Top 10 Funniest Anime Characters

Top 10 Funniest Anime Characters
Written by: ClayDragon and Shiggins

Everyone likes a laugh now and again. That’s where these characters come in. This collaborative list between Shiggins and myself collates the ten funniest characters in anime. Although we’ve tried to avoid spoiling large portions of the stories, please be aware that there may be some minor spoilers below.

10.)      Shingen Kishitani (Durarara!!) (Written by ClayDragon)

            Shingen: Wait a second, that really hurts. And I can’t run away with you stepping on my foot.

Mad scientists usually fall into two camps: serious, or hilarious. Shingen is firmly in the latter group. For starters, he wears a gas mask at all times, believing the air in Tokyo to be filthy (and yes, ‘at all times’ means at all times, even in the shower). His first appearance consists of him trading insults with a group of thugs and gearing up to fight them…..until they grab him and he reveals that he was only mouthing off to them because he saw Celty and figured that she would back him up. She didn’t.

"I did it! I made it onto the list! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"

Despite most definitely not being normal himself, Shingen seems to despair over the fact that his son Shinra is in a relationship with Celty – a modern-day headless horsewoman (actually, this is probably the most normal relationship in the show). As such, he and Celty are frequently at odds, with him usually ending up with some form of amusing injuries. Even his son works against him sometimes, such as picking his pocket or tripping him up to foil an escape attempt.

"Fwhooosh!!"

Even though he can be seen as someone who permanently resides in cloud cuckoo land, he can be shown to be quite intelligent at times, such as when he escaped Celty by making her think he had gone into an elevator to the ground floor, when in actuality he had just hid in the stairwell (sadly, his dramatic exit was hindered by the fact that he pressed the elevator button and had to wait for it to come back up again). Also, he was able to wield Saika in the past, without being driven insane by the sword’s possessive powers. Sadly, Shingen has very little screentime in the anime, to the point where he pretty much disappears one episode after his introduction. As such, he could have been higher on this list if he were in the show that bit longer.

9.)        Grell Sutcliff (Black Butler) (Written by ClayDragon)

            Grell: Oh, Bassie!

Grell is…unusual. A Shinigami who went rouge and started killing prostitutes, she has a decidedly unwholesome fascination with Ciel’s butler Sebastian. In fact, most of Grell’s story in the anime is unusual. She started off dressed as the male butler of Ciel’s aunt, before revealing herself to be a girl, crushing on Sebastian, and trying to kill him (not necessarily in that order). After their fight, she was taken away by William Spears (another Shinigami) and had her chainsaw-shaped Death Scythe confiscated, and replaced with safety scissors.

"This is so going on my blog."

After that, she was relegated to cameo appearances until the climax of season two, at which point she reappeared with a camera and got on Sebastian’s nerves even more. Despite having a decent amount of screentime across the two series, Grell gets no respect whatsoever. She starts off as a fairly competent threat to Sebastian, and then gets most of her dignity destroyed, either by Sebastian outwitting her at every turn, or being dragged off by William. However, these moments are played very much for laughs as opposed to drama.

This makes way too much sense.

To be honest, part of Grell’s appeal is the fact that she rapidly becomes less of a threat as the show goes on. In fact, even she seems to realise this, as every subsequent appearance has her work together with Sebastian, a fact that she’s very happy with (and Sebastian less so). Another part of her appeal is her voice, which is a very plummy English accent that sounds very similar to that of the current Queen of England (is it considered treason if I say that?) and that just makes her lines all the funnier.

8.)        Rintarou Okabe (Steins;Gate) (Written by ClayDragon)

            Okabe: I believe in street argo, the phrase is: payback's a bitch.

Like Shingen, Rintarou is definitely in the ‘hilarious’ group of mad scientists, as from the moment he appears, his over-the-top, wacky personality is his most defining feature. In fact, he’s so eccentric that he’s even taken to calling himself ‘HOUOUIN KYOUMA’ and creating an entire fantasy world in his head (that may or may not be actual fantasy). He’s like this so often that it gets quite difficult to tell when (if ever) he’s actually grounded in reality.

"I'm watching you, Big Brother..."

However, he’s certainly at his funniest when he’s surrounded by his friends, the rest of the Future Gadget Laboratory agents. One of the best features of Steins;Gate is its characters, and Rintarou is the best of the lot. From his habit of giving people annoying nicknames to his claims that one day he will take over the world, it can be really hard to take him seriously, and that’s what makes him so fun.

"....I'm surrounded by freaks..."

Sadly, his antics tend to get downplayed in the second half of the series as the tone takes a darker shift, and whilst he still does have a number of hilarious moments, they’re not as frequent as they were. That being said, Rintarou is still an immensely entertaining character, and he’s one of the most quotable anime characters I’ve ever seen.

7.)        Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club) (Written by Shiggins)

Tamaki: A little water never hurt anyone... besides, people always say I'm dripping with                          good looks.

Blonde, tall and handsome Tamaki appears to be every girl’s dream boy (not including those that desire geeky gamers or muscle-bound bastards). He’s from a wealthy family and is the president and founder of the Ouran Host Club, which entertains rich girls through charm and tales. As expected, girls swoon over him.

This patient suffers from many, many mental problems.

Although he may appear charming, calm and dignified to the girls, his personality is a lot more bumbling and attention-seeking. His naivety is one of the reasons he is so genuinely funny, such as when he believes his romantic feelings for Haruhi, the main protagonist of the series, are actually because he wants to be her father (although some would argue calling himself her “daddy” is still very suggestive).

Left: ClayDragon. Right: Shiggins.

Surrounded by a cast that is clearly smarter or more dignified than he could ever hope to be, he constantly tries to outwit them in his own unique ways, and all because he wants to spend time with Haruhi. Seeing how Tamaki managed to convince the other members to join his Host Club in the first place is a delight, such as when he practically stalked his “best friend” Kyouya or went against the twins and beat their unbeatable game. And yes ladies, his eyes really do sparkle.

6.)        Isshin Kurosaki (Bleach) (Written by Shiggins)

Isshin:   GOOD MOOOORNING ICHIGOOOOOO!!!!

Taking the number 6 spot is a father like no other. Caring, kind and cool he will always be there to defend his children from whatever dark force they face. Sadly, he is rarely appreciated for it and with good reason. What makes Isshin so funny isn’t his fun stubble or the fact that he is a Soul Reaper. It’s every time he tries to be a good dad and fails. He’s a man with zero boundaries who talks to a poster of his deceased wife, spies on his kids if they bring someone round to stay, and has possibly the best routine for waking up his son ever.

"...I've made a huge mistake."

However, that’s not to say he’s never funny without his children. During the most recent flashback featuring Isshin in his days as a Soul Reaper captain, we got to see his relationship with his Squad and we found out just how much he has changed in the past few years (which isn’t that much, actually).

The truth has been spoken!

Speaking of relationships, his relationship with Ichigo is surprisingly good, despite the fact that he’s constantly punching, kicking or head-butting him for a number of reasons, ranging from being out after curfew to sleeping in on a weekend. He even ignored the main villain Aizen once just so he could punish his son to make him stop being afraid. It’s characters like him that make me wish reality was like anime. Pain is so funny in anime. And reality. Just not as funny.

5.)        Jiraiya (Naruto) (Written by Shiggins)

            Jiraiya: I’m not a pervert… I’m a super pervert!

Sorry to all fans of Gai but I had to give the Naruto spot to the Toad Sage himself, Master Jiraiya. I spent many hours trying to decide between the two but Jiraiya wins because not once do we ever get tired of seeing this beloved character, while Gai can get a tad exhausting after a while. For those of you who are currently dead to me for not knowing who he is, Jiraiya is Naruto’s godfather and sensei.

Shiggins in a few years time.

He’s one of the Legendary Sannin alongside the current Hokage Tsunade and the evil traitor Orochimaru. In many ways he is quite similar to Naruto including his need to yell, having a former teammate be an absolute bastard and loves to see a girl or two in a bath. And that’s where the comedy lies. He’s the biggest pervert in the series. He’s the author of the Icha-Icha Series (also known as the Make-Out Series.) And if you don’t know who would read that, just ask Jiraiya’s biggest fan, Kakashi.  Apparently, all these books are comedic and adult versions of Jiraiya’s attempts at love in the past.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with boobs."

Don’t let his perversion ruin your view though. He is very intelligent and awesome too. From his constant rejections from Tsunade, to the way he can go from serious to wacky to serious again, he’s always been a funny and witty character we can’t help but admire. Seeing him do a pose and believe that girls everywhere want to bow to him is just something that is utterly brilliant.  The sage is voiced by David Lodge, who you might know as Kenpachi Zaraki from Bleach.

4.)        Gajeel Redfox (Fairy Tail) (Written by Shiggins)

 Gajeel: I’m going to make this guy my cat!

This was close for me, as I do find Natsu and Lucy quite brilliant too, but Gajeel wins on the basis that he does not need a partner to make us laugh. Unlike Natsu and Lucy, Gajeel is a one-man act who sometimes teams up with supporting cast members, but doesn’t depend on them. He’s the Iron Dragon Slayer and a former antagonist who is currently part of the Fairy Tail guild.

Number 1 in all the charts.

Some would argue that Gajeel being funny is horrific and that it might ruin the character, but I personally disagree. The fact that Gajeel can just grin and partake in as much ridiculous stuff as his Fairy Tail comrades yet still maintain his reputation as the “badass” of the series is something you can’t help but respect. It also makes him more relatable because there is no such thing as a person who spends every second being awesome (though many have tried).

"Say I'm hilarious. Or else."

So when does Gajeel become funny? That is when he’s not in the middle of a big fight and proving his dominance. Whether he’s wishing he had a cat because all of the other Dragon Slayers have one or singing on stage in a white suit or causing readers to ship him with the bookworm of the series Levy McGarden, we all have a smile at his constant coolness that makes every joke that bit more enjoyable.

3.)        Lord Death (Soul Eater) (Written by Shiggins)

            Lord Death: If you don't shut up I'm going to use my Reaper Chop to split your head open!

Yes, Lord Death is here and if you’ve even watched one episode of Soul Eater, you would understand why. From his lovable and wacky design, to his funny voice and that way he bounces around when he “walks” you can’t find a reason to not love him.

Lord Death wants you to like this article!

When he was young, he used to be a violent and cruel person. Yet somehow, he managed to be a good person too. He’s the actual Grim Reaper so of course, he’s not going to be all rainbows and sunshine but damn does he come close now. After defeating his mortal enemy and sealing them in a bag made of their own skin, he decided to retire and created a school to teach children about how to control their own abilities to turn into weapons. He had to change the mask though because children kept running in fear. Poor Lord Death.

Hugs were difficult to find back then.

One of the things that make him so lovable is the way he talks to everyone around him. He treats them all in different ways, as if adapting to their attitude. For example, he talks to his own weapon Spirit (who is also voiced by Vic Mignogna) and constantly smacks him for being a little pervert who never shuts up. When it comes to Spirit’s daughter Maka, he’s kind and praising because she’s smart and modest. The annoying asshole called Black Star gets his head smacked in constantly but he deserves it (trust me - watch the series and you’ll agree).

2.)        Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) (Written by ClayDragon)

Armstrong: This (insert noun or adjective) has been passed down the Armstrong line for                     generations!

Despite there being a number of fairly eccentric people on this list, none of them come even close to Major Armstrong. He’s a massive, muscly bear of a man who can probably crush a man’s skull in his fist, and yet most of the time he acts like an over-excited puppy, hugging everyone nearby. He also likes to take his shirt off. A lot. It isn’t to show off his physique or to intimidate people, he does it simply because that’s the kind of person he is.

Alex Louis Armstrong - the only man allowed to sparkle.

As a State Alchemist, Armstrong can use alchemy to manipulate the Earth’s crust and create projectiles in order to defeat his opponents. In fact, all of his alchemical constructs are immaculately created, and some even have a perfect carving of his face on them. Given this, it’s implied that he’s even better at alchemy than Edward, the main character. His fighting prowess is most prominently shown during his battle with Sloth, who is (ironically) the fastest of the Homunculi. At one point during their battle, Armstrong outsped him, and together with his sister, Ed and Al's teacher and her muscle-bound husband, they defeated Sloth.

Yeah, he does this a lot.

However, his best fight is undoubtedly that with his sister. Upon being told that only one of them can be named head of the family, the two siblings have a fight to see who is worthy of the title. Alex simply tries to incapacitate Olivier. She tries to kill him. And despite being nowhere near as tall and muscly as him, she proceeds to wipe the floor with him in one of the most hilariously over-the-top fights ever. All of this adds up, and secures him the number 2 spot on this list.

1.)        Isaac Dian & Miria Harvent (Baccano!) (Written by ClayDragon)

            Isaac: We’ll tan his hide. I’ll use my trusty hundred guns! (Isaac clearly has no guns)

            Miria: I don’t understand any of it, but it’s absolutely incredible!

Once again, Isaac and Miria make it into a Top 10 list. And to be honest, there was never really any doubt as to who the funniest character(s) would be. A couple of robbers in 1930s America, Isaac and Miria are resourceful, funny, and display a complete lack of common sense. Given the amount of screentime that they get, and the fact that they tend to unite the three main plot threads of the show, it could be said that they’re the closest thing to central protagonists in Baccano!

Every time I think I'll run out of pictures of these two, I see one like this.

Despite being on the wrong side of the law, they’re two of the more moral characters in the show, and this is a large part of their appeal. The other part is their sheer cluelessness. Whenever something even slightly strange happens, they either seem to not notice it, or create an even stranger explanation for what’s actually happening. This lack of sense extends to their heists as well – at one point, they stole a museum door to prevent people from entering. And that’s one of the lesser examples.

"Look at that, Miria my dear! We're number 1!"

In spite of their many logical fallacies, Isaac and Miria end up playing a key role in taking down one of the main villains of the show – naturally, they have no idea that their actions were so important. They also remain upbeat all the time, and only ever lapse into seriousness if it helps to add to the humour. As such, they’re immensely likable, both by other characters and viewers of the show. Given these traits, it’s no wonder that Isaac and Miria take home the gold.

Do you have any suggestions for a Top 10 list, or an anime you want reviewed? Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

"Now go to your room!"

ClayDragon:









ClayDragon is currently studying Physics at university, and is constantly bewildered by it. The main method of contacting him is his Gmail account at kyleroulston1993@gmail.com. The alternative is his Skype account at kyleroulston1993. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in his hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics. He has caught them all.

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Shiggins enjoys all strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers saying hello to him. However, until that wonderful day comes, you can also contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. He can also respond to you if you contact him through GMails at shigginsishere@gmail.com.