9 Anime Side Characters Who Deserve Their Own Prequel Series

Some anime side characters are so fascinating that it would be worth taking a look at their pasts in their own prequels.

For every amazing hero, there's another that just doesn't live up to that same standard. Fortunately, shows with lackluster protagonists often boast fantastic side characters, winning audiences over despite a protagonist's lack of appeal. In many cases, these likable side characters manage to beat out the rest of the cast in terms of popularity.

Even shows with solid leads have secondary characters who fans find more intriguing, whether it's because these characters are amusing, nuanced, or entirely mysterious. Some of these characters have fascinating backstories, so no one can blame fans for daydreaming about prequel series that place them in the spotlight.

9. Fans Have Never Gotten Enough Of L (Death Note)

It's hard to pinpoint, what, precisely makes L  so perennially alluring. Though Death Note is almost two decades old, anime newcomers still find themselves enamored with the oddball, hyper-intelligent detective who serves as Light Yagami's foil. Yes, L is strange, with his lack of manners and blatant disregard for social norms, but he's also a genius.

L is a renowned detective, but fans aren't privy to all the events that helped forge his legendary reputation. L is very secretive, rarely appearing in public, and his name has never once been revealed. Fans know only that L was brought to an orphanage as a young boy. A prequel anime about a younger L earning his storied reputation and struggling to interact with other people would be nothing short of riveting.

8. No Regrets Is A Good Start, But Levi Has Even More To Offer (Attack On Titan)

There's already a prequel series about the youth of Levi Ackerman, so perhaps it's greedy to demand more. And yet No Regrets, a manga-offshoot that spawned a few OVA episodes of Attack on Titan, feels like a teaser for something greater. Levi has more than earned his status as a fan-favorite character, and many would welcome a more thorough examination of his upbringing and the time he spent with his uncle, Kenny Ackerman.

Being raised by a serial killer couldn't have been dull, and fans who admire the friendship between Levi and Erwin would enjoy the opportunity to bear witness to more of their earlier reactions. Arguably, Attack on Titan has lost its way somewhat, and a return to solid foundations might reinvigorate the fandom.

7. Hawks Could Helm A Show All On His Own (BNHA)

My Hero Academia does a solid job of incorporating character backstories into its storytelling. Readers have already borne witness to the compelling backstory of Keigo Takami, the winged pro-hero known publically as Hawks. Hawks has the classic traits of a solid hero: he's intelligent and presents a carefree persona, but his backstory is as tragic as they come. Raised in an abusive home far removed from the outside world, Hawks never realized heroes were anything but fictional.

There's a good case to be made for a prequel series showcasing the early days off Eraserhead and All Might, but Hawks might be a better starting point. Taken in by the government, conscripted as a spy when he wanted to be a hero, it took Hawks a great deal to reach the heights he's achieved by the time My Hero Academia rolled around.

6. The Ishvallan War Can Be Shown Through Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes, & Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist)

It's hard to deny that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is about as close to perfection as any shonen series has ever come. It tells a complete, nuanced story with care and thought, incorporating poignant themes and inventing countless characters worth rooting for. Edward and Alphonse Elric are fantastic heroes, and the adults who populate the series are incredibly well-written.

Among these, Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes, and Riza Hawkeye served together in the Ishvallan War, and their experiences there as young people encouraged them to overthrow a corrupt government. Though the flashbacks to Ishvall are harrowing, a series about these three becoming close friends and, in the case of Roy and Riza, falling in love amidst the turmoil of an unjustified war, would be totally embraced by fans.

5. Revy's Story Is A Mystery Before Rock Enters The Picture (Black Lagoon)

Revy is a fierce and important character in Black Lagoon. Even so, the story is told primarily from the perspective of Rock, the Japanese businessman who finds himself working alongside Revy's band of pirate mercenaries. Revy herself remains mysterious even though she's brash, outspoken, bitter, and violent.

Revy is Chinese-American, and her challenging background has made her into a professed nihilist. Born in Chinatown, New York, and abused by her family and the police as a child, Revy's tough exterior developed due to trauma. While her earlier years have been established by the manga, how a teenager from New York made her way from prison to Roanapur isn't clear. That would make for a great origin story.

4. Nona's Is Becoming More Human, But It's Unclear Why (Death Parade)

Death Parade presents an unforgettable vision of the afterlife, in which humanoid arbiters, devoid of emotion, determine the fate of human souls. An arbiter's lack of humanity is seen as essential to their work, and the arbiters, including Decim and Nona, are nothing but dummies animated by a god and given one single purpose.

For an unknown reason, Nona, the pixie-esque mysterious arbiter, is inspired to try something new. She grants another arbiter human characteristics and seems determined to undermine a system that has more or less functioned for millennia. Nona's decisions drive the entire series forward and prompt its introspective questions about human life and morality, but the audience never fully learns what makes her who she is. A prequel series about Nona would be another welcome glimpse into this stark, beautiful limbo.

3. Askeladd's Life Story Would Be A Sight To See (Vinland Saga)

Vinland Saga is an epic in every sense of the word, and the life of Thorfinn Karlsefni is the perfect vessel for a story about human nature. Even so, early in the manga, Thorfinn is a vicious, vengeful young boy, and his spite makes him hard to love. Strangely, it's Askeladd, the sly Viking mercenary who kills Thorfinn's father, who proves the most compelling character in the series.

Askeladd's backstory is explored somewhat in the manga and anime, but there's no question that his origin story has more to offer fans. Half-Danish and half-Welsh, Askeladd grew up in poverty, taking care of his sickly mother and nurturing his hatred from the Scandinavians who've left them to suffer. Askeladd grows into a cunning but nuanced character, neither a villain nor a hero, the descendant of displaced kings who turns to cunning barbarism to survive. A prequel series about Askeladd begs to exist.

2. Satoru Gojo Is A Current Fan-Favorite In The Anime World (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Jujutsu Kaisen's breakout fan-favorite character is unquestionably Satoru Gojo. While the manga has already delved into Satoru's early days, the anime has yet to reach his flashback arc. The fact is, every scene with Satoru in it is riveting, and if he weren't such a stellar mentor character, fans might've wondered why the story didn't start off with Gojo's youth rather than Yuji's to begin with.

A powerful exorcist from the moment of his birth, Gojo had a bounty on his head even as a child. A series exploring his younger years and delving into his friendship with Geto, who later dies and becomes possessed by the show's primary antagonist, would be welcomed.

1. Hisoka Is An Antagonist Worth Seeing More Of (Hunter X Hunter)

Arguably, an odd clown antagonist isn't the sort of character who usually inspires devotion in an audience, but Hisoka has remained a favorite character for years in Hunter X Hunter. An accomplished Hunter and former member of the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka wants nothing more than to destroy worthy opponents, and he toys with Killua and Gon because they aren't yet strong enough for him to enjoy killing.

Hisoka's past is all but a total mystery, and he himself claims to be uninterested in it. But there's no question that something makes him the lovable monster he is, and whatever his origins are, they'd be more than worthy of a standalone series.