Anime side characters have a weird habit of stealing the spotlight from the actual main cast. You go in expecting to root for the protagonist, and somehow you end up crying over a guy who showed up in like 12 episodes. That’s the power of a well-written side character. Sometimes all it takes is one arc, one speech, or one perfectly timed moment for them to become the character everyone talks about.
For this ranking, we’re going by two things: how much they actually matter to the story they’re in, and how much the fans genuinely love them. These are the side characters who either changed the plot completely or changed how we felt about the whole show. Here are the 10 greatest side characters in anime, ranked.
10. In Frieren, the Entire History Surrounds Himmel the Hero
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Credits: Madhouse -
Credits: Madhouse -
Credits: Madhouse
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Credits: Madhouse -
Credits: Madhouse -
Credits: Madhouse
Himmel the Hero is dead before the story even really begins, and yet he’s somehow one of the most important characters in the entire anime. Every flashback, every decision Frieren makes, every quiet moment of grief traces back to him.
He’s the reason Frieren starts to understand what it means to actually value time with people. For a character who doesn’t even appear in the present timeline and only appears in short flashbacks, that’s insane influence.
However, he ranks lowest because his being influential is what the story is about, unlike other characters who were simply so well written that fans started loving them more.
9. Dazai Osamu Might as Well Be the Protagonist of BSD
Technically, Atsushi is the main character of Bungo Stray Dogs, but let’s be real, Dazai is the one who actually feels like the protagonist. He is someone with an actual fleshed-out backstory, mysterious motivations, and an aura that is unmatched in the mafia world.
He’s chaotic, hilarious, and somehow also one of the most tragic characters in the series once his backstory hits. Fans latched onto him instantly, and it’s not hard to see why. The only reason he doesn’t rank higher is because his influence is not timeless.
8. Roy Mustang Is One of the Best Written FMAB Characters
Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is proof that a side character can have one of the most satisfying arcs in the entire anime. He’s ambitious, morally complicated, and constantly playing the long game while pretending to be lazy about it.
His whole journey toward taking down a corrupt system, paired with his loyalty to his team, makes him one of the most respected characters in the story. However, he is not as loved as the protagonist.
7. Dr. Tenma’s Kindness Makes Him One of the Most Beloved
Dr. Kenzo Tenma gave up his entire career and reputation because of one choice rooted in compassion. That single decision spirals into the entire plot of Monster. He’s not flashy, he doesn’t have superpowers, and he’s not even always right.
However, his relentless sense of morality is what makes him so easy to root for the whole way through. The reason he ranks so low is that Johan still outshines him in the anime.
6. Vegeta Has His Own Separate Fan Base
At this point, Vegeta is basically a franchise within a franchise. He started off as a straight-up villain and slowly evolved into one of the most beloved characters in Dragon Ball Z, mostly because of his pride, his rivalry with Goku, and his surprisingly soft spot for his family.
His arc from villain to anti-hero to full-on hero is one of the best character transformations in anime, period. He ranks in the middle because he is timeless, but also not as popular as Goku at the same time.
5. Askeladd Is Perhaps the Most Loved Bad Guy
Askeladd was the villain in the prologue of Vinland Saga. He’s manipulative, ruthless, and does some genuinely messed-up things throughout the anime. And yet fans adore him. In fact, many fans claim that he was in the right.
His wit, his mysterious backstory, and his complicated relationship with Thorfinn make him one of the most fascinating morally gray characters anime has ever produced. His death hit way harder than a villain’s death probably should.
4. Itachi Uchiha Might Be the Most Loved Naruto Character
Itachi sacrificed everything for the village that condemned him. He’s the definition of a character whose true story completely reframes everything that came before it. Once his real motivations come out, the entire perception of him flips, and it turns him into one of the most tragic and respected figures in the whole Naruto franchise, side character or not. He ranks this high because now we are in the territory where even if someone hasn’t watched Naruto, they would know the name of Itachi.
3. Roronoa Zoro – The First Crewmate of the Future King of Pirates
Zoro is loyal to a fault, strong enough to back it up, and has one of the clearest, most consistent goals in all of anime. As the first member to join Luffy’s crew, he set the tone for what it means to follow someone with everything you’ve got.
His discipline, his rivalry with Sanji, and his sheer will to become the world’s greatest swordsman make him a fan favorite across generations of One Piece watchers. He is also another character who is hard to ignore in the anime community even if you haven’t seen the anime.
2. Levi – Humanity’s Strongest Soldier
Levi is efficient, brutal, and doesn’t waste words. But underneath that cold exterior is someone who’s lost more than almost anyone else in Attack on Titan. His fighting style alone made him an instant fan favorite, but it’s his quiet humanity in the middle of constant tragedy that turned him into one of the most respected characters in the anime.
In fact, some of the highest-rated episodes of this anime on IMDb are dedicated to him (as per IMDb). A lot of the fans even start this anime because they saw him fighting Kenny on Instagram Reels.
1. JJK Fans Cannot Get Enough of Gojo Satoru
Was there ever any doubt? Gojo is the strongest sorcerer alive; he knows it, and he never lets anyone forget it. But behind the confidence and the jokes is a guy who genuinely cares about his students and wants to change the broken system he grew up in.
He’s funny, he’s overpowered, he’s tragic when the story needs him to be, and he’s become one of the most iconic anime characters of the last decade. It’s no surprise he tops this list. Show someone a photo of Gojo, and even if they don’t know what anime itself is, chances are that they would know that’s Gojo Satoru.
So, who is your favorite side character? Let us know in the comments.
