Top 10 Kid Characters in Anime
I have put together my list of Top 10 Kids in Anime. But what do I mean by “kid?” A child? Well, what about someone in their teens? They would be a kid to someone in their 20’s. And someone in their 20’s would be a kid to someone over 50. Plus the age of many anime characters is ambiguous, and some teen characters are drawn like they are a lot younger.
OK, if it looks like a kid to me, it’s a kid. So on with my Top 10! In reverse order:
10. Hansel and Gretel from Black Lagoon. I almost left them off this list, as they are only in two episodes. But they did make an impression on Black Lagoon fans. So I compromised and put them low on the list. They are a cute couple of kids, in addition to being homicidal gender-benders. Hey, I said kids in anime! Not anime for kids!
9. Ringo from Casshern Sins. Truly a tragic character. OK, so she’s an android. She’s still a child. Ringo is doomed like all the rest of the android race. But she is never down. She is hope. She is the joy of life. It plays well as a background as Casshern kicks butt.
8. Franca from Coyote Ragtime Show. When we first see this young girl, about 14 or so, she is running the bar she inherited from her late father. Her customers are some of the baddest mother-effers in the galaxy – and they are all afraid of Franca. She is one tough girl who is worthy of being Mister’s side-kick. With all the crap and danger Mister goes through, Franca is by his side. True, Coyote Ragtime Show is not exactly a classic. The writing for the English dub was pitiful. But I still like Franca.
7. Chihiro from Spirited Away. I have to have at least one movie on this list, and obviously it is going to be a Miyasaki film. Chihiro could well be Franca’s younger sister in that she goes up against impossible odds, only she enters the battle alone and has to find her own allies. Still she saves her parents from that old witch.
6. Czeslaw Meyer from Baccano! Yes, the exclamation point is part of the title. True Czes is a few centuries old, but he looks like a kid, talks like a kid, smells like a kid, he’s a kid – just an old one who is distrustful and a schemer. But in the end, he just does not want to be alone. Czes puts up with a lot of crap and torture, but he’s an immortal so he can take it. Only being stuck in a child’s body certainly does your love life no good.
5. Lain from Lain aka Serial Experiments Lain. Lain is at that age where little girls start to become young women. Only Lain is emotionally, physically, mentally and in most other ways behind her classmates. Well, she had better grow up fast, and she does. Aren’t these formative years hard enough without the fate of the world resting on your shoulders? Lain discovers her world is a lie, and she may not be who she thinks she is. Lain remains one of my favorite sci-fi anime series.
4. Ai from Hell Girl, Hell Girl – Two Mirrors, Hell Girl – Three Vessels. Czeslaw is not the only ageless kid in anime. Ai may look like a shy, cute little 13-year-old, but she hasn’t aged in centuries. That is not because she is immortal, but because she is already dead. So in the world of the afterlife, she is a kid forever. But she does have an interesting job. Log on to her website at midnight, type in the name of someone you don’t like, and she will take that person to hell – for a price. The job does take its toll, and at the end of series two she seems to find peace. No such luck. There always has to be a Hell Girl -- and series three.
3. Young Johan from Monster. Young Johan may not be as much of a threat as grown up Johan, but even an insane monster has to begin somewhere. Young Johan does show promise, and although events unfold around the adult version, the kid is not to be ignored.
2. Naota from FLCL. Naota is the lone defender of normalcy in this classic dumb, but fun anime. And it could cost him his sanity. In a world of eccentric characters, only Naota seems totally sane. Eri comes close, but she has that thing going on with the breakup of her parents’ marriage. Is he truly no match for the alien invader/housekeeper Haruko? Yes, there is a plot in there somewhere, but that is not important. Just enjoy the insanity. There will never be another FLCL – not even the promised FLCL 2. Ride On Shooting Star!
1. Pino from Ergo Proxy. She’s so cute. You could just hug Pino and she would love it. Of course, like Ringo, Pino is an android. Actually, an Auto-Rev. After being infected with a virus, Pino begins to develop emotions and even self-realization. When she innocently asks, “Is Pino Pino?” its quite an insightful moment. The Auto-Rev Pino and the monster Vincent are the two most human characters in the story. They teach Re’l the meaning of humanity.
Honorable Mentions:
Arusu from Tweeny Witches
Henrietta from Gunslinger Girl
Papuwa from Papuwa
Poom Poom from Boogiepop Phantom
Ren from Big Windup (I like the series and the character, but he turned wuss once too often)
Sonja from Kill Me Baby (I really wanted to get her on the list)
Koyuki from Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (A near miss)
Ponyo from Ponyo (Yes, I know she is really a fish. But if I can list two androids, I can consider a fish.)
Do you have any to add? Or any here which you don’t think should be on the list?
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Originally Posted by Tsudere
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