On January 20th it is marked as "Day That Rivals Join Hands." It is the day that celebrates Sakamoto Ryōma's peace negotiations between the Chōshū Domain and Satsuma Domain at the end of the Edo period. In commemoration of the day, the Anime! Anime! website decided to ask readers about their favorite rival characters in anime.
The website conducted the open-ended survey from January 18 to January 20 and posted the results on Wednesday. A total of 154 people, comprised of about 48% males and about 52% females, responded to the poll. About 56% of respondents were age 19 or younger, and about 23% were in their 20s.
On the list below you will see that Dragon Ball Z's Vegeta, prince of the Saiyan race, topped the list. Naruto's Sasuke ranked at #2. Pokémon's pesky rival figure Shigeru (Gary), namesake of Shigeru Miyamoto and grandson of the beloved Professor Oak, rounded out the top three.
1. Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
2. Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
3. Shigeru Ōkido (Pokémon)
4. Katsuki Bakugō (My Hero Academia)
5. Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
6. Tōshirō Hijikata (Gintama)
7. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Bungo Stray Dogs)
7. Kaito Kid (Detective Conan)
7. Baikin-man (Soreike! Anpanman)
10. Heiji Hattori (Detective Conan)
10. Kojirō Hyūga (Captain Tsubasa)
What do you think of the list? Which character was your favorite rival? Did the list miss anyone you think should be up there? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!