Those of us who grew up outside of Japan are familiar with famous characters like Goku from Dragonball Z, Pikachu from Pokémon, and Sailor Moon, and we might consider those the representative characters of Japan, but what do Japanese people think are the most iconic Japanese characters?
Popular Japanese site Goo Ranking took a poll of its community of netizens, and compiled a list of the top 10 most iconic Japanese characters, hailing from all forms of media.
Who better to be chosen to represent Japan than one of the first characters to bring international attention to Japanese productions?
With several dozen series, movies, and OVAs over their almost 40-year history, Gundam mecha are iconic members of the Japanese character collection.