Which Zodiac Comes Out On Top?
If you’re looking for gritty anime action this year, especially if your tastes lean towards the battle royal style, then you can’t go wrong with the likes of Juni Taisen. The series pretty much lets you know everything you need to straight out of the gate; twelve warriors all based on the Chinese zodiac trying to kill each other until only one is left standing.
As you might expect from a premise like that, there’s gruesome violence around every corner as sinister figures work behind the scenes to benefit from this gladiatorial clash. What’s proven to be the series’ biggest drawing point, however, is its cast. Twelve killers who each live and fight for differently philosophical reasons.
With the series drawing to a close, we decided to count down our picks for our favourite characters, or should we say contenders?
Fair warning, there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
#5: Niwatori, Warrior of the Chicken
While she may look as sweet as can be, behind that facade is a deceptive fighter who uses people’s underestimation of her capabilities against them. In a rather tragic twist, she meets her end by giving into her better nature. She cannot bring herself to strike down the compassionate Sharyu, and she refuses to flee when faced with the killing machine that is Ushii. Heck, she even allows her birds to peck her fresh corpse clean of flesh.
#4:Â Inounoshishi, Warrior of the Boar
Now here is a character that everyone expected to make it to the end, or at least past the first episode! With her beauty and cruel wit, we see that in order to compete in the Juni Taisen she was willing to drive her own sister to suicide. Unfortunately for her, all that bravado becomes her undoing as she is unceremoniously butchered by Usagi. We have never seen karma catch up to someone so quickly.
#3: Nezumi, Warrior of the Rat
The most enigmatic of the group, this juvenile fighter seemed totally out of place with his lazy mindset Over time, however, it became clear that this teen seemed to be able to slip in and out of reality at will, painting a much darker picture of just who he was and what he was truly capable of. One thing is for sure, he finds the whole thing exhausting and would be much happier if everyone would just hurry up and kill each other!
#2: Usagi, Warrior of the Rabbit
Killing psychotically, that’s about the long and the short of it. A murderous entity who has managed to slay his way across the Juni Taisen with very little effort, he also has a nasty habit of bringing back his fallen foes back to life to serve as his zombie servants. He makes little sense, only lives to kill, and above all else is just unsettling to behold. Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the guy in the bunny outfit!
#1: Sharyu, Warrior of the Monkey
If there was anyone that resembled a protagonist in this series, it was Sharyu. A pacifist who travels from warzone to warzone in order to quell regimes by means of diplomacy, she above all else tried to find a way to end things as peacefully as possible. She was lovable, admirable, and made us believe that she could achieve her goal. Sadly, she found herself caught out by Usagi’s bloodlust and necromancy. Guess not all violence can be solved through words.
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