The Seven Deadly Sins is an action fantasy anime with a huge cast of colorful characters, most of all the Seven Deadly Sins themselves. They're a motley bunch united by one goal: to protect the noble Liones Kingdom and its people from all dangers and evil, such as the Ten Commandments or demonic hordes. These seven holy knights are easy to like and quite memorable, too.
After three seasons of the anime, it becomes easy to decide who the most likable characters in The Seven Deadly Sins are based on their sheer charisma, personality, amusing character quirks, and their noble deeds, and more. If the ten most likable characters were sorted by how easy they are to like, how would they rank?
10 Meliodas, The Sin Of Wrath
The protagonist himself, Meliodas, gets a lot of screen time, meaning viewers get ample opportunity to see his noble and caring side during the story. Meliodas is wholly devoted to his timeless lover, Elizabeth Liones, and would destroy the entire world for her.
This makes him a mixed bag. Meliodas is loyal, brave, funny, and a good commander, but he is infamous for his pervy side (feeling up Elizabeth in inappropriate ways). He is indeed wrathful toward his friends, such as the talking pig Hawk. He has some rough edges to sand down.
9 Merlin, The Sin Of Gluttony
Meliodas's quirky but brilliant wizard ally is Merlin, who is far older than she looks. In fact, God and the demon king alike were impressed by her abilities, and both tried to earn her favor. Though Merlin is loyal to the Seven Deadly Sins, following Meliodas' lead to the best of her ability.
Merlin is a magical scientist to the last, her mind starving for new, experimental data and theories at all times. Merlin is intense and devoted to her work, which is admirable (and sometimes funny), but she is hardly the warmest or most compassionate cast member.
8 Gowther, The Sin Of Lust
The sin of lust, Gowther, is an artificial being. He is an androgynous puppet created by the original Gowther, a blond demon, and this doll-like fellow seeks to feel and understand human emotions better. He is lustful for love, fear, anger, joy, and sorrow, not for the flesh.
Gowther is a bit of a charmer, often showing up with eccentric outfits and being a good sport by acting as a barmaid for the Boar Hat tavern. He also likes to strike poses and make a "ding!" sound effect for dramatic entrances. At other times, though, he can be rather unsettling and cold. He is an artificial being, after all.
7 Escanor, The Sin Of Pride
The brawniest member of the Seven Deadly Sins is Escanor, famed for wielding his mighty battle-ax, Rhitta, to devastating effect. Nobody else can even lift it, let alone swing it around in battle. No mortal being is stronger than Escanor, and he certainly takes pride in that fact.
Escanor has a dual nature. By day, he is the heroic lion's sin of pride, but by night, he is a skinny and meek fellow who likes to serve drinks while nursing a lovely crush on Merlin, making him much more likable. This Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde duality make Escanor a lot of fun, whether the sun is up or not.
6 Ban, The Sin Of Greed
Another member of the Seven Deadly Sins ranks among the show's most likable characters: Ban, the fox sin of greed. He has a tragic and sympathetic background, having been a desperate street urchin as a boy while having few friends or allies. He did have a were-fox as a father figure, though.
All this makes Ban a great deal more compelling and sympathetic, and he also has a "charming rogue" personality that makes him even easier to root for and enjoy in the story. Ban is a bit whimsical and hedonistic, and while he's also a bit selfish, Ban has a distinct sense of honor and fairness.
5 King Arthur Pendragon Of Camelot
King Arthur's real-life legend often makes its way into anime, such as the ultra-popular Saber character, Arthur Boyle the fire soldier, and certainly King Arthur Pendragon of The Seven Deadly Sins. True to his real-life inspiration, this young king is selfless, brave, and will lay down his life for the people of Camelot.
King Arthur also looks up to Meliodas as a fellow swordsman, and this young king prays that he will have the strength and resolve necessary to face the Ten Commandments and bring peace and justice back from the land. Few characters are as pure and noble as King Arthur, and that makes him easy to like.
4 King, The Sin Of Sloth
At first, the fairy king was difficult to like since he liked just to laze around or harass Ban in the series' early episodes. But this wayward fairy king has a good heart, and that heart is still aching. He lost his dear sister Elaine, and he's insecure about his ability to rule the fairy people.
As time goes on, King learns some self-confidence, and he wowed audiences with his plant-based and weapon-based magical abilities. King also fell in love with his fellow holy knight Diane, a charming crush that certainly endeared fans to him. By now, King is easy to like and root for.
3 Elaine, The Fountain Guardian
Elaine is the fairy princess and the sister of King. She was also once tasked with guarding the Fountain of Youth, a post she held for an incredible 700 years while King was away. Elaine tried to keep Ban away from the fountain, but she teamed up with him and lent him the fountain's water when a demon attacked.
This came at the cost of Elaine's own life, and her noble sacrifice left a deep impression on Ban and viewers alike. Elaine later returned after the heroes found her in the Necropolis, and she and King later reunited at last. Elaine has been a gentle, kind, and persistent ally of the Sins ever since.
2 Elizabeth Liones, The Fallen Angel
Elizabeth Liones is more than she seems to be. At first, Elizabeth was a runaway princess, protesting the kingdom's views on the Sins being rogue criminals. Elizabeth became a good friend and ally of the Sins, and her gentle and nurturing personality contrasted well with Meliodas and Ban.
But that's not all. Elizabeth was once an angel until she was struck down for her traitorous love for Meliodas the demon, and she has died and been reborn as mortal many times since. Now, her memories and powers have returned, and this soft-spoken princess-angel is ready to fight to the last to take down evil.
1 Diane, The Sin Of Envy
Diane is no ordinary holy knight. She is a giant from the distant land of Megadozer. While most giants want nothing to do with human kingdoms, Diane is absolutely loyal to Meliodas and, by extension, the Liones Kingdom. Diane has a big heart to match her earth-shuddering powers, but she's hardly a doormat, either. Diane balances her tough and gentle sides well.
Diane used to question her place in the world as a giant who didn't like fighting, but she has come to terms with her own powers and is ready to lay down her life for justice. She also had a charming crush on Meliodas until she later returned King's amorous feelings, and later, she married him. Diane got her happy ending after all.