Sena is smart, beautiful and desired by the boys in her class. As a result, she doesn’t have any female friends. She says there are two types of girls: the ones who are nice to her and do what she says and the others who are bitches. For those reasons Sena joins the Neighbors Club, a group of misfits at Saint Chronica Academy who all have a serious lack of social skills. Sena is most often in her school uniform: a white shirt, a neck tie, blazer with added ruffles along the hem and a green plaid skirt. She tops the entire wardrobe off with a butterfly hair clip that makes the look very cute. The skirt is a classic mini. We love Sena’s skirt because of the slip or added ruffles that are similar to the ones on the hem of her blazer. The thin white line of lace not only takes the skirt from plain to cute, but draws the eye down helping us imagine what lies beneath.

Mizore is a girl in love. She will do anything for the man she loves, Tsukune Aono. She will follow him anywhere in order to be near him. We really mean it, she will follow him anywhere. She’s a stalker, often popping up in the strangest places or just out of thin air next to Tsukune Aono. She is also a loner, member of the school newspaper, and a snow fairy (a very powerful kind of monster). Mizore is almost always seen in her school uniform, though we do get to see her in a swimsuit and a very cute yukata. She does march to the beat of a different drummer; even her uniform is different from other girls at her school. Mizore wears a white sweatshirt with long blue sleeves that hangs off the shoulder. She wears a black camisole underneath and is constantly sucking on a temperature-regulating lollipop. The rest of the girls and boys at Yoki Academy wear green blazers with the school’s crest on the pocket. The light brown and checkered and pleated skirt Mizore wears is also different from her classmates. The skirt is (of course) a mini that barely descends far enough to make it decent. Mizore’s striped purple over-the-knee socks only accentuate that factor. The tiny kilt also has a buckle on the side giving it a bit of an emo or punk edge.

Julie is one of the sweetest, quietest, most adorable girls ever to form blazing short swords from the power of her soul. She attends an academy designed to teach students with this ability and train them to be an elite fighting force for hire upon graduation. She attends the school with one goal: to gain the strength to avenge the death of her father. The students are paired up with partners, partners they may work with their entire lives called a Duo. She is extremely attached to her roommate and Duo, Tooru, whom she sees as a father figure. Julie is very cute. She is described as a doll by some of her classmates for her petite size, pale skin and long silver hair tied back with black ribbons and bells. She wears the Kouryou Academy uniform on a daily basis. She wears black stockings, black shoes with silver buckles and a black corset offset by a white blouse worn underneath. The skirt she wears is a royal blue with a white stripe and ruffles around the hem. The Victorian-era formalness of the skirt shows an attention to detail and decorum, making it pretty and especially cute when around the waist of a doll like Julie.

Erica is a beautiful young woman full of courage, willpower, skill and the essential ingredients to be a great knight. Her mission as a member of the Copper-Black Cross is to hunt down heretic gods that, intentionally or not, threaten mortals. She has also promised herself body and soul to Godou, a young man who is discovered to be one of the very few actual godslayers in existence. Erica wears red and black a lot. The top of her dress is sits off the shoulder with long flowing sleeves, a corset and a white collar with red trim that seems to just wrap around her neck. The skirt she wears is a crimson red and is long and flowing with a few layers of black ruffles. Her whole outfit reminds us of the cute fashions of 18th century Europe. The reason she is on the list is because of what she doesn’t show off. We sometimes can get more immense pleasure from the occasional glimpse of a garter than a bare leg we see all the time.

Satellizer comes from a world where the fight against other worldly monsters has pushed mankind to toy with our genetic code in order to make people capable of defending it. Satellizer is one of those genetically modified girls known as a Pandora. Her life in school is filled with bloody battle after bloody battle and is most often just training, since as a Pandora you can have mortal wounds and be healed. She is known as the Untouchable Queen for her standoffish attitude and sometimes violent reactions to being touched by others. Satellizer may be a teenager but her body looks like that of an adult. She has long blond hair and an ample bosom exposed by a gap in her clothing between her collar and her corset. Her skirt is long, brown and very plain with the exception of some white ruffles along the hem. We seldom see more than her knee-high boots under the skirt, but that doesn’t matter. Satellizer’s skirt is very long compared to her classmates’ and does a good job at establishing her character’s reserved nature, making it a great representation of her personality.

Mikoto is a special girl, and we aren’t saying that because of her tsundere personality. She is an esper; she has the special power of electromagnetism. Misaka lives in Academy City and attends school with other espers hoping to gain better control over their powers. She is nicknamed the Railgun due to her ability to fire off metal objects at near the speed of light with her powers. She wears the rather plain school uniform as a student at Tokiwadai Middle School and isn’t what you’d ever consider a fashion plate. She wears brown loafers, socks that slip down around her ankles and a white blouse under a light brown sweater vest. Her skirt is rather unremarkable; simple and gray with large pleats, yet Mikoto makes this list for a most cute wardrobe trait, shorts. Mikoto is so adorable and cute she wears shorts under her skirts. We aren’t sure how often or if she does every time she wears a skirt, but we have to admit it is one of the cutest traits we’ve ever seen.

Chikane is from a noble family and is considered to be beautiful and elegant. She spends her free time as a member of the archery club and as a shrine maiden. Himeko Kurusugawa is a shy and innocent girl with self esteem issues due to abuse she suffered as a child and doesn’t have many friends because of her timid personality. The thing that makes both Himeko and Chikane special is that they are the reincarnations of the sun and moon goddesses. The girls make the list because we know there is something to be said for the conservative, innocent look of the shrine maiden. The white wrapped tunic top, the long hair, and the colorful skirts that bring their submissive, quiet image out of the background are part of a complete package of cute. We find the cuteness factor is exponentially raised each time they blush at the mention of their beauty. Chikane and Himeko make the list for their innocence and purity while making the most conservative clothing the cutest.

The word cute is not enough to describe the adorableness of Kofuku. Her cheery personality and “look on the bright side of life” demeanor disarms you and makes you want to spend time with her. She is a goddess that doesn’t have much of a following but is easily anchored in the world because of her trade. She runs a small gambling parlor, which is perfect when you are the goddess of poverty. She is very kind and opens her home to her friends when they are in need. She simply seems like the girl next door -- if the girl next door was likely to bankrupt you. Kofuku is a petite and totally cute with short curly pink hair with numerous loose strands and an ever-present smile. She wears a white blouse, with a pink plaid patterned tie hanging loosely around her neck. The skirt she wears is a pleated pink plaid patterned piece that is technically a mini, but not nearly as short as some of the others we see in anime. The white ruffles at the hem really make the skirt, giving it a light floaty feel and a personality as cute as its wearer.

Modoka is kind, almost to a fault. She is the type of girl who wants to help others in whatever way she can. She has a tendency to be quite timid but doesn’t shy away from stepping up when she has to. The opportunity for Modoka to become a magical girl feeds right into her need to help people. Modoka’s school uniform isn’t all that unique, it’s her costume as a magical girl that earns her a place on this list. The extremely frilly outfit is white and pink and perfectly matches the pink of her hair, which is often adorned with ribbons and bows. The poofy capped sleeves, white knee-high socks and red boots with bows just scream magical girl. The skirt is white with pink diamond trim with red borders and bows. The hem has layers of ruffles with a white petticoat underneath. The soft pink color, shape and uniqueness are perfect examples of why Modoka is on this list as she and her skirt are cute as can be.

Muse is a school idol group from Otonokizaka High School that sings and competes in the Love Live! competition in order to attract prospective students to their school, which has been threatened with closure from lack of enrollment. The students that make up the all-girl singing group each bring different talents to the table and wouldn’t have been friends if it hadn’t been for their shared love of singing and performing. The group does succeed in attracting students and becomes one of the teams to beat in the national competition. We chose the ladies of Muse because they all look so damn cute. The school uniforms with their simple blue blazers and blue plaid skirts are cute in their own right, but the competition costumes are out of this world cute. The white blouse, red plaid skirts with suspenders were really cute, the black miniskirts with the white trim that seemed to be a two-piece take on a maid costume were hot. The white costume from the Snow Halation performance with the fur-trimmed boots and white skirts make you want to take a walk in a winter wonderland with the whole group. Muse makes number one on the list because of variety. We love that we don’t just see the same uniform day after day; we see creative costuming that carries cuteness to the next level.

Kozo, an old and wise looking guy, is Nerv’s second in command, just after Gendou Ikari. Kozo’s background is on bioengineering, thus he is not the most knowledgeable on battle tactics. That is why he concentrates on aspects of the Eva and the Geofront structure (for example when there was a power cut in episode 11). Kozo is more of an administrative personnel, attending council meetings and doing paperwork (because someone has to do it). So, we can see that the Vice commander’s general role is to offer advice and replace Commander Ikari if necessary. Probably the most notable thing he did was to make Asuka and Shinji responsible for Nerv’s defeat by Israfel. The teens needed a shake to take their duties seriously, so he was there to give them that shake.

Here comes Evangelion’s protagonist, who complained the first time he was going to pilot Eva 01. Shinji is more of a receptive and oversensitive fellow, thus most of his tactics employ brute force and logically, are more suited to the first Angels. As these Angels had less intellectual power, the only thing that was effective to get rid of them was to either dismember them, or aim to their cores as Shinji did. Yes, we can not say he was a genius in the battlefield, but Shinji had his moments. For example, he helped Asuka deduce the way to defeat Sandalphon in the depths of the volcano where he was hiding. Shinji also gave Zeruel a hard time before his Eva’s battery ran out. Perhaps Shinji’s most valuable asset in combat is his will to live, which triggers his Eva’s (brutal) defense mechanism when his own abilities are not enough to face the enemy.

The pilot for Eva 00, largely expressionless and devoted to her duty to fight the angels has to be Rei. Being a clone, Rei is fully aware that she is replaceable, thus she can be way too careless of her well being. That is why Rei tends to shield others, particularly Shinji, in battle. Yet, we have to recognize that Rei’s fearlessness is effective in defeating the angels. By not having emotions on the way, she is able to concentrate on the enemy, as opposed to Shinji or Asuka. At the same time, this helps Rei to bring balance to the team, as shown when they defeated Matarael and Sahaquiel together. And we also should mention Rei’s self sacrifice when Armisael possessed Eva 00. Never defeated, always remembered.

It is time to have an angel in our countdown! Most of the other angels opted for direct confrontations that provoked a lot of destruction, explosions, flying debris, rivers of blood and all those things that win Oscars to Hollywood movies on special effects. Arael kept it classy. Arael simply floated in the Earth’s atmosphere, patiently waiting until someone (in this case Asuka on Eva 02), tried to defy her. Then, Arael casted a special projection of her AT-Field, provoking the worst nightmarish visions on Asuka. Because, what is worse than waking up the painful memories of your childhood, your feelings of inadequacy and all those times you acted in a selfish or negative way? More than a mind game, it was a mind rape. So, although the angel was defeated by Rei, Asuka was left incapable of fighting. Thus, some battle tactics can be much more devastating than blowing stuff up, or simply killing someone.

One of the best points for Asuka’s substitute as pilot was that Kaworu did not state his motives clearly. It still remains mysterious if he was on Seele’s side, on Nerv’s side, on the angel’s side, or even on his own side. This gave Kaworu an advantage in confounding the enemy (and us on the way too). Kaworu also looked deceiving, as he was always smiling and kind… until he made his way to the Geofront, where it was obvious the guy is powerful. Kaworu’s ability to synchronize with the Evas and even control them without piloting has to count for something, right? For example, in Evangelion 3.0 he effectively stopped the Third Impact, although at the cost of his own life.

Mari is the new pilot who makes her debut in Rebuild of Evangelion also has a special spot in our hearts. We have to acknowledge Mari’s genuine enjoyment when she pilots and her cool and aggressive attitude. Despite lacking the experience of other Eva pilots, Mari makes a badass debut in her fight against the Third Angel, where she destroys her Eva but ultimately survives. Perhaps her most lethal tactic is the Eva’s Beast mode, which resembles a controlled version of the Berserk mode. Both the pilot and the Eva look and behave in a more feral way, effectively destroying their opponents.

In case someone out there still does not know, the creator of Evangelion (Hideaki Anno) intended to make Asuka the protagonist of the anime in early drafts of the series. Thus, Asuka retained a good level of protagonism, a well fleshed background story and some marvelous battling abilities. For example, Asuka single handedly took over Gaghiel as soon as she appeared, plus eliminating Sandalphon when the mission to capture it failed. Although at first Asuka was averse towards the other Eva pilots, they end up making an effective battle team. We also can see how her personality fits that of a commander when she quickly organizes Matarael’s demise. It is no surprise that she is Captain of the European Air Force on the Rebuild version, being capable of using Eva’s Beast mode as well.

Dr. Akagi is the Head of Scientific Research on Nerv, so she is responsible for keeping the Evas up and running. Ritsuko also has to clean up after battles and conducts research on the angels to device better strategies to defeat them. Although we do not see much of Dr. Akagi in applied battle tactics, the little that is shown is superb. Let’s just remember how Ireul broke into Nerv’s Headquarters, evolving to become an informatic virus compatible with the Magi-system. No other angel was that close to halt Nerv’s operations. Ritsuko made effective calculations to stop Ireul temporarily while the staff organized a better plan to deal with it. In the end, Dr. Akagi was the one who reprogramed what was left of the Magi-system to force the angel to evolve faster, destroying it. For using only human talent to defeat Ireul, she deserves a high spot in our list of top ten battle savvy Evangelion characters.

We have to admit that Nerv’s Commander spends most of his time watching over the battles while holding his hands close to his mouth. Gendou also leaves most of his responsibilities to Fuyutsuki, Katsuragi or Akagi. When the situation becomes desperate and his subalterns run out of ideas, Gendou gives the right order. Gendou is dismissive of the Pilot’s survival, but he makes it clear that the priority is to destroy the angels. Gendou also takes matters on his own hands, as seen when there was a power outage in the Geofront. Eva 01 got ready to battle thanks to pure human force, and he was among the ones who helped. There is also something that sets Gendou apart from most of the other characters that we have talked about up to this point: the guy has a personal agenda. He built Eva 01, created Rei with his wife’s DNA and implanted the remains of the first angel (Adam) on his hand to trigger the Third impact under his command. All of this using Seele, government resources and even his own son. Being capable of pulling the strings of not only people, but also organizations, qualifies Gendou as a master battle strategist. Nevertheless, it is his demise of human life and others wills that makes him unable to become the number one in our top ten. That spot goes to…

Let’s salute Major Katsuragi, the Director of (military) Operations in Nerv. With such a title one should expect her to be battle savvy, although she looks young and her personality outside work is very relaxed. Nevertheless, Misato developed original ways to defeat the angels. Let’s remember Ramiel, a blue flying battle fortress with a deadly beam. Misato’s Operation Yashima involved borrowing an experimental positronic energy generator to aim at the core of the angel in the precise moment where it was exposed. She also had the idea for the synchronized attack on Israfel, submitting Shinji and Asuka to an exhaustive training that ultimately was successful… and beautiful. Finally, we should also mention how she forms Wille in Rebuild of Evangelion. Her objective of defeating the angels was kept intact. Although she has been hardened, Misato is incapable of killing subordinates (or in the case of Shinji, former subordinates). This is an important human aspect that makes of her the ultimate battle tactician, as the objective of a battle is to win victory by respecting the life of whoever is not involved with the process. Misato also cherishes her subordinates. Let us not forget how she forms an emotional connection with Asuka and Shinji.