If not for the black anime characters, anime would not be so fun to watch. Black characters in anime are referred to as anyone with dark skin. As much as I’ve seen anime, black anime characters always bring something extra to the story making it more lively.
Either they are too energetic or too calm. It’s either black or white for them. There’s no gray area. And that is what makes them all the more fun to watch.
With that in mind, I have created this list to talk about black anime characters who have left a long-lasting impression on the anime community.
So, without further ado, let’s begin the 25 iconic black anime characters of all time.
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#25 Dutch
Anime: Black Lagoon
Known For: His calm and thoughtful personality. While he is more than capable in combat, he likes to think before leaping into danger.
Dutch is the leader of the Lagoon Company. Though he could easily get the upper hand in combat, he decided to be the negotiator and let his colleagues do the work. They are as dangerous as him, if not more. Dutch says he is an ex-American soldier, but later in the story (manga), this becomes suspicious.
He might not look like it, but he uses his brain more than his brawn. He tends to turn down those offers if a job is life-threatening. He would enjoy fishing instead.
#24 Killer Bee
Anime: Naruto: Shippuuden
Known For: His rapping & combat skills. Such a combo is hard to find.
Killer Bee is a supporting character in Naruto: Shippuden. From his looks, one might think of him as a mere showoff. I mean, that’s what Sasuke thought at first glance and got owned.
Killer Bee or Killer B, call him whatever you like, but we all know that he is the coolest character in Naruto. His rapping skills are so good that he aspires to be the world’s greatest rapper, and his combat skills are beyond impressive.
On top of that, he is the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. An unforgettable character in the history of shonen anime.
#23 Canary
Anime: Hunter x Hunter
Known For: Her Loyalty towards Zoldyck Family & Humble Demeanor.
Canary is a loyal servant of the Zoldyck Family. She is a guardian angel for the Zoldyck family’s friend and a ruthless devil to the ones trespassing with evil intentions.
She is so strong that she defeated a hunter and a hundred of his henchmen without dropping a sweat. Canary is so humble that she thinks she cannot be friends with Killua as the difference in status is vast. But in reality, she is Killua’s friend.
#22 Afro Samurai
Anime: Afro Samurai
Known For: Legendary Afro and swordsmanship. The coolest swordsman. (open to discussion)
In his childhood, Afro had seen his father decapitated in front of his eyes. He grew up with the only purpose of avenging his father’s killer. Afro became a talented swordsman and soon earned the title of Number Two.
Soon, he takes revenge against Justice, who killed his father and took the title of Number One. However, if not for his Afro, he would have died while fighting Justice.
Ask any of your weeb friends; the first thing that they will say hearing the word Afro is Afro Samurai. This show is top-rated, even among beginners.
#21 Brock
Anime: Pokémon
Known For: Proposing to all beautiful women in his sight and impressive knowledge about the world of Pokémon.
Brock is a former gym leader, who decided to follow Ash on his journey to fulfill his dream of becoming the best Pokémon breeder, but currently, he is pursuing to be a Pokémon Doctor.
If you think he is multi-talented by only that, think again. He can cook delicious food for people as well as Pokémons. Besides that, fishing, sewing, and cleaning are his strong fortes.
Whenever Brock finds a beautiful girl, he instantly asks the girl to be in a relationship. If not for his traveling mates and sometimes his Pokémon, Brock would have abandoned the journey to settle down.
Brock is a guy of many talents, no doubt about that. You may forget other characters, but you can’t forget Brock.
#20 Jason Ozuma
Anime: Hajime no Ippo
Known For: Strong Right Hooks and incredibly kind heart.
Jason Ozuma is an African-American soldier stationed in Japan. Not knowing where to go, he finds himself at a boxing gym where he started boxing thanks to the kind people there. His motivation to fight was to earn money. He wanted to renovate the run-down gym and help his gym mates.
Jason was one of the very first opponents of Ippo. Known for his strong right hooks, he was real close to beating Ippo. But in the end, Ippo’s tenacity and determination overpowered Jason.
Jason’s right hook was said to be on par with Takamura then.
Thinking about it sends the chills down my spine.
#19 Ogun Montgomery
Anime: Fire Force
Known For: Being mature and compassionate.
Ogun is a Third Generation pyrokinetic like Shinra. Ogun is a member of Special Fire Force Company 4.
He aspires to protect everyone in the Tokyo Empire. He can create his flames and control them at will. His unique ability is to create several weapon-shaped flames like swords and spears and use them in long-range attacks.
When push comes to shove, you can always count on Ogun. He will fight with his life on the line, which you can often see when he is involved in a battle.
However, he is level-headed and plays the role of a peacemaker in his own company and between Shinra and Arthur. Fire Force Company 8 intended to recruit him but failed.
#18 Charon
Anime: Fire Force
Known For: He is the personification of savage.
Charon is a member of the White-Clad. He is loyal to the Evangelist and is the guardian of the second pillar, Haumea.
Charon cares too much about Haumea, which pisses her off so much that she gets aggressive with him, sometimes way too much. But that doesn’t change anything. He keeps on caring for her.
However, when it comes to fighting enemies, he likes to dominate the fight and destroy his opponent with his brute strength and pyrokinetic abilities.
#17 Kuzan
Anime: One Piece
Known For: For an admiral, he is laid-back and somewhat humane, unlike most marine admirals.
Kuzan or Aokiji is a former Marine Admirals who left the Marines after losing to the current fleet admiral Sakazuki (Akainu).
He has played both protagonist and antagonist roles in One Piece. He currently affiliates himself with Blackbeard Pirates for unknown reasons.
Kuzan’s role in One Piece and his actions in the future is still a mystery. Doflamingo retreating in an instant after confronting Kuzan at the end of the Punk Hazard Arc shows his strength.
He is also one of the admirals with a heart and doesn’t do injustice in the name of justice, unlike the Red Dog. (Akainu, Aka = Red in Japanese, Inu = Dog in Japanese)
#16 Daz Bones
Anime: One Piece
Known For: A member of former Warlord Crocodile’s crime syndicate’s strongest officer. Impressive fighting abilities.
Daz Bones was a pirate hunter until he joined Crocodile’s Crime Syndicate, Baroque Works. He was so strong that Smoker acknowledged him as a strong opponent. His devil fruit powers allowed him to turn any body part into steel blades.
Daz Bones gave Zoro a hard time during their battle, the latter winning the battle after surpassing his limit as a swordsman.
After escaping Impel Down, he is now traveling the New World with Crocodile. So, both of them might appear in One Piece in the future, considering Crocodile’s appearance in arcs like Impel Down and Marineford Arc besides Alabasta Arc.
#15 Anthy Himemiya
Anime: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Known For: Complex personality and being the Rose Bride.
Anthy Himemiya is the center of attention in Revolutionary Girl Utena. Being the Rose Bride, everyone with a ring carrying a rose emblem fights over her. However, Anthy as a character is way more complicated than one would think. Although she is often soft-spoken, her true emotions are rather dark.
#14 Kaname Tousen
Anime: Bleach
Known For: He is revenge-driven and has a hollow sense of justice.
One thing that is very likable about Kaname Tousen as a character, regardless of whether he is a protagonist or an antagonist, is that he plays a role of a blind person who is not stereotypical.
Kaname Tousen was Captain of the 9th Division of the Gotei 13 until he betrayed the Soul Society, Sousuke Aizen, and Gin Ichimaru. The reason behind his betrayal is the murder of a woman close to him, who never got justice in the soul society.
However, Kaname Tousen turned out to be an ironic character at the end of the series. For someone who believed in no bloodshed and proper justice, Kaname sided with murderers and even agreed to the fact that he joined Aizen to avoid a meaningless death as a Soul Reaper.
#13 Mr. Popo
Anime: Dragon Ball
Known For: The most patient character in the DragonBall universe.
In anime, black anime characters refer to characters who are dark-skinned, but when it comes to Mr. Popo, he is all-black from head to toe.
Mr. Popo is a deity who serves as the Earth’s Guardian. From his looks, you can tell that he is a djinn, an immortal one. While patience is not the strong forte of most Dragon Ball characters, Mr. Popo evens it with his Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Did you find something weird there? Yeah, it’s Infinite Patience, not Tsukuyomi. Messing with you a little.
Besides being a deity, Mr. Popo is an excellent martial arts master who has helped the earthlings train to face challenges from the otherworldly threats. He also has a magic carpet to travel anywhere in the world.
#12 Aran Ojiro
Anime: Haikyuu!!
Known For: One of the Top 5 Aces in Japan.
Aran Ojiro is a third-year student and the ace of the volleyball team of Inarizaki High School. He is a wing-spiker and ranks among the Top 5 Aces in Japan. And if you have watched the anime, you know his prowess in volleyball.
In life outside the court, Aran is relaxed and quiet. He goes with the flow. He doesn’t overthink like Kita, who tries to find the logic behind everything.
Aran believes there is no need to find logic or reasoning behind your feelings. You feel what you feel.
#11 Yoruichi Shihouin
Anime: Bleach
Known For: The slyest cat ever in an anime.
Yoruichi Shihouin is way too talented. Not only is she the former captain of the 2nd Division, but she is also the former commander of the special forces of the soul society.
With her extreme knowledge of the Soul Society, Yoruichi joined forces with Kisuke Urahara to work in the human world. She can transform into a cat and is often found in that form as she finds it comfortable.
Oh, did I tell you that she is noble by birth? Tite Kubo didn’t miss when he was planning to introduce her in Bleach. A character who is hard to forget. Even if you want to, you can’t.
#10 Yasutora Sado
Anime: Bleach
Known For: Being the perfect one, he is tall, handsome, intelligent, and strong.
Yasutora Sado, known as Chad by his friends, is quiet and tall, and one might not expect that he is intelligent as well. He is of Mexican descent.
Though he can effortlessly shut down his bullies with his strength, but chooses not to. That’s how he met Ichigo, who saved him from two gang members and they became friends.
Later episodes revealed that Chad is a Fullbringer, which explains his superhuman strength. His powers are closer to hollows than a Soul Reaper or a Quincy.
Lastly, Chad loves small animals and anything cute, like plushies.
#9 Sister Krone
Anime: The Promised Neverland
Known For: She is manipulative, self-centered, and full of pride.
Sister Krone was one of those characters who had tunnel vision due to her tragic past. Wanting only love and attention, she tried to take Isabella’s place in the Grace Field House.
She appeared sweet from the outside, but from inside, she was bitter to no end. She plotted a lot behind Isabella, but that resulted in her demise. However, while dying, the one thing she wanted was the destruction of the farm she hated so much.
#8 Semyon “Simon” Brezhnev
Anime: Durarara!!
Known For: He is the strongest sushi restaurant worker.
Although his name is Semyon, people tend to call him Simon. Simon is a Russian who helps his friend run a sushi shop, a Russian sushi shop, to be precise.
Simon is always the one to calm down people engaged in fights and invites them to eat sushi. Though the sushi might not be the best, he serves it with kindness.
Don’t get deceived by his calm demeanor because if you piss him off enough, he might just pick you up and send you flying.
Simon is the strongest when it comes to a fistfight. He might be on par with Shizuo, the strongest and craziest one in Ikebukuro.
#7 Sol Marron
Anime: Black Clover
Known For: Her substantial prejudice against men.
Sol Marron is a Magic Knight of Clover Kingdom’s Blue Rose squad. She despises men, which is why she joined this squad with a majority of women. Also, a woman leads the squad.
However, she can work with men if it helps her captain and the squad. She would go all out in a battle from the beginning rather than plan and execute an attack.
Sol Marron is a user of Earth Magic.
#6 Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing
Anime: Hellsing
Known For: Being fearless and patriotic.
Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing leads the Hellsing Organization. She is fearless, calm, and composed.
One thing she cares about besides her country and its queen is her men. If anyone dares to harm them, she will tear them apart.
Besides being the leader of the organization, Integra is also the current master of Alucard. He is not only the most powerful vampire but is also the strongest weapon of the Hellsing Organization.
#5 Ken Takagi
Anime: My Hero Academia
Known For: A very straightforward man who speaks his mind.
Ken Takagi is a pro hero named Rock Lock. He is all about being practical and says what he thinks without sugarcoating. While he might sometimes come off as too critical, he is kind at heart, always caring about his colleagues.
His quirk lets him suspend any non-living object’s movement by touching it. Ken is also known for rock-solid confidence in the people he works with and himself.
#4 Edward
Anime: Cowboy Bebop
Known For: Eccentric, free-spirited, and surprisingly intelligent.
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, or Edward, is an extremely skilled hacker from Earth who is too curious for her good and does whatever she wants and goes wherever her two eyes go.
With only two hours of sleep a day, she has abundant energy. Not only does she resemble a wild animal in that regard, but she also tends to bite and walk like animals, which shows why she loves the company of animals.
If not for Edward, Cowboy Bebop would have lost a character that made us smile throughout the series.
#3 Yasuke
Anime: Yasuke
Known For: A samurai of African origin.
Yasuke is a samurai serving Nobunaga Oda. His previous name is Eusebio Ibrahimo Baloi, a man of African origin who came to be known as Yasuke after becoming a samurai.
Yasuke is kind and dislikes killing; however, he doesn’t hesitate to take a life if necessary, especially if it is related to Nobunaga Oda. He is so loyal to Oda that he kills her love interest rather than betraying his lord to have a happy life.
Besides that, Yasuke is a highly skilled fighter capable of fighting several enemies at once.
#2 Rajdhani
Anime: Sonny Boy
Known For: The go-to guy for anything science and technology.
If you are an Indian, the first word that comes to mind when discussing Trains is Rajdhani Express. And if you’re not an Indian, Rajdhani Express is a series of passenger trains extremely well-known throughout the country.
Anyway, we already know he is somewhat of a stereotypical image of an Indian who is good at science and technology. In Sonny Boy, Rajdhani gets along with almost everyone and discusses any matter openly without keeping it a secret.
With his power of “Pocket Computer,” he created several tools and gadgets which helped the students trapped in an unfamiliar world.
#1 Kilik Lunge
Anime: Soul Eater
Known For: His agility and being one of the top three students in Death Weapon Meister Academy.
Kilik Lunge is passionate and likes to take everything head-on. And why not? Kilik is not only one of the academy’s top students but also a pot meister who uses thunder and fire as his weapons. Pot meister is those who can use demon weapons as gauntlet-like gloves. His agility is second only to Black Star.
And when it comes to his friends, he doesn’t hesitate to put his life on the line.
Honorable Mentions
Several other black anime characters didn’t make it onto the list. Here are some prominent black anime characters you should know:
- Carole – Carole & Tuesday
- Villetta Nu – Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
- Darui – Naruto: Shippuuden
- Mohammed Avdol – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
FAQs
Who Is the Strongest Black Person in Anime?
Killer B (Naruto: Shippuuden), Bob Makihara (Tenjou Tenge), Simon (Durarara!!), and Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai) are some of the strongest black people in anime.
To pick just one name among so many strong black anime characters is not fair.
What Anime Has the Most Number of Black People?
Michiko to Hatchin anime has the most number of black people.
What Are Some Black Anime Girls?
Some black anime girls are Canary (Hunter x Hunter), Michiko Malandro (Michiko to Hatchin), Alex Benedetto (Gangsta.), and Yoruichi Shihouin (Bleach).
Are There Any Black Naruto Characters?
Yes, there are quite a few black characters in Naruto. They are Killer B, Darui, Omoi, and the most noticeable ones are from the Hidden Cloud Village, including the Raikage.
Is Usopp Black?
According to Oda, Usopp is of African descent, but that doesn’t mean he is black. The One Piece community is divided, where one group believes he is black, and the other doesn’t.
If you look at the anime, Usopp is getting fairer with each arc, and it’s hard to consider him a black anime character. But, it’s you who decides what you want to believe.
Regardless of this, we all love God Usopp, don’t we?
Is Killer B Black?
Yes, Killer B of Naruto: Shippuuden is black.
Are There Any Black Characters in My Hero Academia?
There are a couple of black characters in My Hero Academia. They are Ken Takagi (Rock Lock), Rumi Usagiyama (Rabbit Hero Mirko), and Shihai Kuroiro, who are all black like Mr. Popo from Dragon Ball.
Shihai’s quirk name is also black.
With that, I conclude this listicle about 25 black anime characters. If you think I have missed something, or if you have recommendations or suggestions regarding the article, feel free to reach out on averagebeing’s Instagram handle.
