10. Speed Racer (Speed Racer)
Although his time in the spotlight might have passed, there was a time whenSpeed Racerwas the biggest name in anime in the West.
If you don’t believe me, then consider this: Has any other anime series been adapted into a live-action film directed by the Wachowskis? You know, the duo who gave usThe Matrix?
Sure,Speed Racerdebuted back in 1967 long before anime went mainstream, but that’s becauseSpeed Raceritself played a huge role in popularizing anime across the world.
It’s been decades now, but many people—maybe even your parents—still know the tune toSpeed Racer’s theme song. It was the first real anime on Western TV and its cultural footprint remains huge.
Related:The Coolest Anime Cars, Vehicles, and Transportations
9. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
One of the newer animes on this list,Jujutsu Kaisenonly debuted in 2020 but it already dominates anime popularity polls.
Of the many great characters in the series,Satoru Gojois a standout. He’s not just incredibly strong, but also unsettlingly mysterious and absolutely unflappable in every scene he’s in.
Satoru Gojo is one of the most popular male anime characters because he strikes that perfect balance between cool, badass, and fun. We’re constantly wondering what he’s going to do next.
Fun fact:The prequel filmJujutsu Kaisen 0broke box office records despite Satoru Gojo being one of the only characters from the main show. That alone speaks to his popularity!
Related:The Best Teachers in Anime, Ranked
8. Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
The entire cast ofAttack on Titanhas their own troubles, butLevi Ackermanhas it worse than most—and those struggles molded him into one of the deadliest characters in anime.
Levi is cold, calculating, fiercely focused on wiping every grotesque titan off the face of the planet, and he has the skills to do it.
He shot up the anime popularity polls as soon as he debuted in 2013 and continues to hover near the top despiteAttack on Titan’s erratic release schedule. Fans simply can’t get enough of him, especially now that the anime is winding towards its grand finale.
Related:The Best Anime Characters With Black Hair, Ranked
7. Zoro Roronoa (One Piece)
Every fighter in anime history has some sort of gimmick, but few of them are as cool as Zoro’s own tricks.
Zoro Roronoais a master of the incredibly impractical but undeniably wicked Three-Sword Style, wielding a blade in each hand with a third one clenched in his mouth.
It can look silly at times, but Zoro’s undying dedication—towards both his training and his friends—is what earns this pirate a cherished spot amongst the most popular male anime characters of all time.
Related:The Best Anime Characters With Green Hair, Ranked
6. Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
It’s hard to imagine where anime would be without the success ofDragon Ball, and it’s hard to imagineDragon BallwithoutVegeta.
The mighty Saiyan Prince—when is he going to become king, anyway?—is Goku’s most famous enemy-turned-rival, and he can stand his ground against Goku in both power and popularity.
In fact, Vegeta has never actually lost to Goku in a fair fight (although he also rarely wins those battles). The two are locked in a perpetual tug-of-war that we suspect will continue for as long as theDragon Ballfranchise continues to print money.
Related:The Best Anime Rivalries Between Competitive Characters
5. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)
Another newer anime series on this list, but it’s impossible to deny the popularity of both theDemon Slayeranime and its heroic protagonist,Tanjiro Kamado.
The young Demon Slayer is kind, caring, supportive of his friends, and willing to cut demon heads off whenever necessary.
How do we know Tanjiro belongs on this list of the most popular male anime characters? ThefirstDemon Slayerfilmbecame the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time, displacing Studio Ghibli’s iconicSpirited Awayafter nearly 20 years.
Related:The Best Anime Demon Characters of All Time, Ranked
4. Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
Bleachmade a big comeback in 2022 when the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc finally got its anime treatment.
The show remains popular for its huge, ever-growing cast of fun characters, but the whole thing has always been carried by series protagonistIchigo Kurosaki.
His multiple transformations, evolutions, and developments throughoutBleachhave always made it impossible to guess where he’s going next, even if it usually comes down to fighting Hollows and other nightmares from the afterlife.
Related:The Best Anime Characters With Orange Hair, Ranked
3. Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
Before he was Boruto’s dad,Naruto Uzumakiwas the endlessly optimistic and increasingly powerful rookie ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village—who became one of the most marketable and most recognizable anime characters of all time.
WithNaruto Shippudenending in 2017, Naruto sort of stepped aside and allowed the spotlight to fall on his son with the debut ofBoruto: Naruto Next Generationsthat very same year.
Even so, Naruto remains such an enduring figure in anime that they’re still making movies about his adventures. It’s no surprise that his popularity has barely waned over the years.
2. Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
Most of us probably had no desire to be pirates until we sawOne Pieceand metMonkey D. Luffyand his crew of Straw Hat Pirates.
This iconic shonen anime has been going strong for well over 1,000 episodes, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It’s not just the anime—One Piecemovies are still being made, too.
The most recent movie in the series,One Piece Film: Red, currently sits among the top ten highest-grossing Japanese movies ever, mostly thanks to the ever-stretching hero Luffy.
Related:The Best Anime Series With Pirates, Ranked
1. Goku (Dragon Ball)
How popular isSon Goku, the Saiyan sent to Earth as a child? Well, you can see him make an appearance nearly every year in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, floating over the streets of New York.
It’s been almost 40 years sinceDragon Ballfirst aired on TV and Goku has been at the heart of the franchise ever since.
In fact, there are parts of the world where Goku is more well-known than Superman or even Mickey Mouse, achieving the kind of global popularity that most anime characters can only dream of.
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