i kindof like every unit really. i would say my favorite is wondasho though (nene icon go figure), it's just my friends tend to be mostly vbs fans. and i end up getting involved in vbs related projects. so they're often on my mind. though i do think their story is sometimes a little more "digestible" sometimes for me because i can enjoy a bit of shonen

as for favorite npcs, i'm going to do 2 per unit because i'm really annoying and i don't like making big choices

leoni (it's kindof criminal that leoni is tied with niigo for npc numbers when niigo exists as largely family based conflicts and leoni are literally like. people out there in the world doing things)
saku: i mostly just like her personality. she's a cool rival character who goes with her whims and i think she fulfills a Slightly but not really dickrish rival. she's funny as fuck. you're good, but i'm better type deal
iori - i really like her design, this is mostly it tbh. she's chill, i don't have much to comment on her personality wise but she has a few fun moments. and i'm interested in seeing if she'll be involved further in this leoni arc or if she just kickstarts it a bit and bails

mmj (i'm gonna be honest and say most of their npcs i do not really care about. they don't really stick with me)
arisa - fun personality and good narrative. i like that she enhances shizuku's narrative greatly and she's like. actually a huge dick to shizuku. trying to publicly embarrass her on television is insane levels of hating
saito - i think she's really cute and i like that she has a bit of an arc going on in the background. it's sweet, and i'm glad she's made her dreams come true

vbs
nagi - if you dont answer nagi in your top3 you are stupid i'm sorry. everything we see with nagi and her dream and how it influences vbs is amazing, the cycle of generations and passing the torch kicks my brain the right way. light up the fire's extended nagi flashback portion has made me cry multiple times and a lot of her story hits me a bit personally as i've lost a family member from cancer as well
arata - i like his arc. i think his backstory is kindof stupid but he has a really good personality and arc and i enjoy seeing his growth and how much of a foil he is to akito. i wish his ending wasn't kindof cobbled together and i hope they do more with him in the future
honorable mentions: ken and taiga sorry i would like to say all three of radder are very good

wxs
shosuke - i like his personality and he has a lot of fun interactions with emu. i like his involvement in island panic. there's not too much to say about him on a greater scale though
sakurako - probably the most narratively involved wxs npc in that she has relevant roles in four different events, in which she has a good role in all of them. her laugh is iconic AF too and she can MAYBE be nene's rival. only MAYBE though, you know?

niigo
yuuki - this is largely self explanatory. she's easily the most pleasant of the niigo npcs and she's really supportive. also she's very cute and i love how kind she is
mafuyu's dad - i dunno. i like reeling in the lights quite a bit. i think his role there is very sweet and i'm glad he's gentle and supportive of mafuyu. i think shinei may be more interesting to me narratively though