I know there's been more than one topic like this before, but for some reason I can't find ANY of them
:< so feel free to link me to another discussion if you know of one, please.

I'd like manga (and anime, even better) with well-developed supporting characters. Or a cast that seems kind of equal. Kare Kano did this pretty well; of course so do some of your eternal shounen like One Piece.

Umm to me this means some sort of character development for side characters (not necessarily=backstory, you can have backstory and still be pretty boring) and also "happy endings." So like maybe he/she also gets a date at the end of the series, besides just the MC (shock).

No real genre preference except not yaoi/yuri please. Again, anime option is a plus. Thanks~

I don't see genre listed, so pardon me if it's not what you're looking for:
- 7 seeds: some of THE best group character development you'll see anywhere. The first few volumes are a bit of a pain, but the story shifts between several groups and the interactions and growth is incredible.
- Pandora Hearts: every single character plays a unique role in the plot, all get developed. Great story with non-stop plot-twists too.
- Kubera: the author pretty much treats each character as the protagonist of his own life. The story shifts among 10 main characters from different sides, but the side characters actually play bigger and bigger roles through the series instead of disapearing after one appearance (so you have 50+ characters with unique roles. Even for characters on the same side, they often have conflicting positions)
- Space Brothers for something new, it does a surprisingly nice job with all the characters.

For anime, Baccano!

Manga
Fukuyadou Honpo One of my favorites due to all of great characters and development
Hagoromo Mishin 4 characters, but more slice-of-life than happy

Manga that also has an anime adaptation
Aqua (prequel), Aria (sequel) ––– Anime title: Aria the Animation (1st of four seasons)
Mushishi (This is episodic, so the endings vary in tone. Still an amazing series to read though)
Chihaya Furu (ongoing)
Emma (same mangaka as Otoyomegatari)
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi ––– Anime title: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Anime
Angel Beats
Durarara!!


These were so much fun to find! Hope you enjoy

Last edited by VitaeVivae at 1:54 pm, Jun 28 2015

Vinland Saga - one of my top favorits for seinen

and seconding Space Brothers aka Uchuu Kyoudai.
This has also an amazing anime adaption (99 ep.)

I second 7 Seeds. Among all the manga I've read, it has the best-developed side cast. Basara, another work by the same author, also has great character development, though not to the same extent as 7 Seeds. However, since it's completed, I can confirm there are many romances besides the main one, and you get to see quite a few end pairings.

Gintama is good, too, though I can only vouch for the anime. There a tons of episodes where the main characters only get small cameos (if anything) due to the extent they focus on side characters.

Team Medical Dragon develops the secondary character after about 50 chapters.

Thank you guys very much!

Mizura: these are perfect. I'm familiar with a lot of them but haven't actually read very much... Space Brothers in particular I keep hearing about but I guess now is the perfect time to start. Thanks for the adventure-type stories

VitaeVivae: thank you also for so many recommendations~ I do indeed like slice-of-life, so I'm excited to look into some of these (esp Mushishi). And I noticed that Fukuyadou Honpo has a "multiple protagonists" tag, so when I finally make it through all of these I'm sure that will take me places too, haha.

Pink_Candyfloss: I had no idea that Inu x Boku SS was so focused on characters and so generally well-received. It's really caught my interest. Thanks also for the other two recs

annebel: though I've heard that Vinland Saga is pretty violent, I also know how popular it is. Maybe I'll have to give it a shot if it's not needlessly gory

Calamansi: yes romance is one of my pet peeves! Maybe I'm bein extra-sensitive right now because the shoujo I'm finishing (Otomen) does all this quasi-development where it introduces secondary characters and let's you care about them, but doesn't give them any sense of closure for them at the end. That's probably what really prompted my request, haha. Thanks for the suggestions!

Katsono: don't know if I've ever heard of this one before or not. Looks pretty fascinating though

Im glad that you found it interesting. I would recommend you to watch the anime first for inu x boku ss. Also i really love Kigurumi boueitai for its side characters!!

You're welcome! Yes, the multiple protagonist tag is great I was using that and 'character growth' to find some of these.
Mushishi is really beautiful, definitely in my top five (the second season of the anime finished airing in December & it was fantastic)

I'm really doubtful about this recommendation, but if you like history/nobles, I suggest Dear My Girls. It has a good range of side characters and many chapters revolving about them..they each have their own stories and there are humorous side chapters for a various selection too . Also, I know you didn't list it as a priority, but this manhua has really pretty art...plot a bit unclear and tangled with all the different characters' personal probs, but still great, elegant and educational regarding the 1800s.

You may have watched/read it before; Ouran High School Host Club. I only watched the anime but it's awesome- hilarious and romantic, yet sincere. Every main character has his/her past peered into, deeply. *~Must try~* Watch it here, no ads whatsoever: http://watchdubbed.net/anime/ouran-high-school-host-club-english -dubbed

*You didn't indicate you sought a certain genre, so the mangas above are ones I at least sort of liked and they're all romantic and have really good art ~because of my own requirements.

Anyhow, good luck in your search for a new great manga If you want, keep an eye on this post; updates will come if I encounter another ideal manga, but if you don't like romance then my recommendations are useless.

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"No single raindrop thinks it is responsible for the flood." Implying that every time you repeat a habit, it's another .001 figure added to your risk of suffering finite oblivion.

I Third Gintama, its got an anime too which is the better way to go in my opinion. even though its mostly a comedy its got some serious parts in it and the characters can be pretty epic.

Bokura no Kiseki is one of the best mangas i have read, and i think that mostly because of the way the author weaves all of the MANY characters into the mystery of how they all died in their previous lives. Every character is important in this story. Even if you dont think they are at the beginning you will suddenly figure out they were a big part of a certain event and you will get this "NO WAY!" feeling.

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Like educational manga? take a look at Ed U. Manga's list of manga here

Ameyer118: Thanks for the suggestions! I have actually both read and watched Ouran before and personally I think it's one of the funniest shows I've seen (partially parody=love<3). I only wish that some of the other characters got girlfriends too but oh well, can't fuss too much So I'll definitely have to look into Dear My Girls.

Gale1: I'm really digging the fantasy vibe in Bokura no Kiseki~ the way you described it is great! Have you read NG Life at all? The summary sort of reminded me of it.


P.S. Whoever suggested Durarara has ruined my life, it's so addicting haha!

I've downloaded Vinland Saga as it's something I plan to read thus have seen a lot of the art even though I cannot comment on the story. I can be violent at times as there are wars going on, but it isn't excessively gory.


Koe no Katachi looks like it's going to have a developed side case based on the little I've read so far.

I'd also recommend Emma if you like romance as it is my absolute favorite of that genre.

Gunnm as a whole tends to put character development into the side cast. There's even times when the main character will disappear for a while, thus leaving the side cast to carry things for a bit. This also goes for Gunnm Last Order, which I really need to finish. Both have violence but are no worse than what you'd find in an action-oriented shonen manga.

Bakuman. has a rather large cast with two main characters, their love interests, manga artists, assistants for all of the artists, and the editorial department. Yes it is true that some of the side characters get more character development than others.

X is another series with an extensive side cast that sees character development, but you will need to watch episodes 22 - 24 of the anime after reading the manga for the simple fact that the manga itself remains incomplete. There is a movie version of the anime, which should be avoided at all costs. The gore-level isn't very high in this one as it is shoujo, but there is a lot of violence and a few of the deaths might be more disturbing than the fact that characters in Persona 3 summon things by shooting themselves with fake guns.