A school friend of Mato’s who tends to cut classes a lot, Yuu tends to get easily excited and tease Mato a fair amount whenever they’re together. However, the real Yuu that occupies her counterpart’s body, Strength, in the Otherworld, is quite the opposite. This real version of Yuu is stoic due to the problems she had to deal with regarding bullies and her family. Although it seemed at first that Yuu wasn’t affected by these problems, the reality was that Yuu ended up switching lives with Strength due to how much they affected her. Although she has more of a minor role in the real world, Yuu’s connection to Strength is what got her on this list.

Both the protagonist and the antagonist of the series, Yomi serves as Mato’s best friend in the real world and is connected to Black Rock Shooter’s rival in the Otherworld, Dead Master. Very polite as well as reserved, Yomi tends to be very mature for her age. However, Yomi tends to act very aloof and appears unwilling to make friends, and her feelings towards the few friends she does have are negative. Yomi’s defining trait is her belief that Mato thinks more of Yuu than she does of her, leading to strong feelings of jealously that play a role in her counterpart’s feud with Black Rock Shooter…

The main protagonist of the series, Mato is an awkward yet innocent 1st year middle school student who likes thinking about philosophical ideas in the abstract and reading Li’l Bird Li’l Bird Colorful Colors. In addition, her other self is Black Rock Shooter, resulting in a conflict with her friends in the real world. Mato experiences a lot of growth in such a short time, as her dreams of the other world and the problems she has with her friends force her to find her courage as well as solve the mystery as to what’s going on and how to solve it. Both her strength that results from developing her courage as well as her unique personality are what helped her ranking on this list.

Created from Black Gold Saw’s watering can, the hooded figures are pretty mysterious when first introduced. They seem to only serve Black Gold Saw in combat and appear to be incomplete other selfs. However, one of them can be seen as Arata Kohata’s other self due to the strong connection they share with Arata, especially after Black Rock Shooter eliminates it. Although they have little personality apart from chanting ominously and are easily torn apart by Black Rock Shooter, the mystery of what exactly they can do and what skills they’re hiding serve as to why they are popular within the series.

The other self of Kagari Izuriha and a new character not seen before the anime, Chariot brings a new dynamic to the cast shown in the OVA. Utilizing the color yellow in her appearance (including her eyes) as well as wearing a spiked crown, Chariot proves herself to be a formidable opponent for Black Rock Shooter with both her sword and shield as well as her “control” somewhat over Dead Master. With a new character in the mix as well as being one of the few other selves to actually die, Chariot has certainly earned her ranking.

The other self of Yuu Koutari, Strength is pretty unique among the other selves. Strength is seen to be the kindest and has the strongest regard for the real world, leading to the decision to switch bodies with Yuu. Strength also proves herself to be able to manipulate the Overworld as well as the weapons necessary to go toe to toe with even Insane Black Rock Shooter. Standing out with her “strength” among the characters that stand out is pretty impressive.

The other self of Saya Irino, Black Gold Saw demonstrates deep awareness of both the Otherworld as well has her human counterpart while at the same time coming across as a little cocky. Black Gold Saw demonstrates many different and powerful abilities in her fights, the most notable ones being her reality altering powers as well as her creation of the hooded figures. Her weapon of choice in physical combat, however, is a large golden-bladed sword. Her vast and powerful abilities as well as her character traits are what make Black Gold Saw popular.

A more powerful form of Black Rock Shooter, Insane Black Rock Shooter is debatably the strongest character in the show. As opposed to Black Rock Shooter having the color blue incorporated into her appearance, Insane Black Rock Shooter has the color purple instead. Insane Black Rock Shooter also utilizes different weapons, such as the Cannon Lance and the Blade Claw, and also demonstrates the ability to regenerate. Insane Black Rock Shooter was born when Mato losing control after being confronted with Black Rock Shooter having just stabbed Death Master, resulting in Black Rock Shooter’s transformation. Although Insane Black Rock Shooter appears only at the very end, her battles with Black Gold Saw and Strength showcasing her power as well as her appearance certainly help contribute to her ranking.

The other self of Yomi Takanashi that really utilizes the color green, Dead Master is one of the characters that’s been present since the beginning of the Black Rock Shooter canon. With an entire skeletal army at her command, 2 massive floating skulls, a large scythe, and chains, Dead Master is no pushover by any means. More importantly, however, Dead Master shares a special relationship with Black Rock Shooter. This is best evidenced by Black Rock Shooter’s transformation into Insane Black Rock Shooter after she stabs Dead Master in combat, effectively killing her. Luckily, Dead Master shows up at the end to help bring the series to its resolution. With a strong personality, history, and abilities, Dead Master is one of the most popular characters of the series.

It’s no surprise that the character that started it all would be #1. The other self of Mato Kuroi, Black Rock Shooter is best known as fighting silently yet ruthlessly and speaking only when she has something to say, not to just say something. Very much the opposite of Mato, Black Rock Shooter makes irrational decisions and is brutally effective in eliminating some of the “other selves” with her Rock Cannon and Black Blade while attempting to do the same to the others. Black Rock Shooter ends up becoming her own worst enemy in the end, and it is only through the help of Mato that she is able to return to normal. Needless to say, Black Rock Shooter is one of the strongest and without a doubt the most popular character.