Longer Nights Call for Darker Heroes! The 2025 “Dark/Shadow Character” Popularity Rankings Are In
The winter solstice in 2025 fell on December 22nd. As the day with the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, this season naturally turns our attention to characters who embody the “darkness” or dwell in the “shadows.” Whether they wield sinister powers, favor head-to-toe black outfits, or come alive in the dead of night, these characters come in many fascinating forms.
To celebrate this shadowy time of year, Anime! Anime! once again conducted a reader survey asking: “Which character comes to mind when you think of ‘darkness or shadows’?” We received 102 responses between November 27th and December 3rd. The gender ratio was nearly even, with the core demographic being younger readers: about 35% under 19 and roughly 20% in their 20s.
Table of Contents
■ Shining in the Shadows! Dark and Unique Characters Rank High
First Place
The top spot goes to Tokoyami Fumikage from Boku no Hero Academia, with a support rate of approximately 11%.
Boku no Hero Academia FINAL SEASON (C) Horikoshi Kouhei / Shueisha, Boku no Hero Academia Production Committee
Tokoyami Fumikage is a hero-in-training who fights using his Quirk, Dark Shadow, a monstrous entity born from darkness itself. Readers praised his quintessential dark hero persona, with comments like: “If it’s a ‘dark character,’ my vote goes to the dark hero, Tokoyami-kun! He loves the darkness and lives alongside it.” and “Not only does his name contain the kanji for ‘darkness,’ but his Quirk is literally Dark Shadow. I love how he gets these chuunibyou-like lines when fighting shrouded in darkness, and how he’s weaker in bright light.”
While the My Hero Academia TV anime concluded with its final episode on December 13th, the story continues with My Hero Academia: More, set to air starting May 2nd, 2026. The aftermath of the finale is not to be missed!
Second Place (Three-Way Tie)
Second place was a tie between Cid Kagenou / Shadow from Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!, Rumia from Touhou Project, and Liebell Blume / Sister-Mother Nemo from Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete.
Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! 2nd Season Key Visual (C) Aizawa Daisuke, KADOKAWA / Shadow Garden
Cid Kagenou, the protagonist of The Eminence in Shadow (which can be translated as Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!), is reincarnated into a fantasy world with magic. He earns votes for his utterly unexpected path—while merely aspiring to be a “background powerhouse,” he accidentally becomes the real leader of a secret organization. A Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Movie: Zankyou-hen has been announced.
Rumia from Touhou Project is a youkai character who takes the form of a young girl. Readers were drawn to her charming gap: “She has this cool-sounding ability, ‘the power to manipulate darkness,’ but she’s actually one of the weaker youkai. It’s adorable how she can’t see anything when shrouded in her own darkness and ends up bumping into trees.”
Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete Visual (C) Ononaka Akihiro, Takeshobo / Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete Production Committee
Liebell Blume from Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete (also known as Gushing over Magical Girls) is a member of the Tres Magia and a user of “Shadow Binding,” an ability that lets her hide in shadows and restrict her targets’ freedom. One fan noted: “She has the ability to lurk in shadows and manipulate targets, using it to restrain ordinary people and force them to watch her partner, Locomotive-chan’s, live performances. In battles, she literally provides support from the ‘shadows.'”
■ Other Notable Comments!
For Gotou Hitori from Bocchi the Rock! (which can be translated as Bocchi za Rokku!): “She’s an extreme social recluse who screams things like ‘I don’t want to work!! I’m scared! Society is scary!!’ Her darkness runs so deep she even hangs out inside her closet at home. But that pessimistic side of her makes you want to cheer her on…”
For Fushiguro Megumi from Jujutsu Kaisen: “He’s a user of the Ten Shadows Technique, summoning shikigami through hand shadow puppets. I was so happy when that scene got a figure.”
For Cure Kiss from Kimi to Idol Precure♪: “PreCure gives you the image of ‘warriors of light,’ so it’s fresh to see Meroron become the girls’ companion while carrying her own darkness. Her black-based costume is also super stylish.”
For Hazama Kirara from Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Assassination Classroom): “She’s given the codename ‘The Darkness of Class E,’ and true to it, she prefers dark things despite her bright-sounding name (Kirara). For the school play, she turned Momotaro into a gritty, dark story.” Votes also came in for this series, which has a new movie on the horizon.
This survey’s results show that characters with darkness-related abilities dominate the top ranks. From their dark aesthetics to the gap between their power and cuteness, it’s a great reminder of the broad appeal of shadowy characters.
Don’t miss the full ranking list on the next page!
■ The Top 10 Ranking
[“Dark/Shadow Character” Popularity Rankings – 2025 Edition]
- Tokoyami Fumikage – Boku no Hero Academia
- Cid Kagenou / Shadow – Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
- Rumia – Touhou Project
- Liebell Blume / Sister-Mother Nemo – Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete
- Akutagawa Ryuunosuke – Bungou Stray Dogs
- Yoshida Yuuko – Machikado Mazoku
- Gin – Meitantei Conan
- Sephiroth – FINAL FANTASY VII
- Nara Shikamaru – NARUTO
- Fushiguro Megumi – Jujutsu Kaisen
(Survey Period: November 27th to December 3rd, 2025)
Next Page: The Full Ranking List
We have other surveys currently open! Please share your thoughts.
>> https://animeanime.jp/special/1898/recent/
※ This survey is conducted to understand readers’ current interest in and attention to anime works and characters. The results are not intended to rank characters or works as superior or inferior. We hope this article serves as a chance to discover new works and characters or to deepen your understanding and interest in them.
—Takahashi Katsunori
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