Often with anime we see the majority of characters have the same or similar skin tone variation, usually having light or fair skin. This has stemmed from traditional beauty standards in Japanese culture, but as anime branches out in to different cultures and countries across the world, we are beginning to see more diversity in skin tone break through. Here are some super iconic, best black male anime characters we think you should meet! These characters are war veterans, zombies, samurais, and everything in between!
Best Black Anime Characters
1. Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai)
A thrilling, unpredictable, powerful and truly iconic character, Afro Samurai is the protagonist of the Afro Samurai series and is one of the best black male anime characters. An incredibly talented swordsman, whose father was brutally murdered in front of his own eyes as a child, he is traumatised and deeply hell bent with revenge, thus growing into a cold-blooded killer, willing to kill anyone in his pursuit of the number one.
As the number two, Afro has killed many in defense and revenge for the ultimate goal of avenging his father. Think John Wick, but cooler and better. The series takes place in a futuristic time, where it is said that whoever wears the Number 1 headband will have the ultimate powers.
2. Kaname Tosen (Bleach)
Formerly the captain of the 9th Division of the Gotei 13 with Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, his betrayal of the Soul Society put him at odds with his former best friend Sajin Komamura, as well as his former lieutenant in the 9th Division, Shūhei Hisagi. He formerly served as the 5th Seat of the 9th Division under Kensei Muguruma. Kaname may seem evil for betraying Soul Society, but he has a strong purpose and sense of justice and aims to take the path in life that will lead to the least death and destruction. His betrayal is the result of his knowledge that Aizen wants to take a path that will lead to thousands of deaths and his great wish to prevent it.
3. Kilik Rung (Soul Eater)
Seemingly chilled out and cool as a cucumber, Kilik is one of the top three performing meisters in the Soul Eater anime. One of the coolest ever, best black male anime characters, Kilik is a laid back and level headed guy most of the time, often viewed as sort of the leader in his group of friends. However, when in battle, Kilik takes on a whole new persona and has been shown to be hot blooded and fiery, compassionate enough to put his own life on the line for his friends time and time again. He is incredibly loyal and would easily face any sort of danger or even go against orders to help his friends or someone he cares about. There are so many layers to Kilik, making him one of the most multifaceted characters and coolest black guys in anime as well as one of the coolest anime characters full stop!
4. Fourth Raikage A (Naruto)
A is the son of the Third Raikage, who groomed him for the position of the Fourth Raikage. At some point in the past, due to A not having a blood sibling who could be his tag-partner, try-outs consisting of young children were gathered in order to determine one, in keeping with a long-standing Kumogakure tradition of the Raikage having a tag-team partner. After many attempts, they found only one child who was able to successfully match A's power and use the Lightning Release: Double Lariat on a training dummy. As a result, that child was given the name "B", and A stated that they would be brothers from that day on. A is sort of viewed as a gentle giant, regarding him and B to be brothers, although he has a more militant demeanor and will do anything for the greater good, thus ending up as more of a father figure to B and punishing him in order to discipline him. In the anime we see him even go as far as wanting to destroy the Moon, with Naruto still on it!
5. James Ironside (Blood+)
Known in the anime as Diva's sixth, last and favourite Chevalier, James was in contact with the US military and also the leader of Corpse Corps. He found his position as a Chevalier after being saved from the brink of death from being wounded horribly in the military, saved by Amshel. Since he was saved, James kept advancing in the military, which gave him access to top military weaponry. He is extremely professional, punctual and dresses in a formal manner. He sets high standards for himself and others, and is seen to be ambitious and strong headed, whilst deeply loyal and devoted to Diva in the anime.
6. Darui (Naruto)
Darui is from the anime Naruto. Trained under the Third Raikage, Darui is very level headed and down to earth. When everyone else is freaking out, you can expect Darui to remain mellow and calm. This makes him one of the best black male anime characters. However, it is also apparent that he bores easily and tends to be annoyed by things, sometimes pessimistic and referring to how something is boring him. Although he seems lazy, Darui is definitely not and often volunteers to lend a hand in difficult combat.
7. Omoi (Naruto)
Omoi is a cautious and meticulous planner in the anime, always planning down to the most minute detail and thinking of every consequence before taking an action. He habitually runs through every alternative scenario, which can lead him to space out often and exhibits a wild imagination. He also has respect for people who stand by their word, even if they are the enemy. He is a very intelligent ninja, is shown to be very resourceful even under pressure and has incredible strength and ability, thus the Fourth Raikage gives him special missions because of his skills. In the anime, we see Omoi later go on to be the bodyguard of the Fifth Raikage.
8. Agil (Sword Art Online)
Andrew Gilbert Mills, also known as Agil, is a supporting character in the Aincrad Arc and a reoccurring character throughout the Sword Art Online series. He was one of the 10,000 players who were trapped in Sword Art Online (SAO), where he was a veteran axe-wielder and a merchant who owned a shop in Algade, a city on the 50th Floor of Aincrad. After returning to the real world in the aftermath of the Sword Art Online incident, Andrew began playing ALfheim Online (ALO) as a Gnome. In real life, Andrew manages the Dicey Café with the help of his wife. He is very kind, friendly and cheerful, always on the lookout for others he can help. In the anime we see that he spends a lot of time and money helping middle players be able to level up and helping them advance in the game. He was also known for defending the beta testers.
9. Sid Barrett (Soul Eater)
When Sid was alive, he was a muscular, dark-skinned young man with cornrowed hair and black Japanese tattoos on both his arms which still remain in his zombie transformation. The kanji shown in the tattoo on his shoulder stands for "death", and the arrow under it stands for "person". Prior to his death, Sid was a friendly and kind teacher, making him well liked, but was also firm in his teachings. However, he loved all the students he taught and possessed a passion to help them to achieve their true potential and find success. Sid resurfaced as a zombie, but still retained all his previous traits and pure intentions. After becoming a zombie, his skin has adopted a bluish tone and his face is composed of a flat nose, pupilless white eyes and a mouth that persistently displays his top and bottom teeth. Despite being undead, he still retains the full extent of both his hair and physical build.
10. Kaz Kaan (Neo Yokio)
One of the coolest pink haired guys in anime, Kaz Kaan also takes the title of being one of the coolest and most recognisable best black guys in anime! One of the coolest black male anime characters, Kaz is fashion forward, elegant and aristocratic in a sense. He worries about fashion and how he looks and what other people think of him. Having a social status and being regarded as the best are very important to him. He has heightened senses, specifically when it comes to demons. He has been known to slay one or two.
11. Mr. Popo (Dragonball)
An assistant deity to Earth’s Guardian, Mr Popo has a bit of a controversial reputation (or rather Dragonball Z has for his character design). Popo has been accused of being a blackface cartoon distortion, and has taken some flak from fans and critics of the series. Due to the backlash, Mr. Popo's skin color was changed for the 2010 reissuing of the anime Dragon Ball Kai, in which his black complexion was altered to blue. His appearance aside, he is still an incredibly cool character and deserves a mention here in this list. A little like the genie in Alladin, he is bound eternally as the groundskeeper of the Lookout but can travel anywhere instantly if he uses a magic carpet. He is known to be very old, although he appears to never age. He is shown to be patient and wise and enjoys tending to his butterfly garden that he planted thousands of years ago.
12. Dutch (Black Lagoon)
Dutch is one of the main protagonists and anti-heroes in the manga/anime series Black Lagoon. He is the leader of the Lagoon Company and captain of the ex-U.S. Navy PT boat Black Lagoon. He is a former United States Marine who fought in the Vietnam War. A strong and experienced soldier, he wields his Remington 870 Marine Magnum with impressive speed and efficiency. In the anime, Dutch ended up going AWOL and went to Thailand to become a mercenary, where he started the Lagoon Company. An authoritative character and commander, he mostly orders people around and draws up plans behind the scenes of the combat. He is level-headed, courageous and strong and is an expert leader and negotiator.
13. Aokiji (One Piece)
Aokiji is also known as Kuzan on One Piece. He affiliated himself with the Blackbeard Pirates. Prior, he was a marine. He is extremely laid back and mostly goes with the flow, rarely ever getting surprised. Since he has this attitude, others find it hard to believe that he was a marine. However, Aokiji is very smart and cunning. But, people tend to underestimate him. He does not speak rudely, but more relaxed than a formal speech. If he thinks a situation is worthy enough for him, then he will engage.
14. Mugen (Samurai Champloo)
One of the main male protagonists of Samurai Champloo along with Jin, both Mugen and Jin accompany Fuu in her search for "the samurai who smells of sunflowers." Mugen serves as a foil to Jin in terms of personality and disposition. His fighting style is characterized as being reckless and erratic, he is incredibly competitive and impulsive and he is presented as the antihero, making him very endearing and exciting. He can be vulger, crude and a bit of a loose canon in the anime. He is such a fascinating character to watch in the anime, think the character of Poldark but madder, more untamed and even better.
15. Simon Brezhnev (Durarara)
A peaceful and calming influence in the anime, Simon Brezhnev is is a member of the Dollars and one of the owners of Russia Sushi along with his old friend Denis. He is known as one of the strongest men in Ikebukuro. According to Izaya Orihara, if it was just a fist fight, Simon would be the strongest, although Shizuo Heiwajima is the strongest if "anything goes." Originally hailing from the Soviet Union, he is known to be extremely kind and will break up any fight by intervening and offering each party some sushi to pacify them. He has no appetite for violence as he knows the devastation it can cause. He is such a wholesome and mysterious, fascinating character to watch in the anime.
It's so cool that anime is no longer exclusive to characters of only Japanese descent and is branching out to become more reflective of every day life and explore many other cultures and include many different skin tones. It is constantly changing and evolving, so we can't wait to see more equal representation in the future! Outer appearance aside, these characters are absolute gems in their own right, not only for the colour of their skin. They are truly iconic! What did you think of our list of the best black male anime characters - who is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!
If you liked this definitely also check out Hottest Vampire Guys in Anime, Best Vampire Romance Anime Shows, Best Anime Male Characters with White Hair and Best Isekai Anime Shows!
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