October 30 is “Hatsukoi no Hi (First Love Day)”.

The anniversary was established as Shimazaki Toson, a Japanese author in the Meiji era, published a poem titled “Hatsukoi (First Love)” on the same day in 1896. The poem beginning with the phrase “Mada age zome shi maegami no (lit. you had swept back your bangs for the first time)” is still loved by a lot of people.

There are many attractive characters that you will fall in love with before you realize it. Such characters may have been the first love for some people. You will have strong feelings especially for the characters that you liked when you are a child, and it will make you feel something special when you watch the works after you’ve grown up.

Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Who is your ‘first love’ character?”. During the survey period from October 18 – 25, a total of 482 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 85% while the males were about 15%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from the young readers: about 50% were from teens, and 35% were from those in their 20s.

In this article, we will introduce the results for the male characters edition.

■The ranking has changed from last year! The characters from the long-term series got higher places!

1st Place

1st place went to Kudo Shinichi from “Detective Conan”. The support rating was about 8%, and he moved up from 2nd place that he got last year.

The readers mentioned his gap as well as his intelligence, saying “He is reliable as he ends up solving any case” and “He is usually filled with confidence, but when it comes to his childhood friend Ran, he goes back to an ordinary high school boy. That is cute.”

From “Detective Conan”, Kaito Kid, Amuro Toru, and Akai Shuichi have also been ranked in. These attractive characters seem to contribute to its deep-rooted popularity.

2nd Place

2nd place went to Doi Hansuke from “Nintama Rantaro”. The support rating was about 5%, and he slipped off from 1st place that he got last year.

Many enthusiastic comments have arrived for him, including “Even though I was still in early elementary school years, my heart was throbbing to see his caring and gentle side. I think Doi-sensei is the first love for many girls” and “When I was watching ‘Nintama’ when I was in kindergarten, I thought ‘I want to be a student at Ninjutsu Academy!’. He is reliable and kind. Even though he is sometimes goofy, I like even such a side. I’m in my late twenties, but I still love him”.

3rd Place

3rd place went to Sakata Gintoki from “Gintama”. The support rating was about 4%, and he made it high up to 3rd place from 4th place in a tie that he got last year.

He can get things done when needed, and this aspect gained popularity. The received comments include, “He is usually unmotivated, but he takes on the challenges for his friends when needed, which is amazing! He never revealed the hardship that he experienced in the past to others and keep it in himself. That looks sad, but I fell in love with such a figure…”, “This protagonist lead me to an anime lover. He becomes more powerful than anyone else when needed, which fascinated me!”.
From “Gintama”, Hijikata Toshiro and Okita Sogo have also been ranked in.

■Let’s introduce other comments!

Kurama “YuYu Hakusho”
“He apparently looks very gentle but is actually super strong when fighting! By seeing such a gap, I first realized what heart-throbbing is.”
“He is kind and androgynous and sometimes shows a glimpse of his dark past. That was irresistible.”

Tsukishiro Yukito “Cardcaptor Sakura”
“When I was in elementary school, his kind and nice smile used to make me ‘Hanya~n’ as well as Sakura-chan.”

Kodai Susumu “Space Battleship Yamato”
“Even though he apparently looks a rushing and hot-blooded man, he is actually very gentle and delicate, which I was drawn into. As he was always driven to get his revenge, I cannot forget what he said after Garmillas-Earth War, ‘What we had to do was not fighting against each other.'”

Cascade “Midori no Makibao”
“When I was watching the anime in my childhood, he was cool, and I really liked him! Now I realize that he was my first love character. Horse… Anyway, even when I watched it again recently as an adult, I still think he is cool. I can’t do anything about it.” The non-human character has won some votes.

In the male characters edition, the characters from the titles broadcast from the 1990s to 2000s are standing out. 11th place is shared among 12 characters, which shows how competitive the battle was.

■Ranking Top 10

－Who is your “first love” character? Male characters edition 2021－
1. Kudo Shinichi (Edogawa Conan) “Detective Conan”
2. Doi Hansuke “Nintama Rantaro”
3. Sakata Gintoki “Gintama”
4. Natsume Takashi “Natsume’s Book of Friends”
4. Levi “Attack on Titan”
6. Kurama “YuYu Hakusho”
7. Kaito Kid (Kuroba Kaito) “Detective Conan”
8. Saotome Ranma “Ranma 1/2”
8. Hijikata Toshiro “Gintama”
8. Roronoa Zoro “One Piece”

（Survey Period: October 18 – 25, 2021）

*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in anime and characters.

■Ranking Top 20

－Who is your “first love” character? Male characters edition 2021－
1. Kudo Shinichi (Edogawa Conan) “Detective Conan”
2. Doi Hansuke “Nintama Rantaro”
3. Sakata Gintoki “Gintama”
4. Natsume Takashi “Natsume’s Book of Friends”
4. Levi “Attack on Titan”
6. Kurama “YuYu Hakusho”
7. Kaito Kid (Kuroba Kaito) “Detective Conan”
8. Saotome Ranma “Ranma 1/2”
8. Hijikata Toshiro “Gintama”
8. Roronoa Zoro “One Piece”
11. Akai Shuichi “Detective Conan”
11. Amuro Toru (Furuya Rei) “Detective Conan”
11. Inuyasha “Inuyasha”
11. Okita Sogo “Gintama”
11. Saeba Ryo “City Hunter”
11. Sesshomaru “Inuyasha”
11. Tuxedo Mask (Chiba Mamoru) “Sailor Moon”
11. Todoroki Shoto “My Hero Academia”
11. Bakugo Katsuki “My Hero Academia
11. Hattori Heiji “Detective Conan”
11. Lelouch Lamperouge “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”
11. Rengoku Kyojuro “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”

（Survey Period: October 18 – 25, 2021）

*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in anime and characters.