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Popularity can be a fickle thing - even some of the most popular anime characters or the most popular shonen anime change every few years. For every shonen that's declared top-tier in a given year, there will be characters who are discussed very often and might gain huge fanbases for themselves. However, such anime and characters may also find themselves slipping out of the top 10 soon.
Some favorites, such as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or One Piece, remain chart-toppers for years due to certain aspects of their story that contribute to their enduring popularity.
Disclaimer: This list is unranked and will contain spoilers for all the shonen anime listed, and all the character fates listed likewise. Any opinions expressed here are exclusive to the author, fans, and fan popularity polls.
20 of the most popular anime characters from some of the most popular shonen anime of all time
1) Himmel (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)
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One can begin this list with a popular anime character from a surprise entrant, The Hero of the Hero Party Himmel from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Out of those new generation anime to come out recently, at the time of writing, Frieren toppled Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the top spot on Myanimelist.
Himmel beat out Aura The Guillotine by about 200,000 votes in the second popularity poll, and main protagonist Frieren by about 5 million points in the first.
This is surprising, given that Himmel is long dead by the time Frieren starts. Looking closer, however, reveals some very interesting facets - Himmel isn't the typical hero or leader: his doubts are on full display, he never retrieved the Sword of Heroes and was called a false one for it, and his romance with Frieren is unreciprocated - all of which make him relatable, thus leading to his popularity.
2) Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood)
The titular character of an anime being the most popular anime character does happen sometimes.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is still considered a top-tier anime with near-perfect review scores despite ending well over 13 years ago. The last official popularity poll was from Crunchyroll in 2016, and it listed Edward Elric as the most popular character.
As a protagonist, Edward is about as likable as they come. He's outspoken, fiery-tempered, and goes through an arc in the series that sees him mature. Fans love Elric for his short temper at being called short, his arc of maturing throughout the series, and generally being a good older sibling to Alphonse.
3) Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
One of the Big Three, it's no surprise that One Piece is considered one of the most popular shonen anime even now, after 25 years on-air. The number one favorite of many fans the world over varies according to the 7th worldwide poll, but one character that has placed in the top spot the most number of times since the series' first popularity poll in 1998 is Monkey D. Luffy.
It's not difficult to see why fans vote Luffy as One Piece's most popular anime character, and overall, why Luffy is one of the most popular anime characters in general. His enthusiasm, unique powerset of being a rubber person, and various abilities and moments where he becomes serious, all combine to make him a very unique protagonist, even for a shonen anime.
4) Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen has proven itself to be a hot property of anime since its debut in 2020. Megumi Fushiguro is the deuteragonist of Jujutsu Kaisen, and has won popularity polls back to back in 2022 and 2023.
The reason why he's popular is difficult to explain. Gojo's popularity is a simple thing and the same goes for Yuji, both of whom ranked in third and second place, respectively. Megumi, however, has a ton of moments worthy of respect and fans argue he's a better (or at least a better-developed) character than Yuji, thus explaining his popularity.
5) Aki Hayakawa (Chainsaw Man)
Another violent shonen anime is Chainsaw Man, with its most popular anime character: Aki Hayakawa. These results come from the second popularity poll from 2021, which had over 600,000 votes. Aki raking in over 80,000 votes buried Power's first-place victory in the first popularity poll by about 50,000 votes.
As for why Aki is the most popular anime character, the reasons may be similar to Megumi's from Jujutsu Kaisen. They're both the straight man to their companions' lunacy, Aki more than Megumi. Having to not only manage Denji but also Power, plus his tragic backstory and revenge quest against the Gun Devil, netted him the most popular spot.
6) Katsuki Baguko (My Hero Academia)
Although My Hero Academia's popularity may have taken a slight dip due to other anime coming along, that doesn't take away from its popularity or the controversial pick for the top spot. Although the 9th popularity poll results were yet to be documented at the time of writing, Katsuki Bakguko has been dubbed My Hero Academia's most popular anime character since the second popularity poll for Japan and the US.
Bakugo is a controversial character even in his home anime and fanbase, so it can be difficult at first glance to see why he's popular. However, a closer look makes the reason clear: he's the antithesis of a rival character like Sasuke. He may be loud and aggressive, but Bakugo has proven himself time and again to be a hero in My Hero Academia.
7) Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
For an anime whose manga had a near-universally hated ending - among other critiques - Attack on Titan is still one of the most popular shonen anime. With Wit Studio's animation, music, and voice acting, and later MAPPA's animation and talent, the anime's popularity is justified.
As for Levi Ackerman's popularity, it's completely unsurprising for fans. He only came in second place once, and that was poll 3, which had Erwin Smith best him. Levi is known for being comically serious and an obsessive cleaner. He has a tragic backstory and mangles Titans like it's nothing. His feud with The Beast Titan is considered a highlight of Attack on Titan's runtime.
8) Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Despite Demon Slayer's manga ending in 2020, the anime is still going as of 2024. The upcoming Hashira Training Arc already has diehard fans excited, and the most popular character in its anime is Zenitsu. Though Tanjiro won the first popularity poll back in 2019 with a total of 6,742 votes, Zenitsu's fans won him the second popularity poll in 2020 with over 17,451 votes.
Zenitsu's popularity can be explained by his duality: On the outside, he's a scared, cowardly person who wants to die at first rather than face any demon. However, on the inside, he's a calm, cold, demon-slaying beast. He's also the fastest out of the protagonist's group that accompanies Tanjiro.
9) Minato Namikaze (Naruto)
Despite having been over for roughly seven years and having a sequel series, most anime fans will still swear by the original Naruto as being one of the best anime series ever. As for who is the best character in that show, the worldwide NARUTOP99 poll that ran from December 2022 to January 2023 answered that with over 792,257 votes: The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
While some heavy competition existed in the form of Itachi Uchiha and a surprise boost for Sakura Haruno, Minato soared above everyone else. He's Naruto's dad, is considered one of the best Hokage, and is super fast. Through him, it is really easy to see where Naruto got his attitude towards and affinity for the Rasengan.
10) Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
Although Dragon Ball as a franchise has been going since 1984, there have been several character polls dating as far back as 2004. While main characters and rivals Goku and Vegeta have both topped popularity lists, Goku is more mainstream. However, the most recent and officially made poll by Viz from 2021, lists Vegeta in first place.
The self-proclaimed Prince of all Saiyans already had a large fanbase, even as far back as the Frieza Saga, when he was still a villain. His popularity only soared as the series went on, as his character went from a typical villain to a remorseful person, father, and redeemed man in Super.
11) Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
Bleach is the last of the old Big Three of Shonen to go on this list due to having fallen out until the most recent Thousand Year Blood War arc. The most recent popularity poll for the series, done for the aforementioned arc, was posted by Viz Media in October 2022 and had Rukia Kuchiki as the most popular anime character.
Both Rukia and Ichigo have held top spots in Bleach popularity polls since the beginning. Rukia is not only one of Ichigo's first companions from Soul Society but a powerful character in her own right. She's also important overall to the story, has a refreshingly stern personality, and is a nice counterbalance to Ichigo.
12) Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)
For the older anime crowd that grew up in the 1990s, Yu Yu Hakusho was considered one of the better shonen anime airing at the time. The story's former villain, Hiei, proved to be the most popular character throughout Yu Yu Hakusho's runtime and all popularity polls.
Hiei is considered the most popular anime character for much the same reasons Vegeta was: the bad boy attitude, the dark clothing, and his powers. Being defeated by Yusuke twice and slowly turning good throughout the series did nothing to diminish his popularity, as fans agreed that his powerset and antics with Team Urameshi kept him in high standings.
13) Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)
Hunter x Hunter is considered one of the progenitors of the new wave of shonen anime. Despite the anime only running from 2011 to 2014 and ending on a high note with the Chimera Ant arc, it still had enough material for three popularity polls.
Killua is considered the most popular anime character in Hunter x Hunter. Though in the first poll, he defeated Kurapika by about 230 votes, the margin was over 2,000 by the time of the second poll and 1,700 by the third. Killua is valued because of his genuinely positive rivalry and relationship with Gon, coupled with being used by his family and his attempts to break away from them, which humanizes him.
14) L Lawliet (Death Note)
It's not often that an antagonist nets the top spot for most popular anime characters across popularity polls, but Death Note's Light Yagami and L Lawliet were always neck and neck when it came to their popularity. Though Light's story and charm wooed many people to his side, L was considered his intellectual equal and his better in many cases.
Although L died toward the end of Death Note, it was considered a fitting and dramatic end to the story. Most of the reasons why L is considered more popular than Light boil down to not only their roles in the story being reversed from what's typically presented, but also to L's mannerisms, quirks, and personality, all of which set him apart from Light.
15) Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)
Although not entirely popular enough to qualify for Big Three status, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure garnered a large fandom over the 10+ years that it was on-air. This means that even the characters in the story have managed to grow their own significantly large fanbases.
The title of the Best Jojo Character, ultimately boiled down to the question of "Which Jojo is the best?" and featured Jonathan Joestar, Joseph Joestar, Jotaro Kujo, Jolyne Cujoh, or Girno Giovanna. As the franchise is still represented by Jotaro and Stardust Crusaders was widely well-received when the series achieved mainstream success, Jotaro Kujo takes the top spot here.
16) Shoyo Hinata (Haikyū!!)
Arguably the most prolific sports anime in recent years besides Blue Lock, Haikyū!! has plenty of fans and plenty of popularity polls. Two characters primarily rank in the first place on the official polls: protagonist Shoyo Hinata and deuteragonist Tobio Kageyama.
Tobio won the first poll with 6,639 votes, Hinata won the second with 12,720 votes. Due to the tally being larger, Hinata was selected for this list. Hinata is less a typical sports star and more of a scrappy person, with the series showing that his main problem is trying to work together with people. This makes him relatable to a lot of fans, thus explaining his popularity.
17) Noelle Silva (Black Clover)
Despite not being in the same league as Jujutsu Kaisen or even My Hero Academia, Black Clover is still considered popular. Although protagonist Asta had four straight wins in popularity polls from 2017 to 2021, the winds shifted in deuteragonist Noelle Silva's favor in the popularity polls in 2022 and 2023 and saw her win back to back.
As for Noelle Silva and her popularity, most fans cite that she's a fully developed female character in a shonen anime. She goes through an arc from the beginning to end, whereas Asta and Yuno are either comedic relief or just static characters. She has been compared to Maki Zenin from Jujutsu Kaisen, as characters who had potential but needed room to show it and were eventually given that time.
18) Sakata Gintoki (Gintama)
For an anime that's primarily known for comedy and parody, Gintama has a lot of staying power, according to Myanimelist and other sources. It still ranks up there with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Steins;Gate as one of the most popular shonen anime.
The same is said for the main protagonist Sakata Gintoki. Despite having a reputation as a slacker, Gintoki can get serious, as the later arcs show. He has also won every popularity poll Gintama had, always in first place and usually by a margin of at least 1,000 votes, which makes him one of the most popular anime characters.
19) Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
A lot of the most popular anime characters on this list have their main characters solve problems either by using brute-force or otherwise simply getting through them. Dr. Stone presents an alternative: have the main character think and improvise his way around problems by Mcgyvering solutions.
Senku Ishigami is a departure from most shonen protagonists who have magic powers or otherwise don't think as much. He's ranked first place on every popularity poll Weekly Shonen Jump did regarding Dr. Stone, both in Japan and the US. His smarts help cure the petrification virus and his inventions from scrap make him popular among fans.
20) Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom)
As this list has undoubtedly proven many times over, anime fans will often consider the bad boy type to be one of the most popular anime characters. Although Assassination Classroom has plenty of colorful characters one can get attached to in class 3-E, the last official popularity poll from volume 12 of the manga in 2016 had Karma Akabane beat out Korosensei and Nagisa.
The reason why Karma is popular is the same reason most of the other bad boy types on this list are popular: his attitude and character arc. Karma has hidden depths to him that require giving his character more than one chance to prove himself, which he does throughout the series when he shows his empathetic side.
Other candidates for this list include characters from Food Wars, That time I got reincarnated as a slime, and Spy x Family, but couldn't be included due to them either being too recent, or just not having enough official popularity polls.
