Cybertron Messiah’s Top 10 List of Anime Badasses!

Jump on in for the debate of the holiday season!

Looking back, the holiday season is a time for reflection. Where most people reflect on family members who passed on, or all of the great Christmas presents they got in past years, I kind of skew the trend a bit. Ever since I was young, I watched all of these badass shows, from Voltron to Thundercats, to the obvious Transformers, my childhood was filled with characters that just kicked all sorts of ass.

As I grew up, my tastes have changed. I managed to get away from anime, but somehow, I got drawn back in.  Thinking about this, I thought of how there have been so many characters that got me into watching that show. Of course, this is all according to me. However, you feel free to comment below and tell me how much of a moron I am for not including your favorite characters. Or, tell me how spot on my tastes are. Don’t worry, I don’t expect the latter. Anyway, on with the countdown!

#10: Tetsuo and Kaneda from Akira

I know, I cheated on this one. However, you can’t really mention one without the other. It’s like Batman and Joker, Cloud and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, Magneto and Charles Xavier. Their stories are so intertwined with one another, to not mention one of them is does a disservice. Akira was a movie that came out in 1988, and has such a rabid following, that it has been released on almost every type of home medium. There is so much one can say about these two.

Tetsuo started as a member of Kaneda’s motorcycle club, The Capsules. Tetsuo’s dormant psychic abilities manifest, and he gets drafted (or kidnapped, anything works, to be honest) into this secret government program that helps with the growth of the psychic abilities. That leads Tetsuo to be named the successor to the famed Akira, who was being held in a secure facility elsewhere in Tokyo. Tetsuo’s abilities go out of control. Tetsuo’s change from a timid member of a motorcycle club, to a destructive force of nature was something else for the time.

The antithesis to Tetsuo was Kaneda. Where Tetsuo thought that he was only useful when he was destroying Tokyo, Kaneda was there trying talk him into a calmer state. Kaneda did everything he could to help Tetsuo, but he just couldn’t get it done. When everything else failed, he had to pull the trigger on a laser cannon that would probably destroy him. If it weren’t for the real Akira saving Tetsuo, Tetsuo would be dead. There is so much that can be said about both characters, especially that mind fuck of an ending. Everything from the Espers, to the Commander, to the rest of the motorcycle gang were the perfect complement to these two. So, pardon me for cheating, but these two are two sides to the same coin to me.

#9 Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist / Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

If there was anything that needed to come over from Fullmetal Alchemist, it was the voice actor and demeanor of Roy Mustang. From the first second Mustang comes on screen, he just exudes badass. Granted, the fact that he can set shit on fire with a snap of his fingers is a good argument as well.  He is a Commander in the Amestrian State Military, as well as a hero of the Ishvalan Civil War. He can’t possibly care less about the every day goings on of paper work, especially when he delegates his paperwork to his underlings so he can sit around and wait for the glory of war. He manages to become a master manipulator just so he can jump to get that glory. When you are as good of a fighter as Mustang is, you can’t argue with results.

I tried so hard to stay away from the characters that fan boys and fan girls go for, mainly because they’re mostly the same. But I had to put Mustang in, just because of how the writers averted the normal mopey, doom and gloom fan favorite. So, for all of you Sasuke, Levi, and whoever else the fans go gaga over for no real reason, here is your spot too. Levi, Sasuke, and Levi all fit in together with the dark, brooding, easy to become rabid over, because they’re all mysterious. I get it, but I don’t like it too much. Roy Mustang is the only one who actually struck a chord with me, because there’s complexities. From his relationships with Riza Hawkeye and Maes Hughes to being one of the most dangerous alchemists in Fullmetal Alchemist.

Like most characters who are mopey and dark, he does come around a bit. He also has a bit of tragedy when he loses his sight. After lamenting about being useless in the final battle to come, he takes Hawkeye’s help, and starts to overwhelm Father. So, while he may be blind, he wasn’t useless. Roy Mustang’s story is one that you’d expect for a main character. The cocky badass loses his friends and underlings, then his sight, but he is still able to be helpful. I’d take Mustang over most characters in a fight.

#8 Walter C. Dornez from Hellsing / Hellsing Ultimate

What crazy motherfucker uses strings as a weapon? Whatever, you call it wire, but it moves like string. This badass butler and possible Nazi sympathizer uses crazy wire that looks like it has a mind of its own. This is just nuts. This is going to be very spoiler heavy, especially if you didn’t catch Hellsing Ultimate IX and X on Toonami.

As a whole, I thought Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate was boring as shit. It’s an all powerful vampire, doing what he wants, killing whoever, and has to answer to a very young female boss. The only thing that kept me going was Walter and his subtle snark. Then II came on, and I saw that his wires were going ham on Jans during Millennium’s invasion of the Hellsing mansion. He played decoy, and managed to kill the platoon of  ghouls while ripping off Jan’s arm. And then the Police Girl got to play with her cannon, and severely wounded Jans, just so he can burn at the hands of The Major.

Later on, he gets abducted, and turned into an artificial vampire with abilities that make Walter comparable to Alucard. Speaking of which, let me tell you how Alucard is the worst character in the history of anime. This dude gets shot up, torn into pieces, beheaded, and everything in between. But he manages to shrug everything off like nothing happened. Yeah, nothing like a tank of a character that is just oozing in deus ex machina. This is what Millennium wanted to turn Walter into, but it didn’t really happen. When Walter underwent the artificial vampire transformation due to The Major and The Doctor, shit turned sideways for Walter. His body gave out and became unstable while fighting Alucard.

The best part of Walter’s story is that no one knows what side of the fence that Walter stood on. He was forcibly taken and forced to undergo the procedure. But the Major said Walter was always with Millennium. Walter said he would never work with Millennium, yet he went heads up with Alucard. There are a lot of questions that circle this badass butler with the sentient wire, which only adds to why I think Walter C. Dornez is the eighth best character in anime.

#7 Asuka Langley Sohryu – Neon Genesis Evangelion / Evangelion Rebuild Project

This was a tough choice for me. I thought this list would serve a grave injustice if there was no Evangelion characters on this list. Let’s take a quick look at the other characters: Shinji is a bitch, Rei is just weird, Gendo is flat, and Misato was trying to be too much without being much of anything. Now, I am not saying Asuka is the best of the worst here. There are valid arguments for any of the characters. But Asuka seems like the most dynamic character in the series.

Asuka’s debut in the original Evangelion was something else. She’s self-centered, cocky, and violent. From her first scene in the series, she is shown to be very adept at piloting an Evangelion. Unfortunately, when you start out that high, you can only go down. She develops feelings for Shinji because almost every moment she’s awake, she has some form of contact with him. During the director’s cut of episode 22, she even goes so far as to say of Shinji, “Why are you there damn you?! You don’t do anything! You won’t help me! You won’t even hold me!” when her psyche was attacked by Angel Arael. She is probably one of the most tragic characters of the series, and that’s without mentioning her mother hanging herself.

Then we get into the Rebuild movies, and everything about Asuka is closer to the manga. Her self-centered cockiness is toned down a bit, but she dials up the violence, even punching the window of the cell that Shinji is held in after he was rescued. Of course, she still wants Shinji, but things are taken further because of the shortened window of the movies. In Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo, this all gets dialed up even more, because Shinji almost triggering the Third Impact. All of that bottled up rage comes to a head, and she punches out a window. I can’t even wait for the US release, because this movie was fantastic. Luckily, it debuted at New York Comic Con last year, so us Americans got a taste. Funimation needs to stop dragging its feet and put this movie out.

Asuka is the type of character that is multidimensional, even if it’s only to hide the insecurities underneath the cockiness. She has the ability to be a fantastic Eva pilot, but just loses to her own insecurities. If you haven’t tried to delve into Evangelion, just go do it now. It’s an investment of time that you will never regret.

#6 Dandy from Space Dandy

Let’s get something straight before we start. Dandy seems like a fucking idiot. Yet, he somehow is able to make everything work. That said, Shinichiro Wantanabe absolutely nailed the design of Dandy. From episode to episode, you never know if the guy is a moron, or a genius in disguise, because every idiotic move works out. When the hyper drive only works on occasion, and you never know where you’re going to end up, you shouldn’t use it. Yet, somehow, the Aloha Oe always manages to get to where it needs to be.

Dandy doesn’t suffer from main character syndrome. He’s oblivious to the world around him. He’s oblivious that he was the key point in a war between to cosmic superpowers. He has no overall mission, just that he needs to capture rare aliens so he can get paid. And even then, he just goes with the flow. Wait, I think that was an episode title. Anyway, Dandy seems to be a jack of all trades as well. He can surf the sky as well as race the Mini Aloha. Oh, and lest we forget about Dandy being able to traverse to different dimensions because he is made up of Pyonium energy.

For as aloof as Dandy is, he isn’t above sacrificing Meow or QT so he can survive. Call that callous, but I think it’s smart. This guy has the delinquent tendencies that his design draws from, but underneath all of that, he is so much more than that. Yeah, he would sacrifice QT or Meow to survive, but he show that he has a caring side. Let me point you to my review of “The Lonely Pooch Planet”, and take a look at how Dandy actually cares about a lonely dog. It was emotional, and a spectacular show of what’s beneath Dandy’s delinguent, aloof attitude. You can catch the first 8 episodes on here.

#5 Roger Smith From The Big O

“Now Big O! It’s show time!”

Probably one of the most overrated shows ever to show on Toonami, The Big O was a show that received a rather mild response when it aired in Japan. This is the only time that I can remember where an American reception to a show, not to mention that Turner Broadcasting helped fund, got Bandai Visual to produce a second season of this acclaimed series.

Much of the acclaim is the interaction between Negotiator Roger Smith, and his live-in android, R. Dorothy Wayneright. Oh, and the gigantic robot he pilots, Big O. Roger Smith is calm, cool, and has structure. The Big O came out of a time where there were a lot of giant robot anime, and they were mostly piloted by teenagers who should have no place in a giant robot battle suit.  Roger Smith bucked that trend. He also bucked the trend of how he just looks straight up gangster in that suit and car.

One of the best comparisons that I can make is that Roger Smith is as close to Batman: The Animated Series that any anime can make. The art deco art style, suits, and the car all look like it could live in Gotham. When I first watched The Big O, I thought that DC commissioned Batman out for an anime style show. Luckily, I was very wrong. I love the character of Bruce Wayne, but I think that Roger Smith does as much in 26 episodes. Granted, the guy isn’t a serial womanizer, but he’s just as badass.

Just like Bruce has Batman for him to be badass, Smith has Big O. This Megadeus is what he pilots when shit gets serious, which is every episode. He managed to keep Paradigm City safe, no matter how corrupt the officials are, or inept the police proved to be. Because of this, Roger Smith is number five on my list.

#4 Master Roshi from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT

We all know that Goku is the most powerful being in the universe. We all know that Goku would also kill Superman. However, if it weren’t for his childhood trainer and mentor, who knows what Goku would be?

Master Roshi was an old man well before Dragon Ball began. In his old age, he was able to learn the Evil Containment Wave in case Piccolo broke free from the seal that was made when Master Mutaito used the Evil Containment Wave. He won the Tenkaichi Budokai by barely beating his students Goku and Krillin. Not only did he train Goku and Krillin, he also trained Tienshinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu. That extended to all of Goku’s kids by matriculation.

The reach of this man’s training spanned the enitrety of the Dragon Ball saga. The power Roshi has in the beginning of the series is immeasurable, because no one has ever reached his level. Granted, as Goku kept training, he surpassed Roshi a million fold. If he didn’t have his comedic side, he would have been fucked as a character. This man is one of the funniest characters of all time. He’s more pervy than Jiraiya, and always manages to make the most perverted jokes at the worst times. And no matter how bad his house gets torn apart, somehow he always manages to fix it.

He was able to stand toe to toe at Goku’s max power when Goku was younger. Not many characters in the almost five hundred episode saga of Dragon Ball. If Roshi didn’t teach Goku how to do the Kamehameha Wave, Goku may have been dead in the water. So, thank you, Master Roshi. Your actions have saved the universe numerous times over.

#3 Guts from Berserk

Here’s why Guts is number three: “My sword is quite dull…I can’t get a clean cut. But its weight and thickness is three times a normal sword’s. If you get hit, you’re sure to die a painful death.”

All Guts knows in the world is fighting. Large armies, duels, or getting sacrificed to a demonic ritual by the leader of his army, Guts goes in with his sword Dragonslayer swinging. He says very little throughout the series, unless it’s to talk shit about God, kicking the shit out of the opponent, or trying to bang out Casca. This guy is a beast, plain and simple. When it comes to bullshit like this, Guts gives no fucks.

Another badass situation happened during episode 14, when Guts and Casca took on 100 soldiers in the woods. Casca was PMS’ing, and holding Guts back. Guts, being the badass warrior he was, killed a massive warrior named Samson which allowed Casca to get out of dodge. After numerous wounds, and that badass quote from earlier, Guts laid waste to 100 soldiers by himself (okay, Casca killed like two). Not even an arrow to the hand, or the numerous other wounds to his body stopped Guts from slaying the entire army with just Dragonslayer. Let me say this again. An arrow, went through Guts’s hand, and he still swung that huge ass sword like nothing.

Guts has only lost two fights in the anime. The first was to the man who was the leader of The Band of the Hawk, Griffith. The second was at the end of the series after Griffith turned into Femto by sacrificing the entirety of the Band of the Hawk to the God Hand. Guts only got out after he saved Casca and ran. The rest of the Band of the Hawk got annihilated. Guts did what he did about getting out as fast as possible. He did everything he could, but the demons of the God Hand was just too much.

Just based on sheer willpower and fury, no one character can stand toe to toe with Guts. And this is just based on the 25 episode series, and the three movie reboot. The manga just goes so much further. Guts, and his sword make Ichigo and his bitch tendencies pale in comparison. I know what you are about to say: “blah blah blah Bankai. Blah blah blah Hollow.” And when Ichigo decides that he wants to power up, Guts will just kill him. Remember, Guts gives no fucks.

#2 Milliardo Peacecraft / Zechs Merquise from Gundam Wing

“I’m much more composed than you are right now. If one makes a decision with a cool head, he won’t find himself regretting that decision later on.”

Zechs Merquise started out as the right hand of Treize Kushrenada, leader of the Oz Organization. He was the only person who can survive the strain of piloting the prototype mobile suit, Tallgeese. He then went through a mid-life crisis, and dropped the Merquise name for his given name, Millardo Peacecraft. to a standstill To add to his badass rsume, he started piloting the most badass looking Gundam in history, Epyon after dueling against it using Wing Zero. Heero Yui and Millardo switched so they can get their iconic Gundams back.

With this piece of mechanical perfection, he waged war on the Earth, by first taking on Oz’s space station Barge, single handedly. After showing Treize just a fraction of his power, Millardo fired Peacemillion’s cannons on a remote spot on earth. The final plan was to crash a space colony on the Earth.  This was the final act of one of the most composed villains ever to be drawn by a Japanese production company.

I love this type of character that seems to float through the different series of Gundams. Char Aznable, Schwarz Bruder, they are all a character that was a masked character that seemed like he was a villain, but could flip either way. Char and Schwarz both spent time playing the protagonist, with Char finally taking the mantle of leader of Zeon. To me, Zechs is almost completely different from Char, except for wearing a helmet and the color of his coat.

Zechs threatens the life of everyone on Earth, because he thinks he is doing the best for his people in space. He feels that the Earth should have any say on what the denizens of Space can or cannot do. There was no peaceful accord he felt can be achieved. Zechs was a charismatic leader who can talk the masses into doing whatever he needs them to do so his means can be met. The final ten episodes shows that with his White Fang organization on Peacemillion.

In the end, Zechs realized what he did was wrong, and seemingly sacrificed himself to keep the space colony from crashing to Earth. However, this is anime. No one ever really dies. Zechs reemerges in Endless Waltz with a redesigned Tallgeese III, that looks like Tallgeese mated with Epyon. He was relegated to supporting the Gundam pilots, but he carries a battlefield all by himself. Who needs the Gundam pilots? If it weren’t for number one, this guy would be my choice for the best character ever.

#1 Optimus Prime – Transformers

“One shall stand. One shall fall.”

Before you even say it, this is as unbiased of an opinion that I can form on Optimus Prime. Nothing says great like longevity. Prime has been around for 30 years, which is a lot longer than most cartoons nowadays. Want another sign of Prime’s dominance of cartoons? During the 1986 movie, Prime was killed off early on with a battle of Megatron. He was brought back during season three because everyone…EVERYONE…hated Rodimus Prime. Most don’t even acknowledge Rodimus as a Prime.

Optimus Prime is the eptiome of longevity. The Transformers line of cartoons really is just a reason for Hasbro and Takara to produce lines of toys for kids  (and adults) to get their grubby hands on. 30 years later, however, Prime still exists. There’s no Thundercats, there’s no Voltron. There’s just Prime and both sides of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. We’re not even just talking about Generation One Transformers. Every iteration has an Optimus, including Beast Wars’s Optimus Primal.

Most of the glory for Optimus Prime can go to one man. Peter Cullen is THE voice of Optimus. When Michael Bay decided to make the explosion porn known as the Transformers quadrilogy, he knew that he could replace the voice of every single Transformer he can get his hands on. But who was the voice actor he got to voice the most iconic character in the lexicon of Transformers? That’s right, it’s Peter Cullen! Cullen is so integral to the popularity of Prime, that no other actor would suffice in the eyes of the fans. It was one of the few moves that Bay actually got right.

Let’s go a little deeper into the movies. Prime has been the main protagonist throughout the four movies. Cullen pulled the weight of these movies far more than Shia LaBeouf could ever dream. The emotion and conviction that Cullen put into every performance was beyond anything we’ve seen before in a movie like Transformers. Even during Revenge of the Fallen, where Prime was absent for about three quarters of the movie, was livened up when Cullen’s voice came through the speakers. Cullen is Prime more so than any other actor is their character. The Transformers were able to transcend being a niche cartoon from the 80’s to being a pop culture phenomenon in spite of Bay’s interference. That is due to the presence of Prime in every piece of advertising.

Sure, for as long as Transformers has been around, there has been shitty series. Everyone loved Beast Wars, but no one could stomach Beast Machines. Armada and Energon were okay, but no one liked Transformers: Animated or Rescue Bots. No matter the quality of the show, there will be a Prime, and that Prime will be the beacon of hope in the war against the Decepticons.

And that’s a wrap! To properly sum up how I feel, here’s a picture of a comatose Goku!

And just like Goku here, I put a lot of time into this. Like I said before, this is only subjective. There are a lot of characters that I thought of, that didn’t make the cut. Want that? Well, here’s the honorable mention list, in no particular order:

• Levi from Attack on Titan
• Roronoa Zoro from One Piece
• Shiro from Deadman Wonderland
• Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop
• Commander Keith from Voltron
• Trunks or Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z

So, there are a lot of characters I could have put up there. It may have been easier to do a top 20 or top 25 list. This did the job a lot better than a bigger list. So, if you agree with the list, let me know! if you feel like I’m an asshole because I didn’t put your favorite character from your favorite anime? By all means, let me know!