March 17th is the “Rose Anniversary”.

It is named as such because the 17th is the death anniversary of Showa Era novelist and critic, Shiotsuki Takeshi, who famously wrote the collection of criticisms: “The Century of Roses”.

Roses, beautiful vivid red petals, sharp thorns, this captivating charm makes many a person love the plant. There are many characters in anime that use rose imagery as well, but which one among them looks the best doing it?

That's why Anime!Anime! decided to hold the following questionnaire:
“Which anime character suits roses the most?”As a result, 461 responses were gathered between Mar. 3 to 10.
The participants consisted mostly of women, with a gender split of 15% men, and about 85% women. 30% of participants were under 19, 30% in their 20s, and 20% in their 30s.

Coming out on top is the rose whip-wielding Kurama from “Yu Yu Hakusho”!
The first place goes to Kurama from “Yu Yu Hakusho” with about 18% of the votes!
Kurama has the ability to manipulate plants and uses a technique called “Rose Whip”.
Readers left comments like “Men who fight with roses are way too splendid. They possess a charm that will not fade with the years.” and “Even though he suits roses so well, he doesn't come across as snobby, he's so beautiful you can nearly pick up the scent of roses. Also, there are times when he shows off his cold side, that kind of gap is the best.”
He's quite a memorable character with his red hair reminiscent of a rose's petals, and androgynous appearance and in-game quotes like “beautiful roses have thorns”.

The second place goes to Tuxedo Mask from “Sailor Moon”, with about 13% of the votes.

Tuxedo Mask has left a pretty impressive impression, thanks to his rose throwing skills and saving Sailor Moon when she gets into a pinch here and there.
Comments came arrived many readers, even from those who didn't missed the series when it originally aired: “When you talk about roses, you remember the roses that Tuxedo Mask used to throw, Rose = Tuxedo Mask”, “Whenever Usagi was in a pinch, a rose would come flying, Tuxedo Mask to the rescue! Knowing that, I could breathe a sigh of relief.”
It looks like the iconic way he announced his arrival also left an extraordinary impact. “A guy that speaks like a poet while his intimately familiar theme song plays in the background, a dashing figure that will sometimes appear with a laugh, he's an eternal hero.”
To this day, he still captivates the hearts of fans.

Third place goes to Jinguji Ren from “Uta no Prince-sama” with about 5% of the votes.

Readers justified their votes with comments about rose motifs in his songs. “The title of his new song is “Rose Rose Romance”. Even if are rose elements in other character songs too, Ren's songs have a lot of rose motifs.” Other comments expressing their support of the idol included:
“Because he even owns a rose garden” and “Ren who is brimming with natural sex appeal gives off a super-strong rose-like image.”

Some other comments:
Regarding Tenjou Utena from “Revolutionary Girl Utena”: “I felt that Ikuhara Kunihiko's world was filled with performance-like duel scenes filled with roses spinning and fluttering around.”

Regarding Oscar from “The Rose of Versailles”: “In flower language the red rose means “beauty”, “passion” and “eager love”. No one suits those definitions better than the heroine-hero from this tragedy.”

Regarding Kaito Kid from Magic Keito: “The way he pulls roses out of nowhere is my favorite amongst Kid's magic tricks! The way he pulls out a blue rose while introducing himself was so dreamy!”
Some characters that didn't use traditional red roses were also ranked, such as Milky Rose from Yes! PreCure 5: “When you talk about roses, you might get a strong red image, but blue roses are also a thing. Whenever she'd appear, the blue roses were both beautiful and cool.”

The questionnaire featured characters from a wide range of titles, from 1970 classics to popular titles that are currently being broadcast. Male characters stood out most, but a few female characters with rose-imagery also made the list, such as Seta Kaoru and Minato Yukina from “BanG Dream!”.

Top 20
“What character suits roses the most?”
1. Kurama ( “Yu Yu Hakusho” )
2. Tuxedo Mask ( “Sailor Moon” )
3. Jinguji Ren ( “Uta no Prince-sama” )
4. Atobe Keigo ( “The Prince of Tennis” )
4. Pisces Aphrodite ( “Saint Seiya” )
6. Cavendish ( “One Piece” )
7. Oscar François de Jarjayes ( “The Rose of Versailles” )
7. Seta Kaoru ( “BanG Dream!” )
9. Minato Yukina (“BanG Dream!” )
10. Hibiki Wataru ( “Ensemble Stars!” )
10. Leonardo Medici Bundle ( “GoShogun” )
12. Usami Akihiko ( “Junjo Romantica” )
12. Keito Kid ( “Magic Keito” “Detective Conan” )
12. Renjoji Bell ( “Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live” )
15. Tenjou Utena ( “Revolutionary Girl Utena” )
15. Mashymre Cello ( “Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ” )
18. James ( “Pokemon” )
18. Yoichi Takato ( “The Kindaichi Case Files” )
18. Tsukiyama Shuu ( “Tokyo Ghoul” )

( Response period: Mar. 3 ~ Mar. 10, 2020 )