Another (anime)

just wanna share this anime :)
watch it guys! hahahaha

It's one of a kind!

Puppies :)

 Choose which is cute! >_<

ps: you could also find them as characters in my story " Prince and I " read it if you want. Tnx! :)

Prince and I :) tnx again for the views!

What do you do when you're in facebook?

Well, here I just want to share somethings that interest me most and are I guess the reasons why I enjoy being in the Facebook family.

Except for the reason that you could gain friends locally or not, enjoyable games and other entertaining stuffs, things that I really love to see in this site are the posts of the persons, groups or fan pages that I decided to follow. And as I want to share it, I'd like you also to see just a peek of their amazing posts.


(c) A Love Story Quotes >>> Facebook.com

>>>> I just hope you like them :D<<<<<
>>>>I'd like also to know what are the things you like to do when you're in Facebook?<<<<

Sword Art Online

 

 

 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Plot

In the year 2022, the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), Sword Art Online (SAO), is released. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he ultimately falls in love. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and a small group of SAO players have still not awakened yet. Following a clue about Asuna's whereabouts in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO), Kirito also logs in there. Helped by his sister Suguha, he learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to perform illegal experiments on their minds to put them under his control, including Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world in order to take over her family's company. After Kirito stops Nobuyuki's plans, he finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

Soon after, Kirito plays another game called Gun Gale Online (GGO) to investigate the mysterious connection between it and deaths occurring in the real world. Assisted by a female player he meets in the game called Sinon, he identifies and exposes the culprits, who include some former members of a murderous guild he had previously encountered in SAO.

Kirito is later recruited to assist in the development of a state-of-the-art game, UnderWorld (UW), which has an interface that is far more realistic and complex than the previous games he had played. In UW, the flow of time proceeds thousands of times faster than in the real world. However, he ends up falling into a trap set by one of the murderers from GGO and wakes up inside the game, unable to log out, with his real self left in a comatose state. As he starts to question if he is the real Kirito or an artificial intelligence modeled after him, Asuna, Suguha and Sinon also log themselves into UW in an attempt to help him.

Setting

The light novel series spans several virtual MMORPGs, not exclusively the eponymous world of Sword Art Online.

Sword Art Online

The first virtual game world, as well as the setting of the first arc of the story. The world takes the form of a giant floating castle called Aincrad, with 100 floors in it. Each floor has a medieval-themed setting and a dungeon with a boss, which has to be defeated before players can advance to the next higher floor. Like most RPGs, it implements a level-based system.

Alfheim Online

The setting for the second arc of the story. All players in the game have wings and are capable of flight. It is a large world, divided into separate 'homelands' for each of its fairy races. In Alfheim's center is a very large tree called Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and the goal of the game is to reach the top. It implements a skill-based system with players increasing their stats by developing both their combat and non-combat skills. Aincrad, the castle of the first game, is later accessible to ALO players as well.

Gun Gale Online

The setting for the third arc of the story. It is a virtual game world with a main focus on guns, although melee weapons like lightsabers and knives also exist.

UnderWorld

The setting for the fourth arc of the story. According to Kirito, it is graphically the most realistic of all VRMMOs to date. The flow of time in UW is much faster than the real world's just like Accel World. Even so, it seems that even Kirito was misled as to the actual rate of UW's time flow, so it is still unknown. However, in the "There is but one ultimate way" side story, the rate is said to be 10,000 times faster than that of the real world.

 

Anime

See also: List of Sword Art Online episodes

An anime adaptation of Sword Art Online was announced at Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2011, along with Reki Kawahara's other light novel series, Accel World.^[6] The anime is published by Aniplex, produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tomohiko Ito with music by Yuki Kajiura.^[7] The anime began airing on Tokyo MX, tvk, TVS, TVA, RKB, HBC and MBS on July 7, 2012 and on AT-X, Chiba TV and BS11 at later dates.^[8] The series is also streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The opening theme song for the first 14 episodes is "crossing field" by LiSA^[9] and the ending theme song is "Yume Sekai" (ユメセカイ^?, lit. "Dream World") by Haruka Tomatsu.^[10] From episode 15 onward, the opening theme is "Innocence" by Eir Aoi and the ending theme is "Overfly" by Luna Haruna. The anime has been licensed in North America by Aniplex USA.^[11] and in Australia by Madman Entertainment.^[12] The anime was simulcast by Crunchyroll.^[13]

You must watch and read this one!!!!!!

Thanks! :D

 

Anime for 2013

January 11th 2013
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Dai 2-ki

• Comedy

Mikazuki Yozora and Hasegawa Kodaka open up a club for students with poor social skills and few friends.
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/haganai/


January 6th 2013
Minami-ke 4 – Tadaima

• Comedy

http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/minami-ke/4/


January 12th 2013
Chihayafuru 2

• Josei

http://www.ntv.co.jp/chihayafuru/

January 6th 2013
AKB0048 Next Stage

• Idol, Sci-Fi

http://akb0048.jp/

January 6th 2013
Senran Kagura

• Action, Ecchi, Comedy

http://senran.tv/

January 5th 2013
D.C.III ~Da Capo III~

• Romance, Comedy, Fantasy

http://www.hatsunejima.com/

January 10th 2013
GJ-bu Chuutou-bu

• School

http://www.ntv.co.jp/gj/

January 6th 2013
Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru

• Romance, Comedy

http://www.oreshura.net/

anuary 11th 2013
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai

• Comedy, Romance

http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/sasami/

January 9th 2013
Senyuu.

• Shounen

http://senyu.tv/

January 11th 2013
Vividred Operation

• Bishoujo, Sci-Fi

http://www.vividred.net/

January 4th 2013
Cuticle Detective Inaba

• Comedy, Mystery

http://www.cdinaba.com/

January 11th 2013
Kotoura-san

• Romance, Comedy, School

http://kotourasan.net/

anuary 3rd 2013
Mangirl!

• Comedy

http://mangirl.jp/

January 12th 2013
Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru So Desu yo?

• Fantasy, Comedy

http://mondaiji.tv/

January 3rd 2013
Yama no Susume – Encouragement of Climb

• Moe

http://www.yamanosusume.com/

January 3rd 2013
Ai Mai Mi

• Comedy

http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_aimaimi/

January 7th 2013
Amnesia

• Shoujo, Romance, Adventure

http://www.anime-amnesia.com/

January 6th 2013
Hakkenden: Toho Hakken Ibun

• Bishounen, Historical, Shoujo

http://hakken-den.com/

January 5th 2013
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

• Fantasy, Romance, Comedy

http://maoyu.jp/

January 8th 2013
Zettai Karen Children: The Unlimited – Hyoubu Kyousuke

• Fantasy

http://unlimited-zc.jp/

January 10th 2013
Tamako Market (by Kyoto Animation)

• Slice of Life, Moe

http://tamakomarket.com/

January 6th 2013
Love Live! School Idol Project

• Idol

http://www.lovelive-anime.jp

February 23rd 2013
To aru Majutsu no Index: Endyumion no Kiseki

• Shounen, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action

http://www.project-index.net/

For more info. Please visit http://www.animeph.com/

Top Anime Characters (1990's-2011)

Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time

Counting down a quarter-century of animation greats.

by Chris Mackenzie October 20, 2009 @ http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/10/21/top-25-anime-characters-of-all-time

 

Japanese animation has been around a long time now. We've only been aware of it in America for so long, especially when it comes to shows besides G-Force and Speed Racer, but it's been nearly 50 years since the first black-and-white Japanese TV animation hit the airwaves. Since then, Japan has taken animation in more directions than any other popular culture, creating a broader range of classic characters than even we in America can claim.
In recognition, we thought we'd have a shot at coming up with a list of 25 all-time classic animation stars. It's hard to harvest just a few of our very favorite characters out of shows airing over five decades, but we gave it a go anyhow, and here are the results.
Our criteria for selection involved a little bit of everything – each character's lasting fame, the impact they had on the medium and their particular genre at the time, the depth and quality of their realization on screen, and of course, a little bit of personal taste. Everyone out there has their own damned opinion, of course, so have a look at ours, and then feel free to share yours afterwards.

25. Shinji Ikari
First Appearance: Evangelion Episode 1, "Angel Attack," 1995

Shinji, to quote a famous fanboy one-liner, is a giant wuss. He cries, he whines, he cowers, he chants a constant mantra about how he "mustn't run away" before promptly running away several times throughout Neon Genesis Evangelion.
We love Shinji, perhaps, not for what he is, but for what he could be. For all the many times where the guy completely drops the ball – including at the climax of the entire Evangelion saga, with the fate of all humanity hanging in the balance – there's a couple of outings where Shinji really is every last bit he could be. When he beats the Third Angel to death with its own rib bones, it's hard not to love our boy Shinji.
Or maybe we just love Shinji because we wish we could be in his shoes, because we know we could do the job so much better ourselves. And shack up in a pad with no parents and two gorgeous girls besides.

24. Totoro
First Appearance: My Neighbor Totoro, 1988

Hayao Miyazaki has invented enough lovable characters to fill a whole list of his own, from the mighty flying pig who took the lead in Porco Rosso to the quirky little coal-demon from Howl's Moving Castle. One of them stands out above all the rest, which becomes especially obvious if you ever happen to visit a Japanese Toys R Us. In his home country, and even abroad to a degree, Totoro is eternal.
The interesting thing about Totoro, as heroes of children's stories go, is that he isn't completely…safe, might be the word. He's cheerful and friendly and fuzzy, true, but he's huge and loud and wild, too. He's a spirit of nature, with all that entails, and that might be what's helped give him serious staying power over the decades since.

23. Lelouch Lamperouge
First Appearance: Code Geass Episode 1, "The Day a New Demon Was Born," 2006

It's hard to come up with a "hero" who is more unabashedly, unashamedly evil. Seriously. Lelouch is a liar, a thief, a manipulator, and a mass murderer with a body count…possibly up in the seven figures, depending how you do the counting, by the time the Code Geass saga is finally over. At some point or another, he finds a way to betray or kill almost everyone he has ever known.
In spite of it all, though, he had his reasons. He meant well, in his supremely screwed-up way. And in the end, he was ready to pay for it, and pay for it he did. Say this one thing for Lelouch, he never did a damned thing halfway, and he made Code Geass a heck of a ride all the way to the end.

22. Monkey D. Luffy
First Appearance: One Piece Episode 1, "I'm Gonna Be Pirate King," 1999

Some characters work for relatively complicated reasons. Other characters work because they hit people really hard. Luffy, most would agree, belongs to the latter category.
That might be selling the rubber man a little bit short, though. Plenty of tough-guy anime heroes can dish it out all day, but Luffy can take it, too, which is a somewhat rarer quality. Hit him as hard as you can and he'll just bounce right on back – in fact, it's hard to think of a meaner counter-puncher, not since Joe Yabuki from nigh on 50 years ago. He's done Shonen Jump proud for many years now, and there's no reason to expect he won't keep going for plenty of years more.

21. Vegeta
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z Episode 11, "Trouble on Arlia," 1989

Before so many others picked up the same gimmick, he was the original unmitigated bastard. When you wonder about the appeal of a Light Yagami or Lelouch Lamperouge, consider that the prince of the Saiyans was a fan favorite years before they came on the scene. Vegeta's so arrogant he reckons himself superior to most of the population of the galaxy, and he'd probably look down at the rest of the universe if he happened to meet anyone from that far away.
He came around a bit, though, which is a big part of his appeal. He never quite became Mr. Nice Guy, but Bulma certainly did her best to civilize the big lug. There's something to be said for a hero with just a touch of a bad guy in him, and by the end that describes Vegeta to a tee.

20. Ichigo Kurosaki
First Appearance: Bleach Episode 1, "A Shinigami is Born," 2004

He has a big sword. No fooling. You would not believe the size of this guy's sword. And when he does that whole thing where he hollers "BANKAI!" real loud, the sword gets even bigger. It'll give you such a zetz, this sword…
Okay, okay, okay, we kid. There's more to Kurosaki than just a big sword. In fact, he's the thinking man's Shonen Jump hero, a bright and inquisitive young kid who just happens to get saddled with the image of a dopey delinquent goon. Sometimes the action in Bleach moves a bit too fast and furious to let him show off his full range, but at his best, there's a lot more to Ichigo than just a big sword. And in a pinch, well, the sword can still get the job done all by itself.

19. Haruhi Suzumiya
First Appearance: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Episode 11, "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina," 2006

We were worried she might wipe out the universe if we didn't let her into the top 10, but it's a chance we'll just have to take. With luck she'll forget about it and wind up fixated on something else in the morning.
A lot of people read very deeply into Haruhi Suzumiya, and it's true that there are some interesting philosophical implications to the notion of a neurotic teenage girl with unconscious godlike powers. The show doesn't need any hidden meaning to work, though – Haruhi's hilarious whether or not you take her seriously. What she does, on a number of levels, is make interesting things happen, and while that might make life a little frightening for the characters around her, it makes for a show that was magnificent entertainment from beginning to end.

18. Light Yagami
First Appearance: Death Note Episode 1, "Rebirth," 2006

Remember the bit a few entries back about unmitigated bastardry? Here is the undisputed heavyweight champion, a narcissistic mass murderer with absolutely no regard for any other human being alive, unless he might be able to use them for a while before he crumples them up and throws them away.
For a while, though, he was mesmerizing, there's nothing else to it. Death Note probably tried to run a bit longer than it actually had the fuel to carry itself, but at his peak, everyone wanted to know what Light was going to try next. He could plot and scheme like nobody else before or since, and he just about managed to pull it all off…but then again, probably best for all concerned that he didn't quite make it.

17. Vash the Stampede
First Appearance: Trigun Episode 1, "The $$60,000,000,000.00 Man," 1998

Some might say that Vash isn't much of a character. (Others might go farther and call him a bald-faced knockoff of a character who lives a couple of entries further down this list.) As a character design, though, he's one of the all-time greats. Yasuhiro Nightow is an excellent artist any day of the week, but he outdid himself with the hero of his most famous comic strip.
Most fans were sold on Trigun before they even watched the show. Vash the Stampede just had the look – the long coat, the spiked hair, the custom six-shooter, like a blazing red version of all the great gun-slinging heroes of Westerns past. That look worked on a couple of levels, too, once we found out exactly what was hidden underneath the famous duster.

16. Jubei Kibagami
First Appearance: Ninja Scroll, 1993

Jubei is a character who might not be entirely notable not in and of himself, but more for the production that he happened to anchor. He's the vital source of gravity about which orbits two hours of sex and violence that, in their time, were tremendously influential. Yoshiaki Kawajiri may not be remembered very much in the 21st century, but back in the day he introduced a whole bunch of American fans to this thing called "anime."
And he couldn't have done it without Jubei, the fictional incarnation of an almost-as-deadly historical figure. He's arguably not the principal actor in the movie – he spends an awful lot of Ninja Scroll being hurled around at the whim of greater powers – but like any great action hero, he takes a beating and comes back every time.

15. Arsene Lupin III
First Appearance: Lupin III Episode 1, "Is Lupin Burning," 1971

He and his crew are justifiable icons. They've consistently carried hit productions for more than 40 years now – three classic long-running TV shows and a raft of hot movies and specials besides. A year ago in Lupin III: Green Vs. Red, his creators had such a hard time finding a credible opponent that they had to pit Lupin up against…well, himself.
As lovable rogues go, there may be none greater. Think of him as Japan's answer to Bugs Bunny, in a way – he never fails to come up with an outlandish scheme or a smart one-liner to top it all off with. Lupin brings a classic supporting cast along with him, too. There's no such thing as Lupin without the Lupin Gang, after all, or good old Inspector Zenigata in hot pursuit.

4. D
First Appearance: Vampire Hunter D, 1985

Yoshitaka Amano, of course, is famous for a whole bunch of other characters besides just this one. This is the one that put him on the map, though, a few years before something called Final Fantasy that apparently all the kids are into these days.
He's not the only vampiric vampire hunter who's ever headlined an anime horror story. (Most fans could name three or four off the top of their heads, in fact.) D has a style all his own, though, born out of Amano's elaborate artwork -- a few parts baroque and a few parts just plain bizarre. Not many others have a gimmick as weird as our man D's sentient hand, and that might not even be the strangest thing about him.

13. Motoko Kusanagi
First Appearance: Ghost in the Shell, 1995

Masamune Shirow is famous for a particular kind of sci-fi heroine. In a way, you might say that they're all the same woman, just filtered through a different milieu in each story. Send Dominion's Leona Ozaki to survive in the wreckage of World War III and she probably wouldn't turn out entirely unlike Deunan Knute from Appleseed.
The Major's filtered through a very interesting milieu, though. She is, when you get down to it, just a brain in a jar, although nobody's going to dispute that it's one hell of a jar. That makes her a straight line to one of science fiction's most interesting questions – what is it that makes up a human? Though she may be cool, professional, and mostly artificial, she's unquestionably human, and following her adventures through Ghost in the Shell was never less than fascinating.

12. L
First Appearance: Death Note Episode 3, "Dealings," 2006

Death Note paid this guy the ultimate backhand compliment. As soon as he left the series, it fell straight off a cliff. The second that L's no longer involved in the plot, you may as well put it down and find something else to watch.
Perhaps it's because he made such a sharp and simple contrast to Light Yagami's megalomaniac ego. L has no ego to speak of, just a constant drive to get the job done. Light wants to be revered as a living god, while L would as soon nobody even knew his name. Each of them made the perfect nemesis for the other, and neither was quite the same without the other to work against.

11. Shotaro Kaneda
First Appearance: Akira, 1988

Strip him naked and Kaneda isn't much of a character. He's one of a million lunkheaded teenage delinquents, the kind that have headlined macho beat-'em-up comics in rags like Shonen Champion for decades. Haul him in for disturbing the peace, stick the scrawny punk in prison grays, and stand him in a lineup – would anybody recognize him?
What Kaneda's got, though, is probably the most incredible collection of props a cartoon character has ever been blessed with. Everyone remembers the images from those classic promo posters for Akira -- the bright red biker leathers, the cocked laser rifle, and of course the motorcycle, a legendary piece of mechanical design by Katsuhiro Otomo. Clothes may not always make the man, but they definitely did it for this one.

10. Rei Ayanami
First Appearance: Evangelion Episode 1, "Angel Attack," 1995

Rei is a hugely influential character concept. Since Eva made the big splash back in 1995, we've seen dozens, if not hundreds, of anime heroines written almost exactly like her – pliable, passive, emotionless objects, perfectly suited to a timid geek's favorite fantasies. Rei has about as much personality as a Real Doll, and possibly that is not a coincidence.
Or does she? The difference between Rei and so many almost-Reis is that there might be something behind the façade. She's a mystery we never really solve, when you think about it. Even after we learn what's supposed to be the great big secret behind where she came from, that doesn't necessarily answer the real question. Is there more to Rei than what we think we see?
Like so many things about Evangelion, it's an awfully interesting argument starter, and it's nice to believe that it's what put her on the map. Sadly, the bandage fetish probably had more to do with it, but we are not our fellow fanboy's keeper.

9. Sailor Moon
First Appearance: Sailor Moon Episode 1, "A Moon Star is Born," 1992

There were plenty of magical girls before Sailor Moon, and there have been plenty of magical girls since her. Miss Moon, though, struck a balance that few shows before or since have matched. Earlier heroines like Minky Momo were childish and chaste. Her successors have grown ever more cheesy and lurid, appealing to the aging pervert market that she accidentally tapped for the first time.
Sailor Moon went so far and no farther. Her skirt was impossibly short, but you never did see what was under it. Compared to a recent creation like Lyrical Nanoha, she's a model of restraint.
One also has to recognize Sailor Moon's massive impact on American anime fandom. Hers was the first show that managed to draw in a measurable audience of real, live girls, who became genuinely hardcore fans thanks to shows like Rurouni Kenshin and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Which led, by a long and twisted trail, to a number of fanboys unexpectedly finding a way to lose their virginities at conventions some years down the line. They may not quite know it, but they owe you one, Sailor Moon.

8. Pikachu
First Appearance: Pokemon Episode 1, "Pokemon! I Choose You!" 1997

Love him or hate him, he's recognized around the world. At his peak he was probably the best-known, best-loved, and most-often-bootlegged anime character since the heyday of Goku and Dragon Ball Z.
His appeal, of course, is perfectly simple. He has all the best qualities of the domestic housecat – fuzzy, friendly, occasionally silly – but without any of the down sides, like clawing the curtains or shedding all over the couch. He's unfailingly loyal, too, whereas your average cat would probably eat your throat while you sleep if you didn't happen to feed him twice a day. Consider Pikachu something close to the ideal pet, just so long as you don't happen to rile up his electric side.

7. Edward Elric
First Appearance: Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 1, "To Challenge the Sun," 2003

Ed, let us say, has his failings. He is arrogant, he is hot-headed, he has the classic small-man's syndrome. He has a chip on his shoulder that you could send to the sawmill and use to build a decent-sized garden shed.
On the other hand, he and his kid brother Al make one of the best action-comedy teams in recent memory. The entry here really ought to belong to the Elric brothers collectively – it's hard to imagine the one without the other, after all. Together, they made Fullmetal Alchemist just about the biggest anime hit of the decade, and with the arrival of their second big TV series, we still haven't seen the last of them.

6. Naruto Uzumaki
First Appearance: Naruto Episode 1, "Enter: Naruto Uzumaki," 2002

If you follow Shonen Jump's fan-favorite character polls, Naruto actually isn't the most popular character in his own series most of the time. Kakashi and Sasuke walk away with it as often as not, and he's even been squeezed out by a villain or two on occasion.
He's the engine that powers the franchise, though, that's pretty hard to argue against. Naruto's like a bouncing orange perpetual motion machine – just wind him up a touch and he goes. Sasuke may be tougher and Kakashi may be cooler and Deidara may be…well, blonde-er, or whatever it is people see in him, but the show could go without them in a pinch. It couldn't go on without the would-be Sixth Hokage, though, which is why he snags this spot on the list.

5. Himura Kenshin
First Appearance: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 1, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend," 1996

A classic example of a classic anime type, the peace-loving killing machine. He's a perfectly decent guy who hides something horrible inside him, which lends a low-level current of suspense to every second of the show he appears in. We know that it takes a whole lot of abuse to bring out the man that Kenshin used to be, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen at almost any time.
The dual nature of the character reflects itself in the series. He can get away with starring in light comedy with no problems – in fact, he's a first-rate straight man most of the time. When his creators feel like shifting gears down into something darker, though, he can effortlessly turn to a darker tone along with them.

4. Spike Spiegel
First Appearance: Cowboy Bebop Episode 1, "Asteroid Blues," 1998

We don't see it done very often, but in some ways animation is the perfect medium for film noir. Robert Rodriguez had the right idea when he filmed Frank Miller's Sin City comics – the movie may star real people, but break down the whole package and it's more than half a cartoon. Years before, Shinichiro Watanabe went all the way with Cowboy Bebop, and a fellow who, in his quiet way, became one of the great modern noir heroes.
Spike's a flashy, funny, violent tough guy, and that's part of what makes him fun to watch. What really makes Cowboy Bebop work, though, is the story that grows out of his past, and the reckoning that all of that inevitably builds towards. Every key character in the series finds some way to settle things with what's gone before, except for Spike, who just can't find a way to let the past go. Given how his story ends, though, we wouldn't have it any other way.

3. Speed Racer
First Appearance: Speed Racer Episode 1, "The Great Plan Part 1," 1967

Yeah, he wore an ascot. It was the early '60s, though, so you can mostly excuse that kind of thing. And he had a cool car and a monkey, which is pretty hard to beat.
But seriously, folks. The first generation of fans that encountered Japanese cartoons mostly did it through a guy named Speed who talked as fast as he drove, and Speed Racer's adventures hung around in syndication to have an impact far beyond their original run. In his time, Speed had a totally different style from American animation, too – the influence of Japanese girls' comics gave him a look that wasn't like anything else on TV here, and that effect told many years later, when there were at least as many women as guys interested in this thing called "anime."

2. Astro Boy
First Appearance: Astro Boy Episode 1, "The Birth of Astro Boy," 1963

His contemporary American reincarnation is just a touch embarrassing, but Tetsuwan Atom is still an icon among icons. He was Japan's first great modern cartoon hero, on the printed page and the TV screen.
Astro was inspired, of course, by the Pinocchio legend – his creator wanted to build himself an artificial son, a robot who could replace the human child that he'd lost. That's the emotional center that makes him more interesting than the average action hero. Sure, he fought evil with lasers in his fingers and machineguns in his backside, but he had a real heart and a real personality to go along with all the weaponry. In retrospect, it's no surprise to see he had staying power, even if he's a few sizes smaller than the average anime robot.

1. Goku
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Episode 1, "Secret of the Dragon Ball," 1986

There's a brief movement during the Dragon Ball Z saga where Goku goes and dies. (The dying part wasn't actually all that big a deal, though, since the Z Fighters died and came back about as often as the X-Men, and with as many lasting consequences.) Dead, Goku travels directly to the afterlife, where he greets King Kai – for all intents and purposes, God – and asks for the chance to train in martial arts beneath him, learning directly from the Almighty.
Not long after completing a training session alongside our hero, Kai has a chat with a few of his fellow deities. Goku, reckons the King, is the most powerful being in the universe. He is a match for King Kai himself and then some, able to perfect fighting techniques that Kai never could, and might well destroy all that is if he isn't very careful with his massive in-born powers.
Japanese animation has given us plenty of bad-asses, but not very many could have beaten up God and then blown up the universe for an encore. Ladies and gentlemen, Son Goku.