I’ve always felt that simply striving to be a good person is such an admirable quality to have. This definitely applies to fictional characters too, and there are many great characters that can be summarised as just that – genuine, good people. For this list, I specifically chose characters that made me wish nothing but happiness for them. Quite an arbitrary standard, I know, but I think you’ll see what I mean. (psst, spoilers ahead)

Natsume Takashi

I admit- I wrote this just to include Natsume in it. Orphaned and shunned as a child for being able to see supernatural yokai, Natsume starts off in the series distanced from people and regarding yokai as a nuisance. As the series progresses, he interacts with people, such as his adorable adoptive parents, who finally treat him with the kindness he deserves and yokai, who turn out to be emotionally complex beings that touch him with their stories. He values his loved ones because he knows the pain of loneliness and wants to protect them. Once he learns about them, he chooses to approach yokai with understanding. He reciprocates the love and gratitude he receives from both humans and yokai because, in his words,

“As I had encountered kindness, I wanted to be kind myself. I wanted to be able to do something, just as others had done for me”.

Edward & Alphonse Elric

Edward and Alphonse were naive kids when they tried to bring their mother back after she passed away, but that doesn’t stop them from taking responsibility for what they did and the consequences that followed. All they wanted was to recover their bodies, but when an unethical opportunity arises to do so through the philosopher’s stone, both brothers immediately reject it. They also have this fantastic quality of believing in the best of people, and judging them on how they are in the present. Both brothers have good heads on their shoulders and strive to help the people they meet on their journeys. And after such a long and arduous journey, they both finally get the happy endings they absolutely deserve.

Kiriyama Rei

Rei is a character forced into survival mode at an early age, due to the death of his parents. He takes on living on his own at 17 so as to not burden anyone. He has to win at shogi, because it’s what is keeping him alive, but it tears him apart to see his opponents’ dreams crushed and his adoptive family slowly torn apart, distancing themselves from him because of it. He just doesn’t want to be a nuisance, and tries to be as helpful as possible to the angels on earth that are the Kawamoto sisters. Warm and gentle, Rei genuinely cares and is grateful for those who have helped him, be it the Kawamoto sisters, Nikaido, or his adoptive family (even though they ultimately come to antagonise him). As his adoptive mother put it,

“Rei really was just a really good boy”.

Killua Zoldyk

Killua was a child brought up to be an assassin – but that’s not what he wants for himself. He just wants to be a kid and have fun with his friend, Gon. And what a good friend he is – loyal and trustworthy, Killua really is just a good kid born into the wrong circumstances. He is mature beyond his years and finds his self worth as the series progresses. Alongside Gon, he works extremely hard to better his skill. He puts his loved ones first, tries his hardest to protect them and is an amazing older brother to Alluka and Nanika, who are mistreated and misunderstood by the rest of his family. When he tells Nanika to never come out again and is confronted by Alluka, he immediately recognises that he was wrong, apologises to Nanika and vows to always be with Alluka/Nanika. The final scene of him embracing Alluka/Nanika is completely heart melting.

Mob

Mob is the very definition of a good boy whose smile needs to be protected. He was born gifted with psychic abilities, but chooses not to abuse them even though he could easily overpower everyone around him. Instead, he chooses to better himself through hard work. A genuine person who interacts with the world around him with sincerity, Mob makes you want to root for him. He refuses to hurt vulnerable, regular humans and believes in the best of people. He puts his life on the line for the people he loves, whom he cherishes. Also, his interactions with the body improvement club is the most wholesome thing ever.

I think I’ll definitely do a female version of this, but I’m going to have to figure out how not to make the entire list just about the Kawamoto sisters first.

All images are taken from their respective anime for commentary purpose. I own none of them.