RESULTS: Who Is Your Anime Crush of 2022?
A few weeks ago we gave you the impossible task of choosing A SINGULAR anime crush for 2022. Now it’s time to decide which anime character will be crowned the champion of making everyone’s hearts go pitter-patter.
We shared our poll across multiple regions and received close to 8700 votes! It’s not quite enough to break a scouter, but still worthy of yelling the number into the heavens. Out of those votes, the top 10 characters racked up almost 4100 heart emojis! Here is what that looks like in a chart of pie. Don’t worry, we’ll reveal where the ten picks land at the end.
With so many fantastic characters to choose from, we realize asking you to pick just one was a bit cruel. Don’t worry, you aren’t the only ones who suffered as we also asked a few staff here at Crunchyroll to reveal their crush, too. We’ll point out whether or not our own crushes made the cut in this list.
The holiday potluck is gonna be tense this year.
10. Akari Watanabe
Series: More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers
Number of votes: 137
Akari’s attitude can be offputting, but beneath it is a genuinely kind person who’s worth making the effort for… once she gets over her crush. That’s right, if Akari’s your crush you’re gonna have to wait for her to get over the crush she already has! Good luck with that as the school implements a fake marriage program for students to participate in!
9. Tengen Uzui
Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Number of votes: 142
Have you ever looked at a character design in an anime and went, “Oh yeah, you’re making it on somebody’s best-of list.” That’s Tengen Uzui. Combined with his jaw-dropping fight choreography and extravagant personality that hides a quiet tenderness toward those close to him, it’s no surprise to see Tengen here this year. I’m sure his wives are just as thrilled as everyone else who voted for him.
8. Chisato Nishikigi
Series: Lycoris Recoil
Number of votes: 151
Don’t let the upbeat personality fool you. Not only is Chisato trained to take down any threat but she can, and will, do so by using non-lethal methods. Granted, that’s not exactly what’s expected of a Lycoris — they can absolutely use lethal force — but that’s what makes Chisato so interesting. There’s something admirable about keeping a positive demeanor when you’re trained to do the exact opposite.
7. Mirko
Series: My Hero Academia
Number of votes: 169
Fans have been eager to see Mirko in battle since her brief introduction at the end of Season 4. Season 5 showed a glimpse of her power, but it’s Season 6 that really let the Rabbit Hero go beyond. Mirko delivered an absolutely iconic beatdown against some hellish opponents and thoroughly enjoyed herself while doing it. Everybody say thank you, Mirko, for never skipping leg day.
RELATED: Much Like She-Hulk, Here Are 7 Anime Women I’d Let Bench Press Me
Crunchyroll staff comments: Sr. Features Editor Briana Lawrence (hey, that’s me!) had this to say about Mirko. “In a year full of some very worthy crushes, Mirko gets my vote because I’ve been waiting to see these moments with her animated for a while since I also read the My Hero Academia manga. Her scenes did not disappoint, she was an absolute BEAST in battle and I loved every minute she was on screen.”
Mirko was also an honorable mention for French Sr. Contributing Writer Mohamed Mir.
6. Aki Hayakawa
Series: Chainsaw Man
Number of votes: 181
Fresh from his cover on woman’s lifestyle magazine, anan, Aki is here for quiet smoke breaks and doing laundry over the weekend. From his peaceful morning routine to his slick moves in battle, Aki’s an instant favorite who’ll make you curry and summon a Fox Devil to chomp a Leech Devil to bits. It may take him a minute to warm up to you but it’s worth it when he does.
RELATED: Aki’s Morning Routine is One of My Favorite Chainsaw Man Moments So Far
Crunchyroll staff comments: Aki was an honorable mention for Sr. Contributing Writer Deanna Nguyen, German Editor Melanie Höpfler, Editorial SEO Manager Paola Stoncius, International Editorial Manager Leah President and Sr. Features Editor Briana Lawrence. He is well-loved here at Crunchyroll.
5. Makima
Series: Chainsaw Man
Number of votes: 344
Woof. Need I bark more?
4. Loid Forger
Series: SPY x FAMILY
Number of votes: 452
Listen. This is a man who got so mad on his daughter’s behalf that he broke a table with his fist. He may deny his growing feelings toward his family but Loid continues to be THE ANIME DAD OF 2022. From orchestrating an entire castle adventure just to celebrate Anya getting into Eden Academy, to embarrassing himself in public by providing the voice for a stuffed penguin, no one does it quite like Agent Twilight.
RELATED: How Well Do You Know the Forgers From SPY x FAMILY? Part One — Loid
Crunchyroll staff comments: International Editorial Manager Leah President had this to say about Loid. “Unfortunately, I am one of many people exclusively attracted to women with a hot anime man loophole. Loid more than qualifies as one of those considerate, plagued-with-perpetual-responsibility characters you’re not sure whether you want as a boyfriend or as an actual father figure.”
Loid was also an honorable mention for Sr. Contributing Writer Deanna Nguyen, Editorial SEO Manager Paola Stoncius and Sr. Features Editor Briana Lawrence.
3. Power
Series: Chainsaw Man
Number of votes: 487
Bow in the presence of Power, feeble humans, as the fiend cements her spot in the Top 3!
Despite her mindset in regard to flushing the toilet, it’s hard not to like someone who understands the importance of cats and good food (as long as it’s not vegetables). That being said, Power would probably demand a recount since she’s not in the top spot here. What’s a fiend gotta do to win the Nobel Prize?
RELATED: Which Chainsaw Man Character Are You?
Crunchyroll staff comments: Power was also an honorable mention for Sr. Contributing Writer Sean Aitchison, Spanish News Lead Julio Velez and Editorial SEO Manager Paola Stoncius.
2. Marin Kitagawa
Series: My Dress-Up Darling
Number of votes: 876
With Marin, you get someone who’ll cosplay with you, or at the very least, someone who will appreciate your sewing skills if you’d rather stay behind the scenes. More importantly, Marin is someone who will encourage you to do what you love. Her excitement is as infectious as it is adorable, and her immediate message of not giving people a hard time for what they like is a necessary one.
1. Yor Forger
Series: SPY x FAMILY
Number of votes: 1147
Here she is, your number-one pick for Anime Crush of 2022!
The Forger Family mom is easy to fall in love with, from her deadly abilities in battle and, well, her deadly abilities in the kitchen. As fun as it is to see her fumble her way through being a “normal” person, perhaps it’s those wacky attempts that make her so endearing. She really is just trying her best.
Also, much like Loid, it’s hard not to love someone who will legitimately know where to hide the body if someone messes with their kid. You thought Yor was a threat as an assassin? Try Yor as a mother.
RELATED: SPY x FAMILY’s Loid and Yor Forger Are Great Spies and Better Parents
Crunchyroll staff comments: Sr. Contributing Writer Sean Aitchison had this to say about Yor. “She is a badass assassin who is also terrible at some things, she’s all of us when we try something new even though we know we’re good at other stuff! SHE’S DOING HER BEST!!! Also, look at her she’s adorable.”
French Sr. Contributing Writer Mohamed Mir added, “Hot and cold, dangerous and funny, clumsy and yet very precise, shy but very loving. I mean why wouldn’t she be on the list?”
RELATED: How Well Do You Know the Forgers From SPY x FAMILY? Part Three — Yor
Yor was also an honorable mention for a lot of us, including Features Editor Carolyn Burke, Sr. Contributing Writer Deanna Nguyen, Sr. Manager, EN Editorial Nicholas Friedman, Director of Editorial David-Christopher Galhea and Sr. Features Editor Briana Lawrence.
Now, as promised, here is the completed pie chart to show where the Top 10 land!
Another fun statistic to think about? While Chainsaw Man did have the most characters on the list, the three of them aren’t enough to topple Yor! Their votes combined still don’t overtake the Thorn Princess. That is quite an achievement!
And now for some truly honorable mentions!
Who Else Did Crunchyroll Staff Vote For?
Image Source: Netflix
While a lot of our staff agreed on the picks in the Top 10, there are a few other characters who were shown some love. Sr. Manager, EN Editorial Nicholas Friedman and Director of Editorial David-Christopher Galhea both had Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as their top pick. “Lucy is cool, confident and could easily beat me up,” said Nick. “Her hacking skills are unmatched, and she is the heart of Edgerunners, a show that tried to make me cry in basically every episode. It also has a Franz Ferdinand OP so that helps too.”
David added, “Give me a character who can Hack the Mainframe™ in 12 seconds flat and I’m sweatin’. Give ’em a dark flee-their-hypercapitalist-militia past, iridescent aesthetic, and a penchant for pickpocketing business executives, and I’m sold.” David also mentioned Lucy’s love for the moon as a selling point.
Another character who got multiple picks is Vanitas from The Case Study of Vanitas.
He was picked by German Editor Melanie Höpfler and Editorial SEO Manager Paola Stoncius. Melanie had this to say about Vanitas. “Vanitas is not only my crush but a character I want to protect dearly – he’s had a very rough start in life and blames himself for numerous things he had no control of. During the duration of the anime, it was beautiful to see how he slowly transitioned from his selfish and blasé personality to becoming a sincere person who profoundly cares for his friends.”
Paola echoed those sentiments, commenting on Vanitas’ growth and how his mischievous appearance hid someone who cared deeply for those close to him.
RELATED: The Case Study of Vanitas Takes Inspiration from Every Kind of Vampire Story
Features Editor Carolyn Burke’s top choice was Shota Aizawa from My Hero Academia. “Ethics, empathy, eyes, hair, scarf. He’s a vibe and a good one.” Spanish News Lead Julio Velez chimed in with a vote for Hana Uzaki from Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! as she is “adorable and funny!” On the opposite end of the vote was Senior International Editorial Manager Kristine Don’s pick for Queen Hiling from Ranking of Kings. “Single-handedly running a kingdom, surviving a coup d’etat, and being a loving mother to two kids… that’s some Queen behavior right there.” Kristine also mentioned Dimple from Mob Psycho 100 as an honorable mention because “We love character development”
Speaking of Mob Psycho 100 we have Sr. Contributing Writer Deanna Nguyen rounding things off with Reigen. We obviously can’t have an anime crush list without him. We’d have to throw the entire thing out if he weren’t here.
“A con artist is supposed to be a sleazy scum of the Earth, but Reigen is (sort of) far from it and I think it’s because Studio Bones also has a major crush on him,” is what Deanna said about the Tumblr sensation. “I mean, who could forget the iconic and overly dramatic hair flip? But also, Reigen’s ever-growing mentor-student relationship with Mob is always endearing to see, which I guess balances out his scammer ways.”
Definitely the best note to end this list on.
Briana Lawrence is the Senior EN Features Editor here at Crunchyroll. When she’s not writing she’s taking care of her three butthead cats and playing Hades for the 100th time. You can check out her writings and her book series over at her website and give her a shout over on Twitter.
