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20 Underrated Anime Protagonists

By Every Day Story20 items
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🔥 2.4K votes

About this list

Naruto Uzumaki, Monkey D. Luffy, Tanjiro Kamado, and Izuku Midoriya are great protagonists, but there's more to anime than just these popular characters. Many underrated anime protagonists from lesser-known shows are worth getting to know. This list features twenty of them, including Allen Walker from D.Gray-man and Renton Thurston from Eureka Seven. You'll find adorable characters like Kobato, hilarious ones like Hozuki, and badass ones like Michiko Malandro, spanning genres like shonen, slice of life, romance, comedy, seinen, and shojo. Vote up your favorite character - or one you think you might love - on the list.

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  • 1
    Staz Charlie Blood - Blood Lad

    Staz Charlie Blood mixes a dangerous vampire with many territories and a dorky anime fan. Viewers enjoy watching him fight enemies, and they also enjoy watching him geek out over video games.

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    🔥 727 up · 260 down
  • 2
    Vash The Stampede - Trigun

    TrigunVash The Stampede is an awesome older anime many people forget. Its protagonist, Vash The Stampede, earned the nickname because disaster follows him everywhere; people always blame him. The truth is, he runs from a dark past and does everything to shield innocent people from the damage. Vash turns funny and deep; he is a character you will not forget.

  • 3
    Subaru Mikazuki - My Roommate Is A Cat

    If you watchedMy Roommate Is A Cat Fans of My Roommate Is A Cat enjoy the adorable cats. More exists in the story; Subaru Mikazuki, the main human character, is also central. Mikazuki writes mysteries and was always quiet, but isolation grew after his parents died tragically. His bond with a stray cat helps him slowly open up to others.

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    🔥 477 up · 188 down
  • 4
    Allen Walker - D.Gray-man

    Allen Walker was abandoned by his parents because of his strange arm. He grew up in a circus. When his loved guardian Mana died, the Millenium Earl manipulated Allen into trying to bring her back. Mana became an Akuma, forcing Allen to destroy her. This starts his path into the Black Order, a group that fights Akuma.FMAbut are looking for something less known, Allen Walker's story might suit you.

  • 5
    Michiko Malandro - Michiko to Hatchin

    Michiko Malandro is a badass lady. She kidnaps her daughter from an abusive foster home by breaking through a wall on a motorcycle. Michiko Malandro makes a big impact and remains a fascinating figure throughout. She doesn't always act right, but she never becomes boring.

  • 6
    Katarina Claes - My Next Life as a Villainess

    Katarina Claes, once a spoiled brat who enjoyed tormenting others, changes when she sees her life isn't real. She is the villain in an otome game she played as a Japanese schoolgirl. To dodge the bad ending she knows is coming, Katarina decides to be nice. She is clueless and gullible most of the time, which works out well for the audience.

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    🔥 454 up · 232 down▲ 1 above editor
  • 7
    Ginko - Mushishi

    MushishiGinko is a stunning anime. It shows a world filled with mushi—strange lifeforms that give psychic powers, build barriers, and cause trouble for people. Ginko travels wherever a mushi problem happens. Ginko stays calm and level-headed, even though settling down is impossible. Ginko brings a human feeling to this amazing fantasy anime.

  • 8
    Golem - Somali & The Forest Spirit

    Golem guards the forest for centuries. He plans to keep that job until he dies. Then, he meets a young human girl, which changes everything. Humans face extreme discrimination, making it unsafe to show who they are. Despite claiming no feelings, Golem helps this girl, whom he names Somali, find other humans. Golem develops a parent-child bond with her. This story is incredibly touching, and Golem's growth is excellent.

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    🔥 285 up · 155 down
  • 9
    Tsukimi Kurashita - Princess Jellyfish

    Tsukimi Kurashita is a nerdy young woman living in an all-women space. Like her odd roommates, she fears social interaction and adult duties. However, she dreams of being an illustrator. Achieving those dreams means she must face those fears.

    Tsukimi is a great character. She shows how thousands of young women feel trying to enter the world. She differs from many female characters in slice of life shows.Tsukimi shows herself without fanservice. She acts like a real person with goals, dreams, and insecurities.Myne is the title: Ascendence of a Bookworm.

  • 10
    Myne - Ascendence of a Bookworm

    Myne is a more realistic, down-to-earth version of Dr. Stone.Myne is an excellent protagonist. If its art and animation had a better budget, she might have more recognition.Dr. Stone.Myne is an excellent protagonist. Better art and animation funding could make her more known.

    Librarian Motosu Urano is reborn as Myne, a sickly five-year-old in a medieval world. She decides she must find ways to read again. This means learning to make cheap paper and ink, plus gathering the money for it.

    To be honest, Kotoura-san.

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    🔥 275 up · 180 down
  • 11
    Kiyose Haiji - Run With The Wind

    Kiyose Haiji is the most chaotic sports anime protagonist. He is also one of the deepest. Desperate to compete in the Hakone Ekiden before college graduation, he cheerfully manipulates his roommates into the track team he wants. His enthusiasm and love, plus his unsettling willingness to use blackmail and threats, turn them into an unbeatable team.

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    🔥 161 up · 120 down
  • 12
    Haruka Kotoura - Kotoura-san

    To be honest,Kotoura-sanHaruka Kotoura is not a great anime. The story features aimless slapstick, pointless plots, and slice-of-life tropes that lack execution. Haruka Kotoura makes it worth watching. She reads minds, and while this brings benefits, it creates major problems. The story explores these problems with depth.

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    🔥 153 up · 130 down
  • 13
    Chihaya Ayase - Chihayafuru

    Chihaya Ayase values karuta, a card game based on traditional Japanese poetry, above everything. She aims to become the world's top karuta player. To achieve this, she must build a team. Her passion for the game inspires others to follow, including her reluctant childhood friends.

  • 14
    Hozuki - Hozuki's Coolheadness

    Working in Hell is a huge drag, according to Hozuki, King Enma's assistant. Hozuki manages things well, but he uses sarcastic quips. This long-suffering demon is hilarious.

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    🔥 130 up · 117 down
  • 15
    Kobato Hanato - Kobato

    Kobato is on the list of 20 Underrated Anime Protagonists.Kobato is a lesser-known CLAMP work, so the main character receives little affection. If you like wholesome, adorable, and ridiculous anime characters, you might like Kobato. Her mission is to find a dream location. To achieve this, she must heal hundreds of people in one year. This proves harder than Kobato expected, especially since she focuses on one heart—her coworker Kiyokazu Fujimoto’s.

  • 16
    Renton Thurston - Eureka Seven

    Renton Thurston is bored, mostly riding Trapar wave particles and trying to fulfill his family's goal of becoming a mechanic. His life changes when Gekkostate member Eureka visits his family's shop for a tune-up on her Nirvash typeZERO robot. Renton moves from bored to brave when he becomes her co-pilot and joins the Gekkostate.

  • 17
    Jean Otus - ACCA-13

    Jean Otus is a bureaucrat who audits all thirteen branches of his nation. Jean cares deeply for his loved ones and works hard to uncover the political system's complex mysteries. He does not seek power. Jean wants a simple life: a happy, conflict-free existence.

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    🔥 92 up · 109 down▲ 1 above editor
  • 18
    Fumika - Shigofumi

    Shigofumi is on the list of 20 Underrated Anime Protagonists.Fumika's story gives the show its worth. It has a cool supernatural setup that works without a great protagonist.

    Fumika delivers Shigofumi—letters written by the recently deceased meant for the living. Fumika pursues this job relentlessly, using a gun if necessary. She acts differently than other delivery people; she hides a dark secret.

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    🔥 75 up · 97 down▼ 1 below editor
  • 19
    Watashi - The Tatami Galaxy

    The unnamed protagonist of Watashi - The Tatami Galaxy is on the list of 20 Underrated Anime Protagonists.Watashi - The Tatami Galaxy is on the list of 20 Underrated Anime Protagonists.He relives college years again. He soon learns no path yields the perfection he wants. His philosophy and quirks make him a great companion through chaos.

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    🔥 79 up · 114 down
  • 20
    Iku Kasahara - Library War

    Iku Kasahara fights for the Library Defense Force. She defends the right to read anything without censorship. She lacks book smarts, but she uses physical strength and dedication to the cause.

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    🔥 64 up · 133 down

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