Highlights:
* Some anime side characters have more popularity than the main characters.
* Their personality and powers have contributed to their large fan following.
Animes revolve around a protagonist’s adventures, their thoughts, feelings, and worldview. They drive the narrative with their actions while their character development eventually makes them the most powerful. However, each main character has several anime side characters assisting him in his tasks. Some supporting characters have gained so much popularity over the years that the anime has begun to be recognized by their names and feats rather than the main character.
Ranking The Best Anime Side Characters Based On Their Importance
Some of the best anime side characters overshadow the main character in certain aspects and gain a large fan following. The main attractions are their personality, which could be extremely realistic or straight-up badass, and their power.
Here are the five best anime side characters ranked:-
5. God Usopp — One Piece
God Usopp is one of the most important characters in One Piece. Although lacking in power, it is Usopp who fixes the Going Merry and invents new items for the ship or the Straw Hats Pirates, most notable being Nami’s Clima-Tact. He is also the voice of reason in the crew, alongside Nami, during the first few arcs of the series.
Usopp’s mortality and inferiority complex make him a human character in the world of One Piece. Viewers relate to him as he struggles as he battles pirates with powerful Devil Fruit abilities and even defeats them. His ability to think, adapt, react, and trick the opponents justifies his inclusion in the list of best anime side characters.
4. Killua Zoldyck — Hunter X Hunter
Hunter X Hunter revolves around Gon’s story but it is Killua’s story that had the best impression on viewers. The blue-eyed, silver-haired boy, hailing from the powerful Zoldyck assassin family, was groomed to be a killer from an early age and the continuous physical and mental torture forced him to leave his home. He took part in the Hunter Exam where he befriended Gon.
Killua is the best friend of Gon and is always by his side when things go south. Another admirable quality of Zoldyck is that he gradually understands the value of life during his adventures and breaks away from the family’s assassination business. This change of thought doesn’t weaken him, instead, Killua mastered the art of channeling electricity in his Transmuter abilities; one of the coolest scenes on the screen.
3. Gojo Satoru — Jujutsu Kaisen
Calling Gojo Satoru one of the best anime side characters would be an understatement. He has been the highlight since Season 1, overshadowing the main character Yuji Itadori. While the hype around the character is mostly due to his powers, Gojo also has a charming personality, being cocky and playful at times while being seriously menacing during battles.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Gojo Satoru is the only character who has the Six Eyes and the Limitless techniques. He could even combine his cursed energies to create new techniques like the Hollow Purple, which helped him defeat Jogo and Hanami. Satoru was the most powerful character in the Kaisenverse, surpassing Yuji by a fair margin, until Ryomen Sukuna eventually dethroned the blue-eyed sorcerer.
2. Vegeta — Dragon Ball
The late Akira Toriyama thought of writing off Vegeta after the Saiyan arc. However, the fan response to the character drastically changed Toriyama’s initial plans and Vegeta’s story. The Saiyan who arrived on Earth with the sole mission of finding the Dragon Balls eventually settled down with Bulma and made it a mission to surpass Goku rather than playing No.2.
Vegeta would always remain No.2 and a beloved one at that. His character developed from an arrogant and ruthless Saiyan to a responsible father considerate of his family’s well-being, in a God of War Kratos-like fashion. In certain moments, The Prince of Saiyans showed incredible power as witnessed in his battle against Golden Frieza. His power is well over 9000 at this point.
1. Kisuke Urahara — Bleach
The title of the most influential character in Bleach goes to Kisuke Urahara. Despite being wrongly accused and banished to the Human World, Urahara never stopped helping the Soul Society He trained the main character, Ichigo, and made him learn his Bankai technique in two and a half, an incredible feat considering Bankai takes years to master.
Former Head of the Research division, Urahara is also known for his cunning and tactics. He planted a Kido inside Sosuke Aizen that took effect when Ichigo pushed the Hogyokued villain to the limit. Moreover, in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it was Kisuke who took down the powerful Sternritter Askin Nakk Le Vaar by outthinking his opponent after activating his Bankai.
- Also Read: Top 10 My Hero Academia Pro Heroes Ranked
Just like manga-adapted animes, some of the best animes based on manhwas have a few supporting characters that have struck the right cord of fans. Go Gunhee in Solo Leveling and Han Daewi in God of Highschool are some other well-known anime side characters.
