Men of Power

What, exactly, makes an anime guy a "man of power"? These Leading Men are the strongest characters, the fighters extraordinaire, always ready for a fight (to save the universe, or their girl, lucky, lucky!)---but that's not all they do. These guys light up the screen with their unbelievable confidence, strength, determination and, yes, looks. They're what my sister terms "to die for."

Not Quite Standard Disclaimer:
The images here were gleaned from many different sites--wherever I happened to see a good picture of the Leading Man in question...In some cases I had to chop him out of a bigger picture, brighten the image itself--anything to get HIS solo mug up there. If I'm using your image and you don't like what I've done to it, tell me about it and I'll take it out. Remember: all images here belong solely to their creators.

All guys are plugged in ALPHABETICALLY per page, and in the order I received the suggestions, to avoid the reams of hate-mail I can imagine for inadvertently maligning *your* Leading Man.

Mamoru was the first Leading Man we ever grew to love, the first genuine "cutie" we encountered. For him alone, Sailormoon remains one of our favorite anime. That's quite a caveat, especially since it took my friend Android 18 months of reminding to get me to watch it regularly!

He's got lines for every occasion, has saved Usagi a million times, looks great in a tux, has perfect timing, even gets the "Akane is Mine!" award for all the times he's championed Usagi--the Sailormoon R movie being the perfect example. What more could anyone want? That Sailormoon doesn't deserve Tuxedo Kamen!
 
 

He's my favorite character in the series YuYu Hakusho. He's your typical bad-boy stuck in with the good guys, taking everything as a personal challenge. Some would contest his inclusion here, as he is technically a demon from the underworld (see Out of This World) but I love Hiei in his human guise. When he drops into his demonform, I don't like him as much, because he's usually berserk and the sarcasm and biting wit I enjoy so much is gone.

He's got attitude-with-a-capital-A, a blinding sword attack and he constantly pushes his limits. His disdain for anyone who isn't up to his standards and only grudging respect for those who ARE make him one of the most arrogant characters in anime, but with good reason. He never smiles, unless (a) someone's about to die or (b) he's about to crush some insignificant other to bitty pieces. I nicknamed him "Black Boy," for obvious reasons! ^__^

He's pretty low down on the looks scale--or at least he is, the first couple of times you see him. However, his character shines through such inconsequentials as looks. The character design reflects the movie's grim outlook, but this is one of the best anime I have EVER seen. (If you haven't seen it yet, you'd better run out and buy a copy right now--it's that good!)

He isn't too preoccupied with his honor, as you might have expected from feudal Japan. It's hard to explain him without going into the movie, so I'll just leave it there for now, until I can work up a more detailed analysis.

Sure, he thinks he's the best, doesn't appreciate girls--even turns INTO a girl!--but all that aside, he's pretty cool. My sister loves him. I can't count the number of times she's seen him on tape, but her squeals can be heard throughout the house and down the block--particularly at the end of the OAV "An Akane to Remember."

Ranma is almost unforgivably arrogant--note I said almost. In his own way, he's faithful to Akane and he can take everything she dishes out. Besides, he's ALWAYS there for her...and despite his constant denials about his feelings for his iinazuke, actions speak louder than words.

The image came from an image gallery in Kodachi, Shampoo & Ukyo's Ways to Catch a Man. Great site!

He's my sister's current "honey"--the series is presently running on Philippine TV and you'll find my sister weekly glued to the episodes I tape for her while she's in class... The opening credits are enough to send her into a swoon, believe it or not.

Why him, you wonder? Well, he may not be the romantic type (there is an incredible dearth of "heartwarming" moments, to borrow the phrase from popular film criticism), but he's got the power, the personality and the looks to beat a path to your door...and he NEVER gives up.

Update: They've reached the second season here and I must say, he's more gorgeous than ever, PLUS he's a lot more introspective. Duty, loyalty and love--he's got it all, I tell you. Should I move him into the Out of This World section, based on his demonic parentage? He has a really cool demonform, you know!