Top 10 Anime Characters Fans Completely Rejected

“Sonic X” (2003-06)

The only reason fans tuned in to a modern anime remake of the Sega icon was see the titular hedgehog kick ass. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, show off Tails and Knuckles, but for the most part, it’s all about Sonic. No-one was screaming for the blue blur to have a human sidekick with extensive screen time, and yet we still ended up with Christopher Bloody Thorndyke. Maybe we wouldn’t have minded so much if he was actually useful…and not so much of a clingy creep. Seriously, the way he develops an obsession with Sonic by the end of the series is just unsettling.

“Accel World” (2012)

Life hasn’t exactly been kind to this guy. Anxious, unhealthy and finding solace within VR as opposed to a social circle. What’s most surprising is that unlike other underdog protagonists of a similar nature, Haruyuki didn’t seem to click with other audiences, at least right away. A lot of people just couldn’t take the fact that the protagonist of the show was overweight, but his beta personality and how long it took for him to come out of his shell certainly didn’t help either. By the series’ end, he had proven himself to be worthy of the name Silver Crow, but it was a hell of a slog to get there, with fans testing him every step of the way.

“Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!: Heart Throb” (2014)

How dare you try and move in on Rikka Takanashi’s territory. One does simply not waltz in and attempt to steal away he who rightfully belongs to the Tyrant’s Eye. After establishing an adorable relationship with one another in spite of Rikka’s inability to escape her fantasy world, the stage was set for her and Yuuta to develop their relationship…only for Satone to drop in out of the blue as a love rival. Why? She brought nothing to the table except stale tropes and only served as a needless distraction to the main romance. Get out of here!

“Psycho-Pass 2” (2014)

Yet another reason that this sequel is so reviled by those who adored the original. Was the Sybil System trolling us when it made this little lady a detective? Not only is Mika totally useless at her job, but spends literally every waking moment either ignoring or trying to show up Akane. First things first, where do you get off giving grief to best girl? Second, did you forget when Akane actually saved your ass back in the day? Mika’s very existence is just another reason fans cried out for the return of Kogami.

“Digimon Adventure 02” (2000-01)

Let’s be honest here, no matter who was made the leader of the Digidestined in 02, they would always have to deal with being in Tai’s shadow, so our boy was already starting off with a handicap. He also…didn’t really help himself, mainly due to him being a hothead and doing a poor job of displaying his affection for Kari. If he had only kept it cool, played the long game and didn’t lash out as much, maybe he could have won fans over. It’s a shame Davis, you could have been the bad boy to match TK’s nice guy act, maybe even had a shot and earning Kari’s heart…yet you flubbed it.

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#5: Sai

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“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

Love him or hate him, Sasuke left an impact on the series that could not be undone. In the minds of fan, he would forever be one third of Team 7, which was why the reveal of Sai was met with…less than pleasant reactions. It didn’t help that his character just came across as uninteresting and uninvesting. Fans may have mellowed towards him as the series went on, and Sai did eventually establish that he did indeed have a personality buried under all that paleness, but it was a rocky start to say the least.

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#4: Pan

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“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

A token female character that tried to come across as spunky and independent…when in truth just inherited Chi Chi’s ability to annoy. Pan wasn’t the worst thing that GT cooked up, but she certainly didn’t prove herself as a Saiyan you could take seriously. Now that we have seen what the likes of Caulifla and Kale can do, it has only furthered the opinion that Pan is nothing more than a pointless character, caught smack dab in the middle of one of Dragon Ball’s lowest points. Even Super’s baby incarnation of Pan was much more endearing.

“Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny” (2004-05)

It’s not that Shinn managed to help himself by coming across as a bit of brat most of the time, but there was never going to be anything he could to do to satisfy the SEED fanatics. Why? Because they would never settle for anyone other than our lord and saviour Kira Jesus Yamato. Even the series seemed to give up on Shinn, since he ended up going the villain route, casually allowing Kira to once again assume his role as the face of the franchise. Yeah…sucks for Shinn.

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#2: Near

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“Death Note” (2006-07)

In any other series, Near would have likely excelled as a character. A chid genius who spends his days playing with toys and also hunting down criminals with his unbelievable intellect. How could that not work? Only if he was presented as L’s successor…which he was, and fans were having none of it. L is practically sacred to the Death Note community, and it’s not hard to see why. He was both weird and wonderful in his wily ways, he came so close to catching Kira, and yet Near was the one who ultimately seized victory in his stead. We all know L did the heavy lifting!

“Pokémon” (1997-)

You have the stones to come along and try and replace Brock?! The Ladies Man? The Lord of the Drying Pan? Keeper of the Jelly-filled Doughnuts? Yeah…Tracy kind of sucked. He was just so bland and forgettable, possessing none of the fun or charm that came from the Rock Master. It eventually got so bad that he was shipped off after Ash had finished up with the Orange Islands and, thankfully allowing Brock to make his grand return just in time for the Johto league.