As anime made its way into the 2010s, there were plenty of changes the medium would have to go through. Streaming would become a major part of every major studio's way of reaching fans, and it would create an entirely new audience that would make many series more popular than anyone might have dreamed coming out of the 2000s.
There were major new series that joined the pantheon of legendary anime series of the past, allowing so many new fans the chance to find shows they could get into without being forced to delve into the past. All of this would make way for a new wave of characters to stand at the top of the anime world.
10 Yato Is Popular Despite Being From A Lesser-Known Anime (Noragami) - 37,447
This is a shock appearance considering Noragami isn’t the most well-known anime, even if it's got a devoted base of people following it. Yato is the main protagonist of Noragami, who is a god attempting to gain a large following even though no one’s ever heard of him. Yato’s tragic past combined with his desire to change and live life in a way he can be happy makes it easy to want to root for him. The work he’s putting in to atone is actively making his life harder, which makes the story of whether or not he’s capable of succeeding even more interesting.
9 Ken Kaneki Is An Outcast Who Is Part Human & Ghoul (Tokyo Ghoul) - 42,229
Kaneki is one unfortunate sap. He was supposed to be living a normal life, but when he wound up spending time with the ghoul Kamishiro Rize, he was nearly killed. But instead of dying, he has part of Rize’s body transplanted into his own, transforming him into a combination between a human and a ghoul. Watching Kaneki try not to give into his new nature is likely what leaves him as a part of this list, as his goal is to refuse to actually eat other humans, resulting in him turning on many others in the ghoul community.
8 Eren Yeager Shifts From Hero To Villain (Attack On Titan) - 42,972
The only surprise about this is that Eren Yaeger doesn’t somehow rank even higher on the list. The lead character of what’s the most popular anime running right now, Eren’s development as a character has been something to see--from watching his entire world come crashing down around him in the first episode, to his struggle for revenge. These days, it could even be argued that Eren himself is the villain of the series, as his attempt to get revenge hasn’t lessened even as he’s learned the many uncomfortable truths that had been hidden from him.
7 Saitama Continues To Look For A Challenge (One-Punch Man) - 43,778
It’s surprising Saitama isn’t higher up on this list with only 42,000 favorites. But One-Punch Man does only have two short seasons, with no third season announced so far. What should have been a simple meme, One-Punch Man has managed to build into so much more after being in publication for so long.
Saitama’s ability to end any battle the second he gets serious is believably turned into a drawback for him, while also not taking from the narrative tension of other fights in the series. Though the character can feel almost too straight-forward, his honest desire to be a hero is shown time and again, making him one of the more likable characters in the show itself.
6 Kirigaya Kazuto Changed The Anime Industry (Sword Art Online) - 48,975
Despite how polarizing Sword Art Online can be, it’s not surprising to see Kirigaya Kazuto on this list. As the main protagonist, he defined what it means to exist in an isekai series for years to come. So many of them these days have the same look—cool, dark-haired, and incredibly talented in combat. Kirito proves himself in multiple different universes and collects a harem of people who fall in love with him no matter where he goes.
5 Mikasa Ackerman Is A Young Genius (Attack on Titan) - 49,342
Mikasa is the rare example of a woman becoming popular without just being a straight talking tsundere. Mikasa is one of the most competent characters in Attack on Titan. One of Eren’s childhood friends, she became a member of the army and quickly proved herself to be one of the best recruits there. Her appearances in the series can often feel like a straight-up highlight reel of her being awesome in fights, with her only blindspot being Eren.
4 Kurisu Makise Is A Mad Scientist, But Not A Tsundere (Steins;Gate) - 51,915
The lead female protagonist for Steins;Gate, Kurisu is a genius in the same vein as Rintarou. Though merely a high school student, she was smart enough to skip grades and spends most of her time writing thesis papers.
Once she’s recruited into the Future Gadgets group, she serves as Okabe’s “assistant,” often only being referred to by that title. She makes it onto this list likely because of how entertaining it is to watch her interact with the group, trying to maintain her serious demeanor while being teased for her tsundere nature.
3 Rem Is More Than Just A Loyal Maid (Re:Zero) - 52,072
Rem’s incredible popularity truly is something for someone who killed the main character of Re:Zero multiple times before he figured out how to break the cycle. A maid working with her sister Ram, Rem is easily the most loved character in the series. She’s not only incredibly strong, but she’s polite and caring--at least when it comes to Subaru. After he figures out how to get her to stop killing him, she devotes herself to staying by Subaru’s side no matter what, even indulging in all of Subaru’s strange quirks.
2 Hachiman Hikigaya Is Disconnected From The World, But Not From The Fans (My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong) - 54,975
Hachiman’s place on this list is likely because at some point everyone has had difficulty connecting to the world around them. In the show My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, As I Expected, Hachiman is a character who’s had such trouble connecting that he’s closed himself off to the world. He even believes youth itself is an illusion, and that no one can be truly happy. Of course, most people aren’t forced to join a club in the hopes of making them a better person, but that’s the point of having anime around to give people the “what if” scenarios they’ve always wanted.
1 Levi Is The Incredibly Dangerous Leader Of The Special Operations Squad (Attack On Titan) - 124,384
With over 120,000 people marking him as one of their favorites, Levi not only is the most popular character of the 2010s but also is one of the most popular characters of all time. Surprisingly, he even outranks the main character Eren Yaeger. Perhaps that's because he's so great at what he does--he's the most powerful member in the Scouting Legion, displaying power that can easily take down Titans all by himself.
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