2017 has come to a close, and with it, a whole year of incredible anime. That means it’s time to reflect on the highlights of the year, including everyone’s favorite characters, so news site Anime!Anime! released survey results on which protagonist shined the brightest this year.
507 responses were brought in, with 45% of them from female fans and 55% from male fans. 60% of those polled were 19 or younger, and around 25% were in their 20s.
Did your personal favorite make the top 10? Let’s find out!
From newcomers like Phosphophyllite to relatively older favorites like Eren and Midoriya, the competition was intense. With a list as packed with star power as this one, who could’ve come out on top?
3. Kirito / Kirigaya Kazuto, Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale
#08「黒と白の剣舞」ご視聴ありがとうございました！果たして、キリト達はボスを攻略出来るのか。次週をご期待ください！キーワードキャンペーンもお忘れなく！https://t.co/U0p7I76MxY”>https://t.co/U0p7I76MxY https://twitter.com/hashtag/sao_anime?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#sao_anime https://t.co/ezUVKtGAgZ”>pic.twitter.com/ezUVKtGAgZ
— アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式 (@sao_anime) https://twitter.com/sao_anime/status/768478716146044930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 24, 2016
Coming in 3rd place with 4% of the total vote was video game extraordinaire Kirito. The following for Sword Art Online is a massive, so it’s no surprise that Ordinal Scale was a huge hit at the box office, grossing a total of 4.3 billion yen. As the franchise’s hero, Kirito has officially cemented his place as a star in every MMO he’s ever played and on the big screen!
2. Takami Chika, Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2
【商品情報】Blu-rayジャケットフィギュアシリーズ発売決定！シリーズ第1弾商品は「ラブライブ！サンシャイン!!」TVアニメ1期Blu-ray第1巻の高海千歌！詳細はこちら⇒https://t.co/7K0SauizFU”>https://t.co/7K0SauizFU https://twitter.com/hashtag/lovelive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#lovelive https://t.co/M7ZBjMAZPl”>pic.twitter.com/M7ZBjMAZPl
— ラブライブ！公式 (@LoveLive_staff) https://twitter.com/LoveLive_staff/status/947113877627551744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 30, 2017
Next up is a star of the stage: the lovely Takami Chika of Love Live! Sunshine!! The beloved Aqours leader and 2nd year high school idol took 5% of the votes, and with the upcoming Love Live movie we can expect to see much more of her!
1. Sakata Gintoki, Gintama Season 4
ということで、アニメ「銀魂」はテレビ東京系列にて本日深夜2時05分スタート！※テレビ大阪は10月2日深夜1時05分～！アニメ久しぶりで忘れている人、実写で「銀魂」を知ってアニメを観てくれる人のために、これまでのあらすじ紹介もあるから、アバンから後提供までちゃんと見るように！https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E9%8A%80%E9%AD%82?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#銀魂 https://t.co/yAzvSN4SlD”>pic.twitter.com/yAzvSN4SlD
— アニメ銀魂 (@gintamamovie) https://twitter.com/gintamamovie/status/914408108176363520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 1, 2017
The victor is none other than Sakata Gintoki of Gintama! Gintoki is such an iconic character at this point, it’s hard not to laugh the second you see that face. Nevertheless, this hero took an impressive 7% of the vote, and has recently also been voted as the top character that fans most want to see go to a festival in a yukata, most want to marry, and most want to give Valentine’s Day chocolate to,
With a ton of promising sequels and new titles coming out in 2018, here’s hoping that this year will be just as packed with great protagonists!
Adapted with permission from Anime!Anime!