The clean and plain looking God of Fishing and Commerce Ebisu is up first, a surprisingly dark and secretive God of fortune. It’s a while before we learn much about Ebisu, with most of his actions remaining unknown throughout the series, being very much the man of mystery. An incredibly calm and efficient man, his pursuit of his goals is both admirable and enviable, as he willingly goes as far as venturing into the underworld to accomplish them. Which doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest by the way. With his long jacket, tailored suit, and pure white gloves, Ebisu looks like a mix between a businessman and a well-dressed butler, which seems appropriate given his personality. Although not generically cool, Ebisu has a confidence and composure about him that, coupled with his sleek appearance, makes him at the least a fascinating character.

Shinki of Kofuku the Goddess of Poverty, and in many ways her carer, Daikoku is one of the manliest men in Noragami. Seemingly not afraid of anyone or anything, Daikoku has no trouble dishing out punishment to Gods like Yato and Kofuku when he thinks they’re screwing about, and tries his best to be the moral compass of the mishmash group. As his mistress tends to incur bad luck, he tries to focus on ways of avoid fighting altogether, so as to ensure she doesn’t accidentally destroy Japan. In his Shinki form Daikoku quite surprisingly turns into an elaborate fan, with one of his abilities being to create a portal to the underworld itself, not something many are capable of doing. Daikoku’s tough act and caring personality make him seem like a cool father character, and the Gods he’s looking after seem like little kids!

One of Bishamon’s most notable Shinki, Kuraha is considered second in command behind Kazuma, her primary Shinki, being both sensible and wise. One of the coolest looking Shinki in the series, in both his regular and Shinki forms, Kuraha’s standard appearance is that of a well-dressed pirate, with some intense facial hair going on, and an eyepatch to accompany his suit. As for his Shinki form, well, the dudes a lion. A Lion. I don’t think any more needs to be said than that. Kuraha is awesomely loyal and cares deeply about his comrades. And not just his fellow Shinki, but as long as he is doing right by his master, Kuraha appears to be a very caring person. It can be easy to forget about him with most of his time being spent as a lion, but Kuraha is one seriously awesome old man.

One of the show’s main antagonists, like Yato, Rabou is a God of Calamity, known for leaving death and suffering in his wake. Unlike Yato however, Rabou didn’t develop a conscience and carries on as he always has as an evil God. To this end Rabou possesses some pretty sweet abilities, including being able to absorb Phantoms, and his Shinki allowing him to control water, creating liquid doubles of himself as well as wielding it as a weapon. Rabou’s character design screams anime antagonist, with his flowing silver hair, and the combination of his mad yellow eye and pointed mask giving him a crow like visage. Along with characters like Ebisu, Rabou is a good example of how much contrast there is between the designs in the show.

Old man Tenji is the God of Learning, and among the wealthiest and popular of Gods (because who doesn’t pray for higher grades). Quite the silver fox, despite his grey and intellectual appearance, Tenjin has basically formed his own harem, with a preference for young female Shinkis, and a boatload of charm and money at his disposal. Seriously, they’re literally leaving other Gods to be with him: see Yato’s unfortunate Shinki experience early on. Not your regular kind of cool guy, Tenjin is more badass grandad material, full of stupid, pervy jokes and yet still maintaining a following of gorgeous young women. On top of that, Tenjin is a true bro, helping out when it’s really needed and even doing favors behind heaven’s back, you don’t get much smoother than that.

Where to start with our main girl Hiyori Iki, she does not get the credit she deserves. The only half-human, half-phantom in the series, her funky tail helps connect her to the Far Shore, being one of the few humans that can see Gods and other supernatural beings. While she’s just an ordinary, pro-wrestling obsessed high school girl, when she leaves her regular body behind and becomes her half-Phantom self, she gains incredible strength and agility, capable of taking on weaker Phantoms by herself. Despite her frail, mortal body, Hiyori generally doesn’t seem too bothered about mixing with Gods, or fighting them. Her main priority is making sure that everyone is safe, excluding herself for the most part.

Young and rebellious, Yukine is Yato’s current Skinki and a pretty powerful one at that, taking the form of the long, curved blade, Sekki. Yukine, meaning “sound of snow”, is an interesting name to give to someone so loud and with such a brash attitude, but it also says something about the cleanness and innocence of such a young and unknowing character. Plus it sounds pretty neat. One of the cool things about Yukine is watching him deal with teenage problems, in a world where he’s surrounded by pretty much only adults, and kind of old ones at that. Although he fares pretty badly at first, his strong desire to mature, better himself and stand amongst his peers is admirable for someone going through such a hard time, and make him one of the most relatable characters in the show.

Bishamon’s lead Shinki, Kazuma is a powerful Blessed Regalia, acting as her navigator and advisor throughout the series. Looking surprisingly ordinary and clean cut, Kazuma is one of the few characters in the series to always wear glasses, making him stand out considerably amongst the cast. Kazuma is easily one of the most respectable and reasonable characters, even knowing when it is best to disobey his master for her own sake. It’s this attitude that makes him so awesome, as you can always trust good guy Kazuma. On top of that, Kazuma appears to be one of the most powerful Shinki, having no trouble creating Boundary’s or using Restraint, amongst his many other abilities. This also enables him to fulfill the cool sensei role for Yukine and Hiyori when there’s no one else around to educate them about all things Far Shore.

Next up, the strong and sexy God of War and Fortune Bishamon. Bishamon plays something like Yato’s rival throughout the series, with them both at each other’s throats most of the time, and having some quite different ideas regarding how to go about business. Despite this, Bishamon is probably the God in Noragami most dedicated to protecting her Shinki, even though it often causes her great pain. She also does an incredible job of remaining one of the most powerful characters in the show, whilst still retaining her femininity, and acting as not just a master but almost as a mother to her family of Shinki. Her all black outfit really stands out, making her look like something of a cross between a warrior and a dominatrix, which added to the fact that she rides a lion is pretty intimidating. Her armory is also pretty impressive, with an ensemble of weapons including a whip, a gun, and a two handed sword, along with a full suit of battle armor just in case. With her straightforward attitude and bright purple, cat-like eyes, Bishamon is certainly one seriously cool gal.

And at number one the stray god himself, Yato is the series protagonist and the one causing most of the trouble. Being a God of Calamity, Yato has an innate bad ass vibe going on, with a history of battles, wars and assassination behind him. Despite his current homeless lifestyle, when things get serious it’s easy to see Yato’s previous self shine through, being incredibly calculated and tactical when it comes to fighting. Although coming across at first as a joker whose main priority is looking after number one, Yato’s attitude towards others is surprisingly admirable and he becomes increasingly dependable as the show progresses, caring more about his friends than himself. As far as his appearance goes, Yato’s brilliant blue eyes are one of the main distinguishing features of the show, with the color schemes of both Noragami and Noragami Aragoto’s openings centered on those jewel-like blues. Yato is cool in the same way a lot of anime protagonists are: because they come to be the good guy we’re all cheering for.

As aforementioned, moe is a term used to emphasize one's love for the younger fictional female characters. Moe is a symbol of youth and adventure, and so many anime feature these types of girls who personify the word. Both male and female embrace the moe culture because of the freedom and prosperity it provides. We all wish to feel young again, where there are no rules attached to our behaviors, and we can enjoy the random conversations that come with being young. The feeling becomes nostalgic, as you watch a group of youthful cute girls enjoying the slice of life, and it reminds you of how beautiful life was when nothing mattered. While some may not agree to the overwhelming passion that others have for moe culture, it's a story that we all can read in our imaginations, sift through the pages, and accept that we too at one point were also searching for truth and had a thirst for adventure. Himouto! Umaru-chan is a wonderful example of moe so let us hop right in.

Himouto! Umaru-chan is a story about Umaru, who is just your ordinary high school girl. She is well mannered, achieves good grades, and is adored by many male and female classmates. However, what many of her mates don't know is her superman-like persona. Behind closed doors she transforms into a lazy, chibi sized, and overly messy otaku causing all kinds of havoc. This slice of life comedy follows Umaru and her unfortunate brother Taihei, as the two live together under one roof, creating all sorts of mischief. Umaru becomes a carefree individual who spends her time watching anime, drinking cola, and causing Taihei much pain as he has to clean up after her. It's a very funny example of embracing our youth and not caring for authority, as we see between Umaru and Taihei. As she waddles about lazily around her apartment looking for something to catch her attention, Taihei is always there trying to tame her, but to no avail. Umaru's close friends are no different than her, as they all share the quirkiness of a youthful mind, spreading laughter around themselves. Moe is very much a selling point of the show, as we see a young adorable girl who really loves nothing more than living her life the way she chooses, and lets no one tell her what she can or can't do. If you truly love moe then Himouto! Umaru-chan is a highly recommended anime to watch.

When Tomoya, a bright young teenager, walked to school he passes a young girl mumbling words to herself. Something she says catches his attention, and so he approaches her with curiosity. He discovers that her name is Nagisa, and that she is suffering from an illness. Over time the two become friends through constant communication and Tomoya is then told that, due to her illness she's set out to achieve her goal to revive the school drama club. What gets more interesting over time is that four other young cute girls come together, along with Tomoya and Nagisa to help overcome their own respective obstacles. We chose Clannad as part of our moe anime because, immediately you become emotionally attached to at least one of the five girls and you relate to them. One great example is Fuuko Ibuki, who is somewhat of a loner but enjoys spending her time carving really cute looking starfish to make others happy. Her character design is that of a young girl with dreams of becoming something, embracing her youth and just being ditzy. When you see her, your heart will flutter and burst with emotion because of how adorable she is and you just want to hug her to say everything will be alright. This is what moe refers to, as the characters make you feel a sense of awe and create an everlasting feeling of warmth.

Moe is more than just about clinging to our youth, but also it is about admiring the innocent and cute nature of the characters we so love. When we are in the presence of these characters, our hearts lose all control and fall into a state of quasi love. It is a remarkable feeling, since we don't even realize that we have become hypnotized by the innocent, shy, and quirkiness of our beloved. This is why moe has become such a popular genre for many, because a large number of us dream of being embraced and feel that “doki doki” overpowering our will. In our next example of moe anime, we will take a look at Lucky Star. This anime truly defines moe just as much as our other examples, but you'll immediately fall in love with Tsukasa and her sister once you see how they behave. Without further adieu, let us get right into it.

The name itself sounds so fun loving and childlike, similar to that of main characters Tsuaka and her sister Kagami. While most of the spotlight is focused on Izumi, we have decided to choose Tsukasa for good reason. When you first get a glimpse of Tsukasa, your heart starts to melt at her extremely child like appearance. Her happy-go-lucky attitude shines all throughout, and her passion for cooking gives her a strong sense of maturity despite her looks. Tsukasa isn't perfect by any means, as she is quite clumsy and airheaded at times. It is for that reason we quickly fall for her, because we just want to hold her in our arms to tell her that mistakes are okay, and we love her for who she is. When she falls asleep (which is very often) her adorable face stands out, and at that moment your heart swells with jubilance. Kagami on the other hand is more mature than Tsukasa, and is the one who protects her. While her cold exterior may throw some viewers off, she is just as moe as Tsukasa because of her tsundere mindset. The large beaming eyes, paired with their rosy red cheeks just make you want to scream and reach out to worship them. We highly suggest tuning in to Lucky Star, as it will surely fill you up with joy.

Technically the strongest human in the series, Sensui was a prodigious Spirit Detective that had a clear sense of what was considered to be right and wrong until he witnessed the Black Black Club torturing demons just for their own entertainment. This event not only caused Sensui to do a complete 180 and be ashamed of his own species, it also resulted in the development of his dissociative identity disorder, creating 6 other personalities in order to cope with what he had witnessed. With his complete mastery of martial arts in the form of Resshūken, his Sacred Energy, his Offensive and Defensive armors, and his various other techniques, Sensui clearly shows that his power is right in the mix of the S-class demons, especially during his fight with Yusuke. One thing to remember is that all if these demonstrations of power Sensui performed were done while Sensui was ill to the point where he was dying; had he not been ill, it is possible that Sensui at his absolute peak could reach the S+ ranking. At the very least, Sensui is certainly one of the strongest villains Yusuke ever encounters, and in the end is only defeated by Yusuke because of Raizen’s help, proving to be an incredibly formidable foe.

As one of Yusuke’s closest allies in his many battles, Kurama is a powerful opponent not only for being able to transform into his original demon form, but also because of his incredibly clever tactics as a fighter. Kurama grows quite a lot from the thief with a heart of gold we first saw. Many of his fights involve him keeping a calm manner as he observes his opponents’ fighting styles and personalities for weaknesses and capitalizes on those weaknesses. In the Makai Tournament (the tournament that ends the show), Kurama’s last major fight is in the 3rd round against Shigure, where he transforms into his S+ ranked Yoko form. Even though he doesn’t sustain this and is weaker in his regular form against Shigure, it is because of his clever ingenuity that Kurama is able to win the fight, showing why he deserves to be mentioned along the best of the best.

The wife of Enki, Kokou gives off an interesting impression by constantly drinking, consistently having a foul mood, and even insulting Raizen’s lover (mainly because she herself loved Raizen). However, she demonstrates her true strength through her participation in the Makai Tournament, with her most notable achievement being the one who defeats Yomi, one of the 3 Kings and the main antagonist in the last story arc. The fact that she was strong enough to defeat Yomi as well as Yomi’s indication of Kokou (and her friends) being close to him in terms of physical strength both indicate how Kokou can go the distance with the most elite demons. It makes you wonder just how further in the tournament Kokou could’ve progressed had she been in proper fighting shape.

The twin brother of Natsume, Kujo was one of Raizen’s former sparring partners back when Raizen was in his prime. Kujo, along with Raizen’s other powerful friends, is introduced to Yusuke when they come to pay their respects to Yusuke’s ancestral father, Raizen. Although he comes across as somewhat cocky, Kujo certainly proves that he can back up his talk. Kujo first begins his performance in the Makai Tournament with the defeat of the newly powered up Touya despite being both out of shape and even weakened significantly by Touya. Even with these handicaps, Kujo would go on to not only be the one who eliminates Kurama, but also defeat Kokou, a fellow S+ demon. Even though he eventually loses to another of Raizen’s friends (Saizou), Kujo shows that he’s right in the mix amongst the most powerful S+ demons.

The first legitimate villain Yusuke faces in the series, Hiei eventually works together alongside Yusuke (even if it’s for his own motivations at first). Hiei also grows a lot throughout the series, as he struggles to balance his friendships with his desire to gain more power, not to mention do whatever it takes to protect his twin sister Yukina. However, it is Hiei’s fighting style and techniques that mark him as arguably Yusuke’s strongest ally. With the insane speed that he possesses, the multiple fire and swordsmanship techniques he wields, the techniques that come with the Jagan Eye, and the fact that he’s the only demon to master the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, Hiei proves time after time again that it is very hard to defeat him. This is best evidenced by his quick dispatch of Seiryu, his undefeated record in the Dark Tournament, and his fight against Mukuro, where despite being outclassed by her, Hiei is able to destroy once and for all, Mukuro’s shackles, severely handicapping Mukuro’s true power level and ultimately preventing her from winning the Makai Tournament. That honor would instead go to…

Enki is considered to be the leader of Raizen’s group of friends that return to honor Raizen. A gentle soul, Enki’s strength is perfectly demonstrated by the fact that he was able to win the Makai Tournament, thus becoming the new king of Demon World. Although it might not appear that Enki really strained himself in his matches, it’s evident that Enki certainly didn’t coast to this title, as he was able to beat many of Raizen’s friends along the path to the title. In addition, Enki’s most notable feat of the tournament was being strong enough to be the one to defeat Mukuro, another of the 3 Kings. Out of all of Raizen’s friends, Enki is certainly the best in terms of being able to be on par with the 3 Kings.

Yusuke’s growth throughout the series is incredible when you think about it; going from being a regular kid to being one of the most powerful “demons” ever is a remarkable transformation. Yusuke certainly learns a variety of Sprit techniques that he uses to defeat his many opponents, and those techniques combined with his unique fighting style make him very formidable. However, despite Yusuke’s training over the course of the story, he dies for the 2nd time in the series at the hands of Sensui. It is only when Raizen revives him in a newly awakened demon form that Yusuke attains the rank of S class. Both Raizen’s possession of Yusuke in order to defeat Sensui and Yusuke’s performance against Yomi in the Makai Tournament demonstrate that Yusuke is certainly stronger than most of the S+ demons. One can only imagine just how much power Yusuke will obtain once he is an adult, as the series ends with him having the potential to become the most powerful character in the series.

One of the 3 Kings, Yomi’s power is recognized and feared by many in Demon World, as he rules his own country and has several S demons that work under him. Even his old friend Kurama returns to him to be his right hand man. Although many of his feats are talked about, the best demonstrations of Yomi’s power are through his fights with Shura and Yusuke, as he shows how effortlessly he can beat an S ranked demon and narrowly defeats Yusuke in a match full of their best techniques. As a result of this match, Yomi ends up losing his next match to Kokou. Nevertheless, Yomi’s combination of powerful techniques, intelligence, and the way he can sense the world around him make him one of the most powerful S+ demons.

Arguably the most powerful character in the series, Mukuro is another member that makes up the 3 Kings. Mukuro’s backstory is one filled with tragedy and sadness; however, it leads to Mukuro obtaining power few have ever known, causing other demons to rightfully fear her. Mukuro’s power is directly related to her state of mind; as a result, the angrier she is, the more powerful she can become. However, Hiei was able to severely limit Mukuro’s power during the Makai Tournament when he destroyed the shackle on her left wrist, a powerful connection to her past that allowed her to channel her anger into power. Even despite this limitation, Mukuro was still able to progress very far in the tournament, defeating S+ demons such as Natsume and eventually losing to the overall winner, Enki. It is very much certain that at her most powerful, there is only one character that would have any chance of defeating her. And that character would be…

Even though Raizen passes away during the series, the amount of reverence both his friends and his enemies have for him goes a long way in terms of how powerful Raizen is, as many state that he is the most powerful fighter. We get a sense of his power when he possesses Yusuke during his fight with Sensui to the point where he revives him from the dead, turns him into an S class demon, and channels his power through Yusuke in order to defeat Sensui once and for all. We first witness Raizen’s own demonstration of his power when his casual techniques are enough to effectively keep Yusuke at bay, far outclassing him. We also come to learn that in his prime, Raizen was so powerful that not even the combined effort of Mukuro, Yomi, and Raizen’s friends could stop him. It was only by his refusal to eat humans that his power weakens enough to the point where a stalemate was established between him, Mukuro, and Yomi. Throw in some flashbacks to Raizen in his prime effectively dominating his friends, and you have multiple examples of no one ever coming close to providing any kind of challenge for Raizen. In short, Raizen is without a doubt that most powerful character in YuYu Hakusho.