10 Brilliant Anime With No Weak Characters

Published Sep 7, 2026, 4:05 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Characters are arguably the most important part of any story, because it doesn’t matter how engaging the plot is if the characters are one-dimensional, boring personalities with no depth or growth. This is especially a problem in anime, because even in some great series such as One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen, there are some characters who hold the show back. Most anime have at least one good character, but the best of the best have a full cast of compelling figures, many of which become icons of modern pop culture. Having one good character is easy, but having the entire cast be amazing is nearly impossible. That is why this list will celebrate all those brilliant anime shows with no weak characters in terms of writing, personality, depth, development, arc, and overall quality. ‘Hunter x Hunter’ (2011-2014) Image via Madhouse This list won’t feature many battle shounen, but the one show that managed to keep its style and writing was Hunter x Hunter. Gon has always wanted to be a Hunter like his father, which is why he set off on an adventure to become one. However, he realizes it is much different and more dangerous than he ever imagined. It is nearly impossible for long-running battle shounen to feature a roster of well-written characters because they keep introducing more and more and can’t keep up. But Hunter x Hunter achieves the impossible by having a perfect main cast and plenty of engaging side characters as well. The anime excels at character development, and while there are some stragglers, Hunter x Hunter has a mostly flawless cast that is fun and well-written. ‘Steins;Gate’ (2011) Image via White Fox Anime like Steins;Gate are more plot-driven than character-driven, yet it also boasts remarkable personalities. After a self-proclaimed mad scientist accidentally invents a Time Machine that can send texts into the past, he inadvertently breaks the timeline, creating a doomsday event sometime in the future, and he is the only one who can stop it. Steins;Gate is one of the best-written anime, period, and the characters are just as good as the plot. Writing time travel with no plot holes is an impressive feat, but having interesting characters alongside the sci-fi shenanigans is just as important to the plot. Steins;Gate is an anime that aged like fine wine because its mix of grounded and goofy characters is forced to save reality and fix the timeline. Image via Bones Inc. People watch battle shounen for the action, but Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has that and then everything else, including fantastic characters. After Ed and Al lose parts or all of their bodies in a taboo experiment, they set out on an adventure to find the philosopher’s stone and restore themselves. However, all they uncover is a government conspiracy that threatens to consume the entire world. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood might have the best cast in all anime, and it's not an exaggeration to say so. Not only does everyone have motivations, personal obstacles, impact on the story, and development, but even the side characters get exposition. Shounen is known for poorly written female characters, but this anime boasts the best example of well-written women in the entire genre. ‘Monster’ (2004-2005) Image via Madhouse Naoki Urasawa is an iconic manga author responsible for a handful of masterpieces, including his magnum opus, Monster. Dr. Tenma decides to save the life of a child instead of the mayor, but that same kid becomes a serial killer in the future. Tenma sets out to take matters into his own hands, but will he be able to pull the trigger after learning of Johan’s dark and tragic past? Monster is spearheaded by two of the best-written characters in the medium's history, but that isn’t to downplay the rest of the nuanced side cast. Still, it’s hard not to talk about Tenma and Johan, who have a distinct dynamic that changes throughout the story. Johan, in particular, is widely renowned as the best anime villain of all time, proving Monster truly has no weak characters. ‘Nana’ (2006-2007) Image via Madhouse So far this list has mostly been shounen and seinen anime, but shoujo and josei also feature some riveting series, like Nana. One girl is moving to Tokyo to win back her boyfriend, and another girl is going there to pursue their music career. They have nothing in common except the same name, a one-way ticket to Tokyo, and a soon-to-be interconnected fate of love, drama, and life. Nana is one of the most grounded and realistic portrayals of people in anime, using authentic moments and emotional storytelling to build genuine characters in a real environment. Nana is a flawless show that more people need to watch, especially because the two titular protagonists are so relatable, raw, complex, and fun to watch as their lives go on. ‘Vinland Saga’ (2019-present) Image via Wit Studio Almost all the anime on this list have ended, but a couple still have time to prove why they have no weak characters, such as Vinland Saga. After a group of Vikings kills his father, Thorfinn joins their crew in order to get stronger and one day kill them, but will he still have the same motivations years into the future? Sure, Vinland Saga is headed by a few otherworldly characters who are beloved more than most, but that shouldn’t overshadow a compelling side cast of characters. Still, legends such as Thorfinn, Askellad, Canute, and Einar headline the best characters, and each has profound arcs that change the course of an already compelling narrative. Independent at times and connected at others, it feels like a big world with plenty of people to change it. ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ (1995-1996) Avant-garde anime have a distinct take on characters, but when done right, they are better than most—case in point, Neon Genesis Evangelion. With the world facing a third cataclysmic event, the only hope for humanity lies in the hands of a few unstable teenagers piloting highly dangerous mechs to fight angel-like aliens. The characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion are undoubtedly polarizing, but for as many people who hate them, there are twice as many who love them. Shinji cries a lot, but there is much more to his character that is complex and motivational. Asuka and Rei didn’t create the tropes, but they did popularize tsundere and kuudere character types. Despite their admitted flaws, these figures became influential anime characters who prove why Neon Genesis Evangelion is well-written. ‘Baccano!’ (2007) Image via Brain's Base Many of the anime featured on this list are quite popular, but now it will switch to some more underrated series, like Baccano! Set in Prohibition-era America, the fates of a handful of characters begin to intertwine, whether they are a scientist with an elixir for immortality, a bunch of gangsters, or two thieves looking to rob a train. Baccano is one of the best examples of multiple, seemingly unrelated stories slowly weaving together and connecting to create a phenomenal narrative. Each character isn’t just eccentric and fun, but they have their own stories that mix with other motivations and plots to create something entirely new. Baccano is an underrated gem with better characters than most mainstream anime. ‘Monogatari Series (2009-present) Image via Shaft Vinland Saga isn’t the only unfinished anime on this list, because the Monogatari Series still has a couple of seasons planned. When Araragi gains the abilities of a vampire, he quickly tries to get rid of them; when that doesn’t work, he decides to help the people of the city and their problems, which emerge as supernatural manifestations of their mental health issues. The Monogatari Series doesn’t have that many characters, but it is because of this intimate roster that it rotates between them, and fans are blessed with well-developed characters to fall in love with. As each arc explores the personal struggles of these characters, it builds them up through amazing imagery and motifs that are well edited together to create a masterful narrative. ‘Ping Pong the Animation’ (2014) Image via Tatsunoko Production Now that this list has reached its end, fans should realize that there are many anime with no weak characters, but the one in particular that excels better than the rest is Ping Pong the Animation. Smile and Peco always loved playing table tennis together, but when they try to go pro, the former is too good to have fun, and the latter isn’t good enough to hang with the competition. Ping Pong the Animation features a handful of central characters outside of the protagonists, and each one has a backstory, arc, development, and relevance to the narrative. The themes of winning and losing are perfectly portrayed through different lenses and perspectives in these characters, and the different ways they react to both naturally evolve. Ping Pong the Animation is experimental and innovative in everything it does, building a show with some of the best characters in any medium that proves it is one of the best anime series of all time. Ping Pong The Animation Release Date 2014 - 2014-00-00 Cast Koki Uchiyama, Aaron Dismuke, Micah Solusod, Alan Chow, Tyson Rinehart, Mark Stoddard, Yusaku Yara, Fukujurou Katayama, Yosei Bun, Masako Nozawa, Pam Dougherty, Marcus D. Stimac Creator Taiyō Matsumoto Seasons 1