2012 was a BIG year for anime. With the release of Sword Art Online, newer fans such as myself were coming into the ACG community like crazy because of this visually (and musically) awesome monstrosity. I was really interested in the characters overall, and throughout the year, I have found more memorable characters in anime.
So this is, in my opinion, my top 5 most memorable anime characters in 2012. (Excluding anything from Sword Art Online because that would be obvious wouldn’t it?)
5. Tadakuni from Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou
A character from a comedic masterpiece in my opinion. Although there were many other characters which were almost as memorable as Tadakuni, I personally thought of Tadakuni as the show’s poster boy. The fact that he is usually bullied by his classmates is also something I can personally relate to. (He also once wore a dress.)
4. Takanashi Rikka from Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai
One of the first ever moe blobs ever to hit the anime scene, and certainly one of the best. I never watched this anime back when it first came out. In fact, I almost completely neglected it until this creature arrived and spammed my timeline with pictures and fanart all over the place. Needless to say, I enjoyed watching Chuunibyou just because of this character.
3. Senjougahara Hitagi from Nisemonogatari
Senjougahara was the only girl I ever bothered to remember back in 2012. I hadn’t read any of the light novels, and during Bakemonogatari, Shinobu and Hanekawa weren’t as flashy as Senjougahara. Granted, Bakemonogatari was focused on her. Even to this day, she’s still a very likeable character. Her character development was especially noticeable as she went from cold hearted to the caring girl we all know today.
2. Jonathan Joestar from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo didn’t leave too much of a mark on me, frankly because at the time, I thought his personality was way too boring compared to the other JoJo’s. But if you really think about it, Jonathan is the only JoJo since part 6 that influenced how people would describe the Joestar lineage: Kind, Caring, Respectful, Powerful, and Honorable.
The other JoJo’s have these features too, but Jonathan is the only JoJo to ever show these characteristics openly. And out of all the moments in this anime, I couldn’t forget ANY of Phantom Blood’s best moments because of Jonathan.
1. Shiina Mashiro from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Even to this day, Sakurasou was, and is still, my favourite anime. Shiina was a really original character back then. She was both cute and comedic. All her scenes were beautiful animated and beautifully voiced. As the poster character for the anime that made me cry both happy tears and sad tears, Shiina is truly my most memorable character in 2012.
So, that was my personal list for the 5 most memorable anime characters in 2012. All of these characters stick to my head even til this day because of their enjoyable features. Whether it’d be looks, personality, or effects that the character had in the anime, which characters were the most memorable to you?
