Anime is absolutely full of hilarious characters, and if you have one in the driver’s seat of the plot, you’re probably about to have a good time.

There are plenty of comic-relief characters in anime, but those aren’t the ones we’re talking about.

We’re talking about hilarious characters taking front-and-center.

If you’re looking for a main character guaranteed to make you smile, here’s 20 places to start.

1. Yu Narukami (Persona 4: The Animation)

In the Persona 4 game, Yu Narukami is the player-character, and you have the choice of his dialogue.

In Persona 4: The Animation, the dialogue is basically always chosen to be whatever the most outlandish, sarcastic, or otherwise hilarious option was at the time.

The results are magnificent.

 

2. Gintoki Sakata (Gintama)

Gintoki is an unlikely hero, and his unorthodox methods, laid-back attitude, and ironic obsession with Shonen Jump magazine make him one of the funniest heroes in anime.

The incomparable Tomokazu Sugita voices Gintoki in Japan, and that basically guarantees a solid comedic delivery.

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3. Kyoko Mogami (Skip Beat)

Kyoko Mogami is a nice girl, but she’s a little… shall we say… driven?

Dumped by her live-in boyfriend in the first 10 minutes of the series, Kyoko harbors a deep, dark need for revenge.

Skip Beat is the story of Kyoko getting revenge by outdoing her ex-boyfriend, Sho Fuwa, by beating him at his own game – showbiz.

Because she’s so driven by revenge, anything that stands in her way – or that reminds her of Sho – drives her into a white-hot, and usually hilarious, rage.

4. Yuuko Aioi (Nichijou)

It’s hard to pick a single funniest character from Nichijou, one of the best comedy anime of the last decade.

But when we think back to the truly gut-busting moments, Yuuko is usually involved.

Whether she’s struggling to place an order at a coffee shop, trying to get one of her friends to react to her jokes, or going through the attractions at a theme park expressionless, she’s always going to surprise you with something hilarious.

5. Saitama (One-Punch Man)

Saitama is not to be taken lightly by his enemies, but his nonchalance as he faces planet-obliterating power is what makes One-Punch Man work as a parody series.

We can’t name another protagonist who freaks out because he’s going to miss the weekly sale at his local supermarket while fighting a monster threatening to destroy humanity.

6. Konata Izumi (Lucky☆Star)

The undisputed queen of Lucky☆Star, Konata is a huge otaku nerd whose unusual habits more or less set the pace for her friends.

If Konata’s in the scene, there’s a good chance an anime is about to get heavily parodied in some way.

7. Mamoru Takamura (Hajime no Ippo)

Probably the crudest comedian on the list, Takamura’s humor comes from his obnoxiously extreme self-confidence – and his willingness to use classless bathroom/anatomy humor.

He is easily the strongest boxer of the Hajime no Ippo universe, but he has no qualms with being a total buffoon, and honestly, sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s more endearing or annoying.

8. Haruhi Fujioka (Ouran High School Host Club)

Most people think of the male lead, Tamaki Suou, when they think of humorous characters from Ouran High School Host Club. That’s a strong choice too.

But personally, we was always more drawn to Haruhi’s dry wit, especially when it comes to her willingness to call out the guys in the host club for behind ridiculous in their spoiled opulence.

9. Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (Cowboy Bebop)

The entire cast of Cowboy Bebop works great together, but the irreverent, ever-quirky Ed is the obvious choice for humor in the main cast.

An eccentric hacker who walks on her hands as often as her feet, Ed is one of the most unpredictable oddballs you’ll see, in anime or elsewhere.

10. Haranobu Madarame (Genshiken)

The second president of the Genshiken club, Madarame is always the first to put up an impassioned defense of his otaku lifestyle, even embracing how odd that makes him look sometimes.

This often puts him at odds with Saki Kasukabe, the resident outsider who doesn’t much care for the anime lifestyle, and Madarame’s awkward sincerity often doesn’t have the effect he’s looking for.

11. Souichi Negishi (Detroit Metal City)

Perhaps better known by his death metal alter-ego, Johannes Krauser II, Souichi Negishi is a ultra-polite country boy and aspiring musician who wants to perform sugary sweet Swedish pop tunes.

Unfortunately for him, it turns out he’s an exceptionally talented death metal frontman.

While his pop career goes nowhere, his band Detroit Metal City is becoming the biggest metal attraction in Japan… even though Souichi despises the music he’s playing.

12. Haruko Haruhara (FLCL)

Haruko is a hyperactive alien who rides a Vespa and hits things in the face with her guitar.

We don’t know what more we can say here. It’s FLCL. Watch it. If you’ve ever liked anime in your life, you owe it to yourself.

13. Sousuke Sagara (Full Metal Panic)

The male lead of a romantic comedy with harem elements is generally supposed to be flat and generally featureless.

He’s just a placeholder for you to project on. He’s also completely oblivious to the feelings of the girls around him.

But here’s Sousuke Sagara, who is oblivious for completely different reasons.

Full Metal Panic is have school life romantic comedy, half mech wars.

But Sousuke is all military, so he doesn’t even know how to interact with girls socially, much less romantically.

The result is antics like blowing up a shoe locker with C4 when he spots someone slipping in a love letter. Can’t be too careful.

14. Hanamichi Sakuragi (Slam Dunk)

Hanamichi Sakuragi has the same basic demeanor as Mamoru Takamura, but with a fraction of the talent.

Initially, he gets into basketball just to impress the girl he likes, and he insists that he is an ace player, despite not even understanding the rules.

He’s a clown whose immense physical talent can back up his larger-than-life boasts… occasionally.

15. Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani (Lovely★Complex)

It’s not cheating to pick both Risa and Atsushi together – even their teachers say they’re a comedy duo.

Really, these two just fool around with each other and get into stupid arguments, to the delight of those around them.

Neither of them is especially funny on their own, but together they have great chemistry.

16. Eikichi Onizuka (Great Teacher Onizuka)

He’s not that smart, he’s immature, and he gets into fights. And he’s the greatest teacher anyone will ever have.

The antics of Eikichi Onizuka are, obviously, the central feature of the anime bearing his name.

He can be pretty cool, but most of the time he forgoes that in favor of being an immature jerk. Everyone loves that guy.

17. Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

The public says Vash the Stampede is a merciless killer who is classified as a human natural disaster.

In reality, he’s a pacifist who hates violence and loves donuts. He is a skilled gunman, but usually fools around while he’s fighting.

He doesn’t take much of anything seriously, unless someone gets killed.

18. The Minami sisters (Minami-ke)

Ah, we are cheating again. But these girls really are a package deal. All of them are funny in different ways, but they’re at their best when they’re playing off each other.

Hosaka gets an honorable mention for his puzzling need to strip his shirt off while doing something as innocuous as ordering a soda.

19. Kagura (Gintama)

The entire cast of Gintama is comedy gold, we couldn’t very well just choose one.

Kagura is obviously Gintoki’s follower, as she often regurgitates things that he said previously – even if they make no sense in the current context.

This is compounded in hilarity by her willingness to tell people off at any point, for pretty much any reason.

 

20. Takumi Usui (Kaichou wa Maid Sama)

Takumi Usui is the only one who knows about student council president Misaki Ayuzawa’s side job at a maid cafe.

So what is he supposed to do, not give her a hard time about it?

He genuinely cares about Misaki, but the way that manifests itself is often dripping with sarcasm and nonchalance – much to Misaki’s chagrin.

(source:onlinefanatic)