10 Unpopular Opinions About Fan-Favorite Anime Characters, According To Reddit

Anime and manga have some of the largest and most passionate fanbases online. With any popular online fandom comes a wealth of controversial opinions and Reddit is often a breeding ground for them. It’s just something that any viewer involved in fandom has to accept as part of their lives.

Fan-favorite characters are usually held in protective high esteem by the audiences that hold them close to their hearts. However, not every viewer shares these popular opinions. Some fans either just can’t seem to get around their heads around why these characters are so popular or outright can’t stand these popular anime characters.

Light Yagami — Death Note

After obtaining a mysterious book that leads the main protagonist Light Yagami to try to rid the world of criminals, this popular genius and ruthless anti-hero develops a god complex and a thirst for blood. Since his debut, Light has reined as one of the most popular fan-favorite anime and manga characters for over a decade.

However, some fans still can’t wrap their heads around his popularity. Reddit user ForceDeth76 shared their opinion saying, “I honestly didn’t understand why so many people wanted him to win and the things he did just made me p***ed off.”. While some fans agreed; others defended him for being so well written and for being one of the best protagonists in anime.

Tomoya Okazaki — Clannad

Tomoya Okazaki is the main protagonist of this romantic comedy-drama. Starting the series with a deep resentment to his hometown, Tomoya is a high school delinquent with a sarcastic and cynical attitude.

While most fans of the show like his character, the same can’t be said for Redditors like Draco_Estella. They said “I don’t like Okazaki Tomoya. The first few times I watched Clannad, I had to drop it. His attitude towards his classmates, towards Sunohara, turned me away from watching Clannad any further than the few episodes.”.

Rem — Re:Zero

As one of the main supporting characters in this fantasy anime, Rem is also one of the most well-known and popular characters from any anime series. Polite and impulsive, many fans hold her in high regard as being a ‘best girl’.

However, some fans expressed their confusion on why she was is so ridiculously popular. Reddit user TheChronicIronic, expressed their feelings saying “I wouldn’t say hate, but I strongly dislike Rem. I’ll admit that she has a cool back story but aside from that she’s got hardly anything going for her.”. They followed this by saying how they felt her character was “just otaku pandering to the max.”.

Erina Nakiri — Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma

Erina Nakiri came into the show as the main character Soma’s rival in this comedy cooking slice of life anime. Highly privileged and pampered, Erina is often egotistical and haughty, the opposite of  Soma’s laid-back personality. Her tsundere nature and eventual character growth are likely some of the reasons why this character became so popular amongst fans.

One Redditor, UltimateEye, shared their, mostly, unpopular opinion on the character saying, “Erina from Shokugeki no Soma is one of the more frustrating characters I’ve encountered in an otherwise good anime. Her characterization is so insufferable and so predictable.”. While some argued against this point, others agreed that the character Alice was better.

Taiga Aisaka — Toradora!

In this romantic comedy slice of life anime, Taiga Aisaka is the main female character. Despite her cute appearance, Taiga’s personality is cynical, sarcastic, and quick to emotional outbursts of anger. Again, the initial tsundere personality of this protagonist is likely what drew fans towards her character, especially due to her underlying kind nature, which is under her outward aggressive nature.

However, not all fans had the same opinions of her. A Redditor who has since been deleted, shared their thoughts saying “Taiga, people say “oh she shows a lot of development and becomes better!!!” Yeah, not nearly as much as the other characters.”. They followed this by saying “Don’t get me wrong, I think the show is pretty good and well written, but taiga is one of the worst characters in the show IMO.”. Despite being an overall unpopular opinion, many other commentators seemed to agree.

Megumin — Konosuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World

As one of the main female protagonists in this fantasy anime, Megumin is also considered by many to be one of the most loved characters across any anime. Her explosive personality and hyper tendencies have secured her as a very popular character, however, some fans of the show can’t seem to agree.

One Reddit user, JeroenFallsUp, stated their opinion saying “Megumin, she was pretty fun at the start, she was interesting and a pretty good parody of the generic loli love interest…however as time went on she became more and more of what she was supposed to parody, and I’m just disappointed by how it ended up like that.”.

Sasuke — Naruto

As the titular character’s stated best friend, despite everything the two characters went through, Sasuke is a character who is loved by many. He comes across as smart, ambitious with a fierce, stubborn, and sometimes narcissistic streak. Despite this, most fans still hold this character in high esteem.

However, not all fans took to the character the same way. Reddit user, inamination, shared their thoughts saying “Sasuke from Naruto. He has pretty bad*** moments, yeah, but from the beginning I always thought he was a little b****.”. They followed this by saying “Somehow none of his redemption moments ever made that impression go away for me.”.

Kana Kimishima — Parasyte

In this horror anime, Kana Kimishima is a student who develops a crush on the main character Shinichi. Calm and carefree, Kana is considered a much-loved character by many despite her typical bad girl character.

Reddit user, ShaKing807 shared their unpopular views on the character saying “Apparently people think Kana from Parayste is the best girl when really she’s an awful human being with no redeeming qualities outside of her VA being Miyuki Sawashiro.”. There was some controversy around this opinion, some fans agreeing and others arguing against this and defending her character instead.

Katsuki Bakugo — My Hero Academia

As the rival of the main protagonist Deku, Katsuki Bakugo is arrogant and short-tempered, his explosive anger perfectly matching his explosive quirk. His tsundere personality is much loved by fans, making him a fan-favorite for many fans of the series.

Some fans however have never been able to learn to like his aggressive characteristics. Reddit user, Lore_Master_Alpha commented his dislike for this popular character saying “All Bakugo has going for him is a male tsundere act with an inflated sense of self-worth.”. This seemed to some up a lot of other people’s feelings despite the popularity of the character.

Nezuko Kamado — Demon Slayer

Younger sister of main protagonist Tanjiro, Nezuko Kamado’s transformation to a demon is what drives this epic fantasy series. Despite her threatening change, Nezuko became a firm fan-favorite due to her cute character design and sweet and protective nature for her brother.

One Redditor who has since been deleted stated their dislike for her popular character saying “Nezuko from Demon Slayer is a bad character who’s only popular because of her character design. She’s basically a Pokemon, just there to look cute and be sent into battles occasionally.”. Despite Nezuko becoming one of the most loved recent characters, others did seem to share this unpopular opinion.