There’s a weird trend with One Piece games where most of them just recount the entire plot of One Piece. While at first, you might think “Why would they do that when the anime and manga exist?”, there’s an advantage to this. Weirdly, playing a 30-40 hour game is actually much less time than it would take to invest in the story otherwise! These games exist for potential fans to get the gist of the story before jumping into the weekly chapters. We recommend checking out the mobile game One Piece: Treasure Cruise. It’s free to play and can easily be blown through in a few hours while it summarizes the plot of the series. If you’re looking for something more substantial, Pirate Warriors 3 for Steam, PS4, and Switch is a solid choice. It’s one of the best Musou titles out there and should catch you up to speed with more pizazz than the mobile game could.

Most people are going to tell you that the One Piece experience requires you to get through it from start to finish. While this is the best experience, it is also just not practical. Author Oda Eiichiro writes One Piece with young children in mind, so most story arcs tend to be written with being a solid beginning, middle, and end in mind even if you don’t know every detail. If you’re just starting out, we recommend that after you read the first chapter, skip ahead to the Baratie Arc where Sanji is introduced. Many fans consider this to be where you start getting the first real hints at the plot due to the introduction of the Shichibukai. Better yet, this arc leads right into Arlong Park, which is the first “true” One Piece arc. This is the arc where you will be able to tell if One Piece is going to be the series for you. Even if you don’t quite know who Zoro, Usopp, and Nami are, you’ll get a pretty decent sense of their characters in these arcs. Otherwise, if you’re still not sure after reading Arlong Park, just skip all the way ahead to Alabasta, which is when the plot of One Piece really begins.

Of course, what may be even more inconvenient than the time cost is the actual monetary cost. The anime is easy enough to just watch on Crunchyroll, but it just takes up so much time. The manga is more practical and timely to catch up with, but buying it is just so expensive. You may not be lucky enough to live near a library that happens to keep the entire series in stock. Thankfully, if you live in the US, Weekly Shonen Jump just completely revised their policy. In addition to letting you read new chapters for free for the first 3 weeks, you can pay $2 a month to also get the entire Shonen Jump backlog! This removes a lot of clutter on your bookshelf and will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Plenty of anime try to position their heroes as being “average” to better fulfill a power fantasy for the viewer. They are meek, uninteresting people who believe they have no talent but discover through freak chance that they have a strange talent for a sport, which leads them to become one of the best players in all of Japan. The fact that they are actually an average person is inconsequential to the plot: it is only there to make the reader feel empathetic. And that’s what’s so interesting about Natsunosuke Bonda. He’s not the star of his team. He’s just a relief pitcher on the Spiders, a national level pro team. Compared to the average person, he is obviously quite talented, but in comparison to the rest of the league? He barely stands out. This creates a unique perspective for the series, as Bonda’s goals aren’t for glory, but survival. He’s not the kind of player who has a cult of personality or the sheer talent to survive normally in the big leagues. When he stops being useful, that’s the end of his baseball career and the end of living the good life.

One of the defining episodes of Gurazeni comes from when the well-known batter of an opposing team has his contract up in the air. The management actually wants to retire him because he’s so expensive and he’s been in a bit of a slump, but he’s so ingrained in the culture of the team that they just can’t outright deprive him of a contract. They wait until the next game and hope that his slump continues when he goes up against Bonda, and when he fails to even hit against a no-name like him, that might convince the batter to retire. Stories like these are simply just not being told in anime these days. Sports anime, in particular, are so focused on tales of the importance of discovering a passion that the reality of the sport goes ignored. Yet Gurazeni doesn’t just not ignore it, it embraces it as the main driving point of the plot. Gurazeni is, ultimately, a story of capitalism and how it completely drives our culture for better and worse, and baseball is just the window dressing to show how nothing is sacred.

Around 200 years into a future Japan, an almost utopic law and order is kept under the watchful guardianship of the Sybil system. An incredibly complex algorithm-driven computer program which seeks to identify the mental stability of Japan’s citizens. Assessing for any risk of violent or latent criminal tendencies. Citizens whose “Psycho-Pass” score is shown to pose a risk will be arrested and labeled a latent criminal before any crime can be committed. Among the many citizens who benefit from the security this rule of law provides, is the intelligent Akane Tsunemori, a young woman who recently joins the police force to help ensure the peace and uncover crimes, even if that means partnering with a latent criminal, Enforcer Shinya Kougami. The more they work together, the more they uncover the truth about this mysterious system. From Production I.G., comes an exhilarating sci-fi, mystery, thriller anime that challenges perceptions of powerful emotions and what society does when turning to criminalize those who are not a part of designated mental “norms”. In essence, this anime makes it to the list not simply because the topic of mental health is embedded in the justice system which governs the world, but manages to start an interesting conversation particularly around stigma associated with mental illness.

There is no rule more crucial in the world of alchemy than the law of equivalent exchange, “to obtain something, something of equal importance must be lost”. To break such a rule would mean to pay a terrible price. Two young brothers, Edward and Alfonse Elric, attempted to bring their deceased mother back into the living world through the use of alchemy. In their desperation, they failed to consider the consequences resulting in Edward losing his arm and leg; Alfonse losing everything but his soul. This leads them to journey to become official state alchemists for the military so that they have access to the capital and research they need to find the answers to restoring their bodies. Studio Bones brings an anime that comes layered with various moments of great loss. Be it that of a mother, father, soldier, or people. Beyond this, it shows the individual ways people have of grieving when such a loss occurs. For the Elric brothers, they attempt to defy the laws of nature and alchemy to bring their mom back. For the many who are impacted by war in the series, a variety of emotions such as anger, hatred, and sadness are expressed when that which is precious is taken from them. If there is one thing that FMAB does well, it is to not paint any two characters’ experiences of grief or tragedy with the same brush.

Naruto is an orphan living in the hidden leaf village. He has spent his whole childhood growing up in the village alone. Unbeknownst to him, a fox spirit responsible for the destruction of the village twelve years prior, including the death of his parents, is sealed inside him, resulting in him being shunned by the community. Naruto struggled through Ninja Academy where he worked to graduate to become a Genin all in the hopes of working to eventually become the Hokage, the leader, of the whole village so that he will finally be seen in a positive light by the community. Now a Genin, Naruto is a part of Team 7 with Kakashi-sensei, teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Will he be able to make his goals come true? What makes Naruto, as a character, so special is not simply his sad backstory, which many heroic figures in tales tend to have, but his reaction to that tragedy and isolation in his life. Growing up within a community that hates you for an unknown reason can certainly be enough for someone to give-up or become dispirited. Yet in spite of this experience, Naruto aims to try his best and become the Hokage, he maintains a mindset that allows him to get through difficult moments and seemingly impossible battles yet still stay true to himself and his values. He has a “will of fire” as the Hokage would put it.

Kakeru is an amazing runner, but his talent and social ineptitude tend to put a barrier between him and anyone he is on a team with. It was this barrier that led to him leaving track altogether. Low on money, he runs away from a store clerk after snagging some food for dinner. During the chase, he bumps into a young man on his bike named Haiji, a student at Kansei University just like him. Haiji discovers the situation that Kakeru is in and invites him to become a member of his dorm with other guys from the university. Kakeru soon discovers that Haiji’s motive for inviting him to stay at the dorm was to have the dorm compete as the university’s track team in one of the most challenging runs in Japan, Hakone Ekiden. Can this team of amateurs pull themselves together to make the impossible possible? The various team members at Kansei University’s track team come from various backgrounds, all with their own individual lives and struggles such as: seeking a good job, trying to maintain a relationship with someone, quitting smoking, or just getting into shape. The track team brings them all together and shows them the benefit that running as an exercise and sport can have on one’s physical and mental wellbeing. We would be remis if we left an anime that highlights this important fact, off the list.

Among the weapons of war used between nations, none are more surprising than that of a young girl named Violet, who was brought up as a tool of destruction. Once the long war was over, Violet was left with terrible memories with her only comfort being the final words of the commander who gave her a name, yet she struggles with her inability to grasp the words’ meaning. A friend of the commander, Claudia Hodgins employs her as an Auto-Memory Doll at his company CH Postal Service Company, where she is tasked with writing letters for strangers, even though she still struggles with fully grasping the emotions and wishes that are shared with her. With her new life beginning, can she learn to be more than simply a tool and grow to understand these emotions and words expressed to her? Mental health is not simply about the presence of overwhelming emotion or feeling but also about our ability to connect with the words and emotions of others, how it affects us and fuels us. In Violet’s story, we see her emerge from this dark past and struggle with connecting with other people on an emotional level, creating a seeming distance between her and others. A fact which Violet is not oblivious to. The intricate importance which the show places on the importance of human connection earns it a spot on the list.

Aatia Kaizaki is an unemployed and down on his luck, 27-year-old who after leaving his first lucrative job after only a couple of months, is left with trying to earn some money from part-time jobs; all the while bombing interviews and pretending to be employed when around his friends. Considered a failure by those in his life, Aatia’s fortune takes a turn for the strange when he encounters a man, Ryou Yoake, who introduces himself as an employee at the ReLIFE Research Institute, a company which seeks to rehabilitate the recluse and those who are not employed. Ryou offers a strange pill that will turn him into a younger high school version of himself for one year. Upon successful completion of the experiment, he would be offered employment and be able to turn his life around. Can such a thing be possible and if so will Aatia succeed in this experiment? One thing that can negatively affect our mental health is our own negative perception of our self, our self-doubt, and sense of failure. For Aatia, this perception is fueled by the great expectations which he and society as a whole place on him to be a positive working member of society, something that he shares with the next show on the list. Yet despite this sense of failure and struggle to secure employment, he stays true to himself and his values even when placed in various difficult scenarios. ReLIFE has us exploring more deeply what factors contribute to defining our self-worth as individuals and how that ultimately affects us.

A Hikikomori is a term to describe an individual who is considered a shut-in and a NEET(not pursuing education, employment, or training), Tatsuhiro Satou just so happens to be such an individual. He has done all he can to shut himself off from the world outside his tiny apartment, driven to seclusion by the conspiracy theories in his head. Having no formal education beyond high school, no real ability to socialize, there appears to him to be no clear path until he encounters Misaki Nakahara, a quirky young woman who wants to help Tatsuhiro live again. Much like in the anime above, we have a protagonist who does not appear to be meeting the expectations of society, yet the thing that separates the protagonist of Welcome to the NHK from ReLIFE is the severity of Tatsuhiro’s situation. Showing extreme anxiety upon contact with people and the external world with conspiracy theories continuing to fuel his reclusiveness, Tasuhiro is not in a good place when we first encounter him at the beginning of the anime. Welcome to the NHK creates a journey out of the everyday things we take for granted even though it’s animation can at times cause more fear than understanding for the audience.

Moritaka Mashiro dreamed of nothing more than becoming a mangaka as talented as his uncle. Yet this dreamed soon died the day his uncle passed away from overwork when Moritaka was still a small child. It was a dream his family was glad he gave up so that he would not end up like his uncle. Yet many years later in middle school, the incredibly bright Akito Takagi declared his dream of becoming a great writer of manga and sought Moritaka’s help as an artist, to make his and Moritaka’s old dream, a reality. Apprehensive at first, Moritaka agreed and begun on a quest with Akito to achieve their dreams while doing all he can to keep a promise to crush. The creators of Death Note bring an anime that highlights the highs and lows of a career as a mangaka. The anime carries throughout its episodes, this incessant need of the protagonists to succeed and to push themselves harder and further than ever before if they wish to succeed in the industry. Yet underlying all of this, is the consequences of overwork and stress as a result of one’s job. Whether it is a simple reflection of reality in the industry or simply aiming to give viewers an important lesson, Bakuman. Highlights the need for a proper work-life balance.

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Rei Kiriyama is a shogi prodigy and a professional player, having earned his place in the ranks when he was in middle school. Yet beneath the seemingly neutral mask he wears in day-to-day life, he struggles with a trauma from his past. Between the death of his parents and sister to his adoption into a shogi-playing family, as well as the unrelenting expectations to succeed which he and the community place on him, it takes a toll. Yet through this difficult time in his life, he finds solace and friendship in three sisters: Hinata, Akari, and Momo Kawamoto, and those at the local shogi hall who mentor him. The creators of Honey & Clover bring a vividly astounding portrait of one young man’s journey of self-reflection and discovery. What separates March Comes in Like a Lion from others on the list, is how immersive the inner-monologue of Rei Kiriyama is, combined with the animation style, it creates an experience that allows the audience to dive deep into the storm that is Rei’s emotions. These stem from his recollection of his harmful past, his seeming depression, and the anxiety he has for his career and the future. Through its animation style, it also exhibits the literal light that can be brought into someone’s life by the supportive presence of others.

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A sophomore named Naho Takamiya finds a mysterious envelop that appears to carry letters from herself 10-years into the future in her mail. Initially skeptical, the contents of the letters seem to mirror what is happening in reality and thus begins this strange adventure. The letters speak often about a fellow student named Kakeru Naruse who, unbeknownst to her, is struggling in his life. What does her future-self hope to achieve and can Naho succeed in the seemingly self-appointed quest from the future? Sometimes the biggest struggles a person will go through, are silent in nature. They can be hard to notice by our friends or family, yet still, support can be greatly needed. Orange makes it to the top of this list for illustrating the important difference that a supportive network of friends can have for someone who is struggling with their mental health. Orange creatively utilizes fantastical elements, such as letters from the future, to drive a narrative of support and hope for the characters involved.

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Born to a Japanese father and a French mother, Claudine started her career when she was a very young child. This made her think at first that she was a shoo-in for the Starlight stage, but as soon as she entered Seisho Music Academy, she realized that not only was she not the best, but she needed to work to keep her place as one of the top performers. She has a huge rivalry going with Maya, who is number one because she needs to prove that she's better. Claudine is very beautiful, with serious brown eyes, and long dirty blond hair. She makes a gorgeous dancer and can be imposing with her long sword, but unfortunately for her cuteness factor, she looks more dangerous than the others. This is not to say she's not beautiful or that she wouldn't be in the top spot in a list about who is the most gorgeous of the troupe hopefuls, but it undercuts her cuteness so she falls to the tenth spot on the list.

Kaoruko comes from a long line of Japanese traditional dancers and is the granddaughter of one of the masters of the art. She’s accustomed to being treated like royalty so she tends to insist that Futaba acts like her maid and serves her with loyalty. This brings her some troubles at school because she's talented but lazy and that makes her think she doesn't need to give all her effort during practice so she's not ranked as high as she should. Despite this, one can't deny she's quite cute. She has long blue hair, and around the audience and teachers, she acts like a proper lady, demure and polite. It's only around her classmates that she lets her true colors show. She has golden eyes and is very talented with a naginata, her weapon of choice. Most of the time, she can pass as a perfect woman. However, her attitude and arrogance make her fall to the ninth place on our list.

One could say that Maya Tendo was born for the stage. This is a bit literal as she is the daughter of a famous actor and an opera prima donna. However, unlike Kaoruko, Maya doesn't rely on her natural talent to succeed and trains and practices as hard as all her other classmates and she dislikes Kaoruko for her laziness. Unfortunately, her drive to be the best makes it really hard to have time to make friends, and she is convinced that being the Top Star means that no one will want to be her friend so she is quite lonely. A lot of people compare Maya to a swan because her presence is that majestic. She has long brown hair that she keeps in a ponytail with a blue ribbon, and holds her bangs with x-shaped hairpins, which makes her look even more beautiful. The only thing that makes her not be as cute as she could be, is her aura of perfection, and how majestic she can be even when doing something as silly as describing food. Because of this, she only reaches the eighth place on our list.

Offstage, Mahiru seems shy and calm. One would never imagine that she is one of the most vigorous dancers and singers in the school. She's very devoted to Karen, to the point that everyone in school knows that she admires her—it may be a bit more than just admiration—and has some rivalry against Hikari just because Karen and Hikari are childhood friends. Not only that, but she’s convinced that she’s not worthy of being at the school unless she’s Karen’s sidekick, which explains why she’s so shy when not performing. Mahiru has long purple hair, and big blue eyes. She usually dresses in light green, which makes her look even more like a violet, which is quite appropriate given her attitude in school. And she is one of the nicer girls in school, at least when not trying to keep Hikari away from Karen; she is really cute and earns the seventh place on our list.

Futaba Isurugi didn’t really have any drive to become part of the Starlight troupe, but since her friend Kaoruko enrolled, she decided to follow to stay close to her. She’s very loyal to Kaoruko, following her orders when needed and while she complains about it, in the end, it's obvious that she thinks Kaoruko’s wellbeing is the most important thing to protect. It doesn't mean she doesn’t give her best in her classes, though; and in fact, she’s the one who makes sure Kaoruko arrives in time to hers. As she’s one of the few girls who wears her hair short, it’s easy to peg her as a tomboy, but she has a very sweet side. Her hair is bright pink, which makes her look even cuter, even when she’s losing her patience with Kaoruko. She uses an axe, which is not a very feminine weapon, and is why she loses some points and lands on the sixth place of our list.

Junna is one of the honor students at the Academy and the class representative for the99th class. This is because unlike the others, she has to put in more effort to prove to herself that she deserves to be a student and a member of the troupe because she decided to become an actress over her parents’ complaints that it would be wasting her intelligence. This means she also overanalyzes the situations she faces and at the beginning was a loner, as she thought she couldn’t relate to her classmates. Junna has long flowing purple hair that she keeps in a ponytail and is one of the few students that wear glasses, which make her look very cute and hide how dangerous she can be with her bow and arrows. Her personal color is blue, which also highlights how cold and aloof she seems at first glance and is the only reason she remains in fifth place.

Nana is pretty much the “mom” of the 99th Class, as she cooks for everyone and is always trying to make sure they all are happy. She’s quite an amazing cook and wants the whole group to stay together; this is why she doesn’t like when girls drop out of the class due to the terrible pressure to perform. Nicknamed “Banana” by the others, she’s very skilled—almost even better than Maya—but she doesn’t really care about being the best, she only wants to be part of the happy team, a little too much at times. She's the tallest of the group, blonde and green-eyed. She wears her hair in pigtails, and that makes her look a bit younger than her true age which, with her sunny attitude, make her stand out among her peers. It's funny how she really doesn't need to be the Top star and instead prefers to spend her time with her friends, making sure everyone is happy. As she sometimes takes that too far, she takes the fourth place in our cute ranking.

A mysterious being that oversees the auditions for the Starlight Revue and seems to feed on the despair of the girls that don’t quite make the cut. He is behind many of the problems that plague the girls and seems to have many powers, including the ability to rewind reality if he wishes so and even break the fourth wall. Usually, this kind of character wouldn’t be called “cute” by any measure of the world, but Kirin has one particular advantage that puts him quite high in our list: He is a talking giraffe. Giraffes are cute and that’s hard to dispute. They look a bit ridiculous with their long necks and spotted fur, they always look a bit confused as to what’s going on around them. While it’s obvious that Kirin is not ignorant of what’s happening at the school, he still has the same expression so it’s very hard to feel intimidated by him, and that is why he earns the third spot on our list.

Karen’s old childhood friend, who had a lot of passion for the stage to the point that she and Karen promised they’d be one day standing together as part of Starlight. Then, her parents took her to live in England to study at a performing school and thus, they lost contact. In England, Hikari lost the auditions and with that, most of her love for the stage; but now that she’s back in Japan and reconnected with Karen, she has some of her passion back. Unfortunately for Karen, she wants to focus on not letting Karen do the auditions so that Hikari can make certain that her friend won’t lose her passion too. Hikaru is tall, aloof and seemingly cold when we first met her, but she used to be very friendly when she and Karen were children. She has long black hair and wears a blue uniform. While usually a cool, blue-eyed, dark-haired girl wouldn't be considered cute, the fact that she absolutely loves plush toys, specifically stuffed bears, and has one in her uniform, make her a lot cuter. She still sleeps with a teddy bear, and because of that, she climbs to the second place on our list.

When she was a little girl, Karen saw a performance of the Starlight troupe and fell in love. From that moment on, she declared she would one day be part of that troupe and perform in similar plays with her friend Hikari. Even after Hikari left for England, Karen never stopped chasing her dream. When Hikari returned to Japan and enrolled in the same academy as her, Karen was incredibly happy. Unfortunately, her time away changed Hikari, so now Karen is not sure where she stands with her former best friend. Karen is the most energetic and happy of the 99th class, and that automatically makes her cute. She’s always friendly, always smiling and unlike everyone else, she doesn’t think you need to be alone to be the Top Star. In fact, she wants everyone to become a Top Star and perform together with all their hearts, as long as it’s not in the matinee since she hates mornings. She has short brown hair, and wears it in two small pigtails, with a cute crown in her stage costume and two crown hairclips. And because no one can resist her smile, she earns the first place on our list.

Juxtapositioning splendidly with her rash partner, Yuri Fujishiro epitomizes an officer's most desirable characteristics. Permanently confident and poised, Yuri seldom reacts in the face of danger, making her an excellent candidate to deal with any high-risk situations. The officer shows so little emotion, she almost comes across as a robot! In fact, Yuri is an android, although an advanced enough model capable of convincingly passing as human. An excellent physical specimen and instilled with a literal computer in her head, Yuri is essentially the perfect detective. While her icy demeanor makes for quite a cool character, the android's personality does not facilitate any real intensity. Coupled with the cynical Maxine, Yuri has a stabilizing influence on her partner. With the exception of Kirill, everyone in the department knows Yuri is an android. Despite the character's artificial inception, she is treated as one of the gang! That's pretty cool.

Lasting a short 13 episodes, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill introduces an expansive cast packed with fascinating but barely explored members. Hopefully, a second season is greenlit that further elaborates on the anime's secondary characters. As it currently stands, Milla Vrubel amounts to little more than a minor distraction, but Kirill's older brother deserves better! Hailing from another civilization called the "second sun," as children, Milla and Kirill were forced to leave their home as a last ditch effort for survival. Orphaned and with scarcely a cent to their names, the siblings depended on a mysterious old man to look after them. Recognizing the need to maintain a low profile, Milla pretended to be a woman, believing this would attract less attention than two near-identical siblings. Realizing a gender swap may not be sufficient, Milla abandoned Kirill for his own safety. Milla altered his gender to protect his brother. How can such a selfless act be defined as anything other than cool? Along with shedding light on Kirill's past, Milla's disappearance motivated the protagonist to become an officer. Milla’s real name is Valery, and Kirill might benefit from heeding his sibling’s example.

Carrying a pipe and dressed like a porn star from the 1970s, Travis Murphy is near impossible to take seriously. Sort of similar to Tiger & Bunny, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill attempts to strike a middle ground between hijinks and genuine drama. Periodically breaking up the flow of an episode to essentially riff at the anime's expense, the narrator clearly believes he is presiding over a comedy. Conversely, the "Anthem" plot is tackled relatively earnestly. Travis firmly adheres to the belief that Double Decker! Doug & Kirill is a parody of cop procedurals and old-school action shows from the days of Miami Vice and Charlie's Angels. Seven-O's head describes the squad's female inspectors as "Travis' Angels," a nickname addressed with nothing but scorn by the chosen officers. Travis acts as if he is the coolest person to ever grace an anime, which is part of the joke! Occasionally, Travis is permitted to actually accomplish some proper police work, and the department's leader tends to shine like a somewhat slimy diamond! While a far cooler specimen in his own mind, nevertheless, Travis has his moments.

Basically, Katherine Rochefort is Double Decker! Doug & Kirill's equivalent of Psycho-Pass's Akane Tsunemori. Recently accepted into the task force, she injects a touch of normalcy into proceedings. If compared to any other Seven-O operative, Katherine comes across as a beacon of sanity. In a comedy duo, she would perform the part of the straight man. Now, in all fairness, Akane is Psycho-Pass' female lead, with the audience primarily experiencing the story through her eyes. Comparatively, Katherine holds a far less significant role in Double Decker! Doug & Kirill. In an action series, ordinary characters help ground their quirkier comrades; however, comedies tend to treat normies rather differently. Considering Doug and Kirill can hardly be classified as average, a relatively "normal" character sticks out like a sore thumb. Fresh out of the academy and a stickler for rules, Katherine pushes back against the Seven-O's tendency to operate outside the law's limits. Gratefully, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill opts against treating the officer as a comedy foil to the rest of the group's antics. If the need arises, Katherine willingly cuts through the red tape to get the job done!

Hilariously partnered up with the strict Katherine, Deana del Rio is a loose cannon. Proficient with a sniper rifle and never shying away from a confrontation, Deana wears her emotions on her sleeve and shows a complete disregard for tact or subtlety. That's not to say the officer lacks intelligence, but Deana's actions tend to be driven by gut feelings and anger rather than strategy. Draped in pink and fashionably designed, Deana's appearance deserves a reasonable amount of credit for the inspector securing a spot so high on this list. Let's just say she would not seem out of place in Persona 5, and that is saying something! Along with her impeccable wardrobe, Deana's loud personality allows the character to steal many scenes. Overall, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill devotes a single episode to Seven-O's secondary teams, and Deana made the most of her 15 minutes of fame!

Without a fitting villain, an awesome protagonist can never truly fulfill their potential. As Double Decker! Doug & Kirill's big bad, Zabel Franken debuts as a death row inmate who was used as a scapegoat by the Esperanza crime syndicate. Seeking to eliminate the group's leader, Doug and Kirill agree to work with Zabel, but the dude ultimately pulls off a Keyser Söze to reveal himself as the true mastermind. Initially, Zabel comes across as meek and powerless, but that could not be further from the truth! Once the illusion is lifted and the villain exposes his hand, Zabel transforms from a lackey into a suave and intimidating antagonist with a talent for encroaching under Doug's skin. Outfitted in elegant suits and always a couple of steps ahead of the game, Zabel is a villain you cannot help but love to hate! We are not saying that murderous sociopaths are cool, but THIS murderous sociopath is pretty cool. Blame it on Zabel's beard and wardrobe. The villain boasts enough style to grace the front pages of any trendy fashion magazine.

Zabel may serve as Esperanza's head, but Bamboo Man is undoubtedly the organization's flashiest representative! A respected and feared member of the crime syndicate, Bamboo Man is impossible to miss regardless of the situation or characters on screen. Typically, he is the one dressed as a clown. Alternatively, the gangster removes his makeup and pretends to be a high-ranking military officer. Anthem provides users with a substantial physical boost, although this gift charges quite a price. Manifesting a person's innate desires, they are turned into crazy monsters driven solely by impulse. As tends to be the case, Esperanza's members supply but generally avoid consuming the drug themselves. Pressured by the Seven-O's relentless pursuit, many are forced to "sample" the product as a last ditch effort for survival. Bamboo Man has nothing to fear. Unlike the average gangster, the villain's strength depends not on the administration of an external substance. Consequently, Bamboo Man is a terrifying and unpredictable opponent! While we would hate to cross paths with this character, Bamboo Man lights up the screen whenever he makes an appearance!

Along with Doug Billingham, Kirill Vrubel enjoys the privilege of being Double Decker! Doug & Kirill's main character. A rookie detective aspiring to be an adored hero, Kirill's arrogance regularly draws trouble to himself and others. Generally speaking, Kirill seems principally designed to emphasis Doug's inherent coolness, a task accomplished efficiently by the rookie. Inadvertently the butt of many of the anime's jokes, Kirill is a walking punchline! Yet, there is just something about Kirill that hits the spot. Despite constantly jumping to ludicrous conclusions and being the subject of recurring hazing by the Seven-O's veteran inspectors, Kirill is undeniably endearing. Even if unfounded, the protagonist's unfaltering self-belief and unrelenting drive for success are admirable. Crucially, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill's rookie possesses just enough self-awareness to avoid grating on a viewer's nerves. Obtuse and rash, Kirill has a long way to go before actualizing his dream of inspiring a new era of peace. Nevertheless, we are rooting for the constable!

Bestowed with a tomboyish visual design and an aggressive attitude, Maxine Silverstone screams "cool." Judging a book by its cover frequently leads to disappointment, but Double Decker! Doug & Kirill's inspector should not be dismissed as just another pretty face. Without exception, Sunrise's show successfully utilizes a character's appearance as a physical manifestation of their personality. Maxine is not merely the department's resident "cool" biker. The officer's backstory directly inspired Maxine's current persona. As a teenager, Max preferred the company of books over people, although she developed a crush on her transgender friend Connor. Selecting prom as the latter's coming out party, Max's companion was relentlessly ridiculed by his former classmates, an act that drove Connor to drugs and depression. Ultimately, Connor disappeared and left behind a bitter Max. Max's appearance pays tribute to her shunned friend. Riding around on a motorcycle and more than capable of holding her own in a fight, Max refuses to hide her disdain for any signs of injustice or intolerance. Outside of the office, Max lets down her defenses and displays a gentler side of her personality.

Honestly, who else could it be? Douglas Billingham oozes charisma and sophistication. Even during those rare moments when the detective loses his cool, Doug still comes across as a Hollywood action lead fit to star alongside any iconic actor from the '80s. Whether patiently staking out a hideout or staring down a colossal beast seeking to demolish anything or anyone in its path, Doug accepts any challenge without ever complaining. As the Seven-0's oldest member, Doug tends to carry most of the responsibility; thankfully, those are some mighty sturdy shoulders! Partnered up with the hotheaded Kirill, Doug is the constable's polar opposite. Both are reasonably talented, but the older detective prefers to exercise a more understated approach. Despite being a master combatant, the veteran inspector usually encourages Kirill to wait for backup. With the exception of cases dealing specifically with Esperanza operatives, Doug avoids taking any unnecessary risks. In the hands of an expert, anything seems easy. Stoic to a fault, Douglas Billingham is the ideal Kirill aspires to reach! Funny, dangerous, and charismatic; Doug has his name in the title for a reason!