T5W#423-Top 5 Candidates for an Anime Expendables Team

Well damn, it took em long enough.  Nine years after an abysmal PG13 rated disappointment, Sylester Stallone and Jason Statham’s team of old school action hero bad asses are back for another round this Friday with Expend4bles (still a better stylized title than Fant4stic).  With the old war horses of the 80s teaming up with some young new crewmates, nows a good a time to ponder what it would be like if a bunch of major Anime action stars came together for a good old fashioned early 90s inspired OVA bloodfest.  If you think about it, plenty of 80s action cinema had some direct influence on many Anime projects throughout the years and many of the ultraviolent Anime of the late 80s to mid 90s definitely topped their penchant for bloody destruction and mayhem.  So, on Todays Top 5 Wednesday, I’m gonna cycle through a bunch of titles and select my Top 5 Candidates for an Anime Expendables Team.  Couple of ground rules before we get into it.  First, no overpowered supermen like Goku or Gojo.  Anyone who can end a planet or blow up a city in one move isn’t eligible (I’ve got a list for them here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/t5w142-top-5-shonen-jump-avengers.html).  The characters I’m looking at are normal humans who are good with guns, knives or their fists.

 
#5-Heero Yuy (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

There are a number of Gundam Pilots who could qualify for a spot on this team, so much so they could encompass a list of their own.  For the sake of keeping candidates to one per franchise, I’m going with our silent and brooding leading man from Gundam Wing.  Heero is the kind of guy who takes ample amounts of time scouting and preparing for any strike and can do more than just blast it in one hit with a huge beam cannon.  Heero is an infiltration specialist, capable of silent strikes but also knowing when to go loud with a hefty amount of demolitions.  Give him a mission.  He’ll accept it and accomplish it no matter what.
 

#4-Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

Every Expendables team needs a close quarters expert.  How can you go wrong with a guy who models his martial arts after the stylings of Bruce Lee himself?  Plus come on, it’s Spike, how can you not want this guy on your team.  He’s an ex Syndicate enforcer who is smooth and charming but can switch over to deadly and ruthless at the drop of a hat.  He’s a pretty good shot with a gun but engaging him in hand to hand combat, Spike has very few equals.  Spike has stormed numerous hideouts and strongholds all by himself and walked out the last man standing (not including the Series Finale of Cowboy Bebop but before then yeah).  I want him on my team.

 
#3-Revy and Dutch (Black Lagoon)

This is a package deal.  There needs to be diversity on this team and I don’t want Revy going in without her deadly wise better half.  Revy brings a wide range of skill with multiple weapons but especially her signature dual kutlas pistols that can mow down armies.  While we don’t see nearly as much of Dutch in action in Black Lagoon, when we see him mowing down Neo Nazi’s with a shotgun, he’s basically the Black Terminator.  Together, these two are a pair to be reckoned with.  Plus Dutch is in more control of his beastly side and can reign Revy in if she gets a little too out of hand.
 

#2-Batou (Ghost in the Shell)

As tempting as it would be to put The Major on this list, Batou more than fits the feel of an Expendables team member.  He’s the Heavy of Section 9, this means he’s the guy who gets to handle all of the guns but most the really big guns.  Chain Guns, Grenade and Rocket Launchers, the bigger the better for this guy.  And while his cybernetics might make him a bit superhuman, Batou isn’t exactly incapable of harm.  He can take a ton of battle damage and still keep coming back for more.  Plus in Ghost in the Shell 2 he has a shotgun built into his arm, that’s pretty bad ass if you ask me.
 

#1-Sousuke Sagara (Full Metal Panic)

I thought about keeping mecha pilots off of this list for the same reason as anyone with super powers.  Guys who pilot Giant Robots can usually end fights in seconds depending on their skill.  Sousuke Sagara is one of the many exceptions who isn’t just good with an Arm Slave but also knows when to channel his inner John Rambo or Solid Snake.  Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu might be big on the comedy but it nonetheless shows how prepared Sousuke can be for any situation.  And in Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory, he becomes a one man army during the middle arc of the season.  Forget facing him in a giant robot, Sousuke might be even more dangerous with only a knife, a pistol and nothing else to lose.