Jan5
2011 Year-Ender: Lead Male Character
Eighth in line: Lead Male Character nominations for 2011. Vote Away~
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Good BISHIES! What else do you need? They are mostly good looking and by the end of a series they have totally acquired the BAMF mode even if it’s not an action series. These are the cream de la cream of any series, sometimes even making or breaking a series. If they fail, the series fails. But yeah, watch out for the bishies and MANRY men who made this year pretty exciting.
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The lead character’s job is essentially to carry the show. As the lifeblood of the series, they have to be interesting enough to keep the viewer interested since they’re going to be on screen for such a long time. A poor lead character can ruin a show..but that’s not what we have here. Here are your nominees for the BEST (not worst!) male leads from this year.
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Side characters are great to have around! But having a cool main character is an important key to any anime series. And we have all kinds! From superheros, mad scientists, over powered fighters, demons and zombies! Yes, even zombies can save the world… Whatever type of guy you love to cheer for, these main leads deserve some love from their fans.
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Lead character. A lot of the time, this is synonymous with TOTAL BOSS. And sometimes, sadly, it’s not. However, this is where we’re going to honor those who have made it to boss status, because, really, what’s a show without an awesome protagonist kicking ass and taking names? NOTHING. So let’s give it up for most epic male leads of 2011!
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Woot! We are one step closer to wrapping up this Year-Ender event and we’re getting to the good stuff… Male Lead. Now, I’m sure we will have all the girls raging for the hawtest and coolest male leads to be on this list. But I think we have here a good variety of different characters as Fosh has pointed out. As for me, what I look for in a male lead is 1) Hawtness 2) BAMF 3) Intelligence 4) Self-confidence 5) The will to overcome the obstacles in their way. I’m sure there’s more that I look for in one but it probably varies in the genre of anime. So yeah, maybe we are in this for the hawtness…
As an update, so far the following Year-Ender posts are out and voting is still open:
The list is in no particular order. So check out these BISHIES & MANRY MEN and vote for the best~! |
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[ 01 ] [ Okabe Rintarou ] Steins;Gate |
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MAD SCIENTIST HOUOUIN KYOMA! -insert 10 other amazing catchphrases here- He’s an amazing character filled to the brim with chaotic energy and an impulsive personality, but it’s how he changes throughout the entirety of the show that’s really enthralling. He becomes paranoid and miserable at one point, jaded and numb at another, and he cycles between moments of sanity and insanity as if he were just straddling a thin line. Okarin is one of the most complex characters this season, and he’ll be a hard one to beat.
//.overcooled |
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| VA [ Mamoru Miyano ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 02 ] [ Emiya Kiritsugu ] Fate/Zero |
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Total BAMF, smoking hawt, assassin whose expression doesn’t even change after bombing a big high-rise. You can call him a walking/talking machine when he’s on his killer-mode, all ready with his Walther WA-2000 sniper-rifle to zero on his enemies. However, the badass dude has a softer side to him as well, only seen by his wife Irisviel and daughter Ilyasviel. In the end, he’s a good guy trying his hardest for the betterment of all; though you tend to forget that part witnessing his almost hunter-like strategies without any qualms.
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Koyama Rikiya ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 03 ] [ Rin/Yukio – Okumura Brothers ] Ao no Exorcist |
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The twin brothers who went to hell and back in case of circumstances. It didn’t help that they were Satan’s spawn to begin with but that didn’t deter them in doing the right thing because they were brought up nicely by Father Shirou. Being twin doesn’t mean that they are identical in nature and that is the fun part, making the audience take sides at times. Though, things boil down to how BAMF they became and by the end, both of them journeyed long and shined.
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Nobohiko Okamoto ] VA [ Fukuyama Jun ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 04 ] [ Aikawa Ayumu ] Kore wa zombie desu ka? |
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When we first meet our main character Ayumu we watch him get crushed and sent flying by a truck! But good thing Ayumu is a zombie which has positives and lots of negative side effects, like being cut in half, getting blown up, and forced to transform into a magical girl thanks to forming a contract with Haruna. But Ayumu sticks through all of the torture of living with Yuu, Haruna and Seras everyday! It is amazing how he manages to survive the abuse.
//.foshizzel |
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| VA [ Majima Junji ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 05 ] [ Kaburagi T. Kotetsu ] Tiger & Bunny |
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Kotetsu is a breath of fresh air. He’s not one of those crappy, default lead males that plague anime. He’s not some wimpy teen boy who suddenly stumbles upon magic power, or girls, or both. He’s a middle-aged man who’s down on his luck with a daughter he struggles to keep in touch with regularly. He’s the very definition of a lovable underdog, and his growth throughout the series was also quite profound. Not as much as Barnaby, but he’s come a long, long way. I still feel the urge to cry when eating fried rice because of him.
//.overcooled |
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| VA [ Hirata Hiroki ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 06 ] [ Natsume Takashi ] Natsume Yuujinchou San |
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When you are always chased around by youkai who can’t be seen by others, your life’s tough, yo~ Sure, you have a guardian youkai but that piglet is busy eating/drinking most of the times so you gotta take care of yourself, yo~ Still, the frail looking Natsume packs a very heavy punch, which usually saves him from small to medium-powered youkai. Though, there are times that he gets into a pinch but his friend youkai always come to save him because his morality is all about doing the right thing.
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Hiroshi Kamiya ] |
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[ 07 ] [ Sion/Nezumi ] No.6 |
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Yes, we’re cheating and using pairs of characters. These two are always glued together anyways, so they’re practically one person. Nezumi and Shion broke the mould of yaoi stereotypes, and weren’t defined by their sexuality. They were people first and foremost, and their relationship was just something that naturally blossomed. There was no rape or excessive blushing, just two characters who slowly became closer. Nezumi started off as a feral animal and became more humans, while Shion started off naive and became more hardened over time.
//.overcooled |
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| VA [ Yuki Kaji ] VA [ Yoshimasa Hosoya ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 08 ] [ Kamijou Touma & Accelerator ] Toaru Majutsu no Index II |
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Life sure is hard for this level zero living in Academy city. Not only does Touma has to survive attacks from Misaka and try his best to avoid being bitten by Index, he also has several bigshot magicians who want him dead! Accelerator on the other hand, completely changed, going from hardcore evil to decent guy trying to do good. We can all thank a certain tiny Misaka for that; however, Accelerator has to do a few underhanded things to maintain his new lifestyle, just ask the grunts from hound dog…
//.foshizzel |
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| VA [ Atsushi Abe ] VA [ Nobohiko Okamoto ] |
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[ 09 ] [ Jinta Yadomi ] Ano Hana |
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I don’t even know where to begin for Jintan. I found myself liking him right from the start. This kiddo’s had a pretty rough time and he developed substantially as the show progressed. He started off as a shut-in and managed to grow out of it. It’s got to be extremely difficult to be able to see your dead childhood friend but Jinta, not only dealt with it, but allowed himself to help her, and himself, move on. Boss.
//.zabobinator |
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| VA [ Irino Miyu ] |
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[ 10 ] [ Kanba/Shouma – Takakura Brothers ] Mawaru Penguindrum |
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Kanba did seem very much like the big brother of the family, getting money to support the family in some mysterious dealings and was much more willing to take action, even saving Himari’s penguin hat from a truck as it was driving on the highway! Shoma involuntarily took on the role of younger brother and was a much more passive character, but he was there to deal with Ringo’s crap during her following of the Diary. Though they were brothers, one was definitely yin to the other’s yang, and there strong desire to save Himari was equal.
//.jrow |
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| VA [ Kimura Subaru ] VA [ Kimura Ryohei ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 11 ] [ Tsunashi Takutou ] Star Driver |
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That ever kagayaku personality that almost left us blinded in the first few episodes. Not to mention that killing transformation followed by a shout of APPROVOISE! Takuto was perfectly voiced by Miyano Mamoru and even if you couldn’t believe the overly positive attitude of his, you got to know the reason behind it and actually came to like him. No wonder there’s thousands memes of ‘it’s a pinch!’ //.kyokai |
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| VA [ Miyano Mamoru ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 12 ] [ Yuuki Shinjuurou ] Un-Go |
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Yuuki Shinjuurou has already secured himself a spot on my top-ten detectives list (because I have one of those). He’s underestimated by many, seeing as he’s earned himself the title of “Defeated Detective,” but he was quick to prove this impression wrong. He’s crazy smart and, with the help of his sidekick, Inga, he’s sure to solve the case at hand. Not to mention he’s got an awesome sense of effortless style and wit.
//.zabobinator |
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| VA [ Katsuji Ryo ] |
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[ 13 ] [Fujishima Narumi ] Kamisama no Memochou |
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My favorite thing about Narumi is that he’s shown incredible character development, perhaps the most I’ve seen in ages. This kid went from not giving a crap about anything to willingly taking a crazy ass drug to save his friend. He took over a gang for a friend with just words! Though he’s technically Alice’s sidekick, but he’s managed to prove that he is capable of accomplishing so much more than just fetching Dr. Pepper.
//.zabobinator |
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| VA [ Matsuoka Yoshitsugu ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 14 ] [Rider aka Alexander the Great ] Fate/Zero |
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The character that really shone through in this series was none other than BROSKANDER, the king of Conqueres. His boastful ways, loud voice and full laughter; not to mention that giant height, which makes Waver look like a midget (well, not that he’s not) are all a clear sing of a personality who has lived life fully to 150%. Though, he didn’t get this spot just by a smile but his BAMF Reality Marble that summons HIS ENTIRE ARMY and which servant do you know has that ability? If you said Assassin, those are sewer rats creeping in the shadows compared to the marvelous heroes that were Rider’s mates. In short, BROSKANDER makes it all good~
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Ootsuka Akio ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 15 ] [ Kawachi Daikichi ] Usagi Drop |
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Daikichi won me over immediately. After all, what kind of guy just decides to adopt the illegitimate, 6-year-old love child of his grandfather? Clearly an awesome dude like Daikichi. This guy made the decision to adopt Rin and seriously made an effort to take care of her, even going so far as to stress out over his parenting abilities. It’s tough being a single parent and yet, for somebody who decided on a whim to keep the kid, Daikichi manages perfectly.
//.zabobinator |
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| VA [ Tsuchida Hiroshi ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 16 ] [ Takanashi Souta ] Working’!! |
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He gets free workout everyday not because he’s an exercise freak but by getting punched and manhandled by his colleague due to androphobia. His life is suffering and this is not the only reason. All of his sisters are taller than him, even the younger middle-schooler has reached his height. If you call him a hentai just because he likes small and cute things, that won’t be fair because that’s his only leeway for a harsh life. Yeah, he’s not BAMF like some others on this list but he can be an awesome trap when he wants to be.
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Fukuyama Jun ] |
| [ EXTRA ] Spoiler Video: Show ▼ |
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[ 17 ] [ Katsuragi Keima ] Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai |
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What can be said about the ‘God of Conquest’? He’s the champion of every dating sim game that ever existed. Though that was experience enough to win over real girls who have been possessed by runaway spirits. He’s not just a galge expert but has the intelligence to process all routes and strategize to win over any girl. He’s a good guy, even if he seems to not care. He would definitely scoff at Hatoful Boyfriend, but I somehow can still hear him say, “Ending ga, mieta zou!”
//.kyokai |
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| VA [ Shimono Hiro ] |
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[ 18 ] [ Hasegawa Kodaka ] Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai |
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What does it take to make a great lead in a harem anime? Good looks, amazing personality or something else?I I really have no idea! But whatever those traits maybe, our man Kodaka must be the true king of this genre. Kodaka has to balance a lot in his life like avoid getting tackled by Rika who just wants to get in his pants, watch Kobato and Maria fight over him; not to mention, suddenly getting dragged to the pool by Sena. Life is tough for him but he really wants to have fun with everyone and he just might get his wish for a friend with Yozora someday.
//.foshizzel |
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| VA [ Kimura Ryohei ] |
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Honorable Mentions: Show ▼
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As mentioned in previous posts, the characters that these animes were chosen from are featured in the Winter ’11 to Fall ’11 anime series. This does not include animes that will continue on into the Winter ’12 season that are 20+ episodes. As well, don’t forget to check out the other Year-Ender posts and vote for the best~!
You may select 7 characters. So vote for the best Lead Male Character of 2011. |
2011 Year-Ender Fan Favorites: Lead Male Character (Select 7)
- Okabe Rintarou - Steins;Gate (9%, 193 Votes)
- Emiya Kiritsugu - Fate/Zero (5%, 107 Votes)
- Rin/Yukio - Okumura Brothers - Ao no Exorcist (8%, 161 Votes)
- Aikawa Ayumu - Kore wa zombie desu ka? (3%, 53 Votes)
- Kaburagi T. Kotetsu - Tiger & Bunny (8%, 157 Votes)
- Takashi Natsume - Natsume Yuujinchou San (8%, 157 Votes)
- Sion/Nezumi - No.6 (6%, 122 Votes)
- Touma/ Accelerator - Toaru Majutsu no Index II (5%, 101 Votes)
- Jinta Yadomi - Ano Hana (5%, 103 Votes)
- Kanba/Shouma - Takakura Brothers - Mawaru Penguindrum (8%, 174 Votes)
- Tsunashi Takutou - Star Driver (5%, 97 Votes)
- Yuuki Shinjuurou - Un-Go (5%, 107 Votes)
- Fujishima Narumi - Kamisama no Memochou (3%, 53 Votes)
- Rider aka Alexander the Great - Fate/Zero (6%, 125 Votes)
- Kawachi Daikichi - Usagi Drop (5%, 101 Votes)
- Takanashi Souta - Working'!! (4%, 73 Votes)
- Katsuragi Keima - Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai (5%, 105 Votes)
- Hasegawa Kodaka - Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (3%, 61 Votes)
Total Votes: 2,050
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About Team Meta
We are the deadly team of Metanorn. When together, we usually come up with long, informative reviews and commentary. After all, we take fangirling seriously!
POWUH: Metanorn Regular and Bassun-yo~ with 118 comments
Looking at the entire list, this year has had it’s fair share of cool male leads. Not many of the badass variety but there are some very interesting ones that really stand out from years past. The one that does the most has got to be Okarin, what a character he turned out to be. His voice and laugh is so distinct that it’s already iconic.
Kotetsu is also another strong candidate, seeing as we don’t get many mature, father-figure leads. His humor and general likeability is just something that can’t be ignored, even if the fujoshis have kinda tainted him a little judging by my tumblr and twitter timelines haha.
Daikichi too is so bloody likeable even though he’s not the typical teenage lead. I gotta say, this year has been great for unconventional leads and these three lead the pack for me.
As for who I pick, I gotta go with Okarin. His mad english rhymes alone warrant top billing in my book haha.
POWUH: 400-499 with 428 comments
This list is filled with awesome, though that little summary on the guy from Tiger & Bunny got me interested in a marathon. Haven’t watched it but having an older protagonist is something different, and having different things done right is what I like 😀
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 20 comments
Excellent choices! Definitely a lot of interesting lead males for 2011 series~ (Not because of their looks but because of their character.)
As expected, it is not easy whenever I have to vote for my favourite males. lol, typical~
I have already decided on my 6 and was torn at who to cast my final vote to. In the end, I ended up not voting as I figure that it would be best not to vote than regretting not voting for the other guy, etc.. (Even trying to cast my final vote to whoever is voiced by my fave seiyuu is impossible, lol.)
And the males that got honorable mentions are excellent choices too. Great thing they are not included or I would have to spend over an hour deciding who to vote. lol.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 99 comments
Yeah, this year was amazing for male leads and honestly just an okay one for female leads. I think it’s usually the opposite. Kotetsu, Okabe, Shoma/Kanba, Shinjuurou, Daikichi, Rider, and Jintan got my votes here. But I also liked the Okumura brothers, Kiritsugu, and Natsume.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 48 comments
Come on guys, Takanashi Shouta needs some of your love too! *cough* but otherwise, good year indeed. So many to choose from and they are all fairly tolerable and some even kick ass.
I wonder though, why aren’t the Asaba twins included?
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I know right?! He needs more love and support! ><
Btw, Asaba twins did get a mention in the honourable section. :3
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 45 comments
Deeply disappointed that any of the Kamisama Dolls guys (Kyohei or Aki) didn’t get a nomination. They were the show!
From the selection, my pick would obviously be Daikichi but I expect Okabe Rintarou to run away with this.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Aki got his nomination in the supporting male section, while Ryohei got an honourable mention in this. You can say, we couldn’t include everyone we liked. xD
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 88 comments
Come onnnn Wild Tiger !! Oyaji moe ftw!
I picked the older guys (Kotetsu, Rider, Daikichi) plus Kami-niisama and Okarin. As much as I like Shoma and his eyelashes and the Okumura bros, they don’t make my heart melt like Kotetsu (or Daikichi) (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
Rider needs no explanation really haha
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 243 comments
What is this? This voting systemis clearly flawed. Why can’t I give HOUOUIN KYOMA(!) all seven of my votes? Ah well, the vote’s are showing that everyone else has similar feelings about everyon’es favourite MAD SCIENTIST!
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
Hear, hear! He’s definitely my favourite character of 2011.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
This is totally unfair guys… there’s so many good male characters this year I can’t possibly keep it under 7 choices D:
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Oh we know. It was hard enough to come up with this list. ><
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 199 comments
This list made me ralise how great for anime industry this year was. I espacially like characters who broke genere convencions – daddy-like Kotetsu who can beat the crap out of other typical shonen main leads, but most of all Shion + Nezumi – they’re average characters per se, but OMG, No.6 proved that shonen-ai can be actually watchable and being gay does not eqal being a fag. I also liked Jintan, he’s very realistic character.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
Definitely agreed. Lot of great characters on the list.
Kotetsu is really great, and you mention daddy-like, Daikichi is great, too. (he also would fit that bill more than Kotetsu who actually is a dad)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Now it’s the lead male character’s turn to take the stage.
Emiya Kiritsugu: Gun toting badass and calculating master assassin.
Rin/Yukio – Okumura Brothers: They say twins look and think alike. Yeah right, this pair so does not fit the bill, they’re are as different as day and night. But when trouble comes around, they always look out for each other.
Aikawa Ayumu: Thanks to him, I don’t cringe or grind my teeth as much when I see a guy crossdressing. The pink maso shoujo dress is still disturbing, though.
Touma/ Accelerator: The perfect pairing for an all out bitter rivalry. They are Index’s version of Goku and Vegeta.
Hasegawa Kodaka: Not as goofy as most male leads but he does know how to strike a balance with the chaos in his club.
Now that that’s done, here’s a couple of leads I wonder why didn’t make the list: Ben-To’s Sato; Persona 4: The Animation’s Yu; C³: Cube x Cursed x Curious’ Haruaki; Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi’s Taito; Nurarihyon no Mago’s Rikuo and Mayo Chiki’s Jirou.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
Sato is awesome, right? “The Hentai” probably should’ve been on the list somewhere. XD
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
The latter ones got less votes that’s why. Btw, no mention of Persona because it’s still airing.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
There were so many awesome male leads this year, it’s hard to pick! My top three were definitely Okabe (Okariiin~), Takuto, and Shouma. ^^
Okabe felt so … new. I feel as if they re-hash a lot of the same-old cliches on male leads, just as much as female characters (who have much more diversity in my opinion), so it was nice to see a character who was unpredictable. (Well, at least he was to me.)
Takuto was fabulous, and I loved the story behind Shouma and the Takakuras.
I also voted for Daikichi, Sion/Nezumi, Jinta, and Kodaka, it was nice to see a rom-com guy with an actual personality.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
finally ..somebody voted for daikichi ,i mean you gotta watch the anime than voted …i can guess only half voted for the good looking guy …and the other half voted for their idols…well , i think daikichi from Usagi drop is the best especially when the part that he have to apologize to Rin when he wake up every day in the morning O_O
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Great choice of a spoiler video for the Takakura brothers. Once I realized what it was, I had to watch it again just because.
(Obviously, I voted for them.)
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Critique with 1024 comments
Oh thank god you can tick more than one…I nearly had to choose between 2 characters voiced by Jun. Which would be simply impossible.
One is a trap. One has moles. They are BOTH megane. OH JUST CAST ME INTO THE FIRES OF HELL JUST DONT MAKE ME CHOOSE.
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Guys, Daikichi. That is all.
POWUH: 400-499 with 406 comments
YESS Accelerator is on here <3
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Daikichi from Usagi Drop for sure!! I wish he would have been my dad!! And there has yet to be any male as fabulously awesome as Takuto from Star Driver! I had such a serious anime crush on him….
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
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