Arata’s normal life ended abruptly with the words “Awaken now, Kasuga Arata”, as that spurred the Breakdown Phenomenon, a highly destructive event which saw Arata’s town reduced to rubble and all the townspeople whisked into the oblivion created by a black shadow covering the sun. Arata’s memories return to him in an unpleasant torrent: he comes to the realisation that he had been living inside an illusion created by an immensely powerful spellbook. A mage named Asami Lilith appears to investigate the phenomenon and gives Arata an ultimatum: relinquish the spellbook or die. Arata chooses to instead enroll in the top-secret Royal Biblia Academy, a magic school. Within the academy are the Trinity Seven, each a beauty with her own power. With their help, Arata hopes that he’ll be able to stop the world’s destruction and bring back his cousin, Kasuga Hijiri. Rocking long blonde twintails, an all-black outfit featuring thigh high boots, opera gloves, shorts and a dress that leaves her navel open; and an ambition to become one of the most powerful witches ever, Lieselotte Sherlock is Trinity Seven’s antagonist before being saved by Kasuga Arata. She conducted an experiment which granted her access to a powerful object known as the Magic King’s Element, which turned Lieselotte into a Magic King Candidate – an immature iteration of a Magic King, a being which is brought about to destroy the entire world. Thanks to the efforts of the protagonist, Lieselotte lost her Magic King’s Element and is therefore no longer a Magic King Candidate. Lieselotte is; however, an awesome Halloween Costume Candidate, an ability which we believe gives Lieselotte more power than she could have ever dreamed of.

Medieval France. A war against England dubbed the Hundred Years’ War has been wreaking havoc and destruction in the lives of innocent people. The young witch Maria expresses her chagrin at the situation and uses her powers to prevent further conflict, which gathers divine attention and the Archangel Michael is sent to prevent Maria from further meddling in human matters. Michael forbids Maria from using her powers, creating a situation where Maria will lose her powers should she lose her virginity. Undeterred from her goal despite divine intervention, Maria continues to use her powers to dispel the war, but with the Church beginning to make moves to render her powerless, Maria may see a different battle in the near future. Short blonde hair with curls on the ends, blue eyes, red earrings and a black mini-dress with slits revealing black hot pants and black thigh-high boots are all ingredients which make up the beautiful witch that is Maria. Maria’s awesome dress sense makes for a good outfit, but more than that, her powers give her an edge in terms of her goals – she is a good-natured witch who seeks to end all wars and cannot stand suffering, a character trait which has seen her help even the people who had given her grief. Her kindness did not go unnoticed as, ironically, the Archangel Michael went out of his way to try to take away Maria’s anti-suffering magic powers.

Takigawa Yoshino is secretly dating his best friend Mahiro’s little sister, Fuwa Aika, until her untimely death. After Aika’s death, Mahiro disappears, vowing to find his sister’s killer, until, a month after Mahiro’s disappearance, Yoshino is held at gunpoint by a strange girl. Making a hero’s entrance, Mahiro steps in just in time to save his friend. Mahiro has found an ally in the form of Kusaribe Hakaze, a witch from the Kusaribe Clan, to help him find Aika’s killer and the existence of the Tree of Exodus, the power of which Hakaze’s brother seeks to use for his own gain. However; Hakaze is stranded on a deserted island and unable to physically find Aika’s killer and the Tree of Exodus, so it is up to Yoshino and Mahiro to save Aika and the world. Despite being stranded on an island, Hakaze is actually the Princess of the Kusaribe Clan and known as the Magician of Genesis, tasked to protect the Tree of Genesis, the source of magic power used by the Kusaribe Clan. Hakaze is also the most powerful sorceress in history, but due to the barrier set up on the island, her only means of magic use is through a wooden doll she uses to communicate with Mahiro. In her debut, Hakaze is dressed in nothing more than the remains of what used to be a short light pink dress – a look she pulls off effortlessly. Due to the fact that Hakaze’s power stems from the Tree of Genesis, which governs the world’s logic, Hakaze and the rest of the Kusaribe Clan are incredibly powerful.

Following tradition, young witch Kiki must move out of her parents’ home at a tender age and find a new town in which to settle. With her black cat, Jiji, Kiki flies to a far-off city and starts her own high-speed delivery service while learning more about independence and responsibility as a young witch. Kiki’s a very cute rendition of the stereotypical witch – she flies on a broom and wears a dark robe and even has her own familiar, Jiji the cat. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a staple of the anime community and one of the several Studio Ghibli films that everyone needs to watch at least once. Kiki’s bubbly attitude make for an extremely pleasant film and perhaps, for the sake of Halloween, people could finally don their best black dresses and possibly have their black cats give them a little extra attention.

Takamiya Honoka’s has a fairly standard school life, apart from the fact that he commutes to and from school with the school sweetheart, Kagari Ayaka. With everyone fawning over Ayaka at any given moment, Honoka’s life is made extra complicated by the fact that he also sits next to her in class, invoking the envy of all his classmates. While taking out the trash one day, a school building falls on Honoka, but he is narrowly saved by… Kagari Ayaka?? She reveals that she has been protecting him in secret and also tells him that she is a fire witch here to protect Honoka from other witches who seek to use the power Honoka possesses. In one fell swoop, Honoka’s regular life goes up in flames! Being a fire witch, Ayaka is capable of conjuring up flames, transform into flames and like most other witches, she can use a broom to fly. Normally Ayaka dons her standard Tougetsu Academy uniform, at times with her red witch’s hat and cloak draped over it. Coupled with Honoka’s power, Ayaka is capable of transforming – her hair turning white and her body enveloped in flames and she dons a green robe, a look which should be all the flames for anyone looking to be bewitching this Halloween.

The Seven Deadly Sins was a group of the Kingdom of Liones’s most powerful Holy Knights and highly revered until they plotted to overthrow the kingdom, an incident which incited the Holy War, in which they were defeated. Ten years later, with the Seven Deadly Sins forced into hiding and the Kingdom reeling from the effects of war, the Holy Knights themselves staged a coup d’état, becoming the new despotic rulers of the Kingdom of Liones. Wishing to take back her kingdom from the Holy Knights, third princess of the Kingdom of Liones, Elizabeth, seeks to find the Seven Deadly Sins and with their help, bring justice to the kingdom. One of the Seven Deadly Sins is none other than the witch Merlin, the Boar’s Sin of Gluttony and King Arthur’s right-hand. Known to many as Britannia’s greatest sorcerer, Merlin uses her Sacred Treasure, the Morning Star Aldan in combat and she is capable of using it together with her inherent ability, Infinity, a skill which allows Merlin to make her spells to last for an eternity. Her appearance consists of shoulder-length black hair, a revealing fur-collared coat draped over shorts and thigh-high boots, her beauty being directly proportional to her power and creating a Halloween look that is well-worth a knighting or two.

In a fantasy world filled with mages, sorcerers and aristocrats, young Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière of Tristain Academy for magicians, is unable to properly cast elemental magic, earning her the nickname of “Louise the Zero” from her classmates. When she and her classmates are required to perform a summoning ritual, Louise’s summoning causes a massive explosion, an occurrence which is standard fare for Louise. When the smoke clears, Hiraga Saito makes an appearance, and per the rules of the summoning ritual, Saito is now Louise’s familiar and has to do her bidding. Whisked away from his normal life, Saito has to deal with an overbearing “master” and a prophecy brought into question by a strange marking on his hand. Louise’s failures in the class, as it turns out, are not due to her lack of magical ability, on the contrary, it is due to the fact that she actually bears an affinity to the highly destructive Void Magic, an ancient branch of magic of which there have existed only four users. Due to the lack of Void magicians, Louise is unable to learn Void magic through the teachers at Tristain Academy. Louise is brash and persistent, and a true portrayal of a tsundere, yet also pure of heart. She is the third daughter of Duke de La Vallière and is therefore a noble. Her appearance features strawberry-pink hair and the standard Tristain Uniform for female students, which is complete with a black cloak which covers her small frame.

In Death City exists the Death Weapon Meister Academy, an academy led by Lord Death himself which seeks to raise Death Scythes, weapons that Lord Death will wield against evil. Death Scythes are born of human hybrids capable of transforming their bodies into Demon Weapons. Only after consuming 99 souls of evil beings and one witch can these Demon Weapons become Death Scythes worthy of use by the Lord Death himself. One such aspiring Demon Weapon is Soul Eater Evans, who with the help of his wielder Maka Albarn, seeks to become one of the Lord Death’s trusty Death Scythes. With witches being as elusive as they come, it is unsurprising that Soul and Maka struggle to find and lay waste to a witch in order to retrieve her soul, but they have their work cut out for them when their school nurse turns out to be the Gorgon Medusa, a witch and scientist with a knack for manipulation and the inception of extremely cunning and intelligent schemes. Her appearance very much adheres to the theme of the Greek legend, Medusa, where her yellow irises are almost reptilian in appearance and her choice of attire includes a knee-length black cloak featuring a hood with eyes painted on it, making her look more like a snake. Medusa also sports a snake tattoo winding down either arm, an appearance so menacing, it could make anyone freeze this Halloween.

Young Kagari Atsuko or Akko, an ordinary girl, joined Witch Academy in order to one day become like the subject of her admiration, the famous witch Shiny Chariot. Despite not being born from a family of witches, Akko is determined to graduate from the Witch Academy and achieve her goal. Her journey begins with her friends Lotte Yansson and Sucy Manbavaran in their first few lessons in Witch Academy, a time in which Akko comes to realise that her favourite, Shiny Chariot, is not as revered in the world of witches as she could have hoped. Akko is an energetic and optimistic girl who never backs away from a challenge, no matter how difficult it may be for her. She is headstrong and does not pay too much attention to the opinions of other people, often losing herself in her own fantasies. Akko also has a short fuse, but despite this, she sports a happy disposition to which many people are drawn. Due to the fact that she attends an academy for witches, her choice of clothing is often the standard witch wardrobe complete with a witch’s hat and robe.

In a fantasy world, two sisters work as “Noroiya”, or Cursers. One day, a big tree with tall buildings which seem to be from another world entangled in it appears in a forest and the sisters, Nene and Yoyo, head over to investigate. Upon arriving at the scene, the sisters are suddenly transported to a world which resembles our reality. They then run into two children who run back home after being startled by Yoyo and Nene’s appearance, but they arrive home only to find their parents turning into monsters… Yoyo may seem like an adorable little witch who is fairly happy-go-lucky and enjoys pranks, she is actually the older sister in the duo. It is said that Yoyo is a witch who boasts an inexhaustible supply of magic power, and in the future, she’ll be capable of world domination! In reality, Yoyo is just a teenager who was unfortunate enough to lose control of her powers 12 years prior to the events of the film, an event which saw her trapped in the body of a 6 year old girl. That aside, her lime-coloured hair and eyes, together with her purple dress, lavender cape and purple hat make for one of the more adorable witches on this list.

Though originally named Hot Rod, due to copyright reasons in relation to the word Hot Rod, the character’s name has been changed to simply Rodimus in his original form, or whenever he assumes the Matrix, he would become Rodimus Prime or Rodimus Convoy in the Japanese version. Rodimus originally makes his debut in the 1986 movie and he’s just a regular Autobot/Cybertron. But after being chosen by The Matrix of Leadership, Rodimus would become Rodimus Prime and would serve as the leader until Optimus Prime’s resurrection. As his original namesake suggests, he is rather rash and tends to act without thinking at times despite his best of intentions. One example is when he noticed the Decepticons (or the Destrons in the Japanese version) had taken over a shuttle, he immediately attacks without warning the others (giving Cupp/Char the misassumption he was attacking recklessly). Thanks to The Matrix containing the accumulated wisdom of previous leaders, Rodimus matures and grows into his leadership role despite feeling he will always be in the shadow of Optimus. While Optimus has more of a paternal role as a leader, Rodimus approaches his role as more of a big brother and allows him to have more of an equal relationship with the Autobots/Cybertrons. In the Japanese exclusive Headmasters season, Convoy’s resurrection would be short and his sacrifice to save Vector Sigma, the mainframe of the home planet of Cybertron (or Seibertron in Japanese), Rodimus once again assumes leadership of keeping peace throughout the universe only to surrender leadership to Fortress Maximus as a recognition of his superior experience and wisdom in leadership.

Twincast is the upgraded form of Blaster/Broadcast in the Japanese Headmasters series. After a hard one-on-one battle with Soundwave, his evil counterpart in the Antarctic, Broadcast would shut down and his mini-cassette bots (along with Wheelie and Daniel) would mourn for his passing. Thankfully, the Cybertrons bring him back to life as Twincast (as the Destrons upgraded Soundwave to Soundblaster). His design is pretty much the same as his original form but is repainted as blue as opposed to red, his original color as Broadcast. Though he is back more powerful than ever, Twincast retains his role, memories and his personality as Broadcast. He maintains his upbeat outlook and his love for music and continues to serve as the intelligence and communications officer for the Cybertrons.

One popular mainstay throughout all incarnations of the Transformers franchise is Bumblebee, who transforms into a Volkswagen. Due to being one of the smallest regular Cybertrons/Autobots (appropriately excluding the cassette bots), he is normally seen as weak and useless by friend and foe alike. Due to his much smaller stature, he easily befriends Sparkplug and Spike and tends to find himself in trouble whenever he hangs out with Spike. But whatever he lacks in size, he makes up with in spark. In some instances, his size has been an advantage in getting out of traps and for simple reconnaissance missions. However, he wouldn't be able to seek his recognition as more of an adult figure when he was upgraded as Goldbug after the effects a Hate Plague on his body. The redesign allowed gave him stronger armor and a more mature look. Thanks to the re-design, his peers took him more seriously as an equal.

Ranking in at lucky 7 is the stylish Porsche 935 transforming Jazz. Jazz serves as one of the top-ranking officers of the Cybertrons/Autobots with Ironhide and Prowl. In the English version, he tends to talk in a jive-like manner from the 70s as a reflection of how he likes to keep things cool. He never panics and is flexible to all of his surroundings. In addition to his respective leadership skills, he is also a genius inventor. In one episode, he managed to avoid being brainwashed by the Destrons/Decepticons due to a sound system he invented with Sparkplug. His personality allows him to easily accumulate to re-starting life on Earth and easily start a kinship with Sparkplug, one of the first humans the Cybertrons/Autobots befriends. And if there is one thing that Jazz loves from Earth and would make him fun for parties, it’s his love for music.

If there is any Cybertron/Autobot leader that could ever live up to the legacy of Convoy/Optimus Prime, it would most certainly be the leader of the Brainmasters from Transformers Victory, Star Saber. Star Saber has the ability to transform into a Cybertronian jet. Since the series takes place far in the future where Transformers no longer need to disguise themselves as modern vehicles, Star Saber retains his original vehicle mode whenever he transforms. In addition to having Prime’s combat prowess and charisma, he also exhibits the wisdom of Fortress Maximus knowing where and when to fight. Many of his natural qualities are attributed to not just him but the entire Brainmasters force due to their brainpower. At times, he has personality clashes with Victory Leo but thankfully his wisdom is capable of convincing him of seeing the bigger picture of what’s at stake. Along with Victory Leo, they can combine to form Victory Saber.

Victory Leo is the remodeled Ginrai, an Autobot/Cybertron sub-commander whose design bears a strong resemblance to the iconic Optimus Prime/Convoy. Ginrai, in turn, was first introduced in Super-God Masterforce, who was a Japanese youth who got his hands on a Transtector, or robot body that a human consciousness can fuse with. Ginrai’s Transtector just happened to be a body based on the legendary leader himself. But what leads to his upgrade as Victory Leo is when Ginrai was killed by Deathsaurus’ canon, his body was damaged beyond repair but thanks to Star Saber’s new medical methods, he came back better than ever as Victory Leo. As Victory Leo, he could transform into a lion but the effects made him more wild and feral as a real lion, which caused consequential tension with the other Cybertrons, most notably Star Saber who he can fuse with to become Victory Saber where their combined abilities amplify. But thankfully, his strength and courage is always a great asset in the long war against the Destrons.

After the events of the animated Transformers movie with Autobot City destroyed by a Decepticon/Destron attack, the Autobots/Cybertrons rebuild it as a Transformer itself named Metroplex. Due to being a transforming base, he is probably one of the biggest Autobots/Cybertrons there are to the point that combiners such as Devastator are ants compared to him. The only one capable of combating him is the transforming city/dinosaur, Trypticon/Dinosaurer. As the war between the two Cybertronians factions spreader across the galaxy and to many planets after the year 2005, Metroplex assumed leadership of the Earth faction of the Autobots/Cybertrons. Unfortunately, sometimes one’s biggest strength can be one’s biggest weakness. Due to his size and his function as a base, he needs to be heavily protected by the other Autobots/Cybertrons from any damage. But get him in robot mode, and everything to him is road kill.

In the Headmasters series, Fortress Maximus (or Fortress for short) is the leader of the Cybertron Headmasters. In addition, Fortress is an old friend of Charr (or Kup in the English version) and they go millions and millions of years back. As a headmaster, he is a smaller variety of Cybertronians who transform into heads that fuse into the bodies of regular Cybertronians. As for Fortress, his head form fuses with a giant space ship. Due to literally being the head of the ship that he is connected to, he also performs all of the ship's functions such as navigation and fighting. Due to being able to transform into a spaceship that houses regular Transformers who are already giants compared to regular humans, whenever Fortress transforms into the robot mode with his spaceship, he naturally towers over the other transformers and is capable of withstanding the offensive capabilities of combiners. In addition to his combative capabilities, he demonstrates capable leadership based on his experiences of helping his fellow Headmasters in their own home world and gave Daniel the courage to take a mission on blowing up a meteor that was deadly to everything that is a robot. Within the events of Headmasters when the Destrons wanted to pursue a new resource on their home planet of Seibertron, Rodimus wanted to go all out attack, but Fortress thought it was too dangerous. After being proven right when it cost them their home world, Rodimus admitting to his failures surrendered leadership of the Cybertrons to Fortress.

Before heading into number one, we need to cover the leader of the Dinobot faction of the Autobots/Cybertrons himself, Grimlock. Due to the Dinobots being intentionally constructed to emulate real dinosaurs, they would consequently have low intelligence and Grimlock would speak with a speech impediment. He may not have the smarts, but he has the strength and spirit to help the Autobots save the day and as the series progresses, he also shows that he is capable of having a heart (or in their case, a spark). Though a significant portion of his use tends to be for comedic relief, there have been moments that he saves the universe from doom. In one episode, he accidentally received genius intelligence but he sacrifices it to make Computron, the combined form of the Technobots to become sentient. His greatest accomplishment turns out to be a pure coincidence and feels that sometimes having simple brains can be useful. In the end of the original G1 series in the battle against Tornedron (created by Primacron, also the creator of Unicron), a being of pure energy, Grimlock simply beats him pulling a reverse switch that would in turn reverse Tornedron’s energy thus saving the universe.

At number one, we cannot deny the face of the franchise, Optimus Prime, or Convoy in the Japanese version. A significant portion of the character’s appeal is the charismatic performance of Peter Cullen in the English version of the 1984 series, who would later reprise the role for the live-action series. Thanks to his recasting, many long time fans became open to the movie’s debut in 2007. In the Japanese version, the equally charismatic Genda Tessho portrays him. Both bring performances that equally capture the commanding and yet compassionate side of the character. Complimenting his leadership is his infinite wisdom. Many of his subordinates come across as young and brash so he also serves as a father figure to many of the Autobots, most especially Bumblebee. His design and size also solidify his position within the Autobots/Cybertrons, and his abilities on the battlefield are wonderfully put on display, most notably when he took on the Decepticons/Destrons and Megatron in the 1986 movie. However, his number one moment that hit the fans was his death in the 1986 animated movie that actually got parents sending angry letters to Hasbro. Thankfully, he was brought back later to assume leadership but would also once again be sacrificed in the beginning of the Japanese exclusive Headmasters. Either way, many western fans feel without Prime, there is no Transformers which is why he is number one.

(Note: Sumire Muroto is the only character who has an image, so we are using her as the selection image.) While this may technically be cheating since it’s four people, the presence of the collective known as the Four Sages affects the entire scope of the show. They are brilliant scientists from four different nations who head the different initiatives in the fight for humanity. Whether it’s Sumire, a well-meaning prankster working on a plan that could save humanity, Ayn Rand (yes, that’s actually his name) the enigmatic American head of the mechanized soldiers who doesn’t play by the rules, the Australian head Arthur, or their German leader Albrecht, they have their hands in almost everything that happens, for better or worse. Although they tend to steer clear of the action on the front lines, their actions have made those efforts possible.

Although her real name is unknown, the sixteen-year-old Seitenshi has a position in the restructured government of Japan that comes with a mountain of responsibility. The country has been split into five zones, and she is the de-facto leader of the largest area around Tokyo. Her kind heart and sympathy for those of all walks of life has inspired the love and loyalty of her citizenry. But it has also painted a target on her back. By pushing for laws that promote more humanitarian rights for Cursed Children, she’s created a rift in her people by shaking up the status quo. Her desire for harmony is what leads her to hire the Civil Security force and task them with exterminating the source of the recent Gastrea outbreaks in the Tokyo area. The consequences of her decisions weigh on her heavily.

Kohina Hiruko looks like nothing more than an ordinary, demure ten-year-old girl. But anyone who gets on her bad side knows there’s more to her than meets the eye. Despite her slight stature, she is an extremely powerful Initiator, and is one of the marginalized Cursed Children. When she is first encountered, she works with the mysterious masked man to create chaos and destroy the world. She seems exceptionally cruel, destroying all those that stand in her way with a smile on her face and a taunt for those weaker than her. She develops intense vendettas against those who somehow manage to survive. Although quite evil in nature, she eventually agrees to help the Civil Security force when an even greater threat emerges, hinting that perhaps there is good buried deep down after all.

Although some Cursed Children are born with great abilities and conscripted to help in the fight against the Gastrea Virus, some are simply born as outcasts that society despises and fears. They are forced to live on the outskirts of civilization, where everyday is a constant struggle to scrape together enough food to survive. No Cursed Children drive their plight home as strongly as the Blind Girl, a character who goes by no other name. Although Cursed Children are immune to diseases, the Blind Girl poured molten metal into her eyes in order to convince her mother, who hated their otherworldly red color, to stay. Although she is unable to see, she has a younger sister to take care of and seeks alms in the Tokyo area, where she travels to sing with a sign around her neck. When she encounters Rentaro, a member of the Civil Security, he takes pity on her, but can offer her nothing more than a little money and a warning about her appearances in public.

Although the Four Sages agreed to limit their use of mechanization, a process where humans are enhanced with Varanium, the head of the American division, Ayn Rand, secretly sidestepped this pact, creating the first ever hybrid Initiator, Tina Sprout. She is sent to Japan as an assassin by Rand, and her initial encounters with the Civil Security force are in her attempts to subvert Japan’s stability by murdering Seitenshi. She is unsuccessful in her attempts thanks to the joint efforts of Security members Rentaro and Enju. After being subdued, she is eventually convinced to join in the fight against the Gastrea, and is willing to brave the consequences involved in turning her back on Rand. She teams up with Security member Kisara Tendou, and begins to understand the true capabilities of her hybrid nature.

A young member of the Civil Security force, Midori is an Initiator who works with her Promoter partner, Nagisawa. While the emotional bond shared between the two provide them with the strength they need to face their deadly missions, Midori is actually quite shy, and ashamed of her physical appearance. Due to certain mutation effects of the Gastrea Virus, her body is actually quite catlike, including a pair of ears that she hides under a hat, and will only show to her partner. The job of an initiator isn’t an easy one, and the first moment the show drives that fact home involves Midori. After being attacked by a powerful Gastrea and being dangerously exposed to the virus, she takes her own life, believing that she will become a dangerous burden to her comrades in arms. She paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, despite the way society views people like her.

Kisara is the president and namesake of the Tendou Civil Security. Her desire to combat the Gastrea threat stems in part from her childhood. Due to conflict with the clan, she excommunicated herself and fled with her childhood friend Rentaro, after she witnessed the gruesome death of her parents, devoured by Gastrea. Because of her exposure to the virus, her kidneys barely function. Although she is quite capable in combat, she is unable to maintain her prowess due to her physical condition, which leaves her quite vulnerable. Her disability is compensated somewhat when she pairs up with the hybrid Initiator, Tina. Due to their childhood bond, she has developed deep romantic feelings for Rentaro, although they come secondary to her desire to discover who destroyed her family, and exact revenge.

Kagetane Hiruko first appears as a mysterious tall man in a white joker mask, heralding the destruction of the world. His joker image is further enhanced by his anachronistic appearance, complete with top and tails, as well as a top hat. He is an incredibly powerful Promoter who wields two sardonically-named custom Berettas, Spanking Sodomy, and Psychedelic Gospel. He works with an equally powerful Initiator, his very own daughter, Kohina. Although his past and motives are initially unclear, it is revealed that Kagetane was a former Promoter who worked for Civil Security, before his license was revoked for his penchant for excessive violence and killing. He was a byproduct of the New Human Creation Plan, a black-ops experiment to create humans with the ability to combat the Gastrea Virus during its initial outbreak and the war that followed. He is the primary antagonist for much of the series, sowing chaos wherever he goes and inflicting unflinching violence on those who stand in his way. When an even greater threat rears its head, he sets aside his desire for destruction and works alongside Rentaro and the Service.

As someone who was able to fly under the radar as a Cursed Child until an incident with Gastrea forced her to reveal her abilities in order to save her schoolmates, Enju is a precocious young child who acts as the Initiator in the team at the heart of the show, alongside Rentaro. The effects of the Gastrea Virus have given her an innocent, rabbit-like appearance that belies the power she is capable of wielding. As well as fighting alongside Rentaro, she lives with him and shares basically every aspect of her life with him. As such, she has developed a bit of a crush on him, and sees other women who draw near him as a threat. That said, she is an incredible friend, and is willing to risk life and limb to keep the people she cares about safe. She is a powerhouse on the battlefield, and the emotional bond she shares with Rentaro drive the both of them to greater heights, as they try to keep each other safe while getting to the heart of the Gastrea threat.

Perhaps no surprise, the most essential character in the proceedings is Rentaro, the main protagonist of the show and the Promoter to Enju’s Initiator. As a child, at the outbreak of the Gastrea Virus, his parents were killed, and he was taken in by the Tendo family. However, when his childhood friend Kisara left her family, he loyally followed her. He was severely wounded defending Kisara from Gastrea, losing several limbs and an eye in the process. However, thanks to the New Human Creation Plan, he had his missing body parts replaced with Varanium, putting him back in fighting shape. While he hasn’t mastered martial arts to the extent that the leader of the Civil Service, Kisara, has, he can hold his own in a fist fight, and is a capable marksman with his signature pistol, the XD. But more than that, part of what makes him such a compelling character is his kind heart, and the sincere empathy he feels toward the Cursed Children, and the way they’re treated in society. His kindness has the unintended consequence of attracting Cursed Children to him in ways contrary to his wishes (as is the case with his partner, Enju), but it is also the strength that gives him the will to carry out his dangerous missions. He will go to any length to get to the center of the mystery surrounding the recent Gastrea outbreaks and use all of his abilities to keep his friends safe.

Kurogane Pukapuka-tai looks at the life of a Japanese battleship which is being controlled by an all female crew. Much of the manga takes place in the 1940’s when the Japanese Imperial Navy was at its peak, and the Unebi, the name of the submarine, is run by a very old zen like man who seldom speaks a word. A lot of what you’ll find in this manga is a lot of factual historical insight on the Japanese Navy with the ships themselves being the only fictional side of the entire story. An all-women’s ship that has everyone frolicking around trying to conquer the seas, while throwing themselves at one another with breasts flying from one side of the ship to the next. It’s simply an all out ecchi fest that takes place within these battleships and you’re part of it all as you learn more about Japanese history, laugh a lot at the random personalities, and get to know more about these rambunctious well rounded characters.

With dreams of becoming a knight and a strong attitude towards serving justice, the young Himoto Sora is striving to ensure it all becomes a reality. She decides to transfer to Utopia Gakuen, a school that’s full of the latest technology and she comes to learn of a virtual reality simulation that’s played by a majority of male students. With her curiosity peaking, Sora looks into why this game is so popular and finds out that girls are used as weapons in battles for status, and used as mere puppets. Witnessing one of the girls being abused, Sora immediately steps in but then finds herself a part of the game too, as she’s actually the first female participant in this virtual experience. Instead of chasing her dreams and living the life she envisioned, Sora now finds herself in the midst of a virtual reality scenario where she must now work with other females to ensure that tragedy doesn’t strike again. This manga really emphasizes empathy quite frequently as you truly grow a strong attachment to these women as they’re mistreated in some scenarios. The wonderful thing is that they all band together to defeat this evil organization which has been using women as puppets for their own pleasure, with Sora as Robin Hood, working hard to restoring peace and balance to a corrupt school full of scum.

Yuu and Haruka couldn’t stand being without each other during junior high school, as they would spend much of their time together doing various activities. However fate was not having any more of that and eventually split the two up, sending them to opposite sides of the classroom once they entered senior high. As they’re now forced to spend time with other classmates and build rapport, the two decide to ensure that their relationship doesn’t dissipate by doing something unique. We’ve all had that one special friend that we just couldn’t live without, and wherever they decide to go, we’re most surely behind them every step of the way. You’ll most likely feel their pain once they unfortunately have to split up and pretty much learn how to associate themselves with other people, which is where the comedy starts to set in. Since the two were so woven together, they found it challenging to open up which created some funny moments of panic, desperation, and bewilderment. These encounters however actually helped to strengthen their relationship over time, because through the process of getting to know others around them, they soon come to discover more about themselves through that experience thus further cementing their bond.

Lillian Academy is an all girls private catholic school, where the student council is known as the Yamayurikai and the younger students are taught by their superiors through a system called the soeur system. The soeur system refers to the sister system, referring to the French term, and Yumi finds herself suddenly conversing with members of the Yamayurikai, especially the girl whom she has a crush on. Sachiko is very talented and beautiful and Yumi can’t seem to take her eyes off of her in this romantic comedy between two young girls learning to embrace one another. Yumi caught the love bug and now she can’t seem to resist Sachiko’s innocent nature. It wasn’t Sachiko’s intention to lure Yumi in, but somehow her aura just illuminated in Yumi’s eyes and she quickly found herself trying to control her urges. It’s a story about a young girl who falls for her senior sister, as the two explore life together on school grounds and build a romantic loving relationship that will have you fawning over it all. Yumi’s shy character paired with Sachiko’s sometimes withdrawn moments are really amusing as the two try very hard to form harmony, but from time to time slip up on words and can’t express themselves properly. Their budding relationship is surely entertaining so be sure to catch more of it when you pick it up.

Yamada has been assigned the task of taking care of the plants in the school’s garden. She doesn’t consider herself to be very nimble, and is known to be a klutz in numerous scenarios. Those setbacks don’t stop her from expressing her feelings to Kase, a well known athlete who’s in the class next door. Being quite timid Yamada finds it hard at times to show her feelings to the more confident Kase, but over time, the two work on their differences to create a strong bond. This is such a beautiful story because you have polar opposites, one who’s quite introverted in her ways, while the other is more open with her feelings and doesn’t shy away from the truth. Their cute bond and determination to oversee their imperfections creates a powerful romance that resonates with you as the story unfolds. When Kase participates in her sport activities, Yamada is there to cheer her on, and Kase is always by Yamada’s side to help support her when her clumsiness comes back to haunt her. It’s really a wonderful drama of two young girls trying to make their relationship work, setting aside whatever insecurities they have to ensure that their future together will only manifest into something monumental.

Poverty has struck the life of 21 year old Nako, who finds herself in desperate need of a job. She bites the bullet and applies for a position at a jewelry store and is confronted by the store owner Ren, who openly admits to preferring the same sex. Ren then asks her if her sexual orientation would be an issue and Nako lets her know that she’s not interested and is totally fine with it all. Over time however Nako starts to notice herself slowly becoming attached to Ren’s heartwarming personality, and she soon discovers that perhaps she’s a little intrigued after all. The structure of this manga takes on the yonkoma theme which essentially means a four-cell manga, and consists of mainly comedic strips. Each panel sets the tone for the overall story, with the last panel concluding that scene. So Nako comes out and states that Ren isn’t her type, but then over time this small romance turns into happy funny moments as Ren can’t seem to resist her feelings towards Nako. It becomes this sort of stalking game as Ren tries so hard to make excuses for everything she does, but can’t seem to stop following Nako around. It’s a very contrasting story of a poor girl who meets a wealthy woman, and the two must learn to understand their differences to create a positive atmosphere.

Yuu is a first year high school student who’s trying to come to terms with a confession paper that was given to her by her crush in middle school. For some reason the confession didn’t speak to her in any way, despite reading countless shoujo manga that demonstrated how to express oneself in those scenarios. Moving forward with her life, she witnesses the president of the student council, Nanami quickly yet respectfully turn down a confession note given to her, and this sparks some attention in Yuu. Curious about how she managed to let go so quickly, Yuu inquires about it with Nanami to which Nanami explains, but is shocked when Nanami confesses her feelings in the spur of the moment. The entire time you’re sifting through each page hoping that one of these poor souls would eventually have their confession notes accepted, but then you’re shocked when Nanami spills the beans to Yuu without any hesitation. Their immediate bond turns into this fairy tale of wonders, as the two quickly came to realize just how similar they were and that they could truly sense a warm sensation in their hearts. Yuu initially was quite isolated from the pack and from love especially, but upon meeting Nanami she decides to keep going and her true nature blossomed through it all. Nanami’s dorky approach with Yuu’s innocence slowly creates this unique chemistry that you can’t get anywhere else.

Sumika is intelligent and gifted in the field of athletics, but she is madly in love with her close friend Kazama Ushio. Despite her appearance, Sumika finds confessing her feelings to be very challenging, and can only watch over Kazama. What’s worse is that Kazama doesn’t see Sumika as her type, so the burden continues to escalate over time. Kazama only seeks out cute girls and Sumika just doesn’t match that criteria, which crushes her spirits. Her trials and tribulations have just begun and now Sumika will have to try and convince Kazama that she’s worth it. Sumika’s underdog character will have you rooting her on as she tries so hard to grab Kazama’s attention, in whatever way she can. She’s well aware that her looks aren’t at the level that Kazama approves of, but she strives to prove to Kazama that looks aren’t everything and that their long lasting relationship is what truly matters. She’s not particularly skilled at doing girly things, which perhaps explains Kazama’s lack of interest, so eventually it leads Sumika to clamp onto her feelings and not express them. What makes this manga even more fascinating is how you know very little about Kazama’s true nature, and so the story becomes more dramatic as you try to get to know about these two women over the course of their high school lives which eventually creates some climactic results.

A room that was once occupied by a tea ceremony club has now been taken over by four young girls who call themselves ‘The Amusement Club’. These rebellious girls don’t take no for answer, as student council repeatedly tells them to leave the room, but they completely ignore these warnings. Finally realizing that this club wasn’t going anywhere for them, they all decide to get up and explore the world around them and discover new things about themselves in this school life comedy. A lot of the story is very random and scattered which is what makes it so funny, because you’re just not sure which direction these girls are headed in. They live fearlessly and don’t really care what others think of them, especially the student council, who always nags them to get out and do something better with their lives. These young girls eventually learn the art of maturity and through sharing their experiences together, come to realize that there’s so much more to life than they imagined. It’s a nice adventure to follow because every chapter is filled with something special, and you’re constantly invited to their party as they develop a strong bond which helps them to better grasp what life throws at them.

Aoi Nagisa just transferred into St. Miator, an all girls academy located on Astraea Hill. Her first day didn’t start off so well as she got lost, but luckily she runs into Shizuma, who kindly helps her around the school grounds. Stunned by her immaculate beauty, Nagisa is left in silence as her heart beats a mile a minute by this woman’s aura. This enticing romantic story looks at the lives of these two individuals as their random encounter soon manifest into something wonderful. Strawberry Panic is an all time shoujo ai classic that shouldn’t be ignored by anyone who’s interested in diving into the genre. It’s a story of colorful characters who come together to share their own story, with enough random antics to keep you locked in. Girls constantly fight over each other in competition to see who becomes the best couple, with dramatic endings to keep you guessing what will happen next. Despite having some questionable moments in the story’s overall direction, the manga holds true to its name very well, as there’s a lot of wild enjoyment consisting of yandere, overly cute personalities, and perverts.

Anohana tackles an emotional subject; death and the lingering effects it can have on people’s lives. With striking introspection, Arohana brings a delicate touch to the heavy topics of grieving, adolescence, and moving on. With only 11 episodes, an intense impact is able to be made in an extremely short amount of time. Similar to the slice-of-life style that Aria: The Origination utilizes, this anime focuses on a snapshot of a boy struggling to reconcile with the things he has lost and attempting to overcome the void that tragedy has created in his life. The fantasy elements still remain as well, as Jinta is haunted by the ghost of his deceased childhood friend, Menma, which elevates the show beyond a general, run-of-the-mill narrative following the life of a group of friends. The impeccable combination of the supernatural with honest emotional development is a can't miss combination. Any fan that possesses a working heart should watch this.

Azumanga Daioh’s success lies solely in the likability of its characters, who all happen to share the same homeroom in the freshman year of their high school, and all are strange and endearing in their own unique ways. Chiyo Mihama, a 10 year old prodigy, befriends, through the course of the school year, people as diverse as Tomo Takino, a rambunctious and excitable tomboy, to Sakaki, a gentle yet physically imposing athlete. This anime follows the adventures of the ragtag collection of high school girls; much like Aria: The Origination, Azumanga Daioh focuses on the trials and triumphs of an extremely likable group of diverse female characters. Both anime have a common mood of capability and whimsy, and teaches an appreciation for the little moments in life that are humorous and enjoyable. Providing scene after scene of hilarity, the adventures and experiences of the characters of Azumange Diaoh should not be overlooked, and will have you laughing every episode.

Sweet in the manner that Aria: The Origination is, K-On! possesses an indomitable aura of carefree adventures, following the story of Hirasawa Yui, a motivated girl who has just entered high school, and whose one sudden ambition is to join the “Light Music Club.” The only problem is that she can’t play an instrument. Yui, together with the rest of the members of the Light Music Club, must overcome obstacles and prepare for their performance at the schools festival. The individual focus on perseverance and the antics of the club members in every episodic mirrors the structure of Aria: The Origination. Additionally, the plot follows a group of girls in both shows as they pursue a goal, striving time and time again to do their best. The tenacity of their personalities and the friendship that evolves around Yui is comparable to the relationships expressed between Alice, Aika, and Akira in Aria: The Origination. With a light-hearted whimsy and situational humor, K-On! is as sweet as dessert, and is a treat worth indulging in.

Kokoa Hoto, a vivacious and outgoing persona, moves in with the Kafuu family to study away from home. It doesn’t take her long to meet and befriend the cafe owner’s granddaughter, the eccentric Chino Kafuu, who is most distinguishable for her tendency to wear her pet rabbit on her head. Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? follows the humorous tales of the five young waitresses who have jobs at the cafe, and their everyday struggles of working together. Each waitress has a distinct personality, ranging from the militaristic behavior of Rize Tedeza to the sophisticated airs of Sharo Kirima. The comedic airs and common-core female characters are both elements that are similar between Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka and Aria: The Origination. Both anime specialize in the slice-of-life genre, and do not disappoint in giving expectant fans what they desire. Additionally, the main characters are similar in overcoming their own obstacles in entertaining manners.

The unadulterated friendship that arises between the main character, Seishuu Handa, and the horde of overbearing and eccentric villagers that he is forced to interact with is nothing short of heartwarming. Handa, a talented calligrapher with a temper, is exiled to a rural village in order to seek more creativity after a poor review on one of his pieces. Despite his annoyance with the obtrusive behavior of his neighbors, including the group of children run by Naru Kotoishi, Handa ends up discovering more than he ever could have previously imagined. Barakamon is simple, without the added fanfare of fights or supernatural beings or a threat of the earth exploding, and it is precisely that pure simplicity that makes it so addicting. The beauty of Barakamon stems from the worth found in the everyday moments of life, especially those spent surrounded by children in a place quite the opposite from Tokyo. The anime mimics reality so well that it effectively allows the viewer to forget about their own for the length of an episode, or the series. What is most similar between Barakamon and Aria: The Origination is the depth that comes from exploring the everyday lives of the characters. Both Handa and the girls of Neo Venezia must continuously overcome obstacles in order to progress with their lives. The characters actively pursue their goals, which is what drives the plot and makes both shows worth investing in.

Tomoya Okazaki is not in the market for friends; a delinquent with a harrowingly morose outlook on life who doesn’t see the point in putting effort into anything. The eccentric Nagisa Furukawa suddenly and inexplicably strikes his attention. Although he tries to deny her advances, Tomoya finds himself drawn to helping her achieve her goal of bringing the school’s old drama club back to life with the additional help of four other girls. By learning to care about someone other than himself, Tomoya learns to care about life as well. Unlike past slice-of-life anime, like many of the ones mentioned previously above, Clannad differs in that Tomoya mainly grows not through overcoming his own obstacles, but by helping Nagisa in her own ambitions. Heartfelt and empowering, Clannad offers an irresistible sweetness that comes from learning to change one’s perspective on life and appreciate what at first glance might appear boring or commonplace. Both Clannad and Aria: The Origination feature a calming type of serenity from watching the adventures of the female characters. In Clannad, it is the overwhelming amount of moe and sweetness that is known to win fan’s hearts; in Aria: The Origination, it is the faultless persistence and wholesome of the entire group of main characters. Clannad possesses more of a romantic element, as the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa develops over the course of the season, but at its core, Clannad remains focused on the friendship that arises between everyone, making it similar to Aria: The Origination, and a show that must be watched.