Anime with a competent protagonist are not as common as many may think. There are some series that feature excellent main characters, capable of taking risky decisions on the fly and being often sensible.
This listicle will present you with some of these anime and the explanation of why we deem the main character to be competent or at least reasonable.
It’s a highly subjective list without a specific order and we will update it as soon as we can.
Table of Contents
10. Black Lagoon
From the famous and eponymous manga by Rei Hiroe comes the anime of Black Lagoon, a very popular work consisting of two series both of 12 episodes aired in 2006.
Rokumo Okajima, the protagonist of the events, is an ordinary Japanese office worker with a dull, gray life. Pepper, however, is not long in coming to his routine when he is kidnapped as a hostage by a mysterious terrorist gang known as the Lagoon Company.
These two exuberant protagonists are among the main attractions of Black Lagoon.
Rokumo will soon develop a liking for his captors, joining their gang under the code name Rock.
The anime will thus develop around the missions he will carry out on behalf of the company, accompanied by the only woman in the group Ravy, with whom he will have a stormy relationship, to say the least.
The two protagonists end up forming a perfect combination. Rock, thanks to his skills, becomes the mastermind of the organization, while Revy, a former criminal, handles all the fighting at Lagoon Company.
9. Magi: The Labyrint of Magic
A Magi is a magician whose inclination toward magic is so immense that it can be said to shape the world.
Aladdin and Alibaba will be the real beating hearts of the events, and that’s why we consider them as one of the best male duos in anime. Their friendship relationship is truly believable, and their mastery in combat, combining their enormous and complementary skills will be masterful.
A duo of protagonists to watch out for and who will remain in your heart. Each Magi chooses a worthy candidate to become a king, then helps them conquer strange labyrinths called Dungeons.
The main character, Aladdin, is one of these Magi, and he will choose to protect Alibaba, a young and talented boy. Thus begins their adventure.
This is the perfect mix of a proper fantasy setting, magic, and anime with kingdoms at war. Magi draws inspiration from the classical collection of folk tales One Thousand and One Nights, as visible from the setting.
8. Log Horizon
Log Horizon is an anime based on the light novel series of the same name written by Mamare Touno and illustrated by Kazuhiro Hara.
The protagonist Shiroe manages to handle a lot of major choices because of his great maturity and coolness. A lot of the other isekai main characters cannot boast the same decisiveness and charm as Shiroe.
The plot of the series is set in the world of Elder’s Tale, the world’s most popular MMORPG played by thousands of players. Unfortunately for the protagonists of the series, Shiro, Naotsugu, and Akatsuki, this fantasy world will become their prison as they mysteriously cannot get out.
To survive, the three will find the Log Horizon guild and make their way through the game world to try to solve the mystery that has trapped them.
Log Horizon really is a little gem that is worth discovering. It’s one of the best isekai you can watch, and even a great anime with a genius MC.
7. Noragami
A shonen manga written and illustrated by the artist duo Adachitoka, later adapted into a very successful anime.
The protagonist Yato is an unpopular minor god, indeed he has no temple and no one worships him. He lives together with his spirit friend Yukine and offers divine jobs for little money.
The real star of the show is the main character, who is charismatic, funny and serious, and competent when needed. A very well-rounded character in other words.
During his adventures, he will one day meet an ordinary schoolgirl named Hiyori, who after an accident, lives halfway between the realms of the living and the dead.
From here on, the three will become involved in more and more supernatural incidents, while Yato will do his best to save the girl.
The real charm of this story is the use of mythology and the deities of Shinto, deepening it considerably and making it a pivot of events.
6. Mushishi
Yuki Urushibara gifted us with Mushishi, a profound award-winning work that receives thanks to its enormous popularity in anime subsequently.
Ginko, the protagonist, is a serious and composed character, and also a Mushi. This term refers to strange creatures whose origin or habits no one knows.
What is known, however, is that coexistence with them is complicated for human beings, which is why there are Mushishi, experts in the field who know how to deal with these mysterious creatures to preserve their coexistence.
Each episode will be devoted to a different creature, creating a succession of self-contained stories that will take you through a very strange experience.
It must be said that the episodes are very slow, reflective, and if we want to use a misnomer, artistic. But the anime is deliberately going to create an atmosphere that is almost hypnotic and lulling.
5. Monogatari Series
The Monogatari series is the celebrated animated adaptation of the famous light novels conceived by Nisio Isin with drawings by Vofan.
Araragi, the excellent protagonist, gives the work an extra edge, offering the story an egregious protagonist who is very well-rounded, funny and talkative, and serious and resolute when needed.
He’s also generous and resolute and his life changes after meeting Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade, a vampire.
The main character will save her by giving away some of his blood, and this will make the boy a vampire too.
After becoming almost human again as a result of these events, he begins to find himself in the midst of various affairs involving spirits, gods, and ghosts while living his private life.
The Monogatari series is a unique blend of different genres, including psychology, romance, and comedy, creating a story that is unlike any other that you should watch if you haven’t already.
It also manages to have both one of the coolest MCs in a romance anime and one of the best dominant female leads ever. What more you need?
4. JoJo’s Bizzare Adventures
The Bizarre Adventures of JoJo started as a shonen manga written by Hirohiko Araki in 1987 and the anime adaptation is still ongoing with the 6th arc.
Each arc has a separate protagonist, although there are some main characters that appear in more than one. The plot revolves around the adventures experienced by the various members of the Joestar family over time, with a protagonist on each side.
Some of them like Joseph from Bloody Stream can boast a certain charm and competence during battles. Nonetheless, almost all the JoJos are resolute and have their own style, hence we can consider them to be extremely competent in what they do.
JoJo is a legendary work, known for several reasons. One certainly is its unmistakable style, the excellent fighting, and intrigue, but undoubtedly one of the main reasons is the excellent and varied cast of characters.
3. Katanagatari
Katanagatari is a masterful work by Nisio Issin about samurai and swords, telling the story of a swordsman and a strategian to retrieve the most powerful 12 swords in Japan during the Edo period.
The protagonist Shichika Yasuri is the 7th head of the Kyotōryū family, renowned for its combat style. They are swords themselves, so they fight bare-handed and they are pretty effective against sword users.
At the beginning of Katanagatari, he’s already extremely strong and effective in defeating every obstacle to satisfy his master Togame, the strategian.
As soon as the plot progresses, the main character will become even more competent and efficient, understanding that not every order must be followed blindly.
2. Hellsing Ultimate
Here we are dealing with another work recognized as a masterpiece by many. We are talking about Hellsing Ultimate, the main work of author Kota Hirano.
Alucard is probably the best character in the entire series and the best vampire for sure. With this premise, it’s clear that he’s a badass and one of the best evil MCs ever.
The anime tells the story of the bloody war between the English Hellsing association and the forces of evil. Among the ranks of the first faction, we find the protagonist of the story.
The complex but effective plot and the high-level confrontations, always accompanied by not inconsiderable splatter, are definitely the highlights of the anime thanks in part to the excellent work of the animation studio.
1. Berserk (1997)
When we talk about Berserk we are examining one of the great seinen classics, a work that has set the standard and has been able to enchant a large group of fans over time.
Gatsu is a very good protagonist, very resolute and well-focused on his goal, never losing sight of his ambitions but also the people he cares about. We are undoubtedly talking about one of the best protagonists ever.
His role in the plot is completed by the presence of Griffith, the main antagonist. This is also represented by the chromatic contrast between the two, as Gatsu is initially represented by black and Griffith by white.
Berserk is one of those works you don’t have to miss out on, the plot and the vintage style of the 1997 adaptation add even more value to the wonderful cast of characters.
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