Anime (Reddit)

The /r/anime subreddit is a board of the United States-based social media / forum website Reddit. The subreddit primarily discusses Japanese animation and related content. As of March 2022, /r/anime has over 3.5 million subscribers.

Overview
In the context of this wiki, /r/anime organizes year-round popularity contests hosted by its users. They are mostly conducted through AnimeBracket, a dedicated anime-themed tournament polling website created by Matt Hackmann.

Most tournaments name themselves after "Salt" puns because they tend to attract "salty" reactions, such as shit-talking, name-calling, cheating accusations, mass downvoting, and expressions of disappointment. These reactions happen very often for multiple reasons, such as fan favorites losing or when a certain show becomes a bit too dominant due to outside factors.

Major Character Contests:
 * Best Girl - Held every June. This is /r/anime's first, biggest, and saltiest event.
 * Best Guy - Males only. Held during the Winter months (February-March).
 * Best Character - Mixed-gender contest. Held during the Fall months (October-December).

Other Serial Events:
 * Seasonal Salt - A series of contests meant to decide the "best girl" of each anime season. Started in Summer 2017. From 2018 onwards, a Best Girl of [Year] tournament will be contested between each season's elite eight.
 * Best Couples / Ships - Also known as Salty Sea, this is the resident shipping tournament.
 * Best OP - Best opening song.
 * Best ED - Best ending song.
 * Best of the Best - /r/anime's version of Tournament of Champions. The 1st edition involved all semi-finalists of previous major character contests at the time, while the 2nd edition was restricted to champions only.
 * Favorite Anime - Self-explanatory.

One-Off Events:
 * 12-Hour Best Girl - Host messed up the final match, so it's held in Strawpoll instead.
 * 24-Hour Best Girl - Celebration of /r/anime's 1,000,000 subscribers in May 2019.
 * 24-Hour Worst (?) Girl - The name switched from "Best" to "Worst" as celebration of 2020 April Fools event.

Format
AnimeBracket is limited to only one particular format: nominations -> elimination rounds -> bracket rounds.

Voting policy
 * A voter is required to register / login their reddit account in order to participate.
 * To prevent sockpuppets, all accounts must be at least 2 months old. Tournaments prior to Best Girl 5 (June 2018) had no such rule beforehand.
 * Voters must answer a ReCAPTCHA before they can submit their votes.

Nominations
 * Lasts around 2-4 days
 * Enter name, anime, and image link. Image must be from MyAnimeList (top character list) or AniList (character list), otherwise it is rejected.
 * No NSFW images (graphic violence and explicit nudity)
 * Entries which debuted within a certain period of time are NOT allowed, generally one year before the tournament's start date
 * Previous champions are NOT allowed.
 * Additional restrictions may be present depending on the tournament's host.

Eliminations
 * All nominees are split into 4-6 groups depending on number of nominees
 * Each group lasts 1 day
 * Approval voting format - Vote whoever you like; no limit
 * Contestants will advance to the main bracket based on adjusted votes - the number of votes relative to the amount of voters who participated in the contestant's respective round.

Main Bracket
 * Single-elimination bracket
 * Each round is split into 4 groups. Each group lasts 1 day, thus, each round lasts 4 days.
 * Results are revealed immediately after voting ends. Voting for the next group starts at the same time.
 * Quarter-finals and onward last one day each
 * AnimeBracket has no third-place matches; if one is even held, it will be on a different polling website.

Other Events
Seasonal Salt

Best Couples / Ships

Best OP

Best ED

Assorted

Popular Series
The /r/anime voter base, which mainly consists of North American viewers, tends to lean heavily towards a certain list of popular shows with either a high thread karma count or a high rating on MyAnimeList - a review aggregator website used by many redditors. As a result, most characters from these series enjoy high seeds and deep bracket runs. In addition, the side characters tend to win at the expense of protagonists from relatively less popular series, which is an ever-present source of complaints in the threads.

Multiple Powerhouses: Steins;Gate, Fullmetal Alchemist, Monogatari, Oregairu, Fate, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Konosuba, Re:Zero, Seishun Buta Yarou, Kaguya-sama, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen

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 * Steins;Gate
 * A science fiction visual novel about time travel and one of /r/anime's consensus "greatest anime of all time" alongside Fullmetal Alchemist. The main protagonists, Rintarou Okabe and Kurisu Makise, are the most successful pair of characters in the subreddit's contests, having won a combined 5 relevant tournaments (Best Girl 1, Best Character 4, Salty Sea 2, and both Hall of Fame tournaments), and four more runner-up finishes.
 * Other relevant characters include Mayuri Shiina (the "Tutturu" girl) and Suzuha Amane (a girl who came from the future).
 * Fullmetal Alchemist
 * A manga about two brothers searching for an all-powerful artifact in a steampunk setting. Its 2009 anime remake, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, holds the highest rating in MyAnimeList - a jealously guarded position by their fans.
 * The series has a powerful presence in Best Guy with Roy, Edward, and Alphonse reaching the final eight once; other bracket regulars include Maes Hughes, Scar, and Ling Yao. Roy and Edward eventually retired as one of the subreddit's Best Character winners.
 * In Best Girl however, the series only has two relevant heroines: Winry Rockbell (the Elrics' childhood friend) and Riza Hawkeye (a sharpshooting officer and Roy's close partner).
 * Monogatari
 * A light novel about a half-human half-vampire high school guy who helps girls afflicted with strange "oddities". Features an ensemble cast, lots of dialogue, and Japanese wordplay. The series is better known for its anime adaptation by Shaft, which became famous for its signature weird visuals, character tics, and flashing text cards.
 * Monogatari has three different characters winning major character contests: Araragi (Best Guy 2), Senjougahara (Best Char 2), and Shinobu (Best Char 3). The memetic and catchy Renai Circulation, performed by Nadeko's voice actress, won Best Opening 7.
 * Nowadays, the series has settled into a consistent mid-carder presence in Best Girl, having a fairly balanced cast of contestants placing within the double-digit seeds: Kanbaru, Hanekawa, Hachikuji, Karen, Tsukihi, Nadeko, and Ononoki.
 * Oregairu
 * A high school "romantic comedy" show that turns into a character-heavy drama in later episodes. Featuring a cynical protagonist that resonates with the majority of /r/anime's userbase and several high-quality waifu characters, the show rose in popularity after season 2 aired in 2015, which was a crucial factor in Yukino's win in Best Girl 2. Romantic rival Yuigahama finished 2nd in Best Girl 4, while Iroha, Komachi, and Hiratsuka-sensei round up the lineup as bracket regulars. On the other hand, the series' MC made his final breakthrough in Best Guy 8, winning the championship after years of being stuck in the middle rounds.
 * Fate
 * A visual novel series turned multimedia franchise, the Fate series is about mages called "Masters" summoning various historical, legendary, and mythical figures called "Servants" to beat the shit out of each other. Also, many of these figures are depicted as waifus.
 * The series gained serious attention when the studio Ufotable adapted a light novel prequel titled Fate/Zero in 2011, which established the studio's reputation for excellent sakuga animation. Ufotable also adapted two seasons of Fate/stay night's second route Unlimited Blade Works from 2014 to 2015, with the same positive reception.
 * Fate had a very strong presence during /r/anime's early tournament years, coinciding with UBW's airdate. During that time, several characters reached the Elite Eight: Saber, Archer, Iskandar, Kiritsugu, and Rin Tohsaka, culminating in the latter's dominant victory in Best Girl 4. Afterwards, the series regressed to a mid-carder in the brackets despite having more newer anime adaptations.
 * The series is the biggest victim of the 5-character limit due to its sheer number of characters and numerous spin-offs under the Fate franchise, such as Fate/Extra (Nero), Fate/Apocrypha (Jeanne, Mordred), and Fate/Grand Order (Mash, Merlin).
 * Attack on Titan
 * A manga about the last remnants of humanity defending itself against "Titans": humanoid man-eating giants. The series rose in popularity for its high-stakes, anyone-can-die action and intricate plot with multiple twists. It became even more popular after the anime aired because of its animation and soundtrack.
 * Attack on Titan's popularity peaked in the late 2010's when the anime's season 3 aired; the events caused several characters such as Levi, Erwin, and Mikasa to appear in the top 8 on /r/anime's character contests, with Levi ultimately becoming champion of Best Guy 6. Later on, the series' MC Eren Yeager reached the final of Best Character 5 because of his role in the anime's season 4.
 * Bracket regulars include Armin, Jean, and later Reiner for Best Guy, while Krista, Annie, and Sasha appear in Best Girl. Hange Zoe is labeled non-binary because an interview with the mangaka says so, enabling them to appear in both tournaments.
 * The manga is infamous for being spoiler-heavy; when a spoiler-heavy series becomes very popular, the chance of getting spoiled by major events (such as deaths) increases as well, to the point that merely typing a character's name on Google or searching a related video on YouTube reveals their ultimate fate through its search suggestions.
 * My Hero Academia
 * A "battle shonen" series (serialized on shonen magazines that mainly feature action and fight scenes) set on a world where superpowers manifest as "Quirks", which have certain limitations and weaknesses. The series gained popularity among Western audiences because of its comic book-inspired superhero aesthetic. However, it earned an notoriety online for having a fanbase that likes to ship its characters to a pathological degree.
 * The manga had a notable presence in /r/anime contests during the mid-late 2010's, featuring staples such as Midoriya, Todoroki, All Might, and Eraserhead for Best Guy; while Uraraka, Momo, and Froppy are mainstays in Best Girl. All Might and Uraraka have reached the final four of their respective tournaments.
 * Konosuba
 * A comedic isekai light novel that parodies common tropes of the genre. The story is about a jerkass shut-in who gets killed by a slow-moving tractor. He reincarnates into a fantasy world with RPG elements, and forms a ragtag party consisting of a useless water goddess, a mage who can only cast one explosion spell before tiring out, and a masochistic knight who can't hit things.
 * Konosuba is currently the strongest series to not win a major /r/anime character tournament yet; their inability to win despite regular Elite Eight appearances has led the series to be labeled "cursed". Kazuma is the series' sole male representative, while in Best Girl the series enjoys a very strong presence, headed by the main trio of Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.
 * Supporting characters Yunyun (Megumin's big titty rival and classmate) and Wiz (a big titty lich) usually make at least round 4, which is a common source of salt in the Best Girl threads. Their performance arguably hinders the main trio more, as the spite votes causes the trio to get knocked out in later rounds.
 * Re:Zero
 * An isekai show about a shut-in protagonist who suddenly ends up in a fantasy world and obtains the power to rewind time when he dies. The show notably subverts the typical perception of an isekai series, which are commonly seen as "easy wish fulfillment" with "all-powerful self-insert MC's", by depicting the protagonist as flawed and subjecting him into different kinds of violence and trauma. In the online anime community however, the show is arguably more known for its female characters and "waifu wars", particularly Rem vs Emilia.
 * Rem won Best Girl 5 as a result of a surge in popularity from her actions in season 1 episode 18. Since then, Emilia became the show's main representative, while Ram plays second fiddle. On the other hand, the male MC Subaru improved his status to that of a contender after season 2 aired in 2020; he is usually accompanied by trap catboy Felix, cat familiar Puck, insane wizard Petelgeuse, and later season 2 debutante Otto.
 * Seishun Buta Yarou
 * A romance light novel series about the eponymous rascal, a high school guy with three large scars on his chest. The anime has an ecchi anime-like key visual depicting the Bunny Girl Senpai, which belies a show featuring drama, romance, and supernatural problems. The plot is sometimes compared to Monogatari as the main guy helps girls afflicted with "Adolescence Syndrome", a condition which stems from each individual's insecurities.
 * Among /r/anime fans, the show is best known for its main couple Sakuta (the rascal) and Mai (the bunny girl), hailed by many as the one of the best anime couples of all time due to their strong personalities and chemistry with each other. Furthermore, Mai's traits make her a perfect fit for the average /r/anime user, and it shows through her numerous victories in the subreddit's character tournaments - winning the 2018 fall seasonal and yearly contest, the sixth couples/ships contest, the 1-million subscriber event, and finally Best Girl 8.
 * Other relevant female competitiors include Kaede (Sakuta's sister), Koga (peach butt kouhai), Rio (quantum physics explainer), Makinohara (Sakuta's first crush), and to a lesser extent Nodoka (Mai's half-sister).
 * Kaguya-sama
 * Since debuting in Winter 2019, Kaguya-sama quickly rose to the top of /r/anime's karma charts because of its memorable characters, relatable humor, and satisfying romantic progress. It has already secured a dominant legacy in /r/anime as one of the most successful series in character tournaments, starting with Kaguya Shinomiya's debut victory in Best Girl 7, followed by Miyuki Shirogane winning in Best Guy 7. Other primary characters still remain contenders for the Elite Eight.
 * Chika and Hayasaka is a competitive rivalry unlike most same-show match ups, as both girls have different appeals but are roughly equal in popularity. Miko Iino is a rising prospect because she is the primary love interest of Yu Ishigami. On the other hand, Kei Shirogane serves as a typical "side character who has no business being seeded so high and beating 'actual characters'".
 * Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
 * A battle shonen that broke out to near-mainstream popularity because of its amazing animation and visual design provided by "Unlimited Budget Works" Ufotable. The story is fairly straghtforward: a guy witnesses his family get slaughtered and his younger sister gets turned into a demon. Swearing revenge, he seeks to kill the leader of all demons and turn his sister into a human again. He trains hard, learns the way of the sword, and makes new friends. However, killing demons is never easy, even when outnumbered.
 * Demon Slayer has a consistent 5-character presence in Best Guy, featuring the likes of Tanjiro, Inosuke, Kyojuro, and Zenitsu / Giyu / Tengen / whatever new hashira is introduced. On the other hand, the series is more prone to be spite-voted out in Best Girl because of the girls' less screentime compared to guys; for instance, Nezuko is criticized in the contest threads because of her basic personality and lack of dialogue.
 * Jujutsu Kaisen
 * Another battle shonen that was broadcasted a year after Demon Slayer, this manga takes place in a world where the art of "Jujutsu" is practiced, which is fueled by cursed energy and negative emotions. Animated by studio MAPPA, the series features cool characters, awesome powers, and sakuga animation, making it a definite hit among anime fans.
 * JJK makes its presence known starting Best Guy 8; its most popular hero Satoru Gojo has been cited by some users as the type that would win Best Guy - cool design, charismatic, overpowered, and confident. Other relevant males include Yuji Itadori and Sukuna (who possesses Itadori's body). Among females, expect Nobara Kugisaki to lead the series, followed by Kasumi Miwa.

Other Successful Series: K-On!, Koe no Katachi, Spice & Wolf, Cowboy Bebop, Mob Psycho 100

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 * K-On!
 * Considered the main popularizer and one of the best examples of the Slice-of-Life genre, the music-themed manga K-On! is a veteran of many cute girl tournaments. However, in this subreddit, the anime is better known for winning three straight Best Ending contests. In Best Girl, the manga is usually headed by the trio of Mio, Yui, and Azusa, who are typically eliminated in the middle rounds, one after another.
 * Koe no Katachi
 * Another successful Kyoto Animation show on /r/anime brackets. The story focuses on Shouya Ishida, a former bully who seeks to atone for his past sins committed against his victim, the meek deaf girl Shouko Nishimiya, by being friends with her. Together, they have won the fifth Couples / Ships tournament, and have made it deep in their respective character tourneys: Shouko finished runner-up in Best Girl 8, while Shouya followed suit with a semi-final result in Best Guy 8.
 * Spice & Wolf
 * Same situation as Koe no Katachi in that most of its popularity is centered on the two leads: Kraft Lawrence (a wandering merchant) and Holo (a wolf goddess of harvest who can shapeshift into a young woman). The pair were the winner of the very first shipping tournament.
 * Holo is a bona fide /r/anime fan favourite since Best Girl 1, and is the best-performing contestant who is yet to win a Best Girl title, which has kept her relevant through the years. The same can't be said for Kraft, although he has made the Elite Eight at least once.
 * Cowboy Bebop
 * An anime series chronicling the adventures of space bounty hunters with musical themes, Cowboy Bebop holds the distinct honour for having the only anime-original and pre-2000's character to win an /r/anime tournament: Spike Spiegel (Best Guy 3). The anime's intro song also won Best Opening 6, the only instrumental song to do so.
 * Mob Psycho 100
 * A web manga created by ONE about a high school guy with extremely powerful psychic powers who just wants to live a normal life. The series features a simplistic artstyle that was adapted into a very flashy anime by studio Bones. Mob Psycho 100 made its home in Best Guy, with the titular Mob winning its fifth edition in 2019, while his mentor Reigen remains as a regular Elite Eight-tier competitor.

Other Series with Regular Appearances: Madoka Magica, One Punch Man, Hunter x Hunter, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Kill la Kill, No Game No Life, Toradora!, Gurren Lagann, Evangelion, 5-toubun no Hanayome

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 * Madoka Magica
 * Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime show with a dark, complex plot which became a phenomenon in the anime fandom during the early 2010's. Its main cast consists of five magical girls. Despite some vocal support, the anime is just another mid-carder in Best Girl tournaments, always struggling to reach the last couple of rounds. Homura Akemi is the anime's standard bearer, having reached the last 16 in Best Girl 1 and the elite 8 in Best Character 4, and winning the April Fools event in 2020 (which is dubious by itself).
 * One Punch Man
 * Another web manga by ONE with similar artstyle and stellar animation, although season 2 is somewhat controversial. One Punch Man was a very hyped anime upon its first release, and its titular protagonist Saitama instantly became popular for his mass appeal: simple, but recognizable design, and overpowered abilities. Thus, he became a powerhouse competitor in /r/anime tournaments. The caped baldy was seeded #1 in Best Guy twice (2017, 2018) and was the runner-up of the 2020 edition.
 * Other notable competitors include Genos (a flame-spitting cyborg), Mumen Rider (a bicycle-riding hero who is otherwise just a normal guy without any superpowers), King (the strongest man on Earth), and sisters Fubuki and Tatsumaki (both powerful psychics).
 * Hunter x Hunter
 * A fairly popular manga series created during the 1990's, which experienced a surge of newfound popularity when a remake anime adaptation was made in 2011. However, the manga is notorious for its extremely long hiatuses - as of March 2022, there has been no new chapter for 3 years.
 * In /r/anime brackets, Hunter x Hunter is mainly known for its male cast, usually represented by the main quartet (Gon, Killua Zoldyck, Leorio, Kurapika) and Hisoka. Occasionally they show moments of brilliance, mostly centered on Killua and his lightning powers. Longtime tournament host ShaKing807 has stated a liking for this character, but this has little bearing on his performance.
 * Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
 * A multi-part manga series about the Joestar bloodline's bizarre adventures, featuring muscular guys, flashy poses, stylish clothes, wacky superpowers, and musical references. JJBA dates back to the late 1980's and has had several animated adaptations, but the manga only started to really take off in popularity when a series of TV adaptations by studio David Production were made in the 2010's, which has adapted up to Part 6 as of today. Since then, the JJBA series has spawned many memes online for its recognizable elements such as "Stands", the "Menacing" sound text, and the "To Be Continued" meme set to Roundabout by Yes.
 * In /r/anime's brackets, the series is mainly represented by Joseph Joestar, protagonist of Part 2 and a major recurring character in the series. Following him is Jotaro Kujo, main character of Part 3, and Dio Brando, the Joestar bloodline's arch-enemy. The rest of the lineup usually revolves around memetic waifu Speedwagon, Part 5 MCs Giorno and Bruno, Part 4 MC Josuke, Part 1 MC Jonathan, and Part 3 companions Polnareff and Kakyoin.
 * Kill la Kill
 * An action anime series produced by Trigger (which has former Gainax staff) about a brash teenage girl wielding a large "scissor blade". Features over-the-top action scenes and lots of fanservice; in fact, nudity and clothes are one of the anime's major motifs.
 * Kill la Kill is still popular among /r/anime's userbase and has a perennial place in Best Girl contests. Main protagonist Ryuko Matoi consistently performs well in the brackets, while her rival Satsuki and her friend Mako are mid-tier competitors. The anime has less presence in Best Guy, and its standout competitor is Senketsu of all people - who is a sentient dress worn by Ryuko whenever she fights.
 * No Game No Life
 * A pair of siblings outplay and outsmart their opponents in various games. Nowadays, the series is known for having no season 2.
 * Unlike other tournaments where Shiro (the younger sister) is the most popular competitor, in /r/anime it's the angel Jibril who's the strongest player in the brackets instead. Nevertheless, these two appear most frequently and are staples of the middle rounds. Meanwhile, Sora is a relatively weak competitor compared to other listed series.
 * Toradora!
 * High school romance series about a delinquent-looking but nice guy dragon and a petite but violent tigress. The /r/anime subreddit has an annual "Christmas Club" tradition where users re-watch the entire anime during December. Episode 19 is timed at the same time the episode takes place in - Christmas Eve (Dec 24 or 25 depending on the timezone).
 * The anime's main couple, Ryuuji and Taiga, remains popular among fans and is a mainstay in the subereddit's shipping tournament and in their respective character tournaments.
 * Evangelion
 * An original 1990's mecha anime by Gainax featuring heavy Christian symbolism, it tells the story of a ravaged Japan attempting to defend itself against alien creatures called "Angels" using humanoid bio-mechanical robots called "EVAs". The anime was very popular in Japan during its original run, and is known to have codified several tropes and archetypes. Evangelion is also home to an age-old rivalry between fans of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley - two heroines with contrasting colors and personalities.
 * Asuka is the most popular character in /r/anime brackets by far, frequently appearing in the middle rounds. Rei and Misato accompany her in the contests. In Best Guy, Shinji Ikari has a loud vocal opposition because of his unwilling personality.
 * Gurren Lagann
 * Another mecha anime by Gainax about a group of human diggers who strive to break towards the surface, and pierce the heavens above. Considered the spiritual antithesis to Evangelion, Gurren Lagann is beloved by fans for its hot-blooded action, inspiring optimism, and the sheer scale of its later battles. Kamina in particular is a highly influential character both in-universe and in the fandom because of his unyielding confidence.
 * 5-toubun no Hanayome
 * A harem series with a twist - all of the girls are quintuplets. The story centers on Fuutarou Uesugi, a poor high school guy who works as a tutor for the eponymous quintuplets, each differentiated by their personalities and hairstyles. The main appeal of the manga besides its waifus lies in the guessing game - there is a flash-forward scene where Fuutarou marries one of the sisters; who is that bride?
 * Miku Nakano, the 3rd sister, is the most popular girl by a long shot; while Nino and Yotsuba have vocal fanbases each since they have the best chance to be Fuutarou's bride.

Outliers
 * Mikoto Misaka - her victory in Best Girl 3 is arguably the most memorable championship run in /r/anime bracket history. She had a very active fanbase in the tournament threads; her dedicated subreddit /r/OneTrueBiribiri had a sizable thread (for its time) celebrating her Best Girl 3 win and even an OC fanart for this achievement . The Moegirl article on Best Girl states that her Chinese fanbase also had a hand in her victory as well. Mikoto was pretty much the only strong Raildex character, while all others are cannon fodders. Her influence means that Misaka clones usually comprise the majority of Raildex representatives, which crowds out the 5-character limit that could be filled by other girls instead such as Misaki, Kuroko, Uiharu, and Index.
 * Guts - the sole representative of Berserk. True to his characterization in the manga, Guts is also an underdog in the brackets, and he has appeared in the top 8 of Best Guy thrice.
 * Light Yagami - the villainous protagonist of Death Note. Reached quarter-finals once in Best Guy and Best Character each
 * Gintoki Sakata - the only strong competitor from Gintama, even though multiple seasons of the anime are listed among the top 10 highest-rated in MyAnimeList.
 * Koro-sensei - The octopus-like teacher from Assassination Classroom, where he tests his students to kill him. Considered one of the best teachers in anime, Koro scored an unlikely victory in Best Guy 4.
 * Asuna Yuuki - In spite of its recognizability, Sword Art Online has a notorious vocal opposition in the Western anime fandom. However, Asuna remains relevant in /r/anime brackets because she is one of the best examples of a "waifu" character, bad reputation be damned. After years of laying low, she unexpectedly emerged as one of the highest seeds in Best Girl 6 (2019) because of the recent anime release of SAO: Alicization in late 2018, ultimately winning the title after a highly controversial sequence of results.
 * Violet Evergarden - her eponymous show, adapted by Kyoto Animation, was lauded for its detailed, beautiful visuals and highly emotional scenes. Violet herself has also been liked for her character arc of "wanting to know what love is". As a result, she has enjoyed a strong presence in /r/anime brackets since 2019.
 * Rimuru Tempest - the titular slime hails from a very popular isekai light novel series, and is a popular character because he's cute and overpowered. Perhaps due to the increasingly younger demographic of /r/anime userbase, the slime emerged as a contender in Best Guy 8 after the anime's season 2 aired, eventually reaching the final round. However, he became the tournament's main "villain" since he defeated other guys deemed as having "more character" like Guts, Shouya, and Gintoki.

Fallen Out of Meta
 * Nisekoi - a very popular anime that had a sizable presence in Best Girl's early years, starring main girls Chitoge and Kosaki, and side chicks Tsugumi, Marika, and even Haru Onodera. However, the manga fell out of favour after 2016.
 * Shokugeki no Souma - a popular manga about a high school that trains chefs by way of cooking competitions and features softcore "food porn". Its most famous /r/anime bracket competitor was Megumi Tadokoro, runner-up of Best Girl 3 whose win over Holo in the semi-final is still being talked about. The main character Souma Yukihira also reached Best Guy's elite eight twice. In 2020 the manga experienced a drastic decline in quality, leading to a highly disappointing end.

/r/anime's Top 100 Characters
In 2021 March 19, Reddit user Rare-Examination1142 posted an image displaying the subreddit's top 100 characters, which are manually ranked by their performance in the subreddit's Best Girl / Guy / Character contests. The user changed the image with an improved version a month later, and after every major /r/anime tournament since then. Due to the nature of these posts, they always get high upvotes and generate plenty of comments.

Google Sheets link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KKCDT_Rzj0tG9SMdhsB5R_PQoBz6grcVaapQs3RmkdY/edit#gid=0

Comment by /u/Rare-Examination1142 (Reddit permalink):
 * This is the list of the Top 100 characters as per their performance in this contest. The characters are given scores according to how many votes each character receives in a contest, and the previous scores of both characters. This score is then normalized to a range of (0 ~ 1000). Know that popular rating systems like Elo do not work in a bracket-type contest, and are better suited to contests where contestants play approximately the same number of matches (in a round-robin contest, for instance).
 * Characters that do not take part in the contest can also have some slight changes to their scores. Characters with more matches will have more stable scores that won't change unless the results are quite unexpected. Similarly, characters with lesser number of matches will have more unstable scores, liable to easy change.
 * A lot of this work is done manually, and can have errors. If I find an error, it'll be fixed before the next contest.

Reddit thread links (sorted by top)
 * 2021 March 19
 * 2021 April 11
 * 2021 July 17 (Best Girl 8 update)
 * 2022 Feb 28 (after Best Guy 8)

Current Top 10:

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