they can be just characters but they´r real in the virtual world and why wewe asck? because even if they'r not real they provoque feelings in the most anime lovers. wewe can look at a drawing and say that its very preety but that thing that your seeing doesnt realy exist ( if your looking at a draw of a mti for example). its just a drawing and not something that moves au wewe can touch it like it was a real mti (on this case). do wewe understand now? even if he is a character we can see the art on it, the beuty of the personality and phisicaly aspect.Simple as this!! ho and my favotire is absolutly Naruto XD