I like the old wise perverts best. Or the mysterious or insignificant characters who start the whole story off seemingly accidentally. Cause and effect is the best thing, really brings out the whole mythology/ convincing world/ saga tendencies which make the most convincing Manga storylines...
But I like how everyone voted for the tomboy. I voted for the tomboy out of loyalty; I hope the real tomboys of the world who are still school age are getting more people who care they exist because of this. Doubt it though...
I know the whole blushing thing is probably really big culturally in manga (or some widespread fetish or whatever), but yeah, less blushing would be good. When even the Major blushes in Ghost in the Shell manga, you know something is wrong..

Save teh tomboy, save teh world. 🙂

I mainly like characters who turn genre cliche's on their head, who don't act like the way their eyes are drawn lead you to predict. (fullmetal alchemist is a manga that has a lot of these) or characters who you think were just bit characters who turn up years later and turn out to have been part of the plot all along. Also the un-sexy underdog characters who win unexpectedly. (talented-but-unconfident-in-spite-of-being-ridiculously-pretty underdogs who are blatantly going to win by getting emotional don't count) Things like an old cowardly dude whose research led to war crimes, who burnt his own face off to disguise himself from the government, winning a fight with big-boss-monster and surviving because he was the only one left so had to, somehow that kind of thing rings true. Things like this, and plots that run for years as if they have been planned like a psychotic genius only happen in the best manga, but they are the things manga has over mainstream western comics where the characters are not owned by the authors. I agree about the real life characters, but the only real life manga I have read much of is NHK; I prefer the mangas that make comments on the real world from a fantasy setting. They can get away with more if people think it's escapism. Like (anime not manga example I know) but those horribly upsetting gundam series that are guaranteed to cunningly turn any giant-robot-fan kid that watches them into a pacifist.

Much as I love Bleach, these characters only seem convincing in an world in which they could die in spite of being a main character. Mangakas take note..

Anyway you forgot the shouen-dude-forced-to-use-huge-powers-to-protect-his-friends, when said powers are blatantly the dark side and will turn him slowly more evill.. they are the best manga cliches to vote for, if you're gonna vote for any. I love how the only female options are idol, tomboy, mother/sister or childhood friend though. If anyone can recommend a manga where this isn't the case I would be grateful.

i like the "this really hot guy hates having power but is stuck with it" kinda thing

Instead of choosing "Other", I chose childhood friends. In most of the series, it's nice having characters with a connected past, and finding out about them through flashbacks or dialogue about the past.

Some examples are:
-Kaneda, Kai, and Tetsuo from Akira.
-Chun Ji Ho and In Mu from Book of Dreams (Mong Hwan Bek Seo).
-Im Tae Won and Im Jung Hu (male and female cousins, however).
-The main female and male characters of Andante (step brother and step sister).
-Bong Bin and Suk Ha from Utopia of Homosexuality.
-Fayt (Fate?) and Sophie from Star Ocean: Til the End of Time.

http://eofusion.googlepages.com
http://360.yahoo.com/axisofoddity
http://axisofoddity.googlepages.com/

Wow...tomboys sure are popular...

My vote goes to the intelligent people with a "twisted" sense of justice (Light, Vino)

Poll is over and results are posted!~

A just ruler amongst tyrants