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Coolness is one of the most mysterious and attractive traits in anime. Few characters have it, and the ones that do make people flock to them easily. There are many ways a character can be cool, and they don't have to be fighting for the good side either. To be cool, a character needs to be confident, they need to be themselves, and they have to be calm. Characters like Guts from Berserk embody this kind of stoic coolness perfectly.
Coolness can be bad too. Characters like Toji Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen are cool because they don't care about rules. They do what they want and are strong and smart enough to get away with it. No matter why or how a character is cool, they're always one of the best reasons to watch a show. Cool characters are usually strong too, as there's nobody who can make them freak out in the first place.
10 Guts
The Black Swordsman is Equally Cool and Vicious
Berserk
Created by Kentaro Miura , Kouji Mori
First Film Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1: The Egg of the King
Character(s) Guts , Griffith , Casca , Judeau , Pippin , Corkus , Rickert , Gaston (Berserk) , Puck (Berserk) , Farnese de Vandimion , Serpico , Isidro , Schierke
Video Game(s) Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage , Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho , Berserk and the Band of the Hawk
Guts has one of the most tragic backstories in anime, but he doesn't let that get him down. While most other characters would break under the weight of Guts' past, the Black Swordsman marches on. He's focused on his quest and only uses the past as fuel to get him closer to his ideal future. Guts is one of the most stoic characters around. Most of his friends and allies can't tell what he's thinking by looking at him because his face doesn't really change unless he's in battle.
Guts becomes a beast in battle. He once fought 100 enemy soldiers at once in one of the best one-man-army moments in anime history. His viciousness only adds to his coolness. Guts is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, and will use his Dragon Slayer the entire time.
9 Satoru Gojo
The Strongest Sorcerer in Modern Jujutsu Society
Cast Junya Enoki , Yuma Uchida , Yuichi Nakamura , Adam McArthur , Asami Seto
Release Date October 3, 2020
Seasons 1
Writers Hiroshi Seko
Directors Sunghoo Park , Shōta Goshozono
As the strongest modern sorcerer in Jujutsu Society, it's hard for Satoru Gojo not to be cool. He's the user of two of the strongest techniques in history in the Limitless and Six Eyes techniques, and he's mastered them in a way that makes him basically untouchable. Gojo is funny, confident, and altogether capable. He makes quick work of some of the strongest characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. When he fights Jogo, he's so confident in his ability to win that he brings Yuji to the battle just to watch. The best part is that Gojo has every right to do so.
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Jogo was insulted but couldn't do anything about it. Gojo dominated his opponent easily, showing off for his student. Gojo is so cool that he survived death itself when Toji killed him. Instead of dying like a normal, not cool person, Gojo discovered the Reverse Cursed Technique, revived himself, and got his revenge against another insanely cool character.
8 Roronoa Zoro
One of the Straw Hat's Swordsman
Cast Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Akemi Okamura , Kappei Yamaguchi , Hiroaki Hirata , Ikue Ôtani , Yuriko Yamaguchi , Kazuki Yao , Chō
Release Date October 20, 1999
Seasons 20
Writers Junki Takegami , Shoji Yonemura , Hirohiko Uesaka
Directors Kônosuke Uda , Junji Shimizu , Munehisa Sakai
Creator(s) Eiichiro Oda
Roronoa Zoro is never panicked. When most other characters would have a full-blow meltdown, he might consider taking a nap. He doesn't care about much outside of becoming the strongest swordsman there is, which is an insanely cool endeavor. He's also as loyal as it gets to his fellow Straw Hat pirates. Zoro is notorious for his inability to navigate, but he doesn't care. He'll go wherever he goes and figure it out from there. His laid-back, confident attitude makes him the coolest character in One Piece by far.
One of the coolest moments in anime happens when Zoro decides to take damage for Luffy. When the Warlord Kuma goes to take Zoro's captain, Zoro steps in. Kuma sees his bravery and decides to spare Luffy if Zoro takes the damage that was meant for Luffy. Zoro agrees, and takes a near-lethal number of blows. After the Straw Hats revive, Sanji finds Zoro in a mess of blood. When Sanji asks Zoro what happened, Zoro simply responds that nothing happened.
7 Yami Sukehiro
The Black Bulls' Captain Is Never Panicked
Release Date October 3, 2017
Seasons 4
Writers Kazuyuki Fudeyasu , Kanichi Katou
Directors Tatsuya Yoshihara , Ayataka Tanemura
Creator(s) Yūki Tabata
Yami Sukehiro is unnaturally calm. He doesn't care about most issues, and will only get angry when someone threatens his Black Bulls. He's one of the strongest characters in Black Clover and he carries himself like he knows it. Yami doesn't allow anyone to talk back to him or his squad. He's the first one to charge into battle and would never ask his Black Bulls to do something that he hasn't done himself. He's a great leader, a powerful mage, and the first person in Black Clover to use a katana in battle. It doesn't get any cooler than that.
Yami is so cool that he makes other characters look cool. When Asta was exhausted fighting the powerful villain Dante Zogratis, Yami's words of inspiration lit a fire underneath the Anti-Magic user and picked him back up. Their combined efforts were enough to take down Dante, and if it wasn't for Zenon's sudden appearance, they would've won the day.
6 Itachi Uchiha
Itachi Is Cool Even Past Death
Cast Junko Takeuchi , Kazuhiko Inoue , Noriaki Sugiyama , Chie Nakamura , Shoutarou Morikubo , Hideo Ishikawa , Nana Mizuki , Houchuu Ootsuka
Release Date February 15, 2007
Seasons 22
Network Adult Swim
Writers Junki Takegami , Satoru Nishizono , Yasuyuki Suzuki , Yasuaki Kurotsu , Masanao Akahoshi
Directors Hayato Date , Masaaki Kumagai , Yasuaki Kurotsu , Osamu Kobayashi , Chiaki Kon
Itachi Uchiha has one of Naruto's best, and saddest, backstories. He was tasked by his village with the slaughter of his entire clan. While he spared Sasuke, he wasn't able to save anyone else. He had to become the ultimate villain in order to save both Konoha and his younger brother. Itachi's self-sacrifice is one of the darkest versions of coolness in anime. He committed horrific acts thinking that somebody had to. Rather than letting Shisui or another member of the Uchiha end their people, Itachi took it upon himself to carry out the slaughter.
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Itachi then lets Sasuke spend his life hating his older brother. He understands that it's the easiest way for Sasuke to move forward. He also fights Sasuke in battle, dying to his younger brother so that he can take Itachi's eyes and obtain the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan.
5 Jotaro Kujo
Jotaro Doesn't Care About Much
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Created by Hirohiko Araki
TV Show(s) JoJo Bizarre Adventure
Character(s) Will A. Zeppeli , Jonathan Joestar , Giorno Giovanna , Jotaro Kujo , Joseph Joestar , Jolyne Cujoh , Johnny Joestar , Josuke Higashikata , Gyro Zeppeli
Video Game(s) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure , JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
Jotaro Kujo doesn't care about anything, not even the fact that he's one of the strongest characters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He's 6'5", incredibly handsome, and more muscular than most bodybuilders. He always keeps an aloof attitude but does grow to be a loyal man to his friends. He has all the characteristics of a cool person, and they mix well for Jotaro. He's the coolest character in every iteration of JoJo he's in.
Jotaro starts part three of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as a delinquent. He beats up four people at once and puts himself in jail for it, another ridiculously cool feat. When he's in jail, he proves he's "possessed" by stealing a guard's gun and shooting himself in the head. His stand, the stupendously cool Star Platinum, then catches the bullet in midair, forcing Jotaro to live to see another day. Jotaro is undeniably cool in Stardust Crusaders, and gets even more time to shine in Diamond is Unbreakable and Stone Ocean, where it's clear that he only gets cooler with age.
4 Future Trunks
Future Trunks Killed Mecha Frieza Like Nothing
Cast Masako Nozawa , Ryou Horikawa , Hiromi Tsuru , Hiroko Emori , Shigeru Chiba , Naoko Watanabe , Mayumi Tanaka , Naoki Tatsuta , Yukimasa Kishino
Release Date April 26, 1989
Seasons 9
Writers Akira Toriyama , Takao Koyama
Directors Daisuke Nishio
Creator(s) Akira Toriyama
Future Trunks' arrival in the present timeline was multiple cool events at once. Frieza had just arrived on Earth with revenge on his mind. He was going to kill the Z Fighters and surprise Goku with his survival, enacting his vengeance on the Super Saiyan. Future Trunks had other plans though, showing up out of nowhere to quickly dispatch Frieza's men. Frieza could barely put up a fight once he saw Future Trunks' golden hair.
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Future Trunks is one of the few characters in Dragon Ball to use a sword, and he makes it look exceptionally cool. He attacked Mecha Frieza, using his Burning Attack to put the galactic tyrant right in position for Future Trunks' devastating Shining Sword Attack. Future Trunks diced Frieza up into a dozen pieces before blasting him away with an energy attack. The result is one of Dragon Ball's most shocking moments, as it permanently ended the series' biggest villain to date while also setting up a ridiculously cool new hero.
3 Levi Ackermann
Humanity's Greatest Soldier
Release Date April 7, 2013
Seasons 4
Franchise Attack on Titan
Production Company Wit Studio, MAPPA
If there's any character that deserves their own spinoff story in Attack on Titan, it's Levi Ackerman. He's humanity's strongest soldier, and it's easy to see why. Levi is a decisive factor in every battle he's in. He's a master at killing Titans and his enemies alike, and is more than willing to do both on multiple occasions. When his former father figure, Kenny Ackerman, comes after him, Levi goes on a defensive killing spree that ends up being one of the best one-man-army moments in anime.
When Erwin Smith and the rest of the Scout Regiment sacrifice their lives for Levi, he makes it worth it. He rushes the Beast Titan and cuts him down quickly. Levi's mysterious aura, lethal intent, and overall rogue demeanor makes him one of the coolest characters in anime.
2 Toji Fushiguro
His Heavenly Restriction Is as Cool as It Gets
In terms of time in the story, Toji Fushiguro was a cliffnote in Jujutsu Kaisen. In terms of impact, however, there aren't many characters bigger than the former Zenin. He was only in the series for a handful of chapters and episodes and made a splash every time he was around. He doesn't care about anything other than being free of the Zenin Clan and being the best bounty hunter/assassin he can be. With his mastery of his Heavenly Restriction, he's one of the strongest characters in Jujutsu Kaisen as well.
Toji was resurrected later in the series and was a threat once again. He flies around the battlefield faster than most Sorcerers using their Jujutsu, and he hits harder than them too. If it wasn't for Gojo's enlightenment and the Reverse Cursed Technique, Toji would still be around causing mayhem.
1 Spike Spiegel
The Epitome of a Cool Character in Anime
Release Date April 3, 1998
Seasons 1
Network Adult Swim
Franchise(s) Cowboy Bebop
Writers Keiko Nobumoto , Shinichirô Watanabe
Directors Shinichirô Watanabe
Showrunner Shinichirô Watanabe
Spike Spiegel is the epitome of a cool character in anime. He hasn't been around for more than 20 years, but he's still the first person people think about when they picture a cool anime character. He's a martial arts master, more than experienced with pistols, and always has a knife close by. He's the bad boy of cool characters, and he's not going to apologize any time soon. Spike's also an expert pilot in his Swordfish II, his handy ship equipped with machine guns, missile launchers, and even a plasma cannon.
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Cowboy Bebop's amazing art direction and style add to Spike's coolness. He always looks light on screen, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Spike has a cynical sense of humor and is much closer to an antihero than a traditional hero, but that only makes him cooler. Each of his character traits and flaws only adds to his mystique, making him the coolest character in anime.
English (US) ·