animangaemo

Annnnd now for the opposing half. Yes, naturally I believe some of my characters aren’t the best. Some are even completely bad in my opinion and that is what this list is for, mainly to draw out the flaws of these characters to better understand what I could do to make them better. Of course, like the other list all characters are owned by me; Michael Caraballo / Anima and should not be used without credit. This list will likely still have some spoilers, but probably not as many as the other. Enjoy!

20. Iesu Misaki from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WAIT. I know what you’re thinking. How can one of the main protagonists be on this list? Well you see, Iesu is in the number twenty spot for a very good reason. In no way do I dislike this character...as a character. However, as a protagonist, Iesu continues to be the weakest written one in the series for me. Iesu has an undying desire to make his mother happy and his curiosity on Ars Arms make for a few interesting plot points but...In comparison to Ame, Mikami, or EchO, Iesu isn’t a very interesting person as of my time developing him so far. He’s very one track minded in a way and not very admirable in much but that he’s pretty damn loyal to the point of almost servant-like behavior. I do think his design is well thought out though, being the son of both Ame and Aya and based on Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit. His Ars Arms is also one of the more unique of the bunch, which saves him from being too high on my least favorites but still earning a spot simply because he is a boring protagonist.

19. Akira Satomi from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Aw, Akira...Truthfully, I really like Akira now, but that wasn’t always the case. Originally Akira was my least favorite of the hero cast of Oblivia I, having not much story, meaning, or even originality to add to the story. So you know what I did..? I killed her off! I decided that to add drama to the series I would kill off at least one person in the main cast but I did not want it to be someone I really cared about. Regardless, this ended up making Akira the scapegoat. In the end, I...felt unhappy. I added a story leading up to Akira’s death where Jin and her would fall in love, he would get her pregnant by accident and cause a commotion in their lives, testing both character’s ability to be parents in a very surreal turn in the story. The death being that Masaru would kill Akira while still pregnant, making Jin an angry wreck bent on revenge. Ultimately it made for a VERY intense scene and great story building for Akira, Jin, and Masaru but I was filled with disgust that it all stemmed from my original dislike for the character. Now I love her and will regret writing that scene when the time comes... ;~; Speaking of which...

18. Nightmare 04 - Masaru Suzume from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

For very, very, VERY, good reasons, Masaru is my absolute most HATED character in the entire Oblivia franchise. From murdering pregnant women, to kicking puppies, to turning on his colleagues and even his own sister, Masaru gives NO FUCKS about ANYONE but himself. So why is he not number one on this list? Because those things make him a great fucking character. Yeah, maybe he’s an asshole but he’s probably one of the most solid villains in the Oblivia series and where there comes major hate there will also come major love from some side of...somewhere. Not to mention Jin and Beru Vs. Masaru is one of the most emotionally impacting battles in the series and one of my personal favorites. He even tries to do better alongside his sister in Oblivia III. More info on that to come in the future, but for now, Masaru has to take the number eighteen spot because regardless of being a great character I still hate the fucker with a passion (and you will too) lmao.

17. Amai Kurai from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

*Sigh* Amai, Amai, Amai...Originally the main star of the story, (Hard to believe, right?) Amai started out in concept as essentially what Melody was but unfortunately took the backseat to Ame, Hanako, Aya, and Nami in the more current iterations of the story. Amai has become sort of the scaredy-cat sister “hey would you listen to me?!” stereotype sort of character over the years of being watered down into the least important character of Oblivia I slot on the hero side. There are many scenes with Amai where it’s just her reacting in disbelief or fear or worry simply because she is the most human character of the group...sort of. I speak mostly of course about pre-Oblivia I X2 Amai, when she didn’t discover she was a Morphi yet. When she DOES however, Amai quickly 180’s into one of the more powerful and surprising characters in Oblivia, even nabbing the great achievement of beating Shitemashi. So basically, Amai sucks, but only for the first 25 or so chapters. I guess that’s not too bad out of 60..?

16. Mylabell “Beru” Neko II from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

I’m actually very surprised to see how many Oblivia I characters have made it on to this list. Being Amai’s Oblivion, Beru doesn’t stray too far from feeling around the same to me in terms of love for the character. Beru and I...butt heads a lot. Yes, in the real world. No, I’m not crazy lol What I mean is that Beru has had the single most redesigns in the history of my artist life. I can never seem to find a look that isn’t too generic, boring, or stupid of a cat girl with Beru’s attitude. As a character, Beru excels only at being an extremely loud, lazy, hungry, idiotic pervert who is kind of just there to relieve the stress off of strenuous situations and make the reader laugh. But in doing so, her relation to the overall story is nearly absent, she kind of just does things to do things and she just loves messing with Hanako and Aya. Beru does get brownie points for her epic clash with Masaru and the fact that I’ve had her as a character for so long though. Oh and her name’s based on one of my cats. *Pet* *Pet*

15. Aiyume Kokotsu from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Honestly, I feel like Aiyume is only in the story to shoehorn a reason to show Aya’s Earthbound. For some reason even though she has the biggest ties to one of the most important characters in the entire series I feel like I know less about Aiyume than any other character apart of the Orphans Division. Aiyume’s character is sort of yandere-ish, believing that she and Mikami are descendants from Aya and Ame, thus insisting that she and Mikami are destined to be together. She only acts this way AROUND him so it’s tolerable when she isn’t but there will still be likely a lot of moments where she has to speak with her own Major in war. Apart from these trickles of undesirable traits, it’s a mystery how she is even still alive if she has to be the same age as Aya at the time, being around 318 at least, going by Aya’s human body and not Deity body. Though I do believe her design is still nice, based off a Final Fantasy Black Mage and child Aya, her plot holes and forgettable characteristics make her sink into the number fifteen spot of this list.

14. Ginger Ugoki from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Alright, Ginger isn’t that bad. In fact, she would be a better Beru if not for the fact that you put all your expectations on her with Ibuki being her mother and all. Ginger wants nothing more than to be the best war thief there is, which is admirable but at the moment there isn’t too much a good reason for her to join the war. She dislikes talking about her parents so it is presumed that she doesn’t even like them that much. But again, most of my dislike for Ginger stems from my bigger appreciation for Ibuki, who is just in general the better written character in my eyes. Her spunk and charm keeps her from being among the more worse characters though, but I can’t pinpoint any “grand” moments with Ginger.

13. Haylii Candylin from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Haylii is a character who I believe had a lot of promise going for her. Her candle weapon is unique, her Ars Armor is one of my favorites in the series, and her desire to dress as a boy at times shows that there is a layer to what Haylii shows and actually thinks at times. However, I find myself not seeing Haylii as one of the hero characters, not in the sense that she’s bad or evil but that I just can’t visualize her in action or especially against a bigger threat outside using her Ars Armor. Her backstory is perfectly fine but I feel once she actually becomes a member of the party there isn’t too much to her but her past. Also I’m unsure if she fits her role as the Mad Hatter too much simply because she isn’t that...well...mad. In general she’s pretty lax and Cheshire puts her to shame on the bar of bizarre.

12. Asashi “Ace” Renkahart from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Ace has great substance, but he suffers from a lot of what makes Ginger less of a great character. He’s dry humor placed in a serious situation, not to say that humor is not needed to lighten the mood of the story. He’s very stereotypical as having the role of a mechanic and comedic character. But I also just generally don’t find myself going back to draw him often, in fact the image you see here is his first and only colored image I’ve done. (Which is why it looks so bad) I just really wish I was more interested in him to expand on him more often because I know he has the potential to be a great “best friend” character. Ace does have elements that make up for his shortcomings though. His Ars Arms’ ability to materialize all sorts of firearms at will is pretty cool and his actual Ars Armor design isn’t too bad either for a completely off the brain idea. Perhaps in the future Ace will grow into a more complex creation that we will all love just a bit more.

11. Midori Satomi from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Midori is on this list simply because she has not been fleshed out at all past her appearance as the Seventh Nightmare in Oblivia I. I do plan to eventually make this character great, being the only Oblivia I character to appear as a team member in Oblivia III, but right now I don’t have enough information written down to string together a good reason for Midori to appear. Part of what makes this an odd decision is the added fact that Midori isn’t even an Orphan in the sense of the Ars War, so she can’t really be counted as a “member” of Orphan but an ally. I am also not pleased with Midori’s Ars Armor as of yet and am still stringing up ideas. With her sister Akira being on this list, it is a shame she is this much lower than her on it as well. I do believe all of Midori’s character isn’t too bad though and she has a slew of memorable and cool moments in Oblivia I as Nightmare 07.

10. Yumi Neko from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

The snooty, full of herself, daughter of Jin. Gosh, I didn’t mean to start off that rough...No, no...Yumi actually portrays a lot of Jin’s character well. She’s cocky, stubborn, and jumps the gun a lot when attempting to take the initiative. The thing with Jin though is that he has Nami to put him in place. Yumi is nearly as high a ranking soldier of Orphan as Mikami, so no one can really put her in her place except well...Mikami. Basically she gets away with a lot, specifically putting down Lurre and crushing her goals from time to time. Yumi also exhibits merciless envy towards Lurre because of her desire to make Mikami open up more. With Mikami being Yumi’s “highschool sweetheart” any instance in which Lurre is near him makes her furious, even if it is for important missions. She is always trying to compete with her, often calling Lurre a child and herself a woman, more ample to Mikami’s standards; or so she believes at least. She’s just that pretty girl in school that wants to get to your crush first, and she doesn’t care what she has to try to do so.

9. Queen of Hearts from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Queen of Hearts suffers from most of the same of what makes Alice a bit unoriginal; she’s obviously based off of something that isn’t original lol. Now that being said, I still love Queen of Hearts’ design and think that it’s unique enough to stand alone, that’s actually not why I dislike the Queen of Hearts. What’s bothersome is that she is a very stereotypical villain playing a very stereotypical role. “Off with their heads!” and what not. Throughout the story she seems more like a hub for monsters to appear rather than someone with purpose behind her doings. Hell, she isn’t even controlling herself. It’s the Nightmares that coin her of her villainous traits. We don’t get to see what the true Queen of Hearts is like until more near the end of Oblivia II and that surely isn’t enough to perceive her as a lasting memorable character outside of her famous name. In fact, I’m still undecided of what will even COME of this character by the stories’ end. Will she go on, will she die? Who knows..?

8. Nightmare 12 - Mammon from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

First of all, Mammon is due for a redesign. I thought her suit was clever and different back when I made her but now it’s just blegh to me. Mammon is the Nightmare’s second attempt at making a robotic vessel, and she is essentially Nightmare 07 MK II. Being created from 07 and Akira’s cells, Mammon quite literally doesn’t have a...”herself.” Most of her actions and feelings are reminiscent of an even more hostile 07 and that’s just boring. Though I do think she has one of the coolest Ars Arms, being able to fabricate geometric shapes as weapons. Mammon’s story doesn’t really flesh her out enough to earn her spot in the Nightmares. It’s a good thing I decided to can the idea of ALL the Nightmares being machines way back when I first made them or else I would have made this mistake 27 or so times. Though of course that doesn’t make Mammon a mistake, but rather something to work upon, such as many others on this list.

7. Rosemary Nanami from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Whenever I think back to Oblivia II’s hero cast I always, ALWAYS, remember Rosemary last...Ouch, that’s mean I know but here’s why. Rosemary didn’t originate in Oblivia II, Rosemary is actually Amai’s best friend from Oblivia I, turned Oblivion after reaching Oblivia’s surface. Anytime I think Rosemary I think “Oblivia I side character” not “Oblivia II main cast.” It doesn’t help that Rosemary can be easily discarded from Oblivia II’s story either. She is basically trained by Aya to become a detective taking over research of the previously closed X.I.A.L case, now opened once again due to the return of S.I.Ns. This IS fitting of her, however, it isn’t like Iesu and Rime need more info about the S.I.Ns when Iesu’s own mother was the head lieutenant of the original X.I.A.L case and the one who trained Rosemary in the first place. One could say that Aya sent her to keep an eye on her son but that’s essentially Hanako’s role as Cheshire in the series. Rosemary still holds well with an interesting and unique design, cool weapons, and equally unique power, but I still can’t help but fade her into the background in my mind as her original “side character” role.

6. Fayte Litenmare from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

I TOLD YOU. OBLIVIA II IS WEAK. Expect a few MORE Oblivia II characters on the remainder of the list. *Sigh* Fayte. Fayte was actually put into Oblivia long before Ibuki, though Ibuki was thought of first. (Back in middle school) Fayte looked NOTHING like this originally and I was always struggling to be happy with his design, going through two “eugh” designs and finally landing with this one which I honestly think is only mildly better. Fayte is cool, but can be an ass at times and doesn’t hold a candle AT ALL to his sister Ibuki as a character, leaving Fayte with a huge lack of redeeming qualities and purpose other than to be one of Ibuki’s conflicts in the story. As it stands, Fayte probably has the least written out and thought up story out of all the hero characters in Oblivia II. In fact I have so little info on him other than that he was abducted to Arms Corps like his sister that I can’t even think of what to write about him anymore. Next character.

5. Nightmare 11 - Helel from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Okay, Helel is Lucifer. How many times have you guys seen that in an anime. A lot? Yeah, same. Not to mention that Helel’s design isn’t even straying far from imagination like some other Oblivia designs. (At least I tried with Mammon) Helel is Oblivia II’s main villain and he couldn’t get more typical. He wants to use the S.I.Ns to shape human souls into monsters so he can meld them into a Crucible of Souls and create a giant beast in order to slay God and the Messiah. Yada yada, normal demon shit. To top it off, Helel doesn’t even come close to the top 5 strongest Oblivia characters and the man...is SATAN! Iesu Vs. Helel (Satanael) will make for a great battle in the series but I believe it won’t come close to either Ame and Hanako Vs. Rime or Ame, Hanako, and Pandora’s battle. It’s funny how the most evil dude can cause some of the lesser destruction in the series’ endings. Also, why the fuck. Did Lucifer. Create a chaotic world. Based on Alice in Wonderland..? *Shrugs* I don’t get it and I wrote it.

4. Nightmare 14 - Beelzebub from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

She eats, she buzzes, and she annoys the hell out of people. Kind of like actual flies. Beelzebub is based off of one of the Seven Princes of Hell: Beelzebub, most commonly known as the Lord of the Flies. I remember finding it tough to draw Beelzebub simply because I felt that she was always a little out of place in my style? I don’t know, maybe not anymore, I’d have to try again; but Beelzebub is just generally an annoying character to both I and the characters in the story. She wants nothing more than to laze around and eat, usually commanding an army of animals and insects to get her things under her staff; the Ronove’s slave-like spell. She’ll hurl stampedes of raging rhinos on you, fill your tub with eels, and surround your ears with buzzing flies all for the kicks of your torment. And her torture and trickery doesn’t stop at her foes, even her fellow Nightmares aren’t safe, making her a nuisance to almost everyone around her. Don’t be surprised if she’s munching on that apple or cake you saved in the fridge last night, she’ll eat it in your face and your confusion and anger will only make her stronger.

3. Nightmare 13 - Asmodeus and Asmodai from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

NO IMAGE OF ASMODEUS AVAILABLE

Two twins’ souls bound together by a curse tormented to forever live in each other’s bodies till the end of time. Enter Asmodeus and Asmodai now both an Incubi and Succubi duo in one body as a demon under the Nightmare’s command. They were issued to lure in feeble hearts with sensual seduction and their bodily transformations. It’s a weird ass concept I know but I needed to fill that Nightmare slot with the demon from lore of the same name, as it fit Oblivia II’s Seven Princes of Hell “gimmick?” In general I find their design to be sort of lazy clothes wise and the idea sort of bizarre, hell I never even drew Asmodeus (the male half of the duo) in color yet. But can you believe that Asmodai (the female side’s) design was actually reminiscent in hair and face to what Hanako was ORIGINALLY going to look like? Back when I first created Oblivia, Hanako was originally meant to have blonde hair and purple eyes as well as be Amai’s best friend who has a crush on Ame. Though she was supposed to have short hair, this blonde haired, purple eyed Hanako was eventually split into three characters. Hanako herself, Rosemary; who took over Amai’s best friend role, and Asmodai; who kept the original design for the most part. But her design was the ONLY thing kept from that original Hanako and so now every time I see Asmodai I sort of cringe at the thought that she and Hanako are related in a way. Why did I give her old design to such an obscure and weird character..? Call it a personal dislike on this one, and on my own behalf lol.

 2. Nightmare 08 - X.I.A.L from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

NO IMAGE OF X.I.A.L AVAILABLE

It’s been eight years. EIGHT DAMN YEARS and I STILL haven’t drawn a FULL FLEDGED drawing of THIS MAN. X.I.A.L has to be one of, if not the most important Nightmare in Oblivia outside of Pandora. He is the visored man, the one who killed Hanako’s mother, the one who fought E.T.A as a demon back in the first Oblivion War. The one who helped spread magic and Ars all across Oblivia to spark the next to come and the one after that. The one who started the X.I.A.L Virus outbreak, the one who birthed the S.I.Ns, the one who stole the Archangel’s child; Rime. The one who obeys “Mother’s” every command. THE ONE THAT ESSENTIALLY BROUGHT ALL THESE CHARACTERS TOGETHER BY FATE; HANAKO’S OWN DAMNED FATHER. -AND YET I STILL HAVEN’T DRAWN HIM SERIOUSLY YET?!!! What IS IT about you man that I don’t want to draw you?! Is it because I’m afraid of hyping you up and then you don’t meet my own standards?! This man is so important to the story and yet no one who follows my work have even SEEN him yet. That’s just fucking crazy. This is another personal one. X.I.A.L IS an interesting character-ish but I just have my salt about this guy, seriously lol.

1. Nightmare 21 - Minami Korihiko from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

No image of Minami available...No image of Minami available...NO IMAGE OF MINAMI AVAILABLE!!

MINAMI. MINAMI. FUCKING. KORIHIKO. Who you ask? EXACTLY. Minami is the one, most useless, most shoved in character in all of Oblivia. I’ve never drawn a full image of him, just like X.I.A.L except unlike X.I.A.L...MINAMI DOESN’T MATTER. Minami hasn’t made any cameos, Minami has never been mentioned in a drawing, in any status, in any other character’s short description on a drawing. The only time Minami has ever been mentioned is in the “Get to Know the Nightmares of Oblivia III!!” note where I had to make a short summary of him, and it isn’t well thought up at all. He’s there because he needs to fill a certain Nightmare spot and that’s all. I haven’t grown attached to him or his story at all, simply because I cannot think of a good one for him for the life of me. He’s bland, boring, meh...and it really keeps me from ever wanting to draw him at all. Basically since he is one of the Seven Storybook Nightmares, he is supposed to resemble Jack Frost, and the sin of Gluttony. He’s insane, he’s immature...he’s all the things Masaru is besides the fact that he is NOT a good villain. He sucks, and even Pandora hates him. He has ZERO redeeming qualities and he really doesn’t get a long with anyone or have a great backstory to cover him up. If anyone...ANYONE has any ideas for this poor, poor terrible character please. Help a brother out.
Sayonara...

This is a little something I thought about doing the other day, it makes sense because it helps me know who works well to me and who needs to be worked ON. Yes, that means that there will be a Top 20 Least Favorite too buuut I'm lazy so expect that whenever. Let’s get started then. I think it goes without word that all characters are owned by me; Michael Caraballo / Anima and should not be used without credit. Also be wary, this list contains SPOILERS.

20. Naamah Shinseina from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Alright so starting the list off is Naamah. I know I talk a lot of shit about Oblivia II, but Naamah is among the cast’s greatest. She was originally designed to be strictly a traditional nun that would just simply help the team from time to time but as I developed her character, her backstory shone through. Being forced to become a nun instead, and then break away from her family’s demonizing chains. She stands out as one of the most self realizing characters in the Oblivia series. Not only that, but she’s just so sweet and kind and new to the world outside her church. I believe that her role in the series will be greatly explored through her strong will.

19. Charade from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

One of the newer additions to Oblivia’s roster-or...is she? Charade was added to Oblivia simply for my love of the singer; Nano, who inspired Charade’s design, but with the addition of this edgy chick she clicked so well with the other members of TR4NCe-ieNT such as Ech0, FRieND, and Clementine. When it came down to designing a weapon for her though, I was very much stumped. I had already wrote so many other weapons off for the series’ characters, what could I do that was fresh? That’s when I thought up her name; Charade, and then just like that I made it so that she could summon the Nightmare’s weapons at will! Pretty neat, huh? That part was inspired by Charade from Soul Calibur by the by. But what really made Charade stick to the twisted plot that is Oblivia is her connection alllllllll the way back to Oblivia I. I’ll leave that one a secret Hint: It has to do with her FACE!

18. Nightmare 22 - Rei Subete from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Rei was one of the first Nightmares designed for Oblivia III. Prior to this I didn’t have a character that used a sword AND shield and I was like: “Wtf. how?!” so I did it. What I love most about Rei is her design. It’s a very graceful yet conventional look. Soft whites, light blues, and purples gives off her naturally calm nature but then clash with the burning embers that are her red and yellow hair. This design was based on the reverse of Scarlette Ryder, a Roleplay character of an old friend’s who would later become a main character for Summon Gear - Innocent. Once I made her daunting story between Mikami, Zephyr, and her I was hooked. I knew that Rei would become a favorite of mine. Side note: she’s actually the number one favorite of Oblivia III’s co-er.......ideas guy..? We just call him Dui lol. He insists I fabricate the story to have her get with Ace instead...

17. Nightmare 03 - Noel Suzume from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Ah, Noel you crazy son of a bitch. Noel is one of the first Nightmares I created ever, she is also the first character I ever openly admitted was gay. So I guess that makes her the first gay Oblivia character in terms of the public. With Noel, my most proud moment was not her own design but her weapon design. No one had ever thought of using a giant scissor and I thought it was pretty frickin’ unique. (Till Kill la Kill showed up and got popular before Oblivia :’) ) So now that’s kind of gone...but oh well, at least I know I did it first, haha. But anyway enough of the jealousy (I love Kill la Kill by the way) Noel is very...yandere...she loves Aya, I mean LOVES Aya and because she’s one of the only people that can see Bride’s Thread wrapped around both Aya and Hanako she went MAD. Coming probably the closest ever to killing Hanako in the series just by pure love for Aya and hate for her. Her weapon is also a key to one of the biggest plot points in the series. Not only that but she herself is the reason Oblivia III can even happen. Tons of props to you, Noel.

16. Nightmare 02 - Melody Rizumu from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

I remember the DAY I made Melody. She was just meant to be a cliche Vocaloid rip-off. Vocaloid was at its peak back then, but I found her funny and cool as an enemy too, one of the first non-serious of the series. She didn’t really have a purpose at first, but I thought that most stories featuring some kind of pop-icon type character never really tells of that character’s struggle to fame. I decided to give Melody Multiple Personality Disorder and that’s what fleshed her out to be more real to me. With struggles with memory loss, a family that was not very supportive, and desiring the greed of fame Melody quickly became one of the most interesting characters in the series for me. Not only did that improve her own story but Shitemashi’s as well, who was originally struggling a LOT to be a well written character in my eyes.

15. Alice Spadeheart from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Alright, so let’s discuss the elephant in the room first. Alice is definitely one of my most unoriginal characters, lmao. Clearly she was based on the usual Alice in Wonderland but I do think that Alice Spadeheart differs far enough from Alice Liddell and all other iterations of Alice in anime culture to stand out. Firstly is Alice’s origins. The idea of Oblivia II at all spanned from another Roleplay I was a part of that was Alice in Wonderland and Zelda based. (Weird mixture I know, but kids will be kids) In it, one of the characters used a version of the Vorpal Blade that looks identical to the one you see Alice use in Oblivia II now. I had no idea that the blade was meant to be silver and whenever I thought about the name Vorpal Blade I envisioned the attack animation of Vorpal Blade from Persona 3, thus a bunch of crimson blades that scattered and bent, attacking the foe at all sides. This gave me the idea for a very basic looking sword that could do very bizarre things. It fit greatly with the tone of Alice in Wonderland! Plus “Vorp” “Warp” it always sounded similar to me. Damn, all this text and I only wrote about the damned sword...Alice just looks neat okay. Not too cute, not too edgy. Still reminiscent of the original, yet distant in a good way. The idea of her memories being trapped in the monsters she has to kill is also pretty neat too, and those plot twists at the end. Oof- I’ll shut up now, next character.

14. Nightmare 05 - Leavi Miyu from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Every anime at the time had that one cute fuck up. That was supposed to be Leavi for me and yeah, she turned out exactly as planned haha. When it came down to designing a character for the Sloth Arcana of the original Nightmares, I thought it would be kind of dumb to have a “villain” not kill at all because well...they were too lazy to. So her and Suta really came in as one of a pair. Leavi is the exact definition of growth. She starts off weak and afraid to do anything but late series her thirst for revenge takes over her after Ame kills Suta and she seeks strength more and more up until their fight. She usually broke up many arguments that would have done the Nightmares ill, and even aided Masaru into being one of the most evil characters in the series. Eventually her desire to leave the Nightmares was made a reality by her own faith in herself and she made up for all the trouble she caused Ame and co. Going so far as to not blame Ame anymore for Suta’s death. Now that’s an understanding person.

13. Erika Valkyrie from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Erika is like a guilty pleasure of mine. She doesn’t appear too much in the series but I absolutely love writing her. She’s this strong knight of justice and protection. Smart, tactical, powerful, and stern, Erika gives off this expression of gallant when deep inside she’s a hopeless geek, haha. Out of flashbacks with the Archangels, Erika’s scenes when she trains with E.T.A but can’t focus like usual because she has a crush on him will always be some of my most favorite to me. I find myself rooting for her even though I know he gets with Fallen just because it pains me to see such a sturdy character turn to jelly so quickly, she’s adorable. This trait follows her to her fights with Ame and it’s all a case of Deja Vu to her while Ame has no idea what the hell is going on. I think they’re nice, lighthearted scenes for such a strictly studious character.

12. Nightmare 00 - Rime Kurai from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Nightmare Rime is the epitome of absolutely “no fucks given.” She sees, she creates, she destroys. Eons in Purgatory would turn anyone lonely and mad, only issue is that this happened to the daughter of the highest Archangels. She wants nothing but her own death, to be reborn again but not without a little fun with papa and mama first. The battle between Ame, Hanako, and Rime is EPIC. Vaporizing planets, killing stars, destroying cosmoses, clashing galaxies, forming universes, SPLITTING UNIVERSES. At this point is the ascension of the series beyond what you thought was capable of these characters. Rime is the future daughter of God, the vessel of the Nightmares, and she is not to be trifled with...

11. Aqua Vallia from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

I love Aqua, writing her is never stale because of her cheeky attitude towards everything. Straight bangs are also a weakness of mine and her overall design is simple and natural to me. I always saw Angels with two wings, four wings, six wings, even one wing! (Hello Sephiroth) But when I made her I didn’t see ones with one wing BECAUSE they were just a part of one whole. I loved the idea, thought it was unique and decided to have sisters that fused together to make one super powerful Archangel. While I do love Violet too, she can’t beat Aqua’s snarky charm. She’s often scolded by Erika, which makes for funny scenes and hated by Hikari, which makes for suspenseful scenes. I also love the way she isn’t so sure about Ame being the descendant of her master E.T.A, it shows how much of a skeptic she can be and that she has the ability to think before she trusts. Something that the other Archangels don’t express as well. She’s also just hella powerful. So powerful that she and her sister had to be split in two and banned from entering Heaven as one for their lack of control.

10. Lurre Sekaiko from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

We’re down to the Top 10’s! Lurre comes in tenth with her sweet smile and caring attitude. Lurre despite being an Orphan is rather upbeat. She breathes life into Orphan and tries to be the positive charge that sets the team in motion, especially Mikami. Lurre’s design was based off of one of my favorite characters in anime; Inori Yuzuriha of Guilty Crown. She was also modeled after Red Mages from Final Fantasy and her armor is based on the character Layer’s armor from Megaman X 8, my favorite Megaman X game. With all these little hidden references snuck in, Lurre became an instant fave for me and one of my favorite protagonists for the Oblivia series. Lurre holds a much greater role in the story than most. Being the original wielder of the Scissor Blade Dyrnwyn, capable of cutting Bride’s Thread and being (massive spoilers here) the goddess Oblivia herself. Lurre was really in the series the whole time and no one knew! Often appearing as Yggdrasil; a black sakura tree where Ame, Hanako, and Aya usually meet at, she is possibly the most important “thing” in Oblivia that is also a character. She truly was watching over everyone all along.

9. Nami Tsukihana from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

You know her and love her, the eldest Tsukihana sister takes the spotlight at number 9. Nami was the reason that Oblivia even turned into the type of fantasy action genre it is today. Before that it was a Slice of Life manga inspired by Lucky Star called Black Sakura. (Referenced constantly by the series’ black sakura tree; Yggdrasil as a homage) Adding a Vampire made me turn Hanako into a Vampire (She wasn’t before) and then I gave Nami a sister (Orchid) and then I made Hanako their sister, and the rest was history. From then the story started becoming a mess of myths and fantasies that traveled more into action and deep plot. I can’t thank Nami enough for that because I wouldn’t have the series any other way, crazy enough. Stepping back from thanks, Nami just looks cool. She has style and chic that’s a bit different from Hanako’s own. It makes her similar yet herself, complimentary. A cold sister and a sweet one. Additionally Nami’s big sisterly love and protection is charming to me. She has a lot that she has lost and she doesn’t want to lose anymore, Hanako is everything she has left. Nami’s rivalry with Jin is sharp witted and her painful observance over Ame is hilarious when tied with her secret affectionate and admirable side for him. Nami is a rock solid character and both an amazing sister AND sister-in-law. No other can compete.

 8. Aria Aiko from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Aria is another character that screams “real” to me. Sort of. Aria is great at telling Hanako’s story from the other perspective. What if your looks made you hated? What if it isolated you instead..? Aria is constantly bullied for her body and clothes, to the point of self harm, doubt, and introversion, which in turn adds on more abuse for those reasons. She believes that she has no use in her world. Her single parent doesn’t know how to handle the situation. She had been ready to give it all up if not stopped by Ame’s own opposite, a ghost known as E.T.A. She could see and speak with this ghost. He made her world better, meaningful. She had fallen in love with him but could never feel his skin, touch his face, bring him to dinner. It left Aria in peril and urging to see him. She now desired death for a different reason; to finally be with him, but her role was not over yet. She was urged to die but not for E.T.A, but to aid Hanako in saving everyone. Despite not being able to see E.T.A until her duty was done, she took the offer to be of some use, any use. This was her chance. But the choice did not make her sad or regret, it made her happy. She became friends with Hanako, Ame, and their friends through Hanako’s cross and she had finally been happy, something she hasn’t felt in over five years. Aria is tragic, but her turn around into bliss and meaning is something that has always made me proud of her among the rest.

7. Nightmare 22 - Hitomi Natsumi from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Hitomi is another guilty pleasure character of mine, I don’t know why I like her so much but I DO! I can explain a little. Hitomi is lazy, REAAALLY lazy, more lazy than Leavi. She falls asleep pretty much everywhere, even on the battlefield. I think it’s hilarious lol but the only place she won’t fall asleep is on the baseball field. She is often remembering her older brother Nemuri when she swings her bat, the two were inseparable as kids. He’s where Hitomi learned how to be a great player, and a lot of children used to look up to her as a baseball star, calling her the Striker Queen. When they were still young a S.I.N took over Nemuri to try and kill everyone on the sandlot, but Nemuri was strong enough to fight back the monster within him and commit suicide to prevent the S.I.N from harming the other kids and his sister. This traumatized Hitomi and is the reason for her now sluggish, uncaring nature. She wants nothing more than for Pandora to just give her what she wants so she can escape the Nightmares. Other than that, she just wants to be left alone. The desire for Pandora to revive her brother is the only thing driving her to fight but it’s this drive that makes her empathetic towards the other Nightmares in her squadron. Even if their reasons are more dastard and selfish she understands, and thus sees them as human, not murderers. She is especially empathetic towards Momoe, who she believes is too young and innocent to be in a war. From time to time she still sneaks out to play with whatever kids she finds in Enoch’s sandlot. Never telling of her gruesome ties to the war, and the enemy side at that. It’s this feeling of humanism and respect for the other Nightmares that makes Hitomi my absolute favorite Nightmare of all, because most if not all of the Nightmares (even from the past Oblivias) have SOME reason to be there that isn’t just malicious intent. It was all for someone. A sin for a desire, a sacrifice for a gift, an eye for an eye. That is a message that I wanted to make absolutely clear with the Nightmares, and no one does it better than Hitomi in my opinion.

 6. Ibuki Litenmare from: Oblivia II - Arisu no Shiro

Alright, Ibuki has one of my most FAVORITE designs in Oblivia of all time. She’s majestic, strong, fearsome, and confident and you can see all of that from just one quick look at her. Ibuki was a group creation between me and some friends from middle school, it wasn’t until a few years ago that she was actually touched up on and placed into Oblivia. Ibuki’s current design is inspired by my love for Lightning Farron from Final Fantasy XIII. Another all time favorite character of mine (I know a lot of people hate the game and her but there was something I just always admired about Lightning in her transition from XIII to Lightning Returns) Ibuki is born from a family clan with mysterious genes of strength that only the women can pass down. Because of this, she is forced by her father and brother to search for a reasonable enough spouse to bear children with. Ibuki detests this and desires to travel the world of Oblivia, but is caught alongside her brother and tested on by the Arms Corps until she is able to break out and become discovered by Iesu’s group. Her brother Fayte takes notice of Iesu’s strength and concludes that she wed him, but Ibuki refuses and growls that being alone is the only way to be happy and roam life. Little did she know that she wouldn’t need a forced marriage to care for Iesu. Being a part of the Litenmare clan, Ibuki is amazing with a blade, and is fast and powerful. I’m also in love with her Chainsaw Katana. Above all else, Ibuki represents freedom and diversity. Something I am a firm believer of in life.

5. FRieND from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

Alright, now we’re getting into the obvious category. The Top 5! Five being FRieND. FRieND is...the greatest character I ever accidentally created. If you don’t know the story. I drew a girl with rainbow hair once while listening to music. I believe the song I most remember listening to was Clarity by Zedd. “She isn’t from Oblivia.” I said. “She’s just some girl. Is she bad, is she good?” I thought. Then I said: “Well she can’t be bad, she’s certainly a friend.” -and the rest was history. I started drawing her whenever I listened to upbeat, video game style, or EDM music. Ultimately the little darling wormed her way into my heart and forced herself a slot in Oblivia III. Team Orphan already had too many characters to add so I decided that I would make a separate group that the story would interchange into every other chapter. This was the birth of TR4NCe-ieNT; but more on that in a few. I thought, well FRieND can’t be her real name. It must be an alias so I decided her real name would be Clarity, Clarity Kurai, the song in which inspired me to make her. This also gave me something to work with as I could now tie her in as one of Amai’s kids and EchO’s sister. Her outfit was later drawn and I decided that it would be modeled after Beats Headphones, something mainstream in the media of music. But then she sort of made her self her own thing and it all went downward from there on. She’s now the queen of references and memes to popular and or obscure culture and I personally think that she will be Oblivia’s most fan favorite character in the far future. She is definitely one of mine. FRieND might also just represent a crazier side of myself that I think I’m too shy to let out to just anyone lol.

4. EchO from: Oblivia III - Orphans of War

IT’S YA BOI, YA DUDE, MY GUY; ECHO! That’s EchO, with a capital ‘O’, friend. No pun intended. After the great EDM craze of 2012-something or other, EchO was birthed into the world of Oblivia. I was obsessed with Sweedish House Mafia...don’t judge me...and so, EchO’s real name is actually Angello, a nod to Steve Angello, a DJ in the group. To me, EchO almost rivals Ame, as he is everything I used to want Ame to be. Quiet, cool, calm, and bad ass. EchO is Oblivia’s only silent character, and I loved him so much that I forced him to be a sub-protagonist of Oblivia III alongside Lurre. Echo’s silence is similar to Hitomi’s trauma, in that he saw his mother get killed before his eyes while he was in hiding. He covered FRieND’s eyes during the event but couldn’t look away himself. He was stuck frozen, dying inside at his mother’s screams and grasping fingers. With not many people in class knowing of this event, it gives EchO a layer of mysteriousness, leaving him only to respond with his loud rave-like music he uses to drown out the memories and “be happy” in a way. For self defense, he took up kickboxing at a small age where he excelled and developed his own techniques he mixed with his Sonus magic. His Ars Arms; Orpheus, is a sound wave amp powered Gatling gun AND a sword. Now tell me that isn’t rad as shit. Clementine is the only one to make him open up in such a weird time for him and he can only respond with words through text messages on his phone. I think this makes for some heartbreaking and funny moments in the series. His own headphones are inspired by Guy-Manuel’s helmet from Daft Punk and his outfit is loosely based on the TAPOUT brand of clothing in a joking reference to the common belief that those who wear the brand don’t actually fight and are “douchebags.” It’s also noted by many others that EchO is reminiscent of Neku Sakuraba of The World Ends With You, another of my favorite games of all time. In a way, EchO is the more secluded side of myself as opposed to FRieND but in a more niche way.

3. Ame Kurai from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Well you can’t have the list without the main character. Number three is the man himself, Ame. Ame is many things to me. A leader, a smart, creative, expressive individual. A great brother, a humble friend, a loyal lover, an amazing husband, a gracious father, and a wise mentor. Throughout the series, Ame is all these things and more, and writing him is one of the greatest privileges I’ve had in my life yet. Ame is more than a Gary Stu. Ame falls, and falls again, sees others fall with him, fall because of him, and yet he picks them all back up and continues on together. Sacrificing himself in the moment. Ame starts off as this kid who knows nothing but is eager to know more. Curious, but cautious. Throughout Ame’s growth in the series he stops just doing things because he is told to, he starts to ask why, and doesn’t move on until he knows. Using the Shikigami Iris, he begins to understand that the people who are a threat are still human, with a world that did them wrong just like anyone else. Ame’s desire is to save, rather than destroy. Fix what can be mended. Help those in need. Even realizing that due to Pandora he may be forced to do it all over again, he still does it every time. Ame is a boy that generally is just curious about people and wants to see them as happy as events could lead them to be, stopping at no barricade to wait. Among other things, his passion for his work and love for Hanako and the people he’s made bonds with are unparalleled. He believes in the potential of everything, even willing to risk his life for a stranger walking down the street. Ame is something even I strive to be day by day, and I’ve learned more about myself through him than any other character. Oh, and yeah, the rain is cool too.
 2. Aya Misaki / Nightmare ∞ - Pandora Eve from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Aya is...I can say with all pride that Aya is my most well written character. Her story is tragic; being bound by the endless escape of looping time, experiencing horrific, beautiful, amazing and emotional moments forever, over and over. Losing those you love and having to see those you hate again, experiencing the confusion of your own feelings, other’s feelings, the wretched disgust of rape, having your eye gouged out, dying, seeing others die, seeing evil prevail, watching the world burn, the universe shatter, all at the regret of your own original sin eternally. There is no one more deserving of rest than her. But even so, Aya goes on throughout every timeline, trying everything, every possible solution until she meets a greater end. She assures that seeing her friend’s happy faces is what makes it all worth it. That the last time will be the most beautiful one in her life. Aya fully understands her punishment for opening Pandora’s Box and weighs the demons of her past on her shoulders until it is no more. Being tied to Hanako and Ame by Bride’s Thread, she ensures that they will never be apart no matter how far they go from each other, they’ll always find a way back. Even if in the end Aya was the cause of all of Oblivia’s mistakes, without her the world wouldn’t be able to stabilize without her existence. The world would not have been the same as it was. She is time, she is the humanization of humanity’s bonds. Throughout the series, she tries her best to keep up a facade, like she knows nothing about what’s going on but she’s really just playing her own role for the sake of her friends and the world. To carry all that pain, loneliness, and terrifying memories alone she is more than amazing and grateful can’t even describe well the kind of girl she is for what she has.

1. Aiel “Hanako” Tsukihana from: Oblivia - Kurai no Ame

Alright wellllll, was this one even a surprise? Hanako is the reason for this series, my creativity in the form of one being. Hanako is way more than a mascot character. In times of disarray in my actual life, all it took was to draw and get my feelings out. Whether happy, sad, mad, angry, or in love, Hanako was the outlet. Based on C.C from Code Geass, my favorite anime character period, Haku Yowane my favorite fan-made character from Vocaloid, and over-all gothic fashion which I adore; Hanako is just an amalgamate of everything I can think of that I love-and you can see that in her variety of designs that seem to keep going on too lol. Basically the theme of Hanako is something to care for, arrange, an empty canvas. Like the rain cares for flowers, Hanako can just be anything in my heart. A muse in a way and that’s why she gets pampered a little too much, haha. Character-wise, her desire to stay eternally connected to Ame and Aya are a saying that no one is ever truly alone, or at least no one desires to be and finds something that makes them NOT feel alone. Everyone wants something, and well, as long as I live, Hanako will be the one thing I made that definitely can’t disappear. We’re stuck together like glue now, just like she is with her friends and all the people that have aided in her happiness. Hanako emotes the most love out of everyone in the series, hence the “Ai” in her first name. Her fashion, her silliness, her love for cute looking things, her kindness, modesty, curiosity, loyalty, playfulness, and even at times seductive nature are all things that make Hanako a beautiful character, not just visually but at the heart. I admire her, I admire Hanako because she is all these things because she desires to be herself. She knows that she is beautiful and is proud of who she is but is not egotistical about it. If she were truly real, I think that she would personally thank everyone who has ever helped this series become what it is now, because I didn’t make Hanako; WE made Hanako -and that’s my favorite part.