Netflix's The Great Pretender made waves in the anime scene. The distinct visual style, excellent jazz soundtrack, and madcap heist plots instantly endeared the show to many fans. But perhaps the most crucial element to The Great Pretender's success is the diverse, impressive, emotionally believable stable of characters the show has assembled.
While Team Confidence is the heart of the show, the side characters and villains are often nearly as memorable. There is a wealth of characters ranging from delightfully quirky to downright evil, and the show manages to juggle those characters with admirable effect. Here are ten of the best characters in the anime, ranked.
10 Clark Ibraham
Clark and his brother Sam are the antagonists of the second arc, "Singapore Skies" with Sam being the corrupt owner of an airplane racing league, with Clark being the league's star pilot. While both brothers are greedy hedonists, Clark has a bit more depth.
Clark is warry of his brother's darker actions, and his desire for the thrill of competing against his rival, Lewis Mueller, leads to him abandoning his brother's rigged race ploy. While Clark is a clear-cut villain, his charm and genuine desire for a challenge make him one of the shows most memorable marks.
9 Lewis Mueller
A former U.S. fighter pilot and stunt racer, Lewis was put in a wheelchair when his plane crashed as the result of sabotage. Lewis initially comes across as, crass, unsympathetic, and arrogant. However, when Abi attempts to kill him because of his military background he shows his emotional vulnerability, encouraging her. This ends up being a watershed moment for Lewis, leading him to acknowledge his potential responsibility in the death of Abi's family and show genuine remorse.
With little screen time, Lewis proves himself an emotionally and politically complex character. Combined with his exit flying into the horizon racing his rival Clark, Lewis is one of the shows best side characters.
8 Salazar
Appearing in the first arc, "Los Angelas Connection," Salazar is the bodyguard for crime lord and movie producer Eddie Cassano. Salazar is initially presented as a threat, much more warry of Team Confidence than his employer he keeps close tabs on them. However, when Edamura gets closer to him he quickly discovers Salazar is a reluctant criminal whose only real concern is for his son.
Salazar is exactly the sort of character The Great Pretender thrives on. He's a morally grey criminal trapped by circumstances of his own making.
7 Thomas Meyer
Thomas appears in the third arc, "Snow of London." He's Cynthia's ex and an artistic genius, formerly making forged reproductions of famous paintings. By the time Team Confidence catches up with him, Thomas has given up on his art career and is living in poverty and disgrace. Through a series of flashbacks, the audience gets to see his rise, fall, and redemption all centered around the conflict between his love for art and the crushing economic forces of the art world.
By showing us flashbacks to Thomas both as the young, spirited painter, and the frivolous counterfeiter, his role in Team Confidence's heist is elevated into a compelling redemption tale.
6 Kudo
As the man who brought Edamura into the world of con-artistry Kudo is a recurring side character. While it would be easy for the show to villainize Kudo as a corrupting force, his charm and humor make him a surprisingly likable character. In addition to being a frequent source of comedic relief, Kudo is a great counterpoint to the morally conflicted Edamura.
Kudo is an unrepentant con-man who runs cons because he wants money. In a show where everyone has deep emotional pathos and deeply entrenched motivations, his straightforwardness makes him a strangely refreshing character.
5 Shi-Won Kim
A side member of Laurant's gang, Shi-Won Kim is a veteran con-woman. In the past, she was a famed femme fatal, now forced to take on roles centered around her advanced age. Kim's confidence, however, is completely unshaken. She still sees and carries herself as the famous beauty she used to be. It's this enduring confidence that makes her a great character.
Her indomitable confidence, quick wit, and easygoing attitude make Kim's appearances a consistent treat throughout the show.
4 Laurent Thierry
As the leader of Team Confidence, Laurent is the quintessential gentleman thief. While he's charming, ineffable, and level-headed he's also a master manipulator. He maneuvers both Team Confidences marks and its members with almost supernatural effectiveness. Despite his friendliness and deep understanding of the human psyche, Laurent remains strangely detached at all times.
While his past is still largely shrouded in mystery there have been hints of a dark past hidden beneath his easygoing exterior.
3 Edamura Makoto
The self-proclaimed, best con-man in Japan, Edamura is the protagonist of The Great Pretender. Despite his delusions of grandeur he quickly finds himself in over his head with Team Confidence, attempting unsuccessfully to quit multiple times. While everyone in Team Confidence has a sense of justice, Edamura brings a level of emotional intelligence and empathy the others seem to largely lack.
Edamura works on several levels. His struggle to keep up makes him a great audience surrogate while his empathy makes him the team's conscience and his reluctant life of crime make him a source for comedy.
2 Cynthia Moore
While Cynthia appears at the end of the first arc, she's developed through the next two. Flirty, cheerful, and emotionally honest Cynthia brings a strong wine-mom energy to Team Confidence. She often patches inter-team conflicts and seems to genuinely care for her teammates. Her bubbly personality giving way to deep-seated emotional turmoil in "London Snow" serves to make her more complex without losing what makes her such a fun, loveable character.
While Laurent is the leader of Team Confidence, it's Cynthia who seems to keep the team together. Whether it's patching up conflicts or being there to call on for favors, Cynthia is probably the most reliable member of the team.
1 Abigail Jones
Abi is Team Confidence's go-to for any physically demanding task, from acrobatics to stunt plane racing. She's brash, confident, cruel, and often even violent. The source of her hostility is explored in "Singapore Skies" when it's revealed her parents were casualties in a US bombing run in Iraq. While Abi's arc in the show is clearly centered around her healing from her trauma, this healing is presented in the realistic, slow acceptance of Team Confidence into her life.
Abi's pain and turmoil, particularly the way it leads her to lash out, are presented with healthy nuance. While she's a character who's past trauma is crucial to her character, she's layered enough to avoid being cliche.