The Perfect Anime Squad

Countless times we have looked at fictional characters and thought, “man, hanging out with these guys must be the best thing ever”. Similar to the “waifu” and “husbando” movement out there, where people choose who would make the best wives and husbands in anime, I like to fantasize about which characters would make the best group of friends to hang out with. You can call it “squado”, if you want. Please call it squado.

Before we start, I know that there are a lot of interesting characters and forming a squado of only five members (plus you, the reader) doesn’t cover everything, but c’mon, this is supposed to a friend’s group, not an army.

Mami Tomoe, from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Ahh, Mami. The perfect magical girl, Mami Tomoe is who we think about when someone says “part-time high school student, part-time magical girl”. Mami sure is a powerful addition to the team, but when she really shines is when she takes the leadership of the girls. Although she’s not the main character, she’s the one that keeps the group together, teaches them what they need to know about the life they’re getting into, and most importantly: gives them cake and tea.

If Mami is ever part of your squad, you can consider yourself lucky: she has a nice place for reunions (no parents or relatives to judge your activities, as well), is a very good cook and doesn’t mind sharing with others, and displays the kind of loyalty that we only see in love poems. Take care of her, and she’ll take care of you as well.

Rock Lee, from Naruto

Every group needs someone who is overly enthusiastic about the small things. While those people can be hard to deal with sometimes. Like, what kind of person wakes up so soon, so happy? It’s not natural, man. Their enthusiasm comes in handy when you need that boost to keep going a little longer. Perfect for when you’re lacking motivation to study or when you need a partner to start going to the gym or try some new, healthy diet.

Be careful, though: Rock Lee is that one friend who would convince you that camping outside during the winter won’t be so bad, so you’d have to watch out for some of his ideas, ideas that may end up killing you. Also, his competitive side may demand too much from you, when all you want from life is cake and tea.

He’s also the kind of guy to defend you even when you’re wrong, which is always a good thing.

Tomoyo Daidouji, from Cardcaptor Sakura

Another character from a magical girl show, which proves that mahou shoujo(Magic Girl) would make the best friends. Although not a heroine on her own, Tomoyo Daidouji is the always reliable sidekick to Sakura Kinomoto, the show’s protagonist. And while many of us remember her for her “maybe-too-deep” feelings for the main character or her access to money and gadgets, Tomoyo’s friendship was one of the main pillars in Sakura’s life.

Her friendship comes with other benefits besides the money and bodyguards. Besides, why would you even need bodyguards with Lee and Mami in your squado, huh? Tomoyo shows genuine interest and care for their friends, and does whatever is in her power to help them succeed. Remember that even though she had feelings for her best friend, she was willing to put them aside so Sakura could be happy with Syaoran, or whoever she chose to be with.

P.s.: I’ve heard that in the US version of this show, Tomoyo’s feelings for Sakura have been completely erased, so if you read this article and were wondering what I meant by “maybe-too-deep feelings”, look it up.

Takehito ‘Gakuto’ Morozuku, from Prison School

Having Mami Tomoe and Gakuto in the same room may be a dangerous idea, but I’m sure our favorite inmate would soon learn not to mess with the blonde magical girl. Gakuto earned his place on the perfect squad with blood, sweat, tears, and a few more substances we don’t really want to talk about. He first helps with Kiyoshi’s plan to escape the eponymous Prison School because he’s also benefiting from it. But even after his prize is not an option anymore, Gakuto displays undying loyalty to his friends. His will to go the extra mile to achieve his goals can come in handy, and he is comfortable enough with his friends to avoid “soap jokes” when he drops his on the showers. That shows strength of character, yo.

By having Gakuto on your side you can expect: awkward situations, obscure trivia you aren’t sure you wanted to hear, and a resourceful, albeit extreme, friend.

Krillin, from Dragon Ball Z

See, I deeply respect the kind of friendships we see in Akira Toriyama’s universe, but I couldn’t tell why. If you really think about it, most characters are allies but not actually friends. Why would Tien hang out with Goku? Besides training, what would they do? They don’t even share any hobbies. I bet they’re are terrible at parties.

The only true friend in that whole universe is Krillin. The guy has been there since the very start of the journey, and even died a couple of times because he got dragged into his friends’ fights. In fact, you can joke all you want about how many times this bald guy here died, but he only dies because he actually stands in and does something to protect his planet and his squad. Can you say the same, Tien? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Depending on the moment of the series that you formed a bond with him, Krillin would be very different: his beginnings were a bit on-off with Goku, but later into Dragon Ball Z he already has a wife and a child to take care of, which shows he has matured quite a lot.

Krillin would be that friend that you really appreciate, but end up not seeing that often. Despite it being a bit hard to catch up with him, he seems to be the guy that would like to just chill by the beach and free-talk, helping you to forget the harshness of the world.

So, do you think that X character deserves to be on this list but isn’t? You too think this is not a team but a ticking time bomb, and it’s only a matter of time until things go awry? Let me know in the comments below! I always read them, I’ve got nothing better to do. I don’t really have a squado to hang out with…