The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise has been a feature of children’s television and toy stores since the early 1990s. Despite the popularity of Super Sentai in Japan, bringing the concept to the US was difficult. However, since the original broadcast on Fox Kids, an entry ...

Even outside of the Star Wars franchise, Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable film characters of all time. He stands out with his jet black futuristic design and status as the original antagonist of the series. The addition of the prequels only adds more dimension to the m...

Star Wars is perhaps the largest science fiction franchise in the world. With 9 main story films, 2 anthologies, 7 television series, over 50 comic book series, and countless novels, the extended universe is overwhelmingly big. At any given time, there are hundreds of figure styl...

Predator is a multimedia franchise that focuses on science-fiction action anthology. The franchise centers on the film series which details mankind’s encounter with the “Predators”. The series began with the film Predator in 1987. This film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and...

Wolverine is a character within the American comic book series X-Men that was published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men series was written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby after the high popularity of other Marvel comic books. X-Men saw its first comic book release in 1963, but Wolverine h...

The X-Men are a team of fictional superheroes from the American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The series was written by writer Stan Lee and co-writer/artist Jack Kirby. Since the initial release of the first X-Men comic back in 1963, it has spawned a very successful mul...

The 2016 film Suicide Squad earned 65.1 million dollars on opening night and developed a cult following from there. Most fans admit the plot of the movie was weak, but the greatest appeal of the film was its characters. The most popular breakout from the film was Margot Robbie’s,...

It has been terrifying audiences since the novel came out in 1986. While the terrifying hallucinations featured in the story are scary enough, the titular “It,” Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the standout horror of the series. For horror fans that collect creepy merchandise, Pen...

Doctor Strange is a character that appears within the American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Doctor Strange made his first appearance in July 1963 in the Strange Tales #110 comic book. Doctor Strange is the...

The Flash is a superhero within the American comic books series published by DC Comics. He was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. The Flash made his first appearance in Flash Comics #1 back in January of 1940. Throughout all incarnations, the Flash’s key char...

Captain America is a superhero who appears throughout the Marvel Comics series. He was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and made his first appearance in March 1941. He wears a costume that bears an American flag motif and uses a red, white, and blue shield. Captain America, al...

The Joker is a supervillain that makes an appearance throughout the Batman comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson. Joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind with a sadistic sense of humor. In the 1950s the Joker became mo...

The Hulk is a fictional superhero that appears in the American comic books series published by Marvel Comics. He was created with the creative minds of two individuals, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Hulk made his first appearance in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk in May 19...

Deadpool is a fictional character that appears within the American comic books series published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefield. His first appearance was in The New Mutants #98 in February of 1991. At first, Deadpool is por...

Wonder Woman made history as the first mainstream female superhero. Ever since, she’s been a symbol of feminism, wisdom, and strength for women all over the world. She’s also been used as a proxy to debate gender roles and as a basis to discuss the representation of women in medi...

Historically, Black Panther failed to see the same level of fame as other Marvel superheroes. Despite the lack of Spider-Man level mainstream success, readers praised the comics for their artful storytelling and complex emotional struggles. Now with the Marvel Cinematic Universe ...

Superman is a fictional superhero that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and his first-ever appearance was in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. Since that first release all those years ago, Superman ...

Thanos is a supervillain that appears in Marvel Comics. He was created by writer and artist Jim Starlin and made his first appearance in The Invincible Iron Man #55 in 1973. Thanos is thought to be one of the most powerful villains within the Marvel universe. He is a menace to th...

Thor is a superhero that appears within the Marvel Comic and film series on many occasions. He is based upon the Norse god of the same name and wields an enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. He can fly with his hammer as well as manipulate the weather. Thor is the god of thunder in the mag...

Venom is a fictional character that appears within the Marvel Comics series. This character is not human, in fact it is a sentient alien symbiote that survives by bonding with a host and taking over them. Usually, the life force it takes over is human, and the human who survives ...

In the golden era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man still reigns as Marvel’s most popular superhero. Spider-Man appeals to fans because of his accessibility. Until the fateful radioactive spider bite, Peter Parker was a normal teenage boy. His sudden jump into a new po...

Batman is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by writer Bill Finger and artistry Bob Kane, and he made his first appearance in Detective Comics in 1939. Since his first appearance so long ago, Batman’s popularity has climbed beyond al...

Iron Man is a superhero character within the Marvel Comics franchise. Several people had a hand in the creation of this iconic superhero. He was co-created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby. He made his first debut in the Marvel Comics universe in March of 1963....

The Avengers are a team of superheroes that appear in comics published by Marvel Comics. The first comic of this series was debuted in The Avengers #1 which was published in September 1961. The concept of this team as well as many of the characters were created by Jack Kirby and ...

Marvel Comics is the brand name and primary imprint of Marvel Worldwide Inc. Marvel Comics was the publisher of American comic books and related media for many, many years. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, which is the parent company of Marvel World...

Metal Gear Solid is a video game franchise that was created by Hideo Kojima and developed by Konami. The first game, Metal Gear, was released in 1987. This game is labeled as the reason for the popularity of the genre of stealth games and paved the way for its successors. The ser...

Mortal Kombat is an American media franchise that is centered around a series of fighting video games. The games were originally developed by the developer Midway Games beginning in 1992. Since then there have been both sequels and spin-offs released for the game, as well as card...

Splatoon ties with Wii Sports for Nintendo’s most successful WiiU home console game. The addictively fun paintball turf war game made quite a splash after its release in 2015. The bright color scheme, unique yet cute character designs and playful concept expands the game’s appeal...

The Devil May Cry series inspired a gaming trend of cool heroes with super powerful weapons beating down legions of enemies. However, on its own, the series has remained a classic due to its memorable characters, particularly its hero Dante, and its gothic aesthetic. The largely ...

Dead or Alive began as a fighting arcade game looking to carve its own niche within the genre. That niche happened to be a cast of voluptuous female fighters in physics-defying skimpy outfits. For some, it’s an inside joke within the genre, but it definitely worked. Dead or Alive...

Osomatsu-kun was so popular after its debut in 1962, John Lennon and Paul McCartney mimicked his signature pose in a photo-op when visiting Japan. For the most part, though, the series’ popularity was limited to Japan. In 2015, an anime featuring the Matsuno sextuplets aged up ca...

Tony Tony Chopper, also known as “Cotton Candy Lover” Chopper, is a character within the One Piece series. One Piece started as a manga that was both written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was first published by Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine beginning in July of 1997. Since th...

Edward Newgate, otherwise known as “Whitebeard”, is a character within the One Piece series. The manga series One Piece was originally published by the Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine in 1997. It was both written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series has become quite popular si...

Trafalgar D. Water Law, more commonly known as Trafalgar Law, is a force to be reckoned with. He is a character within the One Piece series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. One Piece was first published in the Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine beginning in 1997. It was quite po...

Charlotte Katakuri is a character within the One Piece series. One Piece was both written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda beginning in 1997. In July of that year, the One Piece manga saw its first publication through the Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. This caused a huge popularity ...

Nico Robin is a character within the One Piece series. One Piece began as a manga series that was written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It saw its first publication in the Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine in July 1997 and has gained a lot of popularity since then. Beginning in Octo...

Gotenks is the first fusion of the Dragon Ball franchise and arguably the most iconic. Originally formed out of a need to defeat the overpowered Majin Buu, Son Goten and Trunks continue to use their combined powers throughout the series. By the end of Dragon Ball Z, Gotenks is on...

The Android Saga and its predecessor, the Trunks Saga, are some of the most memorable storylines from Dragon Ball Z. Their lasting power, however, comes directly from the characters involved, Future Trunks, and the Androids. Android 17 left a strong impression with viewers as the...

While Vegeta has a bigger reputation as a villain turned reluctant hero, Piccolo did it first. In fact, Piccolo’s enemy to ally transformation happened as a result of Vegeta’s first appearance. His growth came about largely due to his bond with young Son Gohan, and many fans note...

Even anime fans growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s who never watched Dragon Ball will recognize Frieza. Son Goku and Frieza’s iconic battle, which led to the series’ revolutionary Super Saiyan ability, is one of the biggest fights of the shonen genre. Frieza himself has beco...

Son Gohan may not be the primary protagonist of the Dragon Ball series, but his growth and prominence throughout the series are main character level. From his debut as a child learning to fight, emotional growth from seeing his father, Son Goku and his mentor die, to his transiti...

Among the huge cast of Dragon Ball Z characters, Trunks is one of the most popular and critically praised due to his unique story role. Future Trunks takes most of that fame as the first appearance in the series. However, knowing the fate of his timeline makes the slightly spoile...

To Love Ru is a classic slapstick harem comedy complete with a hapless protagonist and a bunch of pretty girls who are in love with them. The science fiction twist gives the series greater character flexibility in the spirit of fellow harem series Tenchi Muyo. The ever-growing fe...

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! has been one of the most popular music media game franchises since its debut in 2017. The anime had a rocky start, but the game’s deep RPG visual novel elements, music, and character live performances have kept the series thriving. The large cast of ...

Kantai Collection -Kan Colle- is a Japanese free-to-play web browser game that was developed by Kadokawa Games and published by DMM. Kantai Collection is abbreviated as KanColle and subtitled as “Combined Fleet Girls Collection”. The theme of Kantai Collection is the representati...

Eromanga Sensei is a light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi and illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki. It first began publication under Dengeki Bunko imprint in December of 2013 and has since released 10 volumes. There is a manga adaptation of the series that began serialization in ...

The Idolmaster (stylized Idolm@ster) series created the immensely popular idol genre of games. As a social simulation game, players raise aspiring idols to stardom by training and developing bonds. A major success, the series grew to include numerous anime adaptations, game seque...

Clannad remains a nostalgic favorite for fans of sentimental, heart-breaking anime. Originally a visual novel, the storyline of the anime adaptation is the most well-known. The focus on different types of family and growth within and without endears fans to the ensemble cast of f...