2024 wasanother great year for anime.It was filled with original stories, great set pieces, and plenty of interesting characters. Some characters got the limelight they deserved, taking center stage during 2024. Other characters were incredible but didn’t get the attention they deserved, doing very well within their respective series but being overshadowed by big shows. Some of the most popular characters were obviously going to be big from the beginning, like Goku’s resurgence inDragon Ball Daima.
Other characters took the world by storm out of nowhere, like one of thebest elves in animeFrieren from the legendaryFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End.While some characters got the screen time they deserved, others sat back and became largely underrated, giving people who didn’t initially watch their showsa great reason to tune back inand see some of the best from 2024.
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!isa unique animeabout the girls who don’t get picked in romance animes. Romance animes are almost always about the main character and the partner they pick, relegating their second choice to the background.Makeineputs these background characters in the forefront, telling their story in nearly an anime first. There are two characters inMakeinethat deserve a lot more attention: main characters Kazuhiko Nukumizu and Anna Yanami.
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Nukumizu isn’t a romantic character, but he’s incredibly relatable. After accidentally overhearing Yanami’s breakup, he consoles her while she racks up a big bill that he has to pay for. She spends the rest of the series cooking for him to repay her debt, and the two end up developing a wholesome friendship. It’s a great series led by itstwo amazing characterswho deserve a lot more attention in 2024.
Solo Levelingwas one of themost highly anticipated anime seriesof 2024. Before it came out as an anime series, it was a popular web novel and webtoon that everyone knew had incredible potential as an anime. It lived up to the hype and more, with a great 12-episodes in the first season led by main character Sung Jinwoo. Jinwoo is one of the edgiest, most exciting main characters in recent history. He started the series as the literal weakest character in the series before quickly transforming into a force to be reckoned with.
Shōnen anime is defined by protagonists who don’t quit, haveincredible transformations, and quickly rise up the ranks of their respective worlds. Sung Jinwoo has all of these qualities in spades, dominating his world through a ridiculous level of perseveranceother protagonists would be jealous of.
One of the positives ofThe Elusive Samurainot getting the attention it deservedwas that even more people can go back and give the series the attention it deserves. It’s easily one of thebest animated showsof 2024, with incredible visuals, a chromatic display of excellent colors, and a wonderful main character that viewers can’t help but root for. Tokiyuki Hojo is a refreshing main character withinThe Elusive Samurai.He’s kind, charismatic, and elusive in a world of hardened men who would rather die than fight back.
Tokiyuki should have gotten way more attention than he deserved. He was a sweet kid, which is a unique quality in the world of shōnen protagonists. His series didn’t get the views it deserved either, but with a second season on the way, people who haven’t seen the series have a great reason to go back andcheck out Tokiyuki’s origins.
Goku’s resurgence throughDragon Ball Daimapropelled him back into the spotlight, andeveryone saw it coming.Dragon Ballhas always been one of thebest anime series of all time, and another entry into the franchise almost couldn’t help but dominate the charts. Goku himself is arguably the most popular character in anime as well, for several reasons. He’s the template for other shōnen protagonists.
Other characters want to be Goku. If a character is hard-working, dense, and completely unwilling to quit, they’re probably based off the Saiyan. Even though Goku was wished back into his kid form, it didn’t change a thing. He was still one of the most popular characters of the 2024 season, andit doesn’t look like that’ll change in 2025.WithDragon Ball Daimacontinuing its run into the new year, Goku will probably still stay at the top.
6Overlooked: Noel Stollen
The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan
The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clanis one of the edgiest anime series to come out in the past decade. It stars Noel Stollen as he tries to create the greatest clan in the world, despite the fact that he was dealt a tough hand by the “Talker” class. The Talker class is regarded as the worst one in Noel’s world, buthe couldn’t care less.He wants to walk in his grandfather’s footsteps and become the strongest out of anyone.
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A lot of protagonists try to be dark, mean, and twisted, but none can pull it off like Noel Stollen. In the second episode of the series, he sells his former friends into slavery. It’s a feat not many other characters can even come close to, but Noel pulled it offwithout losing an ounce of sleep.
Kaiju No. 8isanother solid seriescentered on a great transformation. Kafka Hibino has always wanted to join the Defense Force, Japan’s premier defenders against the world of Kaiju dominating them in battle. He was never been able to pass the exam, until he merged with a Kaiju. Since then, he’s become arguably the strongest character in the series with a Kaiju rating of 9.8. In his Kaiju form, he’s nearly indestructible and can blow apart his enemies anywhere on the battlefield in an instant.
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Kafka Hibino was a popular character in 2024 fora couple of great reasons.He took the Defense Force exam every year that he was eligible despite losing every time, showing how resilient he was. Once he obtained his absurd power, he didn’t let it get to his head and instead put himself in harms way several times so that his friends and comrades wouldn’t have to.
Pseudo Haremis one of thebest romance seriesreleased in 2024. It took a normally boring, overused trope andturned it on its head.While most ‘romance’ series feature a boring main character who somehow attracts several beautiful, interesting women at once in a harem that doesn’t make any sense,Pseudo Haremdoes something a little different. Eiji Kitahama and Rin Nanakura are the stars of the show and they earned their spot as some of 2024’s most underrated characters.
Rin is an actress andgives Eiji the harem he’s always wantedby acting like different girls, leaning on her different personality traits to bring them to life. It’s an interesting spin on the harem trope, and it couldn’t have been done without Rin’s tremendous acting skills and Eiji’s capacity to care for all of her personalities in a genuine way.
Okarun, real name Ken Takakura, isa wonderfully complex characterwho got all the praise he deserved in 2024.Dandadanwas a smash hit in 2024 and Okarun was a big reason for it. He’s a kind, passionate, protective main character who stands out in a ton of different ways. He started the series as a lonely, timid character who didn’t have anyone to share his interests with before he met Ayase Momo, another relatively weird character with interests that are a bit different from her fellow classmates.
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By the end of the first season, he becomes much braver, especially when using Turbo Granny’s powers. He finally stands up to a group of bullies when he overhears them spreading malicious rumors about Momo in one of the best moments in the series. He’s also part of most of thefunniest moments inDandadan, like when Turbo Granny can’t stop telling Okarun that she’sgoing to steal his family jewels.
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian - Season 1
Alya-san Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russianmight have a few problems (namely the uncomfortable sister to the main character), but it has a lot of high points that make it a great romance series for both people already interested in romance anime and others who might not have given the genre a chance.Alya is one of those high points. She’s anexcellent tsundere character, revealing a softer side to herself throughout the series through main character Masachika’s secret understanding of Russian.
Alya deserved a lot more attention than she got in 2024. She’s smart, charming when she wants to be, and a smart character in a world of dim-witted female love interests.She’s forward-thinking,passionate about her school, and willing to let her true feelings known about Masachika. Only in Russian, that is.
Frieren wasthe obvious winner of 2024and even 2023 too.Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endis now the number one pick onMyAnimeList.comfor the best overall anime series.Frierenis an incredible series that feels like a breath of fresh air. It had some of the best visuals of the year, featured an incredibly compelling story, and had the best main character of the year. Frieren herself isone of anime’s best stoic characterswho didn’t care about much until she met Himmel the Hero. Since his death, she’s set out on a journey to talk to his soul once more in her world’s version of heaven.
Frieren is a powerful character, a great teacher, andwise beyond her years.She’s smart enough to understand when a battle isn’t worth fighting, and strong enough to dominate the ones that are. She’s a great mom to Fern and leads her small group with ease. Frieren has already been alive for over a thousand years, and hopefully, her series will continue for roughly the same amount of time.
