Any anime is only as good as its characters. Whether it has a small or large cast, the characters can make or break an anime. Many of the best series become great because every character is as important as the protagonist. The best anime, however, are those which allow both the protagonists and the side characters to shine. Even if they shine in only small moments, it gives the anime more character, allowing for more thorough storytelling and deeper importance to the anime in general.
The best anime where the side characters are just as important as the main characters make each person feel needed. No character feels supplementary because they all have their parts to play in the grand scheme of the story. Even if the protagonist is offscreen, the anime can still have compelling plotlines because the other characters are fleshed out. Many anime have strived for this balance in storytelling, but a select few have had the most success.
10 Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War’s Characters Could Have Their Own Spinoff Anime
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War is a hilarious romantic comedy series following the romantic attempts of the Student Council President and Vice President. Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the main focus as they try to get each other to confess, but the rest of the Student Council are just as vital. Their interventions and help allow Shirogane and Shinomiya the space they need to finally confess their feelings.
Chika Fujiwara, Yuu Ishigami, and Ai Hayasaka are only a few of the many side characters who affect the plot. They have problems and potential romantic and platonic relationships of their own. If Shirogane and Shinomiya aren’t in a scene, the show still goes on without them because the side characters are just as important. Each side character could have their own justified spinoff due to how they shine just as brightly as the protagonists.
9 Fruits Basket Is a Story of Healing for All Its Characters
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Fruits Basket would not be what it is without the side characters having their day in the sun. The expansive cast are all dealing with their traumas to varying degrees of success, but it’s through Tohru that they manage to find peace. If these side characters weren’t fleshed out, the story would be completely meaningless. However, thanks to the Sohma family, Tohru’s friends, and all the other characters, Fruits Basket has become one of the standards of shojo romance.
The Fruits Basket anime focuses on comedy and drama in equal measure. However, it is only able to do as much because of the importance it puts on the characters outside Tohru. Yuki and Kyo Sohma’s struggle as well as Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani’s friendship would typically be side plots. But the anime brings them to the forefront so audiences can better understand the world Tohru is living in. Fruits Basket is a much-beloved anime thanks to its attention to detail and its realistic characters.
8 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day Is Focused on Bringing Everyone Together
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day focuses almost entirely on its side characters. While Jintan and Menma are the apparent “main characters”, it is the entirety of the Super Peace Busters who make the series what it is. Each member of the original friend group is dealing with Menma’s death in different ways, even after five years of mourning. But it is through their healing they come together in the end to send Menma off to the beyond.
Yukiatsu, Anaru, Poppo, and Tsuruko all show different stages and ways of grieving as Jintan tries to untangle his lingering feelings for Menma. If the other four had remained in the periphery, none of them would have been able to heal from such a tragedy. The point of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is for the Super Peace Busters to reunite for one last time so Menma can see they are all still friends after her passing. Had the background characters not stood out, the anime’s ending would not have had as much of an emotional impact.
7 Jujutsu Kaisen Broadens Its Scope With Its Beloved Supporting Cast
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most beloved anime in recent years thanks to how much it lets its side characters shine. Although it is Yuji Itadori’s story, all the other Jujutsu Sorcerers and students are just as important to the plot as he is. The anime takes its time to feature each character, which is important in a series with such high stakes. Both the heroes and villains get comparable amounts of screen time so audiences know the true scope of the peril ahead.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s secondary cast has become so popular that many of the supposed “side characters” are more beloved than Yuji. This is thanks to the purposeful writing of the creators. Characters like Satoru Gojo, Kento Nanami, and Suguru Geto are made more endearing to audiences because they know their backgrounds. Without the anime focusing on them, Jujutsu Kaisen’s story would not have had as much impact once their deaths came around. Fans are still heartbroken over many side character deaths because of how much audiences have grown attached to them.
6 Attack on Titan Is More Devastating Because Fans Care About Everyone
Streaming on Crunchyroll
One of the things adding to Attack on Titan’s success as a series is its enticing cast. The more audiences get to know each of the characters, the harder it is to lose them. This is an unfortunate and repeated occurrence throughout Attack on Titan. However, it’s also what makes the anime so compelling.
As they watch, fans are constantly on their guard about which of their favorite characters will be the next to fall. As the seasons have gone on, the lore has only expanded and now includes people from outside the walls. Despite this shift into a larger scope, the Attack on Titan anime never feels overbearing. Rather, it highlights the terrors of war and how devastating it is to lose comrades. If the background members of the Survey Corps faded into the background, there would be no emotional payoff for any of the terrible things which happen in Attack on Titan.
5 Wind Breaker Makes Every Bofurin Member Important
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Wind Breaker is a relatively new anime, but it’s already cemented itself as a shonen masterpiece. Haruka Sakura is an entertaining protagonist, despite his hot temper. But what makes Wind Breaker so intriguing is its focus on the rest of the Bofurin crew. Sakura’s dynamic with each of his teammates makes the anime more cohesive and allows for explorations into other characters’ motivations.
Bofurin is a unique group even within its own story. As a gang of so-called “delinquents”, they still band together and fight for their town’s safety. They genuinely care for one another, which helps audiences care for them too. Sakura may be the protagonist, but it’s all the relations formed in Wind Breaker which make it one of the best new shonen anime.
4 My Hero Academia’s Scope Is Amplified By Its Characters’ Goals for the Future
Streaming on Crunchyroll
My Hero Academia would not have the same impact story-wise if Izuku Midoriya was the only focus. While his journey from a Quirkless kid with a dream to a bonafide Hero is inspiring, My Hero Academia as a whole wouldn’t be able to stand without all the other subplots happening simultaneously. Some of the fans’ favorite characters from the series are thanks to Kohei Horikoshi’s attention to detail by making the majority of characters important.
My Hero Academia isn’t a perfect story by any stretch. Yet, it is made all the greater because of the characters it does focus on. All Might, Tomura Shigaraki, Katsuki Bakugo, and the Todorokis are just some of the cast who have some of the best storylines in the series. By including their plotlines, My Hero Academia allows audiences to feel the scope of the Hero World and raises the stakes for the fate of its future.
3 Kaiju No. 8 Highlights The Defense Force’s Motivations For Fighting
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Kaiju No. 8 is a unique shonen anime offering due to its mostly adult cast and 32-year-old protagonist. Kafka’s journey as a Kaiju is certainly the driving force for all the stories in the anime, but it’s the side characters’ quests which make Kaiju No. 8 great. Every character has distinct motivations and goals which keep them fighting the good fight against the sudden surge of malevolent Kaiju invading Japan.
Most of the characters in The Japanese Defense Force’s Third Division have personal reasons for wanting to destroy the Kaiju. The different stories show audiences all the nuances which can go into someone’s motivations during combat, while also giving audiences more background on each of the characters. Kikoru Shinomiya’s background regarding her parents is particularly moving. The reason why this anime works is because of how invested everyone is in all of its characters and how that plays into the larger war at hand.
2 Dandadan’s Side Characters Teach Audiences About Its Strange World
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Dandadan is one of the newest anime to debut, but it is already loved for its quirky cast. The story focuses on Momo Ayase and Ken “Okarun” Takakura as they take out aliens and yokai with their newly acquired powers. However, they are helped along the way by several of their classmates, friends, and acquaintances who also happen to have powers of their own. Each of their powers relates to their backstory in some way, making them feel like bigger parts of the anime’s storyline.
Though they work well together, Momo and Okarun would be nowhere without the help of their friends and allies. Momo’s grandmother, Seiko, and the affectionately named Turbo Granny Yokai, are two particular standouts. Their assistance (both willingly and reluctantly given) helps not only Momo and Okarun but the audience. Fans learn about the world through the many side characters who all feel vital to learning the strange rules for the world in which Dandadan is set.
1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Makes Each Character Important To Its Message
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is often lauded as one of the best anime of all time thanks to its stunning writing. Every character is important to Edward and Alphonse Elric’s journey. As they travel through Amestris, Edward and Alphonse learn about the impact of war on both sides and the human cost of greed. It is through the side characters where the anime’s lore and context comes from.
Despite its expansive cast, none of the characters get lost in the fray. Even the characters who only have a few lines still stand out because of how life-like they are. Usually, side characters only exist to serve the plot or the main characters. In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s case, the supporting characters are the driving force behind the story and propel it to the renown it has experienced. Not many anime have mimicked this kind of success, which attests to how superb the writing is in this series.
