When it comes to fictional bosses, most of them feel more villainous than virtuous, at least towards the protagonists. Perhaps because conflict feels more engaging than harmony, many lackluster anime bosses suck at their jobs. Despite this trope, plenty of amazing anime bosses exist in a variety of series ranging from comedic roles to serious ones.
Great anime bosses work in all sorts of places. They could stand at the top of a tiny odd-jobs business that often ends up fighting aliens, like Gintoki Sakata from Gintama. Or maybe they work as a high-ranking official in Hell, like Hozuki from Hozuki no Reitetsu.
Not all awesome bosses would be easy to work for, but, in the words of a good boss, nothing good ever comes easily, right? The 9 great anime bosses on this list were voted on by over 750 anime fans on Ranker, so we’re going to count them down with the #1 voted boss at the end. Enjoy!
9. Makoto Tachibana Is A Compassionate Team Captain In ‘Free!’
Makoto Tachibana captains the Iwatobi Swim Club, and uses his authority to be one of the most compassionate people in the known anime universe.
If anyone on his team encounters a problem – be it with swimming or their personal lives – Makoto is the first person to help them solve it. If he comes up short, he has no issue relying on the rest of his team to help fix the problem because he never lets pride get in the way of making things work.
His a deep, abiding respect for each team member, even during their lowest performances, makes him an excellent leader. Plus, he’s nice on the eyes.
8. Motoko Kusanagi Has A Sense Of Humor In ‘Ghost In The Shell’
Do you want to work for one of the most badass women in anime history? Of course you do, because her personality is a big part of why Ghost in the Shell is so acclaimed.
Motoko Kusanagi works as the squad leader of Public Security Section 9, an organization dedicated to solving cyber crimes. Thanks to her incredible skill, she easily commands the respect and esteem of her subordinates, but she never gets super serious about it.
Instead, she maintains a light, fun atmosphere by cracking jokes and trading insults. The rest of the team clearly feels at ease with her.
7. L Always Cracks The Case In ‘Death Note’
Working for the greatest detectives in the world sounds like a daunting task. L’s a demanding employer who expects a lot from his workers, and some of his idiosyncratic behavior might prove distracting or annoying.
However, under L’s guidance, the case will most likely get solved. The job might involve losing sleep from overlooking a few ethical issues, but at least you walk away from the case with a powerful sense of achievement.
As a bonus, working for L involves near unlimited access to cookies, ice cream, cake, and other sweet treats, all of which are probably pretty high quality.
6. Levi Ackerman Helps His Team Retain Their Humanity In ‘Attack On Titan’
Though not the most enjoyable person to spend time with, Levi Ackerman makes for an incredible leader.
Sure, he forces his team to spend hours cleaning their quarters, but that’s a great way to make them feel like they’re human beings who need to retain high standards of living while besieged by giant monsters.
His priority is always the well-being of the Survey Corps, which sometimes means canceling a Titan-killing mission at the last second when he knows it’s futile. Despite Levi’s gruff, exacting nature, his troops know he cares for them deeply.
5. Gintoki Sakata Runs The Yorozuya Like A Family In ‘Gintama’
Working for Gintoki Sakata might mean low pay and erratic hours, but that’s easy to overlook if the process involves a good time. Whether they’re trying to capture an alien pet or getting into fights with the police, the Yorozuya handles so many different odd jobs it feels impossible for its employees to get bored.
Gintoki acts like more than a boss to Shinpachi and Kagura—he’s a loud, annoying father figure who absolutely adores them. Both of his employees receive opportunities to go work somewhere else, but they always come back to the Yorozuya because Gintoki turned the tiny organization into a family.
4. Nezu Makes Time For One-On-One Reflection In ‘My Hero Academia’
Nezu presides over UA High School as the principal, which means he oversees a massive organization dedicated to training and educating future professional heroes. Not only that, Nezu must also juggle the schedules of employees who almost all have second careers as pro heroes, a job that disrupts classes at a moment’s notice.
Oh, and he needs to gain outside respect and support while existing as a giant talking rat.
Despite the enormity of Nezu’s tasks, he still manages to makes time to guide and advise his employees on an individual basis, because a school can’t run if teacher morale falls too low.
3. Yukichi Fukuzawa Will Do Anything To Protect His Employees In ‘Bungo Stray Dogs’
Yukichi Fukuzawa oversees the Armed Detective Company, an organization that solves mysteries through magical means. He commands the respect and esteem of his detectives and always makes sure the organization runs smoothly.
However, Fukuzawa also possesses great compassion for his employees. When Atsushi goes missing, Fukuzawa dedicates all of their company resources to rescue him, just because Atsushi is part of their team.
If you plan to risk your life to solve cases, you want your boss to have your back, and Fukuzawa is always there.
2. Yoshimura From ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ Helps Ghouls In Need
Yoshimura runs Anteiku, an organization with dual purposes. On the surface, Anteiku appears to be an ordinary coffee shop, but it actually serves a much more important purpose.
Anteiku provides refuge for ghouls who can’t or don’t want to hunt for their own food. In exchange for working in whatever capacity they can manage, Yoshimura supplies these ghouls with the food they need to survive, most of which is scavenged without resorting to murder.
While most mortal candidates would avoid this proposition, if you are a ghoul, Yoshimura is a lifesaver.
1. Sadao Maou Is Devilishly Ambitious In ‘The Devil Is A Part-Timer!’
Sadao Maou spent most of his existence ruling over Hell, so when he finds himself ruling over a McDonald’s knock-off called MgRonald’s as an assistant shift manager, he decides to become the absolute best assistant shift manager of any fast food establishment ever.
Not only does Sadao devise great plans to save money and drum up business, he also motivates the rest of his team to bring their best to the job. While working in fast food isn’t most people’s dream, it feels a heck of a lot more fun with a with a boss like Maou.