Best and Worst Character Designs

[jetfire]

Now before anyone jumps the gun here, I'm asking what everyone thinks are the best and worst character designs that they have ever seen. Not the best or worst characters. Before I made this thread, I did a search and found almost nothing on character designs. I know that there's already a thread on the most stylish character, but in this case it doesn't have to be directly involved with style (plus, we're also talking about the worst designs). For instance, someone's character design can just suit that character's personality perfectly even if they don't look the most stylish. This thread is mostly about what designs work the best, and what doesn't. It can also pertain to anime heroes or villains. Please list WHY you think that the character designs that you list are the best and worst as well. I'll give a few examples of my own:

Best Designs:

Legato Bluesummers (Trigun): I think his design works perfectly in conveying who he is. The spikes on his right shoulder and skull on his left shoulder make him look badass, his arm that he stole from a certain someone gives him crazy powers, his white clothes reflect his always calm mood, and he's got some of the most evil looking eyes that I've seen.

Haji (Blood+): Just a butler? Or a butler that can kick butt (sorry, that was kinda lame, but you get my point)? Everything about his design gives off that calm, sophisticated look, and he carries around a freaking cello case as a blunt weapon. Can't get much more original than that.

Worst Designs:

Woz (Eureka Seven): He's basically in charge of computers/hacking on the Gekko State, and he wears this big white thing on his head that resembles a sewing machine or some household appliance. Horrid.

Katsushiro (Samurai 7): I could have sworn that this guy was a woman the first time I saw him. Green ponytailed hair and poofy yellow MC Hammer pants? It just doesnt strike fear into the hearts of many.

These aren't my absolute top picks, but some that come right to my mind.

[C0MPL3X]

I disagree on the case of Legato, his costume tries too hard to show how evil he is, and his skull and spikes are attached to be just there. I would have preferred more elegance and taste from a calm and collected guy like him.

And I don't know why Boogiepop Phantom chooses to dress that way but damn, it looks stylish.

[Apolyion]

One of my favorite character designs is Suigin Tou from Rozen Maiden. Her costume, in particular, shows off all the best things about the show's good character designs.

Another character design I really like is Sheila from Mahou Shoujo Tai Alice. Her appearance and posture do a lot to convey the atmosphere of the Witch World.

On the flip side, I hated Bara Suisho's design from Rozen Maiden Traumend. The eyepatch, in particular, was just plain too much, and she was very colorless and bland compared to the other dolls.

I disliked Rosette's design from Chrno Crusade... trying to play off a girl in a nun costume for sex appeal with split skirts and fanservice shots was just sick and wrong.

[Erigion]

Spike: His suit tells you all you need to know about him. Smooth. Stylish. Cool. A bit lazy.

Robin (Witch Hunter Robin): Looks what a witch in the 21st century should look like.

[animanic_critic]

Hmm, interesting topic. Let's see...

Best Character Designs:
Nosferatu Alucard (Hellsing): The coolest vampire in my books, and not only due to his big guns. His crimson-red overalls just suits him best with his hat and trench coat, especially for a bloodsucker like him. And to top it all off, his tangerine shades fits like a charm. A true class act.

The whole cast (Gankutsuou): Undoubtedly the swankiest cast to date. The character designers did exceptionally well, infusing the science fiction background with early 19th century French elements. Plus, they also made full use of Photoshop and digital animation to make the designs stand out and rendering their designs multi-dimensional. Best examples include Morcerf's outfits, and probably the other aristrocrats' various suits.

Major Motoko Kusanagi (GITS: SAC & 2nd GIG): I know there are many who will disagree, but there are times where she sported other than her SWAT-like uniform. She looked very posh in her smoke-grey trench coat (when visiting the UK in an episode), plus other commendable dress codes. The only letdown is her one-piece suit with the black jacket in the 1st GIG. Her revamped look in the 2nd GIG though, is smashing.

Johan Liebert (MONSTER): Surprised? He actually epitomizes the phrase "Simple is best". No frills whatsoever, he almost always wears a beige (correct me if you will) overalls, which for some reason, blends perfectly with the mid-90s' German setting. He's another time when he wears almost all black during the Munich arc, which still suits his image well.

Worst Character Designs:
Various characters (Samurai 7): I agree with jetfire's take on Katsushiro's outfit, but I think there are a lot more characters in that series that can be labeled as fashion criminals =P. Kikuchiyo looks like a humongous fire hydrant, Kyuzo's hair looks like a haystack, Ukyo looks like an androgynous clown, and his cronies and the others... I don't know what to say about them myself.

Overall cast (Gundam SEED): I don't know, but the overall fashion incorporated in Gundam SEED (and Destiny) just doesn't click with me. Rather than being trendy, they came off as quite distracting. Many of the male casts' clothing makes them look like sissies, to be bluntly honest. The only thing I can commend on it is that they're colorful - that's it.

STN-J (Witch Hunter Robin): "Black goes with everything", which I agree to a certain extent, but NOT when everything else is also black! At first, they look kinda cool, but throughout the series, they were nothing but black, black and more black! The overall apparels donned by them are okay; the selection of color... is there any other?

I wanted to include Paradise Kiss into the fray, seeing that it's heavily based on fashion, but I haven't watch it yet, so I guess I'll have to opt it out for the moment. Same goes for Trigun, but I haven't watch it either (o_O")

[aoi_n_asul]

let's see..

best designs:
ifurita- the demon-god from el hazard. i think her costume is really cute and girlish
hiko soujiro- the cape from spawn does the trick


worst designs
naruto the movie 2- i just found the designs and costumes for this movie a bit to tacky.

[Major Tom]

There are plenty of designs that I like, but I'd have to go through to determine a favourite.

However, I can instantly put my finger on the worst designs, in my opinion:
Saikano, or Saishu Heiki Kanojo, She the Ultimate Weapon. Perhaps not worst, but certainly the worst application of character designs. The designs themselves would have acquitted themselves quite well in a high school romance or any other sort of light hearted shoujo show, but for a rather depressing show about war and mortality, they fell flat. They just seemed out of place, and inappropriate for the subject material.

Shuuji definately goes for worst character design, though. For a guy who's supposed to be 17/18 years old, his design makes him look like he belongs in a nursing home. In the opening sequence, I seriously belived that the show was starting at some point in the future, and Shuuji reminiscing about his boyhood....I was rather surprised when the opening was set not long after....

[Tremolo]

I disliked Rosette's design from Chrno Crusade... trying to play off a girl in a nun costume for sex appeal with split skirts and fanservice shots was just sick and wrong.

Not to mention her big fat face. To be honest, all the Chrono Crusade designs and bland, generic and unappealing.

Best (or rather, favourite >_>):
Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) - A very simple, but hugely effective character design. His uniform-like outtfit with the gloves, red cape thing and chunky boots gives off a kind of superhero feel, combined with his cool hair. There's also the interesting progression in the design throughout the series - by the last episode he looks much older than he did in the first one, but you never notice because it happens so gradually. And he looks hilarious super-deformed.

Eureka Seven - I can't really pick one in particular because they're all awesome. Stylish, crisp and a bit different, but not too different.

Honourable mentions must go to the designs in Gankutsuou, Trinity Blood, the original UC Gundam stuff and any of Satoshi Kon's designs.

Worst:

Any generic fanservice harem show. They all look the same.

Narutaru - Very, very bland, but the series manages to rise above it.

AIR - All the little girls look a bit effed-up.

[Ieyasu]

Best:
This one isn't even opinion, it's stone cold fact.

Negishi Tatsuo from H&C II. While his character design is neither too complex not too simple, it conveys Tatsuo's plainess and sheer ordinarity pefectly. It even manages to give a sense of his despair due to his own mediocrity. His appearance is a perfect match for who he is. The ideal character design.

Worst:

Watanuki Kimihiro from xxxHolic. I don't know how they did it, but they made Watanuki's character design one of the worst I've in a long time. His arms and legs and legs are supposed to be lankey, sure, but that's just fugging ridiculous. I couldn't bring myself to watch past episode two. The manga was just so much better.

[LadyYuina]

Best design:
I have no choice on this one...

Worst design:
Chobits. To me it's mostly about the outfits, there are so many frilly bows, ruffles, bright colors, characters not expressive enough because of the way they look. And my god, they all look the same (to me anyway.) This is my opinion so don't flame me about this.

[Major Tom]

Worst design:
Chobits. To me it's mostly about the outfits, there are so many frilly bows, ruffles, bright colors, characters not expressive enough because of the way they look. And my god, they all look the same (to me anyway.) This is my opinion so don't flame me about this.

I would have to disagree with uo on this. Whilst the Chobits designs may not be the absolute best out there, they aren't terrible. They are suitable for their purposes, and the expressionless faces of Chi and Freya both convey what they are.

But I suppose it doesn't help that you don't like bows, frills and ruffles......I happen to find them rather adorable......

[Grasshopper]

Best: Mugen(SC). He's the ideal outcast. His less than fashionable clothes and overall scruffiness indicate that he doesn't have much...of anything. Hell, the guy has a troubled past and nothing to lose!

[Manga_Creator]

I think the worst is Krillen from DB,Z,GT because hes bauld all his life then sudenly he has loads of hair and also hes short and bauld when the other characters are tall and with loads of hair except some villains aka Nappa
As for best I dont know.
andy

[Apolyion]

Honestly what I didn't like about Chii's design wasn't her clothes or expression, it was the fact that she seemed designed around lolicon fanservice. In herself she was really cute, but then they used her for fanservice.

[bwing55543]

Best
Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen - The new look really helped this OVA. I thought that Tomoe was exceptionally beautiful also. Kenshin and Saito sure translated pretty well into the new look.

Worst
Rurouni Kenshin: Seisohen - Sano didn't translate well into the OVA look.

[Devotion]

Worst
Ranma Saotome. The male and female forms look far to similar, particularly in the facial features. It's quite bothersome that they'd have to resort to painting the female form with bright red hair just so that the two are readily distinguishable.

[kLaUS]

Best

For me, Deffinitive the desings from last exile, i love Alex, Queen Delphine and sophia characters, they really represent what they are suposed to be. From eureka 7 almost everyone, (they are a little like the characters from last exile). Haruhi Susumiya its perfect (for me), and also, i always like the homunculus from Fma (they each one look like the sin). And of course my favorite character design is Chloe, shes different to anything i have seen (until the moment i watched noir), quite, cute, skilled assesin, everything about her is great.

Worst

I never like the characters from gto, or from bersek. And never really like that guy from trigun, i dont even remember his name, the lead character, its just weird...