The 8 best-written anime heroes of the past 10 years, ranked

Anime characters have evolved significantly over the last decade. The days of the endlessly optimistic, fate-chosen hero who triumphs because the plot dictates that he will slowly fade away. Instead, it was replaced by incomplete, tired, emotionally multifaceted, and all too human characters. Such heroes are characterized not by their physical strength, but by their response to pain, loss, responsibility, and growth. Their paths are hard-earned, painful, and often uncomfortable and that's what makes them so relatable.

The real difference between great heroes and easily forgettable ones is not in power level or dazzling visuals, but in the consistency of the writing. These characters in this list develop logically, they have consequences that count, and they develop without losing their essence. There are those that start soft and harden over time, and those that begin to break down and slowly restructure themselves. Each of them can be seen as one of the most powerful character-writing anime brought out in the last decade.

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8

Tanjiro Kamado

Demon Slayer

Tanjiro is presented to the audience as a character that most viewers would consider a very sympathetic hero: gentle, understanding, and very kind. At first, he comes off as a typical shonen archetype, with goodness as his only character trait. However, Tanjiro's best part is that his kindness never fades even as he becomes more powerful and battle-hardened over time. Instead, it matures. He discovers that sympathizing with a person's pain does not mean that they should be forgiven.

Tanjiro is someone who is able to empathize with demons, but is able to kill them without hesitation as the series progresses. He doesn't hesitate when innocent people's lives are on the line, and he doesn't let guilt paralyze him. His growth is not in his hands as it comes from training, failure and failure after failure. Tanjiro is one of the main characters who has a more down-to-earth development and is oddly mature than most new shonen protagonists.

7

Denji

The Chainsaw Man

Image via MAPPA.

Denji is one of the most unconventional heroes that anime has come up with in recent years, and that's exactly why he works. His ambitions sound like a joke at first, namely, some basic food, a roof to sleep on, and carnal love. However, behind these hollow-sounding wishes lies a lot of truth: a boy who never enjoyed childhood, never enjoyed security, never enjoyed the luxury of dreaming big. For Denji, the desire to live an ordinary life does not make anyone useless but makes everyone more relatable.

What makes Denji such a well-written character is that the series doesn't make fun of his lack of sophistication. Instead, it slowly shows that the trauma turned him into a person who can't even imagine what a happy person should be. His emotional development, delusions, and frustrations are raw and uncomfortable in the most appropriate way. The Chainsaw Man Successful because Denji is not a hero, striving to achieve greatness, but a human being experiencing what it is like to live.

6

Kafka Hibino

Kaiju number 8

The first thing that makes Kafka Hibino stand out is that he is not a teenager chasing glory, but a man in his 30s who already feels that life has fallen apart. That's what makes him one of the most relevant protagonists in modern anime. Kafka brings a silent sense of regret and insecurity and failure that many viewers can immediately identify with. Ironically, his emotional core remains incredibly grounded even after transforming into something human.

The best thing about Kafka is that he can risk his life on behalf of other people without much thought. His heroism is not pompous and dramatic; It is based on duty and concern. His arc brought a level of maturity common to shonen storytelling, seeing someone his age decide to fight through missed opportunities and still save people. Kafka's story doesn't feel like a typical MC, one who doesn't give up even when life has taken more than he has.

5

Subaru Natsuki

Zero again

Subaru is a protagonist characterized by suffering, loss, and the collapse of his emotions, and the series does not allow him to escape the consequences of his actions. Unlike most heroes endowed with superhuman powers, Subaru's powers bring no comfort, no dominance, no emotional release. Each reset is accompanied by trauma, which accumulates rather than disappears, and his journey is exhausting to follow in the most deliberate way possible.

The thing about Subaru that makes him so well written is that he doesn't get stronger by fighting hard, but addresses his own insecurities, selfishness, and fears. He tries and tries and fails in embarrassing ways. But he manages to get up again, not because he's scared, but because surrender is worse. His development is as painfully human as it can get, and he's one of the most sympathetic main characters that anime has had in recent years.

4

Purple Evergarden

Purple Evergarden

Purple Evergarden One of the most emotionally ambiguous heroes of the last decade. Violet is known as someone who has a hard time feeling, and she begins her path in a state of emotional numbness, affected only by war and order. She doesn't seek power or recognition; She is searching for meaning behind the words I love you, words that are said to her for no reason and out of context.

His character's plot is built around empathy, grief, and the emotional connection he learns from other people's lives. Violet's development is fragile, silent, and highly personal and presented as letters, conversations, and mutual suffering as opposed to dramatic battles. Finally, he is not only aware of emotions, but also experiences them. Violet's story is one of the most sensitive and moving works on healing, trauma, and humanity in anime.

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3

Freeren

Frieren: Beyond the end of the journey

Freire is perhaps the most unusual hero of any in recent years, but perhaps in the most positive way, not because of sheer power, but through perspective. She is an ancient sorcerer, whose time and her view of people are different from what humans do. The series doesn't deal with epic battles or end-of-the-world scenarios, but the silent awakening that was previously ignored as pointless was actually priceless.

Freyren's relationship with Fern and Stark also feels natural and enjoyable given how she trains them both. Her relationship with Himmel, which is platonic in nature but emotionally deep, forms the basis for much of the emotional content of the series. The point of the journey made by Frieren is to learn to appreciate connections when they are already lost. One of anime's greatest strengths is that it allows grief, memory, and regret to affect its protagonist without rushing his development. It's a beautiful reminder that the realization about life is usually felt long after it's gone.

2

maomao

Apothecary Diaries

Maoma is one of the best written female leads in anime. It's been years since his charm has been more about character than performance. She is smart, insightful and clearly herself. Rather than being characterized by romance or fan service, Maomao is characterized by her ability to be competent, curious, and witty. She is not overly smart, but smarts from hard work and practice.

His most well-written part is his relationship with Jinshi, as it developed without happy or disappointed reactions. It's so soothing, so down-to-earth, and so real, the way Mao Mao speaks. It is interesting to watch her move through politics, medicine and human relationships in the court, because the story is sure to be smart enough for the audience to love.

1

Thorphine

The Vinland Saga

Thorfinn's story is one of the strongest character arcs in anime. The first season introduces us to a boy with revenge – a product of hatred and loss. Each of his actions drives him deeper into violence, and he comes out empty despite his strength. Then season two does something unusual when it shifts gears and deals with the emptiness he's left behind.

“I have no enemies” is not just a sentence; It is the result of decades of suffering, contemplation and maturity. Thorfinn's transformation from a young, naive boy blinded by a sense of revenge to the man who wants peace in his life is emotional and very inspiring. His arc shows that it is not the power to conquer but the power to forgive that is really strong and that the path to peace in a world of violence can be the hardest of all.

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