[The 1,000 Reader]

1. Frodo, for reasons that are probably obvious to everyone here.

2. Sam, for reasons that are probably obvious to everyone here.

3. Hurin. I just admire his last stand: he knows that he is doomed, the only one alive, and surrounded by Morgoth's hosts, yet he somehow finds the strength and will to take up an axe and more or less go crazy, hacking up pretty much everything he can find before finally being subdued by a mountain of bodies on top of him, numerous hands still grasping him, and the Balrogs. Say what you will about your Saurons and Elronds, but to me Hurin is more outstanding, despite his mortal self.

4. Gandalf. He's calm, collected, wise, brave, and friendly. He also shows emotion, ranging from joyful to grim, feeling like a regular person instead of the stern, angel-winged being you'd expect from someone with his origins. There's just something I like about Gandalf.

5. The Witch-King. In LOTR and the Sil, Sauron and Morgoth were always distant figures who hid behind their armies and were afraid. The Witch-King, however, felt like a powerful evil that sought you out and acted by his own hands, whether it be hunting for the One Ring or assaulting Minas Tirith. He bested the Kingdom of Arnor with (at first) the small, frigid realm of Angmar, did so in a relatively short (compared to Morgoth's campaigns) period of six-hundred years, and his victory was a sound one: there was no army to swoop in and save the day, no Valinor or Rohan on the horizon. Arnor was bested and no more. When Angmar fell, he just moved South, made Minas Morgul, and started assaulting Gondor. When Gandalf told him to leave the gates of Minas Tirith, he merely laughed and insulted Gandalf. Finally, even though his end wasn't brought about by the Ring's destruction or in a "fair" sword fight, the Witch-King still felt powerful and nearly unstoppable, feelings I certainly didn't get from the losses of Morgoth and Sauron. Besides, a sword wreathed in fire and eyes to match it just sounds awesome.