Let's begin this ranking with Ichigo Kurosaki. Orphaned by his mother, Ichigo was left with two little twin sisters, and a father who never spoke up what he knew about their mother's past. When some circumstances led Ichigo to become a Soul Reaper, the situation called for all Ichigo's efforts to keep his family safe.

As an actual older brother, it's no wonder Ichigo Kurosaki is on this list. Ichigo may seem cold, and even annoying at times, but he speaks through his actions. In fact, all he ever did as an older brother, was trying to be strong for his little sisters. When he became a Soul Reaper, he tried his best so that they wouldn't get involved in the war he was about to fight. He is the older brother we all wish to have: a man of few words, who speaks through facts!

Let's go on with Touya Kinomoto, another actual older brother of this ranking. After their beautiful mother passed away, Touya and Sakura remained with their caring father. As Sakura's older brother, he makes fun of her, teases her endlessly, and gives her names. That's the behavior every older brother usually tends to have toward a little sister!

The flip side of his behavior, though, is that Touya thinks he is the only one who can make fun of Sakura. Akito, Touya's best friend, points it out as a “sister complex”. In fact, if it's true that Touya teases Sakura, it's even true that he silently keeps an eye on her, and tries to protect her from afar. It's no wonder that Touya dislikes Li Syaoran, the kid who confesses to Sakura!

What about an older brother character who comes directly from Japanese folklore? Ginji is a nine-tailed fox spirit, and he runs a restaurant in the garden of Tenjin-ya. Upon Aoi's arrival, Ginji tastes her food and eventually asks her to work with him.

What you need to know about Ginji is that he was the very first spirit who showed Aoi kindness, gentleness, and honesty. Ginji finds a place in this list right because of his behavior toward Aoi: when Oodanna didn't care about her, and treated her coldly, Ginji acted behind his back and took her food. Not only that, he proved to be kindhearted, sweet, and very encouraging, always praising Aoi and her cooking skills. I bet we all would like to have a caring kitsune older brother like him by our side!

Let's move on to an amazing sports anime involving volleyball. As a third year at Karasuno High, and the captain of the volleyball club, Daichi Sawamura had a hard way when the newbies entered the picture. In the middle of the chaos that Hinata and Kageyama created while bickering, Daichi had the important role of the “older brother” who keeps things balanced.

Kind, honest, and very mature, Daichi is the brother-like figure each member of the team turns to when trouble arrives. Daichi is calm, and collected; he cares a lot for his teammates, and motivates them all the time. On the other side, he knows when to speak up and make people chill out. Daichi is the reliable older brother we all wish to have!

Now, let's talk about a strong man, called “the Immortal”, because he was a survivor of the Russo-Japanese war during the Meiji era. After the war ended, Saichi Sugimoto is now searching for gold, in order to help the widow of his best friend. Saved by an Ainu girl called Asirpa from the harsh temperatures of the north, the two of them begin a journey full of danger.

Sugimoto is a kind, valorous man, with a very mature attitude. As a war survivor, he hides many demons, but on the other side, he has an older-brother attitude when it comes to the people he cares for, above all Asirpa, the little girl he partners with. If Asirpa saved him once, Sugimoto will try his best to protect her, and throughout the show we see their relationship deepen, and Sugimoto become the older brother figure we love.

Jean Otus is the protagonist of ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka, and he is the Deputy Chief of the inspections department. Jean lives with his little sister Lotta, who manages the condominium Celebrity Mansion. Because of his work, he is often away, and so Lotta is constantly left alone in the huge apartment.

Jean is not a man of big words, nor emotionally open. On the contrary, he never shows how he really feels, and always seems unfazed. When it comes to Lotta, though, his older-brother side pops up, and even a bit of his emotions. Jean is not a clingy brother, with a sister complex; yet, his actions toward Lotta demonstrate how much he cares. Coming back from his trips he always brings new, different sweets to Lotta, and when he leaves her alone, he sends his friend to check on her. Jean keeps a constant eye on Lotta, from afar, and is there for her whenever she needs him. We really like an older-brother like Jean!

Now, what about an older brother who literally devoted his whole life to his brothers? It's Haru Kaidou we're talking about. When he was a child and his father remarried, he found himself with two little twin brothers to take care of. When their parents died, and another brother – Ren – entered the picture, so he decided to stop being a host and opened a cafe.

Can you imagine a man whose dream is to share a roof with his little brothers? Haru began like a father for the twins, as the only male influence left to them; he took responsibility for the little Ren, too, when the time came. Haru is caring, understanding, and overprotective with his brothers. Plus, he is handsome like a prince: he is the older brother of our dreams!

Sousuke Inukawa is one of the three survivors of Otsuka Village after it was turned to ashes. Together with the other two survivors, Shino and Hamaji, they grew up like siblings following the tragedy. When the Church asked Sousuke and Shino to find the other six people with a peony birthmark like theirs, their adventure begins!

Since their childhood, Sousuke has always been like an older brother to Shino, and through the years he kept taking care of him. Sousuke is very kind, gentle, and patient; he is always there for Shino, so much so that he seems to live entirely for him. Caring, and understanding, he tries his best to protect him, and console him when the past knocks at their door. Sousuke is the faithful older brother we all would turn to in time of need, exactly like Shino does!

Let's go toward the end of this ranking with a character who is probably the epitome of the older brother kind of character! Makoto Tachibana is a member of the swim club of the Iwatobi High, together with his friends Haru, Nagisa, and Rei. After creating the swim club along with them, they tried their best in order to take part in the upcoming tournament!

Makoto has two little siblings, and we often see him playing with them, or taking care of them. As an older brother he is amazing, as he is very mature, gentle, and playful, too. But Makoto is an older brother for his teammates, as well. Toward them, he is nice, and considerate, and always worried about their welfare; as a very sensitive guy, he is the first to notice when something's wrong, all the more when it's about Haru. But he has some cuter sides, as he trusts the others so much that he gets easily fooled! With a prince-like appearance, and his thoughtful attitude, Makoto totally deserved our 2nd position!

And now let's end this ranking with THE older brother par excellence. After their mother passed away, Edward Elric, and his younger brother Alphonse, tried to bring her back to life, using alchemy. Something went wrong, though, and Ed lost his arm, but Al lost his entire body. In order to save Al's soul, Ed sacrificed his leg in order to bond his brother's soul to a suit of armor. After the failure, the two of them began their journey to have their bodies back.

If you need other reasons as to why Ed is an amazing older brother, we can also add how he will do everything he can in order to watch over Al. Throughout the entire show his only goal is to keep Al safe, and the same goes for Al, as the two of them have a deep bond, and care a lot for each other. If you haven't watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood yet, give it a try: you'll see how the perfect older brother should be!