Top 10 List: GAR Characters

Holy shit, so sorry guys for the lack of posting but I can't even tell you how much has been going on in my life lately. Just got back from vacation, complicated stuff with my boyfriend who's been over like every day for the past week, school starting soon and just general procrastination and life in general, a lot of which I feel no need to talk about here. So anyway, my apologies for the slow posts, especially for during the summer, but now we've got a GAR list. I guess I should probably explain what exactly GAR is first though for those who are unaware. GAR is basically an over-the-top level of sheer manliness and essentially just overflowing with bad-assery and testosterone. Best way I can describe it other than the closest thing to Chuck Norris in anime form. Without further delay, let the GAR madness begin! (btw, I simply type in in all caps cuz it seems more fitting)

---

Number 10: Alex Louise Armstrong (FullMetal Alchemist)

Armstrong is on that border between ridiculously manly and just downright gay, a border that really shouldn't even exist but for him it does. I mean really, c'mon, pink sparkles!? However he exhibits the creepy, and yet oh-so-GAR quality of randomly ripping off his shirt and doing various muscle flexes whenever he deems appropriate. Now why him instead of someone like Gray of Fairy Tail who does that too? Because Armstrong is FAR more muscular, to an absolutely disgusting degree and because unlike Gray he does it specifically to show off. His alchemy is also punching things, and not like 'BAM IN THE FACE!' more like 'HOLY SHIT HE JUST SHATTERED THAT BRICK WALL! IN ONE PUNCH!' that's pretty damn GAR if you ask me. His dub voice also contributes to it a bit, it's just very gruff and manly...seriously though...the pink sparkles...really? Those are a massive part of the reason why he's only number 10 on this list.

Number 9: Sanada Yukimura (Sengoku Basara)

He's overly loud, pretty bad-ass and has some strange, loud and obnoxious bromance with his commanding officer. Little weird but pretty GAR none the less. He kind of reminds me of Mushu's line in Mulan where he's like "Punch him, that's how men say 'hello'", that basically sums up Yukimura. Him and his commanding officer the Tiger of Kai basically punch each other across a room and yell each others names as a form of greeting. I can't tell whether that's manly or insane...though when I think about it those are synonymous sometimes. But anyway they do it in a sort of "Grrr look how manly and awesome I am!" kind of way. Yukimura is also the determined, "I'll kick everyone's ass", cocky type character which is also kinda GAR in his situation.

Number 8: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques (Bleach)

Grimmjow is GAR in a similar way that Yukimura is GAR, except in a far more bad-ass way rather than  a semi-silly way. Grimmjow is pretty much the epitome of kick-ass, hell he gets his freakin arm cut off and his chest slashed open and he's still all wanting to kick someones ass, and he does too. He beats Ichigo to a pulp at one point, and almost a second time. Seriously, how often does a main character get beaten like that? His "screw everyone" attitude and his physique are also quite GAR and he's just so overflowing with overconfidence but he's actually got the personality and fighting skills to back it up.

Grimmjow doesn't take shit from anyone either, not even Aizen who's his master, even to him he's still like "Well f*** you!" and when he gets his arm back he just kills off Luppi to regain his rank as the Sexta Espada, and he does this as if it's nothing if my memory serves me. He doesn't concern himself with weak opponents, he's so confident in his abilities that he searches out the strongest opponent in an area and fights only them, seeing the others as beneath him.

Number 7: Might Guy (Naruto)

Guy is so GAR that he's aware that he's GAR and flaunts it...along with being a creeper but that's beside the point. He takes everything to the extreme, especially his self-punishments for losing a challenge against Kakashi, like his 500 laps around the village for...I believe losing a game of rock, paper, scissor. He talks in a very GAR fashion, at least in the dub which is kind of hard to explain but it's like a very epic tone of voice.

Fighting/training wise? Well I already addressed the 500 laps around the village, and thats a big village I might add. He also trains with weights on his legs (where Lee got it from, like everything else) and goes freakin nuts when he opens the chakra gates. Also I feel the need to point out that over the course of the series he strikes several epic poses and at one point has a crashing wave behind him for effect....in fact the first time you see him he strikes a pose on top of a turtle...but that pose was just plain weird and not very GAR. He also has "THE POWER OF YOUTH!" whatever that means lol.

Number 6: Elfman (Fairy Tail)

This spot was originally going to be for Captain Yamamoto of Bleach but then I realized that the only real GAR thing about him is when he rips off his kimono top; he is JACKED for an old guy. But then I figured that Elfman fit this spot better for 1. his physique and physical strength, 2. his overall 'I'm a man!' persona. Elfman represents the gentler and less 'in your face' side of GAR, he's extremely manly as per the definition of GAR, but in a very different way. For one Elfman is extremely chivalrous and is extremely protective over his comrades, specifically women, especially his remaining sister Mirajane. He's also constantly spewing phrases obsessed with being a man, and he does things 'because he's a man' or 'a man would do this' he is obsessed with manliness, if that's not GAR I dunno what is, the only thing is he's not that epic about it which is why he's not higher on this list.

Number 5: Dante (Devil May Cry)

Not only is Dante bad-ass and extremely GAR, he's smexy. Honestly, look at that picture and tell me he's not smexy? For a living he shoots demons in the face like it's nothing, he gets skewered on a sword or spike or something at some point and doesn't die and he still kills the demon (if memory serves, I watched this about 3-4yrs ago). Yes ok, he eats strawberry sundaes and allows a little girl to redecorate his office all frilly and pink, but still, you know what happens when a place doesn't have his strawberry sundaes? He completely wrecks the owner, no like seriously in the first episode he shoots a guy in the head for not having a strawberry sundae and for saying they're childish. Also a good general rule of thumb is that most characters with a massive sword (save for Ichigo and Inuyasha and probably a few others) are probably pretty GAR, or at least borderline. Hey! Get your mind out of the gutter that was not a perverted joke! Dante has a massive freakin sword, if only he used it more often...alright I'm digging myself into a hole here, I'm gonna shut up before this gets really bad.

Number 4: Shizuo Heiwajima (Durarara!)

Ok honestly now, this guy throws bitch-fits in the middle of a city, Ikebukuro no less. And not only are they bitch-fits, he goes on a screaming rampage at Izaya and throws vending machines. Yes. Vending machines, he picks them up and throws them across streets like it's nothing. Along with vending machines, street signs, you know, those things that are um, CEMENTED INTO THE GROUND!! Sure he's thin and lanky, but who cares, the way he fights and the way he screams "Izayaaaa!!!" with such hate is freakin nuts. During a fight with Izaya not only did they like destroy an area of Ikebukuro but Shizuo got ran over by a truck or...well he was under a truck for one reason or another and then he proceeds to lift that up too. This guy is freaking nuts and you'd have to be insane to not think he's GAR. HE THROWS VENDING MACHINES!! Look at the fear on that dudes face in the picture! I'm pretty sure anybody would shit their pants at the sight of that.

Number 3: Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach)

First of all, he's fuckin huge. Second, he's intimidating as all hell and knows it, I mean really, his spiritual pressure. Third, it's damn near impossible to even cut the guy, let alone beat him. Hell, Ichigo beat him mostly on luck.

You know how you know he's GAR? Because I can say something about him that will sound an awful lot like a Chuck Norris fact: Kenpachi is so strong that he has to give himself handicaps so opponents wont die at the mere sight of him! The bells are a handicap, the eyepatch is a double handicap and he can't/doesn't bother to release his zanpaku-to, for Gods sakes he doesn't need it! He damn near slaughtered Ichigo without it! The torn clothes, the hair, the need for handicaps, the physique, the batle scars, the fact that he's almost invincible, yeah everything about this guy just screams GAR. And he takes immense joy in fighting.

Number 2: Adam Blade (Needless)

HE'S SO GAR THEY GAVE HIM NIPPLES! XD Ok that's a joke obviously but in all honesty, notice most anime guys don't have defined nipples (if at all) for some reason? Well Blade does, that just caught my eye since it's outta the ordinary and figured it would be funny to mention. But in all seriousness, look at the guy, that is beyond ripped. He never really loses a fight, you can't freakin kill the guy and he can learn any person's fragment and use their power by use of his special Zero Fragment. SPOILER!! For Christs sake this guy isn't even human! How he has blood yet mechanics inside I'll never know but he does. He's not only inhuman but he's a clone of The 2nd, the original needless. END SPOILER!! Whenever he wins a fight he has a super bad-ass way of...well I guess you can say "announcing" it, with his "JUDGMENT. EXECUTION" sequence that's pretty damn awesome. He is one of the needless closest to God in terms of sheer power! And for the record, take note of his sunglasses, I think he stole them from Kamina of Gurren Lagann but still.

Number 1: Toriko (Toriko)

By far the most muscular (ick) and bad-ass on this entire list, the king of GAR himself, Toriko. He's huge, tough and he's all about ass-kicking and food! He is the ultimate in GAR. In one of the very first episodes he punches a massive, 300yr-old killer crocodile IN THE FACE!! He can use his hands as forks and knives to attack that will literally cut through metal...WITH HIS BARE HANDS! And he takes out massive monsters single-handedly, again, with his bare hands. Toriko is so GAR he needs no weapons, his fork ad knife hand attacks and his insanely destructive Kugi Punch attack is good enough to fell any opponent.

His pet? Oh no big deal just an ancient killer wolf that's gonna grow up to be freakin huge, as well as a 2-headed dinosaur thing. He's one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Bishoku-ya and never fails to get his ingredient....though he does tend to eat a lot if not all of it upon capture. Which reminds me a serving of food for 500 people will only fill him up 1/10 so assuming my math is correct he needs to eat 5000 normal servings in order to be full. That's A LOT of food, it would explain why he devours whole animals on his own on occasion. Toriko is THE most GAR character.

---

So yeah, that's my GAR list, so sorry for not posting in a month, I've been doing so many things and I go back to school in a week. Junior year, can't believe it already. The Facebook page for this blog is now: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anime-Rants-and-Opinions/240378709338116 (see the like button also on the side of the blog?) to keep you guys abreast on smaller anime thoughts of mine which should be pretty interesting. I look foreword to some commentary and discussions there, on that note, some comments here would be greatly appreciated. And best of luck to everyone returning to school, especially college.