: Kimura, Ryohei

He lost his memory during a brain washing program. At first he thinks he is a terrorist. He met Saki in Washington D.C., being naked and only carrying a gun and a cellphone. When he helps her out, because she threw a coin in the grounds of the White House and is questioned by policemen, she gives him her coat, scarf and her hat. He has a very modern cell phone with the phrase “noblesse oblige” printed on it and 8.2 billion yen in digital money credit. When he makes his first call, a female voice claiming to be Juiz answers. After she sent him a map with the place where he was supposed to go he finds, in his apartment, guns and many different passports which seemed to all belong to him (after his arrival in Japan, Juiz told him that he has to use up all his digital money). Then he met the girl named Saki and they return to Japan together. According to his passport, he lives in Japan, Toyosu, his name is Akira Takizawa and he was born on January 7, 1989 and is, therefore, 22 years old. According to the phone, he is identified as Seleção No. 9.

1.) All hail the Air King~!
2.) He makes quite a “revealing” introduction on the first episode.
3.) He has 10 billion yen in his pocket cellphone.
4.) He’s a very mysterious character to begin with.
5.) BANG!
6.) He reminds me of Morite from Honey and Clover, which is LUV~

2: Battler Ushiromiya – Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Seiyuu: Ono, Daisuke

Battler is the eighteen-year-old son of Rudolf and his first wife Asumu, and is generally considered to be the main protagonist of the series. He is extremely stubborn, and is afraid of “shaky” transportation, fearing he might fall off a boat. At first glance, he appears to be hotheaded, cocky, and even a little perverted (given the fact that he tries to grope young ladies and even his cousin Jessica several times). However, he has a heart of gold he isn’t afraid to show when the situation calls for it. Battler is also an extremely rational young man, and has an extreme talent for deductive reasoning and thinking outside the box, described as “flipping the chessboard” so that he may be able to predict the moves and motives of his opponents. Because of this, he does not believe in witches or magic. This causes some conflict with his cousin Maria, who has immersed herself in studies of the occult and believes strongly in witches, especially the Golden Witch Beatrice.

1.) Sexy red hair
2.) Ono D. That’s a plus.
3.) Phoenix Wright imitations are quite win~ Also, his “flipping the chessboard” thing can get a bit annoying but hey, those are all +GAR points.
4.) This dude gets props for still not believing that witches still exists, again and again and again and again…
5.) He’s awesome for telling a witch to slice up her cow tits and make him a sandwich.

3: Edward Elric – Fullmetal Alchemist

Seiyuu: Paku, Romi

Edward “Fullmetal Alchemist” Elric is a young alchemical prodigy. He is the youngest State Alchemist ever to be recognized by the Amestris State Military, having received the title at the age of 12. Ed’s primary motivation throughout the series is to return his younger brother, Alphonse, to his original body, which was lost in a failed human transmutation. Edward, despite his occasional bouts of immaturity, is a selfless boy who gains a reputation as a “hero of the people” throughout his youth. Notably, he doesn’t seem concerned about returning his own arm and leg, instead focusing entirely on Al’s suffering.

1.) Romi Paku FTW.
2.) Epic iconic anime character is epic and iconic.
3.) He’s a midget but he proves that height doesn’t matter 😛
4.) Shiny metal arm ftw.
5.) I found the manga Ed much much cooler than the anime Ed but oh well he’s still cool ^^.

4: Hei – Darker Than Black 2

Seiyuu: Kiuchi, Hidenobu

An elite Contractor with the Messier Code BK-201. Hei plays a gentle-hearted student from China named Lee Shenshun when undercover. He becomes an apathetic and guiltless killer when on his missions. Joining an organization of unknown ambitions known only as Syndicate, Hei is searching for the whereabouts of his sister Pai, whom he lost several years ago when the South American gate imploded. Hei’s contract allows him to generate electricity, and he is hotly pursued by the Japanese government for his involvement in multiple assassinations. He acts as the warrior/spy/assassin of his team.

1.) He’s a hobo-looking creep at the start of the season but thank god he finally cleaned himself up and he’s back to his original hotness~
2.) Can’t really say more because he’s less awesome this season as Suou is getting the powers and the spotlight until lately. =__=
3.) Oh well, he just needs to get his powers back and everything is back to perfection~
4.) I’m still glad he’s slowly getting back though~
5.) Darn…

5: Koyomi Araragi –  Bakemonogatari

Seiyuu: Kamiya, Hiroshi

Koyomi, the main character of the story, is a third year high school student who is close to failing every class except math. Shortly before the novel begins, he was attacked by a vampire during spring break, and became a vampire himself. Although Meme Oshino helped him become human again, there are a few lingering side effects; he can see in the dark, and he heals faster than the average human. He is still scared of morning sunlight even though it no longer has any effect on him. He started dating Hitagi at the end of Mayoi Snail.

1.) His name is so fun to pronounce. Arararara-(sorry I stuttered~)-kun
2.) His ahoge is epic.
3.) He’s… a pervert. Openly perverted. Molests little loli on daylight.
4.) He gets all the awesome girls. Everyone’s jealous of him.
5.) He and Hitagi makes one of the most memorable couples of the year~

6: Kyon – Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu 2009

Seiyuu: Sugita, Tomokazu

Kyon is a first year high school student. He is quite cynical and does not believe in anything interesting like aliens or espers. But his curiosity gets the better of him when he tries to talk to Haruhi Suzumiya. She starts the SOS Brigade, and drags Kyon into it. He tries his best to stop Haruhi from causing too much trouble, and he tries to protect Asahina and Yuki from her wrath. But he’s going to be in for a bumpy ride, and Haruhi might never know the interesting details.

1.) He ALMOST punched Haruhi! Woah
2.) He doesn’t have a last name. We don’t know his real name either. That = cool
3.) “Yare, Yare~”
4.) Kyon makes the show. Kyon is the real god.
5.) “Kyon-kun, denwa”

7: Lawrence Kraft – Spice and Wolf 2

Seiyuu: Fukuyama, Jun

Kraft Lawrence, who chiefly goes by his surname, is a twenty-five-year-old traveling peddler who goes from town to town buying and selling various things in order to make a living. When he was twelve, he became an apprentice to a merchant relative, and set out on his own at eighteen. His goal in life is to gather enough money to start his own shop, and he has already been traveling for seven years while gaining experience in the trade. He meets Holo one night and eventually agrees to her traveling with him. She helps him by providing her wisdom which helps to increase his profits and get him out of jams.

1.) He has gotten more balls this season.
2.) Just like AraragixHitagi, Lawrence and Horo are just a brilliant couple.
3.) White hair = win
4.) His economic strategies are awesome, even though they fire back at him sometimes~
5.) FukuJun. ‘Nuff said.

8: Oz Vessalius – Pandora Hearts

Seiyuu: Minagawa, Junko

A 15-year-old boy with blond hair and green eyes from the prestigious Vessalius family, whose father is the reigning lord. His mother was killed by the Nightray family, but despite this, he retains a bright, optimistic, and energetic personality. The story of Pandora Hearts starts when Oz turns fifteen. During the ceremony to celebrate this reaching of adulthood, he was dragged into the Abyss for the sin of ‘existing’. There he meets the chain named Alice and makes a contract with her.

1.) He’s moe, he’s small… but he’s seme.
2.) He’s just… adorable
3.) I love his outfits~
4.) People surrounding him are awesome as well. And he’s probably one of the few characters I approve of a threesome shipping~ *AlicxOzxGil*
5.) Ok ok ok, I’m just biased with everything Pandora Hearts-related =_=;

9: Nozomu Itoshiki – Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei series

Seiyuu: Kamiya, Hiroshi

A high school teacher and the youngest son of the Itoshiki family. He always wears a hakama and kimono abroad, preferring flippant casual western clothing in his hometown. When his name is written horizontally it resembles zetsubō, befitting his extremely negative, paranoid and pessimistic attitude. He often shouts “I’m in despair!” and attempts suicide several times, though rarely with serious intent. Most of the main girls seem to have feelings for him but only because they misunderstand what he said to them (during the episode about them). He is based upon the main character from Dazai Osamu’s No Longer Human, which is both Nozomu’s and the author’s favorite novel.

1.) He doesn’t need backstory, etc.
2.) He’s just silly, which makes him so lovable~
3.) I love his over-reactions xDD
4.) Why can’t RL teachers be as awesome as him?!?!
5.) ZETSUBOSHITAAA!!!

10: Shouta Kazehaya – Kimi ni Todoke

Seiyuu: Namikawa, Daisuke

Kazehaya Shouta is an outgoing and friendly classmate of Sawako. He is very popular in the school and previously in his middle school so many of the girls liked him that they formed a ‘Kazehaya is everyone’s’ alliance to have a peace treaty between Kazehaya admirers, which led to the fact that now in the high school these characters attend to, in the girls there are more than half of Kazehaya’s old middle school attending. Since the beginning Kazekaya is very obviously infatuated with Sawako.

1.) He is just so SWEET! D’awwww~
2.) There’s a sense of his character being very far from realistic, in a good way… but that what makes him very special and lovable. I know everyone wants RL guys to be like Kazehaya as well >.>
3.) Definitely, he helps Sawako and he is her inspiration to do her best on making friends.
4.) His awkwardness definitely makes him cute and moe! Did you see how he always get flustered then blushes? UGH KAZEHAYA PLUSHIE WANT NAO!
5.) Can’t he get any more perfect?

11: Zwei/Reiji Azuma – Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~

Seiyuu: Irino, Miyu

Zwei was a perfectly ordinary tourist from Japan, before witnessing an Inferno assassination in America and being kidnapped. He was able to elude his pursuers long enough for them to realize he had a natural survival instinct that was perfect for an assassin. He had his memory erased through a combination of drug and hypnotherapy. The name Zwei is simply a code name to show he is the second experimental assassin created by Scythe Master. Through Claudia, one of the three top executives of Inferno, Zwei is able to learn his true identity as Azuma Reiji.

1.) He’s some amnesiac-turned- kick ass phantom assassin pimp~
2.) He’s just cold and sexy~~~~~~~
3.) Amazing character development. Definitely fleshed out throughout the entire series.
4.) Again, just sexy~~~~~~~…*shot*
5.) WTF ^&$%#*&*&%$ @ THE ENDING?!!! *brings back horrible memories*

12: Mariya Shidou – Maria+Holic

Seiyuu: Kobayashi, Yuu

At first glance, a seemingly kind, and selfless student, Mariya’s true personality couldn’t be further from that. A cunning, and incredibly sadistic boy who enjoys nothing more then torturing Kanako, or his twin sister Shizu, although he claims the treatment of the latter is because of his love for her. Mariya attends the prestigious Ame no Kisaki Catholic girl’s school, due to a rather silly bet thought up by the previous head of the school, who in actual fact is Mariya’s grandmother who he deeply cares for, and holds in high esteem. Mariya keeps a rosary she once owned as a memento. The bet in question is that Mariya, and his twin sister each attend schools for the opposite gender, and if they can stick that out for three years, the winner shall become head of both schools. There is a catch, and that must be that nobody can find out their true gender. When Shizu comments that Kanako knew his gender, Mariya finds a loophole.

1.) It’s a trap!!!
2.) Hey, Mariya has a diq… so Mariya qualifies~ xDDDDD;
3.) Seriously, he is awesome. From really innocent, wholesome cross-dresser mode to sadistic trap bastard~
4.) He’s very cute~ and oddly seductive too xD
5.) I just wished we had moar Mariya on the anime. He made the show. Seriously, without Mariya on Maria+Holic, it would just be +Holic :\

~ VOTE ~

Yosh~ You can vote up to five (5) male characters of your choice! Which ones have you voted for and why do you think they have the edge to be the stand-out male character of the year?

~VOTING IS CLOSED. RESULTS HERE~

About kanzeon