Every main story has a hero and a villain, sometimes it’s an individual or sometimes a team. And, the story wents smoothly with the beautiful adventures of the hero which people always remember. But, most of the time it’s not the hero or villain which makes the show interesting. Without the involvement of side characters in anime, the show means nothing.

Anime history is full of legacies written by these supporting characters who have contributed a lot to the show. They’re not the main character of the series, but they become the face of the show which tends to attract more audience. And, their popularity level surpasses even the protagonist.

Vegeta, Levi, Kakashi and several others have great importance in the anime industry. And, you know what’s common among them? They all are side characters and today, we’re going to talk about the same thing. So, for you, we’ve prepared a list of some of the best side characters in anime who’re more popular than the main character.

Let’s get started then.

Mikey

The ‘Invincible’ Mikey, the name is more than enough to tell you about him. Takemichi, he’s just the main character, but Mikey rules the world of delinquents. He’s the toughest & strongest character in Tokyo Revengers because of his unbeatable record.

Technically, the creator selected Takemichi to be the protagonist of the series but he’s rarely seen in the frame. After all, what’s the need if Mikey & the gang is there. Several leaders like Osanai, Hanma and Taiju tried to take on Mikey but everyone got defeated badly by his powerful “Nuclear Kick”.

First, the leader of Toman and currently, the leader of the Kanto Manji gang, Mikey is born to be a king of his own world. He is like a small packet with a big surprise. It doesn’t matter how strong or tall the enemy is, Mikey always knocks out his opponent in a sudden moment and that’s why he is so popular among the fans.

Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai is a member of the Armed Detective Agency and former executive of the underworld organization, the Port Mafia. He’s voiced by the Japanese voice actor, Mamoru Miyano who has given voices to well-known anime characters like Light Yagami & Miya Atsumu.

Bungo Stray Dogs is all about Mafia & criminal organizations and Dazai was the youngest leader in the history of the Mafia. However, he left it a while ago still people in the underworld fear him because of his aptitude. As a saying in the Mafia went, “The greatest misfortune for Dazai’s enemies is that they are Dazai’s enemies”.

Dazai is a very mysterious person as he never reveals his true intentions unless he wants them to be. He is a confidential person & a terrific planner, coming up with long-run strategies to subdue his enemies. The only problem is, Dazai is fond of attempting suicide and currently, he is in search of a woman to commit double suicide with him.

L Lawliet

L Lawliet or ‘L’ in short was the only person in the entire Death Note series who knew about the real identity of Kira. Through his keen intelligence, L succeeded in pulling Kira to a corner such that Kira was forced to play his special card to eliminate him.

Without the help of L, it was almost impossible for the Japanese Police and Interpol to detect the culprit behind all the deaths. He guided the police throughout the series by predicting every single move of Kira precisely.

Not having any kind of special power or Death Note still going head-to-head with the smartest criminal like Kira is not an easy task, but L proved this theory wrong by his sharp intellect. Both Light and L were the main aspects of the show, but L was quite a fan favorite in terms of popularity.

Karma Akabane

It’s hard to guess who’s the main character in Assassination Classroom? But, let’s assume Koro-sensei is the one because of the involvement of the story around him. Still, he is not the one who’s famous from the show as people are more aware of the guy named Karma Akabane.

Karma is a supporting main character of the series as he’s a student in Koro-sensei’s Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School. He is a highly chaotic young man who’s virtually impossible to read. His feary looks and mischievous behavior are the attention grabbers for anyone watching the show.

However, Karma is known for his violent and unpredictable personality. He’s so arrogant that one time he got suspended from the school due to his subtle act. But, he fits right into the plot of Assassination Classroom because of his dedicated nature.

Killua Zoldyck

Killua Zoldyck played an important role throughout the series of Hunter x Hunter in major arcs which includes Heavens Arena, Greed Island, and Chimera Ant. He was the main protagonist of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc. He was also a competitive & dominant character in the Hunter Exam and Yorknew City arc.

Killua was introduced as a character who appeared to be similar to Gon: cheeky, cheerful, and full of mischievous ideas. However, contrasting Gon’s politeness, Killua seemed to be a bit rude & aggressive towards others, especially strangers. After all, he was the heir of the Zoldyck Family.

Even after being of the same age as Gon, Killua had a sharp intellect and exceptional analytical skills. He possessed keen senses and was the most talented assassin in the entire history of the Zoldycks. And, don’t forget he was the fourth most powerful applicant during the first Hunter Exam.

Chika Fujiwara

Chika Fujiwara is the beautiful heroine of the rom-com series, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. She is a third-year high school student at Shuchiin Academy, and the current secretary of the Student Council working along with shows main characters Miyuki Shirogane & Kaguya Shinomiya.

Chika is a bit of a childish girl who always has a cute smile on her face. The reason why she’s most beloved in the series is because of her playful act every time. She always looks to have fun with her fellow student council members and comes up with strange activities & ideas that entertain the fans.

Chika is obsessed with anything that has to do with love, claiming herself to be a “love detective” and giving relationship advice to others without any experiences in the past. Ironically, Chika is quite talented in a variety of areas, being an accomplished pianist while also speaking 5 languages.

Roronoa Zoro

The future pirate king, Monkey D. Luffy started his journey by recruiting the infamous ‘Pirate Hunter’ Zoro and he was the first member to join his crew willingly. And, he lived up to the expectations of the fans. His three-sword style impressed & amazed the audience and is doing so for the past two decades.

Zoro’s dream is to become the greatest swordsman in the world, in order to honor a promise he made to his deceased childhood friend Kuina. In addition to his fame as one of the Straw Hats, he is also regarded as one of twelve pirates who are referred to as the “Worst Generation”.

Another reason why he’s one of the popular side characters in anime is because of his involvement in almost every anime series out there. Zoro’s direction sense is a bit outdated as compared to Google Maps so he’s always a target in memes created by fans. Moreover, in the ongoing Wano arc of One Piece, he’s shining like a superstar leaving behind Luffy as well.

Levi Ackerman

Widely known as “Humanity’s Strongest Soldier”, Levi Ackerman is the current squad captain of the Survey Corps led by Armin Arlert. As a soldier, he demonstrated his capability several times in the series and proved his worth many times.

One such memorable moment where he showed his true potential of being a one-man army character was the decisive battle with Beast Titan in the ‘Return to Shiganshina’ arc. However, it was a one-sided match as Levi totally outclassed Zeke in all aspects.

Even without any special kind of power or weapon, Levi was able to survive in the Titan world just by his superior swordsman techniques and high intelligence. He’s the perfect example of what a human can achieve by sharping their skills throughout life.

Katsuki Bakugo

On paper, Midoriya is the main protagonist of the My Hero Academia franchise and the story begins with him as well. But, fandom doesn’t think that way because Katsuki Bakugo is the most popular character in the series. And surprisingly, he always wins the popularity poll of MHA with a mass number of votes.

With the one goal of surpassing All Might as the No. 1 Pro Hero, Katsuki seems to be highly arrogant & rude towards almost everyone due to being immensely confident of his own Quirk and abilities. Midoriya is his all-time favorite bully, however, he considers him a worthy opponent now.

Katsuki has proven from time to time that he is one of the most powerful students in the U.A. In combination with his hard work, talented skills and gifted intelligence, he has shown to be a very capable hero that can battle against strong foes. And, he has proven to be one of the best side characters in anime history.

Satoru Gojo

When Jujutsu Kaisen first aired in 2020, no one was aware of the series that much. In the beginning, viewers liked the show for its dark and humorous plot. But, the anime began to top the trending charts when it introduced its most powerful character, Gojo Satoru.

Satoru Gojo, the handsome & stylish guy, is a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer and a teacher at Jujutsu Tech. In the history of the sorcery world, Gojo is recognized as the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer ever existed and is invincible in terms of strength & power.

He has a lot of abilities which includes Limitless Cursed Energy, Infinity, Hollow Purple, Unlimited Void and the special Six Eyes. Apart from all these skills, he possesses great physical strength & sharp intellect that makes him an extremely overpowered anime character of all time.

With this, our list of popular side characters in anime comes to an end. We hope you liked it. Let us know in the comments section, which one is your favorite from the list?

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