10 Best Characters in Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Ranked) –
If you’re familiar with The Legend of Galactic Heroes, you’ll recognize one of the main selling points:
An absolutely wild cast of characters, and how different they all are! There is something for everyone, whether you like the sunny style of Bittenfeld, the refined and smart Mecklinger, or the cool and effortless Yang.
With a cast of over a hundred characters, it was hard to come up with that list. How can I write them all down if they’re all so great?
Here’s my personal list of main characters, ranked by how often I bother my friends with them, how cool or interesting they are, and how much of an impact they had on me after the series ended.
10. Walter von Schönkopf
It’s hard not to love the pretty face, because she just has a cool line about her.
He always seemed poised, like a truly responsible man.
It is useful that he commanded the formidable Knights of Rossen, the cruelest group of dog-wielding warriors who liked to attack their opponents with huge axes.
Schoenkopf also had one of my favorite deaths in the series, when he collapsed after taking out an almost complete group of opponents. An absolute monster!
9. Dusty Attemboro
Dusty was great because of his laissez-faire attitude towards war.
Although he is a tactical genius and the youngest officer to reach the rank of admiral, Dusty doesn’t seem very interested in war.
With his fresh haircut and the stunning phrase We are waging this revolutionary war on a whim and fantasy, it is hard not to admire the attitude that the devil can take care of this young admiral.
8. Paul von Oberstein
Oberstein. The man we all loved to hate (but secretly loved!!).
This calm, cool and controlled character was always one step ahead of everyone.
I loved his constant bickering with Bittenfeld, who often called him a pig’s head or some other strange disparagement.
His loyalty to Reinhardt was always so admirable, partly because of his genetic inferiority, which would have killed him during the Goldenbaum dynasty.
I also liked that on his deathbed he made sure his dog was fed chicken. A nice little twist for an otherwise cold character.
7. Wolfgang Mittermeier
Gale Wolf himself, Mittermeyer!
Mittermeier was known for his quick decisions in the heat of battle and was one of the fiercest admirals of the war.
Feared by his enemies and admired by his subordinates, Mittermeier was a force to be reckoned with.
I think it also helped a lot when he wore the red cape. Between him and Reuenthal, it was hard to decide who looked more like a king when he appeared on screen.
Mittermeier, an old ally, was loyal to Loengram, but admired his best friend in his rebellion.
Which brings me to…
6. Oskar von Reuenthal
Reyenthal has such charisma that you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s on screen.
Dear friend of the aforementioned Mittermeier, I loved Twin Pillars in Galactic Empire.
I loved the scene where Schonkopf surprises him as he gets ready to evacuate and Reuenthal catches him with a knife. The knife! When Schonkopf was on his guard with an axe to blow his head off!
It’s a shame he had to die in the uprising. Because I think he would have been a great leader under Loengram.
If you remember the old LOTGH saying: In any time, in any place, people’s actions remain the same.
5. Siegfried Kircheis
While he’s not necessarily my favorite character in the series, it’s hard to argue with the way Kircheis directs the overall plot.
Reinhardt’s best friend since childhood, Kircheis, has always been a loyal ally. And he was instrumental in Reinhardt’s attempt to dominate the universe.
He sacrificed his life to prevent Loengram’s murder. How can you ask your best friend?
Plus, he probably has the second best fashion sense of the entire show.
4. Ernest Mecklinger
How could I have made this list without Admiral Artie?
Like Attemboro, he seemed somewhat out of place during the Great War and often preferred to surround himself with art and culture.
I have trouble remembering him in almost every fight scene. But when I think of Mecklinger, I often think of a time when he played the piano or argued with the high-ups.
And I mean, come on, don’t you want a haircut and a mustache like that?
3. Josef Bittenfeld
Bittenfeld is one of the best anime characters I’ve ever seen.
With his cheeky Never Die attitude, I enjoyed seeing what kind of trouble he would get into.
As commander of the infamous Black Lancers, Bittenfeld was always the first to fight. So he was often the first to come out with a nosebleed and lost hundreds of ships!
I loved the desperation he felt for one of the youngsters, which led to him getting very close to the Admiral of the AFP fleet!
Besides, you couldn’t help but love the character telling his accusations: The goddess of victory waving her underwear in our faces.
2. Reinhard von Lohengram
It was hard to determine the two best characters. How could I choose between the two main characters?
Finally, I decided to put Loengram here.
A true example of leadership. I’ve always found it very insightful that Jan says he doesn’t work for people, he works with people.
Loengram was great because he was ambitious, and I was always eager to see the next episode to see what he would do next.
Will he survive the attack? Could he have taken on Yang?
It’s a shame he had to die at the end, because I would have loved to see a follow-up series about the Lohengram dynasty.
1. Yang Wen-Li
How could I have chosen someone else as number one?
Yang Wen-Li is not only the best LOTGH character, but also one of the greatest characters in anime history.
An intelligent and nuanced man, Jan has always been one step ahead of his opponents. And I mean always!
Probably the biggest tactical mastermind on the show. I let out a squeal when I discovered that he had managed to destroy fleets much larger than his by a clever strategy.
His death was just as impressive. When I saw the last shot of episode 82, I knew the wizard would never come back.
I cried like Alexander, for there were no more worlds to conquer.
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