Who will have the highest number of fans in the world of Anime characters in 2025: Top Rating
If you’re an avid fan of anime you’ve probably wondered which character from anime has the highest number of fans across the world. Are you thinking of the powerful Goku or the mighty Goku from Dragon Ball? Maybe it’s Naruto with his ninja skills? Perhaps it is a newer character like Satoru Gojo? This article will give an answer to that question by presenting the most up-to-date figures from 2025. They will reveal exactly which anime characters have the most fanbases across the world.
The Official Rankings: MyAnimeList Data
Based on MyAnimeList One of the largest anime databases The most viewed animated character on the site with highest amount of fans is Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass1. In Feb. 2025 Lelouch is one of the 172,683 fans on the site1. This makes him the most popular character in anime that is based on this criteria.
Top five character basing on MyAnimeList top five characters are:
- Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass) Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass) – 172,
- Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) – 142,870 likes
- Levi (Attack on Titan) – 142,848 likes
- L Lawliet (Death Note) – 127,950 likes
- Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) – 112,628 likes
From the above images you can see that Lelouch definitely leads the pack over other anime stars of the top. His diverse character as a master planner, and his rise from a young man to a leader of revolution has won the hearts of a multitude of fans around the world.
Beyond Numbers: Cultural Impact
While MyAnimeList offers us numbers that are hard to come by but there are other measures of popularity other than hard numbers. Certain characters have had greater influence on the culture than the anime fandoms.
According to The Times of India, heroes like Goku from Dragon Ball Z enjoy enormous fan bases that exceed popular anime fans2. Goku’s “tireless pursuit of power and unyielding spirit have touched millions, earning him a global icon of perseverance”.
Similar to Naruto Uzumaki’s story “from a shunned orphan to the well-respected Hokage has won a huge fan base”. His life is full of themes of growth and acceptance that appeal to a wide audience.
Current Polls and Trends
A poll that was recently conducted on ANIKINGZ on YouTube has somewhat varied results, with their top five most watched anime characters:
- Naruto Uzumaki
- Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
- Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
- Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
- Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
This study reveals the fact that Levi Ackerman “was voted the most popular anime character in a Japan-based poll with 170,000 votes”. This shows the extent to which popularity differs based on geography and the characteristics of the population being studied.
Fan Communities and Merchandise
Another method to determine the acceptance of a character is through the sales of merchandise and the size of fan clubs. On Reddit forums people argue that characters such as Pikachu, Doraemon, or Goku might have the most total fan base when one takes into account the global popularity.
One Reddit user writes “Luffy is the protagonist of the most widely popular manga/anime in the world. Probably him or Doraemon. Doraemon is ubiquitous in East Asia”. This demonstrates how the popularity of a region can contribute significantly to a character’s the fan base overall.
Mainstream Recognition in contrast to. Devoted Fans
There’s a huge distinction between characters that are popular on the main stream and those with devoted fans. One Reddit user has described of Goku: “Goku is internet popular not popular in terms of pop culture. Some characters like Superman, Batman, Supergirl and Flash are pop culture they are so iconic”.
Others don’t believe that and say: “Goku is popular in pop culture, ofc he isnt as popular as superman because superman is 80 something years old, while Goku is half of that”. This argument shows the way that it is possible to compare the success of characters from anime isn’t easy.
What Makes These Characters So Popular?
Each of these characters have a few things they share in common that makes them popular with fans:
- Growing exponentially: Characters such as Naruto and Luffy have seen significant growth across their entire series.
- Individual Characters:Lelouch’s intellect, Goku’s positive outlook and Levi’s calmness unique.
- iconic designs: These characters have immediately recognizable appearances, making perfect for cosplay and merchandise.
- Relative Struggles Many fans identify with the emotional struggles of these characters and problems.
- Lang-Running series:Characters of long-running shows like One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball have had a longer period of time to establish their following.
Rising Stars in the Anime Universe
While the classics remain at the top, new players are rapidly gaining ground. Satoru Gojo, a character from Jujutsu Kaisen has quickly developed an enormous fan base “due to his vast amount of power, charismatic aura, and striking face”.
Similar to this, characters like Kiyotaka Ayanokouji from Classroom of the Elite have been climbing up the charts of popularity and currently sits at 34 according to MyAnimeList with 36,298 fans.
Regional Differences in Character Popularity
It’s also important to note that the popularity can vary greatly from one region to another. In Japan characters such as Doraemon might be more widely well-known than in Western countries. A user on Reddit states: “Feels kinda weird seeing Doraemon gets some mentions here and there. I mean, I grew up with Doraemon but I doubt most western people (which I believe is the majority of the people here) ever heard of him here”.
Similar to shonen characters, shonen anime characters like the ones of Dragon Ball, One Piece and Naruto have larger fanbases than characters from shows that might be more popular with certain anime companies.
Conclusion: Who Really Has the Most Fans?
Based on the most up-to-date information available for the year 2025 Lelouch Lamperouge, a character from Code Geass is the top-ranked character among most popular in MyAnimeList with 172,683 people having registered Lelouch as their top character1. When it comes to the global reach and impact of culture such characters as Goku, Naruto, and Pikachu could have bigger overall fanbases.
The truth is that determining the anime character with “the most fans” largely depends on the definition you use of fandom. Are you talking about the loyal fans that consider a particular character their favorite of all time? Is it a greater recognition and reach across the cultural spectrum?
We can say that characters like Lelouch, Luffy, Levi, Goku, and Naruto are the pinnacle of the popularity of characters in anime. Their stories have been shared with millions of fans across the world and left lasting traces that grow as new generations learn about the legendary characters.
What is your favourite anime character? Do you agree with these ranking? The greatest aspect of animation is the fact that it has a person everywhere, no matter if they’re famous or not.
