Interview the author Part 3: The top 10 favorite characters [Special]

"Hmm, London is solid, and Bongcloud is fun. King's gambit also allows for some nasty stuff, but only if it's accepted. But if I had to settle on just one, probably the Halloween gambit. It's fun to play, aggressive, and solid." It actually is best to have multiple openings in your arsenal."

"Huh, learn something new everyday. All I do is Queen's gambit, but some jerks don't even accept it. And your favorite piece?"

"Now that's a tough one, I guess pawns since they're so useful. Knights are useful too, but I hate them just as much since they can easily ruin my plans."

"Well someone's edgy. Anyway, time to tell us your Top 10 favorite characters, starting with...

Number 10: Carol Cooke

Carol is easily one of the characters I feel I didn't quite give enough justice to, but despite that, she is easily one of my favorites. I liked her so much I even decided to spare her instead of killing her off like originally planned. She had her moments, sure, but I feel she wasn't quite as memorable as some of the others, which is why she's so low on the list.

Number 9: Himitsudono

I like the suave, cool aura he has. He holds many mysteries, but him being one of my favorite characters is easily an open secret. And I know some might be tired of my whole "if this gets a video game adaptation, this will be a feature" spiel, if this ever gets a video game adaptation, Himitsudono would be one of the first characters you'd meet upon booting up the game.

Number 8: Heather Fairy

I actually like most of the Fairy chess league's members, but only one is making the list, the fairy queen herself, Heather. She's a lovable evil dork, but what keeps her low is the fact that she hasn't had much screen time, thus I can't really put her any higher. But she will be getting lots of screen time when Season 4 starts, so look forward to that.

Number 7: Raymond Redfield

The WWCF president himself. Raymond has an imposing presence and can be quite ruthless at times. He's one not to be messed with, and highly intelligent to boot. More about him will be revealed as the story progresses, but for now, I like his character enough to put him at number 7 on the list.

Number 6: Mimoko Inoue

The main heroine of the series, it's natural she would make a list like this. She's easily the voice of reason, but unlike the others, is not sadistic or edgy, though is one of the best chess players in the series. Her games aren't as crazy as the others, but she is still a likeable character, which is why she's in the middle of the list.

Number 5: Prof. Manfred von Skaberghast

While he properly debuted in Season 3, I actually ended up adding him into the Desperado video call in Season 1, mainly because I wanted him to at least have a presence in season 1. I enjoy his lazy, but sadistic and smart personality as well as his design. I actually have some big moments planned for him, but since they haven't been written yet, he'll only go as high as number 5 on the list.

Number 4: Nyoan Nyakuoji

Everyone's favorite bald catgirl. Nyoan is the comedic villain of the series, which naturally makes her one of the series most entertaining characters. She was originally planned to be a much more tragic character, but I felt having her be the comedic evil was the better choice. She's essentially the Jester of EPGM, but doesn't go blasting off, at least not yet.

Number 3: Peter Morphy

Based off of chess legend, Paul Morphy and descended from him in this universe, Peter enjoys the fact that unlike his ancestor, the chess world is rife with challenging foes. Him being Okisato's instructor and sadistic to boot gets him a very high spot on the list. What keeps him from number 2 is the fact that he hasn't had as many big games as the character there. While I do like him, the characters higher than him are simply more memorable and have more on-screen feats.

Number 2: Okisato Tanabe

The main protagonist of the series, it should be no surprise to see him so high on the list. Okisato is Ayanokoji, but with a sadistic side. He also has the potential to become one of the greatest chess players in the world. But what gets him so high on the list are his games. Since he tends to face off against the season antagonist, he usually gets an epic game. I also love writing his dialogue and all that combined gets him the number 2 spot on the list.

Number 1: Iori Ishikiridokoro

Did you really expect someone else? Streamer girls are clearly my favorite character archetype, and Iori's also a sadistic psychopath to boot. I actually don't think Iori's had any game I hate, which is likely due to her personality shining through. While she won't have much presence in Season 4, she'll definitely have more big moments in the future.

Number 0: Muramasa Jouzu

"Wait, WHO!? I don't think there is anyone named that in the tournament!"

"Ah, my apologies, but he is 0mnipotent, so he tends to always top my popularity polls by being number 0 on the list. And perhaps he will make a cameo... Very soon."

"Ok... Anyway, that's all for today. Join us next time when I ask ole Mario who his least favorite participants in the tournament are."