Anime fandom is full of lists.
The most popular, the hottest, the best dressed, the best food girl.
Reading those lists is good, but who decided who is on the shortlist? And surely there is always somebody who you thought deserved to be entered, but was ignored at the cost of a really popular character who doesn’t really fit.
How best to solve the problem than with a civilised argument. Or even a debate.
Every two weeks I’ll post a new subject, and we will work together to find a number of characters who fit the category best. I will propose a handful of characters discussed ahead of time by a group of knowledgable contributors. Feel free to add suggestions of your own, argue against the inclusion of characters suggested by others, or support the inclusion of a character that somebody else doesn’t agree with.
After one week of debating, there will be a poll in the General Anime forum to vote on which character best fits the category from those agreed on in the first week. The winner will be the one with the most votes!
As a rule, only one character per series can progress to the vote – unless there is overwhelming support for multiple characters, so pick wisely!
Episode One – The Most Adorable Character
Adorable (Adjective) – inspiring great affection; delightful; charming.
Cute characters are a dime a dozen in anime. Some may even be adorable, but sometimes a character is meant to be cute, but clearly isn’t. It’s more annoying than adorable when a character who is clearly there to be adorable, is just forcing it. Likewise, just being cute, delightful, charming, or whatever, doesn’t automatically make you adorable. For an obvious example of this, just look at Hinagiku from Hayate the Combat Butler. It’s clear that she’s cute and fun to watch, and her reactions can be fun – especially when she gets flustered, but is she adorable? I say no.
Likewise, Nagi. She’s clearly meant to be adorable. She’s a small bundle of tsundere that falls at almost every hurdle, but with her it is less adorable, and often more annoying. When she’s sweet it’s a moment of delight, but that moment of delight isn’t her being adorable.
Below are the sixteen characters that I’m seeding in to the debate this week, with a little bit of an opening statement about each, and why they are just so adorable. As ever, feel free to add your own, or disagree.
Remember, be civil. Disagreeing is fine, but try to include more than just that. Likewise, if someone disagrees, don’t be offended. Come back with a counter-argument!
Chiyo Sakura (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun)
The girl who started the discussion! Can any character this season beat out her for adorability? To me, no. Maybe it’s her giant red ribbons? Maybe she was just born with it, but everything she does just endears her to me.
Akatsuki (Log Horizon)
What is more adorable than a slightly akward ninja girl who tries her hardest to help her lord?
Alice Carroll (Aria the Animation)
This one was difficult, as there are three character in Aria I personally consider to be adorable. Alice won out ahead of Akari and Ai. Alice has that childish nature to her that just makes you want to smile.
Shiori Shiomiya (The World God Only Knows)
I don’t know why, but quiet girls tend to be more adorable than those who speak a lot, and Shiori takes that to another level. It’s not just that she’s quiet, but that she wants to be more expressive.
Holo (Spice & Wolf)
Holo? Adorable? You had better believe it. She has a very outspoken personality, but she fails at the most adorable moments.
Izumi Segawa (Hayate the Combat Butler!)
Surprisingly, Izumi is the only character in Hayate that I’d consider to be adorable. Her overly optimistic outlook and ability to smile even when she’s being picked on by her friends is what makes her adorable.
Vita (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s)
The small angry knight can be surprisingly adorable when Hayate is involved. Her innocence combined with her temper makes her for quite an adorable combination.
Saki Miyanaga (Saki)
The mahjong girl who tries hard can be quite adorable at times.
Yuno (Hidamari Sketch)
Another small girl who tries hard. I don’t know why, but Kana Asumi voices a lot of adorable characters. Yuno really is one character who immediately springs to mind when you think about adorable characters.
Myucel Foaran (Outbreak Company)
Being a maid doesn’t automatically make you adorable, but the way that Myucel starts out and how she grows really makes her a dark horse when it comes to being adorable. 
Nyaruko (Nyaruko: Crawling with Love)
Nyaruko is one that really walks the line between adorable and annoying. She really pushes her luck when it comes to things, but she does so in such a way that makes you want to root for her, despite the chaos it will cause.
Mio Akiyama (K-On!)
She’s supposed to be the cool and calm member of the group, but Mio is anything but. Scared of pretty much anything, but always trying her hardest. Mio is adorable.
Victorique de Blois (Gosick)
Another small girl, with a big personality. She’s a little strange, but her quirks are what makes her adorable. That, and rolling around on the floor.
Ichigo Amano (Yumeiro Patissere)
Ichigo is a girl who tries her hardest and is adorable doing it.
Waver Velvet (Fate/Zero)
You don’t need to be a girl to be adorable, and Waver is very adorable in his interactions with Rider.
Renge Miyauchi (Non Non Biyori)
Try staring at her for a minute in episode four and not come to the conclusion that she’s adorable. Also if you don’t feel anything after that minute, you don’t deserve to watch beyond that.
its kinda hard since everyone has their own opinions, but what about Miniwa from Acchi Kocchi, coz she does and says things without thinking, then freaks out completely once someone brings it up 🙂