There are many anime out there with amazing and well written side characters. But we often forget to talk about them and center our thoughts on the main characters only. Side characters that are incredible rivals to the main character could be an antagonist or just amazing friends.
In the list below, we take a look at some of the best side characters in anime who are really well written.
Well Written Anime Side Characters
Zoro (One Piece)
One Piece is a franchise really well known for a lot of characters beyond just the main character, Luffy. The manga artist Eiichiro Oda always makes sure to give all of the characters a deep and interesting backstory.
But among all the important side characters, if we had to pick an important one, it would be Zoro. He is literally Luffy’s right-hand man and probably one of the strongest and most well written characters in the whole series.
Zoro was born in the East Blue region of One Piece’s world and trained to be a swordsman along with his peers. He vowed to become the greatest swordsman in all of the seas, and his journey to achieve this goal is what makes him endearing.
Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen)
It sometimes gets hard to keep in mind that Gojo Satoru is not the main character of Jujutsu Kaisen, it’s Yuji Itadori. It doesn’t help that a particular part of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime is also centered around Gojo Satoru.
All this would make one think that Gojo Satoru is the main character of the series but he isn’t. But we can all agree that he is also one of the best side characters in the franchise. Not forgetting that fact that he is also one of the strongest characters in the series.
Gojo has a very well written backstory as well, chronicling his early days as a sorcerer and all the people he lost. It is fair to say that half the reason that makes Jujutsu Kaisen special is due to how good of a side character Gojo is.
Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
It’s not hard to believe that half the reason our main character, Eren Yeager, stayed alive through the show is because of Mikasa. She is one of the most skilled characters in the Attack on Titan series, with a soft spot for our main character.
Mikasa is also one of the most fan-favorite characters, outshining the main protagonist in popularity among the fanbase. She is well praised for being one of the strongest female characters in anime.
Even though she is interested in Eren, Mikasa is admired for not wasting her potential by staying as just a mere love interest. She is one of the most well written side characters an anime series has ever produced.
Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
It might not be too surprising for some people to see Vegeta on this list. He is the definition of a fan favorite side character in an anime ever. We know that Dragon Ball is about the story of Goku, and there have been a lot of favorite side characters throughout the series.
Vegeta takes the cake for being the most well written side character in the series. That’s not just because of popularity, but also for his backstory surrounding his royal lineage. Having to live with the burden of always being second to a lower-class Saiyan.
This is also why Dragon Ball Z fans cheer and love it when Vegeta gets his moments to outshine Goku. In the modern day and age, imperialism is shunned at but for some reason, that’s not the case with Vegeta. Fans want him to win, his struggles are endearing, and that’s what makes him such a great character.
Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
The reasons why Sasuke is such a special side character are also very similar to why Vegeta is special in Dragon Ball Z. Sasuke may not be from a royal lineage, but he damn well is an anime character with a well written backstory.
Sasuke was the youngest member of the Uchiha clan who lost his people in a murder massacre in one single night. This left him deeply scared and molded him into the cold person that we came to know in Naruto.
As the series moved on, slowly, fans got invested in learning more about Sasuke and his clan, rather than the actual protagonist’s story. Fans wanted to see him go through with his revenge. In the end, Sasuke and the Uchiha clan’s story culminated as an integral part of the anime’s story.
Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
My Hero Academia has a lot of really good side characters who are well fleshed out with powers. But we picked Bakugo as one of the most important side characters because of how much he impacts the life of Deku, the main character.
Bakugo, just like some of the previous characters on this list, is a rival character to our protagonist. But he is also one of the most well written side characters in an anime. Initially, he starts out as a hated character in the fandom for bullying Izuku Midoriya in his childhood.
But soon enough, we get to see his downfall, losing to Deku and getting guilt-tripped for putting All Might in trouble. This gives him an endearing character arc to work towards. He eventually comes out as a beloved side character, becoming one of Deku’s most trusted friends.
Killua Zoldyck (HunterxHunter)
Unlike the other characters on this list, Killua isn’t a rival to our protagonist from HunterxHunter. He is one of Gon’s best friends, and we see them go on various adventures throughout the anime.
But friendship simply does not make a good side character, nor does being an exceptionally skilled hunter. The best thing about Killua is how well written his own backstory and character arcs are.
Killua was born into a family of the world’s best assassins, growing up with some of the most dangerous people around him. Being a Zoldyck is dedicating your whole life to a world of violence. But despite all that, Killua turned out as one of the best characters in the whole cast.
L (Death Note)
L is considered as one of the most important side characters in all of anime. He was the character who was a consistent rival to the main character of Death Note, Light Yagami.
While we may go into spoiler territory if we further discuss his plight, it is universally agreed upon that Death Note was not the same without L. From the very beginning of the show, it was very apparent that Light was one of the most overpowered characters.
L was the only character who was able to measure up to his intelligence and keep readers glued to their seats. Death Note simply would not have been the masterpiece that it is today if they had never introduced such a well written character like L.
Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)
Erza Scarlet is definitely one of the coolest side characters out of everyone else in the anime, Fairy tail. She is also strong enough to go toe to toe with the main character, Natsu, at times.
Her magic ability allows her to equip powerful armors at powerful weapons at command, making her a formidable warrior. Other than that, she exudes exceptional leadership qualities which is rarely seen in female characters.
She is a character who commands discipline and is feared by the rest of the guild members for her strictness. Erza goes through some incredible story arcs in Fairy Tail, which also make are one of the most well written side characters.
Kamina (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Kamina is technically not a side character, as he starts off as the main character of the show. But discussing why that changes would be treading into spoiler territory. So we are simply going to reminisce about how much of a well written character he is.
Anime fans love characters who exude bravery and are able to infect others with their strong charisma. Kamina is just that kind of character; most people sit down to watch Gurren Lagann because of this character.
But Kamina is also not without his flaws, which is what makes him so well written. Beyond that, it’s not just the fans watching the show; Kamina’s nature is able to infect even the characters in the show. This includes the protagonist himself, Simon.
