Best Comeback Character

Challia Bull (Gundam GQuuuuuuX)

Who would have thought 2025 would turn a one-off Enemy of the Week from the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam into one of the coolest characters in anime in 2025? Challia Bull didn’t even get to appear in the Gundam movie trilogy! But now he’s seen in a whole new light as a force to be reckoned with, not only for his Newtype powers but also his shrewd mind and wealth of experience. Even his Mobile Armor, the Kikeroga in the GQuuuuuuX universe, became one of the most interesting mecha designs of the year. 

Best Aspiring Scholar

Jolenta (Orb: On the Movements of the Earth)

The entire cast of Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is worthy of praise as richly defined characters who reflect the complexity of humanity and its relationship with knowledge. I’ve decided to highlight Yolenta in particular, however, because of her added challenge of being an intelligent and inquisitive young girl who was stymied not only by the prevailing religious beliefs of her time but also the sexism that permeated even the sacred halls of scholarly thought and education. Yet she defies those barriers, puts her life and well-being on the line for the sake of expanding human knowledge, and becomes something unexpected yet far greater: a revolutionary figure.

Best Puppet Protagonist

Shāng Bú Huàn (Thunderbolt Fantasy)

They don’t make ’em quite like Shang Bu Huan, both literally and figuratively. Not only is he the face of a Taiwanese-Japanese co-production for a fantasy-genre puppet-theater series, but he also calls to mind the stoic and witty action heroes and manga protagonists of decades past like John Matrix and Kenshiro. I think what’s ultimately really impressive about the so-called Sword-Plundering Nemesis is that in a series full of charismatic and memorable characters like Thunderbolt Fantasy, Shang never got lost in the shuffle or any less intriguing. His humility and quiet confidence put him on par with the greats.

Best Dance Partners

Wanda Hikari and Kotani Kaboku (Wandance)

I’ve been following the Wandance manga for many years, so I was glad to see the series get an anime adaptation. While it hasn’t quite lived up to the manga in terms of its visuals, the incredible bond between Wanda and Kabo still shines through. 

It’s a classic problem in anime romances that male-female pairings often don’t have that feeling of “equal partners and rivals” that is so common and exciting in BL or yuri pairings, but that’s exactly what we get from these two and their ever-growing love of dance. They’re sweet, wonderful, and supportive of each other…and when they’re together, they feel unstoppable.

Final Thoughts

I decided to mix things up this year and get rid of specific gendered categories in the hopes of not boxing myself or the characters in.  

Overall, my picks don’t have a great deal in common, whether in personality or actions taken. If I had to pick a point of convergence, though, it would be that they all bring something unexpected to the table within their stories and worlds. They invite us to re-think how we view things, whether they have to do with revision and revival, science and education with respect to politics and cultural norms, what goes into making a main character, or expectations of what a “conventional” romance looks like.