The List

9 More Than Slightly Mad Scientists

When it comes to science in anime, everyone's a little crazy. Whether motivated by a desperate need to save a loved one or an unwieldy desire for world domination, these scientists are edging towards the breaking point if they haven't tumbled well over that cliff already. Watch out, Some spoilers ahead

9. Rintarō Okabe/Kyouma Hououin (Steins;Gate) Okabe's mad scientist schtick is mostly a ruse to make-up for an otherwise socially awkward twenty-something with little advancing for him. He still manages to incidentally create a time machine with his hacker pal Daru, landing him a real invention notch on his belt. Most of the science legwork can be credited to his genius "assistant" Kurisu, with the mad portion left to Okabe to create alternate personas, relay mission information in one-sided cell phone conversations, and laugh maniacally.

8. Hiroto Minaka (Sekirei) Dapper-dressed Minaka is the founder of Mid Bio Informatics (MBI) a giant pharmaceutical conglomerate that also oversees the Sekirei game. Minaka discovered the Sekirei himself, a fact he feels warrants his god-like control over the series' events. He's long since fallen of his rocker, building facilities where "players" can enjoy their time but also wielding his own personal army for anyone who tries to escape the city.

7. Dantalion (Shakugan no Shana) The level of indifference Dantalion exhibits towards his research subjects is unsettling. Partially credited for the creation of Flame Hazes, Dantalion spends his research time on whatever catches his fancy, even if its completely useless. His attempts to use the Reiji Maigo stored inside Yuuji's body to create powerful magical items never quite worked out as well as his explosive robots.

6. Dr. Franken von Vogler (Giant Robo) As a researcher, Vogler created the Shizuma Drive and subsequently put into motion the Bashtarle Tragedy that killed 2/3 of the population. Surviving with his son, the weight of his guilt pushed the scientist over the edge. He reappears in the beginning of the OAV series, seemingly out for revenge.

5. Naoko Akagi (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Ritsuko's mother and former chief scientist of Gehirn designed NERV's supercomputers, which also operate based on her brain. She copied three distinct versions of herself, the scientist, mother, and woman. The "woman" aspect of Naoko is much stronger than her other two, a trait illustrated when her rage turns murderous. That same aspect overrides her own daughter when the supercomputer rejects Ritsuko's commands in favor of Gendou.

4. Professor Souichi Tomoe (Sailor Moon) The anime and manga versions of Professor Tomoe are significantly different. In the anime, Tomoe plays up the mad scientist tropes while trying to usher in Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90 to take over the Earth after being possessed by demon. In the manga, Tomoe lacks any convenient excuse for his ghastly behavior. He's disbanded from professional circles for his experiments and subjected his daughter to bio-engineering and android prostheses all in the name of evolving mankind.

3. The Doktor (Hellsing) The constantly bloodied doctor was a top scientist for the Millennium Organization, the Nazi antagonists in the series. While there, he created an army of Nazi vampires and Schrödinger. He's usually seen standing around nervously, chewing on one of his four (yes, four) digits. He holds a trump card against Alucard, an item he refers as "She" that he hopes will lead to the vampire's eventual defeat.

2. Nina Einstein (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) Nina Einstein seems like demure, brainy girl. When her beloved Princess Euphemia is killed by Zero, Nina loses it completely. She joins Britannia's In Vogue Research Team and starts to work on nuclear weaponry. Her initial attempt to destroy Tokyo for revenge fails, but she sets her sights on F.L.E.I.J.A, a bomb capable of destroying matter. Her bomb works the second time around, and the devastation is unmatched.

1. Dr. Miyo Takano (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) If everyone just listened to Takano's adoptive father, maybe the cast of Higurashi wouldn't have suffered so much. Takano is set on proving that the Hinamizawa Syndrome, brought on by a mind-controlling bacteria, is real. She's so intent on doing so, that she has no problem manipulating the townspeople and causing a small scale genocide to prove it. All of it is a part of her elaborately orchestrated plan to restore her father's good name, children be damned.

The new poll: What's your favorite anime sports team?

The old poll: Last week I asked which anime mascot character you found most annoying. Kyubey won out the poll, probably due to his real intentions. Of the choices, I'd pick Pikachu or Chuchu. The latter's comic relief irritated the crap out of me. Here's the full results:

1. Kyubey (Madoka Magica) 34.3%
2. Kon (Bleach) 26.8%
3. Pikachu (Pokémon) 7.9%
4. Chuchu (Utena) 6.0%
5. Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece) 4.8%
6. Maromi (Paranoia Agent) 3.9%
7. Mokona (Magic Knight Rayearth/ xxxHOLiC/Tsubasa) 3.4%
8. Jama-P (Wedding Peach) 3.2%
9. Tama-chan (Love Hina) 1.6%
10. Kero (Card Captor Sakura) 1.5%
11. Luna (Sailor Moon) 1.4%
12. Tachikoma (GitS: SAC) 1.2%
13. Ryo-ohki (Tenchi Muyo!) 1.2%
14. Kuroneko-sama (Trigun) 0.4%

The category "Other" made up 2.4% of the vote. Some suggestions from the comments included: Haro from Gundam, Chamo from Negima!, and Menchi from Excel Saga.

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Alright everybody, see you all next week! I look forward to your input in the comments and feel free to follow me on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee or e-mail me at [email protected].