The clean and plain looking God of Fishing and Commerce Ebisu is up first, a surprisingly dark and secretive God of fortune. It’s a while before we learn much about Ebisu, with most of his actions remaining unknown throughout the series, being very much the man of mystery. An incredibly calm and efficient man, his pursuit of his goals is both admirable and enviable, as he willingly goes as far as venturing into the underworld to accomplish them. Which doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest by the way.

With his long jacket, tailored suit, and pure white gloves, Ebisu looks like a mix between a businessman and a well-dressed butler, which seems appropriate given his personality. Although not generically cool, Ebisu has a confidence and composure about him that, coupled with his sleek appearance, makes him at the least a fascinating character.

Shinki of Kofuku the Goddess of Poverty, and in many ways her carer, Daikoku is one of the manliest men in Noragami. Seemingly not afraid of anyone or anything, Daikoku has no trouble dishing out punishment to Gods like Yato and Kofuku when he thinks they’re screwing about, and tries his best to be the moral compass of the mishmash group. As his mistress tends to incur bad luck, he tries to focus on ways of avoid fighting altogether, so as to ensure she doesn’t accidentally destroy Japan.

In his Shinki form Daikoku quite surprisingly turns into an elaborate fan, with one of his abilities being to create a portal to the underworld itself, not something many are capable of doing. Daikoku’s tough act and caring personality make him seem like a cool father character, and the Gods he’s looking after seem like little kids!

One of Bishamon’s most notable Shinki, Kuraha is considered second in command behind Kazuma, her primary Shinki, being both sensible and wise. One of the coolest looking Shinki in the series, in both his regular and Shinki forms, Kuraha’s standard appearance is that of a well-dressed pirate, with some intense facial hair going on, and an eyepatch to accompany his suit. As for his Shinki form, well, the dudes a lion. A Lion. I don’t think any more needs to be said than that.

Kuraha is awesomely loyal and cares deeply about his comrades. And not just his fellow Shinki, but as long as he is doing right by his master, Kuraha appears to be a very caring person. It can be easy to forget about him with most of his time being spent as a lion, but Kuraha is one seriously awesome old man.

One of the show’s main antagonists, like Yato, Rabou is a God of Calamity, known for leaving death and suffering in his wake. Unlike Yato however, Rabou didn’t develop a conscience and carries on as he always has as an evil God. To this end Rabou possesses some pretty sweet abilities, including being able to absorb Phantoms, and his Shinki allowing him to control water, creating liquid doubles of himself as well as wielding it as a weapon.

Rabou’s character design screams anime antagonist, with his flowing silver hair, and the combination of his mad yellow eye and pointed mask giving him a crow like visage. Along with characters like Ebisu, Rabou is a good example of how much contrast there is between the designs in the show.

Old man Tenji is the God of Learning, and among the wealthiest and popular of Gods (because who doesn’t pray for higher grades). Quite the silver fox, despite his grey and intellectual appearance, Tenjin has basically formed his own harem, with a preference for young female Shinkis, and a boatload of charm and money at his disposal. Seriously, they’re literally leaving other Gods to be with him: see Yato’s unfortunate Shinki experience early on.

Not your regular kind of cool guy, Tenjin is more badass grandad material, full of stupid, pervy jokes and yet still maintaining a following of gorgeous young women. On top of that, Tenjin is a true bro, helping out when it’s really needed and even doing favors behind heaven’s back, you don’t get much smoother than that.

Where to start with our main girl Hiyori Iki, she does not get the credit she deserves. The only half-human, half-phantom in the series, her funky tail helps connect her to the Far Shore, being one of the few humans that can see Gods and other supernatural beings. While she’s just an ordinary, pro-wrestling obsessed high school girl, when she leaves her regular body behind and becomes her half-Phantom self, she gains incredible strength and agility, capable of taking on weaker Phantoms by herself.

Despite her frail, mortal body, Hiyori generally doesn’t seem too bothered about mixing with Gods, or fighting them. Her main priority is making sure that everyone is safe, excluding herself for the most part.

Young and rebellious, Yukine is Yato’s current Skinki and a pretty powerful one at that, taking the form of the long, curved blade, Sekki. Yukine, meaning “sound of snow”, is an interesting name to give to someone so loud and with such a brash attitude, but it also says something about the cleanness and innocence of such a young and unknowing character. Plus it sounds pretty neat.

One of the cool things about Yukine is watching him deal with teenage problems, in a world where he’s surrounded by pretty much only adults, and kind of old ones at that. Although he fares pretty badly at first, his strong desire to mature, better himself and stand amongst his peers is admirable for someone going through such a hard time, and make him one of the most relatable characters in the show.

Bishamon’s lead Shinki, Kazuma is a powerful Blessed Regalia, acting as her navigator and advisor throughout the series. Looking surprisingly ordinary and clean cut, Kazuma is one of the few characters in the series to always wear glasses, making him stand out considerably amongst the cast. Kazuma is easily one of the most respectable and reasonable characters, even knowing when it is best to disobey his master for her own sake. It’s this attitude that makes him so awesome, as you can always trust good guy Kazuma.

On top of that, Kazuma appears to be one of the most powerful Shinki, having no trouble creating Boundary’s or using Restraint, amongst his many other abilities. This also enables him to fulfill the cool sensei role for Yukine and Hiyori when there’s no one else around to educate them about all things Far Shore.

Next up, the strong and sexy God of War and Fortune Bishamon. Bishamon plays something like Yato’s rival throughout the series, with them both at each other’s throats most of the time, and having some quite different ideas regarding how to go about business. Despite this, Bishamon is probably the God in Noragami most dedicated to protecting her Shinki, even though it often causes her great pain. She also does an incredible job of remaining one of the most powerful characters in the show, whilst still retaining her femininity, and acting as not just a master but almost as a mother to her family of Shinki.

Her all black outfit really stands out, making her look like something of a cross between a warrior and a dominatrix, which added to the fact that she rides a lion is pretty intimidating. Her armory is also pretty impressive, with an ensemble of weapons including a whip, a gun, and a two handed sword, along with a full suit of battle armor just in case. With her straightforward attitude and bright purple, cat-like eyes, Bishamon is certainly one seriously cool gal.

And at number one the stray god himself, Yato is the series protagonist and the one causing most of the trouble. Being a God of Calamity, Yato has an innate bad ass vibe going on, with a history of battles, wars and assassination behind him. Despite his current homeless lifestyle, when things get serious it’s easy to see Yato’s previous self shine through, being incredibly calculated and tactical when it comes to fighting. Although coming across at first as a joker whose main priority is looking after number one, Yato’s attitude towards others is surprisingly admirable and he becomes increasingly dependable as the show progresses, caring more about his friends than himself.

As far as his appearance goes, Yato’s brilliant blue eyes are one of the main distinguishing features of the show, with the color schemes of both Noragami and Noragami Aragoto’s openings centered on those jewel-like blues. Yato is cool in the same way a lot of anime protagonists are: because they come to be the good guy we’re all cheering for.