A lot of characters in SoT and GoH have grown close to your heart as you accompanied them throughout the entire series for so long already. But some especially, and I will introduce them to you here, now. But at first, some honorable mentions of cool characters I like but that aren't necessarily on my favorites' list. 

Saviors of Tomorrow (SoT)

-Kuraiko Hirose
Kuraiko is known for her tough personality and her sometimes really painful touch. Not only is she a total badass in beating people and even ultra beasts up, but even in Pokémon Battles she kicks some ass, like when she fought Kattlea or showed Nael who's boss. She even rivals Laslow Steward in strength, as it is shown in League Arc. She definitely is worth a mention. 

-Mari Sentaku 
Another strong girl surely is Mari. She made a huge development in the story where she has grown noticably stronger- not only in nature but also in combat. Mari brings a lot of comedy into the story for her sometimes really worked-up behavior or her fightings with other characters over trivial things like Mago Berries. Also, and most importantly, Mari is one of the toughest of the girls in general. She appears almost fearless and doesn't flinch back from a fight. Also, she was tortured in the monastery's dungeon but still didn't lose her mind. 

-Nael Keahi
It might be somewhat surprising, but I really like Nael for his open way and carefree nature. But also, he would be a character I could be best friends with, simply because he's outright friendly and easy-going, but also very funny. Many situations including him turn out funny because he is a total mess, wearing weird clothes or eating a lot and stuff. And he was one of the first characters that I liked from the very start because he appealed to me right away. He was likeable from the very beginning and his positivity is remarkable. 

Now let's move on to the SoT Top 5 list. 

#5 Kaoru Mikami

I liked Kaoru because he was a tragic character. He had a really sad background story, but he was still suffering under it. His depression and never-ending pain through eternal life and the inability to die, being forced to watch everyone close to you perish eventually and going through heartbreak over and over again really makes you feel sorry for him. Nobody can imagine what that suffering might feel like, but especially because it is beyond human understanding and affects Kaoru mentally, it truly makes you feel with him. All those times you have Kaoru saying something outright depressing, it really gives you the chills. You receive a clear impression of his dark thoughts and mind, his constant hurt and his longing for this curse to find an end. One of the most painful things ever was experiencing his contradiction, his dilemma: Either ending eternal life and live on as a normal human; or staying immortal in order for Soleil not to be left alone. The fact she has gone and left Kaoru without any information of her location and him blaming himself for it really hurt. As his curse was finally lifted in the end, who didn't feel happy for him? Afterwards, Kaoru started enjoying being alive again, because now, he doesn't have to try hiding himself inside a shell anymore. It's amazing. 

#4 Zeke Beaumont

Zeke is likable due to his somewhat childish behavior. Zeke constantly claims that he isn't a child anymore- but it makes things even funnier if he does act like one. It's also cute to see how he is defending his friends, like when he was confronting Zachary Steward (Laslow's father) for having made Laslow cry. Zeke's convictions of family and his way of seeing everybody else in the story makes him truly endearing. 

#3 Taji Nakamura

Another tragic character in the SoT series surely was Taji. Being a somewhat questionable character in the very beginning, Taji became one of my all-time favorites right when he told Laslow his story. The cruel things that happened to him made me wanna protect him. All the shit he had to go through even during his trial was really painful to read. He happened to be involved in a lot of drama. The fact that he once had tried to kill himself in the past makes it even more shocking. Being in constant fear of getting attached to anyone just to be torn out of the world again, you can really understand Taji and not blame him for anything. He's been an unlucky character from the very point he was introduced. He deserved some love! 

#2 Laslow Steward 

Laslow is a character we came across here and there all throughout the story since Driftveil Arc, however, we never really got to bond with him anywhere up to Alola Arc. You knew just a few things about him, like that he was really clever and strong as heck, but not that much more. We got to know him a lot better ever since he got involved in the whole Alola Arc calamity. His personality, his determination and, first and foremost, his way of caring about people. Laslow showed his true face in the eye of such danger. Combining strength, cleverness and a heart of gold, Laslow became one of the most badass and most likeable characters in the whole story. He always maintained his common sense and always had a slight touch of sadness with him, but that never diminished the fact that he was a strong character and the stable column you needed in such a dire situation. 

#1 Jayden Yagami

Surprise, surprise (not). Jayden is my favorite character. He shares my sense of humor and his sassy and sometimes even impudent behavior made this ocassionally mischievous bastard really likeable. He always adds some humor to the whole story. What also made him so likeable was the development of his whole story. He is one of the only characters whose story you experience in the series and you can fully understand him and his motivations. Even if he is a somewhat dark person, he always outshines that fact by being a sunshine of nature and a social butterfly. He's funny and thus never ceases to bring some crazyness into the story. 

That much to SoT. Let's talk about GoH now. As before, I will list some honorable mentions first. 

GoH (Guardians of Hope)

-Akira Heavens
Akira's character development was special. He started off as a complete asshole, attempting to change several times- but he never truly could until he finally managed to get at least a little nicer around his friends. Not many people manage to change like that at all, that's why he deserves some credit. 

-Makoto Amuro 
Although being ill-disposed towards Taen at first, Makoto settled into Sapphire Eclipse quite well. He never ceases to do what's right, even if he has to go up against his family for that. Also, the way he got attached to Jairo is really cute. 

-Joshua McNary
I like Joshua due to his extremely unique view on the world. The way he talks and finds things that inspire him everywhere don't only make him interesting, but they also make him somewhat shiny. He's appearing nice and kind to everyone- except if they really piss him off. 

-Aella Campbell
There are only a few 'good girls' in GoH, but Aella surely is one of the best of them. She's trying to include and integrate everyone into the group the best she can. Also, her somehow tough and kind nature resembles Mari's quite a lot. Aella is loyal towards her team and turns out to have some weird thoughts at times. It's not uncommon people refer to Aella as 'The Knife Girl'. 

And now let's move on to the list!

#5 Solace Wiveria

Solace is the grumpy cat of SE. But that makes him getting involved in a lot of funny situations, too. He's a mood with the attitude of a real destroyer. Never mess with him. You'll regret it. Solace earned the reputation as one of the strongest trainers around, since he even claimed victory against people considered miles stronger than him. Solace also takes responsibility for his team, but he defines himself only over his status as the leader of Team Sky Force. He tends to break down if he fails the task that made him 'special' in some sort of way. But that just shows he also is just a human being and not some sort of supernatural battle monster with no humor. 

#4 Jairo Fernandes

Despite his young age, Jairo really has an inspiring background. And despite of all the crap that happened to him, he never held a grudge against anyone responsible. He's a kind soul on two legs being cute and clumsy and probably one of the most popular members in SE at all. He's the youngest, but never underestimate him. Not only that more than just one person will end up angry at you when you dare to hurt him, Jairo himself actually is suprisingly powerful for a trainer, even at his young age. The fact that you can make him sad quite easily also adds a cute touch to his character. 

#3 Lucian Nishiki

We get to know Lucian as a person determined to save his cousin who became a villain due to the cruely of his past. But aside of him being a strong-minded person, Lucian is affectionate towards any of his family members. Family counts for him more than anything. Also, his... strange view on food brings some color into the whole story because some people strongly disagree with him on that matter. But except for that, Lucian is a really good person (and a little childish despite the fact he's freaking 18). 

#2 Yukine Sentaku

Many people say that the protagonist of a story can never be your favorite character. Yukine definitely proves that that is nonsense. We get in touch with the strong contrast Yukine puts against Akira. While Akira is the talented and popular guy, Yukine is stuck in problems over problems and humiliated for it. However, Yukine is the kindest soul in the entire story. He gave money to Makoto because he thought he needed it for feeding his Swablu, he wanted to aid Lucian at lifting Jairo's curse, he didn't want to leave Jairo behind in the old Ugoya HQ... and he always forgave Akira for everything he said or did, even if that was really painful. Yukine is a true softy and doesn't think big of himself, but that doesn't stop him from aiming for greatness. Furthermore, Yukine is so freaking selfless and self-sacrificing that it really hurts reading him being used for that.

#1 Taen Kataoka

Regardless whether Taen's deeds in Ugoya times where questionable or not, he is my favorite character. Not only because of his backstory, but also because he is still suffering from it even five years later. He can't swim, he doesn't know how to properly interact with people, he cannot distinguish emotions due to his Alexithymia which he developed at the age of around 10 when he started suppressing his emotions... and he oftentimes just simply misunderstands things because he never got in touch with them before. That results in the one or the other funny situation in which he always relies on Lucian to tell him what to do. But even if Taen appears helpless sometimes, he can be savage or even scary. He maintains his authority which nobody ever questions. Taen is capable of handling difficult situations simply because he stays calm and because he's intelligent. 

And that's it so far! Which are your favorite characters or characters you like a lot? Tell me in the comments!