Mary Murphy
12 Side Anime Characters Who Completely Stole the Spotlight
Some anime characters were never meant to be the stars, yet they end up being the ones fans talk about most.
Whether it’s a sharp-tongued mentor, a brooding warrior, or a surprisingly wise fraud, these supporting characters have a way of grabbing your attention and never letting go.
From legendary battles to emotional gut-punches, they deliver moments that often outshine the main heroes.
Here are 12 side anime characters who completely ran away with the show.
1. Reigen Arataka – Mob Psycho 100 (2016–2022)
Reigen Arataka has absolutely zero psychic powers, yet somehow he ends up being the most unshakeable person in the room.
He runs a fake spirit-consulting business, but his ability to talk his way out of any situation is genuinely impressive.
Half the time, his advice lands better than it has any right to.
What makes Reigen unforgettable is the unexpected heart beneath the con-man act.
He genuinely cares about Mob in ways that sneak up on you.
His comedy is sharp, his confidence is ridiculous, and his emotional moments hit surprisingly hard for someone who started as comic relief.
2. Roronoa Zoro – One Piece (1999– )
Roronoa Zoro technically serves Luffy, but watching him fight makes that feel like a formality.
His three-sword style is one of the most visually exciting combat techniques in all of anime, and every major battle he enters turns into an event.
The man simply does not lose without making it legendary.
Beyond the fights, Zoro’s loyalty is almost frightening in its depth.
He once absorbed his captain’s pain without flinching or saying a word afterward.
That single moment told fans everything they needed to know.
He may not be the main character, but he carries the soul of the crew.
3. Nara Shikamaru – Naruto (2002–2017)
Ask any Naruto fan who their favorite strategist is, and Shikamaru’s name comes up almost immediately.
He spends half the series acting like everything is too much effort, yet when it counts, his mind works faster than almost anyone else in the show.
Watching him outthink opponents twice his size never gets old.
His emotional arcs carry real weight, especially when he processes loss during key story moments.
Those scenes prove he is far more than a lazy genius with a clever quirk.
Shikamaru grew up on screen in a way that felt earned, and fans noticed every step of it.
4. Roy Mustang – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009–2010)
Roy Mustang walks into every scene like he already owns the outcome.
His flame alchemy is devastating, but it is his calculated ambition and layered morality that make him genuinely compelling to watch.
He wants power, yes — but for reasons that gradually reveal themselves to be far more honorable than they first appear.
His revenge sequence in Brotherhood stands as one of the most emotionally charged moments in the entire series.
Mustang is rarely the focus of the main plot, but his storyline carries enough weight to feel like its own show.
Supporting character in title only — protagonist in every other sense.
5. Kakashi Hatake – Naruto (2002–2017)
Kakashi showed up as a mentor and immediately became one of the most talked-about characters in the entire series.
The mask, the covered Sharingan, the casual attitude toward danger — everything about him screamed mystery in the best possible way.
Fans spent years speculating about what his face looked like underneath that mask.
His backstory, when it finally unfolds, reframes his entire personality in a deeply emotional light.
Kakashi is not just a cool teacher with elite skills.
He is someone carrying real grief and guilt, doing his best to protect the next generation from his own mistakes.
That combination is hard to beat.
6. Escanor – The Seven Deadly Sins (2014–2021)
Few anime characters make an entrance quite like Escanor.
One moment he is a meek, almost invisible man who shrinks from attention.
The next, he is radiating golden power and asking enemies if they truly believed they had a chance against him.
The contrast alone makes every appearance electric.
His famous line about being the one who does not kneel became iconic for a reason.
Escanor does not just win fights — he turns them into theatrical performances.
Underneath the overwhelming confidence, though, is a character with genuine vulnerability and a tragic love story that adds real emotional texture to his arc.
7. Erwin Smith – Attack on Titan (2013–2023)
Erwin Smith did not fight with the fastest blade or the sharpest strategy alone — he fought with conviction.
His ability to inspire soldiers to charge into near-certain death, and to make viewers feel the weight of that sacrifice, is something very few supporting characters ever pull off.
His speeches were legendary.
What sets Erwin apart is the moral complexity buried in his leadership.
He made brutal choices and carried them without excuses.
When his story reaches its conclusion, the emotional payoff is enormous.
He never held the title of main character, but the Survey Corps — and the audience — would have followed him anywhere.
8. Kurapika – Hunter x Hunter (2011–2014)
Kurapika’s arc in Hunter x Hunter shifts the entire mood of the series the moment he takes center stage.
While Gon brings optimism and energy, Kurapika brings something colder and more calculating — a vengeance so focused it almost feels dangerous.
His Nen ability, built entirely around his quest, is one of the most creative power systems in the show.
The Yorknew City arc belongs to him completely.
Watching Kurapika dismantle the Phantom Troupe with surgical precision while barely holding his emotions together is gripping storytelling.
He is proof that a side character given the right arc can outshine anyone, including the protagonist.
9. Itachi Uchiha – Naruto (2002–2017)
Introduced as a cold-blooded villain who destroyed his own clan, Itachi Uchiha spent years as one of anime’s most feared antagonists.
Then his backstory arrived, and everything changed.
What looked like cruelty turned out to be one of the most heartbreaking acts of sacrifice the series ever depicted.
Fans had to completely rebuild how they understood him.
That kind of narrative reversal is incredibly rare and even harder to execute well.
Itachi pulled it off because every quiet, measured scene he appeared in had been building toward that revelation.
His limited screen time carries more emotional weight than most characters get across entire seasons.
10. Satoru Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen (2020– )
Satoru Gojo operates on a completely different level from everyone around him, and he knows it.
His playful arrogance never feels irritating because it is backed up by genuinely absurd power.
Watching him treat serious threats like minor inconveniences is both hilarious and kind of awe-inspiring at the same time.
Beyond the flashy abilities, Gojo works as a character because of his role as a mentor who actually cares.
He is building the next generation of sorcerers on purpose, not by accident.
Even when the plot sidelines him, his absence is felt immediately — which says everything about how much presence he commands when he is around.
11. Levi Ackerman – Attack on Titan (2013–2023)
Humanity’s strongest soldier earned that title the hard way, and every action scene he appears in makes sure you remember it.
Levi’s combat sequences are some of the most technically impressive in anime — fluid, brutal, and almost impossibly precise.
The animation team clearly saved extra effort for whenever he pulled out his blades.
Underneath the stoic exterior is someone who has lost more than most characters in the series and keeps going anyway.
He does not talk about it much, which somehow makes it hit harder.
Levi became an anime icon not through speeches or grand gestures, but through quiet resilience and devastating skill.
12. Revy – Black Lagoon (2006–2011)
Revy does not ease into scenes — she explodes into them.
Armed with twin pistols and a personality sharp enough to cut glass, she brings a raw, unpredictable energy to Black Lagoon that no other character in the cast can match.
Even standing still, she gives off the impression that something is about to go very wrong.
What makes her more than just an action showcase is the damaged history underneath all that aggression.
Her anger comes from somewhere real and painful, and the rare moments when that surfaces add surprising depth.
Revy owns every frame she occupies, and Black Lagoon would be a far quieter, lesser show without her.
Comments
Loading…