One of the most iconic black anime characters, Afro Samurai is a highly skilled swordsman who can deflect crossbow bolts and bullets, and can even fight in the air. He is ruthless in battle, and people have considered him a monster because of it.
Black Characters and Culture in Anime Onyankapon (Attack on Titan), Kilik (Soul Eater), Canary (Hunter x Hunter), Atsuko Jackson (Michiko & Hatchin), Ogun Montgomery (Fire Force), and Carole (Carole and Tuesday) are a few relatively recent characters to make their mark on the genre.
1. Michiko & Hatchin. What it's about: Michiko & Hatchin is my absolute favorite anime of all time! This was the first anime that I ever I watched that had a Black female protagonist and it did not disappoint in the slightest.
Bob Makihara He is known for being one of the strongest characters in the series and is one of the only black anime characters with dreads.
Yes — 'The Boondocks' Is the First Black Anime.
Some users proposed that Luffy could be of mixed Japanese/Brazilian descent, considering the country has the largest overseas population of Japanese, while an overwhelmingly large number of posters were disappointed that Usopp was African instead of Indian or Italian.
10 Amazing Anime With Black Representation1 Michiko & Hatchin Exemplify Black Girl Magic.2 My Hero Academia's Rock Lock Is A Confident & Skilled Black Pro Hero. ... 3 Bleach Has Many Black Characters With Thoughtful Backstories & Impressive Abilities. ... 4 Afro Samurai Radiates The Awesomeness Of Black Culture. ... More items...•
Netflix Debuts 'Cannon Busters,' An Anime Series From A Black Creative With A Diverse Cast — Here's What You Need To Know. Black anime fans have always had a particular problem with their favorite medium: it's been hard finding Black characters.
In Naruto, there is a character named Killer B, the adopted son of the Third Raikage, who is heavily coded as black as well.
Kidomaru. Kidomaru is a member of Sound Village (Otogakure) and a member of the Sound Four. He is dark-skinned with a ponytail of black shaggy hair and black eyes. He was the team's second tallest member, with a confident grin on his face at all times.
This just came to mind due to the recent death of Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Black Panther. As far as I know, the only black character in MHA is Rock Lock, and he was portrayed amazingly in the anime, even if he came off as pessimistic a-hole.
He was gray. I mean, Jet is drawn gray, basically, in the show, and I didn't really focus on that. Especially, you know, back when my career started there were very [few] if any persons of color that were in anime, right? The characters I voiced were not Black.
Series: Cowboy Bebop Created By: Hajime Yatate Voiced By: Atsuko Tanaka
Series: Soul Eater Created By: Atsushi Ōkubo Voiced By: Kenichi Suzumura
Series: Pokémon Created By: Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda Voiced By: Sora Amamiya
Series: Carole and Tuesday Created By: Shinichirō Watanabe Voiced By: Miyuri Shimabukuro
Series: Tenjho Tenge Created By: Oh! great Voiced By: Shin’ichiro Miki
Series: Michiko & Hatchin Created By: Sayao Yamamoto, Takashi Ujita Voiced By: Yōko Maki
Series: Gundam Build Fighters Created By: Kenji Nagasaki, Yōsuke Kuroda Voiced By: Shin’nosuke Tachibana
28. Villetta Nu From Code Geass. Villetta is a tall young Black anime character with bluish-gray hair, yellow eyes, and dark skin. She is usually seen with a small part of her hair to the right of her face and the rest tied up with golden ties and wrapped in purple fabric.
Agil is a friendly and very helpful Black anime character who is always looking out for others. He is also someone to rely on such as when he defended the beta testers against Kibaou, giving Kirito a place to stay, and helping players on lower floors.
As a child Atsuko is seen helping Michiko get a money box on a high shelf in the heads room. Atsuko gets caught and the distracted clerk is too late to stop Michiko from stealing a bag of food. As Michiko is about to leave she sees Atsuko on the ground hurt, so she kicks a food shelf to get the clerks attention. 32.
25. Uub From Dragon Ball GT. Uub is a Black anime character with dark eyes and black hair.
He is a heavily muscled African-American, completely bald, wears a flak-jacket, military fatigues, US military jungle boots, and is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses as his eyes are never shown.
Ken is a Black anime character of average height, with a darker complexion and dark, curly hair. He has pierced ears with padlocks in them. Notably, his fingertips have protrusions that resemble key teeth.
Daz Bones From One Piece – Alabasta Arc. Daz is a Black anime character with long, thin limbs and fingers. He is tall and very muscular and his head is shaven. His most striking feature is probably the black unibrow, right over his round eyes.
Bleach’s Yoruichi is of noble birth and a former leader of Onmitsukidō. She’s known for being the only character who can transform into a black cat. She’s usually in cat form for long periods of time.
He and his counterpart Ninja Ninja, voiced by Samuel L Jackson, go on a journey of revenge against samurais who stand no comparison against Afro’s sword.
Atsuko’s main mission in the series is to catch Michiko, a prison escapee. The wild part about the pair is that they grew up together in an orphanage. The two just so happen to be on completely different paths in life. This anime is set in Brazil with a diverse cast as well.
In One Piece, Kuzan aka Aokiji is part of the Blackbeard Pirates squad. He’s one of the most laid back characters in the series. With his charm and calm demeanor, it’s easy for people to overlook Aokiji’s skills, that of which he has a lot of.
Jet is captain of the Bebop and an all-around charismatic character. He’s an ex cop turned bounty hunter. Jet is known for his big build and robotic prosthetic left arm. He’s among the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy, but around Spike, Ed, and Faye he’s a chill and mellow guy.
Killer Bee is an extremely powerful shinobi in Naruto Shippuden. He was chosen as the Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He’s best known for his strength, speed, and lighting chakra capabilities. The way his blonde hair is parted, they almost resemble cornrows.
Bob from the anime series Tenjhe Tenge, is a tall and lanky gent with dreads. I always wondered if the writers were inspired by Bob Marley — but in anime form. He’s part of the Juken Club and kicks ass regularly, but still manages to find ways to doubt his training and capabilities.
Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach) Yoruichi needs no introduction. But if you don’t know – she’s one of many characters from: Bleach. Out of the few black female characters that exist, Yoruichi’s role is a memorable one. And the role she plays throughout Bleach is relevant, powerful, and impossible to ignore. Overall I’d say she’s a favorite.
Atsuko Jackson (Michiko To Hatchin) Atsuko Jackson is a LOVED character from the Michiko series. With a big afro, black earrings and eye makeup in a white outfit. In the story she grows up in an orphanage with Michiko, another black female character.
Iris is from the Unova region of Pokemon, who has a gentle, bubbly personality. Unova is the region that holds the legendary Pokemon: Reshiram and Kyurem. Or if you played the video games: Pokemon Black And White! 3. Hilda (Eureka Seven) Hilda is one of the support characters in Eureka Seven.
Gidget has a cool dress sense, and is all about style. In fact – she’s the best dressed character within the anime. Even if her style is odd for a Mecha/military type series. 8. Urd (Oh My Goddess) Urd is one of the goddesses from romance series: Oh My Goddess.
Sister Krone (The Promised Neverland) Sister Krone is one of the characters who shows up half way through the anime .She’s a support character who’s painted as “the enemy” when she first appears. She’s athletic, strong, and capable of chasing down the kids and seems well adapted to intense environments.
At the same time, a few modern classics feature notable Black protagonists, including the likes of Michiko & Hatchin, Afro-Samurai, and Neo Yokio.
The English dub gained popularity due to Samuel L Jackson voicing the lead character. Another selling point of the anime miniseries is the soundtrack, orchestrated by Wu-Tang Clan-alumnus RZA. Afro-Samurai went on to win an Emmy and spawned a film sequel. The basic premise revolves around the warrior known as Afro.
The titular leads in Michiko & Hatchin both crave a sense of freedom in the fictitious country of Diamandra. While the former wishes to escape a prison fortress, the latter aims to ditch her abusive family. When their paths cross, the women embark on a road trip, only to get involved in a larger criminal conspiracy. The series drew praise for the heartwarming yet valiant nature of its characters, along with the visual aesthetics of Diamandra, which bears a striking resemblance to Brazil.
Netflix's recent anime series, Yasuke, is notable for featuring a Black character as a ninja in Japan of the 16th century. While the show deals with science-fiction and fantasy elements, the titular protagonist also deals with issues around race while carving an identity of his own.
Released as Bureido in Japan, the English dub's protagonist was voiced by Harold Perrineau (of Lost and The Matrix fame). Other Marvel characters, like Noah van Helsing and Wolverine, also make guest appearances.
While in the past, some anime relied on stereotypes and racism when portraying Black characters, there are some great anime with Black protagonists. Netflix's recent anime series, Yasuke, is notable for featuring a Black character as a ninja in Japan of the 16th century. While the show deals with science-fiction and fantasy elements, ...
In the English dub, Oscar-nominated actor LaKeith Stanfield voiced Yasuke. Additionally, the series is also scored by Flying Lotus, who also produced the ambient opening track, Black Gold.