Recent anime there seem to be an inordinate focus on female characters, and arguments about who's "best girl". What about an anime with well developed, interesting, cool male characters?

Some good examples of what I'm going for, are Attack on Titan, and Death Note.

With Titan, you've got Eren, who changes so much over the show that he's hardly recognizable as that bratty kid. Several others also have explorations of their pasts, including flashbacks, and are really cool, capable, and likeable: Erwin, Levi, Kenny. Despite not getting as much focus, I really like General Pixis and Jean, too.

Death Note is basically The Joker vs. Batman, in a grounded setting. Two intriguing, intelligent characters on opposite sides of a philosophical, as well as life or death, struggle.