Luffy Vs Ichigo: Who Is The Best Shonen Protagonist?
Anime protagonists have been the subject of heated debates since the dawn of the media. Which protagonist is stronger, smarter, or otherwise more interesting are questions that have been asked by most anime fans at least a handful of times. And the answers? Well, they tend to be subjective more often than not; and that makes them irrelevant for the most part. An answer completely rid of personal bias is harder to come by than a loved-by-all shonen protagonist.
Luffy and Ichigo, two of anime’s most iconic faces, get special treatment when it comes to these comparative debates. Each of the two is impressive on their own rights, but they are in no way perfect. This list will not be covering who is better and who’s not, however, it will be covering the aspects that make these two equally amazing protagonists the phenomenon that they are.
10 Luffy: True To Himself
Luffy will most certainly come out as a maverick when compared to his counterpart shonen protagonists. He does follow the conventional shonen formula, but he does it on his own terms.
What’s unique about him is that he is true to himself. He is an outlaw; he knows it, and he doesn’t try to deny it. Heck! He even showcases pride about it every now and then. He never sugarcoats that fact, but he embraces it strongly.
9 Ichigo: An Underdog (kind of)
Ichigo started with an unprecedented bang. The starting was catchy, the plot was dicey, and the characters were spicy. Ichigo, in particular, attributed greatly to the series’ early success. His underdog status is what robbed most fans of their attention.
But of course, that underdog status later dissolved into nothing. Needless to be mentioned, it was disappointing. But with all said and done, Ichigo will forever be an underdog in some of the fans’ hearts.
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8 Luffy: Ideals
To be the pirate king is Luffy’s grand dream. What does it mean to be the pirate king? Well, it depends. Is the wealthiest pirate roaming the seas the pirate king? No. Is it the strongest pirate who dominates the masses with their fists? Not necessarily.
The freest of them all is the one true pirate king-- at least according to Luffy. These are the ideals that Luffy follows. Unchained from the world and its boring rules, and unfettered from its materialistic objects. He represents the most primal force of freedom.
7 Ichigo: Ichigo Sensei
Luffy might be awe-inspiring and impressive in his own right, but you can’t really apply his ‘true freedom’ ideals IRL. he and his grandeur ideals are confined within the fantasy world for good reasons.
Ichigo, on the other hand, taught plenty of fans some genuinely inspiring life lessons. ‘There will always be a light at the end of the tunnel; it just takes perseverance to reach it’ is one lesson he preached on an occasional basis.
6 Luffy: Charisma
One of Luffy’s strongest points is his charisma. Despite having a vocabulary on the lacking side, and being too blunt most of the time, he has a way with words that grabs the other party’s attention -- even if the other party was a fan.
This is one of the aspects that separate Luffy from the average shonen protagonists. He is full of flaws, but he is rarely accounted for these flaws because of his amazing charisma.
5 Ichigo: Relatable
As charismatic as Luffy is, he is in no way relatable. His thought process and notions vastly differ from those of the average viewer's. And then there is Ichigo who sought acknowledgment for some good years of his life.
His being shunned for being different as well as the ordeals he had to experience just for the sake of that sweet acknowledgment can loudly resonate with plenty of fans.
4 Luffy: Unset Morals
Again, Luffy has his own way of dealing with things. Rather than following a set moral compass, he is guided directly by his own instincts. No external force can misguide his path; he is always confident in every decision he makes.
His actions of saving kingdoms and whatnot were not borne from a moral code he follows. Contrarily, they were backed by his own 'innocent' selfishness. It definitely is a fresh outtake in tackling the shonen morality; kudos to Oda.
3 Ichigo: Character Growth
One of the most impressive aspects that highlight Ichigo’s greatness is his character development. Fans have witnessed him grow from a headstrong snotty brat with only one goal in mind, to a mature Hokage with a multidimensional persona.
It’s Ichigo’s individual journey that acts as one of his strongest assets. Only a few characters in shonen can compete with him in that regard.
2 Luffy: Simple Yet Complex
At first glance, Luffy might seem like the average goof head with the brainpower of a slightly smart toddler. But that’s not the case, Luffy is not an idiot, he is just extremely simple and straightforward.
He showcases his complexity at dire times. The times where the rest of the crew are rendered immobile are the very same times Luffy chooses to step in. His mature side, although elusive, does in fact exists. Pedro’s selfless sacrifice aimed the spotlight toward such Luffy.
1 Ichigo: The Hard worker
‘Never give up’ is Ichigo’s motto of choice. His entire journey was dictated by that motto; he never gave up despite the odds. It’s not odd for fans to favor a character with resilience on Ichigo’s level.
Though he might be an annoying blabbermouth at times, Ichigo still is widely loved by the fandom. It’s both his positive and negative aspects combined that make up the Ichigo we all love and care for.
NEXT:5 Reasons Sanji Is The Most Underrated Straw Hat (& 5 It's Franky)
Next Ichigo: 10 Things Sasuke Can Do Without His SharinganAbout The Author