Welcome to the Anime Walk of Fame, a series of retrospectives on the many characters of the anime world. You'll see all your favorites along with a few that deserve more than their reputations give.

So sit back relax and enjoy the show.

Not Near's Fault He's Not L

Going through unpopular opinions and hot takes you start to see a few repeat ones that aren't as true as you might think.

Near is the successor to L after he is killed by Kira, the response to the character was about as welcome as you expect having to take the mantle of such a major popular character in Death Note meant Near never really had a chance to be liked and those who were more accepting hated Mello more.
In most arguments, Near is too similar in demeanour, personality and almost mannerisms as well but the fundamental difference is that rather than quirky habits, he treats everything like a puzzle, including the case that ultimately brings down Light Yagami, each puzzle resembling a toy from your average toy box.
In fact his detective skills turn out to be better suited for taking down Light as opposed to L who engaged Light more directly, the downfall of Kira being the grand finale we deserved.
Had L not been such a good character, Near wouldn't get such hate and will probably be respected with the same grandiose as L did.

Does Max Serve Any Purpose?

The downside of being surrounded by infinitely better rivals.

Max is the token nice guy of the Bladebreakers, a little too nice, I've always struggled to see Max as anything more than just making up numbers, Kuwabara of Yu Yu Hakusho comes to mind as a comparison.
I would say he brings knowledge with his Mom being a BBA researcher and his Dad being a hobby store owner but Kenny fills in for a lot of the technicals, so yeah Max isn't left with much.
Tyson has plot armour.
Kai has rival armour.
Ray has heritage armour.
Kenny has exposition armour.
Even Daichi has Scrappy-Doo armour.
Max at best is the heart of the team, at worst he's the best friend character with above average skills, even paired with Rick in G Revolution, he was so out of place next to someone who is twice his size that you forget that he's a main character.

Ming-Ming is a Weird Choice for Beyblade

Some characters are hard to explain.

Ming-Ming is introduced as a young idol with a bit of an ego, she's so confident in her abilities, she claims to hold back against opponents especially boys which actually works, but her true self is the pre teen tough girl Ming-Ming which shows her true self dropping the sweet act and acting like an actual beyblader.
As to why I say she's a strange choice for Beyblade is that she brings idol culture into a toy anime along with idol anime tropes right down to her changing her age Sailor Moon style for battle.
Not a bad character per say, she was actually one of only two winners in the BEGA team against the Bladebreakers, this actually makes her the best female blader of the original franchise, mind you the competition isn't exactly big for that crown.

Tala is a Force of Nature

A lesson in how to make a proper final boss in a toy anime and still make a good support.

Tala is the leader of the Demolition Boys and later Kai's partner in the Blitzkrieg Boys, he served as Tyson's final opponent in the finals in one of the biggest battles of the series and even when he returns in G Revolution, he's lost nothing in edge and intimidation.
His personality wasn't up to much to begin with but was more rounded in G Revolution, he suits the role of Kai's closest friend better than Kai's own Bladebreaker teammates, if not for BEGA, I'd be happy to see him and Kai be the final boss in G Revolution, saying that we wouldn't have had the intense battle between Kai and Brooklyn if not for BEGA injuring Tala.

Gojo's Creation Came From a Real Cosplay Story

A wholesome story for Christmas.

My Dress-Up Darling is the wholesome anime from early 2022 about Gojo, who enjoys making Hina Dolls but keeps it secret due to bullying in the past, after meeting Marin who loves cosplaying, she convinces him to create cosplay for her which allows him to pursue his passion without being judged as Marin supports him throughout.
Mangaka Shinichi Fukuda came up with the premise for My Dress-Up Darling when he met an upset cosplayer who was going through some trouble with their partner being forced to choose between cosplaying and their relationship.
So he created a romance series where the relationship is formed through cosplay, so making Gojo a tailor and Marin the model was the perfect recipe for a wholesome series and I hope the cosplayer found a partner who supports their passion.
The anime was already wholesome so this just makes it all the more sweeter.