Anime characters you respect the most

[Dains11]

Mugen (Samurai Champloo) -- Because that guy relies only on his strength, only listens to his impulses, and only cares about his food, women, and friends.

Hikaru Shindou (Hikaru no Go) -- I admire his desire and committment to improving himself at go.

[tritoch]

Shinobu Morita [honey and clover] - The type of friend who sneaks into your heart and stays there.

Ryuu Sasakura [Bartender] - Helping people through one glass at a time.

Ran Ryuuren [Saiunkoku Monogatari] - Eccentric but really becomes unforgettable the more you watch the show.

[Jazzrat]

Shuji Hanamoto (Honey and Clover) - He's always there to help you without being obvious.

Tachikomas (GitS) - It's just moving to watch these cute lil AIs tries to achieve what everyone takes for granted, being alive, being human. Helps me appreciate the lil joy in life that i overlooked.

almost forgot,

Tsuruya (Suzumiya Haruhi) - what can i say? She's the perfect genki girl for me. She's pretty and smart to boot. Even with the wee lil amount of screen time she gets, she still manage to be my favourite girl.

[stelok]

Masatsugu Hattori (Grander Musashi RV)- he is a ninja fisherman. Also a mysterious, resilient, wise and complex character with a very interesting attitude and equally interesting personality. He cares a lot about winning the competition but he also cares for mother nature and people in the need. He also possesses a code of honor that governs his every action. He is very concerned for mother nature and he values the sanctity of life. He is willing to help people in need. But his pride and desire to win hinders his willingness to aid others. In one episode, when Masatsugu noticed his rival Musashi was having problems with fishing, he was going to offer Musashi a fishing lure/bait until Kuki Jr., another rival, cut him off with a speech. Kuki Jr. told Masatsugu, that if Masatsugu tries to help Musashi, ironically he would lose the fishing battle to Musashi. He let his own rival's words got the better of him so he changed his mind about helping Musashi. That is what I like about him. He is noble and selfless but not too selfless. His concerns for other people, even fishing competitors always conflicts with his desire to win much like yin and yang. He usually doesn't place the others' needs above his own but that didn't stop him from curing Musashi's stomachache when he could and should have allowed him removed from the fishing competition.

[Trax]

Nausicaa is one that comes to mind; she seemed to be the only one that tried to live in harmony with her environment and did so succesfully. She was also very confident, since she knew what she was doing, and brave and selfless to boot.

Just wondering though if some people aren't just naming characters that they like. There's alot of characters I like, but I wouldn't respect them just because they're nice and cute or whatever.

[Mnemosyne]

Kouyama Mitsuki (Full Moon wo Sagashite) - I admire that rather than giving up on her dreams, she decided to pursue them with her remaining time... besides, i really like singers... ^^;

Meroko Yui (FMwS) - Because I admire dynamic characters and selflessness

Light (Death Note) - he's a bit crazy, but I admire his intelligence

Furude Rika (Higurashi no naku koro ni) - ...just because!

[Suhaki]

Himura Kenshin- Because he is the way he is.
Kuchiki Byakuya-Calm strong and inteligent person.
Eikichi Onizuka-The best teacher ^^
Kira (Yagami Light)- I jus like him and hate L
Osaki Nana- Girl that is my type

[Soleil]

Noriko from Gunbuster, real heroine, you have to leave everything behind, even your time..

[capture]

Ippo Makunochi (Hajime no Ippo) - He's fighting spirit is too high, always gets up when he's down...

[H-man]

Oe Kintaro(Golden Boy), this guy has my respect for all of my life. It's the story of a boy, if I remember correctly 25 years old, who drops out of Tokyo University, Law School, because he knows everything. He then get's on his bike and bikes around Japan to learn about life. He will always have a place in my dreams. His motto: "Benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou, benkyou!" ("Study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study!")

[Captain Picard]

Light Yagami (Death Note) - OK, who can honestly say they don't respect this guy? He's willing to go through anything and anyone to achieve his final goal of becoming God, and he's got the mind and the means to do it, too.

Griffith (Berserk) - Much the same reasons as above

... And that's all you need to make an informed judgment of the quality of my character.

[TheAnswer]

Kurosaki Ichigo (Bleach) - Despite all the pain he goes through he is able to turn them into his strength.

Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin) - Despite wielding a useless sword he is able to defeat his enemies. Plus he knows when to be a goof and when to be serious.

Rosette Christopher (Chrono Crusade) - Even though knowing the contract with Chrono will shorten her life she does whatever she can to save her brother.

Nicholas Wolfwood - Come on a bad ass priest with guns.

[patnam]

Light Yagami (Death Note)- smart, full intelligence but insane...
Kenshiro (Fist Of The North Star)- ATATATATATATATATATATATA
Harima Kenji (School Rumble)- Never give up to attempt confessions for his own love.

[Sasuke_Bateman]

Sasuke Uhicha!! he's just cool

[Wosho128]

Mireille (Noir) - I love her determination to keep going. When problems start to appear, she might angst a little but she always pushes through so that she can find out more about the organization that took everything away from her.

Zaraki Kenpachi (Bleach) - I don't like Bleach all that much except for a few characters. Kenpachi takes the cake of the one I respect the most. He's just a badass who doesn't care about living or dying. He just wants to have fun! To him, fighting is just another way to pass time. I respect characters who flow with the rhythm of life.

Spike (Cowboy Bebop) - 0_0 I haven't seen this character mentioned much! Spike is the epitome of cool. He never cries over spilt milk and he presses on despite his rocky past.

Leorio (Hunter X Hunter) - He's the oddball of the group in the series. However, he's very determined to become a doctor! He never yields when it comes to moving forward unless it's for the sake of a friend.

Dr. Tenma (Monster) - (Reasons already mentioned in this thread.)

Johan (Monster) - COMPLETE GENIUS! I thought that the geniuses in Death Note were scary but he's in a league of his own. He manipulates people without even trying. He had prominent members in society following his will! Scary. I respect his cunning.

Uchiha Brothers (Naruto) - I know, I know. They are very angsty and self absorbed. I respect their talents though. Itachi was a natural genius who went on the brink of insanity. However, he was and still is one of the best ninjas in the series. Sasuke is also very talented. However, I respect him for the fact he threw away his happiness in order to attain power from a being who wanted to take his body. Going to Orochimaru was a huge gamble but Sasuke went anyway to fufill his lifelong goal knowing that there were risks.

Ginko (Mushishi) - He's very wise and humble. And in a way, he's like an herbal badass. (Alright, not really, but work with me.) Ginko is a very complex character and he's able to see different perspectives of life that others can't.

Gutts (Berserk) - Gutts has had a life full of pain and sorrow. Despite everything, he keeps walking forward. Everytime I get down, I think of Gutts' struggle and I tell myself to look forward. He's an inspiration to me even though he's an anime/manga character. =P

Judeau (Berserk) - Hands down, one of the most loyal characters in anime ever. He looked after Gutts and Caska until the very end.

[Orbitalframe Misaki]

Yuji(Shakugan no Shana), to know what you really are and be able to accept that definition in his case... not sure i could, props to him.

Aoi(Ai Yori Aoshi), such loyalty through the years to her beloved, something we could use more of in real life.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Treize Khushrenada: for his wishes to restore honor and virtue to necessary warfare.

Reinhard Von Lohengramm: For having the conviction, wit and intelligence to attempt to overthrow a corrupting empire.

Loran Cehack: For managing to maintain his sanity during the Earth Militia/Moonrace conflict, while having loyalties to both sides of the equation. Also has a strong sense of justice, but defers to others he knows have a valid an well thought opinion of the way the conflict can be resolved.

Char Aznable: Possibly the only character who actually appears to learn in anime and change his convictions and beliefs over time for better and worse, going from a policy of hatred and revenge in MSG, to a policy less centred on revenge and more centred on proactively creating a better environment for spacenoids in Zeta, and ultimately to a fusion of multiple philosophies (Such as those of Thomas Hobbes, Machievalli and Nietsche) in his "Final Solution" to bring about a new age for humanity free of conflict in CCA. In the end, depending on where you stand he is the hero of spacenoids or the ultimate nemesis of Earth, but he's definitely not a villain.

And the undisputed champion deserving of my respect:

Shishioh Gai: The ultimate hero of justice and honor and virtue. I don't think I've ever seen such a self-sacrificing, concerned and determined hero figure in my entire life. He protects the innocent, punishes evil, is incredibly hot blooded without being angsty and self-righteous, and you can tell he has absolutely no ulterior motive. Sure its unrealistic, but he's just such a heroic figure I cannot think of anyone else deserving of the title.

I really can't think of any women I respect in anime and its probably because of storytellers habits of making them eye-candy and damsels in distress who never attempt to do anything great or.... wait I got it just now

Diana Soriel: The Queen of the Moonrace and a good soul at heart. When she launches her invasion of the Earth Sphere she has no idea of the destruction she has caused and upon finding out the suffering she has caused seeks to mend the damage in any way she possibly can. A lover of peace and with quite a good sense of humour as well as the strength to reel in dangerous factions of the Diana Counter, she is deserving of respect.

Shakti Kareen A girl who in the midst of battle can be seen planting flowers and weeping for the Earth while her friends are trying to get her out of danger. All she wants is peace and you can see the dismay on her face as she watches her friend Usso turn from an innocent boy into a war-loving miltia solider. Everything she does is in an attempt to barter ceasefires and peace and she has an uncanny ability to paint the whole picture for people such as Chronicle, Queen Maria and even members of the League Militaire. For not getting caught up the conflict like everyone else and for sacrificing herself at every and any opportunity to protect the Earth and its people while still taking a proactive approach where necessary, she is the second female character deserving of my respect.

[darkjester]

Light Yagami: Death Note - i'd follow him to hell and back...

Ryuk: Death Note - somebody i'd like to chill with...

Chad: Bleach - cool guy, big heart, strong as hell...

Gene Starwind Outlaw Star - if u seen the anime, u'd understand...

k thxs

[Honey_and_Cleaver]

Zaraki Kenpachi-Bleach: A noble warrior who fights for pure strength and no dirty tricks.He brings up the pure meaning of strength and encourages strong souls.

Raw Le Kreuz-Gundam Seed: He is sharp and vocal, heart piercing words, sometimes hes over pyschotic,but he earns my great respect.

Brandon Heat-Gunrave: I feel great pity for this guy, yet i respect him a lot for he fights and struggles like hell for someone who is born incapable to speak a lot and express himself entirely.

Brandou-Elfen Lied: He can fight damn well with Lucy, he puts a great fight for someone who is human, plus his words arent that bad, a pyscho but he earns my respect.

Shizuma-Strawberry Panic!: A pure lady, noble and flawless, theres nothing about her i despise, shes the ultimate Queen with my utmost respect.

Kanbei-Samurai 7: Worthy samurai warrior that helps the weak even risking his life in dying, yet he is cunning and intelligent, skillful and strategic, open minded and constantly thinking what to do next. A highly respected Samurai.

Shinku-Rozen Maiden: She is serious and strict, highly noble and always conservative, she kicks ass and shes caring for her sisters. I highly respect her even shes arrogant.

Sesshoumaru- Inuyasha: A noble demon lord. Smart and sharp piercing words.His attitude is like a true king, and he commands even the strongest demons beneath his feet. Yet he is responsible and takes care a small little girl called Rin and risks his life to protect her. But yet he gives her freedom and protects her without expecting anything from her. He is firm with her yet he is the most gentle,gentler than anything.

Nenene Sumiregawa-R.O.D: She truly fights and write books even when threatened with death. Truly strong and courages, never giving in to any kind of trash. A true woman worthy of respect.

[azaria03]

Lacus Clyne-she's a lady who fights with her own ways, she don't admire violence at all....she know that everything will be settled by just talking....she changed Kira's belief that you can never protect anyone without using violence....
Kira Yamato-his beliefs are the same with lacus'....and unlike other coordinators he don't think high of himself even the most person who should take others lowly is him because he's the ultimate coordinator...he's the nicest person much nicer than lacus
Himura Kenshin -believes that even murderers have their good sides
sasame from preater-even he turn his companions down,he showed to everyone that love can conquer everything...