Nozomi is an elementary school girl often found playing in the park with her friends after school. She and her friends are introduced to Yoshiko one day when, as if out of nowhere, Yoshiko becomes “it” in a game of tag. The boys in the group begin to grill the strange interloper, asking her – as a grownup – if it’s okay for her to play all day. Yoshiko simply responds, “You betcha!” When A-kun, her straight-laced childhood friend, intervenes, he explains to the boys what an incredible idiot Yoshiko is. The boys quickly understand that she is a failure as a grownup. We find after several encounters with the irrepressible Yoshiko, Nozomi thinks “Yoshiko-onee-chan is kind of amazing.” Her attachment continues to grow, especially since during a super hero stage show, she is chosen out of the audience as the hostage for the bad guys. Nozomi pleads for Yoshiko to help, and though it’s just a scripted stage show, Yoshiko bursts into action challenging the villain. Yoshiko rescues the young girl leaving two young friends scared that if the bond grows too great that Nozomi might also become an idiot.

Akane is what some would call a “gal.” She hangs out with two other girls in her class who at least pretend to lead “loose” lives. The three girls have the misfortune of being in Yoshiko’s class and at some point, piquing her interest. Akane does everything she can to drive Yoshiko away. We find though, despite the standoffish attitude of the girls and especially of Akane, they genuinely want to be liked. Yoshiko, being an idiot, likes everyone. We watch Akane quickly begin to go along with Yoshiko’s craziness even when it means turning the spotlight on one of the trio’s relationship with a boy. Akane lets Yoshiko ask all the questions she’s always hesitated asking her friend about dating. We see periodically that Akane isn’t lacking common sense, she just has poor social skills. For all the bravado, she’s shy and Yoshiko brings a measure of the unreserved to her life.

Dog first makes an appearance on the playground and terrifies Nazomi and her friends. The big white dog, probably a mix of an Akita and a bear, is chasing the children around the park until Yoshiko comes to the rescue. Yoshiko is fearless as she challenges the dog for supremacy. She tackles and wrestles Dog. She eventually begins to ride the dog in an attempt to break him like a wild horse. She notices a tag around Dog’s neck stating that he had been abandoned. She makes an agreement with the bear-like canine to take him in in exchange for rides on his back. At several stages, we see Dog is not a normal dog. At times he’s a foil for A-kun and at other times seems to be the only one who understands the frustrated childhood friend. We even get an entire part of the show dedicated to Dog’s effort to deliver a flower to a female Pomeranian he likes. He tries his hardest while stopping robberies and rescuing people along the way to her house. We see that Dog, named only Dog by Yoshiko, may have a bigger heart and definitely a bigger brain than his master.

Sayaka has been Yoshiko’s friend since they entered high school. She genuinely likes the ever-outgoing Yoshiko and probably thinks that they make a nice match since she is a wallflower. Sayaka is also the voice of reason in many instances when the rest of the cast seems to be getting out of hand. She has the moral compass to tell people who may be too stupid to understand the basics of right and wrong and stop them when they are going too far. We only see her get to her limit once or twice and one of those times she is telling A-kun the cold hard truth that he is just as strange as Yoshiko. Yoshiko’s mother considers her a rival for A-kun. She is often put in cringe-worthy situations, but she doesn’t seem to let that get in the way of being a moron’s best friend. Interestingly enough, she shares the same name with her voice actress: Sayaka Harada.

We first meet Ryuuichi as A-kun, Sayaka and Yoshiko are on their way home from school. Ryuuichi is sitting outside a convenience store looking at a magazine and projecting the image of a delinquent. He makes several advances toward Sayaka, stating that she’s cute and he wants to “play” with her. Yoshiko, on the other hand, only hears the word “play” and gets in the way of each advance by declaring that he can play with her. Yoshiko gets rough with him and begins analyzing him, saying that she understands that he never learned how to ask someone to play and that she would play with him. Ryuuichi then breaks down in tears, understanding that no one had ever seen the real him. “I’m a moron!” he states, “Will you still accept me?!” Yoshiko explains, “I’m an idiot too,” and the two nitwits immediately form a bond. Ryuuichi also wants to be buddies with A-kun. He looks up to him and thinks he’s cool. At Yoshiko’s instruction, he commits to being A-kun’s dog. It’s not exactly friendship, but it’s a step.

A-kun first meets Yoshiko in elementary school when he moves in next door to her. Their roles haven’t changed much since then, either. A-kun takes life seriously and Yoshiko takes nothing seriously, except bananas. A-kun was the first to introduce Yoshiko to the long, soft fruit wrapped in a yellow peel and has become one of her life’s obsessions. We find that A-kun has a vision of himself as a focused go-getter and serious student. He thinks he is respected by his classmates and teachers as an upstanding, normal guy. We leave it to Sayaka to set him straight. When he says he’s not going with everyone to the beach because of all the weirdos in the group, Sayaka reveals to him that he is very strange – which comes as a great shock to him. The sweet, patient Sayaka explains to him that he’s prejudiced, stubborn and doesn’t try to make friends. He defends himself by saying that he doesn’t make friends because everyone around him is a weirdo. “Birds of a feather flock together!” she exclaims. We think we can hear his brain break as he comes to the conclusion that he isn’t normal and that could be the reason Yoshiko and the rest of the cast are attracted to him.

Yoshie is not your typical parent. You expect that she’d be a bit different raising Yoshiko. She just might not be the kind of crazy you’d think. We remember a time when she is introduced to Sayaka and immediately considers her a threat. Sayaka’s a cute, sweet, intelligent girl so she could easily be a romantic rival for A-kun’s affections. Yoshino has been planning carefully and nurturing Yoshiko’s relationship with A-kun for years. The reason isn’t simply that she wants her daughter to be happy, it’s that she doesn’t want her daughter to be a burden on her when she gets older. She recognizes that Yoshiko is indeed an idiot. So, as a good mother she decides the only way to determine if Sayaka has no interest in A-kun is if Sayaka is wearing unsexy underwear. She invades Sayaka’s privacy to perform a visual inspection. She also shows up to confront some of Yoshiko’s friends, namely Fuuki Iinchou, before they go on a vacation to the beach. Yoshie flat-out accuses Fuuki of being a homewrecker and being after A-kun (which she is, by the way). A violent confrontation follows in which someone loses their underwear. We can see that the apple, or banana in this case, doesn’t fall far from the tree of insanity.

Ruri is the younger sister of A-kun. She is also not a fan of Yoshiko. Ruri can’t stand Yoshiko’s lack of seriousness. She also doesn’t like sharing her brother with such a dunce. We are lead to believe that she is a miniature version of her brother, all serious and academic. She is unfortunately as dumb as Yoshiko. She, unlike Yoshiko is extremely concerned with her lack of academic ability. She studies and studies and just doesn’t seem to improve. Ruri is even consoled by A-kun with him telling her it’s okay and he will always take care of her. The statement only reinforces her need to raise her school scores. We also think could one of the reasons she hates Yoshiko so much is because she thinks being a complete failure is her future?

Iinchou is the head of the disciplinary committee at Yoshiko’s school. She has always thought of herself as a controlled person who would never even think of doing something immoral. Iinchou, like most of us, toss what we thought we’d do right out the window when we are in love. She is in love with A-kun. She first met A-kun at the front gate of school when a misunderstanding caused by Yoshiko makes her think that A-kun is a perv. She then uses that as an excuse to keep tabs on A-kun and by “keep tabs on” we mean stalk. The head of the disciplinary committee decides that she is going to find a way to be with A-kun. We also mean sexually harass him by attempting to pat him down to look for contraband. The perverted looks and the way she comically stalks A-kun is a big reason for her being so high on this list.

Yoshiko can be an example to us all about how to live a carefree life, or she can be considered the perfect example of ignorance is bliss. She lives her life impulsively and understands her limitations. She’s not smart, yet doesn’t feel bound by those limitations. She lives by a simple philosophy: sleep, eat, play and marry A-kun. She is completely devoted to her childhood friend despite the comically violent attitude he has toward her. She is also accepting of anyone. She acts as a friend to all, even if you don’t want her friendship. Her obsession with bananas is a bit odd, but it’s really just about bananas, not other banana shaped things. She is a likable idiot. Yoshiko has a lot of admirable traits but what puts her at the top of the list is the impact she’s had in the lives of those around her. Nozomi learns that life can’t be taken too seriously, Akane doesn’t need to be tough or a slut to have friends, Dog found an owner who loves him, Sayaka has a best friend, Ryuuichi gains a surrogate sister who understands him, A-kun finds a cute girl who will always be there for him – whether he likes it or not. Yoshie has a daughter who respects her mother, Ruri a challenger for her brother’s love (no, not really; A-kun would choose Ruri over Yoshiko any day), and Iichou learns what love is and that life can’t be taken seriously all the time -- especially with Yoshiko around.

Putting aside his silly name and being drawn as a whacked up bird, Punpun kicks off our list because he’s pretty much a character that many readers around the world, including many of whom, are from non-Japanese countries can relate to. The fact he isn’t given a face is meant to have readers project themselves onto him. The series portrays him in a 10-year span from 11-years-old to 21. Punpun deals with realistic issues as he grows up. He is a witness to domestic violence, becomes a child of divorce, and then he deals with all of this as he goes through the trials of puberty. The readers are presented on how his upbringing affects himself in a very realistic manner and you see how this consequently shapes him as an adult. Even though he isn’t exactly heroic in a traditional sense, what makes him an addition to this list? In a lot of ways, his life is an example of what some of our lives can be shaped by our upbringing. He is the ultimate study on whether or not as adults, should people be responsible for their actions, or is blaming the upbringings of some people just an excuse? Through Punpun, readers can dig deep into these very questions.

Naofumi was just a shy 20-year-old university student until he finds a book about Four Heroes. So what does this book do? Send him to a world of fantasy! Naturally, he is initially cynical in regards to his situation after being backstabbed by people who were supposed to help him and the rest of the world, but instead, they trap and brand him as a criminal. Thanks to his arsenal of shields, he is able to keep up with the other heroes when necessary. His Curse Weapon is the sin of wrath, which temporarily gives him super strength whenever he is enraged. He eventually overcomes his adversities and makes the best of his situation. While he may seem cold-hearted, deep down inside, he’s a really nice guy but just don’t piss him off.

Ageha Yoshina is an energetic high school boy who is good-natured and yet very emotional. He is willing to help you deal with your problems such as bullying but at a cost of 10,000 yen. After answering a ringing pay phone and discovering a mysterious red card, he finds himself in the mysterious future game of Psyren, where he must fight monsters called Taboos. And after getting involved, he is given mysterious powers called PSI, which are based on his emotions. Ageha is someone who is capable of adapting to every situation and once he learns how to use his powers and its limits, and he is a very capable warrior thanks to his natural fighting abilities. While his motivations are rather greedy, he comes to learn to appreciate that friendship isn’t something that can be bought, but is earned as well as the stake in the future. But with whatever friends he already has, he does everything possible to protect them and ensure those bonds.

You’re probably familiar with the Hollywood version of this Japanese hit through Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. His character is based on Keiji Kiriya, who is nicknamed Killer Cage by the Americans and this naming does influence the Hollywood adaptation. While William Cage in Edge of Tomorrow is a demoted public affairs officer, Keiji, on the other hand, is a new recruit fresh out of boot camp. Other than that, a majority of who you see with William Cage in Edge of Tomorrow also happens with Keiji in All You Need Is Kill, where he repeatedly dies only to come back to life and uses those experiences to become a better soldier in the war against the mimics. Eventually, he meets another soldier who has been subjected to his situation and they band together to fight this war but only to end in tragedy. While nobody can come back from the dead, Keiji does demonstrate the need for people to learn from their mistakes in order to make things right, which is why he is a great hero.

Some of you are familiar with the controversial 2000 Japanese film starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, but are you aware of the manga? If so, in this edition, Shogo Kawada once again is the true hero who takes action to end the Battle Royale program once and for all. In all source materials, he is a previous winner of a Battle Royale only to coincidentally be a contestant once again. Due to his past experiences, he is a heavy favorite to win by the government officials who are observing the program but he has gained some new skills to work around the system. He is heavily invested in protecting Noriko because she reminds him of a past girlfriend he had to kill in order to survive and win. In his younger years, he was an assistant at his father’s clinic so he has medical training and experience, which is demonstrated when he treats Noriko. With the help of Noriko and Shuya, they defeat Kiriyama, a detached lunatic who went on a killing spree but at the cost of his life. In his final moments, he helps fake Noriko and Shuya’s deaths by removing their collars so they can stage their assault and escape on the government officials.

If manga had a hero that represented Generation X, look no further than Kenji Endo from 20th Century Boys. At the start of the series, he is a failed rock musician who has turned his family liquor store into a modestly successful franchise convenience store and is raising his niece. In his childhood, Kenji and a group of friends started their own club and just for fun, they created their own prophecies on how the world will be brought to ruin. In the year 1997, many of those prophecies are coming true by a mysterious cult figure known only as Friend. Kenji starts his own rebellion against Friend as his influences progress, but at great cost. In the end, he uses his old dream of being a musician to fight the power and rally people to his cause by showing that sometimes the power of music is all you need to start and win a rebellion.

If anyone can be called the OG samurai in manga, it would certainly have to be Ogami Itto, a man who is mostly action and little with words. For many years, he served as the chief executioner of the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, jealousy by another clan led them to murder his wife leaving him to wonder what to do with his infant son. Furthermore, he is also framed for conspiring against the Shogun. In order to clear his name, Ogami goes on a journey bringing his son with him. While Ogami is the ultimate assassin, he is still a man of principle. After he kills someone, he always goes to a temple to pray. Despite being a killer, he is also always willing to defend the innocent and is capable of displaying mercy. By the end of the series, he manages to accomplish a huge majority of his goals and he lets nothing get in his way.

One hero we cannot deny is Kenshin from the hit Rurouni Kenshin saga. While his ending in the anime has been met with mixed reception and strong criticism from Watsuki-sensei himself, fans can still see his true ending in the manga. One of the themes of this series expressed through Kenshin is redeeming yourself of your sins. In Kenshin’s teenage years (despite his appearance, he is actually 28), he fought as an assassin of the Boushin War that paved way for the Meiji Era. After losing his wife, he vows to never kill again but her death is the driving force of the final main villain, her brother Enishi who wants to avenge her. In the famous Jinchu arc of the manga, Kenshin faces his greatest threat yet. He is not fighting a group of people who want to take over Japan and throw over the government, he is facing a group of individuals who have legitimate grudges over him despite his changes since his time as an assassin. This is the story arc that defines his final path to redemption and ultimately finding happiness with Kaoru. While Enishi, the final villain, does manage to temporarily drive Kenshin to despair, Kenshin once again picks up his sword and defeats Enishi without having to kill him but at the cost of his own body not being able to use the Hiten Mitsurugi style again. Throughout his journey, he does show mercy to his opponents to repent their sins and that they always have the chance to start over. The fact that he is willing to risk his life to help his enemies makes him one of Japan’s greatest heroes in fiction.

At a very close second is one of the top macho heroes from the era of 1980’s style masculinity, Kenshiro. Kenshiro is the master of the Hokuto Shinken fighting style, where a single touch at the right pressure point will have the opponent explode to pieces. If anything, this manga was doing fatalities long before Mortal Kombat made them a hot topic for the US government and other censorship groups. While the main purpose of his journey across the apocalyptic wastelands of 199X is to reunite with his girlfriend Yuria, he still finds time to protect the innocent. While Kenshiro may be powerful, he can’t save everyone due to being out numbered and weaker allies willing to sacrifice themselves for the fight. Due to these tragedies, Kenshiro always sheds tears, which probably popularized the notion of man tears. The fact that someone as manly as Kenshiro is willing to cry shows that it’s ok for men to cry. Last, while Raoh was his greatest rival and wanted to conquer the world, upon emerging victorious, Kenshiro and Raoh embraced and acknowledged each other not only as true warriors but also as brothers.

If there is one character we can’t deny whether it would be manga or in anime form, it would certainly have to be Goku from Dragon Ball. He was one of the very few heroes in fiction who starts as a child and has his story ending with him becoming a grandfather. At the time, aging characters was never considered, but Toriyama-sensei made him an adult because it would make drawing the action scenes much easier despite objections from the publishing staff. While Goku’s journeys throughout Dragon Ball took him throughout the world and ultimately the universe, he is still the same innocent boy that Bulma first meets. As the series progresses into Super, he is still full of childlike wonder and curiosity, but he has his own unique development and maturation. With the Saiyan arc, Goku finally learns his origin story and he initially denies the last of his people and chooses Earth as his home. However, after learning that the Saiyans were only pawns only to become victims of Freeza, he embraces his Saiyan heritage and becomes their salvation and takes their proud warrior spirit. There have been moments he has shown selflessness such as willing to stay dead after the Android/Cell saga because people who want revenge against him could threaten the safety of the Earth. However, the threat of Majin Buu brings him back to life again to fight for freedom. While he does destroy Buu with the help of the universe, he once again demonstrates a pure heart when he wishes for Buu to come back as a good person.