I'm a bit late for this but ...
After seeing the 25 top anime list from IGN, and the looking for better top tenting (
like this one) I could not stop thinking about what could be consider the
best anime character, not the most popular or my favourite, but the best all around. It cannot be stereotypical or follow a normal set of tropes for it. Spike Spiegel got up there with no problem, so did Haruhi, and maybe Yagami Light.
In my opinion however
Lain Iwakura gets the cake, is the most complex and the most interesting to look at (parting from what happens in Lain's story), she follows a particular trope, however is executed in a compelling way, and is not a plain character, is a reactive character, far more reactive and deeper than Shinji (or Asuka, which is far more interesting than Shinki, same can be said about Misato), is not cartoon-ish, something that threw Kensin from my list, as well as other characters I considered.
Bit off topic with whichever conversation was going on, but ... the more I see the new anime lists and schedules I just feel a bit underwhelmed by it.
Is either a shonen, or a high school drama, or something else. I miss stuff like Monster's Johan Liebert, or Tetsuo, or ... characters that have that sense of awe and shock like when Heath Ledger played The Joker. there is a stereotype embed to it but the execution showcased a unique aspect and nature from the character from a realistic perspective, I've been waiting years for something like that to happen .. but it doesn't come, and by the way anime is formed now is really hard to conceive something like that happening any time soon.