30 Of The Best Black Anime Characters

Highlights

• POC representation in anime is growing, with shows like “Carole & Tuesday” featuring confident black characters like Angela.
• Characters like Bob Makihara from “Tenjou Tenge” add diversity and unique styles to the anime world as leading POC characters.
• Strong characters like Darui from “Naruto: Shippuden” and S.A.M from “Cannon Busters” are paving the way for more diverse representation in anime.

The world of anime is huge, but most fans can agree that there’s a lack of racial diversity. Characters from varying racial backgrounds are uncommon in anime, but a few franchises are becoming more inclusive. There have been some black anime characters that appeared in some old-school shows, but some are controversial because of their portrayal and looks.

Luckily for fans, the shows of today are on the road to including more black characters and representing them respectfully. Many have appeared as key supporting characters, but some shows have them as leading characters. Either way, these characters are memorable and are some of the best characters in the anime world.

Updated on April 28th, 2024, by Sarah Prado: More POC characters are appearing as the anime world continues to grow and become more diverse. While it’s still an overall small pool, it’s a step in the right direction, and creators are making sure to portray them in a more respectful light than may have previously been the case. These characters have managed to stand out and pave the way for POC characters to rise up in anime. Whether they appear in one episode, have a supporting role, or are part of the main cast, these black anime characters are the best and most iconic in anime because of their strong presence, along with having some of the best character designs out there. As this diversification grows, more of these characters will make their debuts and, subsequently, make their way onto this list, as is the case with its latest update.

30 Angela Carpenter (Carole & Tuesday)

A Model Turned Singer Who Is Confident In Her Abilities

• Release Year: 2019
• Studio: Bones
• Genre: Drama, Sci-fi, Music
• Number of Episodes: 24

Angela is a popular and successful model and former child actress who wants to become a singer. Though some think she wouldn’t have what it takes to become one, Angela shows that she’s more than a pretty face. After some vocal training from Tao, Angela enters the Mars’ Brightest competition in hopes of proving to everyone she’s a singer and sees Carole and Tuesday as her biggest competition.

It would’ve been easy to write her as a typical rival, but Angela is more of a frenemy to the duo. She doesn’t try to sabotage them and wants to win the competition fair and square just to prove she’s better than them. While she can be rude, arrogant, and egotistical, it can’t be denied that Angela can walk the walk and is rightfully confident in her abilities as a singer.

29 Usopp (One Piece)

The Sniper Of The Straw Hat Pirates

Usopp had a bit of a rough start when he appeared, but has become a core member of the Straw Hat Pirates. He started off as a liar and fearful of combat but has since become a great sniper and willing to help his friends even when he’s scared. He might not be as strong as Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro, but Usopp isn’t helpless in a fight.

Even after temporarily leaving the crew, Usopp’s bond with them remained strong, and he eventually joined the Straw Hats again. He works well alongside any of them and has grown a lot since joining the crew, but is still the hilarious guy that fans love.

28 Caldina (Magic Knight Rayearth)

A Dancer Who Is Also A Deadly Warrior And Illusionist

Beautiful, exotic, and confident, Caldina might not look like much at first glance, but she’s a pretty deadly warrior. She’s an accomplished dancer, card games, and games of chance, but her true talent shines as an illusionist.

Caldina is great at almost anything she does and was even recruited by Zagato for her assassin skills. She eventually deserts him after she’s defeated by Fuu and becomes a confidante for Ascot, whom she treats as a younger brother.

27 Bob Makihara (Tenjou Tenge)

A Strong Warrior And One Of The First POC Characters To Be Part Of A Main Cast

• Release Year: 2004
• Studio: Madhouse
• Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural
• Number of Episodes: 24

A South African teen who joins the Juken Club alongside his childhood friend, Souichiro. Thanks to the training he’s done, Bob becomes one of the physically most powerful members of the club. If his physical strength isn’t enough to scare people, his main style of fighting is using Capoeira, a Brazilian dance-based style of martial arts that makes him unique and stand out from the group.

The anime doesn’t give Bob the credit he’s due, but Tenjou Tenge fans know the manga gives him everything he deserves. Overall, Bob is a great character who was one of the first POC characters to be part of the main cast in anime.

26 Mira Naigus (Soul Eater)

A Demon Weapon Who Cares For Her Students

The demon weapon partner of Sid Barrett,Mira is also an instructor at Death Weapon Meister Academy. She holds the school in high regard and a strong believer in following the rules. She doesn’t let emotion get in the way of making decisions and often advises her peers to do the same.

Though cynical and quite cold to her peers, Mira is a passionate and caring teacher toward her students. While fans don’t get to see much of her abilities in combat, Mira is known to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat which is a rarity among Demon Weapons.

25 Onyankopon (Attack On Titan)

A Young Man Willing To Help Those Who Should Be His Enemies

He might’ve appeared late in the series, but Onyankopon has earned his spot as one of the best supporting characters in Attack on Titan. Since his appearance, Onyankopon has proven to be a valuable ally and willingly shared the technology of his and his comrades’ home with the Eldians. He’s a relatively peaceful guy who gets along with the main cast and they have a mutual respect for him.

Even after the Survey Corps was locked up, Onyankopon proved to be a trustworthy ally when he freed them and told them he knew nothing about Yelena and Zeke’s euthanasia plan. As the only one who can pilot the flying boat, Onyankopon made it his mission to get his comrades as close to Eren as possible even with the odds stacked against him.

24 S.A.M (Cannon Busters)

A Friendly Robot Who Turns Into A Lethal Weapon When Her Friends Are In Danger

• Release Year: 2019
• Studio: Satelight & Yumeta Company
• Genre: Action, Fantasy
• Number of Episodes: 12

A robot that’s programmed for friendship and grows as the series goes on. Because of this programming, S.A.M. is a pretty sweet girl who just wants to befriend everyone around her. This does make her come as naive and let some people take advantage of that. S.A.M. She also can’t process when someone insults her or disrespects her, and just brushes it off.

Overall, S.A.M. is just a sweet girl that fans can’t help but love even if she’s oblivious to things around her. However, S.A.M. is extremely protective over her friends and transforms into a pretty terrifying weapon if they’re ever in danger.

23 Darui (Naruto: Shippuden)

The Right-Hand Man And Bodyguard Of The Fourth Raikage

Darui has had quite an interesting life so far. He was a student of the Third Raikage who taught him how to use black lightning and is the second person to know how to use it. He’s a pretty powerful shinobi and almost defeated the Gold and Silver Brothers single-handedly which is pretty impressive since they were using the Tools of the Sage of Six Paths. Darui is also the right-hand man and bodyguard to the Fourth Raikage and comes off as more mature than him.

Though often apologizing for the Fourth Raikage’s impulsive actions, Darui highly respects him and is quick to defend him if anyone says something negative. During the Fourth Shinobi War, Darui was the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces First Division. After the series ends, Darui is now the Fifth Raikage, showing that he’s only gotten stronger.

22 Miyuki Ayukawa (Basquash!)

A Mechanic With Beauty And Brains

• Release Year: 2009
• Studio: Satelight
• Genre: Action, Mecha, Sports
• Number of Episodes: 26

She might be a supporting character, but Miyuki is Dan’s mechanic and a really good one at that. Her contributions to Dan and his team are large and he should be grateful that someone as amazing as Miyuki is helping him. She’s more than happy to help out and keep their Big Foots up and running.

Miyuki is just the total package having beauty and brains. She even remains friendly with Dan (whom she has feelings for) after she learns that he has feelings for Rouge.

21 Ogun Montgomery (Fire Force)

A Fire Soldier With Some Awesome Abilities

A longtime friend of Shinra and Arthur, and a Third Generation pyrokinetic. Ogun is a Fire Soldier who is extremely powerful and has some pretty awesome abilities at his disposal. He’s able to create his own flames unlike Second Generations who can only control existing flames. He uses his abilities to create multiple spears and sword-like weapons to use in battle, usually by throwing them.

What makes Ogun stand out is his Flamy Ink ability in which he tattoos his flames onto his skin. This ability greatly increases his strength, but it does come at the risk of him overheating quicker. Ogun sparingly uses this ability, but when he does, it looks awesome.

20 Coffee (Cowboy Bebop)

She Made Her One-Time Appearance Count

She only appeared in one episode of Cowboy Bebop, but Coffee has left a lasting impression. A bounty hunter who just happened to be after the same guy that Edward and Ein are looking for. Needless to say, Coffee found herself in some strange situations revolving around the duo, but kept her focus on finding the man. It’s almost funny how serious she was while Edward and Ein were just being their eccentric selves in the middle of a shootout and car chase.

Her one-time appearance was more than enough to make fans love her. Wielding a grenade launcher with no issues and looking fabulous while doing so is tough to do, but Coffee pulls this off effortlessly. If there is one character who could have their own spinoff series, Coffee would be an interesting character to watch.

19 A, The Fourth Raikage (Naruto: Shippuden)

The Fearsome Fourth Raikage Of Kumogakure

The older adoptive brother of Killer B and is one of the strongest characters in the series. The Fourth Raikage has been able to match the speed of Minato Namikaze and the strength of Naruto and Sasuke. Though a stern man who’s not afraid to make heavy sacrifices should he have to for the greater good, A is a man who cares deeply for everyone around him.

He loves and cares for his younger brother, but he does not hesitate to rough Killer B up if he gets out of line. Even though Killer B is possibly a lot stronger than him, he’s not going to antagonize A if he can help it.

18 Claudia LaSalle (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)

A Second Lieutenant Who Helped Pave The Way For POC Characters

• Release Year: 1982
• Studio: Artland & Tatsunoko Productions
• Genre: Mecha, Action, Sci-fi, Romance
• Number of Episodes: 36

A character from an 80s anime that is a well-written character along with being well-designed, especially compared to other POC characters that came during this decade. Claudia is a supporting character that usually helps out her friend Misa Hayase whenever she needs it, usually revolving around her growing feelings for Hikaru. Though her job as second lieutenant can be pretty stressful, Claudia remains confident and professional. Her relationship with Roy was a pretty good one until his death, and they are one of the very few interracial relationships in the anime world. Even though she grieved for him, Claudia continued to remain strong while doing her work and always remembering the good times she had with Roy.

Most black characters in 80s anime were usually designed and portrayed with problematic stereotypes, but Claudia came out unscathed from this and broke down barriers. She showed that a black character (and a female at that) doesn’t have to be those things to be successful and iconic.

17 Kaname Tosen (Bleach)

A Powerful Warrior With His Own Code And Morals

Though he’s an antagonist in the series, Kaname is a man with his code and morals. His creed is “take the path with the least bloodshed” and following Sosuke Aizen was the lesser evil. He knew thousands would die, but believed the outcome was worth it. After his dear friend was killed and her killer was free from the crime, Kaname secretly sought justice against the Soul Society that allowed this.

It’s hard to not feel sorry for him because he saw the dark and ugly side of the justice system and his friend truly loved the Soul Society. His path in the series asks many questions about how justice truly works and shows the corruption hidden in the world. Despite his philosophy that less bloodshed is better, Kaname was a pretty deadly and powerful warrior that very few would dare to cross.

16 April (Darker Than Black)

Has An Iconic Design And The Power To Create Deadly Storms

• Release Year: 2007
• Studio: Bones
• Genre: Supernatural, Sci-fi, Mystery
• Number of Episodes: 25

April could be iconic for just her looks alone. Even among other anime characters, her look is unique with her light blue hair, pink fur-lined jacket, and the beautiful pink color on her lips. But April is more than just a pretty face and this woman can be pretty deadly since she can create hurricanes and strong winds.

Plus her high tolerance of alcohol made for nice and lighthearted moments. Any time she’s around, it’s hard to not look at her because of her bright appearance in a rather dreary and dark environment.

15 Muhammed Avdol (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

A Man Who Wants To Look Good And Responsible

A very important ally in Stardust Crusaders since he’s the one who helped find a way to defeat Dio. He’s very concerned with his “image” and this could easily sound self-absorbed, but this is not the case since he wants others to know he’s responsible and mature. His sense of duty and loyalty is very strong, and he was dedicated to helping the Joestar family put an end to Dio. He is one of the wisest characters in the series, making him a valuable ally.

Avdol was confident in his abilities and wasn’t afraid to boast about them and his Stand’s strengths. He was a mentor and great friend to Jotaro Kujo, helping him understand how Stands work and teaching him and the rest of the group many things.

14 Carole Stanley (Carole &Tuesday)

A Young Woman Working Hard To Make Her Musical Dreams Come True

• Release Year: 2019
• Studio: Bones
• Genre: Drama, Sci-fi, Music
• Number of Episodes: 24

Carole’s life has been less than ideal, being an orphan and constantly fired from jobs. However, she doesn’t let that bring her down. She’s straightforward and a little brusque when dealing with delicate situations and customers, which usually leads to her getting fired. Still, Carole is quite nice, patient, bright, and outgoing, so it might be surprising that she has few friends. However, this could stem from the bullying she faced from both her peers and teachers.

Despite the hardships she’s been through, Carole doesn’t give up her dream of being a famous musician. She’s independent, strong, and confident, which makes her a great older sister figure for shy, less confident Tuesday. Carole doesn’t see her as a burden, even though Tuesday lacks social skills and is a bit of an airhead.

13 Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai)

A Strong Samurai That Very Few Will Cross

One of the most iconic black anime characters, Afro Samurai is a highly skilled swordsman who can deflect crossbow bolts and bullets and even fight in the air. He is ruthless in battle, and people have considered him a monster because of it. He’s taken out thugs and warriors with relative ease. He is seen wearing the Number Two headband, which marks him as the second-strongest swordsman in the world.

Though he’s quite cold and aloof, Afro Samurai has shown that he does care for a few people, like Jinno and Otsuru. Even though Otsuru was sent to kill, it’s shown that he had an emotional connection to her, and kept her hairpin after her death.

12 Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach)

The Flash Goddess Lives Up To Her Title

Yoruichi surprised many viewers when she transformed into her human form for the first time. Born in the Shihoin family, one of the noble houses in the Soul Society, Yoruichi was the first woman in her family to be the head of the house and one of the strongest captains in the Gotei 13. She trained Orihime and Chad to get them ready to go to the Soul Society.

She’s considered the most proficient Hoho master ever, which has earned her the title “Flash Goddess.” She can take out groups of enemies in the blink of an eye, and she has mastered Hoho to the point that it looks like she’s in multiple places at once. Not many people will challenge her because they know if they do, an extremely tough fight awaits them.

11 Kilik Rung (Soul Eater)

One Of The Top Three Students In The Whole School

Kilik Rung has definitely earned his spot as one of the top three students in Death Weapon Meister Academy. He might not get much screen time, but fans of Soul Eater know his power is nothing to underestimate. With his twin gauntlets, Fire and Thunder, he uses his expertise in hand-to-hand combat to maximize their potential. They pack some serious power, and even if opponents can withstand his attacks, they can’t do much to counter them.

He’s considered hot-headed, but he is compassionate and willing to give his life to protect his friends. In the anime, he and Black Star are good friends and make quite a powerful duo.