Imo, barbarian is the best after CR. Barb is more natural and more real. A fighter that has harden body seems to be too weak and too afraid of a fight and a polite fighter seems to be living on a leash. It's like those guards that have no opinion of their own and live by orders of someone else. To me the barbarian represents what a fighter should have - strength, courage and freedom.
I'm a devotee of CR