

She lost her mother, but that tragedy is not treated with melodrama, just a somber nostalgia. That's not to say that Haruhi hasn't seen her fair share of difficulty in life. In a series that often satirizes the usual shojo genre stereotypes, Haruhi wins by just being completely free of typical teen drama. She's super tomboyish, demure, and not at all moe. Haruhi isn't one of those typical anime school girls. But then Ouran High School Host Club (See it on Amazon) introduced us to Haruhi, and new doors were opened. We knew the tropes, we knew what to expect. With that said, on to the list!Ģ5 Haruhi Fujioka First anime appearance: Ouran High School Host Club, 2006 The reverse harem anime genre had been done to death by 2006. When it comes to fandoms, anime fans are some of the most deeply knowledgeable types around, and we'd love to know who you'd rank as the best examples of anime star power. Just like blockbuster films don't always win Oscars, and the top-selling music artists don't always win Grammys. They are each enjoyable in their own way, and no one can deny their commercial success, but popularity doesn't always mean quality. If you're looking for Naruto, Ichigo, or Monkey.you're not going to find them here. Skillful writing, design, and ingenuity make a character great. Sure, there are many anime characters who are wildly famous and provide the engine for a commercial machine, but sales and marketing don't make a character great. Characters who weren't so special didn't make the cut, even if they're famous.

But, most importantly, we selected characters who changed what we thought anime could be. We were looking for characters who were something special for their time unique and powerful in their own way. But for this list, the most important factor was artistic greatness.

There are many factors involved here: legacy, impact, recognition. We thought it was time to revisit this hotly-debated topic and hopefully bring some new perspective to the conversation, so we've compiled a new list of the most original and awesome characters in Japanese animation. Who are the best characters created in the history of anime? It's a debate that has been held on Internet forums since Internet forums were invented.
