So, a bit of an opener right here. After doing many listicles in a span of 2 months, I have been writing a lot of anime character tropes. There are some that are just like a walk in a park, and there are others that need more work to do than usual. But this one is slightly different from others because of the following reasons.
So today's article is all about the 25 best black anime characters of all time. Let me tell you this one is not that difficult to write. I know a lot of black characters in anime, since even though it is quite uncommon, it is also not that rare either. But what comes next is what makes this article quite a challenging one for me.
When it comes to black people, I (and some other people) need to be really careful not to offend them. You may have seen some of my articles where I joke a lot about something. Here I need to be extra careful because one wrong word or phrase will get me into trouble.
Not going to lie, I did quite a lot of rephrasing and changing words so that I do not get canceled (who actually wants to get canceled?) I did come with some jokes, but I am not even sure whether it is safe or not to publish and will not offend anyone, since again, it might be a sensitive topic.
That is until I realized that I may not finish this article on time if it continues. So yes, I did say screw it, and went publishing this article. And if you ask me why the heck did I pick this topic if I am scared, it is because there are some black anime characters whom I really like and I need to talk about.
And boy that was a really long intro huh. It has been a while since the last time I did such a long one (because I was that scared of being canceled lol). So enough of this already, let us jump to our first character in number 25:
Best Black Anime Characters of All Time
25. Nagatoro Hayase (Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro)
(Nagatoro fans, calm down and listen) Okay putting her really down below might be a mistake because you literally have anything you want from a waifu. But the reason for this is because we have not seen everything from Nagatoro. The 2nd season is coming right up, and after that you will realize that Nagatoro does deserve more than this. But until that time comes, she will stay down here. Consider this as the attitude adjustment for newer anime characters.
24. Sister Krone (The Promised Neverland)
Starting as a villain, I could say that Sister Krone did not have the best first impression. You could see that she has an ulterior motive that lingering beneath her weird demeanor. But just like any other characters, a lot of fans started to sympathize for her after knowing her backstory and what caused her to be like this (we are quite easy to please, huh). And that happened just a moment before she died. What an unfortunate soul Sister Krone is.
23. Canary (Hunter X Hunter)
Canary's role is so minor in the Hunter X Hunter series, yet she received some good amount of love from the fans. For me personally I want to see more of her whether in the form of backstory or simply Canary in action. And no, she has not got one in the manga from Togashi after all these years after the anime has ended (Togashi please come back). And it is kind of unfortunate because she has so much potential.
22. Ken Takagi (My Hero Academia)
Or Rock Lock, if you are not familiar with him (but I doubt it since you already saw the picture). I thought of him as a rude and insensitive hero at first. Then it turns out he only tries to be efficient and actually does care for his peers, even though he does not show it, just like your typical male Tsundere. And in terms of capability, he is really good at what he is doing. A proper hero indeed.
21. Superalloy Darkshine (One Punch Man)
Do not bash me on this but I honestly have some sort of discomfort seeing an ultra muscular body. I can only imagine what would happen to me if they hugged me without clothes. Thus the reason behind why I put him quite low (not because he is black because others are also black). Luckily most of these muscular characters are the nicest ones, and of course that includes the number 11 in S-Class Hero Superalloy Darkshine. But please do not hug me.
20. Kojiro Hyuga (Captain Tsubasa)
If you guys have no idea who he is, well… I would not blame you. Maybe just a tad bit disappointed, but I understand. But those who know him, congratulations you must have had a great childhood, since you have witnessed one among other legendary rivalry in sports anime. In short, Hyuga is a rival who expects you to do the best and always tries to overcome any obstacles to become a better football player (or soccer player if you are American).
19. Patrick Spencer (Eyeshield 21)
Another rival for the main character in sports anime (and believe it or not, he would not be the last). More known as “Panther”, he is a Running Back from NASA Aliens. He becomes the 2nd player who is able to catch Sena after Shin. The anime has shown their matches a couple of times. If only there is a rerun of Eyeshield 21, then we can witness another match of them, because this one has a higher stake and more amazing skills to play.
18. Andrew Gilbert Mills (Sword Art Online)
I believe he is among the most underrated characters in Sword Art Online. Having him as your ally is really reassuring because he is that kind of loyal friend who is willing to help you on almost anything. I mean, there is a reason why Kirito prefers to make an alliance with him rather than with other players. And I believe that is the whole reason why. If you have a buddy like Andrew, do not waste them because they will not appear twice.
17. Mohammed Avdol (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Is this a JoJo reference? You bet it is. So, rejoice, JoJo fans. Mohammed Abdul, Mohammed Afudoru, Mohammed Avdol, whatever you want to call him, you cannot deny that his appearance in JoJo is a memorable one. It is quite sad that he died before even being able to help Joutarou facing Dio. But we can remember him as one of the greatest characters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (honestly I have no idea what to say anymore about him lol).
16. Kaname Tousen (Bleach)
I personally really like Tousen's design and personality. At first. But then I started questioning his decision to join Aizen and kind of disliked him. But then I started to understand him after losing to his ex subordinate. And then he died. We got a Sister Krone 2.0 (except Tousen has existed way before Krone). So yeah, the similarities are there and frankly I cannot unsee it as it is right now. It has just become an anime thing.
15. Nessa (Pokémon)
(Before we get into it: Them what a smoking hot body she got there) Well by technicality Nessa has not appeared in the Pokémon anime, apart from her one minor OVA appearance. But I still want to include her on the list because of… Stuff. And also eventually I am pretty sure that she is going to make an appearance in the anime. Let us just say that this is a checkpoint for her before she truly shows up in the anime.
14. Onyankopon (Attack on Titan)
Fans remember him being questioned by Sasha for his black skin. A normal person would definitely be mad, but Onyankopon is simply made differently. He just needed to explain with a simple analogy (and for real it is actually a good one) and voila. Everyone understands why. And that is a real gigachad move by him. Now that the 2nd season is coming up soon, I am pretty sure that Attack on Titan fans cannot wait for his appearance.
13. Darui (Naruto)
Darui was introduced as a badass Raikage bodyguard during the Kage Summit arc. He is a skillful ninja and even became one of the five generals during the World Ninja War. In the Boruto anime, he became the next Raikage. But I think that is when the good story ends because in the Boruto series, he did not get that much screen time. Understandable since the story revolves more towards Boruto (duh). I do hope that Darui will get his chance to shine once more like in the Naruto Shippuden.
12. Carole Stanley (Carole and Tuesday)
I have mixed feelings when it comes to Carole and Tuesday. But that is for another story (that will never come lol). As it is right now, I could say that Carole is one aspect among some others that has become one compelling point of this anime. For me personally, her backstory is something that seals the deal for making me love her as a character. Alongside other aspects, of course, such as her bold, optimistic personality and her music skills.
11. Edward Wong (Cowboy Bebop)
Just a while ago she did make it into my breathtaking red haired anime girls. So I honestly do not have much to say about her because I have explained a lot about Ed's best quality. So, for this one, I would like to express my hope about Edward in the live action series because boy… Have you seen the backlash (read it here if you have not). I do wish that the producers will find the best solution to portray Ed's character in real life.
10. Marik Ishtar (Yu Gi Oh)
Marik (or Malik for some countries) is another unfortunate character who started as the main antagonist in the Battle City arc. As I said, it is an anime thing where we started to pity this character after knowing the background of them. The only reason why I put him higher than more popular Tousen and Krone is honestly because of the sentimental feeling I have towards him. So yes, it is because of subjectivity and I do not mind at all.
9. Mr. Popo (Dragon Ball)
When you first see him, would you really think that he would be a good teacher and a capable martial artist? Well I personally do not see him like that. And well of course I was wrong, because he turned out to be a nimble and skillful guy who is able to defeat Goku rather easily. Since then I learned the importance of not judging the book by its cover and the harsh truth of reality (even though I still do that pretty often lmao).
8. A (Naruto)
Oh look, our second Naruto character (and spoiler, he would not be the last). I have talked about A's strength in this Naruto article. Right now, let us talk a bit about his personality. I know the fact that some people dislike him because of his bold and rash personality, which is dull and predictable. Some others, however, think of it as badass and powerful, just like Raikage is supposed to be. So, which one are you when it comes to A's character?
7. Marshall D. Teach (One Piece)
There is something unique about Teach that made him such an interesting character. I have mentioned him a bit in my bearded character article (at this point you should not be surprised by this shameless plug). Even though he is the reason why so many cool characters died, I cannot hate him because Oda has not revealed a lot of things about Teach. Until we reach the point where all of his secrets are exposed, I am eager to see what will happen to him.
6. Charon (Fire Force)
When he first appeared to fight Shinra, I knew instantly that he was going to be a hell of a character. And I was completely right. You know you have done a great job if you can make a villain so loved by the fandom. Charon is that one prime example because I myself cannot find any fault with him. He is strong, funny, but loyal to his group. And I believe that is more than enough reasons for not hating him.
5. Aomine Daiki (Kuroko no Basket)
You all know the drill by now and I do not want to repeat it again (is it not tiring explaining things over and over again lol). I can see from Daiki's perspective for being an a**hole because of his bloody skill when it comes to basketball and almost no one can touch him on the court. Luckily it has changed after Tetsuya and Taiga beat him and Daiki eventually can enjoy basketball like he used to be.
4. Hayama Akira (Food Wars)
Arguably one of the most talented chefs in Food Wars, who sadly got nerfed and disappeared in the top competition of Elite Ten (as always you can read this article for further elaboration). But in short, he is supposed to have a great rivalry with Souma. Sadly as the story goes on, Akira's role got replaced by other characters hence his screen time is slowly getting reduced. Kind of sad because this rivalry will be really interesting if it continues.
3. Hibana (Fire Force)
I have said that anime is that one medium that makes us able to empathize and even sympathize with the antagonists. But I have not mentioned that it is super effective towards a BEAUTIFUL antagonist (not saying that Krone is not pretty but you get the point). Here I have not much to explain about Hibana because she is a brilliant character who deserves all the love from the Fire Force fans for literally everything she has in the series.
2. Killer Bee (Naruto)
Yes I promise, this is the last character in Naruto. I cannot really help it to include a lot of Naruto characters because they also introduced a lot of black characters. For me personally (and I am sure a lot of you will agree), Bee is the coolest of them all. Yes his rap sucks, but his personality is really warm and cheerful, knowing the fact that he was despised by the village because he is a Jinchuriki. Bee is amazing. That is all to say.
1. Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach)
You might think that I put her in the first place because she is a top tier waifu material. And you are exactly right. Why would I not place a waifu here at number one? But real talk, everything about Yoruichi starting from her look (most definitely), body figure, personality, and her badassness are something to die for. You cannot deny that those aspects are definitely more than enough to make her the best black anime character for this list.