Best Boy 2019 (Sunday Sevens)
It’s time for more opinions about 2019 anime and this time it’s the best boy! Ironically, I’m not a huge fan of the term ‘best boy’, but this is also just an opinion…
Best Boy 2019
Last week, I looked at my favourite anime series from 2019 and to keep this theme going, I’m shall be selecting my “best boys” from 2019. I really don’t like the term, but it seems to be the industry standard so here we are. Anyhow, these are my favourite male anime characters from 2019. As with the series, these are from the shows that I watched, obviously…
7. Chihiro Kunisaki (Hinomaru Sumo)
So, Hinomaru Sumo was one of those shows that I started watching because I’d seen everything I was planning on watching and thought why not. Well, let me just say that this series was excellent and I’ve never been so into sumo wrestling in my life. The fights were outstanding and it kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time. It’s kind of ironic that my favourite character from the show wasn’t the titular character, but Chihiro Kunisaki was excellent. He was a martial artist that had plans on becoming the MMA champion. Having lost in a fight to Hinomaru, he took up Sumo to expand his fighting skills. Coming into it as an outsider made him more relatable and his passion was just as captivating as Hinomaru’s.
6. Takehisa Hinawa (Fire Force)
I went back and forth on this one because I also like Shinra. Takehisa Hinawa took the lead, however, which was a bit of a surprise. In the beginning, he seemed like a real stick in the mud, but as the series went on, it became quite apparent that he was the glue that kept Special Fire Force Company 8 together. As much as I like Obi, he really didn’t command the same level of respect as Hinawa. Then, when you also take into account Hinawa’s epic battle with Arrow in the later episodes of Fire Force, he really stood out. That fight has got to be one of my all-time favourites.
5. Chrome (Dr. Stone)
Much like Chihiro in Hinomaru Sumo, Chrome was the more relatable character in Dr. Stone. He had an understanding of things but wasn’t the super genius that Senku was. That allowed us to learn with him and made his accomplishments that much more impressive. He continued to surprise us as the series went on, most notably when he defeated Magma in the tournament to become village chief. Chrome really was a great character and it was no surprise that the series became even better once he was introduced.
4. Futaro Uesugi (The Quintessential Quintuplets)
I love Futaro as a character. It’s probably because he reminds me of myself. No, I’ve not been the love interest of five beautiful sisters, but it is his reasoning and logic that I relate to. It all started in the first episode where he was calculating the most cost-effective lunch… everyone does that, right? Maybe not, but I do and there are lots of little things like that. This was such a fun series and I can’t wait for the next season, mostly so that I can hang out with my twin, Futaro again!
3. Shigure Soma (Fruits Basket)
When I first started watching Fruits Basket, all the talk seemed to be about Yuki and Kyo. This seemed odd to me because Shigure was clearly the best character. It wasn’t until several episodes in that I realised why Shigure appealed to me. Of course, there is his dry sense of humour and the way he likes to play with everyone. His interactions with Ayame were outstanding and the two of them together were hilarious. The thing that really sealed it was that I learnt that Shigure was an author and clearly a more successful author. From here on, I shall aim to live my life like Shigure, complete with kimono.
2. Seiya Ryuguin (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious)
It’s probably no surprise to see Seiya here given my reactions to the series, but let me explain why. At first, he seems like a real bore. He’s focused on training and preparing himself from whatever eventuality his mind can concoct, but don’t we all think like that? I’m sure there are lots of things that we’ve all wanted to achieve but have put off until we were perfectly prepared. I know I did it with my writing for a long time. It makes him surprisingly relatable and it was also pretty funny when he was right. That said, we need to find a balance between being ready and taking a chance. Practising can only get you so far. Sooner or later, you’ve got to take a chance.
1. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Tanjiro is a refreshing change to the shounen hero dynamic. He doesn’t shout and scream all the time or run around like a headless chicken. I for one am extremely grateful for that. Unfortunately, they seemed to feel the need to add Zenitsu to take up that mantle, but enough about him. I find Tanjiro’s motives and compassion to be one of his greatest traits. It is surprising to see him comfort the dying demons, even after they tried to kill him and have killed many others. I think he can see that they too are victims and didn’t ask to become demons. He is a wildly positive and optimistic character and we need more of those.
Well, there you have it. These were my best bo… favourite male anime characters from the 2019 seasonal anime. There were a lot of great characters that didn’t make the list, but I tried to pick the ones that really resonated with me. There’s always something special about a series when a character can connect with you.
Obviously, these are just my opinions and I didn’t watch everything that was released. So, would you agree or disagree with my selections? Who were your favourite male characters from 2019? Thanks, again for reading.
Other posts in the series
- Best Anime 2019
- Best Boy 2019
- Best Girl 2019
- Best Villain 2019
- Best Fight 2019
- Applications of BOFURI Technology!
- Waifu
- The Trouble with Plunderer!
- More Please!
- Make it Anime!
- My Introduction to Anime!
- What Am I Reading?
- Apocalyptic Anime
- Best Anime Winter 2020
- Best Boy Winter 2020
- Best Girl Winter 2020
- Best Villain Winter 2020
- Best Fight Winter 2020
- Seven Swords!
- Guilty Pleasures!
- My Pirate Crew!
- Course Correction!
- Guess Who I Drew!
- It Might Happen… Summer 2020
- Name That Anime!
- Anime Favorites A-Z Challenge
- Best Anime Spring 2020
- Best Boy Spring 2020
- Best Girl Spring 2020
- Best Villain Spring 2020
- Best Fight Spring 2020
“Then, when you also take into account Hinawa’s epic battle with Arrow in the later episodes of Fire Force, he really stood out. ”
You know, in a series filled with exciting battles, that’s my favorite, hands down. The animation, the determination of both Takehisa and Arrow — everything just worked. Also loved Yona calling it a tank battle. It really felt like two heavy armor divisions going at it!
“I think he can see that they too are victims and didn’t ask to become demons. ”
That scene where he switched attacks on the spider mother was simply sublime.
The animation in Fire Force has been incredible from the beginning, but this scene was on another level. Everything about it was spectacular. I could watch that over and over again.
And yeah, Tanjiro isn’t about killing Demon’s he’s about saving his sister and the demons are just in the way. It was like with the Tsuzumi demon where he said he felt sorry for him, but couldn’t forgive him for the lives he’d taken. I just hope it doesn’t get him in trouble at some point.