I love idols, this should be no surprise to you if you read my blog, some of my favorite moments in anime have idols in them. Not only that I love the music, the outfits, the dancing and cheerfulness/glow they can emit just the whole package. I must admit this love was spawn from Ranka Lee but nevertheless it is still true now. So I am bringing you my list of the best idols in anime. I think no one will be surprised at number one but at least the other 19 should be interesting.
I admit I had some trouble writing this because how do you fairly evaluate what makes an idol awesome? I could just go off my personal feelings or I could analyze them to death. I would normally find the second method a bit pointless but since I do see real discussion on this topic particularly in the Macross fandom I was tempted to go this route.
However, it’s all opinions in the end no matter how you say it when it comes to a form of entertainment the true value lies in the individual. For example many people would say M’yan has a better voice than Megumi Nakajima but I still prefer Megumi’s voice any day to a “superior” vocal range. Therefore I am going take the middle route of the two, I decided on values I believe are important to make an idol great to me but I won’t go into much analysis rather I will simple state what I like about them and what makes them special.
What I consider makes a great idol are the sum of 5 parts: visual, music, personality, story and special considerations. Visual includes how cute they are and the quality of wardrobe. Music is pretty obvious but I also placed importance on how much of their music is focused in the anime they were a part of as well. Personality is just how it sounds and in particular their character growth. Story includes how great was their story as in idol. Special considerations are given to anything else that makes them stand out because while you can have the total package you need a little extra something to make it to the top.
20. Sharon Apple (Macross Plus)
- visual: C
- music: F
- personality: C
- story: F
- special: D (ai macross idol)
She is no Hatsune Miku and I found her music very forgettable and mostly strange but at least she has the crazy factor. The reason she makes the list is because she is the only AI idol in anime I have seen. This is the future of vocaloid’s people, running rampant and taking over Macross.
19. Millhiore Firianno Biscotti (Dog Days)
- visual: B
- music: C
- personality: D
- story: F
- special: F (nothing)
Fairly cute, had one nice concert and voiced by Yui Horie makes her strong enough to get on the list. Ok even I am not really convinced she belongs here with all the Idolmaster girls and a few others I could think of but I wanted at least one Yui Horie character to make the list.
18. Basara Nekki (Macross 7)
- visual: F
- music: F
- personality: A
- story: D
- special: B (male idol? fighting in mechas with the power of song)
Piloting mecha’s with guitars and singing to bring peace to the galaxy. I didn’t like his music at all though. It is debatable as to if he is really an idol but I’ll call him one since the Macross franchise places him along side all the other idols.
17. Mylene Flare Jenius (Macross 7)
- visual: A
- music: F
- personality: C
- story: F
- special: D (nothing but I’ll give her a little extra for being well-known in Macross)
Cute and played along side Basara in Fire Bomber. I am sure Macross fans will think I have rated some of these idols too low however I think Macross is a bit over rated in terms of idols outside of a certain someone.
16. Meer Campbell (Gundam Seed Destiny)
- visual: A+
- music: F
- personality: C
- story: D
- special: D (one of the hottest idol in anime)
She was the Lacus Clyne impersonator and she did a great job at that. Her music was far too forgettable. She really has nothing special about her although she is one of the hottest idols in anime history is the only thing worth noting.
15. Mitsuki Kouyama (Full Moon Wo Sagashite)
- visual: C
- music: D
- personality: B
- story: A
- special: C (one of the better idol stories out there)
About the only thing noteworthy of her’s is I loved her story as an idol. It’s been honestly too long seen I’ve seen this show to remember her very well.
14. Citron/Eclipse (Basquash)
- visual: B
- music: C
- personality: C
- story: D
- special: B (best mecha basketball idol group)
Basquash was not one of Kawamori’s better works but I loved the idol trio in this and Citron as Megumi Nakajima gets my bias nod as the representative of the group on this list. If anyone else had voiced her she would not be on the list simple as that.
13. Elena Himekawa (Phi Brain)
- visual: A
- music: F
- personality: A
- story: D
- special: B (awesome personality, potential off the scale if used better)
The only reason to watch Phi-Brain. She is a great character but her role as an idol is rather limited which is sad. She could easily be in the top 10 if they gave her some more music.
12. Rabi~en~rose (Di Gi Carat)
- visual: A
- music: F
- personality: A
- story: D
- special: B (for humor and personality)
She is cute, has an awesome idol outfit and a great personality but she barely qualifies as an idol and her singing is usually as part of the Di Gi Charat trio. Like Elena if she was more known as an idol I would definitely give her a higher place.
11. Luna Edomae (Seto no Hanayome)
- visual: A
- music: D
- personality: C
- story: B
- special: B (deadly idol, crazy personality and those fins)
Although she doesn’t sing much she is definitely a fearsome idol in other ways. Just don’t mind the fins. Lunar’s song turns people into war machines. Hilarious and awesome at the same time. It’s kind of like Ranka’s ability to sway Vajra and Zentradi.
Click here to continue on to the top 10.
angelfox22 said:
I really like Millhiore but then I am a furry fan. New series of Dog Days is starting soon. As an idol Millhiore really doesn’t get enough screen time as one to really pass judgement. Hopefully get some new songs and more idol action from her.
I watched Full Moon recently. It’s Magical Girl X Idol. It works really well. I could see them doing something a bit similar if they were ever to make a Ranka lee Magical Girl series. Obviously with more magical girl elements. Putting the series aside the main idol does suffer a bit from reusing same song but it doesn’t get as tiring as other series that do that. Mostly because they had other stuff going on top of the singing parts and also because they had gaps between the concert scenes.
Reki said:
I agree I hope Millhiore gets more idol time and such she was actually the only reason I watched that show (I am a sucker for a cute pink haired girl).
It has been years since I saw Full Moon wo Sagashite myself, it was hard to remember it very well. I agree I would like to see a similar setup if a Ranka anime was made. Also hate when they reuse the same song over again, I suppose it costs money to make songs but its still annoying.
angelfox22 said:
XD I watched the show for that reason and because of the furrries. Which is why I like Ranka.
I watched good few episodes in one go and it didn’t get annoying. Partly because it flowed into ending credits at times and partly with how they made it more background music then just signing at times as well. You aren’t watching entire redone concert scene over and over again.
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keira said:
i dont really agree with your choices because its just not my style im someone whom prefers a AKB0048 kinda style but that my opinion…. but who knows i didnt check top 10 though…………
stella said:
im also someone who prefers akb0048 and starish so I didn’t realy like your list
Anime4life said:
You’re ratings are very inaccurate …But i mean it’s you’re opinion.I think you should not rate them because they are not professionally ranked and it’s probably bias.
Anime4life said:
Grade them*
emma said:
pri para is the best
Stella said:
Well I am the kind who likes anime like aikatsu, pretty rhythm and pri para. Love live! school idol counts.
williukea said:
so I know this post was made years ago but just saying that there are more so-called “Anime Vocaloids” – there is one from currently airing anime PuriPara: Faruru. She’s a Vocal Doll meaning she was born as idol in stage. She seems to be perfect idol at first and more robot-like but later becomes better
Reki said:
yes this post is very outdated and would be very different if it was made today and I am watching PriPara too.