Luffy is a fantastic and compelling main character, often considered a perfect protagonist. However, several other anime leads are just as strong, and some might even be better. Here’s a look at those characters who rival or surpass Monkey D. Luffy.
Just a few months after its release in October 2025, Pokemon Legends: Z-A quickly became a top-selling game for the Switch 2. In Japan, over one million physical copies of Pokemon Legends: Z-A: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition were sold, putting it alongside other popular games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. While the original Switch version of Pokemon Legends: Z-A has sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan since its release, the new version made Pokemon Legends: Z-A the second best-selling Nintendo game in late December 2025, only behind Mario Kart World.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting a series focused on Maul ever since he appeared in Clone Wars, and now it’s finally happening thanks to Dave Filoni. While the first trailer for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord was short on details, longtime fans have already seen enough to build excitement.
The movie Return to Silent Hill was promoted as a close adaptation of Silent Hill 2. However, as a long-time fan of the series, I found significant changes in the film that altered the story’s original meaning. It’s perhaps more accurate to say the movie captures the spirit of the Silent Hill series as a whole, drawing inspiration from various games, including the original 2001 game and the recent 2024 remake. It clearly incorporates elements from across the entire series.
Fans have definitely noticed that the Pokémon TCG developers, Creatures Inc. and DeNA, are listening to player feedback. The release schedule for new Pokémon sets has slowed down since the game’s first anniversary, and the recent Deluxe ex set was a welcome addition. Now, the new Set B2, called Fantastical Parade, is here to keep the fun going!
Embark Studios quickly made a name for itself after launching in 2018, especially with the release of The Finals in 2023. Composed of experienced game developers, the studio became one to watch in the shooting game world. They followed up in October with ARC Raiders, a new third-person shooter where players battle both each other (PvP) and the environment (PvE). Despite launching between two major titles, Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, ARC Raiders has become a huge success, selling over 12 million copies and attracting hundreds of thousands of players daily. To keep players engaged, Embark has now shared some of their plans for the game’s future, extending into 2026.
Over the past decade (from 2016 to the Winter 2026 anime season), romance anime has delivered some truly outstanding titles. While shows like Horimiya, Komi Can’t Communicate, and A Sign of Affection are definitely worth mentioning, the best romance anime have stood out with exceptionally well-written stories that deeply connect with audiences. These fantastic series often go beyond just romance, exploring themes like self-doubt, personal development, and even healthy competition.
When thinking about how much a LEGO set might be worth after it retires, one factor often gets missed: how hard it is to replace. Larger, pricier sets, or those connected to a specific time in popular culture, are difficult for LEGO to reproduce. Because of this, demand often stays high even after stores stop selling them. The following retiring LEGO sets are noteworthy not just for their great designs, but also because past trends suggest their current prices might seem surprisingly low in the future.
Every month, ARC Raiders will get updates centered around a new theme, including new enemies, better maps, improvements to gameplay, and plenty of in-game events. Above all, the game’s developers have promised to significantly deepen the story and background of the game with these updates.
The future of ARC Raiders was recently detailed in a roadmap for the next four months. January will see a small update called Headwinds, adding a new Player Project and a minor map change. However, the biggest additions are coming in February with the Shrouded Sky update.