In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, three Polygon staffers came together to reflect on what they see as Best Boy material, and single out some of the anime boys who defined what that means for them.įor me, a Best Boy is a compelling character.
Or maybe, depending on your speed, it’s just someone you think is hot. It’s not just a favorite character, it’s someone you personally find particularly compelling and intriguing, someone you care for because of specific personality facets. In fact, it’s impossible to define what a Best Boy is, because it varies drastically between fans. The typical definition according to anime fans usually lends itself to a wholesome do-gooder type, but y’know… sometimes the universally acknowledged Best Boy of a series just isn’t your Best Boy. When we tried to find a singular answer to that question, we fell flat. So many Best Boys that we became overwhelmed and really had to think about what defines a Best Boy. As it turns out, there are a lot of Best Boys. And to narrow it down even further, the anime boys we love. Specifically, we’re thinking about the anime we love - and even more specifically, the anime characters we love. It’s Valentine’s Day, so we’re all obviously thinking about one thing: anime.
